Chapter 108 Protecting Her
Meng Yutong paused for a moment, then let him lead her across the bonfire burning at the door, symbolizing a prosperous and thriving married life; she then stepped over the saddle, symbolizing peace and good fortune.
A red carpet was laid all the way to the wedding hall.
Inside the hall, red candles burned brightly, and the hall was filled with guests, all of whom were prominent officials and dignitaries from Lin'an City.
Seated on a specially designed rosewood armchair inlaid with mother-of-pearl at the head of the table was the current emperor. Although he was dressed in ordinary clothes, his majestic bearing and imposing presence emanated from him.
Princess Jingfu and Princess Jin'an sat on either side of each other, slightly below. Qingshu stood quietly behind Jin'an with her head bowed, like a silent shadow.
The newlyweds entered the hall and first went before the Emperor, where they kowtowed according to etiquette. The Emperor smiled gently and offered a slight gesture of support: "Today is Huaizhi's joyous day, so these formalities are unnecessary. I am very pleased that you have been able to establish yourself and start a family."
He turned his gaze to Li Wan, whose eyes were slightly red, and said in a gentler tone, "Wanmei, Huaizhi has finally settled down. You and Hongye can rest assured now."
Li Wan quickly curtsied and returned the greeting: "I am grateful for Your Majesty's concern."
Seeing this, the master of ceremonies promptly announced in a loud voice:
The two turned around and solemnly kowtowed towards the outside.
Ji Yun's parents sat upright above, their faces filled with relief and excitement. They bowed deeply in reverence.
The two stood face to face and bowed deeply. In that instant of bending over, through the hazy veil, Meng Yutong seemed to feel Ji Yun's focused and profound gaze.
Cheers, laughter, and blessings surged forth like a tide. Ji Yun held Meng Yutong's hand tightly, about to leave the wedding hall.
At that moment, a riot broke out at the banquet.
Suddenly, three or four people stood up, moving so fast that no one could react. They held short knives and rushed straight at the emperor at the head of the table.
"Assassins! Protect the Emperor!" The head of the Imperial Guards roared, and chaos erupted in the hall, with screams and the sound of shattering dishes filling the air.
Ji Yun reacted extremely quickly, sensing something was wrong almost the instant the assassin made his move.
He pushed Meng Yutong towards the cloud boat, speaking very quickly: "Protect the young mistress!"
Without hesitation, he turned around and faced the vicious assassins, standing in front of the emperor.
Upon receiving the order, Yunzhou, along with Baizhi and Granny Gui, immediately escorted Meng Yutong to a corner behind a pillar in the hall.
Meng Yutong's heart pounded like a drum. Her gaze swept quickly across the chaotic scene. When she caught sight of Princess Jin'an, who, though also looking alarmed, showed no sign of panic in her eyes, her heart sank.
Could it be that Jin'an is trying to use the same old tricks again, attempting to win back the emperor's favor under the guise of "saving the emperor"?
As Meng Yutong looked at Jin'an, Jin'an also happened to raise her eyes and look at her from afar.
Those eyes, which usually feigned gentleness, now churned with undisguised ruthlessness, even carrying a hint of provocative, eerie smile.
Meng Yutong felt an even greater chill in her heart. She said urgently to Yunzhou, "Go and help Ji Yun. I'm fine here."
Yunzhou hesitated for a moment, then, seeing that the guards had begun to pour in, he pushed Meng Yutong and the others behind a thick curtain against the wall, which was more secluded, before turning to Ji Yun's side.
Ji Yun was dealing with two assassins. He was very skilled, but he was clearly unable to use one hand effectively. The assassins' moves were all deadly, and he was inevitably restrained because he had to protect the emperor behind him.
Upon seeing Yunzhou approach, he immediately shouted, "Go back and protect the young mistress!"
Just then, Meng Yutong suddenly felt a sharp gust of wind coming from her right rear. She subconsciously turned her head and saw that Qing Shu had appeared in front of her at some point, raising a dagger and stabbing at her.
In that instant, extreme horror spread, and his limbs and bones felt ice-cold.
Time seemed to stretch out, and she could clearly see the gleam of the dagger's tip.
