Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 316 Princess Consort, Beware of the Assassin!

Chapter 316: Chapter 316 Princess Consort, Beware of the Assassin!

When Murong Jiu collapsed, Hong Yi and Chun Tao quickly supported her.

Jun Yuyan dismounted and lifted her horizontally.

"Is the Eldest Imperial Sister-in-law all right?"

The Fourth Prince hurried over, asking with concern.

Chun Tao cried, "The Princess Consort’s collapse is due to excessive grief..."

Jun Yuyan said nothing and carried Murong Jiu to the carriage on the main road.

Outside, the Fourth Prince was still talking with General Fu and others. It was nothing more than comforting words, but it turns out the Emperor had ordered many people to come.

Murong Jiu quietly opened her eyes, leaning into Jun Yuyan’s embrace.

Her fainting was feigned, aimed at getting the Fourth Prince to let down his guard, making them think that the poison from Thin Line Heaven greatly affected her.

But her sadness was real.

She just had to remember her elder brother’s gentle look at her, and her heart felt as if it were being gnawed at by thousands of ants, a piercing pain.

Her elder brother was a reserved man, a true gentleman, also brave and strategic. To her, his gaze was always gentle, and he would caress her head with his large hand, treating her like a child who needed pampering.

He always worried about her, visiting the Prince Mansion whenever he could. If he was busy, he would send her things.

Murong Jiu could not believe that such an elder brother would leave her.

Still that saying, no news is good news, she comforted herself with this thought.

Jun Yuyan held her in his arms, patting her back gently. Even without saying a word, Murong Jiu could feel his consolation, his heartache.

"Sleep for a while. Maybe when you wake up there will be good news,"

he said softly.

By the time they arrived it was afternoon, and they had searched all night; now the sky was beginning to lighten.

Murong Jiu knew that for her family’s sake, she could not neglect her own health.

Her elder brother had been ambushed while getting medicine for her.

In Jun Yuyan’s embrace, Murong Jiu fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, Jun Yuyan was no longer by her side, but Chun Tao was attending to her in the carriage.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she asked, "Did you find my elder brother?"

Chun Tao pursed her lips, shook her head, and immediately said, "Princess Consort, don’t worry, everyone is still searching, we will definitely find the elder prince!"

Murong Jiu clenched the thin blanket covering her. Hearing the sound of raindrops hitting the carriage canopy, she turned pale and lifted it to see that, unbeknownst to her, it had started to rain heavily.

"How long has it been raining? How long did I sleep?"

As she asked, she tried to get out of the carriage, but Chun Tao and Hong Yi couldn’t stop her.

She ran towards the riverside. Below, the river flowed more turbulently, the water surged, the surface rose—the rain must have been falling for at least two hours!

A chill rose from the depths of Murong Jiu’s heart.

The rain continued to fall ceaselessly, stinging her face.

She turned and grabbed Hong Yi’s hand. "The river is muddy and the downstream is very dangerous. Go quickly and tell them to evacuate. Don’t approach the riverbank anymore!"

Hong Yi immediately left.

Murong Jiu wanted Chang Chonghai to go as well.

But Chang Chonghai’s duty was to protect her, and he refused to leave.

"Princess Consort, please get back into the carriage and avoid the rain. Your health is poor, you can’t keep getting wet!"

Chun Tao was anxiously pacing.

At this moment, Jun Yuyan came riding from a distance; the mountain road was muddy, and the horse’s hooves were slipping.

"There are a few households at the foot of the mountain, Ah Jiu, let’s take shelter from the rain there first."

Murong Jiu nodded, having searched for so long, everyone indeed needed some rest.

The rain seemed endless, and the river was so turbulent, she also feared her father and brothers might encounter some danger.

Arriving at the foot of the mountain, the others gradually arrived as well.

General Fu, along with her second and third brothers who hadn’t even wiped the rain off themselves, quickly walked over to her, asking if she felt unwell anywhere.

Murong Jiu shook her head.

"First change into dry clothes, dry your hair, eat something, rest a bit, then we’ll head back to the Capital City."

General Fu’s face showed signs of weathering, his eyes resigned.

Having not found Fu Heng for so long, hope was bleak; he might have already been swept into the great river. With the river so wide and deep, if a person sank to the bottom, they’d be impossible to retrieve.

Murong Jiu’s heart was filled with a sour feeling, but she also knew she wasn’t much use here and was only making everyone worry, so she nodded in agreement with her father.

She changed into a peasant woman’s clothes, dried her hair, and ate some food, which tasted bland as wax.

"Ah Jiu, I’ll take you back to the Capital first."

Jun Yuyan looked at her with tenderness, clutching her hand, feeling that his Ah Jiu had lost much weight in just a day.

"This isn’t your fault, Ah Jiu, don’t blame yourself, big brother wouldn’t want to see you like this. We can only seek revenge if you recover quickly."

"I know that, Prince, don’t worry about me, you know I’m strong, nothing can defeat me."

Jun Yuyan held her in his arms, his heart aching, "Ah Jiu, if you want to cry, just cry here by my side, don’t hold it in. The people we care about the most is you, and you still have the poison of Thin Line Heaven in you, don’t suppress your emotions."

His soft and gentle words allowed Murong Jiu to vent the emotions in her heart, and she buried her face in his chest and cried for a long time, soaking his freshly changed coarse clothes.

Murong Jiu couldn’t understand why fate would play such a cruel joke on her. She had barely begun to have a family, why would the heavens be so merciless?

After venting her feelings, she indeed felt much lighter, but the pain persisted. As long as Fu Heng was not found, this pain would twist within her heart forever.

Jun Yuyan intended to escort her back to the city, but Murong Jiu refused. If he went back, he’d have to return again, everyone was already so exhausted, how could she let him travel back and forth like that.

"With Chang Chonghai here, don’t worry, you should rest too. I’m worried your body can’t bear it."

"It’s not a problem for me; there were times I didn’t sleep for days and nights during wars. Father-in-law is getting old, he truly needs some rest, but he’s unwilling to return to the city with you."

"Let father stay then."

She couldn’t help much herself, instead making everyone worry more. But if her father stayed, by keeping himself busy, he wouldn’t dwell on fruitless thoughts.

As the rain lessened, Murong Jiu’s carriage set off, hoping to reach the Capital City before dark.

Jun Yuyan, worried, escorted her to the outskirts, watched her carriage enter the city gate, and only then did he ride back.

Murong Jiu watched his receding figure, feeling a bitter swelling in her heart.

The carriage hurried to enter the city before the gates closed, right on the verge of curfew, speeding up as it went.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped.

"Princess Consort, no matter what sounds you hear, do not get out of the carriage!"

The grave voice of Chang Chonghai came from outside.

"What’s happened?"

Hong Yi whispered close to the carriage, "There are many assassins outside! Princess Consort, keep your head down!"

Just as Hong Yi finished speaking, the sizzling sound of something tearing through the air followed, and an arrow shot straight into the carriage, embedding into the hard wooden board, its tail still vibrating, showing the great force of the archer.

Chun Tao turned pale with fright, but didn’t forget to protect the Princess Consort with her back.

Sounds of muffled groans came from outside, clearly, a guard from the Prince Mansion had been hit by an arrow!