Thud!
A sudden and intense gasp echoed through the main hall of the Lotus Pavilion.
Everyone stared in disbelief as the Queen Mother, either being accidentally knocked down or slipping on her own, flipped over. Her magnificent imperial gown fluttered in a graceful arc.
Thud! She fell into the water!
In an instant, the still - alive palace servants and concubines in the hall were thrown into a panic and began to shout.
"Someone! Something terrible has happened! The Queen Mother has fallen into the water!"
"Oh my goodness! The Queen Mother! The Queen Mother has fallen into the water! Save the royal family!"
"Quick! Come and save the Queen Mother! She's fallen into the water!"
The imperial guards who rushed to the shore heard the wind - carried cries, misinterpreting them as "The Queen Mother is dead!"
They were so scared that their legs almost gave way, and they were on the verge of kneeling to plead for mercy.
"Hurry! Hurry! Get on the boats! Prepare the water pumps! Do your utmost to rescue the Queen Mother and Concubine Zhao!"
Otherwise, they would surely be held accountable for this and would face severe punishment!
While everyone was in chaos, Ling Shan in the darkness calmly clapped her hands. A smile curved her lips as she silently approached Yu Shiwei.
The two exchanged a quiet smile and then slowly followed the crowd, looking out at the lake.
With the help of the imperial guards, more than a hundred water pumps sprayed water simultaneously, and the fire was quickly brought under control.
The palace servants who could swim soon rescued the exhausted Queen Mother from the water.
The Lotus Pavilion, which had been brightly lit and full of joy just a moment ago, was now in ruins, pitch - black, looking desolate and broken.
An unexpected and sudden fire cast a shadow over Concubine Shu's birthday celebration.
Especially since the Queen Mother, who had finally been rescued, remained unconscious, and several noble ladies and princesses were seriously injured. One by one, the news of casualties spread.
Concubine Shu, with a black - sooted face and dusty clothes, turned paler and paler.
Such a life - threatening incident on her birthday! If it got out, what would happen to her reputation...
Concubine Shu felt as if her heart was being fried in a pan. She couldn't understand why a day that was supposed to be full of grand celebrations had suddenly turned into this.
If the Queen Mother didn't make it...
Concubine Shu suddenly felt a chill down her back, as if she could see a future of endless darkness.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
In the ruins of the main hall, the Queen Mother was temporarily placed in a relatively clean room. Doctor He Lian, who had been quickly fetched from somewhere, was doing his best to treat her.
Although the palace servants had rescued the Queen Mother quickly, she had been frightened when she fell into the water. Not being able to swim, she had accidentally swallowed several mouthfuls of water in her panic.
It took Doctor He Lian a great deal of effort to finally force the lake water out of the Queen Mother's stomach.
A series of "earth - shattering" coughs made everyone in the room breathe a sigh of relief.
Concubine Shu, overjoyed, rushed to the couch and knelt down. Her sincere words were moving.
"Your Majesty, you've finally woken up. I'm so guilty for failing to protect you. Fortunately, the heavens have blessed you. Your Majesty is truly blessed. Even if I were to die now, I would have no regrets."
The Queen Mother's face was pale, and her voice was hoarse and rough.
"Good child, you've done your best. This... this has nothing to do with you. It's... cough, cough, someone trying to harm me!"
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the room seemed to be struck by lightning and stood there motionless.
What did the Queen Mother mean?
Could it be that the Queen Mother's fall into the water was not an accident?
Furthermore, was this unexpected fire also deliberately set by someone?
Who on earth was it?
How dare they have such a rebellious thought? Aren't they afraid of being executed and having their families exterminated?
[Tsk, these stupid imperial guards can't even convey a message correctly? That old hag is clearly full of energy. How could she be dead?]
Ling Shan twitched her eyelids.
"Who dares to harm the Queen Mother?!"
A cold and deep voice sounded. Everyone in the room immediately knelt down to pay their respects.
As Jun Wuyuan stepped in, his eyes instinctively scanned Ling Shan. Then he walked straight to the couch.
Concubine Shu's eyes were red. She couldn't help but look up at Jun Wuyuan, but the next moment, the cold and indifferent look in his eyes scared away the little thought that had just emerged. She carefully stepped aside.
"How is the Queen Mother's health?"
Doctor He Lian knelt on the ground and replied, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother's health is not in serious danger. She has just been overly frightened, and evil qi has entered her body. Her internal organs are weak. She needs to rest carefully. I'll prescribe a few herbal medicines. As long as she takes them on time and pays attention to rest, she'll be fine."
Jun Wuyuan said, "Go and decoct the medicine. Use the best medicinal materials. Make sure to expel the evil qi from the Queen Mother's body."
[It's really a pity. My Shan Shan is still too kind. If it were me, I would have let that old hag drink a few more mouthfuls of lake water.]
Ling Shan: "..." Sorry.
The Queen Mother: "..."
"The Emperor is so kind. Cough, cough..."
The Queen Mother did her best to ignore Jun Wuyuan's words, which didn't sound like good wishes, and didn't think that this ungrateful emperor would take out any good medicinal materials from his private treasury.
"Your Majesty, tonight's fire was not an accidental natural disaster. Even my fall into the water..."
The Queen Mother was too weak. Before she could finish her sentence, she coughed violently.
Finally, she took the warm water that Concubine Shu had thoughtfully poured and drank it. After recovering from the heart - wrenching cough, her face showed an unusual blush as she continued.
"I remember very clearly that someone kicked me hard from behind. Tonight's incident is definitely not an accident..."
There was a glint in the Queen Mother's turbid eyes. She quietly glanced at the cold - faced Jun Wuyuan and then at Ling Shan, who was not in a very sorry state.
"The Emperor must not be lenient. If tonight's incident gets out, where will the prestige of our Great Yan Kingdom be? The culprit has evil intentions. They failed to burn the concubines and noble ladies to death with a fire, and then went so crazy as to murder the Queen Mother of the country. The Emperor must find out the real culprit..."
[Humph! Speaking of having evil intentions and being crazy, no one in this world can compare to you, that old hag and that old bald donkey. You really have the nerve...]
Ling Shan: "..."
A thorough investigation?
That would be perfect!
Did the Queen Mother think that she was innocent just because she had watched coldly and let things take their course tonight, failing to harm the person she wanted to harm but almost losing her own life?
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Just rest and recuperate. I will naturally conduct a thorough investigation into tonight's incident and will never let go of anyone with malicious intentions!"
Someone in the crowd quietly shrank back, hiding in the corner "where no one could see".
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I know my own body. Cough, cough..."
The Queen Mother's eyes darkened. Her hoarse voice carried a hint of meaning: "Just before I fell into the water, I seemed to see the real culprit. The color of the skirt was a crimson one embroidered with gold patterns..."