Chapter 62

Willow Alley lies on the boundary between south and north Shang Jing, a prosperous district where all sorts of people gather, and even noble scions often come to play.

Entertainment quarters and tile shops, teahouses and wine shops are everywhere here; because it's prosperous, every inch of land is worth its weight in gold.

Especially the area near the southern city, residents and merchants frantically seize land to build houses, or else they cram even more into the alleys.

In short, the place is crowded and cramped; the imperial court's internal management has been chaotic and corrupt these years, the Official Ditch goes unrepaired year after year, and although private houses have collapsed in the rainy season before, it never attracted enough attention.

A few days ago, Xiao Yin actually broke precedent and went to court once, submitting a memorial suggesting that when the rainy season arrives, the city's drains should be dredged to avoid disaster.

As a result, that memorial sank without a trace, and the emperor might not even see it.

This time is different; even those teahouses and wine shops have collapsed, burying many people.

Gu Jiu Ling's carriage hadn't even reached the entrance of Willow Alley when she couldn't move another step; she hurriedly got out and walked forward.

Jiu Yue busily brought people to guard Gu Jiu Ling's side; her mistress was still pregnant, and there were simply too many people here.

People from the Five City Military Command, the Imperial Guard, and various offices of the imperial court all came, and everyone fell into panic.

Cries and shouts filled the air; the streets were already mired in mud, and even on slightly higher ground outside Willow Alley, the standing water had reached people's calves.

People kept dragging corpses out of the filthy mud and rubble; many wore fine silks, clearly townsfolk from the northern city who had come here for leisure and were also crushed to death.

Gu Jiu Ling's vision kept going dark, her ears rang nonstop, her head buzzed, and she felt like she would explode.

She never imagined that, having just married into the Rui Wang Fu, she would become a widow.

As long as Prince Rui is alive, he can still protect her; if Prince Rui is gone, those wolves could tear her apart alive.

At this moment, Gu Jiu Ling's mind was in utter chaos; whenever she closed her eyes, all she saw was Xiao Yin's face smiling at her with indulgent affection.

Whether it was genuine feeling or mere pretense, everyone feared and loathed Prince Rui, even keeping their distance, yet he was, up to now, the person who treated her best in this time and space.

A sudden, inexplicable despair welled up in her heart, making her feel on the verge of madness, and she staggered toward the teahouse that had collapsed halfway.

Mud speckled the hem of her skirt, and the umbrella Jiu Yue had been holding for her was snatched away and tossed aside by her.

Before her eyes was a sea of blood; she bent down to rummage through and examine the corpses being dug out one by one.

These past few days she hadn't seen Xiao Yin, and she didn't know what color his clothes were—black, purple, or perhaps a moon-white robe?

She resented herself a little; when Xiao Yin first told her the two words 'rebel,' why hadn't she gone along, patted her chest, and told him she was willing to share hardship with him—was it really that hard?

"Xiao Yin! Get out here! Xiao Yin!"

Gu Jiu Ling panicked; she did not want to become a widow.

Jiu Yue, frantic, tried to pull her from the pile of corpses, but she shoved her away; Jiu Yue's wails and the cries of the surrounding people stabbed her ears with waves of pain.

She had truly become a pitiful woman searching for her husband's corpse; suddenly, another house ahead collapsed due to weak foundations, and a chorus of startled cries rose all around.

People scrambled to get out of the way; Gu Jiu Ling's movements were somewhat clumsy, and Jiu Yue was also shoved aside by the retreating crowd.

Gu Jiu Ling stared blankly at the crowd pressing in; she saw she was about to be knocked over, but someone from behind steadied her.

"Princess Consort of Rui, be careful!"

Gu Jiu Ling hurriedly turned to thank him, meeting Tuo Ba Yu's clear, handsome brows and eyes; he wore a white robe filthy with dirt, evidently having just come out from inside.

Even covered head to toe in mud, it could not conceal his ethereal, otherworldly aura.

