She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

By the time the two returned to the village, it was completely dark.

Lanxiang, holding a lantern, stood outside the door looking out onto the road. Seeing them return, a relieved smile finally appeared on her face, and she quickly went to greet them.

"Man'er, Brother Meng, you're finally back! I was so worried about you all day."

As Lanxiang spoke, her gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, as if to check if they were injured, her eyes filled with anxiety and concern.

Meng Zhuo nodded slightly, his face showing a hint of apology: "Thank you for your concern, Lanxiang. I ran into an old friend at Liuyun Temple today, and it took some effort, so I came back a little late."

His voice was deep and mellow, exuding a reassuring power in the night, but his voice betrayed his weariness.

Shen Man stepped forward, took Lanxiang's hand, and said with a smile, "Mother, we're all safe and sound."

Lanxiang gently patted Shen Man's hand, feigning reproach: "You, all you know is how to take risks. Don't you ever think about how worried your mother is waiting for you in the village? What would happen if something happened to you?"

Even so, the doting look in his eyes was impossible to hide. He gently stroked Shen Man's hair, tidying her slightly messy temples. "By the way, how is your master? Is he alright?"

"Master's condition is not very optimistic. He had some accidents last night, and not only did he suffer some physical injuries, but he also suffered a great deal of mental shock."

Moreover, Master is quite old, and his physical functions are not as good as before. He will probably need to recuperate for a while before he can slowly recover.

"Oh, what a tragedy! Who could be so cruel as to do such a thing to an old man! You must be starving after all this commotion, come inside and eat!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Man looked at Meng Zhuo and coughed lightly, "Mother, what delicious food did Aunt Fang cook tonight?"

"It's late at night, and eating too much will make it hard to digest. Just eat something simple."

The three of them walked into the house while talking. Lanxiang hurriedly asked Granny Fang to bring the food that had been prepared to the table. The steaming rice porridge, along with a few homemade pickled vegetables, gave off an enticing aroma in the darkness.

The three of them ate while chatting about Cui Jinrong.

Lanxiang was deeply moved after hearing this. She was happy that Meng Zhuo still had relatives alive, but she was also worried about his family background.

For the next two weeks, nothing major happened. Apart from visiting Doctor Yu in Qiufeng Town every few days, Shen Man spent most of her time in Xiaoyao Village dealing with the weaving workshop.

That day, she was checking on the breeding of the five-colored silkworms in the weaving workshop when she heard someone calling her from outside: "Man'er, someone is looking for you outside!"

Upon hearing the sound, Shen Man came out to see who it was, and it was Zhi Mo again.

"Zhimo, has something happened again in the military camp?" Shen Man's heart skipped a beat when she saw Zhimo.

"Dr. Ding, everything is fine in the military camp. I've come to see you today because I have something to tell you."

The Emperor has sent an imperial edict from the capital: the case of Lord Zhou's murder must be reopened, therefore all those involved in the case must travel to the capital together. His Highness has sent me to inform you that you will return to the capital with us in three days.

"What? The Emperor wants to reopen the case of Zhou Yu's murder, and he wants me to go to the capital with him?" Shen Man's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this.

“That’s right. Lin Simiao is, after all, an official and the eldest son of Lin Peng, the Grand Censor. The retrial of this case was within Your Highness’s expectations.”

Shen Man's brows furrowed instantly, her mind racing with memories of the past, her eyes filled with hesitation and uncertainty.

The evidence against Zhou Yu for his death was originally conclusive, but now the case is to be overturned and retried, which will likely trigger another bloody storm.

In the capital, powerful and influential people gather, and I am alone and helpless on this journey; my chances of survival are slim.

"Doctor Ding, His Highness the Crown Prince told you to rest assured that he will protect you completely," Zhi Mo said, seeing Shen Man's hesitation.

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you in my Autumn Wind Town in three days!" Shen Man knew she couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

Upon hearing the news that she was going to the capital, Shen Man lost all interest in doing anything and simply went home.

"Man'er, what did that person want with you?" Lanxiang asked immediately when she saw her return.

"Mother, he is the Crown Prince's guard. He came to inform me that the Emperor wants to retry the case of Lord Zhou's murder, and everyone involved in the case must go to the capital to testify."

Upon hearing this, Lanxiang looked worried and took Shen Man's hand, saying, "Man'er, the journey to the capital is long and involves such a complicated case. I'm really worried about you. Why don't I go with you?"

Shen Man gently squeezed Lanxiang's hand back and comforted her, "Mother, this case originally had solid evidence, but now it has to be overturned and retried. Someone must be sabotaging it."

The situation in the capital is complicated. Even if you went, you wouldn't be of much help. It would be better for you to stay home and manage our family's weaving workshop. Don't worry, with the First Prince here, I'll be fine."

Although Lanxiang was still full of worries, she knew that Shen Man was right, so she could only sigh softly: "Then let Su Yao go with you. Be careful on the way. When you get to the capital, be careful in everything you do."

“Mother, Su Yao is gone. Who will protect you?” Shen Man said disapprovingly.

"Man'er, don't worry, I'll take care of your mother these days."

As the mother and daughter were talking, Meng Zhuo walked in from outside the door. "If you have the chance when you go to the capital, you can also help me investigate what happened back then."

"Okay, I'm relieved to have Uncle Meng looking after my mother!" Shen Man nodded in agreement.

Three days later, as the morning sun was just beginning to shine on the earth, Shen Man had already packed her bags and set off for Qiufeng Town with Su Yao.

The two rode at full speed, hoping to reach their destination as soon as possible and meet up with Chu Zhiyi.

When they finally arrived at Qiufeng Town, Shen Man saw Chu Zhiyi standing at the town entrance waiting for them from afar.

However, to her great surprise, in addition to Chu Zhiyi, the Marquis of Qingyang and several other military commanders, including Guo Zhen, were also present.

After some questioning, Shen Man finally understood the whole story.

It turned out that the emperor, who was far away in the capital, learned that the war here had ended, so he immediately issued an edict ordering Chu Zhiyi and the Marquis of Qingyang, along with other military commanders, to return to the capital to report on their duties.

The tens of thousands of soldiers who came with them were left in the garrison to continue to defend the border city in order to guard against a possible surprise attack by the Qi Rong.

Knowing that this journey to the capital would be fraught with danger, Shen Man brought Wanfeng and Xueying with her, along with the horned eagle, just in case.