Opposite Ouyang Yue sat the Prince Zhi's Mansion, the Prince Lin's Mansion, and Jiang Xuan, while on this side sat people from the Prince Mao's Mansion. At this moment, Jiang Xuan, who was diagonally opposite Ouyang Yue, sneered at her, then drank a cup with a strange smile on her face.
Ning Xishan then looked at Ouyang Yue and, seeing their calm expressions, sighed, "It's a pity that Prince Chen won't be able to see the young prince's glory today. Oh no, he shouldn't be called Prince Chen anymore, he should be called the deceased Prince Chen. After the young prince takes over the throne, he will be buried in the mausoleum. Princess Chen must be feeling very uneasy right now. Please rest assured, we were once cousins. If Princess Chen is ever sad or depressed, she can send a message to Prince Mao's residence, and this concubine will definitely accompany her."
Leng Caidie glanced coldly at Ning Xishan: "If you don't speak, who will think you're mute?"
Ning Xishan sneered, "What, so you were just trying to curry favor with the Prince Chen's mansion? Now... Sister, you're still hoping to get back at him?"
Leng Caidie's face darkened: "You represent the concubine of Prince Mao, and you represent the prince himself. If these words reach Father Emperor's ears, you will lose face for the prince. Do you really think you can be superior just because you have the upper hand in a few words? It's rare that you have such a good memory and haven't forgotten that you are cousins. Is it possible that one is the principal wife and the other is a concubine? A concubine can never be on the same level."
"You! What right do you, a mere concubine, have to talk to me like that? You even try to use your status as the principal wife to intimidate me. You can't even handle the concubines in your own household, so where do you get the arrogance to criticize me?" Ning Xishan's face turned red and then pale as she was being talked to. The word "concubine" sounds nice, but it's like the difference between the Empress and the Noble Consort. Although the latter is equally noble and second only to the Empress, in the end, having the word "concubine" means you're still a concubine, always a step below the principal wife.
In the Shengwang Mansion, Leng Caidie used to compete and fight for power, but Baili Mao completely ignored her. He would only remember her when he needed her as the princess consort to take her place on important occasions. Even the concubines in the mansion dared to criticize her. She did fight back and punish one of them, but in the end, Baili Mao scolded her for not being magnanimous enough. In the end, she shut herself away from home. Ning Xishan no longer regarded her as the principal wife, but she dared to criticize her on behalf of others on this occasion.
"Naturally, it's for the sake of the Prince." Leng Caidie said calmly, glancing sideways at Baili Mao.
Baili Mao glanced at Ning Xishan with a calm expression: "Alright, can't even watching the show shut you up? Don't you know where you are? If these words really get out, I won't let you off easily." Ning Xishan understood what he meant. It wouldn't sound good if it got out to the Emperor and Empress, but it wouldn't matter if it got out. However, Baili Mao's use of Leng Caidie's words to criticize her still made her extremely unhappy.
Just then, Ning Xishan felt her hand being touched. Turning her head, she saw a hint of intent in Baili Mao's eyes, and her face immediately lit up with a smile. Leng Caidie, however, only remained cold and indifferent, her emotions completely gone. But when she looked up, she saw Ouyang Yue's knowing expression, and her face instantly paled. How arrogant and self-righteous she had been back then! But what happened later? She had offended the Leng family, and at a crucial moment, the Sun family had completely abandoned her. She felt utterly ridiculous. Even with Baili Chen dead, she felt that Ouyang Yue was far freer than she was. Lately, she had been constantly reflecting on the past, and in the end, it only turned into a deep sense of melancholy.
She felt that even if Ouyang Yue couldn't stay with Baili Chen for life, she was still loved by Prince Chen. She felt that if it were her, even a year or a month would be enough to savor the memory. It was a hundred times better than marrying a man who only wanted to use her.
Since the banquet was to bestow titles upon Baili Su, the final focus had to return to Baili Su himself. Emperor Mingxian originally intended to have Baili Su make a grand appearance and then have him demonstrate a set of sword techniques. However, he was still too young, but fortunately, he was clever and quick-witted. Emperor Mingxian only had someone teach him a set of ten basic sword techniques. After he succeeded, the real bestowal of titles would take place.
