While instructing people to take care of Baotong, she coldly glanced at Nanshuang, who had brought Baotong back, her face as gloomy as frost in the twelfth lunar month.
"Tell me, what exactly happened? How did Baotong get hurt? And why were you the one who brought her back?"
Nan Shuang was already quite frightened by the bloody scene just now, and now that Meng Wan was questioning her so sternly, she couldn't help but shiver. When she met Meng Wan's red eyes, she quickly lowered her head: "This servant doesn't know. This servant was only ordered to send Miss Bao Tong back. As for anything else, I know nothing."
These words made Meng Wan raise an eyebrow slightly. "On orders? On whose orders? Changping? She's the one who hit Baotong?"
It's obvious who else could it be but her, but...
Nan Shuang lowered her head even further. Consort Li asked this question because she hadn't seen the wound yet. If she were to see where Bao Tong was injured, she might not be able to control her emotions.
But Nan Shuang dared not say anything more, nor did she dare linger in Jiangyun Pavilion. She simply curtsied to Meng Wan and then fled Jiangyun Pavilion with the rest of the maids.
--
Not long after Nan Shuang left, Mu Ci returned with the imperial physician. At the same time, Meng Wan also sent someone to Qingyuxuan to inquire about the news.
Since Baotong is currently unconscious, we certainly won't be able to get any information from her. If we want to know what happened, we can only try to find out first.
They had run so fast that they were now out of breath, and the imperial physician was also panting heavily. For a long time, he could only lean against the door frame and do nothing but catch his breath.
Meng Wan urged, "Doctor Hu, don't just stand there panting, come and see how Bao Tong is doing."
She remained unconscious and had lost so much blood that Meng Wan didn't even dare to check where she was injured, fearing that any movement would cause excruciating pain to her clothes and skin.
When Meng Wan spoke, the imperial physician dared not delay and hurriedly stepped forward to examine her, panting.
It was strange that blood gushed out; there was no blood on the back or buttocks. According to Consort Li, she had been beaten, but if she had been beaten, there shouldn't have been any blood on her back or buttocks.
The imperial physician was a man and could not examine Bao Tong's body, so he could only say, "Consort Li, could you please trouble your maid to examine her and see where she is injured?"
Meng Wan nodded and ordered someone to take the imperial physician out to rest before she and Mu Ci personally examined him.
Every movement was done with utmost care, for fear of touching Bao Tong's wound. Her upper body was unharmed, and her buttocks were also fine. However, when they pulled up her underwear to check, the obstruction at her knees startled both of them.
The area where her underwear was stuck together was a bloody mess; with the slightest movement, blood gushed out like a fountain. Even Bao Tong, who had been unconscious, couldn't help but groan.
Meng Wan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It wasn't a beating or a spanking; Baotong's two knees were clearly pierced by some sharp weapon, the bone itself being pierced through.
"Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician—" Mu Ci couldn't help but shout, wrapping Bao Tong in a brocade quilt, leaving only her two blood-soaked legs exposed. Even the most experienced imperial physicians, who had treated countless patients, were shocked by this sight.
An arrow pierced his knee—how ruthless!
"Imperial Physician, come quickly and take a look." Meng Wan's voice trembled uncontrollably. Just one glance at her blood-stained legs made her heart pound with horror.
The imperial physician rushed forward and examined her carefully. After a long while, he sighed softly, "Your Majesty, I can only do my best to save Miss Baotong's life. As for her legs, I'm afraid..."
He didn't say the rest, leaving it to Meng Wan and the others to understand. Meng Wan couldn't help but shudder, looking at the imperial physician before opening her mouth. Her voice seemed to come from afar, somewhat unreal: "Imperial Physician Hu, your medical skills are superb, is there really no way to help you?"
Physician Hu shook his head: "Forgive my bluntness, but Miss Baotong's injury was caused by an arrow that pierced her bone and damaged her bone marrow. I'm afraid even if Hua Tuo were alive today, he would not be able to cure her."
"Miss... how could this be?" Mu Ci's hands gripped Meng Wan's shoulders tightly, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string, impossible to wipe away.
Just then, Ying'er, the maid Meng Wan had sent to Qingyuxuan to gather information, returned. She was in such a hurry that her knees buckled as soon as she entered the room, and she pretended to kneel down: "Master, Master..."
She was also horrified. She had secretly slipped away to Qingyuxuan earlier, and the sight of so much blood in the courtyard almost scared her to death. Even now that she had returned to Jiangyun Pavilion, she was still feeling uneasy.
Meng Wan wiped her eyes and said, "Have you found out? What exactly happened? Get up and tell me slowly."
If that girl were Ying'er, she would usually be quite bold and easygoing. She would rarely be flustered like this, and she would rarely even be sad. She would always be laughing and joking.
But now, even though Meng Wan told her to get up, she only straightened up slightly before her legs went weak again.
Meng Wan quickly caught her, but she didn't know why she was so frightened.
Ying'er held onto Meng Wan's arm and it took her a while to stand up straight. Finally, she was able to recount what she had seen and heard.
“Ah Feng of Qingyu Pavilion is from my hometown. I just asked her about it and found out that the Crown Princess used Sister Baotong as a live target to practice archery. When I went there, although the targets had been put away, there was still a lot of blood in the courtyard. The scene really frightened me.”
Meng Wan's vision went black, and she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, almost causing her to fall. Fortunately, Mu Ci was there to support her from behind. She opened her mouth, but couldn't make a sound for a long time. The scene seemed to appear in her mind according to Ying'er's narration.
"A living target?" Changping actually used Baotong as a target; how could she be so cruel?
The atmosphere turned cold instantly, with only Ying'er's low sobs filling the room. Doctor Hu was also terrified, but dared not say a word, focusing instead on cleaning Bao Tong's wounds and applying medicine.
Meng Wan finally managed to stand up, glanced at Bao Tong on the bed whose face was pale and bloodless, and then frowned slightly: "Imperial Physician, Bao Tong's life is in your hands. Mu Ci, you stay here and take care of her."
Her tears had dried, and now she needed to seek justice for Baotong.
She wanted to personally ask Changping why he treated Baotong this way, why he was so cruel.
Just as she stepped out of the gate, she saw Huangfu Mi rushing towards her from afar. Upon seeing Meng Wan, he strode forward, embraced her tightly, and thoroughly checked her over. In the end, he couldn't help but feel worried.
"I just heard that Mu Ci hurriedly brought Physician Hu here. How are you? Are you feeling unwell?"
With such a gentle tone and concern, Meng Wan's tears welled up in her eyes, but she only shook her head: "I'm fine, it's just..." She glanced at the house, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a tightness in her chest, unable to catch her breath, and a deep sadness overwhelmed her.
"What's wrong? Why do you look so pale?" Huangfu Mi was startled by her expression and hurriedly asked.
Meng Wan sighed slightly: "It wasn't me, it was Bao Tong... Bao Tong, she..."
He didn't know how to begin the next sentence, and his heart choked with sobs. Huangfu Mi was startled.
"What's wrong with Baotong?" If something can make Meng Wan so upset, it must be something serious.
"Huangfu Mi, you must avenge Bao Tong." After finally calming herself down, Meng Wan bit her lip and spoke clearly, word by word: revenge, avenge Bao Tong. Her mind was filled with only these two words.