Chapter 162: Treat The Injury First
Blood dripped onto the young girl’s face, staining her cheeks, sliding down her neck, and soaking her collar.
The Emperor stood in place and also saw the blood, instantly feeling dizzy.
“Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician—” he shouted, his voice trembling, “Quick, someone come, someone come—”
The surroundings became noisy, with people and horses surging from all directions, and countless voices rushing over at the same time.
There were inquiring voices and reporting voices, but the loudest among them was still Captain Wei Jiao’s voice.
“Your Majesty, what crime should she be charged with?” he asked happily, “I caught her myself, and even the Empress deploying crossbow bolts couldn’t do anything…”
Deploying crossbow bolts, the Emperor’s brow twitched…
He was about to say something when the young girl’s scream rang out.
“Help, help—” Mo Zheng, pinned under Captain Wei Jiao, terrifiedly hugged her head, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me—”
Hearing the word “kill,” the Emperor’s face grew even paler. His lips trembled as he turned and shouted sternly outward, “All of you back off—no one approach, let the Imperial Physicians come—”
The soldiers, officials, military generals, and eunuchs who had originally gathered around all retreated. The accompanying Imperial Physicians hurriedly rushed over in panic.
“Quick, check her, quick, check her—” The Emperor pointed at the young girl covering her face on the ground, then pointed at Captain Wei Jiao who was still pressing down on her, “You, get off her now—”
Only then did Captain Wei Jiao roll over and kneel to the side. The Imperial Physicians surrounded the young girl on the ground, soothing her while examining her.
“How is she? How is she? Where is she injured?” the Emperor asked from the side.
“Your Majesty, this young lady is not injured—” an Imperial Physician hurriedly said.
The Emperor flew into a rage: “Then why is there so much blood on her!”
The Imperial Physicians tremblingly pointed at Captain Wei Jiao nearby: “Your Majesty, it should be the blood from Captain Wei.”
The Emperor was stunned, then looked at Captain Wei Jiao. Captain Wei Jiao sat on the ground, his hair disheveled, his clothes in disarray, his shoulder pierced by a crossbow bolt, but because of his black clothes, the blood soaking half his side was not noticeable…
He seemed to have just discovered he was hit by an arrow, his expression surprised. He reached to touch his shoulder, then opened his hand to reveal it full of blood.
Captain Wei Jiao let out a cry of alarm.
“Your Majesty.” He jumped up, his expression angry and aggrieved, “This stupid crossbowman actually shot the arrow into me!”
The Emperor looked at the arrow in his body and the blood on his hand, his expression complex. He moved his lips as if to say something, but swallowed it back, then once again sternly ordered the Imperial Physicians: “Quick, treat his injury!”
The Imperial Physicians hurriedly gathered around Captain Wei Jiao again.
Captain Wei Jiao lay on the ground crying out loudly, but the Emperor ignored him and looked at the young girl again.
The young girl was no longer screaming, but still covered her head and face with her sleeve, her body trembling.
“You…” The Emperor hesitated.
Noisy voices came from afar, with many people rushing over.
“Young Lady—”
“Miss Yang—A, A Luo—”
The Emperor looked up and saw a young man carrying a young girl galloping over. Behind them was Ling Yu, and farther away more people and horses, with the Empress among them.
The Emperor withdrew his gaze.
“Your Majesty—your subject from Duke Yongwu’s Mansion, Zhu Yunxiao—”
The young man’s voice came through.
Because His Majesty had just ordered everyone to back off, the soldiers were guarding the perimeter, and the people coming over were all stopped outside.
“Your subject has brought Miss Yang’s maidservant—”
Accompanying Zhu Yunxiao’s voice was a female voice crying out, “Young Lady—Young Lady—”
The Emperor was not interested in the Heir of Duke Yongwu or the maidservant at this moment. He did not look at them, only raised his hand and gestured: “Let that maidservant come take care of her young lady.”
……
…….
“Young Lady—”
Yang Luo was let in and immediately saw the blood on Mo Zheng, tears streaming down like rain.
Mo Zheng had told her in advance that they couldn’t come for nothing this time and needed to find a way to see the Emperor.
When she saw the startled horse at the polo field, it was still fine, knowing it must be Mo Zheng’s ploy, but as Mo Zheng swept Chai Wan’er toward the Emperor’s location, she began to be afraid.
It was not easy to get close to the Emperor, with heavy defenses.
See, she was indeed injured.
She knelt beside Mo Zheng and had just begun to shed tears when she felt Mo Zheng pinch her hand.
“A Sheng, I was scared to death.” Mo Zheng choked out, then hugged her and whispered in her ear, “Cry loudly.”
Cry loudly—this reminder brought Yang Luo back to her senses.
This was not the time to be sad.
Yang Luo burst into loud sobs: “Young Lady, I was also scared to death. Madam is already dead, if anything happens to you, what will this servant do?”