Ouyang Yue had been secretly observing the reactions of everyone present. The Empress seemed very interested, while Consort Sun and the others seemed less interested. Two men and five women stepped forward. The two men first demonstrated a set of sword techniques, which was exactly what Baili Su was going to practice later. This was just to let him familiarize himself with it. The other five women, however, wielded soft swords and twirled their supple waists as they danced with them. Baili Su watched attentively, and after the seven-person dance, he strode forward with his short legs.
Two men, one on each side, subtly twirled their swords, intentionally guiding Baili Su's swordplay. Baili Su, wielding a wooden sword personally carved by Baili Chen, its blade adorned with a dragon circling the moon, let out a sharp cry and thrust forward. Though small in stature, his swordplay was powerful and imbued with a certain spirit. Unlike other children learning swordsmanship in a rigid, methodical manner, Baili Su's martial arts were distinct and unique, despite the presence of two guides. He, a child so young, had initially been taught by two adults, but in the end, it became a solo performance.
A wooden sword that posed no threat seemed to come alive in his chubby little hands. Every move he made was incredibly skillful, which shocked everyone and immediately threw their minds into disarray.
When Baili Chen was young, he was sickly. Although Emperor Mingxian doted on him, he was far inferior to Baili Su. Even if Baili Chen were dead now, looking at this child with a serious little face, seriously and majestically wielding a sword, although he does not have the aura of those adult men, he might have achieved something great in the future. Is it good to give up on the Chen Prince's Mansion so early?
Some people also had a fierce look in their eyes, having already seen Baili Su's future. If he was not nipped in the bud now, and became the second Baili Chen and the second threat in the future, it would not be a good thing for anyone.
While everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, no one noticed the five sword-wielding women. They had already changed into various sword forms, seemingly coordinating with Baili Su's martial sword, but their bodies were slowly moving forward. Just as Baili Su launched a flying thrust, one of the women, seemingly unintentionally, stumbled and suddenly lunged forward.
"Su'er, dodge quickly!" Ouyang Yue cried out, but the woman flew over and was only a palm's distance away from Baili Su. These martial arts swordsmen and sword dancers were carefully selected, and those who could maintain their composure in the palace were of impeccable character. Who would have thought that they would suddenly attack? No, perhaps the woman had simply lost her footing.
However, the cold blade of sword mercilessly pierced towards Baili Su. Some people even avoided looking at it, not wanting to see the bloody scene.
"Bang!" A loud thud was heard as everyone turned to look.
But then a woman in green suddenly appeared in front of Baili Su. The woman's face was cold and frosty. He directly slapped the other woman away with a palm. The other woman, however, revealed a fierce look and turned around to stab out again. Emperor Mingxian, who was on the throne, was furious when he saw this: "Protect the young prince! Guards, seize these people!"
At Emperor Mingxian's command, the guards beside him immediately rushed to apprehend the person. Meanwhile, Dongxue, dressed in green, and the sword-wielding woman engaged in a fierce struggle. Everyone noticed that the woman's sword aura was now sharp and fierce, a far cry from her previous delicate and graceful dance. This was clearly an assassination attempt. Who was trying to harm the safety of Prince Chen's heir? Or was someone trying to prevent him from becoming a prince during this ceremony to bestow the title upon him? Obviously, it was!
Emperor Mingxian's face was cold and stern. In this palace, under layers of guards, someone actually tried to assassinate him. This was definitely a provocation against his power!
However, at that moment, Ouyang Yue suddenly cried out, "Father, be careful!" Then, without regard for anything else, she rushed towards Emperor Mingxian. Everyone looked on in shock and disbelief, only to see that two sword-wielding women had suddenly leaped towards Emperor Mingxian amidst the encirclement. Emperor Mingxian had just sent everyone to rescue Baili Su, leaving a gap in his guards, which gave these two women an opening to attack. The two women wielded swords with exceptional sharpness, their faces filled with ferocity, and their sword energy swept across the room. In the instant they arrived, they had already mercilessly killed several palace maids, and screams filled the hall.
