When Consort Shu saw Qi Yu lying on the bed, pale and bloodless, she panicked and rushed forward to take his hand. "Yu'er, where are you hurt?"
"Your Majesty, I am fine. I have worried you." Qi Yu lay on the bed, feeling somewhat weak, but he was now out of danger.
He smiled slightly, trying to soothe Consort Shu's worries.
"No problem? Your face is so pale, how can you say you're alright?" Consort Shu frowned, her tone carrying a hint of reproach and reluctance.
She turned to the imperial physician standing to the side, "Imperial Physician, what is the extent of Yu'er's injuries?"
The imperial physician hurriedly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and replied, "Your Majesty, His Highness was weak due to excessive blood loss, but he is now out of danger. He only needs to rest for a few days to fully recover."
Outside, Emperor Wenyuan was furious. He hadn't expected that an assassin would appear on his birthday and injure the Fifth Prince, who had just returned to the palace.
With a livid face, he questioned the commander of the Imperial Guards, "What exactly happened? Who discovered that Prince Jing was injured?"
"Your Majesty, it was a maidservant from the Empress Dowager's side who came looking for me. When we arrived there, we found Doctor Meng there as well," Commander Wei replied, kneeling at the lower end of the table.
"Doctor Meng?" Meng Zhelan? Wasn't she next to the Empress Dowager? Emperor Wenyuan was full of doubt.
"It seems that Doctor Meng was examining His Highness at the time," Commander Wei replied truthfully.
Emperor Wenyuan remained silent for a moment, then waved for Commander Wei to leave. He then turned to the eunuch beside him and said, "Go and summon Doctor Meng. I want to question her myself."
The eunuch obeyed and left, while Emperor Wenyuan sat on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
Before long, Meng Zhelan was brought to the front of the palace, accompanied by the Empress Dowager.
Upon seeing the Empress Dowager appear, Emperor Wenyuan went to greet her, "Why has Mother come as well?"
"My grandson is injured, so of course I had to come and see him." The Empress Dowager's words were full of concern.
When Consort Shu heard that the Empress Dowager had arrived, she hurriedly came out to greet her, standing demurely to the side.
Seeing the docile Consort Shu, the Empress Dowager felt pity for her, saying, "Don't worry, her father is here."
Consort Shu's eyes reddened. "I know, I'm just worried."
The Empress Dowager patted Consort Shu affectionately and said softly, "You are a well-behaved and sensible child, I have always known that."
Emperor Wenyuan turned to Meng Zhelan and asked, "Doctor Meng, was it you who saved the Fifth Prince? Did you notice anything amiss at the time?"
Meng Zhelan respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, on my way back to the banquet, I heard someone calling for help, so I immediately went to check. After finding the prince injured, I gave him a hemostatic pill to stop the bleeding as soon as possible. Soon after, someone arrived at the scene. Forgive my ignorance, but I did not see anything amiss."
The emperor was increasingly pleased with Meng Zhelan, and he nodded slightly, his eyes revealing his appreciation.
This Dr. Meng is not only highly skilled in medicine, but also calm and composed in the face of danger, which is truly rare.
"Doctor Meng, you saved my son's life, I am eternally grateful." Emperor Wenyuan's voice was filled with gratitude. "I will certainly reward you handsomely."
Consort Shu, who was standing to the side, was also extremely grateful. She stepped forward, grasped Meng Zhelan's hand, and said with tears in her eyes, "Dr. Meng, thank you for saving my child."
Meng Zhelan smiled and shook her head: "Your Highness, Consort Shu, you flatter me. I only did my bit of effort."
"Wei Qing!" the emperor suddenly shouted.
The Imperial Guard Commander Wei Qing immediately knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. "Your Majesty, it is my dereliction of duty. I will immediately dispatch more men to track down the assassin."
Emperor Wenyuan nodded and said coldly, "The assassin must be captured, alive or dead. Also, strengthen the security of the palace; I do not want such incidents to happen again."
After dealing with the assassination attempt, the emperor also came to Qi Yu's palace. He looked at Qi Yu lying on the bed, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes.
He walked to the bedside and whispered, "Why is Yu'er there tonight?"
Emperor Wenyuan couldn't help but feel a little strange, and frowned slightly.
"My son, why are you there alone so late at night?" Emperor Wenyuan asked in a deep voice. "Where are your attendants and guards?"
The prince replied, "Your Majesty, I have not been back to the palace for a long time, and I miss every plant and tree here very much. Just now, after I went to relieve myself, I saw that the chrysanthemums in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom in autumn, and they were so beautiful that I couldn't help but stop to admire them. Who would have thought that someone would suddenly attack me, and I was caught off guard."
Emperor Wenyuan's gaze was sharp as an eagle's as he scrutinized the prince, trying to glean more information from his expression. Although the prince's words sounded reasonable, Emperor Wenyuan's doubts did not completely dissipate.
"Did you see the face of the person who attacked you?" Emperor Wenyuan asked slowly, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.
Qi Yu lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly: "Father, the night was dark, and I was unable to see the man's face clearly. I only felt that he was agile and did not seem to be a person from the palace."
The emperor frowned, a sense of unease rising within him. The presence of assassins lurking in the palace posed a significant threat to him.
"This matter is not to be taken lightly. I will send people to investigate it thoroughly," Emperor Wenyuan said in a deep voice. "My son, you must also be vigilant and remember never to act alone again. I will arrange for the imperial physicians to take good care of your injuries. You should stay in the palace and rest and recuperate. You can visit your Prince Jing's residence after you have recovered. As for the decorations in the residence, you can discuss with your mother what you like, and she will arrange everything for you."
The Fifth Prince bowed respectfully: "Thank you for your concern, Father. I will certainly follow your instructions, rest and recuperate, and relieve your worries."
Unsurprisingly, Meng Zhelan returned home with a large box of gifts.
"Lan'er, it seems your father can retire and return to his hometown," Meng Zhong joked.
“Alright, Father, you can retire at home tomorrow,” Meng Zhelan replied with a smile.
"Lan'er, even though you are by the Empress Dowager's side, you must still be careful and not be careless," Meng Zhong instructed. "The people in the palace are complex, so you must always be vigilant."
"Father, I know," Meng Zhelan nodded. "I will be careful."
Meng Zhong sighed. He knew his daughter was a clever and quick-witted woman, but in that place of power struggles, cleverness alone was far from enough.
He hoped his daughter would be safe and sound, but he knew that was almost impossible.
"Lan'er, you are my only daughter, you must take good care of yourself," Meng Zhong said again.
Meng Zhelan held her father's hand tightly, her eyes shining with determination.
"Father, don't worry, I will." She was just a lowly doctor and shouldn't offend anyone.
That's what she thought, but others didn't see it that way.
Meanwhile, Li Xi in Mu City has finally found some useful information.
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