Impératrice douairière Xiaoxuan

Chapitre 183

Mo Yan was unaware that her consciousness was already extremely blurred. She watched helplessly as the turtle paddled along with its four short legs and went straight into a stone cave in front of her. The fishing line sizzled as it was cut along the edge of the cave. The excruciating pain in her palm ignited Mo Yan's consciousness at the last moment. As the fishing line was cut, Mo Yan cried out in pain and rolled over.

A large amount of cool air rushed into her lungs, her vision went black, and she fainted.

When she woke up again, she was in her tent, soaking in warm water. Two maids were rubbing her palms with wine on each of her left and right sides. As the warmth spread, her consciousness gradually returned.

Her throat was terribly dry. She tried to call out to someone, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out except for a low, hoarse sound.

Hearing this, the maid looked up and saw that she was awake, and exclaimed with joy, "She's awake! She's awake!"

Outside the screen, Ning Jin, who had been pacing anxiously for most of the day, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Your Highness, you can rest assured now." Wu Zichu smiled reassuringly at him and said, "Now that you're awake, you'll be fine. Why don't you go and have some food first? It's already late afternoon, and you haven't even had lunch yet."

Ning Jin ignored him and called out loudly into the screen, "Is she really awake? Why can't I hear her speaking?"

A maid came out and replied, "Your Highness, she has just woken up. Her throat is dry and hoarse, and she is still very weak."

"Quickly, get her some water," Ning Jin said urgently.

"Yes, this servant came out to fetch water."

A maid brought in a teapot with a small spout and slowly dripped the tea into Mo Yan's mouth. Mo Yan was extremely thirsty and couldn't wait to put the spout in her mouth and drink it in big gulps. After a few sips, she choked and started coughing because she drank too fast.

Ning Jin, listening from outside, felt heartbroken and wished she could rush in to comfort her. She braced herself against the screen, causing it to sway precariously. Wu Zichu quickly reached out to steady it.

"Feed her slowly!" Ning Jin was annoyed by the maid's clumsy hands and feet. "Slow down!..."

The maid knew she was innocent, but she still had to comply obediently, carefully helping Mo Yan up and patting her back to help her catch her breath.

Ning Jin heard a loud slapping sound on Mo Yan's bare back and instinctively felt that the maid was using too much force and would hurt her. He quickly called out, "Plap her gently! This is to help her breathe, not to hit her! Be gentle!"

Although Mo Yan couldn't make a sound, she could still hear sounds. She just felt that the people outside were too loud and noisy, which was really annoying. She wished they would leave quickly so that she could have some peace and quiet.

Ning Jin was already anxious, and when he saw Zhao Yu lift the curtain and come in, he asked urgently, "How is Xiao Qi?"

"You're awake," Ning Jin replied happily.

Zhao Yu breathed a sigh of relief, put his hands together, closed his eyes and smiled, "Amitabha, thank you Buddha for your blessing."

"I told you this girl is very lucky, she'll be fine." Ning Jin was now completely at ease, having forgotten his earlier worry and anxiety.

"That really scared me..."

Zhao Yu let out a long breath and asked, "Now that you're awake, you should be alright, right?"

"Of course." Ning Jin patted her shoulder gently, comforting her, "It's just that it's inevitable that her body is a little weak, but she can take good care of herself."

Recalling the scene from this morning, Zhao Yu still felt lingering fear. She watched helplessly as Mo Yan was dragged into the water and disappeared in an instant, thinking she would never see her again. Fortunately, not only her own guards searched, but Ning Jin also went to find Yelü Zongzhen, and even the Iron Cavalry were mobilized. They finally found her in the shallow water near the mountain rocks.

At that time, Mo Yan was submerged in icy water, completely unconscious, but fortunately still breathing. After being rescued, she was given a warm bath with herbs to promote blood circulation. From noon until now, for nearly two hours, the water was kept boiling and changed continuously until she finally woke up.

“…Master…Zhuzhu…” Mo Yan heard Zhao Yu’s voice calling softly. The maidservant leaned very close before she could understand that she was calling Zhao Yu.

"Princess, she seems to have something to say to you," a maidservant reported.

Zhao Yu quickly went behind the screen and saw that Mo Yan's complexion had returned somewhat, so she felt more at ease. She moved closer to her and said, "You really escaped with your life today. You'd better be careful in the future."

Mo Yan moistened her lips and uttered with difficulty, "...Mist...Ghost..."

"You mean the tortoise?" Zhao Yu understood and comforted her, "It escaped this time, but there will definitely be another way next time. Don't worry about these things. You should focus on getting better first."

“…No…move…” Mo Yan couldn’t make a sound, her words were unclear.

Zhao Yu didn't understand this either, but seeing Mo Yan's strained appearance, she advised, "There's no rush. Just focus on recuperating."

Mo Yan wanted to say something more, but she was too weak. Her throat was hoarse, and she could only close her mouth in despair.

Zhao Yu stepped out from behind the screen. Wu Zichu secretly gave her a wink, signaling her to persuade Ning Jin to go and rest.

Zhao Yu understood, pulled Ning Jin aside, and gently advised, "Little Imperial Uncle, you've been here for most of the day. Now that Xiao Qi is alright, you should go and rest. I'm here with you."

Ning Jin remained unmoved: "I'm not tired."

"After all, this is a young lady's residence. It will be inconvenient for you to stand here when she comes out of the water. What if the maid is a little slow and she gets cold?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Jin paused for a moment, then nodded helplessly: "Then... tell me quickly if anything happens."

Zhao Yu smiled and agreed.

Ning Jin then left the tent, followed closely by Wu Zichu, who busied himself arranging Ning Jin's food. Inside the tent, Zhao Yu sighed inwardly, lamenting the pitiful state of his young uncle's affections, wondering when he would be able to move Xiao Qi.

Volume 3, Chapter 26

As night fell, Mo Yan's body gradually warmed up. A brazier was lit in the tent, and she lay on the soft couch, wrapped up tightly.

Zhao Yu had already returned to her tent to rest. Ning Jin came over several times, watching her eat the soup and seeing that the purple and blue marks on her hands and feet had faded, he felt much more at ease and had Wu Zichu persuade her to go back.

The tent was quiet, as was the outer room. She thought it must be midnight, but she didn't know if it was past midnight yet. Because Ning Jin was afraid she would get cold, he deliberately placed the charcoal brazier very close to her. As a result, the rising charcoal fumes directly affected her, making her feel dizzy and extremely uncomfortable.

The charcoal fire in the brazier crackled and popped occasionally, sending up a few small sparks. Mo Yan, unable to move, stared blankly at the only faint, dim red light in the tent. She could now make some low sounds, which were barely manageable if she spoke softly. However, with no one in the tent, she had no one to talk to. After an unknown amount of time, as drowsiness washed over her and her eyelids just began to close, she suddenly felt a breeze brush her cheek. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt incredibly heavy, making her too lazy to look.

In a hazy state, it seemed as if someone came to her side, and she could feel his gentle and familiar presence.

"Big brother..." she murmured softly, her eyes tightly closed.

Thinking she was talking in her sleep, the man gently stroked her face and whispered, "Silly girl, how could you be so careless?"

These words were unmistakably Zhan Zhao's voice, a voice Mo Yan had heard countless times in her dreams. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes still closed, yet large tears welled up from the corners of her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and landing on the man's hand.