Chapter 786 Concern Leads to Confusion, Enough
In his blood-red eyes, everything around him became chaotic. Whether it was the raging fire, the billowing black smoke, or the terrified faces and busy figures around him, Yuwen Ye could hardly see anything. At this moment, only one place was clear: the lecture hall outside the courtyard, which was still more than ten feet away from them.
At that moment, the previously closed building door was pushed open from the inside, and a familiar figure was standing in the doorway, those familiar, clear eyes now red, staring at him.
That is...
"like--"
A few words were squeezed out of his dry throat, but the next moment, all his words were swept away by a sudden gust of wind. Yuwen Ye rushed to the front of the lecture hall and stood in front of Shang Ruyi before anyone could react. He reached out to grab her, but stopped just before he touched her.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
He spoke, his voice low and trembling with a suppressed intensity, as he asked hoarsely, "Are you injured?"
Standing before him was Shang Ruyi!
Compared to Yuwen Ye, whose clothes were charred in many places and whose face was covered with coal dust and abrasions, she was much cleaner and calmer despite being in danger. Only some dust of unknown origin on her body made her look more real.
But even if it's real, it still feels fake.
She should have been trapped in the fire, or at least rescued in a sorry state. How could she have miraculously appeared here?
Everyone was filled with the same doubts. Even Master Xinzheng, who already knew the answer, couldn't help but show a surprised expression. Everyone followed Yuwen Ye and surrounded the lecture hall, but no one dared to cough or breathe. Yuwen Ye didn't ask her how she escaped, nor did he ask her why she was there. He only asked that question, which was so soft it couldn't be more subtle.
But each word seemed to weigh a ton.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi, who had already experienced the intense heat of the flames in that sea of fire, felt a burning sensation once again, but it surged up from her heart. She stared blankly at Yuwen Ye, and after several attempts to suppress it, she finally swallowed the almost uncontrollable surge in her chest, and then shook her head.
"I didn't..."
The next moment, she was grabbed by Yuwen Ye.
Perhaps out of concern for her pregnancy, or worry about any undiscovered injuries on her body, or perhaps fearing that any rough handling might cause her discomfort, Yuwen Ye dared not touch her again. He simply stared at her with wide, red eyes, as if afraid that this "miracle" was nothing but a figment of his imagination, or even wishful thinking. Fortunately, the small hand held tightly in his palm, though excessively cold, with icy fingertips and covered in dust, was still soft and real. Even when he gripped it tightly, almost breaking her bones, she struggled and grabbed him back.
Only then did Yuwen Ye finally feel relieved.
His voice was even more hoarse than before, yet tinged with a strange moisture: "It's alright, that's good..."
Just as he said those words, he looked up and saw a familiar figure standing behind Shang Ruyi, inside the half-open lecture hall. The figure was also disheveled and relieved after escaping death, but when he saw him, a gentle smile still appeared on his much older face.
It was Empress Dowager Jiang.
Yuwen Ye immediately said, "Too..."
Before he could finish speaking, Empress Dowager Jiang gently shook her head at him.
She was supposed to avoid people when she met Shang Ruyi in the Sutra Repository, but she never expected that such a thing would happen. Not only were almost all the monks from Dayan Temple here, but Mu Xian's subordinates were also rushing over. She was unwilling to show herself easily, and she didn't want to cause a bigger commotion, so she stood in the Sutra Repository from beginning to end.
Yuwen Ye composed himself and immediately said, "Summon the Grand Tutor—quickly fetch a doctor!"
"yes!"
Soon, his men found several doctors from a nearby clinic. When these doctors, carrying their medicine kits and looking terrified, arrived at the lecture hall, the fire at the scripture repository had already been extinguished. The monks of Dayan Temple poured water on the still-smoking beams and pillars, while simultaneously dousing themselves, enduring the scorching heat to rush inside and carry out the scriptures that hadn't yet turned to ashes. They were covered in soot and utterly dejected.
Meanwhile, at the lecture hall, Mu Xian had people surround the area to verify the identities of the doctors and their belongings before letting them in.
Shang Ruyi sat on a makeshift couch that had been moved into the lecture hall. Yuwen Ye stood to the side, his face ashen as he watched them take turns coming forward to take Shang Ruyi's pulse.
After the examination, everyone looked at each other, seemingly afraid to speak. At this moment, Yuwen Ye, with a cold face, said in a hoarse voice that seemed to carry the sharpness of a sword, "How is the Princess's health? Speak!"