Fragments of painful memories flashed through my mind of my past life, when I was poisoned and died vomiting blood... Could it be that I am reborn only to die at Qing Shu's hands again...?
She instinctively closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the excruciating pain of the sharp blade piercing her flesh.
The expected pain did not come. She fell into a warm embrace filled with the refreshing scent of medicine.
His embrace was firm and reliable, protecting her completely and shielding her from all danger and chaos outside. She could even feel the strong heartbeat from his chest, and... a suppressed, muffled groan of pain.
Meng Yutong suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze meeting Ji Yun's deep eyes, which were inches away from hers. Reflected in them was her still-shaken face and the dark look of suppressed pain.
"Young Master!" Yunzhou cried out in disbelief.
It turned out that at the critical moment, Ji Yun disregarded his own safety and rushed over to shield her from the knife with his back.
By this time, the guards outside had completely taken control of the situation. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the few remaining assassins who were putting up a last stand bit their poison sacs and died instantly.
Only the man whose jawbone had been shattered by Ji Yun remained alive, held down firmly by the guards. Qing Shu was also quickly subdued and taken away.
The emperor's face turned ashen, and he was furious: "Investigate thoroughly! Don't let a single one of them escape!"
He looked at Ji Yun, who had stood in front of him and was injured while saving his wife, his eyes filled with worry and admiration. "Huaizhi, your injuries..."
Ji Yun was pale, but he still steadied himself and stood in front of Meng Yutong, saying to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I am fine. Today, it was my residence that failed to take adequate care of Your Majesty, disturbing Your Majesty's presence. I deserve to die! Please return to the palace immediately to ensure your safety."
The bright red wedding dress on his shoulders grew increasingly dark and was soaked.
Meng Yutong's gaze was fixed on the wound below his right shoulder blade, where the bloodstains around the dagger that was stuck there were faintly black.
Her heart trembled violently, and she exclaimed, "Ji Yun, the knife is poisoned!"
Before she could finish speaking, Ji Yun swayed, could no longer support himself, and fell straight backward.
"Huai Zhi!"
"Young Master!"
Meng Yutong rushed forward and, together with Yunzhou, supported his limp body. Chaos erupted once more. Ji Yun was carefully lifted by the crowd and taken to a side room. Old Master Ji hurried over and personally treated his grandson's wounds.
Under the eaves outside the new house, Meng Yutong, Ji Hongye, and Li Wan waited anxiously.
Li Wan held Meng Yutong's cold hand tightly. Although she was also extremely worried, she still tried to remain calm and comforted her, "Good child, don't be afraid, don't worry. His grandfather is a doctor with superb skills, he will definitely be able to save Huaizhi. Huaizhi... he is very lucky, he will definitely be alright."
Meng Yutong grasped Li Wan's trembling hand, her gaze fixed on the closed door, a chilling melancholy settling in her heart. This meticulously planned assassination, this poisoned dagger… Jin'an, have you truly gone mad?
Meng Yutong felt a heavy weight in her heart.
Ji Yun took this knife for her today, and if anything were to happen to him, she would find it hard to feel at ease.
Li Wan noticed her self-blame and asked Bai Zhi and Granny Gui to take her downstairs to wash up: "There's no use with so many of us guarding here. Go and rest and change your clothes."
Meng Yutong shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the closed door.
Li Wan sighed softly and said gently, "We're getting old and can't stay up all night. After his wound is treated, we'll need you to take good care of him for the rest of the night. You should go and rest for a while now so you can get some rest."
Hearing her say that, Meng Yutong finally agreed. She quickly washed up, changed into some comfortable clothes, and soon returned to stand guard outside the room.
Not long after Meng Yutong returned, the door creaked open, and Old Master Ji came out with a solemn expression.
"The dagger was poisoned." His voice was low. "I have removed all the poisoned flesh to stop the spread of the toxin. But a small amount of poison has still seeped into the blood vessels... I don't know when he will wake up. I can only wait and see."
He paused, then looked at Yunzhou, who stood with his hands at his sides. "What happened to that old wound on his forearm? It's very deep, almost to the bone. I'm afraid he won't be able to use that hand much in the future."
