Chapter 53
Princess He Rui, who had been knocked down by the climber, was escorted back to her tent by layers of palace maids and eunuchs. A eunuch with some martial arts skills dragged the imperial physician into the tent. If anything happened to Princess He Rui, they would all be buried with her.
Upon hearing that He Rui and He Ya had encountered assassins and been wounded, the Emperor, in the midst of his exhilaration, immediately reined in his horse and galloped towards the outer perimeter of the hunting grounds. Haricha Gai and E Yue followed behind, their horses carrying the Eleventh and Twelfth Princes. The other guards immediately cordoned off the hunting grounds, and the military officers and ministers began searching for the assassins. The other princes who had accompanied him discreetly turned back, each fearing for their lives.
Inside the tent, the imperial physicians were busy writing prescriptions for the two princesses. Upon seeing the emperor enter, they immediately curtsied.
"How are the two princesses?" Qianlong asked worriedly.
"Your Majesty, Princess Heya was merely frightened and is otherwise unharmed. However, Princess Herui..."
"How is He Rui?" the Empress, sitting next to He Rui, immediately asked.
"Princess He Rui was weak and had not yet discovered she was pregnant. Now, after such a severe impact, I fear the little one inside her may not be able to withstand this ordeal. We have already prescribed a remedy, but we cannot guarantee that it will save the little one."
Heya fainted again after hearing the imperial physician's words. Her sister had tried to save her; if she hadn't been protecting her, this wouldn't have happened.
"Use all the best medicinal herbs. If you still can't save it, you will all come to me with your heads." Qianlong was furious. "Yongzhang, who is in charge of this hunting ground? I want his head."
"Your Majesty, the hunting grounds are currently being managed by Fu Erkang, the son of Grand Secretary Fu Lun," Yongzhang replied respectfully, his hands clasped at his sides.
Fu Erkang, a mere bondservant, how could he possibly manage the hunting grounds? When Consort Ling pleaded for him, he was merely given the title of hunting ground guard. "What's going on? Who entrusted my hunting grounds to a bondservant?"
...Yongzhang remained silent. Was he suggesting that the officials were making unfounded guesses about the Emperor's intentions, or that the Emperor himself had handled the entire matter?
Harichagai's eyes had been red from the start. When he heard the princess was injured, he wished he could fly over. And when the imperial physician said the child was in danger, he almost rushed out to kill the assassin and the negligent hunting ground manager. E'yue felt very sorry for Harichagai, but now was not the time to say anything.
"Your Majesty, I beg Your Majesty to allow me to capture the assassin myself." Haricha knelt down, setting aside the head of the hunting grounds, as he intended to tear the assassin to pieces.
Emperor Qianlong stared at Harichagai with a grim face. At this moment, Qianlong's mind was not simply focused on the assassination attempt, but rather on conspiracy theories. Moreover, he was connecting the overly intimate relationship between Fu'erkang and the Fifth Prince with the possibility that the assassination attempt was aimed at him. "Harichagai, I order you to capture that assassin. I want to see him alive or dead."
"Yes, sir!" Haricha Gai received the order and rushed out.
"Your Majesty, this servant is willing to help Harichagai capture the assassin!" E Yue then volunteered, and Qianlong waved his hand to indicate that he could go along.
Inside the tent, Emperor Qianlong paced back and forth, while the Empress and Consort Yu meticulously cared for the two princesses. The imperial physician, sweating profusely, pondered how to save the babies in the princesses' wombs. Outside the tent, Harichagai and Eyue, leading their men, relentlessly cracked their whips, speeding through the woods of the hunting grounds.
Meanwhile, still immersed in the excitement of the hunt, the Fifth Prince and the Fu brothers occasionally fired arrows at the animals in the enclosure. At this moment, the Fifth Prince spotted a deer, immediately nocked an arrow, drew it fully, and the arrow flew. The deer seemed to sense the danger and darted to the other side, dodging the arrow. However, someone else was not spared. A scream immediately attracted the attention of Haricha and Eyue, who exchanged glances and rode towards the source of the sound. Their guards, sensing the danger, immediately ran in that direction. A group of people surrounded the person who clearly did not belong to the palace and, without a word, carried them away.
The Fifth Prince and the Fu brothers were displeased. Wasn't this stealing credit? They immediately went up to demand the person. Haricha Gai didn't give Fu Erkang a friendly look, while E Yue didn't like the Fifth Prince. "We are here by order of the Emperor to capture the assassin. If the Fifth Prince has any complaints, please ask the Emperor for clarification." After saying that, the two rode away.
The Fifth Prince glared fiercely at the two men.
"Fifth Prince, are you just going to let them go like that?" Fu Erkang prompted at the opportune moment.
"Come, follow me to see Father Emperor." The Fifth Prince, his face grim, spurred his horse forward, following the two imperial consorts. As they walked towards the tent, the Fifth Prince realized something was amiss. He saw no hunters along the way, only heavily guarded soldiers. Had something happened?
Fu Erkang, however, didn't care at all. He was in charge of managing the hunting grounds, and with such tight security, how could anything happen? Fu Ertai, on the other hand, felt something was wrong, but seeing his brother's perfectly fine expression, he suppressed his unease.
Qianlong stared at the woman lying on the ground. Was this the assassin? The assassin who had wounded his two beloved princesses? His hunting grounds were indeed "heavily guarded," yet a woman had managed to leap off a cliff. Qianlong coldly looked at Fulun, who was kneeling on the ground, bloodstains already appearing on his head. Fulun trembled with fear, ignoring his dizziness, and continued to kowtow to the Emperor. "Guards, open the bundle on that woman's body. I want to see what kind of horrific accusation is inside."
