Chapter 69 Saving Lives

Everyone bore injuries of varying degrees.

The Prince drew his long sword and gave a single command: "Kill!"

Eleven men closed in from the outer perimeter to surround the ten men in black.

Seeing reinforcements arrive, Xia Yu and the others finally let out a sigh of relief, their fighting spirit reignited.

The tide of battle instantly reversed.

The combat grew even more ferocious.

The Prince’s martial arts surpassed all the shadow guards; he dispatched one enemy in about ten moves.

Realizing the situation was turning grim, the leader of the men in black immediately ordered: "Retreat!"

However, the Prince had no intention of letting them escape so easily.

The assassins attempted to carry away the bodies of their fallen comrades, but were forcefully intercepted.

In the end, only six men in black managed to flee, while four lay dead.

Only then did the Prince find the time to check on Chun Lei and the others.

"How are you?"

"My Lord, this subordinate is incompetent," Chun Lei replied in a voice weak with agony.

The Prince knelt down to inspect his wounds.

There were multiple sword gashes across his body, the most severe being a deep slash across his chest and abdomen that threatened to expose his internal organs.

Injuries this grave meant that even with immediate medical attention, his life hung by a thread.

"My Lord, hurry, take him back to the Eldest Young Madam. Perhaps she can save Chun Lei," Xia Yu pleaded anxiously.

Previously, everyone had been too consumed by the battle to realize the extent of his injuries.

The enemies' primary target had been Chun Lei; as many as four assailants had concentrated their attack on him, resulting in such catastrophic wounds.

The Prince pressed several pressure points on Chun Lei's body to slow the bleeding.

"Take the bodies with us. Let's go," the Prince ordered.

With that, the group rushed back to the Prince's estate.

Meanwhile, Yu Yuanzheng was still waiting for Chun Lei to return and report when she was startled by Qing Feng's urgent cry.

"Eldest Young Madam, quickly, come to the outer courtyard! Chun Lei and the others have been ambushed!"

"What?" Yu Yuanzheng was terribly shocked.

Guided by Qing Feng, Yu Yuanzheng skirted past others and was led to a somewhat secluded courtyard in the outer quarters.

Four stalwart men, who unmistakably served as guards, stood sentinel at the entrance.

Upon entering the room, Yu Yuanzheng found the Prince standing in the center, waiting.

"Father."

"Ziqi's wife, Chun Lei is failing fast. Do you think you can save him?" the Prince asked without preamble.

He then took the lead and strode into the inner chamber.

Yu Yuanzheng followed closely, finding all six of her guards assembled there, each stained with blood. Chun Lei lay motionless on the couch.

Without wasting a single word, Yu Yuanzheng immediately set to work.

Her medical kit, which Xia Yu had already placed nearby, was the very one she had used earlier as a prop in Chun Lei's carriage.

"Oh, my god," Yu Yuanzheng gasped in dismay at the sight of the gaping wound on Chun Lei's abdomen.

His internal organs were plainly visible.

"Chun Lei, can you endure the pain?" Yu Yuanzheng asked, noticing he was still conscious.

"I can," Chun Lei forced out the single syllable. To survive, he had to endure, whether he could or not.

With injuries this severe, whether he lived or died depended entirely on the Eldest Young Madam. Any other physician would have deemed him beyond saving.

There was no time to lose.

In the depths of her medical kit, she happened to have needles and thread that she had added earlier.

In this era, she had no idea whether the art of suturing even existed.

The original owner's memories provided pitifully little knowledge.

First, she used clean gauze to wipe away the blood pooled around the wound.

Then, she sterilized the area with alcohol.

At that, Chun Lei could no longer suppress a low, agonizing groan.

"Hold him down," Yu Yuanzheng commanded immediately upon seeing him writhe.

Two unfamiliar men stepped forward and pinned Chun Lei securely to the couch.

After sterilizing the needle and thread with alcohol, she began the delicate process of stitching the wound, stitch by stitch.

Standing toward the back, the Prince raised a brow as he watched her movements.

Was Ziqi's wife treating a man's belly as if it were a piece of cloth?

Yet, as he watched, he noticed that as the wound gradually closed, the bleeding slowed to a halt.

Once the primary wound was treated, she turned her attention to the lesser injuries.

Then came the medicinal powder and bandages. Her proficiency in handling wounds was astonishingly practiced, as though she performed such tasks with routine frequency.

