Thinking of her daughter's usual liveliness and cuteness, Ling Shumo felt heartbroken. She anxiously asked Doctor Qin, "Is there no medicine or powder that can relieve the pain? If I just keep enduring like this, what if the pain gets too severe?"
Just as she finished asking the question, she saw Ling Xijie in front of her could no longer bear it. His eyes rolled back and he fell straight to the ground.
Ling Shumo quickly pulled Ling Xijie into her arms. The blame in her eyes had completely disappeared. "Xijie! Ling Xijie, wake up! Don't scare the Queen Mother. Imperial Physician Qin, please come and take a look. Is she in danger?"
Imperial Physician Qin's gaze fell on Ling Xijie's blood-smeared face. While the mangled mess looked horrifying, it was actually only superficial injuries. However, since she had accepted a huge reward from Pei Jiuyan, she had to be more artful with her words. "Your Majesty, if the Fourth Princess's facial wound is to heal, she will need at least two to three months of rest."
Ling Shumo was completely oblivious to the trap within Doctor Qin's words, as her mindset had shifted from that of an emperor to that of a mother. Her concern for her beloved daughter outweighed all concerns about right and wrong. "You are such a jerk! You shouldn't have listened to your stepfather. You actually knocked yourself out, blood all over your head and face. Seeing you like this, your heart feels like it's being fried in oil. The pain is piercing. Xijie, you must get better soon."
Ling Shumo's words carried a hint of resentment towards Pei Jiuyan. Pei Jiuyan secretly rejoiced in her heart, but her face remained icy. "It was because I was too indulgent towards her in the past that she became so bold and committed such a huge mistake. She deserved all the suffering she endured today. However, after what happened today, she shouldn't dare to do it again. The bloodshed was worth it."
Lu Jinshu watched all this quietly and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Xue Wu had fallen out of favor for years, and His Majesty no longer had a place for him in his heart. Ultimately, he was no match for Pei Jiuyan and his daughter, who were held in His Majesty's lap. His Majesty's punishment of Ling Xijie this time was likely to be another case of raising high and then letting go lightly.
Lu Jinshu was still able to manage his expression, but Ling Xihe's mood wasn't as stable as her father's. Seeing Ling Xihe's current attitude, her face was already showing obvious disappointment. Such a good opportunity had been missed. The next time she wanted to bring down this sinister and vicious father and daughter, she didn't know when it would be.
Just when the onlookers thought that the farce was over, they suddenly heard a suppressed cry of pain from beside the landscape screen, followed by the dull thud of someone falling to the ground.
Ling Shumo looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ling Xicheng's small body lying in a pool of blood. Her eyes widened instantly, and she suddenly stood up from her seat, demanding loudly, "What happened? Why is she bleeding so much?"
Doctor Qin was concentrating on treating Ling Xijie's wound when she suddenly heard a commotion coming from behind. She turned around and was shocked by what she saw.
Ling Xicheng fell to the ground with the back of her head hitting the ground. The hem of her light gray-blue skirt was stained blood red, and the color of the dress could no longer be distinguished.
Doctor Qin could no longer care for Ling Xijie, who had only suffered minor injuries. Without Ling Shumo's instructions, she quickly grabbed her medicine box and half-knelt in front of Ling Xicheng. She lifted the hem of Ling Xicheng's skirt and saw a blood-soaked gauze wrapped around the child's leg. She cut the gauze with scissors and revealed a wound as deep as half a thumb beneath the gauze.
Doctor Qin's voice trembled as he said, "This wound must have been caused by a ceramic fragment. If you use more force, the bones in the leg will be exposed."
As Doctor Qin explained, she began tending to Ling Xicheng's wound. Her voice was still trembling, but her movements were steady. After countless changes of gauze, the blood finally stopped flowing from the cut on Ling Xicheng's leg.
Imperial Physician Qin finally wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said to Ling Shumo, "Her Highness the Third Princess has lost too much blood. I have tried my best to treat her, but whether she can wake up depends entirely on fate."
From the moment Ling Xicheng fell to the ground, Ling Shumo stared at her face without blinking. Ling Xicheng's face was pale, and even if Imperial Physician Qin didn't explain the situation, Ling Shumo could see that her third daughter was in imminent danger.
Pei Jiuyan's expression turned extremely ugly. Before he could think of a response, Ling Shumo, who was standing in front of him, suddenly jumped up, grabbed Ling Xijie's collar, and pulled Ling Xijie, who was lying flat on the bed, to the ground.
Originally, Ling Xijie was just pretending to be unconscious, but she was suddenly thrown down like this, and her thigh hit the corner of the bed. Her eyes immediately widened and she let out a scream.
Ling Shumo's eyes no longer held any sympathy for her. She raised her hand and slapped her hard. "I just saw it. I saw a gash on Cheng'er's leg. It was so deep that you could almost see the bone. You stabbed her leg with the broken pieces of the wine jar, causing her to bleed so much. She'll die, did you know that? Ling Xijie, how could I have given birth to such a vicious daughter like you? You can't even tolerate your own sister."
Ling Xijie was stunned for a moment after being slapped so suddenly. Then he cried out in injustice, "I just stepped on her a few times, but I never stabbed her with the broken porcelain! I don't even know how she got that leg injury..."
Ling Xijie was about to defend himself, but Ling Shumo was in no mood to listen. Every time she looked at her daughter, she felt sick. She coldly ordered, "Send this bastard out of the palace to guard the imperial mausoleum. Now, immediately, get her as far away as possible."
Pei Jiuyan once again knelt at Ling Shumo's feet, but this time, no matter how much he cried and pleaded for his daughter, Ling Shumo remained unmoved. It was true that she had loved Ling Xijie deeply, but Ling Xicheng was also her daughter. Although she didn't have much affection for the child, Ling Xicheng still had her blood flowing through her veins; she was her own flesh and blood.
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