Chapter 67 The Concubine's Smile "What? A live seam!"
Jiang Ce carried Xue Chan all the way, blood flowing down his back.
When he could no longer walk, he slid to his knees and still held her tightly.
"Xue Chan!"
He gasped for breath, touched her face, and called out. However, Xue Chan simply kept her eyes closed, her face as white as paper.
"Erlang!"
"Jiang Bozhou!"
Zheng Shaoyu jumped off his horse and almost ran and rolled down the slope. He ran over, stumbling and kneeling to help Jiang Ce up.
"Go find someone quickly!" Jiang Ce grabbed his sleeve as if he were a savior.
Zheng Shaoyu quickly put his arm around the other's back, but was momentarily stunned by the sticky wetness on his hand. When he turned his palm over, he saw large patches of blood.
He was immediately terrified and cried out, "Your Highness, save them!"
"Quickly send them all to Qingyin Terrace!" Yu Lang, still holding his longbow, ordered crisply from his horse.
The people who came carried them away. Zheng Shaoyu followed all the way and only then did he see that Jiang Ce's entire back was soaked in blood, with countless wounds of all sizes. The most horrifying wound was from his left shoulder to his right waist, with the flesh torn open and the bone visible.
"Sixth Brother!" Yu Lang rode up on horseback and called out to him, saying earnestly, "There are doctors accompanying us at Qingyin Terrace. Take care of them first. Do your best to save their lives. I will go to the palace to fetch the imperial physician."
"Okay, okay, okay."
Zheng Shaoyu was so frightened that his face turned pale. He hurriedly responded twice and mounted his horse.
Upon arriving at Qingyin Terrace, he placed both of them in a room, grabbed the old doctor, and ran away.
Jiang Ce slightly regained consciousness and raised his blood-stained hand.
"Let's go see her first..."
You're going to die!
"I'm fine."
"Bullshit!"
Zheng Shaoyu cursed him fiercely.
However, Jiang Ce was very stubborn and could not be persuaded, so he could only leave Youyu, who knew some medical skills, to stop his bleeding.
The old doctor was dragged to Xue Chan by Zheng Shaoyu again, while Yun Sheng and Chu Tao, who were standing by, were already crying their eyes out while taking care of her.
However, Xue Chan not only remained unconscious, but also developed a high fever.
After taking her pulse, examining her, administering acupuncture, and writing a prescription, they were finally able to stabilize her condition. Fortunately, she did not have many external injuries.
"Now it's just a matter of whether she can pull through..."
Upon hearing this, Yun Sheng burst into tears, but knowing it was not the time to be sad, he continued to take care of her while crying.
Zheng Shaoyu instructed the maids at Qingyin Terrace to take good care of him and immediately took the doctor to Jiang Ce's place.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
The old doctor, panting, entered the room with him.
Jiang Ce lay on the bed, unconscious. Only You Yu stood beside him, coldly tending to his injuries.
"Look at him!"
Yu consciously moved aside, and the old doctor took a look.
"No, it won't do! We have to sew it up right now!"
The old doctor quickly opened the medicine box.
Zheng Shaoyu was shocked: "What? A live-sewn one!"
"There's nothing we can do about it. If we don't stitch him up, he'll bleed to death." The old doctor's expression was serious. He didn't care about anything else and just said to Youyu, "Young man, since you know medicine, please help this old man."
"Hmm," Yu rolled up her sleeves, revealing a pair of bright red hands.
Zheng Shaoyu wanted to help but couldn't get involved, so he paced around anxiously, stamping his feet.
"Quickly prepare hot water and other necessities!"
The old doctor sternly rebuked him, and he turned and ran away.
Jiang Ce woke up for a while and overheard most of their conversation. The old doctor asked questions while taking action: "Sir, you must bear with it."
Jiang Ce was covered in sweat, and the blood on his face smeared and dripped onto the ground down his chin.
"Please go ahead, I can hold back."
As soon as he finished speaking, the needle and thread pierced his flesh, forcibly pulling it together, and the pain shot straight to his head. Jiang Ce trembled, clenching his teeth tightly, his breath caught in his chest, and he could barely catch his breath.
Basins of clean water were brought in, while basins of bloody water were brought out.
After the stitches were finished, the old doctor didn't even have time to wipe his sweat before examining Jiang Ce.
"grown ups!"
Jiang Ce opened his eyes, which were covered in blood and sweat, and smiled, "A person who has fought on the battlefield can certainly endure this."
Yu Yu's gaze fell on the broken edge of the bed. She didn't know whether to say something to him or scold him. She just pursed her lips and helped the old doctor up.
