Chapter 95 The ground is too cold, can you just take a look? ...
"Ho-ho-ho!"
On the palace road outside Lingyun Terrace, Sui En, panting heavily, carried the battered and bruised Ahui and ran towards Changxin Palace.
Dark clouds pressed heavily on the rooftops, and strong winds blew so hard that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes.
The palace maids sweeping along the way and the eunuchs carrying objects all stopped in shock when they saw this scene. They covered their mouths and subconsciously took a half step back, their eyes filled with fear.
Everyone could see that the person lying on the eunuch's back was severely injured, with blood dripping from his body, leaving intermittent red streaks on the palace road, a gruesome sight.
When the time came, Cuiwei discovered that neither Ahui nor Sui En were among those who returned.
She asked those people but couldn't get any answers, so she went to check herself. Not only were Ah Hui and Sui En nowhere to be found, but even the eunuch was nowhere to be seen.
She immediately reported to the guards at the gate. Just as the guards were about to go in, they ran into Han Jie, who had finished his business and was returning to report to Xiao Chengyan.
Ahead of him was Zhao Yuntuan, who had also come to the palace to attend the star-gazing banquet.
After listening, Zhao Yuntuan turned to look at the people who had returned, without even asking any further questions.
He simply said, "Who is that eunuch? If you don't tell me, you'll all be beheaded!"
Not daring to offend either side, the eunuchs looked at each other in bewilderment, and then knelt down in unison.
They begged for mercy, saying, "Your Highness, spare our lives! We have no choice but to suffer in silence. That eunuch seems to be from the Third Prince's palace."
One of them recounted what had happened, trembling as he said, "We don't know why they kidnapped the people around Princess Shunhe. We were afraid of offending the Third Prince, so we dared not say anything. We hope the Tenth Prince will forgive us."
Upon hearing that it was Zhao Yuanze's men who had kidnapped Ahui and Sui En, Zhao Yuntuan, who had already heard some of the secrets in the palace, felt a sense of foreboding.
Zhao Yuanze had a violent temper since childhood, and the emperor had long since turned a blind eye to him, as long as he did not do anything too outrageous.
He had done this before, but not so blatantly.
Changxin Palace and Lingyun Terrace are some distance apart. Zhao Yuntuan was worried about disturbing the Empress Dowager, so he whispered to Cuiwei to stay where she was and not to disturb the inside. He and Han Jie then hurried to rescue the people.
But when they arrived at Lingyuntai, the place was already deserted.
Zhao Yuntuan asked the palace maids in the hall and learned that Wang Fengshuo had been summoned away by the Empress a short time before, and Zhao Yuanze and Li Yunsheng had also gone to Jiushao Hall.
When pressed for details about A-Hui and Sui En's whereabouts, the palace maid replied:
"The Third Prince gave one of the eunuchs some silver, saying that today's events were purely accidental, and urged them to return to Changxin Palace as soon as possible, and told him to take the other seriously injured person to the Imperial Medical Bureau for treatment."
Zhao Yuntuan and Han Jie both understood the meaning behind Zhao Yuanze's words.
After all, killing one person can be explained as an accident, but killing two people is difficult to justify and makes one a suspect.
Unable to find anyone, Han Jie and Zhao Yuntuan dared not delay and immediately turned back.
There is more than one route from Lingyuntai back to Changxin Palace. Sui Encai had only been in the palace for a few days when he was transferred to Hongzheng Pavilion, so he was far from familiar with the layout of the palace.
Han Jie and his companion chose the shortest route and hurried along, but when they returned to Changxin Palace, they still had no trace of A Hui and the others.
Zhao Yun felt a tightness in his chest, fearing something might go wrong. So he told Han Jie to quickly inform Xiao Chengyan, while he led his men to search for the person separately.
Upon hearing that Ahui and the others had been kidnapped, Yu Nie hurriedly bowed to the Empress Dowager and then rushed out of Changxin Palace.
Seeing this, Xiao Chengyan, Hua Shu, and their entourage followed suit and left the palace.