The empress screamed in terror, turning around and crouching to dodge the sword's light. The sword pierced straight at the spot where she had just been sitting; had she been a moment later, it would have been her life! The woman didn't linger, her sword flashing as she thrust it directly at Emperor Mingxian. Fu Shun grabbed a palace servant and threw him forward to block the attack, but the woman swept her leg across, sending the servant flying. The servant then twirled her sword and slashed at Fu Shun. Fu Shun dodged in alarm, narrowly avoiding a direct hit to the face, but a long, bloody gash appeared on his cheek. Fu Shun was filled with fear and cold sweat, but his legs seemed to freeze, and he dared not move.
"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!" Fu Shun shouted. The hall was already filled with screams and chaos. Many people were running towards the corners. It was a sad sight. Faced with life and death, most people here chose to escape. Who cared about Emperor Mingxian's life or death?
The woman swept her leg and thrust her sword again. Fu Shun's nose twisted from the kick and he rolled on the ground. Because of this momentum, he managed to dodge the fatal sword. However, there was no space in front of Emperor Mingxian. The woman's sword was already carrying the fear of death.
Emperor Mingxian was greatly shocked, but at that moment, a figure flashed before his eyes, and someone stood in front of him at the most critical moment.
"Pfft!" The sound of a sword piercing flesh rang out, and Emperor Mingxian's heart skipped a beat: "Seventh Prince's wife?!" The person in front of him, dressed in simple clothes and with a petite and exquisite figure, was none other than Ouyang Yue. Just as everyone was panicking that Emperor Mingxian was about to die a violent death, no one expected that Ouyang Yue would suddenly appear in front of them and use her own body to block the sword for Emperor Mingxian. Blood splattered out with a "pfft," and there was a moment of silence in the room, a deathly silence. Even the woman who had attempted the assassination was stunned.
How could this woman be so fast? Wasn't she just shouting wildly behind her? She came at the perfect moment, and Emperor Mingxian had no chance of surviving. Where did she come from?
The woman's face was fierce. She mercilessly retrieved the sword, and her second strike was already aimed at Ouyang Yue's neck. Ouyang Yue grabbed the copper plate on the table beside her and slammed it down hard. Her movements were incredibly fast. Before the woman could even react, the plate in her hand had already smashed down on her head with a "bang." Instantly, her head sank, and blood gushed out. A single blow had split her head open. What immense force that must have been!
Everyone was shocked, some breathed a sigh of relief, some felt regret, and some still couldn't believe it. How could Princess Chen, who looked so delicate and weak, have such great strength? Perhaps this was the instinct of people in the face of life and death, and that was the only thought that everyone could have.
At this moment, the emperor's guards finally came into play, thrusting their swords at the limbs of the women to stop them from moving. If any of them resisted any further, they were killed with a single sword strike. In the end, they captured five people, one man and four women.
The scene was under control, but it was eerily quiet. Ouyang Yue covered her stabbed shoulder with one hand and held the blood-stained copper plate she used to smash people with the other. She stood there quietly, her face pale from blood loss, but her posture was ramrod straight. She glanced at the Empress, whose face was filled with surprise and uncertainty, and a chilling smile appeared on her lips.
Dongxue, who was protecting Baili Su while mingling among the guards, raised her head and secretly made a hand gesture. When Ouyang Yue saw this, her smile deepened and her eyes flashed. Then, Emperor Mingxian's angry voice rang out: "Quickly, quickly summon the imperial physician to treat Princess Chen's injuries! Go now!"
In that case, Emperor Mingxian owes me a life!
Empress, how can you stop me now!
☆、280、Forced Interrogation of the Empress!
The scene was chaotic. Only after the palace guards arrested all the assassins did the officials and their families, who had taken refuge in the chaos, emerge, still looking shaken. The incident had happened too suddenly and unexpectedly. Who could have imagined that someone could infiltrate the heavily guarded palace to carry out an assassination, especially among the performing arts troupe? How did they get in? There had to be an inside agent!
At the same time, a question arose in everyone's minds: why did these people want to assassinate him? Was it Baili Su or Emperor Mingxian? Thinking back to the previous assassins, they clearly had a deeper hostility towards Emperor Mingxian.
Is someone plotting to usurp the throne?!