"how's it going!"
Zheng Shaoyu rushed in, knelt by the bed to examine the wound, and then cupped Jiang Ce's face in his hands to look at him. But Jiang Ce's head was bowed, and he was barely breathing.
"He, he, he is he...?" Zheng Shaoyu was so shocked that he couldn't speak a complete sentence, and just kept grabbing the old doctor's leg.
"What are you saying!" The old doctor slapped him across the face, his white beard bristling with anger. "Don't be so jumpy!"
Zheng Shaoyu sniffled back his tears and snot, and with trembling hands checked his breathing. When he saw the faint breath blowing on his hand, he breathed a sigh of relief, slumped down on the edge of the bed, and began to wail.
"Erlang, please don't die..."
"Why are you saying such discouraging things!" Youyu couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "I'm going to find Brother Jiang first. You stay here and look after him."
Zheng Shaoyu wiped away his tears: "Okay."
Yu left Qingyintai, leaving him to take care of Jiang Ce, and was then summoned by the old doctor to prepare medicine. If he didn't find something to do, he would just stay in front of Jiang Ce and get in the way, his mouth never stopping.
On the other side, Yu Lang left some people to search, while he went to the imperial palace to fetch a doctor.
It wouldn't be difficult for her to invite the imperial physician, given her status; the difficulty lay in how to take the physician out of the palace to practice medicine, which required an imperial decree from the emperor.
She first went to the emperor to request an imperial edict, but the emperor was in the middle of a meeting and could not see her. She said, "Since I cannot see my father, may I go in and inform Eunuch Wang?"
Xiao An thought for a moment and then went into the hall.
A moment later, Wang Xu came out and looked at her with surprise: "Is the princess well?"
Yu Lang: "I'm fine, I'm perfectly well. Bo Zhou and Miss Xue were attacked at Fanglu Mountain and are still seriously injured. Please inform the Emperor so that I can take the imperial physician to Qingyin Terrace!"
Wang Xu was greatly surprised: "Very well, His Majesty is currently discussing matters concerning the Western Border. Please wait a moment, Princess, and I will do my best to obtain the imperial edict for you."
Yu Lang: "Okay"
Shortly after, Wang Xu came out.
Qingluan accepted the imperial edict and left with Yulang.
“The Imperial Concubine has been ill recently. Please do not disturb her with this matter, otherwise, given her temperament…” Wang Xu immediately stopped her and stepped forward to say softly, “His Majesty said that Your Highness should send a message to the palace at any time to inform her of the situation of those two.”
Yu Lang nodded: "I know."
She hurriedly left with her entourage, only to run into Baojia.
Baojia followed closely behind her: "Third sister, that Xue family member..."
Yu Lang was furious about this. She first had someone take the imperial physician out of the palace and then asked Bao Jia, "What tricks did you play that day?"
Baojia was scolded, but knew she was in the wrong: "I didn't do anything... I just wanted to scare her a little, to make the horse jerk her a couple of times. But the horses in the palace are very stable-tempered; who knew they would just charge off? I do have a grudge against her, but I didn't mean to kill her, I really didn't do anything..."
As she spoke, she began to cry, clutching Yulang's sleeve.
"Third sister, you have to believe me, I really didn't do anything."
With a life at stake, Yu Lang had no time to argue with her. She shook off her hand and left the palace directly.
The palace attendant hurriedly returned to Funing Palace from the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Consort Xue was ill, and the palace was quiet. Only Yunyu sat by the bedside, gently fanning her.
The young palace maid tiptoed to the incense burner and called out, "Auntie..."
Yunyu stood up: "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"
The palace attendant leaned close to her ear and whispered, "What? Assassination attempt?"
Yunyu was shocked and grabbed her, asking urgently, "How is Miss Xue now?"
"I don't know, but seeing how hurried and flustered the princess was, I suppose..." The palace attendant bit her lip before continuing, "It's probably not a good thing."
Yunyu glanced back at the palace. The brocade curtains remained unmoved, and Consort Xue was still sleeping peacefully.
The palace maid asked her, "Aunt, may we inform Her Majesty about Miss Xue's serious injuries? If so...?"
Yunyu was also anxious and upset. She took a few breaths to calm down and wondered if she should inform Consort Xue.
What are you talking about?
The two turned around and saw Consort Xue standing behind them, pale and exhausted, wearing only a robe. She could barely stand and could only hold onto the door frame, then suddenly coughed.
Yunyu hurriedly stepped forward to support her, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath: "Your Majesty is still ill, why did you get up?"