Suppressing the anxiety surging in his heart, Yu Nie pleaded with the other three to use their people to search every road leading to Lingyun Terrace carefully.
Just as Xiao Chengyan and the others agreed, Sui En's tearful cry suddenly came from the end of the palace road.
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and spotted the staggering figure in the distance.
Yu Nie no longer cared about palace rules and etiquette; she lifted her skirt and ran towards A Hui and the other two.
She shouted to Song Ai, "Quickly summon the imperial physician!"
Sui En was at his physical limit, but he still mustered his last bit of strength and gently put A Hui on the ground when he saw everyone rushing over.
He gasped for breath, clutching Yu Nie's sleeve and pleading urgently, "Princess, please, please save Master Hui! He's still breathing. I kept talking to him on the way back, and he responded to me. Please get the imperial physician to save him..."
All eyes fell on Ah Hui on the ground, and everyone gasped in shock, their breath seemingly frozen. His limbs were twisted in agony, and his blood-covered face was a far cry from the handsome man he had been just an hour or two ago.
Yu Nie stared at the unconscious person on the ground, then suddenly felt a deathly silence around him. He swayed and fell heavily to his knees.
"Qiqi." Xiao Chengyan quickly bent down to support her arm, but she shook him off.
Her hands were trembling so badly that she wanted to touch her junior brother, but her hands were suspended in mid-air, and she hesitated to put them down.
She was afraid that if she used even a little force, she would hurt him.
But the person on the ground, covered in wounds, could no longer feel any pain.
All her voices were stuck in her throat, unable to make a sound, as if someone had forced a sharp, large rock into her chest, tearing her internal organs to shreds and leaving her bleeding profusely.
"This, this is my... junior brother?" Her voice sounded distorted and almost choked.
She dared not believe it, dared not think about it deeply, as if everything she had would collapse the moment she admitted it.
She didn't dare to check his breath, but could only tremblingly reach out and gently touch the back of his hand, which was still warm.
This last bit of warmth was like a faint glimmer of hope, instantly seizing her nerves on the verge of collapse.
She said, "Quickly, Xiao Chengyan, the ground is too cold. Could you help me move my junior brother inside so the imperial physician can treat him?"
Without saying a word, Xiao Chengyan hurried to the people on the ground behind him.
He carefully lifted Ah Hui's arm, trying to put it on his shoulder, but the arm fell limply several times, unable to muster any strength.
He paused, looked up, and met Han Jie's gaze.
With just one glance, the two understood each other's thoughts from their eyes, and their hearts sank.
But he didn't say a word, quickly concealing the strangeness in his eyes, pretending to be nonchalant, steadily carrying the person on the ground, and walking briskly towards the side hall.
He glanced sideways at the person behind him, his eyes filled with reluctance.
Following behind him, Yu Nie supported A Hui. As they moved, A Hui's head tilted back, and the blood that had accumulated in his throat spilled from the corner of his mouth, like a small stream that meandered down to his chin.
Yu Nie frantically rubbed his hands, his fingertips getting wet with blood, only to be quickly covered by the newly flowing warmth.
She couldn't see the handkerchiefs offered by others; she was only focused on repeatedly wiping the wound, as if stopping the bleeding would make the person in front of her alright.
She kept talking to him, each sentence sounding like a plea: "Junior brother, look at me... open your eyes, just one look, okay?"
No matter what she said, he kept his eyes closed, his eyelashes, wet with blood, hanging quietly without making a sound.
Even after Xiao Chengyan placed him on the couch and gently adjusted his position, his eyes remained tightly closed.
I never looked at her again from beginning to end.
She asked Cuiwei to fetch water, wrung out a cloth, and carefully wiped away the bloodstains from his face, hands, and neck.
The hair ornament on her head was too cumbersome, so she pulled it off and threw it on the ground.
The bloody water was changed basin after basin, her clothes were covered in blood, and her whole hands were stained red.
Suddenly, a very faint sound came from the throat of the person on the bed, like the sound of someone struggling to breathe.
Yu Nie's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly leaned down, bringing her ear close to his lips.
The faint sound reached her ears clearly.