Watching the two young girls hugging and crying loudly, listening to the maidservant’s words, the Emperor standing nearby turned pale.
“Junior Sister, Junior Sister, A Luo—” Ling Yu’s shout came from outside, “Your Majesty, the Empress disregarded human life and injured Miss Yang—”
The Emperor took a deep breath and turned to walk outward. Seeing the Emperor approach, Zhu Yunxiao hurriedly paid respects.
“Your Majesty.” Ling Yu showed no gentlemanly demeanor and did not pay respects, his expression angry, “Just a startled horse, and the Empress actually deployed crossbowmen—what, to save someone or to murder?”
At this time, the Empress also arrived surrounded by a crowd.
“Your Majesty.” She did not refute Ling Yu’s words, her face somber, “Wan’er was rescued, and she said Miss Yang deliberately struck her, causing the startled horse.”
“Miss Chai is talking nonsense!”
Before she finished speaking, Libationer Wang Zaitian, who had jumped down from his horse behind her, shouted.
The Empress sneered inwardly—this “Miss Chai talking nonsense” seemed aimed at Chai Wan’er, but was actually scolding her.
“…The injuries on Miss Chai were from her own whip, and the Chai family members acknowledged it—it was Miss Chai’s own whip.”
“…The whip was snatched by Yang Luo!”
“…Why did Yang Luo snatch Miss Chai’s whip?”
“…That would be a question for…”
“Young Lady—Young Lady—quick, someone come, my young lady has fainted—”
Amid the noisy voices, the maidservant’s crying shout rang out again.
The arguing voices immediately stopped, and everyone looked toward the field, while the Emperor had already turned around.
“Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician.” He ordered.
The three Imperial Physicians around Captain Wei Jiao hurriedly went to check the young girl who had fainted on the ground…
“Captain Wei has also fainted—”
An Embroidered Uniform Guard who had come over to tend to Captain Wei Jiao also shouted.
The three Imperial Physicians hurriedly split one off to check Captain Wei Jiao.
The Emperor looked over here. Captain Wei Jiao was covered in blood, and it was inconvenient to remove the crossbow bolt now, so they could only simply stop the bleeding. The three Imperial Physicians, hands and bodies covered in blood, then went to check the young girl…
“Enough!” He turned and ordered, “Quickly return to the temporary palace to treat injuries and save people.”
With that, he looked at the Empress and Wang Zaitian, his face somber.
“As for exactly what happened, we’ll inquire back at the temporary palace.”
The Empress lowered her eyes, and Wang Zaitian bowed.
……
…….
Back at the temporary palace, the injured—Captain Wei Jiao, Yang Luo, and Chai Wan’er—were separately settled, with Imperial Physicians diagnosing and examining them respectively.
The Emperor sat with the Empress in the palace hall inquiring into the details.
Chai family members, Princess Pingcheng, and the companion reader ladies all came to be questioned.
Wang Zaitian and Ling Yu were also present.
“She is my disciple, and I had her come.” Wang Zaitian said, “Whatever happens to her, I take responsibility.”
Ling Yu stood behind Wang Zaitian, his expression cold: “Teacher had Miss Yang come to write an essay, but last night’s essay from Miss Yang was not delivered.”
Princess Pingcheng was about to say something when the Empress interjected.
“This palace saw the essay.” she said, “Even had the noble ladies pass it around to read, but it was accidentally splashed with wine. I was planning to have Miss Yang copy it out again after the hunt and present it to Your Majesty.”
Ling Yu looked at the Empress: “What a coincidence?”
“Yes, just that coincidental.” the Empress said, looking at this young scholar with a half-smile, “Does Dr. Ling want this palace to cut open my heart to prove it?”
“Enough!” The Emperor patted the desk, “Talk about today’s events, not yesterday’s.”
With that, he looked at Princess Pingcheng.
“Pingcheng, you tell what happened.”
Princess Pingcheng answered yes: “Today your daughter had everyone play polo together….” She recounted taking out the Emperor’s reward, Chai Wan’er bringing people to join and compete for first place and the reward.
After she finished, the companion reader ladies present all spoke up to corroborate.
“…I didn’t know she could ride and shoot; she never told me at home…”
“…At the time everyone on the field was busy competing for the hunt, I didn’t notice what happened to them…”
The voices of the women in the hall rose and fell. The Emperor sat above, his expression somewhat dazed.
Actually, he did not care what they were saying, nor did he care about the truth of the incident. He was thinking about that scene just now.
That scene just now was too sudden.
To the point that he was still dazed now.
That girl he had always avoided seeing was thrown right in front of him by Captain Wei Jiao.
Her face…
The Emperor’s mind again conjured up the girl’s face.
He couldn’t help the sourness in his nose.
She didn’t look like A Tong at all; she must take after that accountant mister!
