Chapter 14 Incident
Qiandeng's heart suddenly tightened, and he immediately turned around and ran wildly to the back.
She crossed the front and back courtyard walls, stepped onto the veranda, and ran desperately towards the water pavilion where her mother was.
In the darkness, a figure holding a bow and arrow climbed over the rockery next to her and entered the corridor, calling out to her in panic, "County Lady!"
It’s Nanyu.
Qiandeng ignored him and ran upwards.
Cui Fufeng asked Nan Yu, "Weren't you ordered to stay here? Where were you just now?"
Nan Yu raised his hand and pointed at the rockery, his expression a little flustered: "I... I heard some noise over there, so I went to take a look..."
Before he finished speaking, Qiandeng had already rushed up to the high pavilion and looked towards the steps under the eaves. The dagger in his hand fell to the ground, and his legs went weak, and he immediately staggered and pounced.
In the corridor of the small pavilion, Nanny Tian was kneeling on the ground, and the lantern in her hand dimly illuminated the person she was supporting.
My mother was shot in the chest and fell into Nanny Tian's arms, blood gushing from her mouth.
The green dress she chose for her mother looked dark under the light, and the blood stains on it were not particularly glaring.
Qiandeng rushed over, hugged his mother and checked her injuries.
The arrow pierced the mother's chest and injured her lungs, so every time she breathed, a large amount of blood foam came out. After choking and coughing a few times, she became weak and could only hold Qiandeng's hand tightly, and the pain left two blood marks on her wrist.
She spoke with difficulty, the blood in her mouth and her words were as intermittent as her words: "Deng Deng, mother... mother's chest hurts, I can't breathe..."
Qiandeng held her mother's hand tightly, fear and pain made her body tremble uncontrollably.
Cui Fufeng rushed forward and knew the lady's condition was grave. He immediately said, "Hurry up and carry the lady inside and call the doctor!"
A group of people behind her immediately stepped forward, carefully lifted the lady up, and moved her as gently as possible to lie flat on the bed.
Uncle Fu was somewhat knowledgeable in medicine, and he rushed over to check, but the arrow had already hit the lungs. He didn't dare pull it out, so he could only cut off the arrow shaft and barely stop the bleeding.
Qiandeng held her mother's hand and cried.
When she fell into a drowsy sleep, Qian Deng tucked her in with trembling hands, took Uncle Fu outside, and reluctantly asked, "Uncle Fu, how is my mother...?"
Uncle Fu's expression was heavy. "The lungs have been injured. I'm afraid it's hard to say... Fortunately, the arrow didn't hit the heart. If someone with excellent medical skills could remove the arrow and properly stop the bleeding without causing ulceration, perhaps there would be a glimmer of hope..."
Qian Deng stood in the dark corridor, silently clenching his fists. "But now the rebellion is rampant, and we are trapped in the village. Where can we find a skilled doctor?"
Uncle Fu also knew that he couldn't do it with his limited skills, so he raised his sleeves and wiped his tears silently.
The light of lanterns flickered below. The prince had hurried over with his men. Seeing her standing in the breeze under the corridor, grief-stricken and at a loss, he hurriedly asked, "Lingling, how is the lady?"
"My mother has been shot by an arrow. We need to find a doctor right away." Qian Deng said this, and a sharp light flashed through his mind for a moment. He couldn't help but repeat, "Hit by an arrow..."
Cui Fufeng understood what she meant and said, "This high pavilion is surrounded by water on three sides. Nan Yu, who is the most skilled in archery, is guarding the only accessible corridor. In other words, if no one else enters or leaves, the only person who can attack is..."
Everyone's eyes were focused on Nan Yu below the corridor.
Nan Yu had of course heard their words. He gripped the bow and arrow tightly, the dim light illuminating his panicked expression: "It wasn't me, I... How could I possibly have killed the Madam!"
"Then, when my mother was in trouble and we arrived, why didn't you stay on the corridor or go to the high pavilion to check, but ran out from the rockery next to it?" Qiandeng clenched her fists, and the raging rage and panic in her heart made it impossible for her to control herself.
Under the gazes of the crowd, Nan Yu subconsciously stepped back, blurting out in panic, "I... I heard a strange noise on the rockery next to me, so I went to check it out. Nanny Tian and Madam must have heard it too... Nanny Tian, you heard it too, right?"
He turned around and saw Aunt Tian bringing hot water. He immediately grabbed at her as if it were a lifeline and shouted, "Someone is crying on the rockery, saying... saying that their child died tragically, is that right, is that right?"
