Chapter 17

The hunt officially began, Xiao Yin rode his horse and left together with the hunting party.

For some reason, Gu Jiu Ling always felt a little anxious.

That arrow Xiao Yin had just shot at the Third Prince probably aroused much displeasure; this grudge is now formed.

"Imperial Aunt, don't worry, Ninth Imperial Uncle is skilled at archery and horsemanship; nothing will go wrong."

Suddenly a timid, soft voice came from behind Gu Jiu Ling; the tone was very fine, and because of nervousness it trembled slightly.

Gu Jiu Ling hastily turned her body to locate the sound and saw it was the ever-low-profile Princess Fuqing.

Princess Fuqing still had two years before her coming-of-age ceremony; her mother, Consort Ling, held a low rank and had once been a palace maid, and by chance she was favored by Emperor Longqing after drinking, resulting in this daughter.

Mother and daughter merely survived in the imperial harem, just trying to stay alive; once Consort Ling offended Consort Duan and nearly got beaten to death, but fortunately Xiao Yin entered the palace and saved them.

Although she was still underage, her figure had already developed; her appearance carried a touch of stunning beauty, her chin with baby fat making her truly adorable.

Gu Jiu Ling smiled at her; Princess Fuqing dared not speak more, slipping back a little, her mother saying they should just stay mute in this vast harem.

In this cold world, Gu Jiu Ling rarely encountered a hint of kindness, and her heart felt less burdened than before.

Seeing the sun's shadow shift westward, the hunting party should return with game to be rewarded.

Unexpectedly, the imperial guards rushed over carrying a person drenched in blood, while the aristocratic youths following behind all wore faces of complex panic, even a hint of excitement.

When the situation suddenly changed, those waiting here all rose to their feet, wondering if someone had been injured in the hunt.

Everyone turned their gaze toward that blood-soaked figure, and upon seeing his face clearly, they were all greatly shocked.

"Isn't that Tuo Ba Yu?"

"How could it be him?"

"The hostage from Bei Di?"

"Why did he also go hunting?"

Emperor Longqing's expression shifted slightly; the Bei Di hostage being injured is a major trouble.

Bei Di is already stirring at the border, just needing a pretext to launch troops; although Tuo Ba Yu is a discarded son of Bei Di, no matter how useless he is, he remains a usable pawn.

"Quick! Summon the imperial physicians!" Emperor Longqing panicked; nowadays Southern Qi's strength is not what it once was, insufficient for a life-and-death showdown with Bei Di.

If the Bei Di little prince were to die on Southern Qi's hunting grounds now, it would give Bei Di a perfect pretext to provoke war.

The accompanying imperial physicians hurried to Tuo Ba Yu's side, only to see him lying face-up on a makeshift board of branches, already unconscious, an arrow shaft deeply embedded in his chest, blood continuously seeping out.

Several imperial physicians instantly panicked, all kneeling before Emperor Longqing: "Your Majesty, the hostage prince may not survive!"

"That arrowhead pierced straight through the heart; we are powerless!!"

"What?" Emperor Longqing sprang to his feet, his face drastically changing.

The Son of Heaven flew into a rage; nobody around dared to remain seated, all dropping to their knees.

For a moment the atmosphere grew oppressive to the extreme; Tuo Ba Yu was a burden alive, and even dead he remained a trouble—everyone knew the consequences of his death here, just thinking about it sent chills.

"Speak! What exactly happened?" Emperor Longqing's face turned ashen.

It was merely a hunt; how could someone shoot and kill the Bei Di prince? These people are increasingly disregarding this emperor.

"Your Majesty!!" Deputy Commander Yun Hong of the Embroidered Uniform Guard examined the arrowhead in Tuo Ba Yu's chest, a strange expression flitting across his face as he looked toward Xiao Yin standing not far away.

Given such a major incident, Xiao Yin and his group had no choice but to return.

Everyone noticed the strange expression on Yun Hong's face and also turned their gazes toward Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin's face sank coldly, he gave a soft laugh: "Speak if you have something to say, let it out if you have gas—be careful I'll gouge out your eyes!"

