Everyone Looks at Ye Xun in a New Light, and Bad News from the Medical Sage

At this moment, the atmosphere in front of the hall fell into a brief, awkward silence.

Zhang Zhongping looked at Ye Xun and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, in the palace I shall address you as Your Highness, but in private, may I call you My Third Uncle? If you have any instructions in the future, please come directly to me, and I will certainly do my utmost to serve."

Zhang Zhongping said with a beaming smile, pledging his loyalty to Ye Xun on the spot.

Wu Shouzhi stood to the side and nodded slightly; this was the most he could do to assist Ye Xun.

Ye Xun was naturally overjoyed in his heart. "Very well, then let it be as Imperial Physician-in-Chief Zhang says."

He was not one to stand on ceremony either. Now that he was building his own faction, the more people, the better. As the Head of the Imperial Medical Institute, Zhang Zhongping would be a significant asset.

Immediately afterward, Ye Xun turned to Wu Shouzhi. " Eldest Brother, let us save idle chatter for later. We should go and examine His Majesty first."

"Very well," Wu Shouzhi nodded slightly. "Lead the way."

Helping Ye Xun establish a familial tie with Zhang Zhongping and meting out punishment to Ye Tao—his trip today had certainly not been in vain.

The Hall of Profound Virtue was antique in style. The surrounding lattice shelves, tables, desks, and other furniture were all meticulously carved from exquisite red sandalwood. Fragrant incense drifted upward, curling through the hall.

The elderly eunuch Gao De guided Wu Shouzhi, Zhang Zhongping, and the others into the inner chambers.

Ye Xun, Wei Wuji, and Lu Jiuyuan waited in the front hall, their faces showing faint traces of anxiety.

Ye Tao had originally wanted to follow them in, but having lost all dignity in today's events, he had already left the palace.

After a brief pause, Ye Xun turned to look at Grand General Lu Jiuyuan, his expression solemn.

Meeting his gaze, Lu Jiuyuan felt a surge of confusion and appeared somewhat uncomfortable.

Ye Xun gave him a slight bow and spoke in a deep voice, "General Lu, I apologize for my previous flippant words and actions toward Lady Wan'er at your estate. I do not expect the General's forgiveness, nor do I expect Lady Wan'er's. I know this apology is as light as a swan's feather, but this matter was ultimately my fault. I am truly sorry for it. Even if I were to call upon you to apologize in person, Lady Wan'er would likely be unwilling to see me again. But the General may rest assured that I shall never pester Lady Wan'er ever again."

As these words fell, everyone was astounded.

Ye Xun was apologizing?

Ye Xun was actually apologizing to Lu Jiuyuan?

In the past, such a thing would have been practically impossible. Even when Ye Xun had been stripped of his title, he had only begged Emperor Xiatian for mercy; he had never apologized to anyone.

He had always been arrogant and cavalier, looking down upon the world. He had viewed everyone else as mere slaves of the Ye family, entirely unworthy of an apology from him.

This was precisely one of the reasons why everyone despised him so bitterly.

Yet today, after being acknowledged as the sworn younger brother of the Saint of Medicine, Ye Xun had openly apologized to Lu Jiuyuan in front of a gathering of powerful ministers.

Although at this juncture, Ye Xun's actions smacked of a deliberate attempt to win over allies, his words were nonetheless shocking enough to leave everyone stunned.

It seemed His Highness the Prince of Qin had truly changed.

Hearing this, Lu Jiuyuan returned a slight bow. "Your Highness the Prince of Qin exaggerates. Let bygones be bygones."

Though Ye Xun's apology sounded entirely sincere, Lu Jiuyuan still harbored deep resentment over the incident and could not let it go simply because of a few words.

However, Ye Xun did not mind. After all, the ice had been broken. Regardless of whether Lu Jiuyuan was willing to accept it or not, his impression of Ye Xun had already begun to shift.

Besides, Ye Xun himself was deeply troubled by that affair; even now, the mere thought of it made him cringe. Fondling someone else's daughter's backside in public—was that something a human being would do?

Seeing this, Wei Wuji nodded slightly, a look of approval in his eyes. It was a good thing that Ye Xun dared to face his past misdeeds squarely.

