As the slanting sun spread over the courtyard, Yuwen Hao still had not entered the palace.
Yuan Qingling felt a little uneasy, this day had gone so smoothly, unlike anything since she traveled here.
After helping clean Fubao's wounds at night, Steward Chang told her to rest in the Western Warm Pavilion.
Yuan Qingling went out to the outer hall and saw the imperial carriage of Emperor Ming Yuan arrive at the palace gate. She hesitated, wondering if she should leave quickly or stay to greet him before leaving. But she saw a guard come up and say a couple words, and Emperor Ming Yuan's expression drastically changed as he immediately turned to leave.
He was leaving as soon as he reached the outer hall? Did something big happen?
Distracted, Yuan Qingling returned to the Western Warm Pavilion. Granny Xi came to change her bandages. Yuan Qingling washed herself with hot water and felt much more comfortable after washing her face.
After taking an anti-inflammatory pill, she went to bed.
She had been taking these pills for days, leaving her listless and tired. As soon as she hit the bed, her eyelids drooped.
She didn't even get a chance to wonder why Emperor Ming Yuan had come and gone.
In the middle of the night, Granny Xi woke her up.
Yuan Qingling rubbed her eyes and looked at Granny Xi standing there holding a lamp, an obscure sadness in her expression. Yuan Qingling practically leapt out of bed and hoarsely asked, "The Retired Emperor..."
"No, no!" Granny Xi immediately interrupted her. "Consort, get up and change clothes to leave the palace. Gu Si is waiting outside for you."
"Leave the palace?" Yuan Qingling was confused. What was this about leaving the palace in the middle of the night?
"Don't ask, just go!" Granny Xi pulled back her blankets. "Attend to the Consort and help her change."
Only then did Yuan Qingling see there were two other palace maids in the hall besides Granny Xi.
A cold wet towel was placed on her face. Granny Xi said, "The Consort must wake up a bit."
The cold shocked Yuan Qingling fully awake. She didn't ask any questions. Granny Xi was the Retired Emperor's person. Her leaving the palace must have been at his order.
Was the Retired Emperor angry with her?
So he was kicking her out in the middle of the night?
Outside, she saw a young man in silver armor with a sword at his waist waiting under the eaves. Seeing her come out, the guard bowed with his hands clasped. "Gu Si escorting the Consort out of the palace."
Yuan Qingling recognized him as Gu Si, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards.
He had been in charge of investigating Fubao's fall two days ago.
A thought struck her. Gu Si was escorting her out of the palace? If the Retired Emperor wanted to kick her out, he could have sent anyone. Yet he went through the trouble of sending the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards?
Still, she didn't ask any questions and followed Gu Si.
Gu Si walked very quickly. Yuan Qingling struggled to keep up, still falling quite a distance behind.
By the time they reached the palace gates, she was gasping for breath.
Outside the gates was a carriage with the horseman being none other than Tang Yang from her household.
Tang Yang dismounted and set down a mounting stool. He bowed and said, "Consort, please get on the carriage."
Without asking, Yuan Qingling stepped onto the stool and boarded the carriage.
Gu Si rode ahead while Tang Yang drove the carriage, heading swiftly along the dark road toward the Prince of Chu's estate.
The carriage moved quickly, bumping and jostling her. Yuan Qingling felt pain from her wounds, but was too anxious to care. Her heart was seized with an indescribable dread.
The carriage arrived at the Prince of Chu's estate and stopped. Tang Yang dismounted and opened the curtains to let Yuan Qingling down.
Two large glowing lanterns hung outside the gates of the Prince of Chu's estate, shrouded in mist.
Uneasy, Yuan Qingling misstepped, twisting her ankle. Gu Si quickly caught her. "Consort, be careful."
"Thank you!" Looking up, Yuan Qingling met Gu Si's cool gaze.
"Can you walk?" Gu Si released her and asked.
Yuan Qingling tested her foot. It really hurt, but she didn't let Gu Si support her. She limped inside.
Once inside, as they walked forward, Tang Yang finally said, "Two nights ago, the Prince was ambushed and gravely injured on his way out of the palace."
"How bad is it?" No wonder he hadn't come to the palace yesterday. It turned out he was attacked.
"At one point, he stopped breathing. He only came to after Prince Qi sent a Purple Gold Elixir. But he still hasn't woken up. Since last night, he's had a high fever, weak breath, and has coughed up blood twice already." Tang Yang said heavily.
"Why am I only being notified now?" Yuan Qingling asked urgently.
Still walking swiftly, Tang Yang said, "The Prince forbade notifying the palace. It was only last night when his condition became especially critical that we reported to His Majesty. We didn't expect the Retired Emperor to hear of this and ask about the situation. Then Steward Chang entered the palace to fetch the Consort by his order."
Tang Yang didn't know why the Retired Emperor had called for the Consort. Steward Chang only said she was the only one who could save the Prince.
Yuan Qingling didn't have time to wonder how the Retired Emperor knew. Recalling how the Emperor had come to the Celestial Hall last night only to leave again, she guessed the Prince's people must have gone to report.
Following behind, Gu Si couldn't help asking upon hearing Tang Yang, "Does the Consort know the Retired Emperor's intentions?"
"I don't know. Let me go see first." Yuan Qingling felt her foot aching badly and her heart panicking. Perhaps the original host's lingering emotions were at work.
Arriving at Yuwen Hao's Xiao Yue Pavilion, the head guardsman Xu Yi heard their footsteps and opened the door. The indistinct lamplight and bloody smell gushing out created a stifling, deathly atmosphere.
The bloody smell made Yuan Qingling's legs go soft. Reaching to steady herself on the door, it swung back with her push and she stumbled forward.
The Prince's maid Qi Luo hurriedly caught her. "Consort, be careful."
Yuan Qingling's forehead was cut and bled a little, making her head feel even heavier.
She was secretly annoyed with herself. What was wrong with her? It wasn't like she hadn't treated critically ill patients before. Why was she so flustered?
With great difficulty, she made it to the bedside and saw the person lying there. She gasped.
Was this...the Prince of Chu, Yuwen Hao?
A long gash ran from beside his left ear to his brow bone. The depth exposed the bone, the surrounding area swollen. His head was wrapped, clearly injured too.
His eyes were shut tight, his face as pale as rice paper, his lips colorless. He seemed to have no breath at all, like a dead man.
"Eighteen wounds. Two swords pierced his abdomen. Arms, legs, back, all injured," someone said quietly from the corner.
Yuan Qingling looked over and saw it was Prince Qi, his voice anguished.
Yuan Qingling sucked in another breath. Eighteen cuts, and he was still alive?
"Where are the imperial doctors?" She hoarsely asked. "Why haven't you summoned them?"
"They've already returned to the palace," Tang Yang heavily replied. He had been the one to escort the doctors back. They said even gods could not save him now, and he only had one breath left.
"Lift the blankets. Let me look at the wounds," Yuan Qingling immediately said.
Tang Yang came over and pulled back the covers. With his robes removed, only his lower abdomen and thighs were covered by a thin sheet. The wounds had been treated but were oozing blood, truly in critical condition.
Yuan Qingling bent down to check his breathing and heartbeat. His heart was very weak, occasionally stopping. Massive blood loss had led to heart failure.
