Chapter 107: Selflessly Protecting Each Other
The carriage jolted wildly across the uneven snow-covered ground, like a small boat in a storm, threatening to capsize at any moment. Inside, Su Wanrou clung tightly to the window frame and the edge of the seat, her body swaying back and forth by the immense inertia. Each violent impact felt as if her internal organs had shifted, her stomach churning violently.
"Madam! Hold on tight!" Qingdai, her face deathly pale, ignored the pain she herself was also feeling from the impact and desperately used her body to shield Su Wanrou, trying to lessen the impact for her. Wang Mama, meanwhile, huddled in a corner, her face ashen, only able to chant Buddhist prayers incessantly.
"My child...my child..." Su Wanrou was filled with unprecedented fear. She clutched her lower abdomen tightly, waves of intense nausea and dizziness washing over her. She could feel the fragility of life, not only her own, but also the tiny life just beginning to sprout within her. Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, coiled around her heart.
Outside the window, the scenery rushed past, blurring into a patchwork of white and withered brown. The thunderous clatter of hooves mingled with the groans of the overburdened wooden axles. The carriage was being dragged by the frenzied beasts toward a more treacherous, secluded forest!
With a sharp crack, the carriage tilted violently to one side, as if one of the wheels had struck a rock hidden under the snow, nearly causing it to overturn. Su Wanrou cried out in alarm, thrown against the carriage wall, her forehead slamming heavily against the wooden plank. A sharp pain shot through her, and her vision blurred.
"Madam!" Qingdai screamed and rushed over.
At this critical moment, an even more rapid and powerful clatter of hooves approached from afar, like a barrage of war drums, shattering the atmosphere of despair. The hooves were astonishingly fast, carrying an unstoppable, resolute force that seemed to tear through the air!
"Wanrou—!"
A roar pierced through the wooden planks of the carriage and the howling wind, reaching Su Wanrou's ears clearly. The sound was filled with boundless panic, rage, and a madness that seemed capable of burning everything to ashes!
It's the return from the banquet! It's my husband!
Su Wanrou abruptly raised her head, ignoring the pain in her forehead, and struggled to look out the carriage window. She saw a figure in black riding at an incredible speed, chasing after her from the side and behind! Gu Yangui was practically lying on his horse, his gaze fixed on the galloping carriage. His cold, handsome face was expressionless, only displaying an almost frozen killing intent and a heart-wrenching fear that shattered Su Wanrou's heart.
He saw her! Through the swaying car window, their eyes briefly met amidst the violent jolting. Su Wanrou saw the sudden surge of crimson in his eyes, a look that suggested he was on the verge of losing control.
"Husband! Be careful!" she shouted with all her might, but her voice was torn apart by the jolts and the wind.
Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Yangui suddenly stood up from his horse the instant the two horses were almost side by side. With a powerful push of his feet, he charged towards the frantically galloping carriage like a hawk soaring through the sky!
"Your Highness!" The guards chasing behind cried out in unison upon witnessing this extremely dangerous scene! It was far too perilous! A single misstep could result in being run over by the wheels of a horse or kicked by a runaway horse, leading to either death or serious injury!
But Gu Yangui couldn't care about anything else anymore. In his world, there was only that carriage that could fall apart at any moment, and his wife and children, whom he cherished as his life, inside the carriage.
"Bang!"
His body landed heavily on the carriage shaft with a dull thud. The powerful impact made him stagger, but with astonishing strength and willpower, he managed to grab the edge of the shaft with one hand and steady himself. His other hand, swift as lightning, shot out and precisely seized the horse's reins!
"Hah—!" The startled horse felt the immense force from the reins and became even more agitated, rearing up and trying to throw off the audacious person on its back.
The carriage tilted even more sharply due to the sudden change in direction, and the wheels drew breathtaking arcs on the snow.
"Husband!" Su Wanrou saw Gu Yangui's swaying figure on the carriage shaft through the carriage window, her heart jumped into her throat, and tears blurred her vision.
Gu Yangui gritted his teeth, his arm muscles bulging, and the veins on the back of his hands standing out. He knew that forcibly stopping the car was almost impossible and could even lead to a fatal accident. He had to control the direction!
Using his body weight and all his strength, he gripped the reins tightly on one side, trying to force the frightened horse to change direction and avoid a steep slope not far ahead!
The frightened horse neighed and struggled, its hooves kicking up a cloud of snow. Under Gu Yangui's forceful control, the carriage traced a huge arc, barely scraping the edge of the slope before being swept into a relatively flat but sparsely wooded area.
However, the crisis was far from over. Although the trees in the woods were not dense, the carriage was traveling too fast and could collide at any moment!
"Hold on tight!" Gu Yangui turned around and shouted hoarsely into the carriage, his voice distorted from the extreme force.