A guard immediately grabbed the package, and inside fell a scroll and a fan. The woman lying on the ground, somehow awakened, and gasped for breath, "Your Majesty, do you still remember Xia Yuhe by Daming Lake?"
If Xia Yuhe hadn't been in the inner room, Qianlong might have been momentarily stunned. But Xia Yuhe was there, and her two daughters were still unconscious. Qianlong's face darkened. "Imperial physician, bring this woman back to life for me."
"Father, the conditions here are limited, we should return to the palace immediately!" The Fifth Prince, who had entered at some unknown time, bowed to the Emperor and made the suggestion.
Qianlong gave Yongqi a cold look. The slow-witted Yongqi didn't notice the sinister look in his beloved father's eyes, and was still smug about his suggestion. He was certain that this woman would become his ally.
"Since Yongqi is so concerned, I order you to escort this person back to the capital. I want her alive so I can uncover the conspiracy."
Separated only by a curtain, how could the inner chamber not hear what was happening outside? The current Consort Yu was startled; she had almost forgotten she was Xia Yuhe. Now, being brought up again, she felt a moment of disorientation. The Empress also frowned. Didn't the Emperor say that the matter from back then was handled perfectly cleanly? How could such a thing have happened now? The Empress didn't doubt that Consort Yu was an imposter; she knew the Imperial Security Bureau well. What was going on now?
Emperor Qianlong entered the inner chamber, his face grim. Neither the Empress nor Consort Yu dared to speak. Consort Yu trembled slightly, terrified; she had never seen the Emperor like this. Qianlong's expression changed as he looked at Consort Yu's cautious demeanor. His beloved consort lived deep within the palace, cut off from the outside world; it couldn't be Consort Yu. The Empress knew of this, but given her high regard for the two princesses, she wouldn't reveal it. "Li Yu, go and fetch me the calligraphy, painting, and fan."
Li Yu quickly returned with the package and carefully opened the calligraphy and painting with another eunuch, fearing that the calligraphy and painting might be poisoned.
Emperor Qianlong stared at the calligraphy and painting, then at the signature. His face darkened further; the calligraphy, painting, and fan had clearly originated from the palace. "Empress, whose calligraphy and paintings have I ever bestowed upon?"
"Your Majesty has bestowed upon me calligraphy and paintings, which I have carefully stored in my long robe." Consort Yu was startled by Qianlong's expression and immediately answered reflexively upon hearing the Emperor's question.
"Are the servants under your command clean?" The Empress felt this was a serious matter and hurriedly asked Consort Yu.
"The calligraphy and paintings were all kept by the servants, who even checked them before leaving."
Emperor Qianlong nodded. Now, everyone in the Chang'an Palace had passed through the Sticky Rod Office. If it weren't for Consort Yu… Qianlong then looked at the Empress.
The Empress has many paintings and calligraphy works, but they are all displayed openly. "His Majesty has never bestowed a fan upon me. Your Majesty, are these fans and paintings famous?"
Emperor Qianlong looked at the calligraphy and painting, which read, "Pure lotus, the sentiment of Haoshan."
"If I remember correctly, these two paintings and calligraphies originated from Yanxi Palace."
"Is there any evidence?" Seeing the Empress's assertive statement, Qianlong couldn't help but suspect that she might be trying to use this opportunity to get rid of Consort Ling.
"I remember some of the calligraphy and paintings that His Majesty sent out, and there are also records in the Imperial Household Department. If His Majesty does not believe me, he can ask the Imperial Household Department to bring those records." No wonder Consort Ling was so generous; it turns out she was selling the Emperor's calligraphy and paintings.
Emperor Qianlong was unaware of the Empress's thoughts. His mind automatically conjured up the following scenario: Consort Ling was colluding with someone outside the palace who knew Xia Yuhe but was unaware that she had already entered the palace. Consort Ling was close to the Fu family; Fu Lun's wife frequently visited the palace. Fu Ertai was someone Consort Ling had pushed onto Yongqi, and now Fu Erkang's relationship with Yongqi appeared very close. What was their purpose in colluding with this outsider? Did they intend to use this person to eliminate him, install the Fifth Prince on the throne, and allow her to become Empress Dowager? Qianlong was startled by his own conspiratorial speculation. After this thought, Qianlong became uneasy. "Imperial Physician, when will the two princesses wake up? Can they return to the capital today?"
"Your Majesty, Princess Heya is unwell, and Princess Herui cannot endure the jolting of the carriage."
"Harichagai, you stay here with your men to guard He Rui. All the imperial physicians, stay here and watch over her carefully. If anything goes wrong, you'll all lose your heads." Qianlong looked at the imperial physicians. "Return to your official residence." Qianlong was in a hurry to return; he feared someone might do something while he was away from the capital. The Emperor truly valued Princess He Rui, leaving her with several elite officers from the Imperial Guard and giving Harichagai an imperial token that allowed him to command the local troops. Of course, the Emperor had another reason for doing this.
After the Emperor returned to the capital with his entourage, Harichagai finally inquired of the imperial physicians, "How is the princess's health?"
The imperial physicians exchanged glances. "The princess is already weak, and after such a fall, the baby is unlikely to survive. We have already given her the medicine; we are just waiting for her to wake up."
"What if we only save the princess?" Children can be born again, but if something happens to the princess, Harichagai can't imagine it.
"My lord, the princess is not in any danger."
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