newbobooks Chapter 78: He's not dead, he's still breathing.
Chapter 78: He's not dead, he's still breathing.
Gu Junze searched around Huaqing Palace but couldn't find Chu Ruohan.
His heart sank, and an ominous premonition spread through his mind.
Gu Junze's voice was cold and hard as he instructed the eunuch beside him, "You must immediately go and tell the Empress Dowager everything about the disappearance of the Heir Apparent's wife from the Marquis of Anyang's residence, without omitting a single word."
The young eunuch trembled with fright, quickly agreed, and hurriedly ran towards Huaqing Palace.
Gu Junze stared in the direction the little eunuch had left, his brows furrowed.
He knew all too well that the inner palace was governed by strict rules, and that a search of the palace required the Empress Dowager's permission.
The young eunuch entered Huaqing Palace tremblingly, barely daring to breathe. He knelt down with a thud, bowing his head low, and reported in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, the wife of the Marquis of Anyang's heir has gone missing..."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's face instantly turned ugly. During the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, someone in the deep palace actually dared to lay a hand on the family members of officials!
The Emperor was also furious. He slammed his fist on the table and immediately ordered a full search of the palace, determined to find the mastermind behind it all.
With the order to search the palace issued, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, which was originally filled with laughter, singing and dancing, was forced to come to an abrupt end.
For a moment, the hall fell into a deathly silence. Everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with astonishment and confusion. They whispered among themselves, wondering who was so bold as to dare to lay a hand on Chu Ruohan in the depths of the palace.
The Empress Dowager was burning with anger. She gave the Empress a sharp, cold glance, a look full of hidden meaning.
The Empress sat at the table and noticed the Empress Dowager's sinister gaze fixed on her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a sudden panic.
She subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand. Could the Empress Dowager be doubting her with that look in her eyes?
The guards split into small teams and searched the rooms, gardens, side halls, and alleyways of Huaqing Hall, but found no useful clues by Taiye Pond or in the Imperial Garden.
Gu Junze was not idle either. A young eunuch pushed him around, following a group of guards through the palaces of the inner palace.
Wherever he went, he carefully observed his surroundings, trying to find traces of Chu Ruohan from subtle details.
When they arrived at an abandoned palace, he noticed that the lock on the palace gate seemed to have been pried open. On a whim, he quickly called to the guards and together they entered the palace to search.
The room reeked of blood. Wei Qiming lay in a pool of blood, his face ashen, his fate unknown.
Gu Junze's eyes searched the room anxiously, not missing a single corner, but he did not see Chu Ruohan.
At that moment, his heart felt as if it had fallen into an endless abyss, and a chill ran up from the soles of his feet.
The guard knelt down and checked Wei Qiming's breath, finding a faint pulse. He immediately shouted towards the door, "He's still alive! Someone come quickly! Summon the imperial physician..."
What should have been a day of family reunion, joy, and peace was instead filled with a somber atmosphere at the palace banquet.
News of Wei Qiming's injury has arrived.
Lady Wei felt dizzy; she only had this one son!
Everything went black before my eyes, my body swayed a few times, and then I fell straight backward and passed out.
"Someone come quick! Go and fetch the imperial physician!" The Empress's face turned deathly pale, and she nearly dropped her wine cup.
Chaos erupted inside the hall, and the palace maids and eunuchs quickly helped the person to a side hall.
The Empress could no longer sit still. She hurriedly stood up, bowed to the Emperor, and said in a trembling and urgent voice, "Your Majesty, I'm going to take a look."
The Emperor's face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip from it. The Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet had been disrupted by the news that the wife of the Marquis of Anyang's heir had gone missing.
Not long after, news came that the heir of the Duke of Wei's mansion was injured and his fate was unknown.
Lady Wei, the wife of the Duke of Wei, also fainted.
He suppressed his anger, waved his hand impatiently, and said, "Go!"
"Your Majesty, I take my leave." The Empress hurriedly curtsied, lifted her elaborate skirt, and quickly left the hall, surrounded by a group of palace maids and eunuchs.
"This old minister takes his leave." The Duke of Wei hurriedly left, following closely behind the Empress.
Lady Wei was only momentarily overcome by anger and fainted. She was being cared for by the imperial physician and palace maids and is currently out of danger.
The Empress rushed to the side hall where Wei Qiming was.
As soon as she stepped into the palace, a strong, pungent smell of blood hit her, almost making her vomit.
She looked closely and saw Wei Qiming lying on the bed covered in blood, which had already soaked through the brocade quilt beneath him, turning it into a glaring crimson stain.
His face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, his lips were cracked and peeling, and his breath was so faint as to be barely audible.
The Empress felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and her legs went weak. If it weren't for the quick-thinking and nimble-fingered nanny beside her who reached out to support her, she would probably have collapsed to the ground.
The old woman said with a worried expression, "Your Highness, please take care of your health! The young master is a lucky person and will surely be alright."
Duke Wei rushed to the bedside, and seeing his son's pale and weak appearance, his hands trembled uncontrollably.
“My son… how could this happen…” The Duke of Wei’s voice was hoarse and low, filled with endless heartache.
As the Empress watched his retreating figure, she felt that her father seemed to have aged several years in that instant.
She steadied herself, turned around, and shouted sternly at the group of imperial physicians behind her, "Listen up, all of you! You must do everything in your power to save the Crown Prince. If anything happens to him, you will all be buried with him!"
The imperial physicians trembled with fear and immediately knelt down to acknowledge him. They then hurriedly surrounded Wei Qiming and began to diagnose and treat him.
The Empress paced anxiously back and forth, her hands tightly twisting the handkerchief in her palms, her heart burning with anxiety.
She only has this one younger brother, so he absolutely cannot be harmed!
Suddenly, as if remembering something, the Queen turned her head sharply.
She glared at the maidservant beside her and ordered, "Go, investigate! Find out which audacious madman dared to harm the Crown Prince in this palace. I will tear this person to pieces and show no mercy!"
The old woman quickly agreed and hurriedly withdrew to arrange for people to investigate.
The Empress stood there, her brows furrowed, a hint of malice in her eyes.
But she had a vague feeling that this matter was inextricably linked to Chu Ruohan's disappearance.
She asked the palace maid beside her, "Has the wife of the heir of the Marquis of Anyang been found?"
The palace maid quickly stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, we have not yet found it. The Marquis's heir and his guards are still searching."
"Hmph!" The Empress snorted coldly, a glint of cold light flashing in her eyes. "Once the person is found, bring her here to me."
"I'd like to ask them properly..."