For some reason, she was feeling extremely panicked right now. Snatching the riding crop from the instructor's hand, before the two of them could even react in shock, Mei Qingxue had already mounted the horse and galloped out of the tent.
As she rushed towards where Du Guqing was, a shout of "Catch the assassin!" made her heart skip a beat. She could see nothing but the bright yellow figure in the middle and a man brandishing a gleaming sword emerging from underground.
How could she be so stupid? She hadn't even thought to check if there were any underground tunnels. That man must have been hiding beneath the ground.
Mei Qingxue didn't know why she could see so clearly. The man was covered in dust. His gleaming sword was pointed straight at Du Guqing's chest. Without a moment to think, and knowing no martial arts at all, she whipped the mare hard on the rump.
"Charge forward!"
You have to be brave! He can't die. If he does, how can she go on living alone?
The leader of the Dragon Gang saw Du Guqing enter his attack range.
He sprang up with his sword, but never expected a woman adorned with pearls and jewels to ride right in front of him. Without any fancy moves, his hand couldn't stop in time, and the sword pierced into the woman's body.
Du Guqing was stunned. He never thought that Mei Qingxue would have rushed over when they first spotted the assassin. So... so her premonition had been so accurate.
"Capture him and tear him to pieces!" Du Guqing's eyes were filled with rage. Mei Haoxuan charged forward with red - rimmed eyes. His sister, the thing she had been worried about all this time, had actually come true. If he had known, he should have followed the Mei family earlier.
It was too late to regret now. His sister's body slumped limply into Du Guqing's arms, with a sword in her chest.
"Xue'er, Xue'er!"
"Protect the Emperor!"
"Protect His Majesty..."
"Call the imperial physician!" The ministers were in a complete mess. Only Mei Zhenguo didn't know what had happened. The lieutenant general didn't tell him either. He just heard the commotion.
Mei Zhenguo saw the woman in Du Guqing's arms. His eyes welled up with tears. That woman was clearly his beloved daughter, Mei Qingxue.
"Call the imperial physician!"
Du Guqing roared with red eyes. The assassin had escaped, and the one who had been stabbed was the queen. What was the use of just protecting the emperor?
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician is here," Xuan Yue knew she couldn't panic. The empress had previously told her how to handle emergencies. Although she was trembling and her voice was quavering, she had still managed to call the imperial physician as quickly as possible.
"Quickly examine the queen!" Du Guqing was in a complete state of turmoil. If he had only listened to Xue'er earlier, she wouldn't have to suffer like this. But why hadn't he believed her?
"Your Majesty, the empress has been stabbed in a vital area. I dare not operate," the sword was positioned so that if it had deviated half an inch, she would have died on the spot.
"As long as you do your best to treat her, I won't blame you." This was all his fault, not anyone else's. If he had listened to Xue'er, the assassin wouldn't have had the chance to strike.
Whom could he blame? Only himself. His heart felt as if it was being stabbed by a knife. Looking at the unconscious woman on the bed and the sword in her chest, Du Guqing gritted his teeth, grabbed the hilt of the sword, and yanked it out hard. A spurt of blood splashed out, covering his face and body. The blood was like burning flames, searing his heart and his eyes.
"Stanching medicine," Du Guqing reached out his hand to the imperial physician. The imperial physician was so frightened that his hands and feet were shaking. He still tremblingly took out the stanching medicine and handed it over.
Du Guqing personally applied the stanching medicine to her wound and bandaged it up. Looking at her lifeless face, which was like a rag doll's, Du Guqing almost shed tears.
"Go and decoct the medicine. I don't need you here." He wanted to be with his Xue'er. "Yes, Your Majesty. We'll wait outside."
"Get out!" Du Guqing growled from his throat.
He could no longer hold back his anger.
"Xue'er, it's all my fault!" If he had only listened to you, this would never have happened. Xue'er, if you're gone, what should I do? Du Guqing's eyes were red.
"Your Majesty, may I come in?" It was Mei Zhenguo's voice from outside. Du Guqing wouldn't get angry with his father - in - law. "Come in, Lord Prime Minister." Mei Haoxuan was following behind Mei Zhenguo. Seeing the unconscious woman on the bed, Mei Zhenguo burst into tears.
"Don't worry, Lord Prime Minister. Xue'er will be fine." Du Guqing tried his best to calm his emotions. Although he was extremely sad, he spoke to his father - in - law as gently as possible.
"Why did Xue'er go there?" Mei Haoxuan wasn't as polite as Mei Zhenguo. With a look of anger on his face, Du Guqing suddenly felt guilty.
"About a month or two ago, Xue'er found out about the hunting event and had been feeling uneasy ever since. She asked me to cancel it, but I didn't listen. Today, she said she came here to learn how to ride a horse." Du Guqing didn't dare to look into Mei Haoxuan's eyes as he told him about Xue'er's previous concerns.
"Xue'er also told me before to pay attention to your safety and be careful of assassins." Mei Haoxuan's face was still gloomy. How could he tell his mother about his sister's current state?
"I thought Xue'er was just being too nervous. I..." Du Guqing's hands were tightly clenched, and his knuckles turned white. He didn't want this to happen either, but now it had. The girl was pale and unconscious.
