Only when Fan Wuguo and the others caught up with him did Xiaocao feel completely relieved. "What's the situation? Are there any casualties?"
"Don't worry, sister. We have the advantage in numbers. They just suffered some injuries. The wounds have been treated and they are not serious." Fan Wuguo said. In fact, he lied. Three people died on their side, one of whom was brought out by him. But in comparison, only one person escaped from the other side, and the other dozen or so people were all left behind. However, with just this one person, the road ahead would not be peaceful.
It's easy to imagine that since he has made up his mind to kill, he will not give up easily.
"Do you know the other party's origin?"
"Nothing that can prove the identity was found. Even if it was found, it would most likely be a frame-up. However, there are only a few people, and one of them may be involved. You don't need to take these things to heart, sister."
No matter who those bastards are, they will be dealt with one day.
When it was getting dark, they stopped at a post station, took a short rest and then continued on their journey. If nothing unexpected happened, they should be able to reach the imperial city tomorrow. No, it should be said that no accidents could prevent them from entering the imperial city tomorrow.
Before Xiaocao arrived at the post station, the guards in front had already cleared it out, using the Kaiping Guards' token. Not to mention just an inspection, even if they cleared the area and asked all the people in the post station to get out, no one dared to say anything.
Xiao Cao washed up quickly, ate something casually, then gave some of her things to Fan Wuguo and the others and went to bed. She needed enough physical strength whether for the journey or for the possible surgery tomorrow.
This was the first time that Fan Wuguo saw the medicines in Xiaocao's hands. He was quite interested in them. Moreover, he was the kind of person who looked down on others and didn't take others seriously. Now he wanted to kill them, so he would show no mercy.
They rested for less than four hours and set off again at about two o'clock in the morning. Fortunately, it was near the middle of the moon, so the moonlight was not bad. The road ahead had been cleared again, including possible ambushes on both sides, so it was relatively safe. Therefore, even without torches, there would not be any big problems based on their riding skills.
In addition, without torches, even if the ambushers were far away and wanted to launch a sneak attack with powerful bows, they would not be able to clearly identify the target. However, bows and arrows with normal range were within the clearing range of the guards, so all aspects were considered more thoroughly.
There was plenty of time for rest, but Xiaocao didn't know how to ride a horse, and it must have been uncomfortable to be so bumpy these days. The insides of her thighs had already been rubbed raw. Even so, Xiaocao didn't say a word.
If we really talk about hard work, Xiaocao herself is not the one who suffers the most. It is the guards who follow her who take turns to protect her and lead her. The rest have to lead the way in front. They have much less time to rest than her. What's more, Huayu follows her all the time. Although she is not an ordinary maid, she serves Wei Tingyu more than others. Even if she has martial arts skills, her situation may not be better than Xiaocao's.
The night was peaceful and there were no unexpected incidents.
Most likely it was due to insufficient estimation. The other party sent a group of people out, and one person escaped. Even if they used carrier pigeons to send a message, it would take time for the second group of people to come out. Besides, Fan Wuguo also sent a message to the imperial city, asking Kaiping Guards to come out to pick up the people. Some people might not have the courage to continue taking action under such circumstances. If they really continued to take action, it would mean that they had a lot of manpower and were bold enough. So no matter who it was, as long as they were caught, their good days would be over.
The subsequent journey was surprisingly smooth. When they were about 300 miles away from the imperial city, people from Kaiping Guard arrived, more than a hundred of them, which made people feel somewhat relieved.
Then, about 200 miles away from the imperial city, there was a teahouse, which was a good place to rest. It was not just the people, but more importantly the horses. Even if there were two horses to ride in rotation, there was a limit to how much they could bear. There were also post stations along the way where they could change horses, but they used a lot of horses, and the number of post stations was far from enough to avoid the horses being worn out. They couldn't run at full speed, and it was about 120 miles per hour, so the rest of the journey could be completed in one breath, which took just over an hour.
The leader of the Kaiping Guard was their commander. Xiaocao took this opportunity to ask about Emperor Xuanren's condition. Obviously, the commander did not know either, as Emperor Xuanren's bedroom was sealed off, and few people knew about his illness.
In this way, Xiaocao didn't ask any more questions. As long as he was sure that the person was still alive, there was still hope.