Emperor Mingxian, as expected of an emperor who had sat on the throne for many years, remained relatively calm throughout, except for a few bursts of rage. He quietly returned to his dragon throne, but his tiger-like eyes swept over the people in the hall with an inscrutable expression of joy and anger. Finally, his gaze swept over the people beside him, and everyone was slightly taken aback. They saw that the Empress was now huddled behind the chair, her hair slightly disheveled, probably from trying to dodge. Consort Sun and the others beside her were in no better condition. It was truly shameful that the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty—the Mother of the Nation—was so incompetent at such a moment.
The Empress looked somewhat embarrassed and walked out tremblingly. Meanwhile, the imperial physician was being pulled along and rushed over. It was Physician Liu who came. Seeing that blood was flowing continuously from Ouyang Yue's shoulder, and that her plain clothes were almost stained red, she said urgently, "Quickly, help Princess Chen to a quiet place. I need the lady-in-waiting to help Princess Chen treat her wound."
Physician Liu called several of his men to help Ouyang Yue away. Meanwhile, Dongxue, carrying Baili Su, also retreated to Princess Shuangxia's side. The hall was unusually quiet for a moment. At this time, the one who was most furious was Emperor Mingxian. Someone wanted to kill him at the banquet he had ordered to be held. This was enough to make him, the ruler of the country, lose face and feel embarrassed.
What's even more embarrassing is that none of the people in the hall were thinking about his safety at the most critical moment. Even his bedmates were the same. Empress Sun Zhaoyi and others were only thinking about their own safety. The only ones who played a role in this matter were Fu Shun and Ouyang Yue. The latter was even seriously injured while saving him. Where were the others? They only showed up one by one after the danger had passed. Emperor Mingxian suddenly felt that he had failed as a person and was even more ashamed and angry.
Even though Emperor Mingxian was a wise ruler, as an emperor who held everything in his hands, the fact that he ultimately had no truly trusted confidants was enough to make his face clouded with worry.
The empress and other concubines in the harem all lowered their heads and dared not speak. The female relatives of the court officials dared not raise their heads either, wishing they could bury their heads behind their legs and pretend they were invisible.
Emperor Mingxian sneered: "An assassination attempt has actually occurred in this palace! Good, very good! If my safety is not even guaranteed in this palace, then what safety can I talk about under heaven!"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger." The group immediately bowed their heads and begged for forgiveness.
"Where are the commanders and deputy commanders of the Imperial Palace?!" Emperor Mingxian shouted angrily.
At that moment, the sound of running footsteps came from outside, and three men dressed in military uniforms walked in. Each one was stronger than the last, and they all looked imposing and domineering. However, the expressions on the faces of the three men were rather ugly. Emperor Mingxian looked at them and said coldly, "Come forward again!"
The three men were filled with apprehension, but dared not disobey. They took three quick steps, but Emperor Mingxian's face twisted in pain. He grabbed the cup and bowl and threw it at the head of the leading man.
With a muffled "thud," the man let out a soft groan, his body swaying but daring not to react further. He kept his head down, letting the cup fall to the ground with a crisp shattering sound. Blood slowly trickled down his forehead; a blow had already cracked his skull open.
Those who witnessed this felt their hearts tighten, as if even their breathing became heavy, fearing that they might attract the attention of Emperor Mingxian and suffer collateral damage.
"As the commanders of the palace, is this how you protect me? I'm such a failure as emperor. Are you all just waiting to see me die? That's why none of you are doing your job properly!"
The three commanders immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to beg for forgiveness. Emperor Mingxian said ruthlessly, "Guards, take these three away and await my punishment."
Of the three commanders, one was the chief and two were the deputy commanders. One of the deputy commanders was Sun Quan, who had only recently taken office. When Consort Sun heard this, her expression changed drastically. She kept glancing at Emperor Mingxian's expression, trying to find an opportunity to plead for him. The other deputy commander, whose face was darker, suddenly looked up and said with a cold glint in his eyes, "Your Majesty, the person in charge of the palace's allocation today was Deputy Commander Sun. I only rushed over to help after hearing about the incident. I am innocent."
The commander, clutching his forehead with blood streaming down his face, blurring his vision, said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it was indeed Deputy Commander Sun who was on duty today."
