I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In terms of how haggard she looked, He Gong was even worse than Tian Zhang Yuan.

As soon as the Battle of Edo ended, Prince Kazumi, who had been taking refuge elsewhere, immediately returned to Edo.

Upon learning that Tokugawa Iemochi had suffered a fatal injury, she fainted on the spot and only regained consciousness after a long while.

Recently, she has been reciting scriptures in front of the Buddha statue every day to pray for Tokugawa Iemochi.

In order to show her sincerity to the gods and Buddhas, she began a hunger strike the day before yesterday.

Her body was already delicate, and after this ordeal, she became extremely weak.

Before Tokugawa Iemochi had even passed away, she was going to die first.

According to Qingdeng, Tianzhangyuan forced her to drink some congee last night, which is how she "came back to life".

Qingdeng bowed slightly to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, then sat down beside them.

Tenshōin carefully examined the linen cloth covering him and asked softly:

"Sheng Qing, how is your injury?"

"It's nothing serious, you'll be fine after a period of rest."

After saying that, he subconsciously turned his head to look at the door, as if waiting for something.

Suddenly, he asked Tianzhangyuan:

"Your Highness, Iemochi... the General, he..."

Before Qingdeng could finish speaking, Tianzhangyuan shook his head with a heavy expression.

Seeing this, Qingdeng stopped talking and silently shut his mouth.

The reason the three of them are gathered here today is because Kita Jin said these words to them last night: Today is a crucial day for Tokugawa Iemochi! If he can survive today, there is still hope!

Beifang Ren carefully avoided mentioning the outcome of "not surviving today."

Whether he says it or not doesn't really matter. Even without his explicit explanation, Qing Deng and the others can guess the reason.

In order to receive the treatment results from Tokugawa Iemochi as soon as possible, the three of them agreed to wait together in Edo Castle.

Time ticked by, second by second...

A heavy atmosphere and an unsettling silence lingered among the three.

Affected by anxiety and tension, every second felt like an eternity to the three of them.

Finally, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, a maid's voice came from outside the door announcing:

"Your Highness, Mr. Northern Ren requests an audience!"

The three of them instantly perked up.

Tenshōin hurriedly replied:

"Let him in quickly!"

"Yes!"

The next moment, the door opened.

Covered in the stench of blood, Bei Fangren stepped inside and rushed over to Qing Deng and the others.

Before they could ask any questions, he stated directly:

"The general has come back to life."

In an instant, an indescribable joy blossomed in the hearts of the three.

However... before they could even rejoice, Bei Fangren abruptly changed the subject:

"only……"

He paused, sighed softly, and then finished speaking in one breath:

Whether he will wake up is still unknown.

*******

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A new month has begun! Readers with monthly passes, please vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg) Requesting monthly passes! Requesting recommendation votes! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

P.S.: Up until this chapter, Leopard really wanted to kill Tokugawa Iemochi. But this afternoon, Leopard had a sudden burst of inspiration: This kind of plot is too cliché, it's boring! I want to do something big! So he made Tokugawa Iemochi come here vomiting his lunchbox.

Chapter 971 The Struggle for the Throne of the Great General Who Subdues the Barbarians! [4200]

In just a few simple sentences, Qing Deng and the others experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, from "overjoyed" to "completely caught off guard."

After a brief moment of surprise, Kazumiya hurriedly asked:

"What do you mean by that? The general won't wake up? If he won't wake up, doesn't that mean he's dead?"

"Hmm...where should I begin..."

Bei Fangren sighed, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said:

"The general is not dead, that is beyond doubt."

"Thanks to the great help of my colleagues, the general is out of danger."

"To be honest, it's a miracle that the General was able to come back to life."

"Even I, who am used to seeing strange things, find it unbelievable."

Qing Deng was deeply moved by Bei Fangren's sentiments.

Although he didn't understand medicine, he knew swordsmanship.

Because he had killed countless people, he was extremely sensitive to "what kind of trauma was enough to cause death".

He knew all too well how terrifying the Kesazhan (艈裟斩) of Shuten-dōji was.

Logically speaking, after suffering such severe external injuries, one should basically be left to wait for death.

In recent days, although he has remained outwardly calm, he has been preparing for the worst-case scenario of Tokugawa Iemochi dying from his illness.

Kita Jin assured Aoto and the others with certainty that "Tokugawa Iemochi is still alive," putting their minds at ease, before continuing:

"Although the general is not dead, his pulse is very strange."

"Simply put, this is not the pulse a normal person should have."

“I have seen such a pulse once before.”

"The man was seriously injured, but he survived. He remained unconscious and in a deep sleep."

"Whether you call him, push him, or even put him on a fire pit, he shows no sign of waking up."

Northern Jin went to great lengths to avoid technical terms so that Qing Deng and others could easily understand Tokugawa Iemochi's condition.

In reality, his good intentions have indeed yielded good results.

As soon as he finished speaking, all three of them changed their expressions.

Qingdeng pondered heavily to himself:

—A "vegetative state" person...?

As a time traveler, he had heard this term many times before through television, the internet, and other channels.

He didn't really understand the medical principles of "vegetative state" patients. He only knew that vegetative state patients would remain in a deep sleep and unable to wake up, just like a plant, hence the name.

Clinically, Tokugawa Iemochi's current symptoms are no different from those of a person in a vegetative state...

Qingdeng couldn't confirm whether Tokugawa Iemochi had really become a vegetable... nor did he dare to confirm it.

He was used to crises and changes, so even upon hearing this terrible news, he maintained outward composure, though he subconsciously clenched his fists.

In contrast, things were not so peaceful at Tenshōin and Kazuya.

The former is alright; she has been through political turmoil since marrying into Edo, so she can still remain calm for the time being.

The latter is truly a "pure white flower".

Her delicate body trembled slightly, and her already pale face became even paler.

Standing beside her, Qing Deng kept a close eye on Kazumiya's condition, ready to reach out and support her at any moment, in case she fainted again after hearing the news of Tokugawa Iemochi's impending death, just like before.

The biggest setback she experienced in her life was when her father broke off her engagement with her first wife (Prince Arisugawa Taruhito) and forced her to marry Tokugawa Iemochi.

Even this one and only "setback" turned into a sweet memory after she fell in love with Tokugawa Iemochi.

At this moment, Tenshōin suddenly realized something and quickly asked:

"Wait a minute! If he doesn't wake up, he won't be able to eat or drink!"

Her questioning caused Reiwa-no-kyo's expression to become tense and flustered once again, and Aoto was also taken aback.

The three of them turned their eager gazes toward Bei Fangren once again.

Fortunately, Bei Fangren shook his head.

"Normally speaking, that is indeed the case."

"Fortunately, although the general cannot wake up, he will swallow liquid food such as water and thin porridge involuntarily when it is poured into his mouth."

"From my observation, apart from eating, he also retains normal excretory functions."

“If he is taken care of properly, he will not starve or die of thirst.”

He paused at this point.

After a moment, he adopted a hesitant tone:

"only……"

The conversation took an abrupt turn again... and Gong became anxious:

"But what?!"

Bei Fangren braced himself and finished speaking in one go:

"This is by no means a long-term solution."

"Although the general still has the ability to eat, he certainly cannot swallow food as smoothly as when he is sober."