In the following days, Fen Jiu's wound healed, yet she hadn't regained consciousness. Jiao Ling was so worried that a few strands of white hair appeared, which made Bai Ruozhu feel heartache, but she couldn't think of a solution.

Could her spatial hot spring only heal surface wounds, without helping the damage to the heart meridian? But according to Fen Jiu's pulse, there were no issues!

While Bai Ruozhu and Gao Zhou were at a loss, major events occurred in the court.

News came from the capital city, stating that King Rui personally led troops on an expedition, causing the Yueqiu Tribe to retreat progressively, and now they have entirely withdrawn from the North Pass. The common people in the capital cheered, praising the new emperor's wisdom and prowess, ensuring peace for the people.

As a result, the common people almost forgot about the new emperor's illegitimate ascension, and even the anomalies that occurred during the heaven worship ceremony.

Tang Yin, upon receiving this news, angrily smashed the imperial reports and remained irate for several days. Some senior ministers were also anxious and suggested returning to the capital earlier, fearing that once King Rui gained the people's support, it would be harder to deal with.

Tang Yin understood this reasoning well, but now the military pay and provisions were lacking. If the battle dragged on, they might end up in a desperate struggle. He had only one chance to counterattack and could not afford to be careless.

In the imperial study room, the prime minister was speaking with the emperor.

"Your Majesty, it is now essential to remain calm and not lose our footing," the prime minister opposed hastily deploying troops.

Tang Yin sighed, "I understand, but I'm afraid this might disrupt the army's morale."

The prime minister also sighed, "Why not consent to this matter, Your Majesty, and then begin with conscription. By doing some maneuvering in conscription, it could potentially drag on for half a year, serving as a delaying tactic."

"Alright, let's do as the prime minister suggests," Tang Yin, unable to think of other strategies, agreed temporarily.

Once his counterattack order was issued, the court was invigorated with excitement, immediately commencing conscription efforts across the northwest regions.

Bai Ruozhu soon learned of Tang Yin's plan, aware that he didn't want to forcibly conscript, which would slow the pace considerably, yet this had its benefits as it wouldn't incite resentment among the people.

On the third day after the conscription order was issued, an elderly man dressed as a beggar entered Beiyu City, finally reaching the entrance of the guest palace.

When he took out the token, he was quickly arranged to meet the emperor.

"You are the empress dowager's subordinate? Did the empress dowager send you?" The emperor frowned. He had no impression of this person, but he indeed had the empress dowager's token. Although this man smelled too bad, the odor reaching him even from fourteen yards away.

This beggar disguise was undeniably convincing.

"I am Shen Lu, a servant of the empress dowager," replied the beggar.

The emperor widened his eyes and observed closely, "So, you are the Shen Lu who established the 'Welcoming Guests' inns?"

Shen Lu nodded, with a look of melancholy, "I am fortunate to be trusted by the empress dowager, establishing 'Welcoming Guests' inns across various places to accumulate wealth for the empress dowager. She once instructed that if she were no longer here, to entrust all the wealth to the emperor."

Tang Yin was astounded, clearly unaware that Shen Lu didn't know the empress dowager was still alive.

"I am useless. I was ambushed when escaping from the capital and have been recovering from injuries for nearly two months, during which my identity was exposed. King Rui's minions have been chasing me, thus I couldn't come to see the emperor until today," Shen Lu said while presenting the empress dowager's seal with both hands, "With this seal, you can retrieve silver from the money houses across the eight major cities, excluding the capital. Together, it amounts to about one million taels."

Wang Shun stepped forward to take the seal. Seeing Shen Lu's dark, cracked hands, his heart ached; this man wasn't just disguised as a beggar but likely had lived as a beggar all along!

Until now, everyone believed the empress dowager had passed away, assuming Shen Lu escaped with the wealth, leaving the emperor powerless against him. Yet, he chose to endure countless hardships and danger to present the treasures, which indeed demonstrated profound loyalty.

"Please rise, Mr. Shen. I appreciate your benevolence, and the people of Danliang do so too," Tang Yin, feeling somewhat moved, stood up to personally assist Shen Lu. He no longer minded Shen Lu's odor, even feeling ashamed of his previous thoughts.

How could he disdain such a loyal subject?

"Don't overpraise me, Your Majesty. My family owes our lives to the empress dowager and vowed loyalty to both her and the emperor. It is only natural for me to do these things," Shen Lu remarked with a hint of sorrow, "Sadly, the empress dowager was harmed by King Rui, and I have no other abilities but to seek revenge for her and wish the emperor to reclaim Jiang Mountain."

"Very well, with your unwavering loyalty and courage, I decree you be bestowed the title of Marquis of Loyalty, entitled to a prince's salary," Tang Yin declared.

Shen Lu hastily gestured in refusal, "I am merely a merchant, undeserving of such a title. It would be better for the emperor to retrieve those taels first, and other matters can be discussed later."

Tang Yin didn't insist further, promptly ordering Wang Shun to summon Meng Liangshen and several senior ministers to the palace for joint discussions on this matter.

Jiang Yichun was also called to the palace, and upon returning home, shared the news with Bai Ruozhu.

"Shen Lu is back? That's wonderful!" Bai Ruozhu said enthusiastically, "Why didn't you invite him to our home as a guest? After all, he's my business partner."

"He's been kept in the palace by the emperor, and can't just leave easily. You can meet him by entering the palace yourself," Jiang Yichun responded.

Bai Ruozhu thought about it and agreed, realizing Shen Lu was a key figure now.

Early the next morning, she went to the palace to see Shen Lu. Upon meeting, there was an inevitable sense of nostalgia as Shen Lu looked older by more than ten years, evidencing the hardships he endured.

"I heard from Eunuch Wang that you gave birth to two more hefty sons, congratulations! I didn't expect you to not only bring fortune to your husband but also to your descendants," Shen Lu said, smiling like before.

Bai Ruozhu's face darkened, what did he mean by saying she had two more hefty sons, could everyone stop mentioning this?

"I wanted daughters; it's already uninspiring. Please, don't bring this up anymore," Bai Ruozhu bluntly remarked.

Shen Lu startled for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Your ideas are unique, which is your special trait. Alright, I won't speak of it, won't mention it again."

After chatting for a while, Bai Ruozhu eventually inquired about Shen Lu's experiences during his journey, to which a melancholy expression surfaced on his face, "It's hard to say, countless times I nearly lost my life. I disguised myself as a refugee and a beggar, eventually becoming a real beggar, begging my way to Beiyu City."

Recollecting the travails, Shen Lu couldn't help but wipe his eyes as he spent endless days without tasting the exquisite dishes from 'Welcoming Guests'. Each time he passed a city with a 'Welcoming Guests', he couldn't help but salivate, yet he dared not enter, fearing King Rui's minions awaited him. He couldn't possibly let the empress dowager's seal fall into King Rui's grasp!

"Then you will have to start with some light meals for now, to avoid stomach distress," Bai Ruozhu tactfully contemplated Shen Lu's thoughts, knowing well that Shen Lu was a true foodie like her.

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