Chapter 319: Shuchuan Villa (4)

"Really jumped?! That's too crazy!" Qingfeng gripped his lapels in excitement and asked urgently, "When was it? What did it feel like?"

Looking at the woman in his arms staring at him with eyes full of worship, Yan Hongtian couldn't help but laugh. Even when he stood on the Golden Throne Hall where the four seas paid homage and the Six Kingdoms submitted, he had never seen a glimmer of worship in her eyes, yet now she made no attempt to hide her longing and admiration. Recalling the absurd things he did in his reckless youth, Yan Hongtian smiled faintly: "More than ten years ago, I suppose. It felt very 'thrilling'! That jump left me lying in bed for a month."

"Ah?" Hearing the way he gritted his teeth while saying the word "thrilling," Qingfeng couldn't help but laugh. What was Yan Hongtian like more than ten years ago? Was he also a clear-eyed youth, slightly reckless but possessing a smile as warm as sunshine? When Qingfeng looked at that vast sea of bamboo again, a sense of desolation unexpectedly grew in her heart.

Sensing that the person in his arms had suddenly become a bit dejected, Yan Hongtian asked in a low voice, "Want to paint?"

"Mm!" Qingfeng nodded vigorously. A ball of fire seemed to be clamoring in her chest; she desperately wanted to paint this sea of bamboo that had almost submerged her.

Yan Hongtian gave a look to Xiao Yu outside the stone alcove. Xiao Yu nodded and took the Four Treasures of the Study from the cloth bag she carried, placing them one by one on a small stone table.

Looking at the complete set of painting tools on that stone table, Ruyi clicked her tongue in secret. Xiao Yu deserved to be the number one Female Official of Qiongyue; she truly had her superior qualities. She likely knew the masters' thoughts and preferences by heart.

Confirming there were no mistakes, Xiao Yu said aloud, "Your Highness, the painting tools are ready."

Xiao Yu had actually brought painting tools? Qingfeng turned her head in confusion. The brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were all there, and every single one was of the finest quality. Qingfeng clicked her tongue and sighed, "Xiao Yu, oh Xiao Yu, how can one not love you when you are this thoughtful? I just don't know if the Emperor would be willing to part with you."

Yan Hongtian smiled with a face full of reluctance, "That won't do. Without her, the Zhengyang Palace would fall into chaos."

These two masters were using her to pass the time when they had nothing better to do! Xiao Yu couldn't be bothered to pay them any mind and turned away directly. Usually, it was Gao Jin who accompanied the Emperor on his travels; since she finally had a chance to come out for a walk, she took the opportunity to enjoy this rare beautiful scenery.

"Oh my, Emperor, your Female Official has quite a temper, but I like her even more this way."

"This is nothing; she has times when her temper is even bigger."

The two behind her seemed to be getting happier the more they talked. Xiao Yu gritted her teeth in secret and had no choice but to turn back, perform a salute, and sigh softly, "My two masters, are you trying to make Xiao Yu wish she could disappear? If so, Xiao Yu won't dare to be this 'meddlesome' next time!"

Yan Hongtian and Qingfeng looked at each other and smiled. It turned out that teasing others occasionally was quite interesting. Fortunately, both were people who knew when to stop. Yan Hongtian continued to lean against the stone wall to admire the scenery, while Qingfeng walked to the stone table, picked up a brush, and lightly dipped it in the fragrant ink. When the tip of the brush stood upon the plain white rice paper, Qingfeng's heart suddenly felt empty, and the rippling sea of bamboo that had been echoing in her mind just moments ago instantly blurred.

Bamboo has no heart; is that why it is free of distracting thoughts? After thousands of years have passed, it still willingly stands in the mountains in solitude, eventually becoming this vast sea of bamboo? Then... what about people? If a person has no heart, does that mean they are strong because they have no desires?

She raised her brush several times and put it down several times. For the first time, her mind was full of beautiful imagery, yet she had no clue where to begin.

"Your Highness, be careful!"

While she was still lost in thought, she heard a loud shout from Ming Jian, who was standing above on the mountain path. Following that, soil mixed with rocks came rolling down along the stone wall of the mountain stream. She didn't have time to think and hurriedly retreated. However, she hadn't expected that the stone table was placed on the far left of the platform, and right behind it were the stone steps leading down the mountain. As Qingfeng retreated, her feet immediately stepped into empty air...

"Ah—"

A scream cut through the silent mountain forest. Everything happened too fast. The Guards were all stationed above and below the mountain path, and this sudden change left them with no time to react. Ruyi and Xiao Yu were hit by a few small rolling stones and fell onto the platform. When Yan Hongtian, who was standing in the stone alcove, turned around, he only had time to see Qingfeng's figure rolling down the stone steps.

"Qingfeng!" Yan Hongtian hurriedly flew over to save her, but unfortunately, he was too far away, and Qingfeng had already rolled down very quickly.

At this moment, a faster black shadow caught Qingfeng's body halfway through her tumble, shielding her as they rolled down several more steps before coming to a stop.

Ming Ze loosened his arms, looked down at the person in his embrace, and asked urgently, "Are you alright?"

"I... pain... so much pain..." Having finally recovered from the overwhelming dizziness, Qingfeng felt as if her entire body was in pain. She wanted to open her eyes, but a stream of heat flowed down from her forehead, right into her eyes. In an instant, everything she saw was scarlet. She could only vaguely distinguish that the owner of this voice was... Ming Ze.

