Xiao Chengyan was stunned.
Such a delicate young woman, yet so brave—she had taken an arrow for him!
“Nong Er!”
Lin Nong was in too much pain, her words trembling uncontrollably: “Go… Wangye, don’t mind Nong Er… Hurry to the cabin below… Go!”
While enduring the pain and acting, she wailed inwardly.
I’m going to die!
Where has that male lead, Xiao Chengyan’s good friend, disappeared to?
Wasn’t it clearly written in the book that he would appear in time to save everyone on the boat?
Just as the guards on the boat were powerless to resist and could only serve as human shields, the male lead from the original book descended like a god. Together with a group of noble young men who had come out for the excursion, they quickly eliminated all the assassins.
“Head to shore! Summon the Imperial Physician!”
“First, ask if there are any physicians nearby. Hurry!”
As Xiao Chengyan carried Lin Nong into the cabin, he brushed past a dancer who had rushed out intending to play the beauty saving the hero.
Lin Nong saw the dancer’s expression of frustration and foot-stomping and felt a tiny bit apologetic: Sorry for stealing your opportunity!
Out of the corner of her eye, she also caught a glimpse of the male lead from the original book.
He really was strikingly handsome.
If it weren’t for the excruciating pain, she would have definitely taken a few more glances.
After all, he was the most virtuous and handsome man in the book!
The Fireworks Festival was crowded, and accidents were bound to happen. The organizers had hired several folk physicians to be on standby.
So the physician arrived quickly—a female physician at that.
Only then did Xiao Chengyan allow her to examine Lin Nong’s wound.
After the examination, the female physician’s expression turned grave: “The arrow is deeply embedded and has a barb. The flesh must be cut open to remove the arrow smoothly. If we pull it out by force, the surrounding flesh will tear completely!”
Lin Nong was nearly terrified out of her wits. How could this be?
Xiao Chengyan gripped her hand: “Is there Mafeisan? Use Mafeisan!”
Fortunately, the female physician said, “Yes.”
Otherwise, if she had to endure the cutting without anesthesia, Lin Nong was afraid she would reveal her true nature and curse this damned man to death!
The female physician said, “Although Mafeisan can numb the wound, there will still be some sensation. Moreover, when the drug takes effect, it will cause significant irritation. Please have a maid firmly hold down the Cefei!”
Lin Nong clutched his hand tightly, refusing to let go.
Was he joking? She was injured for his sake, and he thought he could just slip away to avoid the commotion?
“Wangye, don’t go… I’m scared…”
Xiao Chengyan wasn’t so cold-blooded and noble as to abandon her at such a moment. He immediately climbed onto the bed, letting her lie in his arms, and held her hands tightly.
Then, he instructed a maid to come in and hold her body down.
When the Mafeisan was applied, the irritation was intense. The pain made Lin Nong’s face scrunch up, and fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead.
When the knife cut into her flesh, there was no significant pain, but fear amplified her senses infinitely. The sound of her flesh being slowly sliced open echoed in her ears, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Xiao Chengyan watched everything unfold before his eyes. Seeing her face turn so pale it seemed almost transparent, his heart tightened: “Was the Mafeisan insufficient? Why is Nong Er still trembling?”
“The Cefei can feel the sensation of being cut open. She’s trembling out of fear!” The female physician set down the knife and grasped the arrow shaft: “Hold her steady. I’m about to pull out the arrow now!”
Xiao Chengyan lowered his head to comfort Lin Nong: “Don’t be afraid. Once the arrow is out, everything will be fine, alright?”
Lin Nong nodded frantically, overwhelmed with fear.
The moment the arrow was pulled out, the barb still tore at the deep flesh, causing intense pain!
Lin Nong bit her lip until it bled and cried out in agony.
Xiao Chengyan frowned: “Be gentler!”
The female physician was speechless.
Being gentler would only make it more painful, alright?
Ignoring him, she picked up the gauze sprinkled with medicinal powder and pressed it firmly against the wound that kept bleeding.
After a moment, the medicine took effect again.
The wound felt hot and stinging, but the pain was no longer as intense.
Lin Nong was very weak, but certain she was alive, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, she fainted.
When she woke again, she was already back in Changning Hall.
The effects of the medicine had worn off, and the wound was painful.
She glanced around the room.
There was no sign of Xiao Chengyan.
“Where is Wangye?”
Yi Ran touched her forehead—it wasn’t hot.
At least she didn’t have a fever.
“Wangye just left. Someone from Wutong Hall came to summon him several times.”
Lin Nong frowned.
A dog of a man will always be a dog of a man!
She had been injured and passed out for his sake, yet he didn’t even wait for her to wake up—instead, he went off to chat with the one who caused all this trouble!
Yi Ran said, “Wangye seemed quite angry when he left.”
Lin Nong sneered, “Zi Sangli once saved him, and they shared two years as husband and wife. Besides, the knife didn’t stab him—he won’t punish Zi Sangli harshly for my sake! Send word to the palace immediately and make sure the Emperor and the Empress both know about the assassination attempt.”
Yi Ran, being clever, had already taken care of it: “Don’t worry, Mistress. By now, the Emperor and the Empress should already know. Since Wangfei acted so recklessly, the palace is sure to impose severe punishment. You just focus on recovering.”
Xiao Chengyan went to Wutong Hall.
He was extremely angry at the moment.
If Zi Sangli hadn’t defied his orders and left the residence without permission, he wouldn’t have had to dispatch half his guards, putting himself in danger and causing Lin Nong to get injured.
When he entered, Zi Sangli was sitting in front of the dressing table, lost in thought.
She was wearing only a small undergarment, half of her body exposed to the air, a long scar visible on her snow-white back.
It was an injury she had sustained while protecting him on their way back to the capital years ago.
Remembering how she had thrown herself over him to block a blade for him back then, his anger and displeasure instantly faded, leaving only ashes.
Zi Sangli met his eyes in the mirror.
She bit her lip, letting tears roll down, then threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly. “Your Highness! When I heard about the assassination attempt, my heart nearly stopped from fear! It was all my fault for being so willful and putting you in danger. If I could, I would gladly bear all misfortune for you!”
Xiao Chengyan sighed and pushed her away. “Don’t be so reckless in the future.”
Zi Sangli refused to let go, clinging tightly to his waist. “How is Sister Lin? I heard she suffered a minor injury in the chaos.”
A look of concern crossed Xiao Chengyan’s brow. “She was injured trying to save me. She hasn’t woken up yet, and I don’t know if she’ll develop a fever tonight.”
Seeing the care he showed for another woman, Zi Sangli grew anxious.
If Lin Nong had also saved him, wouldn’t her own advantage in her husband’s heart diminish further?
And the palace would surely be even more pleased with that wretched woman and even more dissatisfied with her!
“Is that so? Then we must send an Imperial Physician to take good care of her.”
Xiao Chengyan made her sit down.
He thought that he still needed to punish her today; otherwise, she would become even more arrogant in the future. Besides, he had to give an explanation to the palace and to Lin Nong.
His expression turned stern as he looked at her and said, “Qin Wangfei lost her child, but Prince Qin’s Cefei is pregnant again. His Majesty dotes on the imperial eldest grandson, and many court officials have now openly sided with them. The Lin Family is very important.”
Zi Sangli shuddered.
I knew exactly why he had come!
He intended to openly favor that wretched Lin Nong!
“Your Highness! This humble concubine will soon turn eighteen, I am certain I can bear you a legitimate heir!”