Traveling through an ancient military camp: Bao'er's survival song

After listening to Liu Shu's account, the emperor's face turned stern: "You mean, the subordinate that Peng Zizheng took away was one of yours?"

Liu Shu immediately explained, "He is my savior. As the saying goes, a life-saving grace should be repaid with a spring of gratitude, but Peng Zizheng so fiercely took away my savior. I am worried that the brute will harm Li Baobao!"

The Emperor chuckled. "Brother, aren't you overthinking this? Why would Peng Zizheng harm your savior? Could it be... that you have a grudge against General Peng?"

Liu Shu didn't want to be tested at this time, but he couldn't tell the emperor that he had a strong premonition that Li Baobao would be harmed by Peng Zizheng. So he knelt down again and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have no grudge against General Peng. Your Majesty! Your Majesty begs me to find Li Baobao first. Your Majesty, I beg you!"

The emperor remained silent. He was well aware of his eighth brother's recent frequent interactions with a lowly soldier in the general's mansion. He looked at Liu Shu for a moment, then ordered, "Summon Zhao Qin from the Wucheng Military Command."

Then the emperor looked at Liu Shu, whose hair was disheveled, and said, "Go and tidy yourself up, then come with me."

Zhao Qin, commander of the Five Cities Garrison, received the imperial decree and went to the General's Mansion to negotiate. Liu Shu, on the other hand, followed the emperor to an abandoned courtyard, where a mottled plaque hanging above the gate bore the two large characters "Luo Mansion".

The eunuch Ruifu stepped forward and opened the gate. The emperor glanced at Liu Shu and then strolled inside. Liu Shu quickly followed. He didn't understand why the emperor had come here, but dared not ask any questions. However, he also secretly hoped that this was where Peng Zizheng and Li Baobao were.

Sure enough, as soon as he passed through the courtyard, Liu Shu saw a person hanging in the center of a hall with its door open. Although the person's clothes were tattered and stained with blood, Liu Shu recognized her at a glance as his Bao'er. Liu Shu rushed past the emperor and into the hall, snapping the ropes binding Li Bao'er and embracing her. At this moment, Li Bao'er was silent and lifeless, her body covered in blood and grime, a truly gruesome sight. One side of her face and eye were swollen and bleeding, making her unrecognizable. While Liu Shu was checking Li Bao'er's pulse, he heard the emperor order Ruifu to summon the imperial physician. Therefore, Liu Shu dared not move Bao'er. He carried her to a low couch and began calling her name repeatedly.

Liu Shu could tell that Li Bao'er's tattered clothes were the result of being whipped. The force of the whip had reached the tight bodice beneath her clothes, but the blood-soaked cotton and the tattered fabric barely concealed the truth. Liu Shu quickly took off his outer robe and covered Li Bao'er with it, the chilly November air quickly drawing away his own warmth.

The eunuch Ruifu glanced at the emperor, then immediately trotted to Liu Shu, exclaiming, "Oh dear, oh dear, Your Highness, this is terrible! Be careful not to catch a cold! This old servant will go get a blanket right away!" He then turned back to the carriage outside the mansion, retrieved a blanket, and prepared to replace the outer robe covering the injured man. Unexpectedly, Liu Shu stopped his outstretched hand, and then he heard the Eighth Prince's hoarse voice: "Don't move. Just give me the blanket." Ruifu was somewhat confused, and glanced at the emperor again, only to see that he was sitting with his eyelids lowered, as if he hadn't even looked in their direction. So Ruifu handed over the blanket and hurriedly ran back to the emperor's side.

Beside the emperor stood Peng Zizheng, whose face was gloomy.