Nan Gongye watched everything expressionless, deep in thought. Yet today, apart from the Saint of Medicine personally diagnosing and treating the Emperor of Xia, nothing else was worthy of his attention.

An hour later, just as the crowd was growing restless and uneasy, Wu Shouzhi and Zhang Zhongping emerged from the inner hall.

Ye Xun and the others immediately crowded around them, anxiety etched on their faces.

Wu Shouzhi looked at Ye Xun, his brows knitted tightly. "Third Brother, I have done my utmost, but the Emperor of Xia's injuries are simply too severe. The blade came within a hair's breadth of piercing his heart. Fortunately, his heart is located slightly further back than that of an ordinary person, otherwise he would have perished on the spot. However, although the Emperor has not regained consciousness, his life has been saved. As for when he will wake up, we can only leave it to fate."

As these words dropped, a ringing hum filled the air, and everyone's mind went blank as if a thunderclap had struck on flat ground.

When will he wake up? Leave it to fate?

Wasn't that the exact same situation as the Empress?

Both the Emperor and Empress of Xia were trapped in a catatonic state, entirely unresponsive. With the position of the Crown Prince vacant... what on earth was to be done?

Even the Saint of Medicine had failed to revive the Emperor. This outcome was difficult for anyone to accept, yet accept it they must.

Now, all they could do was pray that the Emperor would regain consciousness soon. If this dragged on, the borderlands would inevitably fall into great turmoil.

"Alas... what is to be done? Who is supposed to take charge of the imperial court now?"

"How could even the Saint of Medicine be helpless? His Majesty remains unconscious, yet the nation cannot go a single day without a sovereign."

"It seems the Great Xia is about to walk a very difficult road ahead."

"How could things have come to this point, with His Majesty unable to wake up?"

...

Everyone around wore sorrowful expressions, sighing heavily. They had pinned all their hopes on Wu Shouzhi, never expecting that their trust would ultimately be misplaced.

Yet no one dared to question Wu Shouzhi's ability. After all, he was the Saint of Medicine of this era; if he was helpless, no one else in the world could heal the Emperor.

For him to have preserved the Emperor's life under such circumstances meant he had already exerted his utmost effort.

Wei Wuji's expression was dark and gloomy, his right fist clenched tightly. His grief and indignation at this moment surpassed that of everyone present, even Ye Xun. In the eyes of others, their relationship might merely be that of sovereign and subject, but Wei Wuji and Ye Tian could truly be called kindred spirits who had shared life and death.

Having managed to carve out an empire and govern Great Xia to its current state with such immense difficulty, things had somehow degenerated to this point.

Ye Xun's heart felt heavy as well. Regardless of anything else, Ye Tian had taken that stab precisely to save him. Furthermore, Ye Tian remaining unconscious was extremely disadvantageous to Ye Xun. The political landscape going forward would be far more severe than he had anticipated.

Yet no matter how difficult the road ahead, he had no choice but to bear it silently—both for Ye Tian's sake, and for his own.

Ye Xun looked at Wu Shouzhi and gave a slight bow. "Thank you for your hard work, Eldest Brother. I believe my imperial father is blessed and will turn misfortune into fortune. Perhaps in a few days, he will awaken."

"Indeed," Wu Shouzhi sighed helplessly. "All of this can only depend on the Emperor of Xia himself now."

By this point, a trace of lingering disappointment shadowed Wu Shouzhi's heart. After all, this was the very first task he had undertaken for Ye Xun after taking the oath of sworn brotherhood. To think that in the field where he was most peerless, he had failed to rouse the Emperor—this was a humiliation for the Saint of Medicine.

Yet, when all was said and done, he was merely made of mortal flesh and blood. In the face of death, he was not the legendary figure rumored to be able to kick open the gates of hell and pull people back.

Shortly after, Ye Xun and Wu Shouzhi took their leave. It was already an exceptional privilege that he had been able to bring Wu Shouzhi into the palace today.

With the Emperor still asleep, there was no need for him to linger here any longer.

Wei Wuji and the others departed as well, leaving only Qin Yuan behind to guard the hall.

With Ye Tian yet to regain consciousness, these pillars of the state were going to have their hands full.