Nodding inwardly to indicate that she understood, Yunyi's expression remained unchanged, but she was secretly on guard against any potential dangers around her.
The couple came to a sugar figurine stall, and Emperor Qianlong suddenly became interested and asked the stall owner to draw a sugar figurine of the couple.
Yunyi sensed something was wrong, as if she had noticed something and knew something.
"This gentleman and lady are truly a loving couple. I've been setting up my stall here for quite some time now. Just watch and see, I guarantee I'll paint a beautiful picture of you two."
The stall owner praised him a couple of times and then got to work. He was indeed skilled at it, and his hands and feet moved quickly. Before long, two figures could be seen taking shape, their faces and clothes resembling those of Emperor Qianlong and Yunyi.
With a faint smile on his face, Emperor Qianlong told Li Yu to pay the bill, while he himself took the sugar figurine from the stall owner.
The few people lying in ambush not far away watched coldly, their hearts filled with a mixture of excitement and agitation.
Just as Emperor Qianlong was about to take the sugar figurine, a sudden change occurred. A flash of cold light appeared, the sugar figurine fell from the stall owner's hand, and a dagger suddenly appeared in his hand.
Fortunately, Emperor Qianlong had practiced martial arts since childhood. Although his skills were not top-notch, they were still quite agile. He dodged the dagger that the stall owner was thrusting at him.
When his initial attack failed, the stall owner shouted, "You dog emperor, prepare to die!" and lunged forward to continue his assault on Qianlong.
The people lying in ambush nearby also revealed themselves, no longer hiding their figures, and rushed towards Qianlong.
Because he was traveling incognito, Emperor Qianlong did not bring many people with him. He was only surrounded by a few guards. The disparity in numbers between the two sides made it clear that Qianlong's side was at a disadvantage.
After Qianlong stepped back, several guards quickly stepped forward and surrounded the emperor and empress, while the stall owner was kept outside.
The stall owner wasn't worried; everyone around him was one of his own, and this scoundrel emperor couldn't escape.
However, Emperor Qianlong was not unprepared. Li Yu took out a signal flare from his pocket and fired it into the sky.
Fireworks burst into bloom in the sky, attracting much attention. Fu Heng, Yong Cong, and Yong Gui, who were nearby, were shocked. Oh no! The Emperor/Father is in danger!
At the critical moment, Fuheng was the most decisive. He first sent the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince back to fetch people, while he himself led the guards to the place where the incident occurred.
Yongcong refused, insisting on going with him to rescue his father. Fuheng couldn't persuade him otherwise, so in the end only Yonggui went back to get reinforcements.
As the number of enemies increased, Qianlong's situation became increasingly dangerous.
One by one, the guards around them fell down, and it was uncertain whether the remaining few would survive until they were rescued.
In what appeared to be a dangerous environment, Yunyi's composure and calmness greatly impressed Emperor Qianlong.
Empress Nara was indeed different from other women; she was virtuous and kind, adept at handling palace affairs, and very caring towards the princes and princesses below her.
In this situation, to remain calm and composed without panicking truly demonstrates the demeanor of the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty.
The reason Yunyi wasn't worried at all was because Xiaoqi said that Fuheng had already brought people over, and with her cheat ability, she wasn't afraid of anything happening.
Just as Qianlong was lost in thought, Yunyi spotted an assassin approaching.
Just as the sword was about to pierce Qianlong, Yunyi stepped forward and pushed Qianlong away, but was stabbed in the left shoulder herself.
"Mother!"
Yongcong saw his mother injured while saving his father from afar, and he was extremely worried, so he quickened his pace to get there.
Having missed his intended target, the assassin changed direction and aimed his sword at Emperor Qianlong, who was holding Yunyi.
Whoosh! Before the assassin's sword could strike, he was struck in the back by an arrow flying from afar and collapsed on the spot.
Looking in the direction the arrow had come from, Emperor Qianlong was filled with pride and satisfaction to discover that it had been shot by his own son.
Yongcong is only thirteen years old this year, but he has such strength. Considering his usual intelligence, Qianlong was even more satisfied.
Thinking of this, Qianlong looked at the unconscious Nara in his arms and held her even tighter.
After all the assassins were dealt with, Qianlong quickly carried Empress Nara back to the main courtyard, where the imperial physician and a group of folk doctors he had invited had arrived.
"Your Majesty, the wound on Her Majesty's shoulder is not actually serious, but the problem lies in the fact that it is poisoned. Moreover, there was a long time between the poisoning and our arrival to treat her, and the toxins seeped into Her Majesty's body through the wound, which is why Her Majesty is unconscious."
After hearing the imperial physician's explanation, Emperor Qianlong suddenly realized why Empress Nara had turned pale and fainted shortly after being stabbed; it turned out to be due to poisoning.
Emperor Qianlong was somewhat worried: "Is the poison in the Empress easily cured? I order you to do everything in your power to treat her. I don't want to hear any bad news, understand?"
The emperor's majesty was still very intimidating, and the imperial physician answered tremblingly upon hearing this.
At this moment, he was somewhat relieved that the Empress's poison was not too severe, otherwise it would have been difficult to handle.
After being treated by the imperial physicians, Yunyi's injuries were not serious, and the poison she had been poisoned had been mostly neutralized.
All she needs to do now is to rest and recover properly, and take the detoxifying and tonic medicine prescribed by the imperial physician on time, so that she can fully recover and return to normal.
The next day, Yunyi woke up with a dull ache in her shoulder. Because of her injury, she had some difficulty moving around.
Upon hearing that Yunyi had woken up, Emperor Qianlong brought Yongcong, Yonggui, and Geludai to visit the Empress.
"Mother, are you alright? I was so scared yesterday." Ge Ludai was only thirteen years old and had been pampered since childhood. She had never seen anything like this before.
Yesterday, when she saw her mother injured and unconscious, she was terrified and stayed by Yunyi's bedside, unwilling to leave.
Yunyi touched her daughter's head with her uninjured right hand and comforted her, "Mother is alright now, Herui, don't worry."
Over the next few days, Yunyi quietly recuperated. Her two sons would come to see her whenever they had time, and her daughter stayed by her side, showing her filial piety.
However, Emperor Qianlong was now in a dilemma. The itinerary for the southern tour had been set long ago, but the Empress was injured and could not continue to accompany him.
However, Emperor Qianlong was not entirely at ease letting the Empress stay in Nanjing to recuperate, so he was in a dilemma.
When Yunyi heard about this, she naturally advised Qianlong to continue and not to delay the journey.
In the end, Emperor Qianlong agreed to the Empress's suggestion and continued the southern tour with the entourage. However, in order for the Empress to recover properly, he left his trusted confidant Fuheng behind to protect her safety.
Although Emperor Qianlong had already conducted a thorough search of the entire city of Hangzhou and cracked down on anti-Qing and pro-Ming forces after the assassination attempt, he was still prepared for the worst.
To be on the safe side, Emperor Qianlong still needed to leave someone to protect the Empress.
After Qianlong left, Yunyi finally felt relieved. She was the most important person in this place, and she didn't have to worry about those annoying matters. She just ate and slept, which was great.
Moreover, if Qianlong were to do something else, she wouldn't be there or involved, so the incident of cutting her hair wouldn't have happened.
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