Chapter 278: Life Like Grass (3)

Standing to the side guarding Qing Ling, Qingfeng cast a grateful look at the man who had always been gentle and elegant, but whose expression was now terrifyingly cold. He had saved her sister; she would repay this debt to him. As for those who owed them, she would eventually get it back bit by bit.

Lou Suxin's face stiffened, but she said nothing. The nanny behind her cleverly brought over another blanket. This time, Lou Suxin did not drape it over Lou Xiyan herself; instead, she gave the nanny a look, and the nanny respectfully handed the blanket to Lou Xiyan.

Lou Xiyan took the blanket with an expressionless face, wiped the water from his face and body, and then tossed it back to the nanny. Lou Suxin's expression grew even uglier.

Mo Bai also forced the two eunuchs onto the shore at this time. Lou Xiyan walked to the water's edge and whispered something in Mo Bai's ear. Mo Bai nodded in understanding and dove back into the water. No one understood what he was going to do, except for Yang Zhilan, whose expression shifted slightly.

Everyone was nervously waiting for the imperial physician's treatment results, as Zhuo Qing's complexion was truly frightening. Lou Xiyan's voice, cold enough to frost over, suddenly said, "Someone, throw those two into the prison."

The Imperial Guards were all stunned. In the palace, only the Emperor could order them to arrest someone; they could ignore others. But today, the order came from Prime Minister Lou, which put them in a difficult position. They carefully glanced at the Emperor, whose expression remained unchanged, save for a slight nod. The Imperial Guards immediately understood, and four of them rushed forward to seize the two eunuchs.

Yang Zhilan's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Lou Xiyan had seen through some flaw?! Composing herself, she stepped forward and asked with feigned confusion, "Xiyan, what are you doing? Even if they failed to save her, they don't deserve to be imprisoned."

"Failed to save her?" Lou Xiyan's phoenix eyes narrowed, his gaze filled with undisguised coldness. He replied coldly, "What I saw was attempted murder!"

Qingfeng stared straight at Lou Xiyan. What did attempted murder mean? Could it be... that her sister falling into the water was not an accident?

Having never seen Lou Xiyan so cold and sharp, Yang Zhilan took a deep breath and laughed dryly, "This... that's impossible!"

Turning to the two eunuchs, Yang Zhilan deliberately scolded them loudly, "You dog slaves, what exactly happened?"

The two quickly knelt. One of them immediately cried out in grievance, "We are wronged! There were too many lotus leaves under the water, and we searched for a long time but couldn't find Miss Qing. By the time we finally found her, she had already drowned and fainted. We were just supporting her when Prime Minister Lou arrived and mistook our actions as being detrimental to her. We absolutely had no intention of harming her."

Yang Zhilan breathed a sigh of relief. These two were indeed slaves she had carefully cultivated; they had some sense in their speech and actions. Turning back, she looked with pity at Zhuo Qing, whom the imperial physician was still desperately trying to save, and sighed, "So that's how it is. I understand your urgency to save her, Xiyan. This accident was too sudden; no one wanted to see it happen. Fortunately, Ling'er has been saved."

Contrary to his usual behavior, Lou Xiyan did not remain silent. Instead, he looked directly at Yang Zhilan and replied coldly, "Does the Empress Dowager mean that I saw wrong? I am not so foolish that I cannot distinguish between saving someone and killing them!"

Yang Zhilan was stunned, not expecting Lou Xiyan to talk back. She was momentarily speechless. Lou Xiyan, however, did not intend to let it go. The moment he saw those dog slaves pressing Ling'er to the bottom of the lake, his heart had almost stopped beating. Now, he didn't even dare to look at her lying on the ground without a sound, nor did he want to admit that the time spent waiting for the imperial physician was enough to drive him mad.

