Both surprised and delighted, he turned to look and saw Feng Su Zhen emerge from the weeds ahead, her hair disheveled, running urgently toward them: “Qinglong, Lian Yu, Lian Yu… is everyone alright?”
Su Zhen’s “alright” also froze on her lips as her footsteps slowed, stopping somewhat bewildered several steps away from everyone.
“How did Miss Gu get injured?”
The deeply mournful and somber expression on Lian Yu’s face made her heart inexplicably tremble. She couldn’t quite make out the situation clearly. After pausing and seeing that Shuangcheng’s eyes were closed and her injuries severe, though she didn’t like Shuangcheng, human life was at stake, so she still asked with some concern.
“Yes.” Lian Yu glanced at her and nodded: “As long as you’re fine. We must return to the palace immediately to treat her injuries. Other matters can be discussed later. Qinglong, send people to find Xuanwu and the others, count casualties. Also, these criminals are not to be handed to the Capital Prefecture or the Ministry of Justice—take them directly to the palace. I want to interrogate them personally. The rest of you escort me back to the palace first. The enemy is formidable with unclear background—this place isn’t suitable for a long stay.”
“This subordinate receives the order.” Qinglong and the warriors immediately responded.
Su Zhen’s heart wrenched violently! He was very calm about her sudden return, and didn’t seem to show much… joy either.
This person didn’t show much confusion, which she could understand—after all, he was accustomed to weathering storms. But his calm indifference toward her made her feel very uncomfortable.
Was it… because he was worried about Miss Gu’s injuries?
Indeed, she was A Luo’s sister and was injured. No matter how much she disliked this romantic rival, she should distinguish between important and trivial matters and not trouble him at this moment. She was about to agree when she heard Shuangcheng say softly: “She’s returned. Won’t you go see her?”
Upon hearing this, Lian Yu almost immediately replied: “Your injuries are most important right now. Overthinking is harmful. Whether you blame me for other things after you recover, none of that matters.”
“Qinglong, you’re responsible for looking after Judge Li’s safety on the road. A Luo, let’s go back now.”
Su Zhen had wanted to step forward to his side to check his injuries—his blood-covered appearance was truly alarming. But hearing these words, her feet seemed rooted to the ground, unable to move forward anymore!
That wasn’t the tone of a brother-in-law caring for his sister-in-law. Though it sounded like scolding, it was actually coaxing.
A Luo.
These two words suddenly exploded in her mind!
She stared unblinkingly at the two of them, not even hearing when Lian Yu said, “Li Huaisu, you should also enter the palace. Your Court of Judicial Review is temporarily unsafe.”
After giving these instructions, Lian Yu turned and proceeded without further hesitation. The warriors were all his devoted guards and immediately surrounded the two of them protectively in the center.
Lian Yu didn’t look back, but Shuangcheng glanced at her indifferently. Though severely injured with furrowed brows, there was no provocative meaning in her eyes, but that sense of belonging made Su Zhen want to rush forward and pull her out of Lian Yu’s arms!
“Judge Li, please.”
It wasn’t until Qinglong approached and quietly called to her that Su Zhen trembled all over, as if awakening from a dream.
But her feet felt leaden, unable to move even half a step. How could Shuangcheng have become A Luo?!
“Judge Li, let’s go. Why aren’t you walking?”
Ahead, Lian Yu walked extremely fast and had already gone far. Seeing Su Zhen still standing in place without moving a step, Qinglong called to her urgently twice more.
“I can’t walk very well. Please wait for me a moment.”
His feelings were complex—both impatient yet somehow pitying this woman. After a long while, he finally heard her speak softly.
“Oh…” Such polite Li Huaisu suddenly felt unfamiliar to Qinglong.
Su Zhen also felt that everything that had happened in the weedy ground seemed frozen by some spell, with everyone’s movements so slow. Yet after returning to the palace, everything happened too quickly, making her dizzy and forcing her to hold her breath and observe carefully, otherwise her mind would go blank.
Lian Yu carried Shuangcheng into the palace on horseback, instructing Qinglong along the way to suppress news of the incident, not to alarm the Empress Dowager, and not to let word of the “horse-tying pavilion” incident leak outside the palace. He also had people immediately summon imperial physicians to the Emperor’s bedchamber.
Ming Yanchu rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing Lian Yu, he cried out in alarm and nearly jumped up in anxiety.
Several imperial physicians also hurried over afterward.
However, only the old Director was on duty in the palace at the time. It would be too late to send people outside the palace to summon the Deputy Director. Naturally, the Director, whose medical skills were more advanced, should treat Lian Yu, but Lian Yu insisted he treat Shuangcheng while other physicians handled his own treatment.
