57 rescued
He wants her dead!
At this moment, troops from another direction arrived in front of Shen Wei.
Shen Wei couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Damn it, when will this ever end? How many people have come looking for this village princess?"
"This humble servant, Shen Wei, greets Lord Sima." Shen Wei cursed inwardly, but his outward demeanor was impeccable, and he spoke respectfully.
Sima Hong glanced at Shen Wei and asked the same question as Fu Lian, "So it's Deputy Guard Shen. Did you see anyone suspicious passing by?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, there is no one suspicious," Shen Wei replied, bowing his head and clasping his hands.
Sima Hong's gaze casually swept over the people behind Shen Wei. He sat on his horse, looking down at Shen Wei. He neither believed nor disbelieved Shen Wei's answer; he simply stared at him.
Shen Wei felt as if a sharp sword was hanging over his head. Sima Hong was indeed as strange as the rumors said. Although he was just a civil official, his eyes were sharper than those of generals who had been on the battlefield, making people feel uneasy and numb.
"Is Master Sima looking for someone? If there is anyone I can do to help, please let me know." Shen Wei was advancing as if he had not retreated. He guessed that Sima Hong, like Fu Lian, would not ask him to help find someone.
Unexpectedly, Sima Hong said cryptically, "Well, as the city guard, Deputy Guard Shen must be very familiar with the city's structure."
Shen Wei's face stiffened, unsure of Sima Hong's intentions. "Of course, may I ask who Lord Sima is looking for?"
“Deputy Guard Shen should know this.”
Sima Hong spoke calmly and unhurriedly, as if he were talking about something trivial, but it set off alarm bells in Shen Wei's mind. "My lord is joking. How would I know?"
"Oh, really? You don't know? Then what is that shadow behind you?"
For a moment, Shen Wei thought he had been exposed and hurriedly turned around in alarm, only to find that there was nothing behind him except a few of his subordinates!
Oh no, Sima Hong was bluffing him, he'd been tricked!
He already had something to hide, and his voice became somewhat weak, "Why is Lord Sima like this? Even if I am just a lowly city garrison commander, I am still a person of the imperial court..."
Sima Hong ignored his excuses and ordered, "Take him down!"
The men behind them surrounded Shen Wei and his companions. Shen Wei became anxious and said, "What do you mean by this, Lord Sima? I am the garrison commander. We are both officials in the same court. Why are you arresting me!"
Sima Hong ignored him, and simply ordered his men to tie up the men and shut their noisy mouths. "I will tell you the reason, of course. Now, please join me, Deputy Guard Shen, in watching a good show."
At this moment, Ah Xiang, who had been standing on the rooftop at some unknown time, had already slipped into the rooftop of the alley behind Shen Wei.
Seeing this sudden change, Qi Gu's eyes lit up with hope again. From her perspective, she could clearly see Sima Hong tying up Shen Wei. "Waaaaah!" I'm here! Qi Gu seized the opportunity to start struggling, trying to tell Sima Hong that she was here.
But the person behind her had been watching her closely, and now that they had grasped this lifeline, how could they possibly let her go? They held on even tighter.
The timid soldier was now terrified. "Deputy Guard Shen has been captured. We can't escape. That's Sima Hong. Let's surrender."
The soldier holding Qi Gu hostage brushed aside the soldier trying to persuade him, saying, "Idiot, going out now will only lead to your death."
The soldier looked at Qi Gu in front of him and said, "Your Highness, it seems you are destined to be my talisman tonight."
"Don't move! Let us go! Otherwise I'll kill him right now!" The soldier grabbed him and ignored the several soldiers behind him as they walked out of the alley and stood opposite Sima Hong.
After more than ten hours, Sima Hong finally found Qi Gu. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then he saw that Qi Gu's hair was disheveled, her eyes were filled with fear, and a black cloth was stuffed in her mouth. Her face, which was usually expressionless, was now terrifyingly gloomy.
He said he wanted to make it up to Aunt Qi in this lifetime, but if anything happened to her, he would never be able to make it up to her.
Sima Hong's eyes were gloomy, but in the darkness, neither Qi Gu nor the soldiers behind him noticed.
The soldier was still negotiating with Sima Hong, "Lord Sima, my demands are not high. Let me go, and I will hand the princess over to you, how about it?"