She took his hand and placed it over her face, which was now soaked with tears.
But his hands got even colder in that short time.
She cried and called him "Junior Brother, Junior Brother..."
The name echoed continuously within the hall, the silence so profound it was unsettling.
Xiao Chengyan felt a lump in his throat, unable to bear seeing her like this. He wanted to tell her the truth, but Hua Shu stopped him.
She gently shook her head at him.
Perhaps, letting her hold onto this fleeting thought for a little longer is a form of comfort.
Song Ai led the imperial physicians on duty to the palace in a great hurry.
Yu Nie quickly stood up and asked the imperial physician to examine him carefully.
She clutched the imperial physician's sleeve, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "Imperial Physician, please, you must save him..."
The imperial physician, panting from running, put down his medicine box and, without delay, quickly went to the bedside to take Ahui's pulse.
When the blanket was lifted, it was discovered that both of his hands had been twisted off.
The imperial physician was taken aback, then noticed Ah Hui's swollen throat. Upon seeing this, he immediately bent down and lifted Ah Hui's eyelids to examine her.
The pupils of those eyes were already unrecognizable.
The person is long gone.
The imperial physician broke out in a cold sweat and turned to meet Xiao Chengyan's gaze.
Seeing Xiao Chengyan's reaction, he finally bent down again, placing his fingers on Ahui's wrist in a futile attempt to save her.
During a break in the imperial physician's treatment, Yu Nie stood behind, watching Ah Hui lying there.
"Sui En," she said softly, "explain clearly, what exactly happened?"
Sui En cried as he recounted how he and A Hui had been kidnapped. He explained how Zhao Yuanze, Wang Fengshuo, Li Yunsheng, and others forced them to play wrestling with professional strongmen. He also described how A Hui protected him, rushing to the front lines.
Under the command of those three men, the strongman broke Ah Hui's limbs, shattered his throat, observed his reaction, and recounted what they said...
He told them everything.
He took out the silver that Zhao Yuanze had given him:
"These were all given by the Third Prince. He said... the strongman went too far, causing this accident. To make amends, he will choose a good time to assign you a new palace servant, guaranteeing... guaranteeing it will be the same, all..."
As he finished speaking, Sui En's voice grew softer and softer, clearly indicating that he had lost the courage to continue.
"What?" Yu Nie asked, his tone devoid of emotion.
Sui En lowered his head even further and stammered, "I...I...I can't speak. I'll definitely give you a...a mute."
"Damn it! How could Yuan Ze do such an absurd and foolish thing!"
Upon hearing Sui En's account, Hua Ruo could hardly believe her ears: "I'm going to Lingyun Terrace right now to settle accounts with him personally!"
"Don't bother." Before she could rush out, she ran into Song Ai, who had already returned from outside after learning that the person had been found.
He glanced around at the group of them and said, “It’s almost noon now, and the palace banquet is about to begin. All the princes, ministers, and relatives have probably already taken their seats. I reckon it’s just a few of us who are still lingering here.”
This was, after all, the first banquet hosted by the emperor after his ascension to the throne, and no one, including the princes, ministers, and nobles, dared to be negligent.
If they linger here any longer, it will be no laughing matter if they incur the emperor's displeasure.
As he spoke, he glanced at Ah Hui on the bed and turned to Xiao Chengyan to ask, "How is she?"
Xiao Chengyan glanced at Yu Nie out of the corner of his eye, then shook his head imperceptibly.
Zhao Yuntuan pursed his lips, glanced at Yu Nie, and didn't know how to start the conversation.
Zhao Yuanze and his gang caused this mess, and as the imperial uncle, he didn't know how to clean it up.
The imperial physician had done everything he could at the bedside.
After finally securing Ah Hui's hands and feet, he could no longer continue his futile rescue efforts and straightened up.
Upon seeing this, Yu Nie staggered forward, grabbed the imperial physician's sleeve, and asked helplessly, "What's wrong, Imperial Physician? How is my junior brother?"
