The dagger was only inches away. Cui Yunchu hurriedly raised her arm to shield the vital area of her abdomen. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind before she could even react, and she had already begun composing her last words.
Damn it. She would make Shen Xiabai kill that princess.
Suddenly, a pale arm shot into her line of sight and met the palace maid’s dagger head-on.
The sound of the blade slicing through flesh was painfully sharp. Cui Yunchu was still standing there when a tall figure suddenly enveloped her and pulled her into his arms.
Shen Xiabai kicked the palace maid hard in the abdomen. She flew through the air like a projectile and crashed onto the imperial steps with a heavy bang.
Only then did everyone in the hall react. They shouted for the palace maid to be seized.
The palace maid got to her feet and tried to run, but with so many people in the hall, how could she possibly get her way? Every escape route was blocked, and she was quickly captured.
Kneeling on the ground, the palace maid looked at Shen Xiabai, whose arm and shoulder were bleeding profusely, and curled her lips into several eerie, sinister laughs.
Shen Xiabai’s expression was grim. His head gradually began to swim, and his steps became unsteady.
The commotion drew back the emperor, who had already left the main hall. He happened to witness everything that had just occurred.
“Shen… Are you all right?” Cui Yunchu’s mind had nearly short-circuited, and her face was as pale as paper.
All around her, officials were anxiously asking questions.
Shen Xiabai steadied himself and turned to examine Cui Yunchu. Only after seeing that she was unharmed did he let out a deep breath.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to die.”
Cui Yunchu desperately wanted him not to say those words. She wanted to grab his arm and shout for the imperial physicians. She wanted to hold him and cry out in fear and worry.
But here in the palace, she had neither the status nor the right to do so.
Someone tugged lightly at her sleeve. Cui Yunchu turned and met Tang Qingwan’s worried gaze for a moment.
Behind her, the chief eunuch beside the emperor had already begun ordering someone to summon the imperial physicians, and the approaching footsteps grew louder.
Cui Yunchu lowered her head, forcibly holding back her tears and the worry filling her heart. She rubbed the sweat from her palm and took a step back.
She stood there like a frightened young girl, tears pattering down her face as though she had been scared senseless.
She watched helplessly as Shen Xiabai’s eyes slowly grew unfocused and his body staggered, barely able to remain upright.
She clutched her skirt tightly, only just managing not to reach out and support him.
“Oh heavens, the blade was poisoned!”
“Lord Shen has been brought down by poison!”
The officials around them chattered among themselves. Cui Yunchu wanted to curse every one of them.
They were all making such a commotion, yet not a single one of them thought to support the man and take him to be treated first.
What, did they think she was going to hold them responsible?
Blood continued to pour from Shen Xiabai’s arm, drop after drop striking the floor. Soon, a large pool had formed. The blood was bright red—so bright it hurt the eyes.
And she did not even dare step forward to inspect his wound, afraid that doing so would bring trouble upon him.
Cui Yunchu stared at Shen Xiabai. Her clear eyes had long since been blurred by tears, and with every blink, a large cluster spilled down her cheeks.
“Quickly, take him to the side hall. Where are the imperial physicians? Have they arrived?” the eunuch beside the emperor ordered calmly and efficiently.
As Shen Xiabai was carried away, his eyes still held the last trace of clarity. He looked in Cui Yunchu’s direction, curved his lips into a faint smile, and mouthed three silent words.
Cui Yunchu understood him.
He was telling her to go home.
The hall descended into chaos. Once Shen Xiabai and the palace maid had both been taken away, the officials began discussing the incident noisily as they filed out of the hall.
The emperor stood there with a frown, silent for a moment. After Shen Xiabai had left, he followed him to the side hall.
“Yunchu, are you all right?” Tang Qingwan asked anxiously.
Cui Yunchu looked at her. She could not even manage to shake her head.
Her heart was drawn taut, as though it might snap at any moment. The dense, piercing pain was no less intense than what she had endured time and again during the darkest days of her childhood.
“Cousin…” Her throat was dry and hoarse, and she could barely speak. Those two words alone seemed to drain the strength from her entire body.
She did not know how to describe the feeling. It was as though her whole world were slowly collapsing.
“Leave the palace at once. Hurry.” Tang Qingwan pushed her toward the exit.
Cui Yunchu shook her head and started toward the side hall where Shen Xiabai had been taken.
“Listen to me. Your cousin and your brother-in-law are here in the palace,” Tang Qingwan urged.
At the same time, Cui Yunfeng lost her temper, broke free from Prince An’s restraint, and rushed over. She grabbed Cui Yunchu and repeatedly looked her over, her face so pale that there was hardly any color left in it.
“Who was it? Who tried to harm you?” Cui Yunfeng demanded harshly. Her expression was rarely so fierce and cold.
“No matter how gentle she usually is, she was raised as a noble lady. And as Princess An, she holds real power.”
“Could it have been Xiao Lan? I thought there was something strange about the way she looked at Lord Shen earlier. Both of her former fiancés died under suspicious circumstances. That woman is vicious and calculating.”
Cui Yunfeng narrowed her eyes, a chilling light filling them. She immediately ordered someone to return to the Cui residence and deliver the news.
“Elder Sister, we absolutely cannot let this go. We must get to the bottom of it.”
Tang Qingwan rubbed her temples. “Yunfeng, revenge can wait. Right now, the most important thing is to get Yunchu out of the palace immediately.”
Cui Yunfeng was not foolish. Though she could not understand the reason in such a short time, she knew that her cousin would never harm Eldest Sister.
She took Cui Yunchu’s hand and hurried toward the palace gates. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”
“Princess An, Eldest Miss Cui.” A young eunuch suddenly blocked their path at the hall entrance. In his shrill voice, he said, “His Majesty has summoned Eldest Miss Cui.”
Inside the hall, Tang Qingwan’s expression darkened. She slowly closed her eyes.
The Crown Prince and Prince An both frowned, their expressions equally grave.
“Xiao Yi.” Cui Yunfeng waved to Prince An.
Prince An: “…”
Prince An could only step forward. Cui Yunfeng understood only that her cousin had said Eldest Sister must leave the palace immediately, which meant staying here would be dangerous.
“My elder sister has been frightened out of her wits. She cannot remain in the palace.”
“…”
The eunuch delivering the summons glanced respectfully at Prince An.
The emperor’s order had already been issued. Who could openly disobey an imperial command?
Cui Yunfeng cared not in the slightest whether she made things difficult for her husband. “Think of something!”
Prince An said, “Don’t panic. We’ll all remain here to protect her. Prime Minister Cui will be arriving soon as well. With so many people looking after her, she’ll be safe.”
Cui Yunfeng was unwilling to accept that.
Cui Yunchu rather liked seeing Cui Yunfeng giving Prince An a hard time, but she also knew that, at a moment like this, making things difficult for anyone would be useless. No one could openly defy the emperor’s command.
She pulled her wrist from Cui Yunfeng’s grasp. Cui Yunfeng, who had been preparing to argue with Xiao Yi, hurriedly seized it again.
“Don’t cause trouble at a time like this! Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you no matter what.”
Cui Yunchu said, “His Majesty only summoned me to ask a few questions. It’s not as though I’m going to my death. There’s no need to be so nervous.”
“Impossible,” Cui Yunfeng retorted. “Cousin made it sound so serious. If you go in there, you’ll definitely be in danger. No. We have to wait for Father to arrive first.”
The young eunuch spoke in a low voice. “Princess An, His Majesty is waiting inside.”
