It was only when the black bear finally fell motionless that Mu Houchu, who had been staunchly on his feet, could no longer stand and collapsed onto Xin He.
"Mu Houchu!" In a moment of panic, Xin He didn’t know what to do. She propped herself up, cradling him and urgently calling out, "Quickly, get the Imperial Physician! Quickly!"
She didn’t dare to touch his back, as she knew it was likely a gory mess. Her dress had already been stained red with his blood, and it wasn’t that she was afraid of confronting such grotesque wounds. No, it was the sight of him bearing such awful injuries that she feared.
Only now did the palace maids and eunuchs recover from their shock, hastily cleaning up the aftermath and calling for the Imperial Physician.
The Emperor sternly commanded, "All of you useless fools, get the Imperial Physician for Minister Mu at once! Drag this bear out for me, and never again allow such a thing into the Palace!"
"Yes." The response of all present quivered in fear.
Most in the palace at this time were children of nobility and prestigious families, so how many had ever witnessed such gory scenes? Now, most of them were too scared to move, each being supported by their respective servants as they left.
Princess Chaoyang too was frightened, her face pale and her body uncontrollably shaking. She had purposely stood far away to avoid becoming collateral damage but she hadn’t expected the bear to be so ferocious. Unable to be killed, it only seemed to become stronger with each injury. A feeling of terror spread throughout her heart.
"Your Highness, it’s okay now," a Little Palace Maid hurriedly comforted her.
Chaoyang turned to look at Mu Houchu lying in a pool of blood, and felt a pain in her heart. Who would have thought? Her scheme had failed to harm Ji Xinhe, and instead Mu Houchu was severely injured. Looking at Ji Xinhe, who now held Mu Houchu in her arms, Chaoyang trembled in anger. How could it be that this woman could get Mu Houchu to risk his life for her? And how could she so easily get close to a man who usually kept his distance from women?
Xin He, on the other hand, had absolutely no time to consider the emotions of others. Neither Chaoyang’s vindictive gaze nor the surprising looks from the bystanders could reach her. All she saw and heard was the man lying in her arms, his body soaked in blood, his face deathly pale. Her heart seemed to ache, and her eyes welled up. At this moment, she felt that she didn’t want to bother about anything else, she just wanted him to be well; to live a good life.
Ling Feng had already driven the horse carriage into Jinghe Palace. Jumping off the carriage, he said, "Let me take the Prime Minister back to the Prime Minister’s Mansion. The Imperial Physician is already waiting in the carriage."
Xin He repeatedly nodded, helped him up, and let Ling Feng carry him onto the carriage. Without a second thought, she quickly followed into the carriage.
With a crack of the whip by Ling Feng, the horse carriage disappeared into the distance amidst a cloud of dust.
Duan Lan stood still, watching as the carriage slowly disappeared. She felt an emptiness in her heart, and a bitter smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She had said that she was once in love with Mu Houchu, but was it really just a thing of the past?
Qingyun caught up with her, exclaiming anxiously, "Young Master, what happened to your hand?"
Duan Lan looked down to see her right hand hanging by her side was bleeding, with blood slowly dripping onto the ground. Her eyes dimmed and her face turned even more melancholic. She could only see his injury, not sparing a glance for anyone else, not even him.
Even if he got injured, what does it matter? In Mu Houchu’s eyes, what did she even mean to him?
Duan Lan pulled at her lips, mumbling, "You said you won’t fulfill our marriage contract, because you hate being constrained the most. Was that said to deceive me or yourself?"
"Young Master? Young Master? Let’s dress your wound first, you’ve lost a lot of blood," Qingyun said in a panic.
Duan Lan’s face turned cold, she turned around and left, "It’s okay."
───
The Prime Minister’s Mansion.
Even though the sky had gradually darkened, the entire mansion was still brightly lit. Maids and servants were bustling around, carrying basins filled with bloody water in and out. A group of doctors stood by the door, discussing the severity of the injury, while some young servants in charge of boiling medicine hurriedly brought the newly prepared concoction.
Xin He sat by the bed, looking at the man who lay there, as pale as snow. Her mind raced as she anxiously asked the Imperial Physician examining the wound, "How severe is the injury? Is there any way to treat him?"
The Imperial Physician hesitated, "The bear’s claws have inflicted serious wounds. If it were not for Minister Mu’s robust health, I fear that any other person would...."
...not have survived.
Xin He felt her heart clench, "What should we do then?"
"At the moment, I have managed to stop the bleeding with some medicinal herbs. However, it is necessary to remove the rotting flesh from his body. If we don’t, an infection could set in, which would cause severe consequences. However, to remove the rotting flesh, we need to use anesthesia," said the physician.
"There’s no need for anesthesia," interjected Mu Houchu, who had regained consciousness at some point. Despite his pale face, his eyes were still sharp.
Xin He immediately grabbed his hand, "How can you not use anesthesia?"
It was equivalent to cutting flesh!
Mu Houchu managed a feeble smile, "I’m not afraid of the pain."
He knew that while the anesthesia could ease the pain, it could potentially leave side effects on his body like sluggish movements or slower reactions. While that might not matter much to an average person, it was not okay for him.
If he wasn’t strong, how would he protect her?
Today’s event was proof of the danger she was in. Such incidents were likely to occur again, and if he slipped up, he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to protect her.
The Imperial Physician sighed, "I see Minister Mu also understands the potential downsides of anesthesia, including slower reactions and clumsy movements."
Xin He bit her lip, "But...."
"As long as you’re here, I won’t feel any pain." Mu Houchu’s lips curled up slightly. Though his face was pale, his whole being no longer exuded an air of menace. Instead, he warmed up her heart as if it were bathed in a spring breeze.
Even the Imperial Physician was shocked, wondering if his old age was causing his eyes to play tricks on him.
Only then did Xin He stop talking. She knew he was determined.
Mu Houchu spoke to the Imperial Physician, "You can start now."
"Yes."
The doctor brought a candlestick over, heating the blade until it glowed red. With a steady hand, he started to cut away at the rotting flesh on Mu Houchu’s back. The once strong back was now a ghastly field of bloody flesh, and one could even glimpse the bone beneath.
Xin He turned her head away, not daring to watch. Each cut of the knife felt as if it was landing on her own body, causing immense pain.
"Hiss."
The red-hot blade came down, swiftly removing a chunk of rotting flesh. Beads of sweat rolled down Mu Houchu’s tense forehead, and his grip on Xin He’s hand tightened a little more.
Tears welled up in Xin He’s eyes, her heart burning with discomfort. She knew how much pain he was in, opting to hold it in and not make a noise because he didn’t want her to worry. However, this only made her feel even worse.
She had never thought that this man, who was always overbearing and aloof, could have such a distressed and vulnerable side, and all of that was because of her.
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