Mei Zhenguo's face suddenly looked much older. He never thought he would see his daughter lying in front of him like this. "Xue'er, how can I tell your mother?"
Her usually lively eyes were now tightly closed, and her beautiful face was completely lifeless.
Mei Zhenguo felt as if a piece of his heart had been gouged out. His daughter, whom he had doted on since childhood, whom he had never scolded or even spoken harshly to. Even when he knew she had made a mess of the prince's mansion, he had never blamed her. Now, he didn't even have the chance to blame her.
Mei Qingxue was lying quietly on the bed, her face deathly pale, and her lips frighteningly white. "Xue'er may not blame you, but I won't forgive you. Why did you bring her to the hunting ground?" Mei Zhenguo's face was a mixture of grief and anger.
She should have been staying in the palace. Mei Zhenguo knew that blaming Du Guqing wouldn't help. Du Guqing never refused Mei Qingxue's requests, no matter how excessive they were.
"Lord Prime Minister, you know that I..." It was just this one time that he didn't listen. No matter what Du Guqing said, he had always indulged her. And for this one thing, he regretted it so much that he felt like dying.
"Xue'er." Mei Zhenguo stroked his daughter's face.
"Get better soon. Otherwise, how can I tell your mother?" Mei Zhenguo was in tears. Mei Haoxuan lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly.
"Your Majesty, the assassin has been captured."
The guard outside reported. Mei Haoxuan immediately turned around and went out. He wanted to interrogate the assassin to find out who was so bold as to mastermind the assassination of the emperor.
The leader of the Dragon Gang felt a pang of regret after his successful strike. How could he have succeeded here? It would be difficult for him to escape unscathed. He didn't take the imperial guards behind him seriously, but he didn't know where these few black - clothed men had come from. They were closely following him.
"Who are you?" The leader of the Dragon Gang's voice was trembling nervously. The people behind him didn't answer his question at all. Their martial arts skills were much higher than his.
The leader of the Dragon Gang's eyes narrowed. How could he not know that the emperor had such highly skilled bodyguards? There were few like them even in the martial arts world. Thinking of this, he quickened his pace, but he couldn't shake off the people behind him. Until a cold hand reached out from behind and touched the back of his neck. Then his body went numb, and he couldn't move. He couldn't even commit suicide.
Then, the leader of the Dragon Gang watched in horror as he was thrown at the feet of the man in the golden robe.
"You? Why?" The leader of the Dragon Gang was even more surprised. He was told to kill the emperor himself?
"What's wrong with me?" Du Guqing's face was cold.
"You two look so alike."
The words from the leader of the Dragon Gang made Du Guqing's heart skip a beat. It was him! That person was the one he had been soft - hearted towards before. "Do we?" Du Guqing's voice was completely devoid of warmth.
The leader of the Dragon Gang closed his mouth. They weren't the same person. That person definitely didn't have such an imposing manner.
"No matter what your purpose is, you've injured my queen and left her in a life - and - death situation. I won't spare you!"
"Execute him."
The words from Du Guqing made a look of despair appear in the leader of the Dragon Gang's eyes. Once you got involved in this business, you would eventually have to pay the price. He just didn't expect it to come so soon.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Mei Haoxuan dragged the assassin out. He was so angry that he wanted to cut the man into pieces. In his eyes, the man in his hands was already a dead man.
"Xue'er, I've killed him to avenge you. Xue'er, I'm sorry. You have to get better," as long as you can get better, I'll listen to you from now on. It doesn't matter if we don't have children. I don't care. I just want you to get better.
Mei Zhenguo was in tears. He didn't know how to tell his wife the bad news when he got home.
"The emperor has already agreed to let you die, but I won't let you die so easily. You've hurt my sister. You've killed her." Mei Haoxuan's heart was aching. Looking at the culprit in front of him, he gritted his teeth.
His little sister was a treasure at home. Before she got married, the family had never even said a harsh word to her. Now, she was unconscious. How could he bear it?
How could he tell his mother when he got home?
"Kill me if you want. There's nothing more to say now that I'm in your hands." There was no life in the leader of the Dragon Gang's eyes. He knew his life was coming to an end, so he stopped struggling.
Mei Haoxuan raised his sword high. A flash of white light appeared. He wasn't going to kill this bastard right away. As his sword fell, there was a gash on each of the man's limbs.
One wound after another appeared, but the leader of the Dragon Gang didn't make a sound. He endured it silently. "If you want to kill me, do it quickly. If you waste your time here and she dies, you won't even get to see her for the last time."
The leader of the Dragon Gang was eager to die, and his words hit Mei Haoxuan right in his weak spot. Mei Haoxuan's pupils shrank. With a wave of his hand, a gash appeared on the leader of the Dragon Gang's throat. Blood spurted out, and the man slowly slumped to the ground. In his dilated pupils, the last thing he saw was Mei Haoxuan's departing back.
There was a look of relief on the leader of the Dragon Gang's face.
Mei Haoxuan stood at the entrance of the tent. Mei Zhenguo stopped him. Du Guqing's voice inside was choking with sobs. Even though they were close to the queen, this wasn't the right time to go in.
"If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?" Mei Haoxuan said angrily. It was really hard to blame his brother - in - law for this. Who would have thought that his sister's concerns would actually come true?
If it were him, he would have also been skeptical.