She glanced at the palace maid, signaling her to leave.
The palace attendant lowered his head, preparing to leave quietly.
"stop!"
Consort Xue took a couple of breaths and said, "You don't need to hide it from me, speak!"
Yunyu couldn't bear it: "Your Majesty, please rest first. I will send someone to inquire for you."
Consort Xue gently brushed away Yunyu's hand that was supporting her, coughed twice to suppress her cough, and said in a slightly cold voice, "If you won't tell me, I'll go ask myself."
The palace attendant shed tears and cried out, "Miss Xue and Lord Jiang have been assassinated. The Third Prince and Princess have come to the palace to summon the imperial physician."
Assassination attempt!
Consort Xue was delirious with illness, and upon hearing those two words, she rushed out.
She stumbled out of the palace gate, her tears falling in the wind.
Every single time, it's the same. Why does fate always take away her dearest loved ones?
The Funing Palace panicked and everyone rushed to stop her.
"Where is Your Majesty going?"
"I want to leave the palace."
The palace servants blocked her way, clinging to her waist and legs and crying, "You are a concubine, you can't leave!"
Consort Xue suddenly stopped and looked up.
Before her lay only an endless palace road, only a high palace wall. And these deep palace roads, these imposing palace walls, were one after another, one after another.
Consort Xue's cheeks were covered in tears.
Exhausted, she collapsed in front of the palace wall, pounding on it with all her might, until she could only cling to it, two of her carefully manicured fingernails breaking off.
Yunyu held her shoulder, holding back tears as she cried, "Your Highness must take care of yourself, otherwise, who will Miss Xue rely on?"
Consort Xue raised her face, her expression pale and calm, two streams of tears falling like pearls. She slowly stood up and walked into the Funing Palace, her voice carrying far.
"Go to the Imperial Medical Bureau and ask Physician Wen to accompany the princess out of the palace."
"But... the imperial physicians are not allowed to leave the palace to treat patients without an imperial edict, especially now that the gates have been locked..."
"Go ahead, he'll agree."
Consort Xue's profile revealed two lotus pots in the Funing Palace, their tips poised to bloom, with a slender crescent moon reflected on the water's surface.
She closed her eyes, fell backward, and landed in everyone's arms.
Yunyu's hand was grabbed by her, and her eyes darted around before she immediately ordered, "Your Majesty, something's wrong! Quickly go and fetch His Majesty and the imperial physician!"
Consort Xue was helped back to lie down and was taken care of by Yunyu and the others.
About two quarters of an hour later, the emperor arrived with the imperial physician.
He sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for the imperial physician to take his pulse and confirm that he was not seriously ill before nodding.
"Go."
"Your humble servant takes his leave."
Consort Xue's hair was disheveled, her brows were furrowed with worry, and only tears slowly slid down from the corners of her eyes.
The emperor took out Consort Xue's hand and pressed it against his forehead, closing it in his palm.
"Imperial Consort..." The Emperor reached out and gently wiped away her tears, then bent down to touch her pale, slightly cold face.
Consort Xue parted her lips slightly and murmured softly.
He leaned closer, and after hearing what she was calling, his body stiffened, and he slowly closed his eyes.
She was calling out to...
"Ming Hui"
That was his and her first child, a beautiful and lovely child.
When Minghui was a little over one year old, he learned to walk and call out "father" and "mother." That year, he dealt with Huayang, and Consort Xue dared to offend him, kneeling down to plead for Huayang's life.
Back then, no matter how he pressured her, Consort Xue refused to bow her head. Even though she was unwilling to stay by his side, she remained the same.
However, she was willing to offend a sinner for his sake.
The emperor was furious, demoted her rank, ignored her for a while, and sent her away from the palace to go hunting.
But this one action led to the birth of their first child...
Died from an incurable disease, or died prematurely.
Consort Xue cried so hard in her dream that she could hardly breathe. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw the emperor looking down at her with tears glistening in his eyes.
She slowly sat up, threw herself into his arms, and burst into tears.
"I dreamt of Minghui again. I dreamt that he was slowly dying in my arms. She was so small, just learning to call me 'Mother'..."
The emperor held her close, embracing her tightly, and gently stroked her tear-streaked face.
The emperor gripped her hand tightly, filled with remorse, and whispered, "Xue Lanbi, whatever you want, I will give it to you."
Consort Xue lay in his arms, silently weeping, seemingly pondering a question. After a moment, she answered.
"I want to go home."
The emperor gently kissed her temple, pulled her closer, and spoke softly.
"This is your home."
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Author's Note: The protagonist's halo is activated.
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