One of the oldest and most senior doctors, whose beard was already white, boldly said, "Your Highness, we have diagnosed that the Princess Consort was somewhat frightened, but it did not affect the pregnancy. Fortunately, there were no external injuries, but she inhaled some thick smoke. We are afraid that she will need some lung-nourishing herbal medicine to regulate her condition."
Yuwen Ye asked, "Really, there's no impact?"
The old doctor stood before Yuwen Ye with trepidation and utmost respect, bowing his head and saying, "Your Highness, my medical skills are inadequate, and I dare not speak presumptuously. But even if I were the most audacious person in the world, I would never dare to conceal the princess's condition."
The other doctors also chimed in, "This humble subject would never dare to conceal the princess's condition!"
"Your Highness, please investigate this matter thoroughly!"
Everyone had said this, but Yuwen Ye remained silent, his face growing increasingly grim. Coming from a military background, he naturally possessed an imposing aura, his cold gaze capable of intimidating many enemies on the battlefield. Now, it was like a heavy, oppressive cloud hanging over everyone, instilling fear and making them afraid to even breathe.
Upon seeing this, Master Xinzheng, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward and said softly, "How about you all examine the Princess again?"
Everyone watched Yuwen Ye cautiously.
He said coldly, "A second consultation!"
At the King of Qin's command, the doctors dared not say a word and could only come forward to take the King's wife's pulse again.
Shang Ruyi wanted to say something, but looking up at Yuwen Ye's ashen face, she didn't dare to speak. In fact, pulse diagnosis is that simple. If one person makes a wrong diagnosis, it's understandable, but if so many people come to the same conclusion, there really is no other possibility. Besides, Shang Ruyi herself felt that there was nothing wrong with her stomach, and she didn't have any burns on her body. She was just startled when the flames rushed into the library and then inhaled a few mouthfuls of thick smoke.
Such a shock, if it were in the past, or if it happened to an ordinary pregnant woman, would probably be a big deal, and might even lead to premature birth.
But she had experienced being trapped in enemy territory during the Battle of Xingluocang, the perilous situation at Jiangdu Palace, the Battle of Liaoyuan in Fufeng, and the near-death experience at the Turkic camp. Her resilience and endurance were beyond the reach of ordinary people. Apart from being startled when she saw Empress Dowager Jiang almost engulfed by flames, she was otherwise unusually calm.
It was this composure that allowed her to escape.
In fact, Yuwen Ye himself should have known this.
Just as Mu Xian sent people to find these doctors, she had already told him that when the fire had just started and she and Empress Dowager Jiang found that the doors and windows were engulfed in flames and there was no way to get out, they immediately found a way out.
The path was right under the carpet beneath that low table.
Upon entering the library and seeing the carpet on the floor, she noticed that the floor there was higher than the rest of the room. However, because she was meeting with Empress Dowager Jiang, she couldn't possibly pay attention to what was underneath the carpet, so she didn't inquire further. But when flames engulfed the library, in that life-or-death crisis, she knew she couldn't run upstairs; the higher up the fire started, the less escape she could make, and going down—
Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration and thought of something. She overturned the low table and kicked away the blanket. Sure enough, she saw a wooden board with a handle on the floor. The board was very new and almost unworn. It must have been hidden under a bookshelf that had never been moved and was rarely known to anyone.
So, when she was already dizzy from the smoke and too heavy-bellied to exert herself, she asked Empress Dowager Jiang to open the wooden board.
When people are in dire straits, they often unleash some amazing abilities.
Perhaps, it's more authentic to let go of all distractions.
For example, when she was in danger, she was calmer and more composed than when she was usually impulsive. Even the usually gentle and kind Empress Dowager Jiang showed the steadfastness and composure that Emperor Wen and Empress Du valued in such a desperate situation. She tore off a piece of her clothes, moistened it with tea from the teapot, and used it to cover Shang Ruyi's mouth and nose. Then she picked up the candlestick and forcefully smashed the lock on the wrench, opening the wooden board.
Below that is a tunnel.
The two quickly crawled down, and to prevent flames and thick smoke from entering the tunnel, she put the wooden planks back in place. The two walked underground in the dark for a long time—though it was actually not long, since from the surface it was only a few dozen steps between the lecture hall and the scripture pavilion. The darkness slowed their pace, and it took some time to open the exit on the lecture hall side.
This is how she escaped.
Compared to Yuwen Ye, who bravely rushed into the fire, she was not harmed or frightened.
Now that the doctor has said so, and I've been talking to him for half a day, taking his pulse, and waiting, apart from a hoarse voice, I don't have any major symptoms, so there shouldn't be any problem. But Yuwen Ye still insists on having these people diagnose her again. It's just that concern makes her confused, that's all.
After all, they had all been—
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