Chapter 25
The person closest to Qi Yu was Zhao Wanyi. Only Pei Jin noticed that during the chaos, she quietly put her hairpin into her hand, hid it in her sleeve, and looked in the direction of His Majesty.
She was fully aware of what was happening today, or perhaps she had anticipated it!
Pei Jin wanted to step forward and take Zhao Wanyi away.
However, the next moment, Qi Yu accidentally fell into the lake and sank into the water. In no time, the lake water swallowed her whole.
Huge ripples spread outwards from the lake surface.
Zhao Wanyi's expression changed. No one knew what she was thinking for that instant. She abandoned her original plan, gritted her teeth, climbed over the railing, and jumped into the water, heading towards the direction where Qi Yu had fallen in.
They completely forgot that she was not a good swimmer.
Seeing this, Lin Qi, who was standing unremarkable by the lake, also plunged into the water.
Wu Shiyan was overwhelmed. Even though the crowd dispersed, the intentions of the ill-intentioned people were exposed. The assassins kept coming one after another, and he was exhausted from dealing with both open and hidden attacks. Fortunately, he had just managed to snatch a knife.
Wu Shiyan gripped the knife in his hand, the broadsword mercilessly piercing through the man who had just wielded it, stabbing him through and tearing apart his internal organs. A flash of bloodlust crossed his eyes, and as he withdrew the knife again, filthy blood splattered onto the bridge and onto his clothes.
Wu Shiyan saw Qi Yu fall into the lake and his eyes were bloodshot with rage, but he could only stand there as a target to attract their attention and cut them down on the bridge, instead of going into the water to save A Yu.
Clean these people up.
Wu Shiyan murmured the thought to himself, and it grew clearer and clearer in his mind.
He beheaded the man who tried to approach him to assassinate him.
He cleaved almost half of the body of the man who was wielding a sword and thrusting it at him.
He killed one person after another with his knife, and the scattered corpses and pieces of flesh on the ground were deeply chilling.
He had a deep understanding of human anatomy, and the ability to kill without dulling his blade was almost an instinct ingrained in his body.
At this moment, he was no longer an emperor, but more like a butcher.
Pei Jin realized that His Majesty's murderous intent had emerged the moment Wu Shiyan started killing the first person.
In such a situation, the most appropriate course of action for them as subjects is to stay away from His Majesty until His Majesty is exhausted before stepping forward to clean up the mess.
Instead of presumptuously protecting the emperor.
Pei Jin took two steps back and then jumped into the water to save the person. He was an excellent swimmer and very good at holding his breath underwater.
On the other side, Qi Yu held her breath the moment she fell into the water, and her subconscious closing of her eyes made it impossible for her to discern the situation in the water.
With the belief that Lin Qi would definitely save her, Qi Yu quickly forced herself to calm down.
But in the water, she had no foothold. The lake water swept her away, almost drowning her. She kept herself conscious by the little fresh air in her chest.
She was unable to struggle to the surface of the water.
Hesitation and fear of death gradually eroded Qi Yu's mind, but when she vaguely saw Zhao Wanyi jump into the lake and swim towards her without hesitation, these emotions were greatly soothed.
Qi Yu looked at her with almost infatuated eyes.
However, accidents always happen at such times. Just as their hands were about to touch, Zhao Wanyi, who had been exerting force, suddenly showed signs of drowning. She couldn't breathe fresh air and her strength was rapidly fading. With her last bit of strength, she tried to push Qi Yu out of the water.
Qi Yu's eyes widened.
Instead of going with the flow, she took Zhao Wanyi's hand and moved closer to her against the current, giving her a breath of fresh air.
Zhao Wanyi caught her breath for a moment. Lake water rushed into her ears, but her mind was blank. She only remembered that Qi Yu had given her life-saving breaths.
The lake water washed away the makeup from their faces, and coincidentally, they both wore the same hairstyle today.
It's like they're telepathically connected.
In the lake, two people who looked almost identical faced each other. Qi Yu's face was expressionless, while Zhao Wanyi's physical fear of drowning was gradually soothed, and she stared at Qi Yu without blinking.
The interplay of light and shadow underwater creates an ethereal scene, like a painting.
Like two goddesses in a mural.
Qi Yu found herself holding Zhao Wanyi's hairpin in her hand. Her chest felt like it was being torn apart, and the thin air was not enough to support the two of them.
Before she choked on water and lost consciousness, Qi Yu saw Lin Qi swimming towards them.
We're saved.
Pei Jin and Lin Qi approached Qi Yu and Zhao Wanyi from different directions in the water.
Pei Jin roughly guessed Lin Qi's identity as a bodyguard and tacitly led Zhao Wanyi, who was holding a gold hairpin, away.
Seeing this, Lin Qi no longer hesitated and lifted the unconscious empress out of the water.
Pei Jin carried the person out of the lake. He was panting heavily from exhaustion. As the night wind blew, he looked at the person in his arms for no apparent reason.
Her face was deathly pale, her lips were bloodless, her hair clung tightly to her cheeks, and her lips trembled from the cold.
Her clothes were soaked through, revealing her pitiful and slender figure.
Her two embroidered shoes were nowhere to be seen, and she was soaking wet from head to toe.
Pei Jin recalled the scene in the lake earlier. The two of them were originally wearing pomegranate red and rouge-colored clothes respectively, and the difference was still visible to the naked eye. However, after falling into the water, the color deepened, and the difference became smaller, both turning into a wet reddish-brown.
If it weren't for the hairpin, he wouldn't have been able to tell who was who.
He gently laid her down and took off his outer robe to drape over her.
"Cold." A very soft voice sounded.
Pei Jin almost thought he was hallucinating. After all, Zhao Wanyi was a ruthless person who would never cry out in pain, even in her sleep she would grit her teeth.
