"The Emperor has been shot! Guards, come and save His Majesty—!"
Someone among the Imperial Guards shouted. Reinforcements from the palace had already arrived, and seeing that their objective had been accomplished, the remaining assassins quickly began to retreat.
The hidden arrow was poisoned, and Li Mexiao did not last long before collapsing. A sharp, burning pain pierced his chest, yet his mind remained crystal clear. Try as he might, he could not understand why he had suddenly been hit by the arrow when he had been on his guard.
"Your Highness... Your Highness!"
Li Fuyin's voice rang out once more. She lunged toward him, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face as she cried out loudly, "Why did Your Highness push me away? I only came to help Your Highness! If Your Highness hadn't pushed me aside, you wouldn't have been hurt... I was willing to take the arrow for Your Highness—I wish the one struck by the arrow had been me!"
"You... I..."
Li Mexiao's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the tearful woman before him, pouring her heart out with such apparent sincerity. A suffocating tightness gripped his chest. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat like a fishbone, leaving him unable to utter a single complete sentence!
Who asked for her help in the first place?!
If Song Yunqing hadn't suddenly appeared just now, he never would have been distracted, let alone wounded!
Yet here she was, claiming she had been willing to take the arrow for him?
That position just now... She had suddenly appeared in his path. If he had stood completely still, that arrow truly would have struck her. But instead, he had pushed her away without the slightest hesitation!
Because of this, not only could he not blame her for causing him to get shot, but he was now even forced to owe her a debt of gratitude for shielding him with her body!
"Pfft... Cough, cough, cough..."
Watching the perfectly unharmed Song Yunqing weeping dramatically beside him, Li Mexiao was so infuriated that he coughed up a mouthful of black blood. Spots danced before his eyes, and he nearly passed out on the spot.
Fortunately, Bai Xiyue hurried over at that moment. She took a pill from her tunic, pressed it into Li Mexiao's mouth, and said with absolute calm, "Your Highness, do not panic. This pill can neutralize a hundred poisons. Even if it cannot completely cure you, it will at least temporarily suppress the toxin."
Hearing Bai Xiyue's voice, Li Mexiao let out a sigh of relief and swallowed the pill without hesitation. Sure enough, the toxicity immediately began to subside.
He opened his eyes, gazed at Bai Xiyue with profound sincerity, and rasped, "Thank... you..."
Bai Xiyue shook her head. Her gaze dropped to the wound on his chest as she said gravely, "The arrow has not yet been pulled out, and the wound has not been treated. Your Highness need not offer thanks at a time like this."
Li Mexiao fell silent, his burning gaze fixed intently on Bai Xiyue. The emotion in his eyes grew increasingly fervent, scarcely hidden any longer.
Watching Li Mexiao's deeply affectionate gaze, Li Fuyin almost failed to hold back her laughter. A moment ago, he had looked terrified of death and trembled violently; the moment Bai Xiyue arrived, he immediately cast all thoughts of life and death to the winds.
"Sister, you simply must save His Highness... You must not let anything happen to him!" With that, Li Fuyin threw herself forward, pressing directly down upon Li Mexiao's wound as she frantically tried to staunch the bleeding. Yet her clumsy fumbling "accidentally" brushed against the shaft of the arrow, causing an even greater surge of blood to spill from the wound.
Li Mexiao let out a muffled groan, gritting his teeth hard to keep his expression from twisting in agony. He clenched his jaw, desperately wanting to tell Li Fuyin to get lost, but the pain robbed him of his voice, and he lacked the strength to push her away. All he could do was curse her silently in his heart.
Why was this damned woman so utterly stupid, so infuriating, and yet completely oblivious to it all?!
The commander of the Forbidden Army arrived with a large detachment of guards, temporarily stabilizing the situation, though none of the assassins were captured alive.
Lin Xun finally appeared by Li Mexiao's side and said, "His Highness Prince Ning is not lightly injured. It would be better to return to the palace for now; I will summon the imperial physicians to treat you."
With that, he prepared to order the guards to carry Li Mexiao away.
"Lord Grand Preceptor, wait a moment."
Bai Xiyue stood up, looked at Lin Xun, and said with utmost seriousness, "This humble subject dares to speak the unvarnished truth: while the Imperial Hospital might be able to treat Prince Ning's arrow wound, as for the poison coursing through his veins, I fear there is only one person in this entire world who can cure it—and that is myself!"
