Chapter 214: "Can’t You Feel Sorry for Yourself?
Chapter 214: Chapter 214: "Can’t You Feel Sorry for Yourself?
At such a tense moment, the horse Xie Anning was riding suddenly lost control and charged toward Cui Lingyao, triggering a long-planned assassination attempt.
How could Xie Jinbai not be suspicious?
"I will get to the bottom of this. If Xie Anning is innocent, then since you risked your life to save her, you owe her nothing. But if she truly acted as her father’s pawn and deliberately tried to harm you..."
His voice trailed off, a blood-red killing intent flaring in his eyes. It was so palpable he seemed like a beast about to pounce and devour its prey.
Cui Lingyao’s heart pounded in her chest. She grabbed his lapels, about to say something, but his gaze terrified her into silence.
"Don’t worry," Xie Jinbai said, his expression softening as he looked at her reassuringly. "I don’t kill the innocent."
But if they weren’t innocent, he would show absolutely no mercy.
’Uncle? Cousin? So what?’
Anyone who dared to target her would die a horrible death at his hands.
’They will regret this!’
Cui Lingyao didn’t dare try to persuade him further.
Deep down, she was still unwilling to believe that her own sister-in-law would get involved in the struggle for the throne and risk her own life just to harm her.
But then she remembered what had happened a few months ago. Her brother had found her at the Tea Garden while she was under the effects of the seductive powder. When word of this reached her sister-in-law, the couple had been at odds for a long time.
Chen Minrou had mentioned in a letter that her sister-in-law had returned to her family’s home, and her brother had pleaded with her to come back multiple times to no avail.
It seemed she was considering a separation.
’So, how did she end up coming back?’
...It was after she had her accident in Pingzhou, after her soul had returned to this body.
Cui Lingyao didn’t dare to dwell on whether there was any connection between her waking up and her sister-in-law’s decision to return home.
Xie Jinbai remained silent as well.
He held the woman in his arms protectively, skillfully guiding the horse back to the martial arts arena.
The competitions on the platforms had already stopped. The young nobles were gathered in small, tense groups.
The Yulin Guards stood watch outside, permitting no one to leave.
The air was taut with a dreadful sense of an impending storm.
Everyone in the arena was overjoyed to see them return safe and sound.
This was especially true for the crowd of Cui Family cousins and their wives.
Xie Jinbai ignored them, riding straight to the guest courtyard.
Inside, an Imperial Physician had already arrived and was taking Xie Anning’s pulse.
The moment Cui Lingyao entered, she heard his words.
"The Commandery Princess is two months pregnant."
Her steps faltered. Then she heard Cui Mingrui’s strained voice, "Is the baby alright? Can... can it..."
The old Imperial Physician, still feeling her pulse, replied, "Fortunately, the Commandery Princess did not injure her abdomen. She has only suffered a shock and is showing signs of a miscarriage. We can make an attempt to save it."
Hearing that the baby could be saved, Cui Mingrui was elated. He was about to bow in gratitude, but the old Imperial Physician quickly sidestepped.
"Princely Heir, please let me finish. The Commandery Princess has suffered internal injuries that require medicating. These drugs may conflict with the medicine needed to prevent a miscarriage. As for whether the baby can be saved, it’s best not to get your hopes up."
Such severe internal injuries would require strong medicine.
And strong medicines often have adverse interactions.
They are already harmful to a fetus, let alone one already threatened by a miscarriage.
The room fell silent.
Cui Mingrui stood ramrod straight.
After a long moment, he slowly parted his lips. "Saving the Commandery Princess is the priority. The child..."
"No!"
Xie Anning, who had opened her eyes at some point, had heard him. Her voice was shrill. "No matter what, you must save the child!"
As she spoke, she struggled to sit up. Alarmed, Cui Mingrui rushed to support her. "An Ning, you have internal injuries. Don’t get agitated. It’s not good for the baby either."
At the mention of the baby, Xie Anning forced herself to calm down. She looked up at him, her eyes red and brimming with tears. "Husband, if I lose this child, I won’t be able to go on living."
Eight years of marriage, and not a single son or daughter to show for it.
She had never even been pregnant once.
She had tried countless remedies, downing bowl after bowl of bitter concoctions.
Irregular monthly cycles had become her norm.
In the last two years, Xie Anning had even fallen into despair, believing she would never have a child of her own flesh and blood in this lifetime.
If not for this, how could she have been so careless as to dare ride at a gallop?
She had longed for this child for eight years!
How could she lose it before she even knew it was here?
Cui Mingrui felt no better.
This was the child he, too, had longed for for many years.
Approaching thirty, his desire for an heir was as strong as anyone’s.
He pulled his wife into his arms and said in a hoarse voice, "Everything will be fine. You’ll be fine, and so will the baby."
Everything would be fine.
Tears streamed down Cui Lingyao’s face as she watched. Not wanting to disturb them, she turned and retreated from the room.
Outside, the sun was slowly setting in the west.
But it was still bright.
The winter sunlight bathed the earth in its warm, gentle glow.
Xie Jinbai noticed the person beside him was crying again.
He wiped her tears away, both anxious and angry. "Can’t you spare some pity for yourself?"
’You have a broken bone,’
’and you still have the mind to cry because someone else’s child might not make it?’
’And that someone might even be the culprit who tried to murder you and brought this upon herself!’
Xie Jinbai took a deep breath, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her into the adjacent room.
Doctor Liu followed close behind.
He took her pulse.
One breath, two breaths...
A quarter of an hour passed.
The old, white-haired Imperial Physician twitched his beard. "The Princess Consort’s body is fine. She’s just suffered a fright. I’ll prescribe a simple calming draught."
As for the bone, Xie Jinbai could treat it himself.
He was still worried. "Are you certain there are no internal injuries?"
After such a brutal impact, he feared she might suffer from lasting complications.
His aura was terrifying, and his gaze was even more frightful.
Doctor Liu found it hard to resist. The three fingers he had just withdrawn reached out again to continue taking her pulse.
Another full quarter of an hour went by.
Doctor Liu furrowed his brows for a long time before slowly confirming, "The Princess Consort has no internal injuries, only a scare. Two doses of calming medicine should suffice. As for the bone injury..."
Xie Jinbai raised a hand. "I will handle it myself."
Having been in the army for many years, he had seen countless bone injuries and could treat them with ease.
Cui Lingyao’s injury was to her collarbone. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never allow another man to treat it.
Not even Doctor Liu, who was nearly seventy and older than Cui Lingyao’s own grandfather.
Hearing this, Doctor Liu immediately withdrew to write the prescription.
The door slowly closed, and Li Yong personally stood guard outside.
Xie Jinbai reached for her sash. "A bone injury needs to be treated immediately. It can’t be delayed. I’ll set it for you first."
What could Cui Lingyao say? It was her body, and she certainly cared about it.
Naturally, she followed his instructions.
Her clothes were removed, one piece at a time.
Finally, only a moon-white chemise remained.
Although a brazier had been hastily lit, the winter air in the room was still cold.
With half her body exposed to the air, Cui Lingyao shivered and shrank her neck from the cold.
Below her slender shoulders and neck lay her delicate collarbone. Further down, the light silk of her chemise wrinkled with her movement, causing the soft swell of her breasts beneath the satin to quiver faintly.
’So alluring...’
Ordinarily, Xie Jinbai would have likely already slipped his hand inside to caress her.
But now, he acted as if he didn’t see it, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on her left shoulder.
A large, red, and swollen area marred the skin.
Her delicate collarbone was snapped in the middle, with one end jutting out, nearly piercing through her flesh.