No one is made of iron. If you make someone work twelve hours a day without stopping, even the strongest body will break down in less than three days. The chief and deputy commanders of the palace are actually quite relaxed on weekdays. They just need to divide their subordinates into shifts for patrols. This shift system is rotated every three days, with the chief commander and the two deputy commanders assigning shifts. The fear is that if only one person is in charge, they might secretly carry out some conspiracy. Although the chief and deputy commanders don't have to do the patrols, the three of them divide the twelve hours into four hours each and take turns leading the patrols. The team assignment for these three days was done by Sun Quan. What's more, today, Sun Quan is leading the team for the four hours on the left and right. Now that something has happened, these people must have spies who were able to sneak into the palace so easily. Now it seems that Sun Quan is the perfect candidate for that spy.
Emperor Mingxian squinted at Sun Quan, his eyes flashing as if he were looking at a dead man.
Sun Quan was immediately terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. Consort Sun also felt a pang of anxiety. Consort Sun's entry into the palace was actually out of necessity. With the death of Consort Sun, the Sun family lost its advantage and had to bring in another daughter to consolidate the emperor's favor. At that time, Consort Sun quickly rose to power by leveraging Consort Sun's former influence. Although her rank was far lower than Consort Sun's, her power was not greatly affected. In fact, when Sun Quan took the position of Deputy Commander of the Palace, he was no less powerful than Consort Sun had been. It could be said that Sun Quan was also crucial to Consort Sun's support in the palace, and she could not afford to lose him.
This is only one reason. Sun Quan is now implied to have been negligent, and may even be a traitor within the palace, which could have led to an assassin infiltrating the palace with the intention of assassinating Emperor Mingxian. If this matter is ultimately attributed to Sun Quan, the Sun family will face its greatest upheaval. Sun Quan is merely a deputy commander of the palace, meaning his position is more secure while Emperor Mingxian is alive. Consort Sun currently has no children, and her favor with Emperor Mingxian at this time provides some security for her future. They have no reason to assassinate Emperor Mingxian, but this is not absolute.
When Baili Jian was alive, he was known as a virtuous prince in the court, and Consort Sun was constantly favored and held considerable power. Although they are both dead now, if they were to seize power and want to usurp the throne, the death of Emperor Mingxian would be a good opportunity to rise to power amidst the chaos. They could then support other princes or find a way to establish themselves as kings. These are all ideas that people have come up with. Even if this seems illogical, with Sun Quan clearly being negligent and giving others ammunition, they may not have a reason to rebel now, but they will eventually have a hundred or so reasons exposed.
If they accept it, the Sun family will only face destruction, and Sun himself will die.
"Your Majesty, this is clearly a deliberate attempt to frame Vice Commander Sun! Vice Commander Sun has always been loyal to Your Majesty. Not only would he never do such a treasonous thing, but even if he had any disloyal intentions, he wouldn't have made such a blunder so easily. How could he be so foolish? This must be a deliberate attempt to frame him. If we simply wrongly accuse Vice Commander Sun, it will only allow the person behind the scenes to continue to roam free. They might even stage another drama in the future, disregarding Your Majesty's safety. Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly!" Consort Sun knelt before Emperor Mingxian with a thud and said urgently.
Meanwhile, the Sun family members also knelt on the ground one after another, repeatedly crying out for their innocence. Sun Quan knelt on the ground, his head hitting the ground with a loud "thump, thump," and his head was bleeding profusely, but he didn't care and kept shouting that he was wronged.
Emperor Mingxian narrowed his eyes: "Regardless of the circumstances, you have made a serious mistake this time. Take Deputy Commander Sun away and place him under strict supervision and investigation. If he is truly innocent, I will naturally not wrong anyone."
"Your Majesty!" Consort Sun cried out in alarm, her face full of pleading and grievance. However, Emperor Mingxian waved his hand. Before Consort Sun could say anything more, the head of the Sun family shook his head repeatedly. According to etiquette, Sun Quan had indeed made a mistake today. Emperor Mingxian had not ordered him to be killed directly, which was already a favor to the Sun family. What the Sun family needed to do next was to clear Sun Quan's name, otherwise everything would be in vain.
"Your Majesty, how could Deputy Commander Sun be the assassin who tried to kill you? There must be some misunderstanding. How could he be so foolish as to do such a thing?" Jiang Xuan exclaimed in shock. Although she was very dissatisfied with marrying Sun Quan, both countries had issued imperial edicts. If Sun Quan were arrested and convicted, it would be extremely unlucky for her, whose husband had died before marriage. Moreover, Jiang Xuan had gone from being unable to accept it at the beginning to subconsciously accepting it. Suddenly being told that her future husband might commit a crime and die made her panic.