"How dare you compare your life to that of a princess?" Sima Hong lowered his head. If Atai were here, he would know that his master was extremely angry.
Qi Gu saw Sima Hong raise one hand in mid-air—the same gesture he made in her past life when he ordered the arrows to be fired! Could it be that he…?
Qi Gu shook her head desperately, "Waaah, waaah!" No, no!! The scene was exactly the same as in her previous life. Qi Gu was terrified, even more so than when she was captured by Song Shi or Shen Wei.
She seemed unable to distinguish whether this moment was from her past life or this one. All she saw in Sima Hong's eyes was his dark gaze, devoid of any emotion or hesitation. He wanted her dead, he wanted to end this palace coup quickly, and he was willing to kill his wife and the princess!
The Sima Hong before her eyes gradually merged with the Sima Hong of her previous life who stood before thousands of troops and sacrificed her without hesitation!
No, they were originally one person, and that person is Sima Hong from the previous life. He has returned, and he wants her life!
Qi Gu shook her head desperately and struggled, and the soldier behind her almost failed to catch her. The soldier slashed Qi Gu's neck hard with his knife!
Qi Gu felt no pain at all. She was in a state of utter despair, unable to do anything or change anything, and could only watch helplessly as the arrow shot towards her.
Sima Hong noticed Qi Gu's unusual behavior, and Xu Jin behind him also realized that something was wrong with the princess. Having studied medicine, he noticed that the princess was too panicked, as if she had seen the person or thing she feared most deep in her heart.
Qi Gu's tears streamed down her face. The moment of death itself is not painful; what is most terrifying is the process of waiting for death, watching helplessly as death unfolds, which is the most agonizing.
"Something's wrong with the princess," Xu Jin whispered to Sima Hong.
At the critical moment, Sima Hong seemed to realize something. Could it be because... he instantly withdrew his hand.
On the rooftop, Ah Xiang was puzzled. Did his master mean for him to shoot or not?
Ah Xiang's martial arts skills are not as good as Ah Feng's, and his tact is not as good as Ah Tai's, but his superb archery skills led him to be chosen as Sima Hong's bodyguard. Over the years, he has never made a mistake.
Therefore, after only a second of hesitation, A Xiang decided to shoot the arrow. He was confident that he could kill the soldier before he noticed him!
Whoosh! The arrow pierced the night sky, passed by the ear, and stabbed into the man's neck.
Qi Gu hated herself for being so sensitive to the sound of arrows flying through the air. The moment she heard the sound, she didn't know how to breathe. It was as if she had fallen into a river and her mouth and nose were blocked by the water rushing in from all around, and she couldn't get any air.
As the soldiers behind her fell, Qi Gu, struggling to breathe and turning purple, collapsed to the ground along with them!
"Qi Gu!" Sima Hong stepped forward and caught Qi Gu, preventing her from falling to the ground.
He quickly removed the gag from her mouth, but Qi Gu seemed to have suddenly fallen ill. Her whole body convulsed, and she gasped for breath without inhaling, just like a patient suffering from asthma.
"Qi Gu, what's wrong?" Sima Hong picked up Qi Gu and instructed his subordinates, "Hurry to the manor, and have the physicians ready."
The subordinate dared not delay, mounted his horse, and galloped away.
Xu Jin frowned as he looked at Qi Gu's symptoms. If this continued, the princess's life might be in danger.
He hesitated. He had read about these symptoms in medical books, but he had already abandoned medicine for martial arts. Besides, could he really save people with his naturally unlucky constitution?
As Sima Hong lifted Qi Gu up in his arms, she began to pant heavily, making "ho, ho, ho" sounds.
Xu Xing saw that the princess's face had turned from purplish to pale; there was no time to lose!
"Lord Sima, there's no time. Quickly put the princess down."
Sima Hong looked at Xu Jin and asked, "What's wrong with Aunt Qi?"
"This is due to breathing difficulties caused by immense fear. If it is not addressed in time, it could very well lead to death!"
Sima Hong didn't stop moving. He got into the carriage that his subordinates had prepared and turned to Xu Jin behind him, saying, "Come up and treat Qi Gu!"