The rest time was only about a quarter of an hour, and then they continued their journey with Xiaocao. However, when they were helping Xiaocao onto the horse, something unexpected happened. A guard who was originally following the commander suddenly pulled out a dagger hidden in his sleeve and rushed towards Xiaocao...
"Ma'am, be careful—"
"careful-"
Fan Wuguo's pupils suddenly shrank, and while pulling Xiaocao, he directly blocked it with his body. The dagger pierced his arm, and then the guard was chopped by the commander who was a step slower and was immediately taken down.
Xiao Cao's body hit the horse, just at the edge of the saddle. He ignored the pain and turned back, "Young Master..."
Xiaocao immediately checked Fan Wuguo's wound. Anyone could see that it was poisonous. Although it was not fatal, the toxicity was still strong. If the poison could not be detoxified as soon as possible, his life would be in danger within a few hours.
Xiaocao handled it as quickly as possible, using a silver needle to force the poison out. After a while, the poison had hardly spread, and then he cleaned it. Because the wound was scratched diagonally, it was deep and long, so he needed seven or eight stitches.
Xiao Cao said as he bandaged him, "There may still be some toxins left. You will need to take medicine when you return. However, in this situation, it is not suitable to continue riding a fast horse. Young Master, please slow down..."
"Sister," Fan Wuguo interrupted her, "After something like this happened, how could I let someone else escort you back?" He glanced sideways coldly at the guard who was also the commander, "It's just some residue, not fatal, right? Then it's okay."
Xiaocao wanted to say something, but when she met Fan Wuguo's stubborn gaze, she chose to shut up.
Next to him, the face of the commander of Kaiping Guard was almost as black as the bottom of a pot. Something had happened to the people around him. Although he had nothing to do with the assassination itself, he could not escape the responsibility. Assassinating the fourth girl Wenren at this time would be tantamount to treason. He was afraid that it would not be as simple as dismissal and investigation. Thinking of this, he even wanted to skin the person alive. However, the person needed to be kept for interrogation.
After setting off again, the people of Kaiping Guard were ordered by Fan Wuguo to walk in front. Who could guarantee that there would be no problems among the remaining people? They were lax for a moment just now, and the person behind the scenes almost succeeded.
It was not only the commander of the Kaiping Guard who was furious, but the other Kaiping Guards were also furious. Of course, there were more who were worried and heartbroken, such as those who had a good relationship with the assassin. They were heartbroken as to how could he do such a thing, and they were also worried that they would be implicated.
However, the person died on the way. As they were in a hurry, they planned to re-examine the case after returning.
Xiao Cao spent some time thinking, "Poisoned, probably swallowed the poison in the teahouse."
The bumpy journey accelerates blood circulation, which naturally accelerates death.
It makes sense. If he assassinates Xiaocao at this time, no matter whether it succeeds or not, he will definitely have no chance of survival. In order to avoid being tortured, he simply takes poison in advance, which naturally makes people look even uglier.
A dead person is not worth wasting time on, so I whipped him and ran as fast as I could for the rest of the journey.
From afar, one can see the towering walls of the imperial city. When arriving at this place, no one dares to take action. You have to believe that if someone takes action here, even if Wen Renxuan dies, then before Emperor Xuanren dies, the imperial city will be flooded with blood.
"Kaiping Guards are on duty, please get out of the way immediately—"
At this time, the people who were leading the way in front shouted at the top of their voices, and starting from the city gate, everyone quickly made way. You have to know that at this time, if you were hit, even if you died, you could only blame yourself for your bad luck.
From the city gate, he went straight to the palace.
Along the way, many people stopped and asked, "What happened?"
"Why is Kaiping Wei bringing a woman with him?"
When they got on the horse before, it was Fan Wuguo who brought Xiaocao with him. Therefore, even when they arrived at the palace gate and the guards wanted to stop them, Fan Wuguo angrily shouted "Get out of the way" and rode straight to Emperor Xuanren's bedroom.
At this moment, outside Emperor Xuanren's bedroom, all the ministers and princes were present, and the imperial guards were several times more numerous.
Behind them, the sound of horse hooves was so obvious that everyone couldn't help but look back.
"What are you looking at? Get out of my way!" The situation was not good at first glance. Fan Wuguo was afraid that it was too late. His eyes turned red. No matter who was in front of him, he would just crash into them.
