Inside the Funing Palace, Prince Qi's biological mother, Concubine Jin, had nearly fainted from crying in the Emperor's arms.
Hearing the eunuch report that Song Jinzhao and Gu Jupu were requesting an audience outside, she hurriedly lifted her head and looked toward the door.
Seeing the two enter, she couldn't wait to ask, "How is it? Can the First Prince's eye be cured?"
Song Jinzhao glanced at her, then met Xiao Chengjing's eyes and knelt.
"To reply to Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Qi's right eye is completely necrotic. This subject is powerless to save it."
Xiao Chengjing's heart sank to the bottom. If even Song Jinzhao said there was no way, it was definitely beyond saving.
Song Jinzhao continued, "Not only that, but the dead eyeball will also affect the other eye."
"Right now, his vision is merely blurry, but I fear he will go completely blind in another month or two."
"Furthermore, the eye is connected to the cranial and facial nerves. His Highness Prince Qi will be continuously tormented by illness from now on; chronic headaches and facial pain are unavoidable."
These words were like a bolt from the blue.
No matter how dissatisfied he had been before, this was still his own son.
Finding it hard to accept, Xiao Chengjing stood up. "Is there really no way to save the other eye?"
Song Jinzhao replied, "It is practically impossible. Even with daily medicinal treatment, it will only delay the blindness, probably by just a few months."
Concubine Jin slumped to the ground, her body utterly limp.
Dazed, she shook her head and muttered to herself, "This is impossible. How could my son become blind? He cannot become blind."
A blind man could not become the Emperor; a blind man was a useless cripple.
Xiao Chengjing fell back into his chair, beginning to regret why he had sent Xiao Rongche to the southwest.
If he hadn't gone, this accident wouldn't have happened.
"Who shot the arrow at Prince Qi? Where is Wen Yong? What was he doing?"
Xiao Chengjing picked up the vase at hand and smashed it heavily onto the ground.
Even though the floor was covered with a carpet, the vase still shattered all over the floor.
Song Jinzhao lowered her eyes to look at the back of her hand, which had been scratched by a broken porcelain shard, and furrowed her brows.
Throwing things at the slightest provocation—who did he learn such a bad habit from?
Knowing that he was being summoned by the Emperor, Wen Yong's legs gave out on the spot.
With Prince Qi's eye incurable and the Emperor furious, he would be the first to suffer the consequences.
His mind in chaos, Wen Yong immediately pulled over a man wearing a mask.
"General Huo, the Emperor has just summoned me. You will come with me."
Huo Chong waved his hand in refusal, looking troubled.
"The Emperor did not summon me, so I won't go. General Wen should go by himself."
How could Wen Yong agree to that? With one more person facing the Emperor, the anger he had to bear might be lessened.
Moreover, Huo Chong belonged to the Mu clan, making it incredibly fitting to bring him along.
"General Huo, do not forget your purpose in coming to the capital."
"Right now is when the Emperor's anger is at its peak. You only need to say a few words, and the Emperor will deploy troops to help you annihilate the Yang clan!"
Huo Chong furrowed his brows in suspicion. "Really?"
Wen Yong patted his chest in guarantee, though he felt guilty on the inside.
"Of course it's true. They blinded His Highness Prince Qi's eye; how could the Emperor not deploy troops?"
Seeing him still hesitating, Wen Yong simply dragged and coaxed the man into the carriage.
After leaving the Funing Palace, Song Jinzhao and Gu Jupu went to the Prince Qi Manor.
On the way, Song Jinzhao leisurely said to Gu Jupu, "After examining Prince Qi's eye, regarding what medicine to use and how to apply the acupuncture needles, I must ask Court Envoy Gu to send someone to learn it properly, or you can come personally."
Gu Jupu widened his eyes in astonishment. "The County Princess will not treat Prince Qi personally?"
Song Jinzhao raised her eyes to stare at him, her gaze dark and profound as she said, "Do you think I am willing to treat him?"
Going blind was nothing; it would be better if he died.
Gu Jupu's expression froze, and he silently lowered his head, speaking no more.
