Then he reached out to pick up the Empress Dowager, but Hailing quickly stopped him: "Don't move."
Ye Lingfeng withdrew his outstretched hand and stepped aside. Hai Ling leaned closer and gently checked the Empress Dowager's breathing. There was almost no breath. She quickly lowered her head and listened to the Empress Dowager's chest. There was still a faint heartbeat, indicating that the Empress Dowager was still alive, but in grave danger.
It is not advisable to move her now; if you do, she will only die.
With that thought in mind, Hailin immediately ordered everyone in the warehouse: "Everyone, get out and stand guard outside the door."
“Yes,” everyone withdrew, and Hailing ordered Shimei and Shilan: “Prepare to perform surgery on the Empress Dowager immediately.”
At this point, without emergency treatment, there would be no way to save her. The knife was still in her chest, and it had to be pulled out. Moreover, there had to be no hemorrhage; if there was, the Empress Dowager would surely die.
"Ye, the Empress Dowager's life hangs by a thread. Whether she lives or dies is up to fate. You may leave now."
"No, I will guard it."
Ye Lingfeng insisted on staying, and Hai Ling did not stop him. She immediately opened the Seven Star Glazed Bracelet, took out the corresponding surgical instruments, and then signaled Shi Mei and Shi Lan to carefully move the Empress Dowager to lay her flat.
"Yes," the two maids replied. Shi Mei was already used to such bloody scenes, so she was very calm and composed as she carried out these tasks.
Soon the Empress Dowager was laid down, and Hai Ling began the surgery. The warehouse was completely silent. She first examined the injuries, assessed their location, then checked the depth of the incision and where it had affected. She then removed the incision, stopped the bleeding, reopened the incision, applied deep sutures, then anti-inflammatory medication, and finally sutured the surface layers. Everything was done smoothly and efficiently, with remarkable calmness. Ye Lingfeng had never witnessed Ling'er treating a patient before, nor had he ever seen such a method of treatment. Seeing it now, he was deeply shocked. No wonder Shen Ruoxuan had taken her as his apprentice; such astonishing medical skills existed in the world. Although she was the woman he loved, she truly seemed like a mystery.
After the surgery was completed, Hailing was a little tired. Although the surgery was not complicated, the psychological burden was heavier because it was a family member. After everything was done, she squatted down to check her mother's breathing and found that her breathing was much smoother and not as weak as before.
Thinking of this, he straightened up and looked at Ye Lingfeng.
"Alright, Mother is alright now. It seems that it is God's blessing."
It wasn't divine intervention; it was clearly because of her. If it weren't for her medical skills, even a divine being probably couldn't have saved the Empress Dowager.
"Thank you, Ling'er."
"Now carry Mother into the palace. Be careful not to touch her wounds."
“Alright,” Ye Lingfeng walked over and carefully picked up his mother, then left the warehouse and went back to Lanqing Palace together. Hai Ling and the others followed behind, walking towards the palace’s bedchamber, while instructing Shi Mei, “Write some prescriptions for the Empress Dowager. Remember that the Empress Dowager is weak, so the prescriptions should be more delicate.”
"Yes, I understand."
Shi Mei responded, and the group quickly entered the bedchamber of Lanqing Palace. Ye Lingfeng placed the Empress Dowager on the large bed and sat beside her to keep her company.
After washing her hands, Hailin thought of her son, Xiaomao'er, and became extremely anxious, her eyes turning red.
Ye Lingfeng looked at her, then at his mother on the bed, and then thought of his son, Little Cat. He wondered how he was doing. If he made a scene, would he be tortured by that perverted madwoman, Xi Xiu? The thought of these things made his heart ache as if it were being fried in oil.
Inside the palace, the maids all withdrew, and all was silent. Ye Lingfeng got up and walked to Hai Ling's side, embracing her and pulling her into his arms.
"Ling'er, everything will be alright. As long as west Xiu sends a message to the palace, I will definitely catch her. This time, I will absolutely not let her escape again."
Hai Ling nodded weakly. Although she was heartbroken, that wouldn't save Xiao Mao'er. So she forced herself to calm down. She mustn't collapse before finding Xiao Mao'er. If she did, who would Xiao Mao'er rely on when they found her?
That night, in the palace, the two embraced each other, praying for the kitten, hoping that he would be alright.