"Princess……"
The imperial physician's graying eyebrows furrowed, and after hesitating for a long while, he finally spoke with difficulty:
"The other injuries are not fatal, but this young man's throat bone is completely shattered. Even if a god came, there would be no way to save him."
"What do you mean by 'it's beyond saving'? My... my junior brother was clearly making a sound in his throat just now, and there was blood flowing out. If a person is dead, how can there still be blood?"
With a sob in her voice, she pleaded, "Please, my junior brother was alive and well at noon, please, please take another look..." As she spoke, she was about to kneel down.
"Qiqi!" Xiao Chengyan immediately stepped forward and reached out to help her.
"Princess! Princess, you mustn't do this!" The old imperial physician turned pale with fright, supporting Yu Nie with all his might, his voice filled with terror: "You are going to put this old minister to shame! This old minister cannot bear such a responsibility; it would cost him his head!"
He held Yu Nie tightly as she nearly fell to the ground, explaining, "The moment the throat bone shatters, the trachea is pierced by the bone fragments, and the accumulated blood will flow back into the lungs through the rupture. Although the person has long since stopped breathing, the remaining air in the lungs will push the blood foam out, so it sounds like there is a sound."
"Princess...please accept my condolences!"
The imperial physician's voice was like a blunt knife, cutting through Yu Nie's last bit of "luck".
She gazed at the familiar face on the bed, the stubbornness still lingering in his eyes, but the once vibrant life had vanished.
What she desperately tried to deny ultimately became an undeniable fact.
She moved stiffly step by step to the edge of the bed, her hand trembling as she reached out and grasped the bandaged hand of the person on the bed.
These hands had folded paper cranes for her, combed her hair, stood in the scorching sun for her, and even beaten up those who bullied her.
But at this moment it was as cold as ice.
Why is it so cold...?
How could this be...?
Her heart felt like it had been shattered, and the pain was so intense that she could barely breathe.
The images Sui En tearfully recounted surged into a sea of blood in her mind.
Overwhelming hatred instantly engulfed her entire body, burning her eyes until they turned red.
Burning with hatred, she turned around abruptly and drew Han Jie's sword from the side.
"Hua Yan!"
"Sister Shunhe!"
"lush!"
"Your Highness!"
Several exclamations rang out at the same time. Everyone was startled by the sudden scene before them and froze on the spot.
Xiao Chengyan's expression changed slightly. He subconsciously took half a step forward and raised his hand to stop her: "Qiqi, let's talk this out. Put the knife down first!"
"Hua Yan, you mustn't act impulsively!" Hua Shu's face showed barely concealed urgency.
Song Ai and Cuiwei were terrified, and pleaded in trembling voices, "Your Highness...you...please don't hurt yourself..."
Yu Nie raised her eyes and swept them over the crowd: "Take me to Jiu Shao Palace."
Zhao Yuntuan advised her, "The Emperor is hosting a banquet for his officials in the Jiushao Palace. Are you not afraid of being killed on the spot by the Imperial Guards if you barge in with a sword?"
"What does execution matter?"
“My family members were tortured and killed like chickens, pigs, dogs and pigs, while the perpetrators sat comfortably at a palace banquet, passing around cups and drinking wine.”
As she spoke, she gripped the blade with her other hand and slashed it sharply. Blood instantly flowed from her palm and dripped onto the ground.
She raised her bleeding hand, her voice piercing the surrounding silence, resolute and resolute:
"I will exchange blood for blood, and I will avenge this grudge."
"Today, whoever blocks my path is my mortal enemy."
In Beiye, there is an ancient custom of swearing an oath with blood from the palm of one's hand. It is the most solemn oath in the world, and once sworn, one must fulfill it even at the cost of one's life.
Everyone was shocked and speechless for a moment.
Xiao Chengyan was stunned for several seconds.
Perhaps seeing the painful hatred in her eyes, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I'll take you there!"
Ignoring everyone else's attempts to stop him, and without listening to Song Ai's words, Yu Nie only instructed her and Cui Wei to take good care of A Hui before leaving with Xiao Chengyan.
The two figures quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
*
The sky was completely obscured by thick clouds, and not a single star could be seen.