The basin in Nanny Tian's hand suddenly fell to the ground and her face turned pale.
She glared at Nan Yu fiercely and said in a harsh voice, "Nonsense! Where did the child come from? Where did the woman cry? I was with my wife in the pavilion at the time. I didn't hear anything!"
Hearing her denial, Nan Yu became even more flustered. His hand, which was as steady as a rock when shooting arrows, could hardly hold the bow.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince deduced the whole story and shouted, "Nan Yu! The rebel army is charging in from outside. The situation is so dire that the guards I stationed here have all gone out to fight them off. You stayed here alone to protect the lady, and you actually deserted your post just because you heard crying?"
Qian Deng wiped the tears from her face fiercely. "What's more, I heard the commotion and came all the way down from the pavilion. I saw that the rebel army had been defeated and I didn't meet anyone along the way. In other words, the only people in the pavilion were you, my mother, and Nanny Tian!"
At this time, everyone in the manor had arrived. The other nine husband candidates came over from their respective guard posts. When they learned that Nan Yu had taken advantage of the chaos to kill Lady Qi, they were all shocked.
But the facts are before us. In such a situation, who else could attack the lady except Nan Yu?
Nan Yu had no way to refute it. Seeing the East Palace guards closing in on him with weapons in hand, he suddenly shouted, put an arrow on the string, pointed it at the people approaching him, and shouted frantically, "Don't come over!"
He was an excellent archer, and everyone was afraid of being hurt, so they subconsciously stopped and didn't dare to move forward.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Nan Yu turned around and fled forward in panic.
"These bandits must be apprehended!" the prince said urgently, waving his hand. "We must not let them escape from the village, lest they attract more rebellion!"
During the pursuit, Nanyu ran to the small gate in a panic. Seeing that the pursuers were approaching from behind, he took out the axe distributed to him by the village without thinking and chopped it hard at the new door bolt that had just been replaced.
With a snap, the door latch was split. He was desperate at this moment, and he didn't care about anything else. He kicked the door open with a kick and ran towards the dark path outside.
Cui Fufeng knew that this man had evil intentions. If he escaped, he would definitely attract rebels, and Zhuangzi would then be in great trouble. So he grabbed the horse next to him, jumped on it, and chased after the man.
The prince was filled with anger and panic, and pointed at a few guards, who immediately mounted their horses and followed Cui Fufeng in pursuit in the dark of the night.
Qiandeng hurried to the door, bent down to pick up the door bolt that Nanyu had split, and compared it with the one that was broken before.
Under the firelight, the broken ends, both made by the same hatchet, were slightly rusty, and looked exactly the same.
Back at the Water Pavilion, Qiandeng sat down beside his mother's bedside, who had lost blood and was unconscious, and held her hand tightly.
She pressed her mother's palm against her cheek, making sure that her hand was still warm, that her blood was still flowing in her body, and that her mother's life was not lost, so that she could hold herself together and not fall down.
There was a gentle knock on the door, and the Crown Prince came in to check. Seeing his wife near death, he was filled with sorrow and whispered, "Lingling, please don't be too sad. I heard that your mother's arrow wound is deep, but as long as it can be properly treated, there should be hope."
The anger and grief had gradually subsided. Although Qiandeng's voice was still tense, it had calmed down a lot. "But in this situation... who can help my mother remove the arrow and treat the wound? The rebel army won't retreat, and we can't enter Chang'an. Where can we find a skilled doctor..."
At this point, she seemed to remember something, and after a pause, she suddenly stood up. Without saying anything to the prince, she hurriedly shouted, "Uncle Kang, Uncle Kang!"
There were footsteps outside, and Uncle Kang came trotting in: "County Lady!"
"Doctor Liao, go find Doctor Liao!"
Uncle Kang looked bewildered. He exchanged glances with Uncle Fu, who had just entered, and asked, "Are you referring to the daughter of Doctor Liao, who served in the old prince's army? But... ever since Doctor Liao's death, Aunt Liao has left the manor and gone into seclusion. We don't know where she is!"
"I know the route. My mother's old illness relapsed at the beginning of the year, so I accompanied her there. The place where Doctor Liao lived in seclusion is right there..." When she said this, Qiandeng hesitated for a moment, then realized that she had only walked that route, but she had no idea about the names of the surrounding mountains and roads.
Looking at the dark mountains in the distance, then looking back at his mother lying unconscious on the bed, Qian Deng gritted his teeth, turned around and saluted the Crown Prince, saying, "Your Highness, please lend me one or two guards. I want to take them to find Doctor Liao. Let's set off as soon as possible."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com