The sky was getting brighter. Eunuch Cao looked up at the sky, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. It's time for the court session!"
The emperor nodded and snorted at Concubine Shu. "As one of my concubines, you don't know how to behave properly. Don't teach the children bad things!" The emperor had witnessed all the interactions between Concubine Shu and Cheng Hao with his own eyes, so he was naturally extremely annoyed.
Concubine Shu had no choice but to grit her teeth and lower her head. "Your servant knows her mistake!"
The emperor snorted again. "From today on, you'll be demoted to a noble lady!"
Concubine Shu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. She quickly knelt down to express her gratitude and watched the emperor leave.
Noble Consort Rong sighed as she looked at the distraught Noble Lady Shu. "The imperial guards are here to rescue people. It's not convenient for the ladies in the harem to stay any longer. All of you, leave!"
"Yes!"
Supported by Chun Juan, Noble Lady Shu was about to turn around and go back when she heard a long string of shouts in the distance. "We've found her! We've found her!"
Noble Lady Shu turned around upon hearing this and rushed towards Bi Xin Lake at full speed. Cheng Hao limped after her in a hurry.
Everyone from Yaoguang Pavilion also quickly followed.
By the deep - water area on the opposite side of Bi Xin Lake, an imperial guard was struggling to hold up a thin, motionless figure. Several other imperial guards quickly swam over to help rescue the person.
When Noble Lady Shu saw that the person fished out of the water was Wei Dongling, she immediately covered her face and burst into tears. All the servants from Yaoguang Pavilion also silently shed tears.
After such a long time, it seemed that the Fifth Princess was in great danger!
When Wei Dongling was carried to the shore, she was unconscious and her body was ice - cold. Noble Lady Shu quickly stepped forward to feel her pulse and cried out in panic. "She's still breathing! Hurry and call the imperial physician!"
Chun Juan hurriedly took the order and left.
Noble Lady Shu turned Wei Dongling over to squeeze the water out of her chest. When she saw the terrifyingly swollen wound on her back, her heart ached.
Everyone rushed to carry Wei Dongling back.
When the empress dowager heard about this, she rushed over in a hurry. Seeing her unconscious grandson lying in the bed, she shed tears of heartache.
After the emperor finished the court session, he also rushed over in a hurry.
Wei Dongling had a continuous high fever and didn't wake up for two days.
In a half - dream and half - awake state, she seemed to see Qi Jinxuan's smiling face under the Chinese trumpet creeper tree that year.
That charming smile when she looked back in the bright spring breeze had captivated everyone.
Under the tree, Qi Jinxuan pointed at another cluster of flowers for her to look at. Wei Dongling lightly jumped back and forth on the vines and picked up a handful of Chinese trumpet creepers to exchange for her smile.
"Dongling, shall we be good sisters for a lifetime?" The sun was shining brightly, and there was a dazzling light in Qi Jinxuan's eyes.
Wei Dongling didn't answer. She just stood there silently, smiling. She thought time would prove everything.
Unexpectedly, in a moment, Qi Jinxuan's beautiful face gradually darkened. The look in her eyes was full of vigilance and hostility. She glared at Wei Dongling angrily and shouted, "From today on, our friendship is over!" Saying that, she angrily threw the gold hairpin on the ground with a clang.
Wei Dongling was flustered and quickly bent down to pick it up, but Qi Jinxuan's embroidered shoe stepped on the hairpin. She was so strong that Wei Dongling couldn't pull it out.
"Wei Dongling, I hate you!" The undisguised disgust in Qi Jinxuan's eyes made Wei Dongling feel cold.
Where was the young lady Qi who had always followed her around back then?
How had they gradually reached this point and could never go back?
I don't know how much time had passed when a voice sounded. "Dongling, wake up!"
Who was calling her?
Wei Dongling was in great pain all over her body. She wanted to get up and answer, but her body just wouldn't listen. Her fingertips twitched slightly.
Then, she felt herself being gently picked up. The person who picked her up carefully avoided the wound on her back and fed her water with a small spoon, one spoonful at a time.
Wei Dongling instinctively opened her mouth and swallowed with difficulty. A strong, bitter taste filled her mouth and went down her throat, making her frown in pain.
Who the hell was feeding her the medicine? It was even more bitter than the medicine boiled by Nurse Ruan!
Wei Dongling resisted and pushed the medicine out with her tongue. She refused to drink any more. The person holding her coaxed softly, "Be good, Dongling. We can only get better after drinking the medicine."
Wei Dongling nestled in the person's neck and pouted aggrievedly. She refused to open her mouth again.
The person had no choice but to stuff a gold ingot into her palm and said with a soft smile, "Drink it up, and this gold will be yours!"
Wei Dongling trembled as she felt the gold ingot again and again before she was willing to obediently open her mouth to drink the medicine.
At night, Wei Dongling slept groggily. The wound on her back was painful, itchy, and numb. She wanted to turn over to change her position, but even a slight movement would cause sharp pain in the wound.
The person beside her quickly turned over and hugged her. He asked softly, "Does the wound hurt?"
Wei Dongling's nose twitched. She let out a wronged grunt, and two lines of clear tears slid down from the corners of her eyes. When she woke up again, feeling his body temperature and the familiar smell on him made her feel very at ease.
The next moment, Yu Zixi carefully picked her up and pressed her against his body. He gently felt around the area near the wound on her back with both hands and gently stroked the bandaged area. He said heart - brokenly, "You've always had these injuries, big and small. I shouldn't have let you enter the palace in the first place!"
Wei Dongling buried her head in his neck and took in his pleasant smell. Her voice was hoarse as she said slowly, "Sooner or later, I had to come here to wait and see the villains get their just deserts. Husband, I miss you so much! I thought I'd never see you again... Wuwuwu..."
Yu Zixi's eyes were red. He kissed Wei Dongling's long, black, silky hair, and his heart was filled with sorrow.
If he had been whole - heartedly pursuing the throne, his woman might not have had to suffer so much.
But if he killed her biological father with his own hands, he was afraid she would blame him and never forgive him in this lifetime!
Wasn't he also in a dilemma?
The two hugged each other and cried in the brocade quilt, whispering their innermost feelings to each other. Only then did Wei Dongling learn that it was Cheng Hao who had risked his life, pestering the emperor and then the empress dowager, that they finally agreed to let Nurse Ruan come to accompany the Fifth Princess for a few days. When Yu Zixi heard that Wei Dongling was in danger, he disguised himself and insisted on coming. He had guarded Wei Dongling for three days before she finally woke up.
Wei Dongling had a persistent high fever, and the knife wound on her back was so deep that the bone was visible. The imperial physicians in the imperial medical bureau kept shaking their heads and sighing, unanimously believing that her chance of survival was extremely slim. It was only after Nurse Ruan entered the palace that she used many precious medicinal materials and spent a great deal of effort to save her.
Cheng Hao had dragged his seriously injured body to plead for her, and Concubine Shu had even been demoted because of her. Wei Dongling's heart ached when she heard this.
When Wei Dongling learned that the Tenth Prince, Murong Yunqian, had flatly denied the assassination and found reasons and excuses to retreat, she gritted her teeth in anger.