latelenovela Chapter 374 Finding Her Man
Chapter 374 Finding Her Man
When Song Siyao arrived at the place where Shen Pei had the accident, the water in the river had already receded.
“Princess Consort, the Crown Prince had his accident here,” Shen Jing said to Song Siyao, pointing to the map.
Song Siyao's gaze fell on the map, following the river downstream, where there were many tributaries.
But eventually they will all converge into a great river flowing into the South China Sea.
If Shen Pei had drifted to the South China Sea, there would have been almost no chance of survival; even if he had died, his body would never have been found.
Song Siyao's heart turned ice-cold; in an instant, her entire body felt as if it had been drained of all its energy.
But she had to calm down.
She must find Shen Pei!
"Cang Yue, you lead your men along these rivers. Ting Han, you lead your men this way. Lian Hu, you're in charge of the central tributary."
Song Siyao instructed, "Search every inch carefully, don't overlook any details."
"Yes, Your Highness." The three answered in unison and left to carry out the order.
“Your Highness, we have searched these branches several times. I know it is hard for you to accept the fact that the Crown Prince has passed away, but the dead are gone and the living must look forward. After all, you are carrying the child of you and the Crown Prince.”
Shen Jing comforted Song Siyao, his expression filled with grief.
"Prince Chen, please watch your words!" Song Siyao's voice was icy.
Shen Jing was stunned, his expression turning somewhat awkward. "Yes."
"Hong Shao, let's go," Song Siyao instructed.
“Your Highness, I’ll go with you. More people mean more strength.” Shen Jing’s eyes were sincere.
"No need, Prince Chen, you should continue with your official duties." Song Siyao refused Shen Jing's help.
They didn't search along the banks of the tributaries; instead, they searched for the surrounding villages.
Shen Jing watched Song Siyao's retreating figure, his gaze darkening. He instructed the servant beside him, "Secretly follow the Crown Princess, and if necessary..."
Send the couple to the underworld to reunite!
"Yes, Your Highness." The servant acknowledged the order and left.
Three days later.
"Your Highness, please rest. You haven't had a break for three days and three nights." Hong Shao looked at Song Siyao with a face full of heartache.
"It's alright." Song Siyao's feet were blistered and every step was excruciatingly painful, but she did not waver in the slightest. She had to find Shen Pei.
She held an unwavering belief in her heart that Shen Pei was waiting for her.
"Your Highness, the villagers said there's another family living deep in the mountains, but it takes crossing two mountains to get there. We've already crossed two mountains, but we haven't seen any houses." Hong Shao looked around, worried that the villager had given the wrong directions.
During this season, the vegetation is lush, and even if there are residents, they are hidden in the mountains and not easily noticed.
Song Si looked up at the sky and saw that it was almost lunchtime.
"Let's wait a little longer."
Less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed since Song Siyao's voice faded when a wisp of smoke rose from the mountainside opposite them.
"Your Highness, there are people over there." Hongshao pointed to the direction where the smoke was rising, her face beaming with joy.
"go!"
Song Siyao hurried toward the source of the cooking smoke.
Although the two places looked close, it actually took them an hour to reach the thatched hut.
Just then, an old woman was washing vegetables at the entrance of the courtyard.
Hongshao went up to ask, "Grandma, have you seen a man who is so tall and strong, coming out of the river?"
"Who are you? How did you find this place?" the old woman asked warily.
“I am his wife,” Song Siyao said. “Grandma, if you have seen us, please tell us.”
"I've never seen it before, I've never seen it before! You should leave." The old woman looked resistant.
"Old woman, come quick, this young man has a high fever again!"
Just then, an old man came out of the house and called out to the old woman anxiously.
The old woman looked at Song Siyao and her expression changed.
Before she could react, Song Siyao had already walked past her and entered the room.
Her gaze fell on the bed, where Shen Pei, whom she had been thinking about day and night, lay.
Shen Pei's face was flushed, his eyes were closed, and he was frowning, as if he was in great pain.
"Shen Pei!"
Song Siyao grasped Shen Pei's hand; his hand felt like scalding water.
She checked Shen Pei's pulse and learned that he had been unconscious for more than a month.
There are still infected areas on his body.
She lifted the blanket and saw that Shen Pei's right leg was red and swollen, almost festering.
If she had arrived any later, Shen Pei would have lost his leg.
She took out silver needles and quickly applied them.
Just then, the old lady and the old man came in.
"Who are you? Don't touch him! I'll fight you to the death!" the old woman shouted.
Song Siyao gave her a look, and Hong Shao immediately understood.
She stopped the elderly couple and patiently explained, "Grandma, Grandpa, we really are the family of the person you saved. My wife knows medicine; she is saving my husband and will not harm him."
The old woman and the old lady were still skeptical, but seeing that Song Siyao had no intention of harming Shen Pei, they stopped trying to stop her and just stood guard at the door.
After a long time, Shen Pei's high fever subsided, but he remained in a coma.
"Hongshao, go and decoct the medicine." Song Siyao took out the herbs from the Soul-Capturing Bracelet and handed them to Hongshao.
"Yes, Princess."
Song Siyao bowed deeply to the old couple, saying, "Thank you both for saving my husband. I will never forget your kindness."
"Don't go." The old woman helped Song Siyao up. "You came looking for your husband even though you were heavily pregnant, which shows that you two have a very good relationship. It's God who helped you find him."
"Grandma, can you tell me how you saved my husband back then?" Song Siyao asked.
The old woman thought for a moment and then recounted the events of that day in detail.
"The drought has lasted too long this year, and all the herbs in the mountains have withered and died. I was thinking of going to a more distant place to dig up some herbs to sell in town to buy salt. When I got to the river, I found that there was flooding. Just as I was about to leave, I saw a person in the shallow water near the bank."
“I couldn’t save him by myself, so I came back and asked my husband to help me carry him back.”
“But he was too badly injured. My medical skills are limited. I could only save his life temporarily, but I couldn’t heal his injuries. He has been in a coma.”
Song Siyao was deeply moved when she recalled how the old man and woman carried Shen Pei over two mountains to get here.
Even if we disregard the fact that these two were elderly, it would be an extremely arduous task for any young and strong man to carry Shen Pei over mountains and valleys.
She couldn't imagine how the two elderly people had managed to do it.
"Grandma, why did you hide my husband's presence from me in the first place?" Song Siyao asked, somewhat puzzled.
“After we rescued him, I went out to inquire, thinking that if any of his family members came looking for him, I would tell them that he was here.”
At this point, a look of terror appeared on the old woman's face.
“After I went out, I met a group of people and heard them discussing that the person who fell into the water had been swept away by the flood somewhere. They said it would be best if he died, and even if he didn’t die, they would kill him when they found him.”
“I was terrified and ran back immediately. I thought someone must be trying to harm him. Since we saved him, we couldn’t let him fall into someone else’s hands.”
The old woman looked at Song Siyao and said, "When we rescued him, it was nighttime, and no one else saw it. Later, some people came here, but my husband and I denied it. Maybe those people thought that it was impossible for an old couple like us to carry a young and strong person so far. They didn't come into the house to search, so your husband is very lucky and escaped them."