"The evidence now points to Sun Quan. If I turn a deaf ear, how can I explain this to others? If Sun Quan did this, he will surely be punished. If not, I will not let him get into trouble. Princess Jiang Xuan, you don't need to worry." Emperor Mingxian's voice was calm, but Jiang Xuan's heart trembled. "No! He is my fiancé. Even if it's just a formality, being caught like this is a great loss of face. When he marries me in the future, he will have to carry a stain on his reputation. This is absolutely unacceptable."
Emperor Mingxian's eyes darkened: "Princess Jiang Xuan means that Sun Quan should be released."
“Emperor of Great Zhou, the emperors of our two countries have already arranged a marriage. How could Sun Quan’s identity be ordinary? After all, he is the future consort of our Great Zhou. If we were to arrest him based on such a trivial matter and then frame him with a fabricated crime, even you, Emperor of Great Zhou, would lose face.” Jiang Xuan puffed out her chest and said with pride.
Emperor Mingxian burst into laughter: "Very well, what a fine future consort of Dagan! So, Sun Quan is no longer one of my Great Zhou's men. Those people who caused the assassins to infiltrate the palace to assassinate me were all Sun Quan's doing, all for the sake of Dagan. Is that what Princess Jiang Xuan meant?"
Jiang Xuan's expression changed: "No, the Emperor of Great Zhou..."
"Princess Jiang Xuan is a distinguished guest of the Great Zhou. It's best not to trouble Princess Da Gan with such matters, lest these sordid affairs offend your eyes. Guards, escort Princess Jiang Xuan back. Princess Jiang Xuan's wedding is imminent; this is the time to prepare for the wedding. I will not linger any longer. Guards, summon a few head maids to assist Princess Jiang Xuan. It's best if Princess Jiang Xuan doesn't leave the Da Gan post station before the wedding begins. Otherwise, a tragedy between the two countries might occur, which no one wants to see." Emperor Mingxian's face was gloomy; it was clear to everyone that he was angry.
Jiang Xuan's words were clearly intended to use her status to pressure Emperor Mingxian into not pursuing Sun Quan, but she forgot that this was the Great Zhou, not the Great Gan. Being threatened in front of everyone by a foreign princess, who even mentioned that Sun Quan was no longer a citizen of the Great Zhou after marrying Jiang Xuan, was not helping him, but adding fuel to the fire. How could Emperor Mingxian not be furious?
Sun Quan's eyes darkened as he stared at Jiang Xuan. This foolish princess—was she trying to harm him or save him? Did she not want to marry him and was trying to sabotage him to avoid the wedding? Sun Quan clearly remembered Jiang Xuan's conversation with Ouyang Yue in the palace. Back then, she had belittled him utterly. Now, she actually harbored thoughts of harming him. This woman really thought she was a hot commodity. If it weren't for the imperial decree, would he, the legitimate son of the Sun family, a noble and respected figure, the deputy commander whom everyone in the palace fawned over, want to marry a withered, worthless woman?
Sun Quan gritted his teeth in anger. If he had the chance, he would definitely marry Jiang Xuan and then torture her severely!
The Empress, however, wore a look of surprise and uncertainty. Emperor Mingxian had originally intended to take this opportunity to bestow the title of Prince Chen upon Baili Su, but now that such a major event had occurred, the matter naturally had to be postponed; it certainly wouldn't be possible today. As soon as Sun Quan was pulled away, Emperor Mingxian stood up: "Go and see the Princess Consort of Chen."
Fu Shun had just walked a close call with death. He appeared calm and composed, but his legs were actually trembling with fear, and his steps were unsteady. Despite the lingering fear in his heart, he dared not be negligent in the slightest. In Fu Shun's eyes, every word spoken by Emperor Mingxian, no matter how big or small, was like an imperial edict. It would be a real injustice if he wasn't the chief eunuch of the palace.
The Empress and other concubines of the harem naturally followed. Princess Shuangxia pulled Baili Su along slowly behind, her expression as calm as ever, but the occasional glint in her eyes revealed that she was not so calm.
