The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1474: 719 Mother and Child Share One Heart (fourth update)

Chapter 1474: 719 Mother and Child Share One Heart (fourth update)

“Young Master, Young Master, Young Master!”

The coachman called out to him three times.

Xiao Hen’s consciousness returned, and he asked, “What’s happened?”

The coachman spoke quietly, “We’re approaching Lingbo Academy.”

The implication was clear, it was time for him to change his clothes.

Xiao Hen changed back into the Canglan Academy’s uniform, donned a veil, and went to Master Cheng’s place at Lingbo Academy to pick up little Jingspace.

Little Jingspace had caused trouble today.

He was twisting his hands nervously, not daring to speak.

In the past, Xiao Hen could have seen through his acts with just a glance, but today he was somewhat distracted and failed to notice anything unusual about little Jingspace.

Little Jingspace had already eaten, and after returning to Linglong Pavilion, Xiao Hen promptly bathed him without any unnecessary conversation.

Although he was always a man of few words, little Jingspace still felt something was different about his bad brother-in-law.

Puzzled, he looked at his bad brother-in-law, “Did you come in last again in the exams today?”

No matter how many times Xiao Hen took first place, the joke about him coming in last would never leave little Jingspace’s mind.

“No,” Xiao Hen said.

He brought over clean clothes and dressed little Jingspace, “Go to sleep.”

“Oh,” little Jingspace surprisingly didn’t play any tricks, climbed into bed, tossed and turned a few times, and fell asleep.

The night was dark and windy; the weather, dry and hot; the cicadas in the trees ceaselessly chirped, and the lotus pond echoed with the sound of croaking frogs.

The entire Academy was plunged into deep slumber.

Xiao Hen lay in the bedchamber, tossing and turning restlessly.

His mind continually flashed back to the attempted assassination the night before, Zhang Dequan’s cries, and… the woman he had met today.

The image of the woman holding the watermelon, looking scared he would refuse her, became clearer and clearer in his mind.

The feeling of his heart being tugged on grew more intense.

He covered his chest, his breathing became slightly rapid.

He didn’t know how long it had been before he finally fell into a deep sleep amidst a swirl of distracted thoughts.

In the middle of the night.

A flash of lightning, followed by a rumble of thunder from the horizon.

Xiao Hen’s heart missed a beat, and he sat up with a start!

The window sash was blown open by the fierce wind, and the plain curtains billowed in the flashes of lightning and thunder.

He got out of bed, went over to close the window, and accidently knocked a teacup off the table.

The teacup shattered, and he stepped back intending to avoid the shards but stepped on one nonetheless.

Blood trickled from his pale, thin foot, snaking its way to the corner of the wall.

…

The next day, as Xiao Hen was taking little Jingspace to Lingbo Academy, he overheard two students from Lingbo Academy at the gate:

“Did you hear? The deposed Princess met with trouble!”

“What trouble could she possibly be in?”

“Last night, she seemed to be trying to flee the palace, but sudden thunder scared her, causing her to fall from the Back Mountain slope. She’s gravely injured, her waist is broken! She’s barely hanging on!”

“Really? Is that true?”

“Of course it’s true! A court physician lives next door to my house, and he was summoned to the palace overnight to save the deposed Princess. He hasn’t returned yet! Now, word on the street is that the deposed Princess’s wickedness has angered even the Heavens, and a thunderbolt was sent to punish her!”

…

Xiao Hen suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe; he hardly knew how he had left the place.

By the time the carriage stopped, he was already in front of Tianxiang Pavilion.

The coachman looked at him with concern, “Young Master, we’ve arrived at Tianxiang Pavilion, are you… alright?”

“I’m fine. What about Jingspace?” Xiao Hen asked.

The coachman was taken aback, and replied, “You took him to the academy yourself, you handed him directly to Master Lu and even asked Master Lu to pass a message to Master Cheng, saying if you couldn’t come by noon, you would appreciate it if Master Cheng could take care of him.”

“That’s good,” Xiao Hen alighted from the carriage.

The coachman was utterly confused.

Had the Young Master suffered some kind of shock? He seemed a bit out of sorts.

But even so, the Young Master still made sure Jingspace was well looked after.

Xiao Hen had never worn the women’s uniform from the Canglan Academy to Tianxiang Pavilion; today was a first.

Gu Jiao was also there.

She had also heard about the Princess’s troubles, through Mu Chuan.

She had come to Tianxiang Pavilion to see Gu Chengfeng and find out what was really happening.

In truth, considering Mu Chuan’s status, the news he shared was unlikely to be false.

Gu Chengfeng closed the room door, both seated themselves, then he himself came to the table and said solemnly, “I have two things to share—the first thing, the deposed Princess has sustained serious injuries, and her life hangs in the balance; it’s true. The people from the National Master Hall have been alerted, and even the National Master himself went into the palace overnight, and is still trying to save her this morning.”

“How did she get hurt?” Gu Jiao asked.

“It’s said she fell down the slope,” Gu Chengfeng replied.

“The second thing,”

Gu Chengfeng paused here before continuing, “The woman who was taken away by Duwei Prefecture yesterday is the deposed Princess.”

Xiao Hen’s fingers clenched tightly.

…

The Imperial Palace, Zhaoyang Hall.

This Sleeping Palace, long abandoned and once glorious, had become desolate, a place where birds could nest undisturbed.

Yet, starting from last midnight, it once again bustled with activity as over a dozen imperial physicians and more than twenty medical apprentices, both male and female, were summoned to Zhaoyang Hall one after the other. The Imperial Forest Army encircled the hall, and Wang Xu from Duwei Prefecture also brought capable soldiers to guard outside Zhaoyang Hall.

The King stood under the corridor, watching basin after basin of bloody water being carried out, his expression growing increasingly ugly.

Zhang Dequan had summoned the National Master.

The National Master entered the room to examine Shangguan Yun’s injuries, and after coming out, he shook his head slightly.

The King, his veins popping with fury, said, “Is she faking it again?! I knew it! Apart from faking, what else can she do!”

The National Master didn’t reply.

The King spoke sharply, “Why does your Excellency remain silent?”

The National Master met the King’s piercing gaze, “I’m afraid I cannot fulfill Your Majesty’s wish. She is indeed injured, and it’s serious.”

For the National Master to claim seriousness, it meant that it wasn’t just serious, but beyond the hope of saving.

The King clenched his fist, “I command you to heal her.”

“I can’t do that,” the National Master said.

The King shouted fiercely, “You are the National Master! The most skilled physician in Dayan Country!”

The National Master said calmly, “I do not have the medicine she needs, and even if I did, the chances of her recovery are very slim.”

The King asked gravely, “Where can the medicine be found?”

“It’s not a question of where but whom,” the National Master said, “Tianqiong Academy, Xiao Liulang.”