As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar erupted among the surrounding crowd.
Hearing this, many people cast astonished glances at Bai Xiyue, clearly never expecting any woman in this world to be so arrogant as to claim her medical skills surpassed those of the Imperial Hospital.
Hearing this, Lin Xun's cold gaze landed upon her, and he asked, "Is that so? Then the young lady means to say that you can cure Prince Ning?"
"I can." Bai Xiyue replied with absolute confidence, without the slightest hesitation.
Lin Xun fell silent, appearing to weigh whether or not to trust her.
At that moment, Li Mexiao mustered his remaining strength and rasped, "This prince... trusts... Miss Xiyue..."
"Very well." Lin Xun hesitated no longer and gave a direct order, "Then take His Highness Prince Ning to the Marquis of Yongan's Estate. If Miss Bai has any other requirements, she may inform this lord at any time."
Since Li Mexiao was seriously injured, Bai Xiyue boarded the same carriage with him, escorted by several Imperial Guards as they headed back to the Marquis of Yongan's Estate in advance.
Li Fuyin originally wanted to board the carriage as well, but Bai Xiyue chased her down, leaving her with no choice but to find another way back to the estate.
It was now the dead of night. The onlookers and the ministers and noble consorts at the rear of the procession had already dispersed, leaving only the palace funeral procession and a scattering of military generals.
Naturally, Li Fuyin did not dare approach Lin Xun at a time like this. After all, she was merely the most unremarkable second young lady of the Marquis's estate; once the dazzling Bai Xiyue was out of sight, she could easily fade into the background, and no one would pay her any mind.
And this exact moment was her chance to approach the imperial female official, He Ran.
Because Li Fuyin still remembered... on this very day in her past life, after returning to the palace, He Ran had drained a cup of poisoned wine and died to follow her sovereign in death.
At that time, Li Fuyin had been nothing more than a lonely ghost, utterly powerless to save He Ran, forced to watch helplessly as she perished. Now, naturally, she would never allow herself to lose He Ran again.
Li Fuyin did not expect to have a lengthy conversation with He Ran right away; she only needed to get close enough to slip her a token so that He Ran would know she was still alive. After all, she now wore a completely different body. Unless she appeared in person, even if Lin Xun told her the truth, He Ran would never believe it.
Taking advantage of the cover of night, Li Fuyin quietly crept closer toward He Ran...
At this moment, under the Grand Preceptor Lin Xun's orders, the honor guard was preparing to return to the palace. He Ran still clutched the funerary objects in her arms, her eyes lifeless and her expression numb, as if the tumultuous events that had just unfolded had nothing to do with her whatsoever.
Because she was the Eldest Princess's most trusted confidante and had seen with her own eyes how Li Fuyin's breath had ceased, her body growing stiff and devoid of life, she would naturally never suspect that Li Fuyin was still alive simply because the coffin was empty.
Whether the casket was actually buried mattered little to her now; she was nothing more than a walking corpse. As the honor guard headed back to the palace, she simply followed them back in a daze.
Amidst the darkness, no one noticed that a petite figure had slipped into the chaotic honor guard, edging closer and closer to He Ran...
Until only a single step separated the two of them, and Li Fuyin quietly reached out her hand, intending to grab He Ran's arm—
Suddenly, a brilliant flash of colorful fire streaked across her eyes, moving with lightning speed—too fast for anyone to react!
The hand Li Fuyin had just extended clutched at empty air.
Just a fraction of a second... He Ran, who had been within arm's reach, vanished into thin air right before her eyes.
"Li Fuyin!"
Rong Qi's cold, unruly voice echoed down from above. With one hand he wielded a long whip, while with the other he held He Ran hostage. A sinister, mocking smirk curved his lips as he said, "This prince knows you didn't die. I will give you one day to consider. Before midnight tomorrow... either you come and save her yourself, or... this prince will kill the most loyal female official by your side!"
With that, without waiting for anyone to react, he flicked his figure and vanished with He Ran into the dark end of the street.
"Clatter—"
The funerary objects that He Ran had been holding slipped from the rooftop, tumbling slowly until they rolled right to Li Fuyin's feet...