RWNEFE -Chapter 630 I Have Been Gravely Wounded, My Life Hangs by a Thread!

“Stay here, I’ll go investigate,” Shen Lanxi said, then immediately left.

Liu Yanhui felt a twinge of frustration—he didn’t know martial arts.

The collected silver was transported to the back courtyard and stored in large chests, each sealed by a designated person before being shipped out.

There were also people keeping records of the amounts. Shen Lanxi quietly slipped into the place where the silver and account ledgers were kept.

Several large chests of ledgers were already there.

Looking over the contents, Shen Lanxi pulled out one of the ledgers.

Seeing the identical format throughout, all she could do was coldly laugh.

“My good mother… she truly spares no means. Even with such strict precautions, she still found a way through.”

She wondered whether Nie Congzhou had been her agent from the start or if he had been bribed later.

“Your Majesty, did you find anything?” Liu Yanhui asked with relief when Shen Lanxi returned.

“Yes. It’s time we meet with Nie Congzhou,” Shen Lanxi replied.

Liu Yanhui worried about their safety.

“Your Majesty, all of Wen City is under Nie Congzhou. Should we wait for the Imperial Guards before going?”

Shen Lanxi glanced at him. “You wait at the inn. I’ll go alone.”

Liu Yanhui’s heart tightened with anxiety.

“Your Majesty, am I holding you back?”

“Not at all,” she replied.

“You ask so directly,” Liu Yanhui thought, feeling embarrassed, yet he knew the Emperor well.

“You’re not holding me back, it’s just that some matters aren’t for you to hear yet.”

Since the Emperor said this, it clearly involved secrets.

“As long as Your Majesty has it under control.”

Shen Lanxi raised the corners of her mouth. “Do you think I don’t trust you?”

Liu Yanhui shook his head. “No. You’ve always been straightforward. If you don’t want me to know, there must be a reason.”

A laugh rang out.

“You understand me well.”

Liu Yanhui waited at the inn for three hours, until the next day at noon, when Shen Lanxi returned.

“Let’s go. We continue our journey,” she said as she entered the inn.

Liu Yanhui had already packed and quickly scanned her as she came in.

No blood. No signs of struggle.

Shaking off the city, Shen Lanxi looked back at Wen City, reflecting on the previous night.

She had gone to see Nie Congzhou and, without using any tricks, he had confessed on his own.

However, the confession wasn’t what she expected.

She thought Nie Congzhou had been coerced by her mother—turns out it was a scheme disguised as an act of gratitude.

Over a year ago, her mother’s people approached Nie Congzhou subtly, sharing her difficulties and implying that as a mother, she wished to relieve her daughter’s burdens.

The method of “relieving burdens” was money. They framed it as: the imperial treasury had fewer resources due to reduced agricultural taxes, yet she sympathized with the people, unwilling to overtax them, and quietly suffered the loss herself.

With this subtle suggestion, the merchant-born Nie Congzhou naturally conceived the scheme to extort funds.

In hindsight, it was almost laughable.

The next day, the Eastern Expedition army received news.

Locals, grateful for the Emperor’s benevolence, presented a thousand-year-old ginseng root.

It was said that during the late emperor’s reign, Shen Lanxi had sent people to search Dongchuan for aged ginseng. Though the previous emperor never used it, Shen Lanxi had obtained it.

The people praised her in songs, celebrating her blessed fortune.

But the benevolent and filial Emperor did not keep it for herself. She insisted it be sent back to the capital for the Shen family.

Later, she sent a secret letter to personally deliver it to her mother.

“Such a rare ginseng, only the late emperor ever consumed one.”

“Unfortunately, the late emperor had poor fortune. Even with an elixir, it wouldn’t have helped, given the son he had.”

“That explains why it wasn’t found before, but as soon as Our Majesty came to Dongchuan, the thousand-year ginseng was immediately dug from the deep forests.”

“Wherever the Emperor goes, auspicious signs appear!”

“Heaven blesses Our Zhou, Heaven blesses the Emperor!”

While the people chattered, a procession carrying the precious ginseng slowly departed for the capital, festooned with red cloth, surrounded by three layers of Imperial Guards.

They moved slowly, worried that the precious root might be damaged by haste.

At each stop, locals were warned:

“This ginseng is a gift from the Emperor to her family…”

“Keep your distance; do not disturb it.”

“Even while on campaign, the Emperor’s filial piety never wavers. Heaven has been moved by her devotion!”

“She has not kept even a single root, sending it immediately to the capital.”

“The Emperor’s filial piety shames us ordinary folk.”

“Stand back—these are auspicious signs; do not let the divine aura escape…”

As the news spread, more people gathered to watch.

Three nights later, Shen Lanxi suddenly received word: the Eastern Expedition army had been ambushed, and the “Emperor” had been struck by two arrows.

“Your Majesty, should we join the Eastern Expedition army immediately?” Liu Yanhui asked. Even if it was a decoy injured, such news could not be spread.

No matter the time, the Emperor must always appear safe, strong, and untouchable.

“No. Send them a message. Simply write: ‘I have been gravely wounded; my life hangs by a thread!’”