Inside the room, Physician Liu stood behind a large double-layered screen. The bed curtains were drawn, blocking out all the view inside. Two female officials were serving Ouyang Yue on the bed, and under Physician Liu's instructions, they were cleaning Ouyang Yue's wounds, applying medicine, and bandaging them. The group was exhausted and covered in sweat. Just as they finished, Emperor Mingxian arrived with his entourage.
"Daughter-in-law greets Father Emperor." Ouyang Yue's hair was just tied up casually, and she had already changed her clothes. She struggled to get out of bed to pay her respects to Emperor Mingxian.
"No, you're injured right now, don't move around, go lie down first."
"Mother." Baili Su broke free from Dongxue and ran to Ouyang Yue's side, holding Ouyang Yue's hand with a look of heartache.
Ouyang Yue patted Baili Su lightly and said to Emperor Mingxian, "The proper etiquette must not be disregarded." She then bowed respectfully to Emperor Mingxian, who did not stop her this time. Ouyang Yue then leaned against the bed with the help of a female official. The Empress stood to the side watching and couldn't help but laugh, "Seventh Prince's wife is really a lucky one. At that time, most people were terrified, but you acted the fastest. Otherwise, the Emperor would have been in real danger."
Although the Empress smiled, even showing a hint of gratitude for Ouyang Yue's timely intervention, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. The dignified Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty had to rely on a weak woman to save him at a critical moment. If word got out, it would be a huge joke. Even Emperor Mingxian would have to accept this. Besides, Ouyang Yue was just a woman. Instead of protecting Baili Su first, she rushed to Emperor Mingxian. For a woman who was unarmed, this was really strange.
Emperor Mingxian's eyes flickered slightly. Ouyang Yue shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about the Empress Dowager. Actually, I was terrified at the time. It seemed like I rushed there instinctively. Now that I think about it, I still feel scared. I'm sweating profusely. It was just a little bit off. If it had been a little off, I would have lost my life. I was so hot-headed at the time that I didn't think about anything else."
At the opportune moment, Physician Liu said, "The sword that Princess Chen was struck was very close to her heart. If it had been a little higher, she would have died on the spot. It is only because Princess Chen is so lucky and has the Emperor, the true dragon emperor, protecting her."
Ouyang Yue, holding Baili Su's hand, looked ashamed and said, "Of course, your mother didn't save you immediately. Do you hate your mother now?"
Baili Su blinked his big eyes and said, "Why? It's the fault of those bad people, not Mother Consort's fault. Why should Su'er hate Mother Consort? Those evil people should be arrested."
Ouyang Yue smiled with relief: "What a good child."
Princess Shuangxia said with a worried look, "Alright, you need to rest well from now on, otherwise you'll develop a chronic illness and suffer from it later."
Emperor Mingxian's eyes flickered, but he said, "Seventh Prince's wife, don't worry. Since someone dared to assassinate me in the palace, I will definitely not let this matter go. I will definitely catch the murderer and bring him to the extreme!"
Ouyang Yue immediately expressed her gratitude. Emperor Mingxian and the others, fearing that they might disturb Ouyang Yue, also left. Princess Shuangxia stayed behind, waved away the servants, and shook her head, saying, "Why were you so impulsive? You just wouldn't listen to advice, and in the end, you even rushed up by yourself."
At this moment, a sharp, piercing pain shot through her shoulder, turning Ouyang Yue's face pale with agony. Yet, she smiled and said, "Grandmother, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Since I've done it, I won't regret it. Suffering a minor injury is worth it if it earns me a debt of gratitude from the Emperor." She didn't know when Baili Chen would return, and if the Chen Prince's Mansion continued to be attacked, the situation would only worsen. Naturally, she wouldn't remain silent and continue to endure it.
Regardless of whether Emperor Mingxian suspected her previous actions, it didn't matter. As long as she saved Emperor Mingxian's life in front of everyone, that was enough. With Baili Chen gone, Ouyang Yue and Baili Su were like a pitiful orphan and widow. Ouyang Yue was confident that she wouldn't be bullied, but she always had to suffer some hardships. But now she was Emperor Mingxian's savior. Whether Emperor Mingxian liked it or not, if he continued to let her be bullied, then he would be a failure as emperor. That was exactly what she was using.