As the sensations in her body gradually became clear, she finally realized that her whole body hurt, but the most painful part was her stomach. A stream of scorching liquid was flowing out from beneath her. Qingfeng, who had been on the verge of losing consciousness, suddenly stiffened. One hand caressed her stomach, while the other gripped the arm of the person beside her tightly, as if only this could alleviate a little of the fear in her heart.

"The child... my child..."

The person in his arms murmured incessantly, her long fingernails digging mercilessly into the skin of his arm. Looking at that face covered in blood, Ming Ze's heart twinged with pain. If she hadn't been trying to protect her stomach, she wouldn't have been hurt this badly.

"Qingfeng!"

Ming Ze felt his arms lighten; Qingfeng had already been taken into another, more powerful embrace.

Yan Hongtian picked Qingfeng up horizontally, ordered the Guards rushing over from behind to summon an Imperial Physician, and hurried down the mountain.

Ming Jian watched Yan Hongtian's hurried figure descending the mountain but didn't rush to follow. He walked to the platform and helped Xiao Yu up, "Are you alright?"

Moving her ankle slightly, Xiao Yu shook her head, "Just a minor sprain."

"You two, help them down the mountain." Handing Xiao Yu and Ruyi over to the two Small Generals behind him, Ming Jian's expression was cold and stern as he walked up the mountain path. Looking in the direction Ming Jian was heading, Xiao Yu looked up. There were no loose rocks on the smooth stone wall, and there hadn't been any rain these past few days; how could such a large rock have fallen from the mountain? A sense of realization seemed to dawn in Xiao Yu's heart.

Qingfeng couldn't see, but she could feel that the person running wildly while holding her had changed to the man she was most familiar with. The pain made her entire body go limp, but she still used all her strength to wrap her arms tightly around Yan Hongtian's neck, repeating only one sentence along the way, "The child... Yan Hongtian, help me... save this child..."

"I will not let anything happen to you and the child." Yan Hongtian couldn't tell if the heat on his neck was blood or tears, but either was enough to burn him!

The palace paths in the morning were always cold and quiet. The sound of chaotic footsteps was exceptionally clear. A man in his early forties, his hands clasped together in front of his chest and rubbing them from time to time, looked grave as he walked toward the palace gate with wind-like speed. Two boys dressed as Medicine Boys each carried two large medicine chests, following closely behind the man without daring to show the slightest negligence.

The man was so lost in thought that at a corner, he almost collided head-on with a woman coming from the opposite direction. The woman's displeased voice rang out coldly, "What are you doing? Do you not have eyes when you walk?"

The man raised his eyes, recognized the woman's appearance, and hurriedly knelt to pay his respects, "This official greets the Empress. May the Empress be blessed with eternal peace."

Xin Yuening glanced at the man; he was an Imperial Physician. Seeing his hurried appearance, Xin Yuening was curious, "What are you doing in such a rush?"

"Replying to the Empress, Consort Qing accidentally fell down the stairs at Shuchuan Villa, and the Emperor has summoned all the Imperial Physicians to treat her." The man was extremely anxious but dared not offend the mistress of the harem, so he could only answer carefully, hoping to get away as soon as possible.

Qingfeng fell down the stairs? Xin Yuening's heart skipped a beat, and she asked urgently, "Besides you, who else was summoned?"

"There are also Imperial Physician Wang, Imperial Physician Li, and Imperial Physician Lin."

The Emperor had actually summoned four Imperial Physicians at once; it was evident... Qingfeng's fall was not light. Secretly delighted, Xin Yuening didn't make things difficult for him, "Since that is the case, then why don't you hurry along."

"Yes, yes, this official takes his leave." The man hurriedly got up and walked even faster than before, almost running away.

Xin Yuening looked at Shui Xin, who was standing quietly by her side. Just as she was about to speak, she seemed to think of something, coughed lightly, and said, "You all step back. Shui Xin, support me for a walk."

"Yes."

After the other Gongnu had walked far away, Xin Yuening asked excitedly, "Was it you who did it?"

Shui Xin did not answer, only nodding slightly. Xin Yuening was overjoyed, "Well done! I will go to Shuchuan Villa now to see how much longer Qingfeng can keep up this act!"

"It would be better if the Master did not rush over now." The cold and gentle voice was like a basin of cold water poured over her. Xin Yuening was furious, "Why? If I don't go, what if Qingfeng bluffs her way through it again?" That Qingfeng was extremely cunning, and the Emperor was easily seduced by her. If she couldn't properly discipline her this time, there wouldn't be such a good opportunity next time!

"Master, please be patient. Four Imperial Physicians went this time, including the Emperor's personal Imperial Physician Wang. If there is truly no fetus in Consort Qing's womb, it will absolutely not be hidden. On the contrary, if you rush over in such a manner to hold her accountable, the Emperor will likely become suspicious. Why not go report this to the Empress Dowager now and go together with her..." Shui Xin did not finish her sentence, but Xin Yuening was not a dull person. After deep thought, she understood Shui Xin's meaning and smiled, "Good idea! If we go with the Empress Dowager, even if the Emperor wants to fly into a rage, he won't be able to. If Qingfeng's pregnancy is truly fake, I won't even need to take action; the Empress Dowager will never forgive her. By then, even if the Emperor pleads for her, it will be useless!"

"Go to Dongsheng Palace now." Xin Yuening was fixated on exposing Qingfeng and couldn't wait a moment longer, pulling Shui Xin along as they hurried toward Dongsheng Palace. The Master was convinced that the child in Qingfeng's womb was long gone, but Shui Xin felt that the child should still be there. What she was more concerned about now was whether Qingfeng's child could still be saved. If it couldn't be saved, the person behind her protecting her would surely be heartbroken, right?

(End of chapter)