Yun Hong's face changed, yet he forced himself to kowtow to Emperor Longqing: "Your Majesty, the arrow shaft on the hostage prince bears the insignia of Prince Rui's manor!"

As soon as his words fell, an uproar erupted all around.

"Good heavens, could Tuo Ba Yu have been shot dead by Xiao Yin?"

"It's possible; back then Xiao Yin was defeated by Bei Di's iron cavalry in Qi Sha Gu, only he escaped alive, hating the Bei Di royal family to death—who else could it be?"

"Yes, yes, when everyone is counted, the one who hates Tuo Ba Yu most is none other than Xiao Yin!"

"Could this person be mad? He just nearly shot the Third Prince, and now he's killed the hostage prince."

"Hehe, you all know it—since that incident seven years ago, he's been a lunatic!"

A flicker of killing intent passed through Emperor Longqing's brows as he coldly gazed at his own younger brother Xiao Yin: "Won't you give me an explanation?"

Xiao Yin's face turned dark iron, he lifted his head to look at Emperor Longqing: "Your subject, I, did not kill anyone!"

Xiao Wei, standing nearby, lightly laughed: "Imperial Uncle, you were riding with us just now—where did you go off to?"

"Oh, Imperial Uncle's archery is superb—did you go hunting alone?"

Emperor Longqing's eyelids twitched violently as he fixed a hard stare on Xiao Yin: "Seize him!"

"Your Majesty!!" Gu Jiu Ling hurried to Emperor Longqing's side, "Your Majesty, I wish to examine the hostage prince's wound!"

Gu Jiu Ling now had no time for anything else; if Xiao Yin were convicted and thrown into prison, she would be in trouble.

Who knows what tactics those people might use against her; her status cannot withstand it, and besides, she has a child in her belly who cannot endure such torment.

Xiao Yin did not expect Gu Jiu Ling to rush forward at such a critical moment; his handsome brows furrowed slightly, and a complex shade appeared in his eyes.

Gu Jiu Ling kowtowed to Emperor Longqing: "Your Majesty, I know a little medicine; please let me have a look."

Emperor Longqing fixed a hard stare on this woman, wondering if she had gone mad.

A woman from Shang Jing with a terrible reputation, who usually knows nothing—when would she ever have medical skill?

Without waiting for Emperor Longqing to speak, she rose and hurried straight to Tuo Ba Yu's front.

Tuo Ba Yu had already gone into shock from excessive blood loss; she hurriedly felt his neck, detecting a faint pulse, and a flash of joy crossed her eyes—there was still hope!

She hurriedly turned, bowed to Emperor Longqing, and said: "Your Majesty, there's no time to lose; please allow me to try—the hostage prince still has a chance!"

"Father Emperor! This woman is consistently shameless, loving to play deceitful tricks—what medical skill could she possibly have?" Princess Changping said coldly, laughing loudly.

"Her usual foolishness is plain for all to see—how could she possibly cure anyone? It's utterly absurd!"

"Your Majesty!" Gu Nanxiang stepped forward timidly, bowing to Emperor Longqing, "My elder sister was previously divorced by the Crown Prince, she has always been mentally ill, my elder sister..."

Gu Nanxiang pressed her lips, leaving the rest unsaid; the people around suddenly realized—could it be that Gu Jiu Ling's madness had flared up?

Emperor Longqing grew even more vexed and irritable—what time is it now, and even idle onlookers have come to stir up trouble.

"Drag them away!"

"Your Majesty!!" Gu Jiu Ling lifted her gaze, staring fixedly at Emperor Longqing, her eyes gaining a hint of resoluteness.

"I am not mad! I truly know medicine; I merely lived in the inner quarters of the deep palace before, so it was inconvenient to display it."

"Now everyone says that my husband, Prince Rui, killed the hostage; I beg to restore justice for my husband."

"I only wish to save the hostage, so I can find out who exactly wanted to kill him."

"I only wish to save the hostage, so I can find out who exactly wanted to kill him."

Gu Jiu Ling stared fixedly at Emperor Longqing, and the people around suddenly sucked in a breath—was she about to sign a life-and-death pledge?

What audacity!