Before he could finish speaking, the carriage jolted violently, as if it had hit an obstacle. Gu Yangui felt a tremendous force coming from beneath his feet, and the carriage shaft snapped! He was thrown into the air, but even in that final moment, he used his last bit of strength to yank the reins tightly!
"Boom!"
Having lost some traction and balance, the carriage, after rushing forward for a distance, finally had one wheel stuck in a tree stump. The entire carriage overturned violently and slid a short distance on the snow before coming to a stop, wobbling precariously. The runaway horse that caused the accident, finally exhausted, came to a stop, panting heavily.
The world seemed to stand still at that moment.
The moment the carriage overturned, Su Wanrou felt dizzy and the huge impact caused her to lose consciousness completely.
...
She didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps just a moment, or perhaps an entire century. Amidst the biting cold and excruciating pain that felt like her body was falling apart, Su Wanrou struggled to wake up.
Everything was dark. The carriage had overturned, with the windows facing upwards, letting in only a limited amount of light. She found herself tightly protected beneath Qingdai and Granny Wang, both unconscious. As for herself, apart from the sharp pain in her forehead and the aches and pains throughout her body, her lower abdomen... didn't seem to have the sharp, dragging pain she had expected?
"Madam...Madam, you're awake?" Qingdai slowly woke up, her voice weak.
"Granny? Qingdai?" Su Wanrou's voice was hoarse.
"This old servant...this old servant is alright..." Granny Wang groaned and moved slightly.
Confirming they were all alive, Su Wanrou felt a slight sense of relief, but then, immense fear gripped her again—Yan Gui! Where was her husband?! He had just been thrown out!
"Husband! Return from the banquet!" She struggled desperately, trying to climb out of the overturned carriage.
Just then, the carriage door was forcefully pried open from the outside! Blinding sunlight streamed in, and a figure staggered to the doorway. Backlit, the face was obscured, but Su Wanrou recognized the silhouette at a glance.
"Wanrou!" Gu Yangui's voice was hoarse and almost broken, filled with unspeakable panic. He practically crawled in, and pulled Su Wanrou out from under Qingdai and Granny Wang, holding her tightly, so tightly in his arms, as if he wanted to knead her into his own bones.
Su Wanrou immediately hugged him back, feeling his rapid heartbeat and uncontrollable trembling. Only then did she see his appearance clearly—his hair ornament was nowhere to be seen, his dark hair was disheveled, his face and hands were scratched in many places by tree branches, and blood seeped out. His dark clothes were torn to shreds and covered with mud and snow water, making him look utterly wretched. Especially his left arm, which hung at an unnatural angle, was clearly dislocated.
"Husband! Your hand!" Su Wanrou cried out in an instant, her heart aching.
"I'm fine! How are you? Are you hurt? The baby..." Gu Yangui completely disregarded his own safety, anxiously checking on Su Wanrou. When he saw the glaring bruise and bloodstains on her forehead, his eyes instantly turned terrifying, radiating a chilling killing intent. But more than anything, he felt lingering fear, a tremendous fear that almost devoured him.
"I'm fine... my stomach... doesn't seem to hurt..." Su Wanrou quickly grabbed his hand and comforted him repeatedly, even though she herself was still shaken.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yangui seemed to have all his strength drained away. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, his tall frame still trembling slightly. Heaven knows the torment he endured when he saw the carriage rushing down the slope, when he leaped from the horse's back, when he was thrown off and watched helplessly as the carriage overturned. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if he had arrived a moment later, if he hadn't been able to control the direction, if…
"It's alright...it's alright..." Su Wanrou calmed down instead, gently patting his back, comforting this upright man like she was comforting a frightened child. "I knew you would come to save me when you came."
At this moment, a large number of guards finally arrived. Seeing the mess in front of them and the Duke and his wife embracing tightly, they all breathed a sigh of relief, but no one dared to go forward and disturb them.
Gu Yangui took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions. He carefully picked up Su Wanrou and coldly ordered the arriving guard captain, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority and a trace of lingering violence: "Clean up the scene, rescue Qingdai and the old woman safely, and send them back to Tingxue Pavilion immediately. Summon the imperial physician! Also, thoroughly investigate that horse and the coachman! What happened today could not possibly be an accident!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" the guard captain replied sternly.
Gu Yangui said no more, carrying Su Wanrou, and walked step by step toward the spare carriage parked not far away. His left arm hung limply at his side, but his right arm holding her was as steady as a rock.
Su Wanrou nestled in his arms, feeling the firm heartbeat against his chest. The fear of surviving the ordeal gradually gave way to a profound sense of security. Sunlight filtered through the sparse branches, casting interplay of light and shadow on his sharply defined profile. She knew that no matter what storms lay ahead, as long as this man was by her side, she would have nothing to fear.
They risked their lives to protect each other, bound together in life and death. This unexpected incident, though perilous, brought their hearts closer than ever before.
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