As dawn broke, the Empress Dowager woke up, which made Ye Lingfeng and Hailing feel a little better. Hailing instructed Shimei to stay in Lanqing Palace to take care of the Empress Dowager until her injuries healed.
Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling returned to Liuyue Palace and issued an imperial edict forbidding the palace maids and eunuchs inside and outside Lanqing Palace from revealing the disappearance of the young prince and the stabbing of the Empress Dowager. If this matter were to be leaked, it would surely cause panic in Bianliang City. If it were to spread, those found out would be executed without mercy. With this edict in place, who would dare to speak out of turn?
So, apart from those in the palace, the ministers in the court and the people of Bianliang City were unaware that such a thing had happened in the palace. There was no need to attend the morning court for the first three days of the New Year. Therefore, Ye Lingfeng accompanied Hailing to rest in the palace. Although he knew she couldn't sleep, she had stayed up all night, and if she didn't sleep soon, she would collapse. So, Ye Lingfeng used the matter of the kitten to persuade her. What if the kitten was fine, but she collapsed in the end? After saying this, he finally convinced Hailing to rest in the palace for a while.
However, she didn't sleep soundly, and occasionally cried out in her sleep, clearly having nightmares. Seeing her like this, how could Ye Lingfeng feel good? He gave an order for Shizhu to send someone to the capital to secretly investigate Xixiu's whereabouts. Now that she has taken the kitten out of the palace, she probably won't stay in the palace. With a child, she is a much more obvious target, so she will definitely be discovered easily.
Shi Zhu accepted the order and assigned men to secretly search for the person.
Meanwhile, Ye Lingfeng waited for news in the palace. He knew that west Xiu's target was not Xiao Mao'er, but him and Hai Ling. She hated the two of them and hated that they had indirectly caused the death of her son.
The second day of the Lunar New Year passed peacefully, and west Xiu did not send a message to the palace.
For Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling, this day truly felt like an eternity.
Inside Lanqing Palace, the Empress Dowager had already received the news. Upon hearing it, she burst into tears. Shi Mei sent someone to report, and Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling hurried to Lanqing Palace to comfort the Empress Dowager.
Inside the palace, the Empress Dowager had a white cloth tied around her chest. She was still very weak, and her eyes were red and swollen. She was already weak, and she almost fainted.
"Mother, what are you doing?"
Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling went inside, and one look at the Empress Dowager's eyes told them that she had been crying for quite some time.
When the Empress Dowager saw Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling enter, she stopped crying and said sadly and desperately, "That madwoman west Xiu, she killed me, fine, but why did she take Xiao Mao away? She is truly hateful."
As the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she clenched her fists and pounded the bed beside her, her anger palpable. Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling felt the same anger, but they were powerless to do anything about it. All they could do now was wait for west Xiu's letter.
"Mother, the kitten will be alright."
Ye Lingfeng spoke in a deep voice, reaching out to grasp the Empress Dowager's hand, indicating that she shouldn't be too sad and that taking care of her health was the most important thing. He emphasized that no one in their family could be missing, and a fierce, wolf-like light flashed in his eyes.
Hailin, who was standing to one side, suddenly had an idea to lure Xixiu out. She quickly looked at Ye Lingfeng.
"Night, didn't you say Sima Yuan wasn't dead? He's still alive."
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
"Immediately order people to spread rumors in the capital, saying that Sima Yuan is not dead, and that the Emperor did not kill him but imprisoned him. Xi Xiu must be paying attention to the situation in Bianliang City. If nothing unexpected happens, she will know that Sima Yuan is still alive and will definitely send a letter to the palace, asking us to bring Sima Yuan there. In this way, we can exchange Sima Yuan for Xiao Mao'er with her. But at that time, we will kill her and Sima Yuan in one fell swoop."
As soon as Hai Ling finished speaking, Ye Lingfeng nodded, and the Empress Dowager urged him repeatedly.
"You all go about your business. I'm fine. As long as the kitten is alright, I'll be fine too."
This time, when Xiao Mao was captured, Xi Xiu stabbed her and then impersonated her, which is why Xiao Mao was captured. Thinking of this, she felt extremely guilty. If anything happened to Xiao Mao, she would not live either and would definitely commit suicide to accompany Xiao Mao in the afterlife.
"Alright, Mother, don't be sad anymore. Your son will take care of this matter immediately and will make sure nothing happens to the kitten."