Tending to Chun Lei alone consumed half an hour of Yu Yuanzheng's time.

By then, Chun Lei was drenched in sweat from the excruciating pain.

"Wipe his sweat, and change him into clean clothes. Someone must watch over him tonight; he is likely to develop a high fever."

"Eldest Young Madam, this subordinate will keep watch tonight," volunteered one of the men nearby.

"The rest of you, let me tend to your wounds as well," Yu Yuanzheng said, turning her gaze to the others.

"Eldest Young Madam, we can have the estate physician tend to us," Xia Yu declined.

How could he possibly allow a woman to dress their wounds? Chun Lei had been an exception because his life was hanging by a thread.

"Hurry up," Yu Yuanzheng's expression chilled.

These were her own subordinates, and she cared for their well-being; their hesitation felt utterly prudish.

Xia Yu shot a glance at the Prince. Seeing the Prince nod, he reluctantly removed his outer garment, revealing deep gashes across his shoulder blade and back.

Upon inspection, Yu Yuanzheng saw that the wounds were by no means small, though fortunately, they missed any fatal areas and posed no immediate danger to his life.

Methodically, she proceeded to treat each wounded man in turn.

"Now, tell me, what on earth happened?" Yu Yuanzheng finally had a moment to ask.

"Reporting to the Eldest Young Madam, we were nearing the Hall of Ten Days when we were intercepted by ten assassins. Each of them possessed formidable martial arts. Realizing we were outmatched, we had no choice but to signal the Prince for help," Zhui Feng explained.

Just then, An Yi stepped into the room.

"My Lord," he addressed the Prince.

"Well?" the Prince asked coolly.

"This subordinate carefully examined the four bodies. While nothing distinct could be found on their persons, two of the corpses bear certain peculiarities," An Yi reported.

"What peculiarities?"

"They do not quite look like people of our Great Wei; they strongly resemble the people of the Canglan Kingdom."

"Oh?" The Prince truly had not anticipated this outcome.

"Father?" Yu Yuanzheng looked at the Prince in puzzlement.

Being summoned here tonight meant she was well aware that the Prince had discovered her secrets.

However, she had never truly expected to pull the wool over the head of the estate's master.

If the Prince had failed to notice these little tricks of hers, it would only prove that he was utterly incompetent.

"Ziqi's wife, I will investigate this matter. You need not burden yourself with it; simply focus on taking care of Ziqi. Both your mother and I thank you," the Prince expressed his gratitude with gentle warmth.

Nothing needed to be explicitly stated; the underlying meaning was understood by all.

Sure enough, Chun Lei developed a high fever that very night. Yu Yuanzheng was roused once more to prescribe a fever-reducing decoction and had attendants sponge his body down with wine.

The fever did not break until dawn.

His life was saved.

The band of brothers finally let out a collective breath of relief.

Though the lives of subordinates like them were often treated as worthless elsewhere, the Prince had never once looked down upon them.

The estate's shadow guards were trained at great expense, and in truth, every single one of them was immensely precious.

The following day, Yu Yuanzheng once again skipped the morning greetings, sleeping well into the late morning.

Yet, it seemed everyone shared a tacit understanding, as no one disturbed her slumber. Even Shangguan Ziqi had already awakened, while she remained fast asleep.

At that moment, Yu Yuanzheng was sleeping with absolute abandon, one leg draped over Shangguan Ziqi’s body while her head rested in the crook of his shoulder.

Her gentle breaths brushed softly against the shell of his ear.

Shangguan Ziqi felt a tingling, tickling sensation wash over him.

Every previous morning when he awoke, Yu Yuanzheng was already up and about.

This was the first time he had ever woken up to find his wife still asleep.

The unfamiliar sensation caused a faint flush to slowly spread across his cheeks. He felt a sudden, powerful urge to raise his arm and gather the little woman beside him into his embrace.

Then, a sudden thought struck him with a jolt.

What had happened? Why would his wife sleep so late without waking?

The flush on his cheeks instantly vanished.

Yet, there was no one here to provide him with answers.

It was not until Yuan Shan and Jin Shui came in later to wait upon him that he learned the truth through fragments of their conversation.

Now he understood—someone had actively sought to prevent him from waking up.

Having finally slept her fill, Yu Yuanzheng woke up late in the morning.

She leisurely got out of bed, ate a light bite, and went to pay her respects to the Princess, only to step into the chamber and find the Princess with eyes swollen like red peaches.