"Your Highness? What are you doing here?"

Tuo Ba Yu stared for a moment; he had just been passing by in a carriage, saw her get off from afar, and followed her over.

He collected himself and said, "I just heard many people were crushed here; I couldn't do anything else, so I brought people over to help, not expecting to run into you, Princess Consort."

Gu Jiu Ling instantly felt that this person was truly kind-hearted, a good person.

"Your Highness, have you seen my lord?"

Tuo Ba Yu blinked, his thoughts shifting slightly, and said, "Princess Consort, don't worry; I'll go look for him for you."

He turned and ordered people to search toward the teahouse; Gu Jiu Ling also wanted to go, but Tuo Ba Yu grabbed her arm.

His brows involuntarily furrowed slightly; he could clearly see from Gu Jiu Ling's eyes the confusion that comes from worry, the tension and panic.

Could it be that she had fallen for Xiao Yin?

Gu Jiu Ling broke free of Tuo Ba Yu's hand and rushed in without looking back.

She dared not think of anything else; she only wanted to dig him out. As a physician, if Xiao Yin still had a breath left, she could pull him back from the hands of death.

"Xiao Yin! Xiao Yin!!" Gu Jiu Ling, frantic, flung herself over the mud‑smeared corpses on the ground; Tuo Ba Yu saw her utterly panicked state, his violet eyes darkening a bit.

He drew a breath and followed after her, helping her search.

The largest teahouse in Liu Alley, where Gu Jiu Ling stood, had already collapsed more than half; those who had miraculously survived inside were gradually being brought out, and thereafter the bodies carried out came one after another.

Gu Jiu Ling was completely panicked, her voice turning hoarse.

"Xiao Yin! Get out here! Xiao Yin..." she didn't know whether it was from the cold or tears bursting forth unbidden, but she felt her cheeks wet and icy.

Suddenly a strong, sturdy arm reached out, tightly embracing the nearly despairing Gu Jiu Ling kneeling on the ground, holding her whole person in its embrace.

A familiar scent washed over her, making Gu Jiu Ling tremble all over; she turned her head in disbelief to look at Xiao Yin, who had embraced her from behind.

Xiao Yin was a mess from head to toe, covered in mud, with blood seeping from the joints of his fingers.

"Xiao Yin! Xiao Yin!! Where the hell did you die, you bastard? Ah!" Gu Jiu Ling pounded his chest with one fierce fist after another.

"If you're alive, why didn't you send a word, you bastard?"

"Couldn't you have sent someone back to the manor to report you're safe? Would that kill you? Ah? Would it kill you?"

Gu Jiu Ling couldn't catch her breath; she turned white with rage and trembled all over.

The overwhelming despair and sudden joy caused Gu Jiu Ling's vision to darken in waves, and she fainted.

Xiao Yin hurriedly embraced her, a flicker of panic crossing his face; he lifted Gu Jiu Ling in a horizontal hold, glanced at Tuo Ba Yu, uttered a thanks, and turned to leave.

Tuo Ba Yu did not feel particularly honored or relieved by Prince Rui's thanks; instead, he sensed his intentions had been seen through, leaving him somewhat guilty and angry.

Just now, Gu Jiu Ling had been frantically searching and shouting Xiao Yin's name—a scene that truly made him feel a twinge of jealousy and discomfort.

Ling Feng, covered in blood and grime, hurried over: "My lord, the Sixth Prince has been rescued; though injured, it's nothing serious."

Xiao Yin stopped and said, "Take him to the separate villa; don't let anyone see him, and find a physician to tend to his wounds."

Yes! Ling Feng glanced at Gu Jiu Ling in Xiao Yin's arms, his heart shaken immensely.

Just now the Prince rescued the Sixth Prince and was about to send him away, but seeing the Princess Consort's figure over here, they hurried over here.

In the rain-filled sky, the Princess Consort kept calling the Prince's name, bending over to examine those unrecognizable corpses.

That scene made everyone feel a heavy weight in their hearts.