Sima Hong carried Qi Gu into the carriage, and Xu Jin followed behind and climbed into the carriage as well. The carriage was spacious and very comfortable. Sima Hong put Qi Gu down and let her lean against him, holding Qi Gu's hand.
Her hands were ice-cold, her head was covered in cold sweat, and she was still having trouble breathing. But such heavy breathing was taking up too much of her strength, and she looked like she was on the verge of death.
"Xu Jin, quick, see what's wrong with Aunt Qi?"
Xu Jin stepped forward, pried open Qi Gu's eyelids, and then held her chin to open her mouth. He turned his head and said, "Please lay the princess flat."
Sima Hong did as he was told. Xu Jin glanced at him, indicating that he needed to go to Qi Gu's side, and Sima Hong made way for him.
Xu Jin stepped forward and slightly raised Qi Gu's head, saying, "Princess, if you can hear me, follow my rhythm, huff~ huff~ puff~"
In her confusion, Qi Gu heard a man's voice. She knew she was attached to appearances, but her mind was clear while her body wouldn't obey her commands.
Hearing the man's voice, she knew he was trying to save her, and she tried her best to follow his instructions.
But with little effect, Xu Jin was sweating profusely. The princess was already exhausted. He said to Sima Hong, "Lord Sima, I need a large, airtight water bag! Quickly!"
Sima Hong opened the window and instructed his subordinates to go. Soon, the subordinates brought the water bag, and Xu Jin added, "Cut off the narrow opening at the front of the water bag!"
Sima Hong took the water bag, drew his sword, and slashed open the narrow opening of the water bag with one stroke.
Xu Jin took the water bag and quickly covered Qi Gu's mouth and nose with the cut opening in the water bag, then squeezed the inflatable part of the water bag to deflate it.
Qi Gu's chest, which had been heaving due to difficulty breathing, indeed became more stable with Xu Jin's movements. This was repeated dozens of times until Qi Gu finally stopped making those terrifying "hoarse" panting sounds.
Xu Jin wiped the sweat from his brow. "That's good. The princess's breathing has stabilized, so she'll be alright now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Jin was shoved aside by Sima Hong. Sima Hong sat down in front of Qi Gu and gently stroked his forehead. The movement was so gentle that it startled the person beside him who was fast asleep with his eyes closed.
Xu Jin didn't care. He just looked at Sima Hong. Everyone said that Sima Hong was like the moon in the sky, aloof and detached from the world. He had the qualifications to be superior and lonely. If people looked at Sima Hong by the princess's bed at this moment, they would probably find it hard to believe that Sima Hong was all alone under the bright moon.
The carriage headed towards Sima's villa. Xu Jin was "invited" off the carriage early, and Sima Hong carried Qi Gu off the carriage. Fu Lian arrived with her entourage at that moment.
Upon seeing the princess, Fulian and Hongyan both breathed a sigh of relief. However, seeing the princess's sorrowful neck, disheveled hair, and dirty clothes, they couldn't help but worry.
Fu Lian cupped her hands in thanks. "Lord Sima, we are so grateful to you for saving our princess today. Please entrust the princess to me. I will report to Her Majesty the Empress about Lord Sima saving the princess when we return to the palace."
As she spoke, Fu Lian was about to take Qi Gu from Sima Hong's hands when Sima Hong's eyes sharpened. "The princess has suddenly fallen ill and should not be moved. She should rest at my residence. Go back and tell Her Majesty the Empress. I believe Her Majesty will also prioritize the princess's health."
Hongyan tugged at Fulian's hand. Fulian didn't understand, but she still took a step back and saw the tall and slender Lord Sima holding their princess tightly as they walked into the Sima Mansion's villa.
A hint of doubt flashed in Hongyan's eyes, but she quickly seemed to understand something. She followed Sima Hong into the Sima residence without hesitation. This was the second time the princess had stayed at the Sima residence, so she figured it wouldn't be inconvenient for her.
Fu Lian was puzzled: "Wouldn't it be better for the princess to receive better care if she returned to the palace? Besides, there is the Empress in the palace, which is better than outside the palace."
Hongyan shook her head and sighed, "Fulian, you're so foolish."
Fu Lian: ? ? ? She followed Hongyan into the other courtyard.
[Author's Note]
I've finished writing the final draft! Procrastination is a no-no!!!
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