He gave up the bed to Shuangcheng and refused to leave, staying firmly by the bedside. Ming Yanchu was so anxious he nearly cried, so he had eunuchs move a soft couch from within the room. Together with Qinglong, they lifted him onto it. This minister was indeed a meticulous person—out of consideration for Lian Yu’s woman, he also instructed eunuchs to bring several screens, arranging them starting from below Lian Yu’s shoulder position, creating a barrier that left only the old Director and two high-ranking palace ladies who were cleaning and washing Shuangcheng inside. This way, if Lian Yu craned his neck slightly, he could see Shuangcheng without exposing her body to others.
Lian Yu’s shoulder blade and foot injuries were extremely severe. Fortunately, this was in the palace with the most skilled doctors in the realm, precious muscle-healing and bone-mending ointments, thousand-year ginseng and lingzhi to regulate breathing and restore vitality. Having returned in time, they were able to reconnect the tendons and bones. However, these hands and feet would inevitably develop inflammation in the future, causing extreme pain when encountering wind and rain.
Lian Yu didn’t care, only giving a very faint “mm” before urging the physicians to work faster, his eyes fixed tightly on the other side of the screen throughout.
The shadows were indistinct, candlelight outlining everyone’s silhouettes hazily. Except for the weak groans Shuangcheng made when the old Director treated her wounds, the room was excessively quiet, making everyone’s nerves taut, until Lian Qin, Xuanwu, Baihu and others returned.
Xuanwu’s group was fortunate—though they lost track of Lian Yu midway, they ultimately suffered no losses. However, the guards with Lian Qin and Baihu suffered heavy casualties. Some were killed by arrows and crossbows, some wounded in fighting. At the Court of Judicial Review, Wu Qing was severely injured and unconscious, later found in the weeds. Xiao Zhou was lightly wounded. Fortunately, Lian Yu had ordered Qinglong to send people to arrive in time. The eagle-eyed man abandoned her and immediately led his people to flee, allowing her to escape the same fate as Wu Qing.
The Court of Judicial Review members had temporarily returned to their headquarters, with Wu Qing being treated by the medically skilled Xiao Zhou.
While receiving treatment, Lian Yu listened to the reports and gave orders to heavily guard the assassins in prison, absolutely preventing a repeat of the mysterious deaths of the Court of Judicial Review assassins. Additionally, now that Judge Li had escaped danger, they should immediately conduct mountain searches to find traces of the two mysterious masterminds—the shrine man and the eagle-eyed man.
Lian Qin and the three attendants immediately acknowledged the orders. This incident was of great importance—with court evils not yet eliminated and new enemies added, who wouldn’t feel anxious? Both angry and worried, they naturally dared not be negligent!
Su Zhen kept staring at Lian Yu’s indistinct profile behind the screen. Hearing about Wu Qing’s injury, she jerked in shock. When she saw Lian Yu finish giving orders and was about to ask him to let her return to the residence briefly, Lian Yu’s gaze darkened ominously as he suddenly sat up, saying sternly: “What does that expression mean? The young lady’s injuries can’t be treated?”
“If she can’t be saved, forget about you—the entire Imperial Medical Academy and your nine generations will all die!”
By the final words, his voice had become ruthlessly decisive. Su Zhen thought he must have seen that the old Director’s expression wasn’t very good.
The old Director was so frightened he immediately came out, not bothering to wipe his hands, and knelt before Lian Yu with bloodied hands, trembling as he replied: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This humble minister has finished treating the young lady’s wounds. Though the wounds are deep, fortunately they just barely missed vital areas by half an inch—her life is saved. Your Majesty, please be completely at ease. It’s just that the young lady’s constitution is weak, and she has lost considerable blood this time. Her body will inevitably struggle to return to its original state, and she will certainly have lasting ailments. This minister is pondering how best to prescribe medicine for gradual adjustment.”
Only then did Lian Yu’s expression clear: “Who told you, old slave, not to speak properly? Prescribe medicine carefully—not the slightest carelessness allowed, understand!”
After speaking, disregarding that the physician had just reset his broken bone and was still securing it with splints, he got up from the couch and walked to Shuangcheng’s bed.
At this time, A Luo’s surgery was complete. Ming Yanchu thoughtfully had the screens removed, and the physicians stepped forward tremblingly to continue bandaging the Emperor.
Lian Yu sat on the bed and saw that Shuangcheng was exhausted to the extreme but kept her eyes open, refusing to sleep. He couldn’t help frowning as he grasped her hand, gently scolding: “Why won’t you sleep? You need rest.”
“I don’t dare fall asleep. I’m afraid that once I sleep, this beautiful dream will end and you’ll disappear, like countless times before.” Shuangcheng smiled bitterly.