His gaze fell on the woman's waist, and upon seeing the familiar sachet, the doubts that had arisen in his heart quickly dissipated.
This is a sachet embroidered by Zhao Wanyi. Her skill is so exquisite that even the most skilled embroiderer would find it difficult to replicate her artistry.
And she wouldn't easily give this thing away.
Furthermore, he did not recall what the Imperial Concubine was wearing around her waist today.
Pei Jin began pressing on her chest until she coughed up water before stopping.
But after coughing up water, she lost consciousness again.
Yuelu arrived with the Pei family's people and carriage, rushed to her young lady's side, her face covered in tears, her eyes as red as a rabbit's.
"Young master, I have brought the doctor."
She and Pei Jiu separated as soon as they realized something was wrong. She went to fetch the attending physician, while Pei Jiu took the token and went alone to the home of a nearby imperial physician to fetch another imperial physician.
Pei Jin carried the person onto the carriage and had the doctor take his pulse.
He turned around and saw that the imperial physician and the Imperial Guards had arrived and surrounded the area. The Consort was placed in a larger carriage, and the secret guards accompanied her, keeping a close eye on the imperial physician's movements. The Consort's maid was crying just as loudly as Yuelu.
The civilians were evacuated by the arriving guards and then handed over to the Imperial Guards.
His Majesty was covered in the stench of blood; he had single-handedly killed all the assassins, and there were severed limbs and broken legs everywhere, like a cruel, blood-red battlefield.
His Majesty slowly looked in the direction of the Imperial Concubine.
Pei Jin turned his head and ordered someone to drive him back to the Pei residence.
The Imperial Guards allowed them to pass.
Because of the assassination attempt on His Majesty, the city was no longer bustling with activity. Every household had its doors tightly shut, with only lanterns hanging outdoors illuminating the streets.
This was a spontaneous act by the people. Although their emperor is cruel, he does not kill innocent civilians. Today, the neighbor who was unfortunately caught up in the assassination attempt was frightened, but he returned safely.
The Pei family's carriage took advantage of this convenience to return home.
Upon arriving at the Pei residence, Pei Jin picked up the person wrapped in a quilt and took them to the Jade Radiance Courtyard.
That night, Yuzhao Temple was brightly lit, and Pei Jin did not leave.
Hearing the maids arguing that the ginger soup wouldn't go down, and saying they would cook more bowls and feed the girl more often, he said, "Add honey and brown sugar to the ginger soup to mask the ginger flavor."
The maid obeyed and used the method, which worked; the ginger soup was finally fed to her.
Because the patient fell into the water and caught a chill, the doctor prescribed some medicine to dispel the cold. He will take the patient's pulse again tomorrow and then prescribe more medicine.
Giving the medicine took quite a bit of effort.
In the middle of the night, while the maid was changing clothes, wiping her body, and washing her hair, Pei Jin slipped away.
On the other side, Wu Shiyan let go, and the knife fell to the ground. He walked towards the carriage without realizing it, where Ayu, who had just been carried out of the water unconscious by Lin Qi, lay.
He failed to protect her and instead dragged her down with him.
Wu Shiyan's head was blank until he met the fearful gaze of the palace maid, Ayu. He looked down and realized that he was covered in blood, with disgusting blood clots in some places.
He stopped, took off his outer robe, and went to see Qi Yu wearing only a thin shirt that was barely stained with blood.
Once he was on the carriage, he took a closer look and stopped, his outstretched hand pausing: "This is not the Imperial Concubine."
Wu Shiyan looked at the leader of the Imperial Guard with cold eyes.
The bright moonlight shone down, illuminating a deep, fresh wound on Wu Shiyan's face, still bleeding. His face was pale, and his eyes were dark, like a vengeful ghost.
However, this ghost was exceptionally large, wielding the power of life and death.
The leader of the Imperial Guards had never fought alongside Wu Shiyan and had never experienced such a scene before. He was terrified and mumbled incoherently, "...It's not the Imperial Concubine, it's not the Imperial Concubine."
But who else could it be but the Imperial Concubine?
He couldn't just go to the Pei residence, snatch someone's wife, bring her to His Majesty, and say, "This is the Imperial Concubine."
His Majesty's feelings for Lady Pei were no secret among the ministers in the capital after that birthday banquet, and even the leaders of the Imperial Guards had heard about it.
At this moment, His Majesty is clearly... insane.
-
Pei Residence, Jade Mirror Courtyard.
When Qi Yu woke up, she felt unwell all over. She was dizzy and her hands felt weak and powerless.
She was wearing a dry undergarment, and her hair had been carefully washed, dried, and combed, emitting a faint fragrance.
But the blankets, the bed curtains, and even the bed beneath him all looked so unfamiliar.
Qi Yu turned her head and looked outside. There was an unfamiliar screen, tables and chairs, and a display shelf on the side was filled with various porcelain pieces, some with fine rims and some with coarse rims, some large and some small.
The sunlight outside was bright and shone directly into the house.
Two maids were vaguely visible standing behind the screen.
The birds outside the window were chirping and chattering, but none of the servants made a sound; they remained quiet.
Qi Yu didn't make a sound. If she remembered correctly, after she fell into the water last night, she was rescued. On the shore, a person who looked like Pei Jin pressed the water out of her mouth.
The person was soaking wet, with water still dripping from their hair. When she woke up, she only felt cold water droplets falling on her face, and then she fainted again due to exhaustion.
Looking back now, it was probably Pei Jin who saved her, but when she was choking in the water, she clearly saw Lin Qi.
Waking up to find no familiar faces, Qi Yu looked listless and pulled open her clothes to check herself.
Thankfully, she was still herself and didn't accidentally time travel again.
Qi Yu drifted off to sleep again.
A note from the author:
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