Yunzhou was taken aback, then lowered his head and remained silent.
Meng Yutong's heart tightened. The injury on her hand?
Was it left over from the last time he gathered herbs? But he casually said it was nothing... Could it be that he's been hiding it from her all along?
“Grandfather,” she stepped forward, “I will take care of things from here. You all go and rest.”
Grandpa Ji looked at her and nodded, saying, "Very well, you are knowledgeable in medicine, so it is most appropriate for you to take care of me."
His tone softened, carrying a rare sense of relief, "Don't worry too much or blame yourself. Nobody wanted this to happen."
This was the first time the usually dignified and serious old man had spoken so softly and gently to comfort someone. Li Wan and Ji Hongye exchanged a glance, and then the group left.
After they left, Meng Yutong gently pushed open the door.
Ji Yun was still unconscious. Due to excessive blood loss, his face was as pale as paper, and his long eyebrows were tightly furrowed, indicating that he was extremely uneasy.
His shoulder wound had been carefully bandaged, but a noticeable bulge was still visible under the white bandage, indicating how deep the wound was.
She walked to the bedside and carefully took his left hand, the hand he had injured while gathering herbs on Phoenix Mountain. Gently rolling up his sleeve, a hideous scar came into view, winding along his strong forearm; it must have been so deep that the bone was visible.
Her fingertips carefully avoided the wound, examining the underlying tendons and bones. The hand was severely injured, with damaged meridians, and it would likely never fully recover.
Meng Yutong felt a mix of emotions.
She tucked him in, then got up and went to the window to get some fresh air.
She pushed open the window, and a cool night breeze brushed against her face. The pale moonlight spilled across the courtyard, intertwining with the red silk that had not yet been removed from the eaves, adding a touch of familiar yet strange tranquility to the small courtyard.
Just as she was about to close the window, her gaze inadvertently swept over the empty space beside the window, and she paused involuntarily.
The red candles inside the new room were still burning, and the furnishings were simple yet festive. Apart from the large canopy bed, a screen with flowers and birds, and a desk and bookshelf, there were no other superfluous items.
The area by the window was empty; there was nothing there.
Strange. She clearly remembered that in her previous life, there had always been a low couch by the window in this room. Ji Yun was a person with a very strong sense of order and did not like to change the furnishings of the room casually. That couch had never been moved in the three years she remembered.
Where has that couch gone now?
If there is only one bed in this room, it will be too inconvenient for her and Ji Yun to live here together in the future.
She walked back to the bedside and saw several brand-new brocade quilts folded inside the bed, which reassured her somewhat. Fortunately, there were plenty of bedding; if all else failed, she could make do with sleeping on the floor. She planned to stay at the Ji residence for the first month or two of her marriage, and then use the excuse of Zhaoyutang's busy affairs to move back to the clinic.
Thinking this, she grabbed two blankets, laid them out on the floor next to the bed, and lay down fully clothed.
Having experienced such a harrowing day, she was indeed exhausted. But as soon as she closed her eyes, the gleaming dagger and Ji Yun's resolute gaze as he lunged at her remained vivid in her mind.
It was clearly just a marriage of convenience, a transaction. Why would he risk his life to save her?
She turned to her side, gazing at Ji Yun's sleeping profile on the bed. Why was he so different from before in this life? He shouldn't have risked his life for her, given how dangerous things had just happened.
And then there's Qing Shu. Qing Shu was clearly acting on Jin An's orders to take her life amidst the chaos.
Even though Qing Shu is now by Jin An's side, he was once a member of the Ji family. If the matter were to be investigated, it would be difficult to implicate Jin An.
Jin'an has always been like this: seemingly gentle and harmless, but in reality, she is scheming step by step. Every time she commits evil, she can always plan the situation flawlessly and absolve herself of all responsibility.
Even if she could command Qing Shu, where could she find so many skilled assassins?
I'm afraid the Empress Dowager is also implicated in today's events.
Ji Yun was still unconscious. Her mind raced, and she decided to send someone to deliver a message to Jing Fu to remind her of this matter.
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