Fear and heartache stirred up a rage he had rarely unleashed in years. At this moment, he did not want to endure it. His gaze swept over the tilted wooden platform, and Lou Xiyan's fury burned directly toward the high-and-mighty Eastern and Western Empresses Dowager: "A banquet held in the palace should ensure their safety. The wooden platform collapsed for no reason, and people have already fallen into the flower pond. With a courtyard full of guards and servants, only four people went into the water to save them! Why didn't you send more people for such a large lotus pond? Can I not assume that this was an intentional murder?"

"Presumptuous!" Lou Suxin's face was terrible. Her well-maintained face was all wrinkled with annoyance. She scolded sharply, "Lou Xiyan, this is a matter of the inner palace. As an outside official, how dare you interfere? This matter might just be an accident. Even if there is a hidden story, I will investigate it thoroughly myself. Your insolence and self-assertion—what kind of decorum is this!"

He was simply rebelling. To lose his composure like this for a woman—it was so disappointing.

Lou Xiyan bypassed her and looked at Yan Hongtian, who had been standing to the side, silent and inscrutable. He demanded loudly, "May I ask the Emperor, my wife has met with an accident in the palace, her life hanging in the balance—do I not have the right to hold someone accountable?"

Yan Hongtian nodded solemnly and replied earnestly, "You do." It was rare for Xiyan to lose his temper; he should support him more.

Lou Suxin's face turned from red to white. Very well! They were colluding to defy her! Today, she wanted to see how her beloved nephew, whom she had carefully cherished, would arrange her faults. Holding her head high, Lou Suxin snorted coldly, "Fine, whose responsibility do you want to pursue? Is it my responsibility? Or did someone push your wife into the pond?"

Yang Zhilan chuckled and quickly smoothed things over, "Xiyan, this was just an accident. No one intentionally wanted to harm Ling'er. Don't make your aunt angry."

Lou Xiyan's cold eyes lifted to look at the seemingly benevolent Yang Zhilan. He demanded coldly, "And what if it wasn't an accident?"

Yang Zhilan's heart tightened suddenly. Today's Lou Xiyan was like a different person. She always felt that Lou Xiyan seemed to know something, but how could that be? He had only just arrived. Just as she was feeling uneasy, Mo Bai, who had been underwater for a long time, finally surfaced. He held a bundle of rope in his hand and threw it onto the shore before climbing up. His pale skin and sky-blue eyes immediately made him the focus of everyone's attention, with low whispers spreading from time to time.

Mo Bai's cold face was devoid of expression as he walked straight to Lou Xiyan and said in a deep voice, "Master, there were twelve piles under the water for the wooden platform. Each pile had a cut deliberately made more than halfway through, and a hemp rope was tied to the notch of each pile. The two pillars near where the Madam fell have already broken. The hemp ropes should have been taken away when the piles were pulled, but the other ropes are still there. No matter where the Madam was standing at the time, the wooden platform under her feet would have collapsed."

His voice was not loud, but once he finished speaking, there was silence on the shore, followed by hushed discussions.

"Does anyone still say it was an accident?" Lou Xiyan picked up a hemp rope from the ground. His sharp, eagle-like phoenix eyes swept over the crowd. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, and no one dared to respond.

Listening to Mo Bai's explanation and Lou Xiyan's questioning, Qingfeng stared at the brand-new hemp rope. She finally understood: everything today was a long-planned murder. Qingfeng curled up, her hands tightly gripping her sister's cold hands. She remained silent, her bright eyes slightly lowered, making it impossible to see the light in them.

Yang Zhilan cursed inwardly, "Damn it!" Originally, she could have pulled the entire wooden platform down and retrieved the ropes, but that wouldn't have looked like an accident caused by long-term disrepair. She had intended for the eunuchs who went into the water to save Qing Ling to retrieve the ropes tied to the piles after she drowned. That way, there would be no evidence, and it would be done without anyone knowing. But she had calculated everything except that Lou Xiyan would actually come, jump into the water, and be so sharp as to immediately have someone check the piles. It seemed she would have to find a scapegoat this time!

Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was still in shock, Yang Zhilan said angrily, "This is outrageous! How could such a thing happen in the palace? Sister, this time we must investigate thoroughly and get to the bottom of it."

Lou Suxin frowned again. It really wasn't an accident. Even so, she still felt her authority had been challenged, and her expression remained displeased.

How could Lou Xiyan let this matter become a case for the inner palace to investigate itself? That would only be solved by some random scapegoat. Looking at Yan Hongtian, Lou Xiyan said coldly, "I believe that although this matter happened in the inner palace, the young ladies present are all daughters of noble families and descendants of prestigious houses. Today's palace banquet is specifically for selecting representatives for the Qiongyue celebration. This case concerns the celebration and is no longer just a matter for the inner palace. It should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial, rather than troubling the two Empresses Dowager."

"Granted." Yan Hongtian had also vaguely sensed the suspicious nature of this matter. If he didn't hand it over to the Ministry of Justice to investigate, he feared Xiyan would absolutely not let it go! "Someone, imprison the first four who went into the water in the Heavenly Prison. Have the Imperial Guards stand guard, seal off the Imperial Garden, and hand this case over to the Ministry of Justice."

"Yes."

"Ugh..." The person lying on the ground finally reacted. A mouthful of water was spat out, and Zhuo Qing began to cough violently. Seeing her finally move, the tears in Qingfeng's eyes couldn't help but flow, but this time it was because of joy: "Sister!"

Hearing the coughing, Lou Xiyan also rushed over, kneeling beside her, tightly clutching her hand. Lou Xiyan said anxiously, "Ling'er! You can hear me, right?"

Seeing her nod ever so slightly, the heart that had been hanging in Lou Xiyan's chest finally settled. Holding her in his arms, Lou Xiyan asked, "How is she now?"

Seeing Qing Ling wake up, the imperial physicians were the happiest; their lives had finally been saved. "Although Miss Qing was drowning for a long time, she has finally recovered. However, it is still possible that she may develop lingering illnesses such as phlegm-heat obstructing the lungs or external cold and internal dryness. She will need a lot of recuperation and care."

Wrapping the two blankets tightly around Zhuo Qing, Lou Xiyan said to the imperial physician beside him, "You will write a few prescriptions later and send the list and the medicinal herbs to the Prime Minister's Mansion."

"Yes."

Yang Zhilan stepped forward, glanced at Zhuo Qing, who was still unconscious in Lou Xiyan's arms, and said with heartache, "Xiyan, Ling'er is unconscious and should not be subjected to the fatigue of travel. It would be better to let her rest well in the Xixia Palace. Once she wakes up and her body has recovered a bit, wouldn't it be better for you to take her back to the mansion?"

Picking her up, Lou Xiyan replied coldly, "No need. Xiwu, let's go."

"Oh." Lou Xiwu followed blankly behind Lou Xiyan, not daring to look back.

Not until Lou Xiyan's figure disappeared at the end of the Imperial Garden did Qingfeng stand up. Regardless of the presence of the Empresses Dowager and the Emperor, Qingfeng said nothing and walked slowly toward the direction of the Qingfeng Palace. Fuling bowed and hurriedly followed to support her swaying figure. Qingfeng shook off her hand and just walked forward alone, stumbling.

Everything that happened today was not something that hadn't happened in the palace before; it was just that those people didn't have Qing Ling's luck. This was the harem. The hands Fuling had just touched were as cold as ice. If Qingfeng's heart was the same, given her temperament... Fuling had a bad premonition.

Yan Hongtian's black eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected Qingfeng to react this way, but how should she have reacted? Yan Hongtian found it amusing. Since when did he start caring about a woman's reaction?

Leaving the two Empresses Dowager and this mess behind, Yan Hongtian also strode out of the Imperial Garden with a flourish.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 279 =====