When they arrived in front of the palace, Fan Wuguo tightened the reins. Because the horse was going too fast, its front hooves were raised high, accompanied by a neigh.
Before the horse had even landed, Fan Wuguo slid down with Xiaocao, and without saying a word, he ran straight into the palace...
Emperor Xuanren's condition is indeed not very good now. He has a high fever and is not even very clear-headed. The low pressure in the hall makes everyone feel very heavy. There is also someone sitting next to him who seems to be drafting an imperial edict.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Miss Wenren is back, Miss Wenren is back…” The little eunuch almost crawled in.
The originally heavy atmosphere suddenly relaxed, and the Queen Mother was overjoyed, "Quick, quick..."
Xiaocao didn't care about her image at all and ran in as fast as she could, throwing all the etiquette aside.
Seeing the condition of Emperor Xuanren, his face changed slightly. He already had silver needles on his body, and Xiaocao gave him a few more needles. It could be said that he was using very fierce means. "Where is the pulse case? Bring it here." He did not ask about the situation slowly at this time.
Doctor Lin knew his daughter's needs best. He came hurriedly without the need for a pulse record and quickly and concisely told her about Emperor Xuanren's condition without a single word of nonsense.
Xiao Cao listened and said, "Prepare for surgery."
"Everything is ready. Everything you might need has been brought into the palace and is waiting for you."
"Prepare some water, I need to wash up."
At this time, no one asked her anything else, and everyone did as they were told as quickly as possible.
Xiaocao simply washed up, changed her clothes, wrapped her hair, and put on her "surgical gown". Huayu had not arrived yet, so Doctor Lin volunteered to be her assistant. As for Xiaocao's tools, although he had never used them formally, he had already memorized them by heart in the past few months. No matter what model, he could take it out quickly and accurately without making any mistakes.
While Xiaocao was preparing, Fan Wuguo was telling the people in the palace about what happened on the road. One can imagine how angry the Queen Mother and Princess Fukang were. They must investigate thoroughly.
Emperor Xuanren did not completely lose consciousness, but his reactions were a little slow. In comparison, he was quite calm.
However, several ministers in the cabinet stepped back a little at this moment, watching the situation with their eyes and nose, but their hearts were pounding.
The temporary operating room was prepared in the warm room at the back. When Xiaocao came in, he asked someone to send Emperor Xuanren over.
Emperor Xuanren suddenly grabbed Xiaocao's hand and said, "Girl, I am blessed with a long life. I will not die, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, you are blessed with great fortune. Nothing will happen to you."
Emperor Xuanren smiled and said, "I heard from your adoptive father before that this operation is risky. Even if you are very familiar with it, you cannot guarantee success. You don't have to worry about it. Just do your best. Even if I die in the end, I will pardon you."
Xiao Cao was slightly moved, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Okay, that's it."
He is the emperor, and anyone who has anything to do with him would be very risky. She really tried her best to rush back, and she never hesitated when she was assassinated and her life was threatened. In return, he naturally put her worries aside.
Emperor Xuanren's condition had seriously deteriorated, so the operation would naturally take a long time.
Two injections of medicine were given first. After Huayu came in, she dictated and asked someone to prepare a dose of medicine, boil it, and process it, and then give it directly to Emperor Xuanren through an IV. Huayu knew what to do, so there was naturally no problem.
Emperor Xuanren was only half anesthetized, so he was awake. Although he was not very active, he could feel his skin being cut open, which was a bit novel. He even wanted to take a look. It must be said that his mentality was really good, which also indirectly proved the strength of this man.
The operation in the operating room was proceeding in an orderly manner, but the waiting outside was not so easy.
Some were worried, some were in mixed emotions, and of course there was no shortage of angry and irritable people. It had already come to the last minute, but she had driven them back. This had completely ruined their plans. They wanted to eat Xiaocao alive, and they really wanted to rush in and pull her out. However, no matter how crazy and impulsive they were in their hearts, they could only show worry on their faces.
A few hours later, the operation was completed. Xiao Cao smiled and looked at Emperor Xuanren. "It was very successful. How does the emperor feel?"
"Yes, it doesn't hurt at the moment after all." Emperor Xuanren also smiled, a little weakly.
"Before, I was 70% sure, now I am 90%. The emperor will definitely recover."