If he were County Princess Linghui, he wouldn't be willing to treat him either; it would be best if he died to relieve the hatred.
After bringing Huo Chong to the palace gates, Wen Yong said, "General Huo, wait here for a moment. Once I report to the Emperor, His Majesty will surely summon you into the palace immediately."
As he spoke, he gave his attendants a look, signaling them to guard Huo Chong and not let him run away.
By the time Wen Yong entered the palace, Xiao Chengjing was already sitting in the Imperial Study. Also present were Chu Liuyun, Fan Guanshan, Dongfang Shaoting, and others.
They had all heard that Prince Qi had returned to the capital injured and hurried into the palace out of concern for the situation in the southwest.
Before Wen Yong even had time to kneel, an inkstone was smashed right in front of him.
"My beloved Minister Wen, I ordered you to lead troops to protect Prince Qi. How exactly did you protect him?"
Wen Yong knelt and kowtowed in a panic, feeling a bitterness in his heart that he couldn't express.
You told me to lead troops to awe the southwest, but you didn't say I had to follow your son around without leaving his side for a single step.
I wasn't even present when he was injured.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject is truly wronged."
"At that time, this humble subject was leading troops to guard the city, while His Highness Prince Qi ventured deep into the enemy camp to persuade the Yang clan to call a truce. Who knew that the two sides would fall out during the peace talks? An arrow shot by the Yang clan accidentally injured His Highness Prince Qi. Since this humble subject was not present, there was truly no way to stop it."
Xiao Chengjing slammed his hand on the desk forcefully, spittle flying.
"What about the guards? Are they all dead?"
Wen Yong's eyes darted around in panic.
"The situation was chaotic at the time, and this humble subject is unclear on the specific details. However, this humble subject brought back a general of the Mu clan who was present at the scene to the capital. This person is currently waiting outside the palace for Your Majesty's summons."
Xiao Chengjing's brows relaxed slightly as he confirmed with him in surprise, "You brought someone from the Mu clan to the capital?"
It was well known that the foreign tribes in the southwest had a very weak sense of belonging to the imperial court, and unless forced, they generally would not come to the capital on their own initiative.
Sensing a slight softening in the Emperor's attitude, Wen Yong hurriedly explained.
"This person is named Huo Chong. He is the right-hand man of Mu Ji'an, the Pacification Commissioner of Ningzhou. He came to the capital this time specifically to thank Your Majesty."
Seeing that the two of them were taking too long to get to the point, Dongfang Shaoting couldn't help but interject and ask, "What happened after the peace talks broke down?"
"Since you and Prince Qi have already returned to the capital and even brought Huo Chong back, what is the current situation in the southwest?"
Wen Yong lifted his head. "Prince Qi's eye was injured. Knowing that they had caused a massive disaster, the Yang clan has already called a truce."
"This humble subject thought that there were imperial physicians in the palace and that County Princess Linghui was also in the capital, so I brought His Highness back first. The ten thousand-strong army is still waiting in the isolated city for Your Majesty's explicit decree."
Dongfang Shaoting and the others breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. In contrast, Gu Qishan, who was standing to the side, still had just as poor of an expression.
If Prince Qi's eye hadn't been injured, achieving such a great merit would have surely allowed his status to advance even further.
But now he was going to become blind. No matter how great his merits were, he could not become the Emperor. It was all useless.
Waiting at the palace gates, Huo Chong looked up at the impossibly high palace walls. His gaze was distant and calm, as if he were looking through them at something else. His face, hidden beneath the mask, exuded a chilling aura.
About to meet the enemy who had murdered his entire family, Huo Chong's heart was surging with emotion.
But in order to avoid exposing himself, he had to forcefully suppress this excitement and try his best to appear very calm.
Not long after, a young eunuch hurried over to lead the way.
"Which of you is General Huo Chong?"
Huo Chong stepped forward and replied, "I am."
The young eunuch's gaze lingered for a moment on the mask he wore on his face, then extended a hand and said, "The Emperor has summoned you. General Huo, please follow this servant to the Imperial Study."
The Imperial Guards responsible for standing watch at the palace gates made way. Huo Chong took a deep breath and stepped inside.