Given the poor weather, the planned nighttime stargazing at the observatory was naturally cancelled.
Everyone gathered inside the Jiushao Hall, singing and dancing lightly, drinking and chatting happily.
As a close advisor to the emperor, Huan Xun naturally held a position in the front row, just a few steps away from the dragon throne.
He swirled the wine glass in his hand, his gaze involuntarily wandering throughout the hall.
Since entering the palace in the afternoon, he had been intentionally or unintentionally searching for someone's shadow, but to no avail.
Then he was summoned by Attendant Feng to the East Pavilion to listen to the Emperor talk about the war in the northern frontier. It wasn't until the distant sound of the palace bells that he was able to leave that he was able to come to the Jiu Shao Palace.
But when he glanced at the seats of the royal family members opposite him, the seat that should have belonged to her was still empty, and he still couldn't see her.
Not only her, but Xiao Chengyan has also disappeared without a trace.
Looking at the two empty seats, his eyes were filled with melancholy, and an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart, making him feel restless and uneasy.
Standing solemnly beside the dragon throne, Gu Xiangzhi, who was in charge of the emperor's personal guards, silently surveyed the crowd of banquet attendees.
Seated below the Emperor, the exquisitely beautiful Consort Gao asked those around her, "Where has Ruo'er gone? It's been so long, why haven't we seen her yet?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress raised her eyes and said in a gentle tone, "Your Highness, please don't be anxious. Hua Ruo may have been delayed on the way, but she should arrive soon."
Consort Gao did not respond, but glanced sideways at her side again.
Her personal maid lowered her voice and replied, "Your Highness, I overheard the princess mention at noon that she was going to Hongzheng Pavilion to pick up Princess Shunhe to attend the banquet together."
"Shunhe?" Consort Gao frowned. "Why does she always associate with people like that? Doesn't she care about their status? Isn't she afraid of losing face?"
"identity?"
The Empress Dowager's calm voice came from the head of the table, her scrutinizing gaze falling on Consort Gao:
"Shunhe's background may be somewhat humble, but he is still a descendant of the late emperor. According to you, just because you are both of the late emperor's bloodline, does that mean you are inferior to others without a family background like your Gao family?"
Consort Gao's face turned pale. She quickly put down her wine cup, stood up, and curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty, I did not mean that. I misspoke. Please forgive me."
"Alright, sit down." The Empress Dowager did not look at her.
"yes."
As she rose, Consort Gao quickly glanced at the Emperor, who remained silent in the main seat.
Zhao Yunfu remained calm, as if he hadn't heard the argument taking place.
But this calm and composed demeanor made Consort Gao's heart tighten. She lowered her eyelashes and dared not say another word.
The singing and dancing inside the hall, with its flowing wine cups and melodious music, were not interrupted by this little incident.
Just as Gao Chou rose, preparing to raise his cup in a toast, a guard suddenly stumbled in from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Guangning, and... Princess Shunhe have arrived."
Zhao Yunfu looked displeased with the two who were late: "So what if you're here? Is it worth reporting in such a panic?"
"Princess Ke Shunhe...she's carrying a knife!"
"What did you say?" Zhao Yunfu narrowed his eyes, seemingly disbelieving.
The guard reported again: "We dare not act rashly; they are already outside the door..."
The ministers and relatives around who heard the guards' reply were also startled and looked out of the hall in unison.
This was the case with Huan Xun and Gu Xiang.
The guards at the entrance all had tense expressions, their eyes fixed on the figure walking up the steps and retreating step by step into the main hall.
Dressed in a crimson robe, Yu Nie's gaze was icy, his hair danced wildly in the wind, and his eyes were as cold as a frozen pool.
The long sword she gripped tightly in her right hand gleamed coldly as she walked fearlessly into the hall.
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Author's note: I was too engrossed in writing the last chapter last night, and it was too late. When I read it, my mind was foggy and I didn't notice the major bug. I revised it this afternoon.
If you watched it before yesterday afternoon, you can watch it again, as some important information has been added.
I apologize for the poor reading experience this has provided. I bow deeply in apology.
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