Lian Yu reached out to stroke her cheek: “It’s my fault for not recognizing you earlier, making you suffer. I’m not going anywhere—I’ll stay right here with you. I guarantee that when you open your eyes, the first person you see will be me.”
Shuangcheng’s eyes reddened, seeming to want to say something more, but ultimately didn’t speak. With Lian Yu’s keen perception, he said gently: “Tell me when you wake up—no rush. We have a lifetime.”
Shuangcheng nodded. Lian Yu helped her up, letting her rest her head on his knee. Shuangcheng smiled slightly. Her body was exhausted to the extreme—she had been desperately holding on to avoid fainting. Now hearing these words, her heart relaxed and she could no longer maintain consciousness, closing her eyes to rest.
Below, the physicians and Lian Yu’s attendants watched anxiously. This Emperor also needed rest—how could he stay up all night like this!
So the old Director, disregarding his near brush with annihilation earlier, knelt down together with the other physicians and Lian Yu’s three attendants.
“Your Majesty, this absolutely cannot be done.”
Everyone declared in unison. Baihu, disregarding her shoulder wound, knelt and crawled forward step by step, supporting herself with her hands on the ground, pleading: “Master, let this subordinate stay to care for the young lady. You go rest for one night, and tomorrow morning—”
Before she could finish, a white blade flashed swiftly through the air. She couldn’t help screaming in pain. Everyone looked to see a broken arrowhead had pierced through her left palm.
By the bedside, Lian Yu’s hand was slightly raised.
That was precisely the arrowhead the old Director had removed from Shuangcheng’s body and placed on the small table’s tray!
Baihu was shocked, looking at her master in disbelief.
“Master, why did you… what did this subordinate do wrong?”
“If I’m not mistaken, you were the one who disguised the young lady as an accompanying guard and brought her along, weren’t you? Later, when both sides fought, you only focused on leading people against the enemy without properly watching the young lady, causing her to quietly leave and find the ruined shrine, wasn’t it also you?”
“I… this subordinate…” Baihu’s face turned deathly pale as she heavily kowtowed: “This subordinate deserves death ten thousand times over.”
Everyone was alarmed. There had been too many mysteries today—like the origins of this group of formidable enemies, why Xuanwu and others were trapped in the weeds (was there really such thing as mystical formations in this world?), how Feng Su Zhen could return safely, and A Luo’s appearance. Now the matter of A Luo had been revealed by Lian Yu in just a few words—they hadn’t expected it to be such a situation.
Xuanwu and Qinglong drew sharp breaths. No one dared plead with Lian Yu for Baihu. Even Lian Qin, who had never known sorrow, sighed softly.
Lian Yu’s brows still carried a fierce expression as he stared coldly at Baihu.
“Your Majesty,” Shuangcheng awakened with difficulty and spoke with effort, “please forgive Tiger no matter what. I begged her desperately, and she took pity on me and brought me along. If you insist on punishing her today, I…”
“I don’t want to hear you make any more vows about yourself. Fine, I agree to your request.” Before she could finish, Lian Yu’s brow darkened as he stopped her, though the coldness in his eyes didn’t diminish: “Baihu, how can you bring someone without martial arts when executing a mission? This is discipline. What use do I have for someone who can’t even follow discipline? Considering A Luo pleaded for you, considering you’ve followed me for many years, the death penalty can be forgiven, but you cannot escape punishment. This arrowhead—you may only remove it for treatment after the young lady recovers. Additionally, your position is terminated. You’ll be assigned to Xuanwu’s group and follow his orders from now on.”
“Yes, this subordinate acknowledges the error and thanks Master for the mercy of not executing me, and thanks Master A Luo for pleading for me.” Baihu kowtowed tearfully. Being quite resolute herself, she didn’t beg for mercy regarding the arrow removal.
The temporary storm passed, and the hall once again fell into terrible silence. Lian Yu looked toward everyone, his gaze finally slowly settling on Su Zhen.
Everyone also quietly turned complex gazes toward Su Zhen.
“Little Chu, take Judge Li to rest. The accommodation needs strict security. Xuanwu, personally lead people to guard her.” He said.
Mentioning Su Zhen, Shuangcheng slowly opened her eyes again.
Su Zhen, who had been standing in the corner without making a sound, stepped forward upon hearing this, lifted her robes and knelt down properly, replying: “Your Majesty, this minister would like to return to the Court of Judicial Review first to check on Wu Qing. He was injured because of me, and I feel uneasy.”
“No. Such a trip involves many inconveniences, requiring personnel deployment for protection—too many tasks. You’ll stay in the palace for now.” Lian Yu refused.
“Your Majesty, what if I insist?” Su Zhen raised her head and met his gaze.
Lian Yu’s eyes suddenly darkened as he said coldly: “If you won’t accept courtesy, then I’ll have someone lock you up here.”