Chapter 181: The End of the Scene

“What, Princess Wang was hit by a stone?” Prince Yuliu slammed his wine cup onto the table and rose hurriedly. “Take me to see her!”

It was only natural to check on a sister in trouble; King Wei had no standing to stop him, so he could only rise as well, advising him: “Do not be anxious, Prince. Your sister will surely be fine.”

Prince Yuliu looked as though he had no capacity to listen to King Wei’s comfort, walking forward with large, hurried strides, his face grim.

King Wei quickened his pace to follow.

Many onlookers, seeing this scene, thought to themselves that it was a good thing King Wei had lost weight, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to keep up at all.

“It is a major matter if Princess Yuliu is injured. Perhaps... should we also go take a look?” someone suggested.

This suggestion was immediately supported, and a large crowd swarmed in that direction.

“Is Scholar Yang not going to look? I heard Princess Yi'an is in charge of the banquet over there,” someone asked curiously upon seeing that Yang Zhe had not moved.

Since such a major accident had occurred at a banquet hosted by Princess Yi'an, as her fiancé, Yang Zhe ought to go and see.

“Naturally, I shall go.” Yang Zhe’s tone remained steady as he stepped into the surging tide of people.

By the time Prince Yuliu arrived, the imperial physician had only just reached the scene, directing palace attendants to carry Princess Lingque into the room.

“Sister!” Prince Yuliu cried out, rushing to Princess Yuliu’s side.

At this moment, Princess Lingque was still unconscious, her eyes tightly shut and her face covered in blood, looking extremely terrifying.

Prince Yuliu had not expected it to be this serious; his voice grew even more shrill. “Sister, sister, wake up! What on earth happened?”

Could it be that a noble lady of the Great Zhou was jealous of her beauty and had caused her to be disfigured?

Beside them, the imperial physician whispered a reminder: “The Princess has suffered a head injury and needs immediate treatment. Even if you call her, she will not wake up.”

Just then, Princess Lingque suddenly snapped her eyes open.

The imperial physician: “...”

Prince Yuliu’s expression brightened with joy. “Sister, you’re awake!”

Many people breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Princess Lingque had regained consciousness, especially Princess Yi'an. To her, the severity of Princess Lingque's injuries was directly related to the extent of her responsibility.

Looking at the anxious Prince Yuliu, Princess Lingque rolled her eyes, then closed them and fell unconscious again.

“Sister, sister!” In his desperation, Prince Yuliu shook Princess Lingque’s arm, but this time, no matter how much he called, there was no response.

He glared at the imperial physician. “What is the meaning of this?”

The imperial physician braced himself and said, “It is possible for someone with a head injury to have a brief moment of clarity before falling unconscious again.”

“You just said she wouldn't wake up!”

King Wei intercepted the somewhat irrational Prince Yuliu. “Let the imperial physician treat Princess Lingque first. Saving her is the priority.”

Prince Yuliu let go and gradually calmed down.

Watching Princess Lingque being carried away, the crowd couldn't help but speculate: Princess Lingque suddenly waking up only to fall unconscious again... it looked quite a bit like a final flash of consciousness before death.

Princess Yi'an clearly couldn't help but think the same. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked helplessly toward King Wei. “Fourth Brother—”

King Wei felt a secret headache, yet he had to maintain a concerned expression. “Yi'an, how did Princess Lingque get injured?”

These words immediately caused everyone to prick up their ears, and Prince Yuliu stared intently at Princess Yi'an.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Princess Yi'an’s face turned pale.

She wasn't afraid of the people before her, but rather afraid that if something happened to Princess Lingque, she wouldn't be able to explain herself to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

“After having wine, I was accompanying Princess Lingque on a casual stroll. We unknowingly walked toward the rockery, and I was introducing her to the history of the stones when, unexpectedly, a stone fell from the rockery and struck her head.”

Those who arrived late exchanged looks upon hearing this.

This was a pure accident; Princess Lingque was simply too unlucky.

Many noble ladies silently lowered their eyes to hide their emotions: For some reason, they felt a little bit happy...

Knowing it was an accident, King Wei felt slightly more relieved.

He had thought some noble lady had struck Princess Lingque's head, which would have been much more troublesome.

“Prince, I will stay here to accompany you while you wait for Princess Lingque to wake. The others should disperse for now. What do you think?” King Wei asked Prince Yuliu gently.

Prince Yuliu nodded.

What should be done would naturally depend on his sister's condition; for now, they could only wait.

King Wei looked toward Princess Yi'an. “Yi'an, you should arrange for the noble ladies first, lest the crowd becomes chaotic and interferes with the Princess's treatment.”

Princess Yi'an nodded, her gaze inadvertently meeting Yang Zhe's.

In that instant, she suddenly felt like crying.

She, a precious daughter of nobility respected by all, had inexplicably been tainted by such misfortune.

Yang Zhe gave a slight nod, his tone gentle. “The Princess need not worry too much. I believe Princess Lingque is blessed and will pull through.”

“Mm.” Princess Yi'an responded with a nasal tone. Looking at the gentle, jade-like young man, her heart felt much more at ease.

This interaction between the two caught the eyes of others, drawing much envy. The men envied Yang Zhe for being able to marry such a noble lady, while the women envied Princess Yi'an for marrying a scholar of such talent and appearance.

Once her emotions stabilized, Princess Yi'an walked toward the ladies. “My hospitality was insufficient today. I shall invite you all for wine another day.”

“Please rest easy, Princess. Princess Lingque will surely be fine,” the ladies consoled her one after another, leaving with lingering regret.

They had wanted to see just how much blood was on Princess Yuliu's face after being hit, but it was a pity.

Kou Wan stood still and called out timidly, “Sister.”

Anger surged into Princess Yi'an's mind, but she forced it down due to the occasion, saying coldly, “You should head back first.”

Feeling the coldness in Princess Yi'an's tone, Kou Wan opened her mouth but could no longer say anything else. “Then, I'll be going.”

She lowered her head slightly and followed the others out. After walking a few yards, she couldn't help but look back, only to see that Princess Yi'an was already conversing with King Wei and hadn't even glanced her way.

On the way back in the same carriage, Qi Qiong's eyes were full of admiration. “A-Hao, because of your words, Second Miss Kou avoided being injured, and the stone hit Princess Lingque instead. You really spoke up for us noble ladies of the Great Zhou!”

Given Princess Lingque's behavior at the banquet, anyone with a bit of spirit wouldn't have been able to stomach it.

Lin Hao smiled and said, “You shouldn't say such things so lightly.”

“Don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone.”

Having made such a promise, the little commandery princess returned to the Prince's manor to find her eldest brother.

Well, A-Hao only told her not to say it *casually*; telling her eldest brother didn't count as saying it casually.

“Why is Little Sister back so early?” Seeing it was Qi Qiong, Qi Shuo understood the situation.

It seemed the incident regarding the second daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu's manor had indeed occurred.

“Princess Lingque was hit by a stone.”

Qi Shuo froze. “Who?”

“That Princess Yuliu.” Qi Qiong looked quite relaxed.

The unexpected turn of events left Qi Shuo a bit flustered. “The one injured was Princess Yuliu? Then you guys—”

“We are of course fine.” Qi Qiong's eyes shone, eager to share the secret with her brother. “Brother, did you know? A-Hao can read physiognomy!”

Qi Shuo:?

(End of Chapter)