eurekapd Chapter 383 Saving Lives
Chapter 383 Saving Lives
The palace maids came up to pour wine, but the women were drinking fruit wine, which wouldn't make them drunk.
Si Muyan liked all the different flavors of fruit wine, and waved her hand to tell the palace maid not to come over. The palace maid smiled and went around to her younger sister to continue pouring wine.
She bent down and said, "The dancer is suspicious, please be careful, Miss."
The abrupt remark startled the younger sister, leaving her speechless for a long time. Once she came to her senses, her gaze searched the palace banquet.
Among the seats of the Zheng family, the Minister of Revenue, Gui Shan sat upright. The Minister of Revenue's wife and Madam Gui were cousins and had been in contact with each other. Although the Gui family had fallen on hard times, Gui Shan had been chosen as the Crown Prince's principal wife, so she had to attend the palace banquet today, which was why she was with the Zheng family.
Gui Shan looked at her younger sister, smiled slightly, and raised her wine glass in a gesture of greeting.
The younger sister felt a slight sense of relief, realizing that Gui Shan had sent a palace maid to inform her. As for why she needed to be informed…
A clever girl like Gui Shan must have realized her thoughts; this was paving the way for her.
Could it be that the dancers were plotting against the Emperor today? Gui Shan must have learned this from the Crown Prince, who wanted to harm the Emperor and seize power?
No, it wouldn't be. If it were a power grab, Gui Shan wouldn't have told her.
The younger sister suddenly remembered that she had almost been harmed by the Second Prince, but Gui Shan had saved her. Could it be that Gui Shan had spoken to the Crown Prince, making him take notice of the Second Prince and thus planning to take action against him?
Lost in thought, Si Muyan tapped the table beside her and whispered, "This is a palace banquet; you're being too forward."
The younger sister turned her head and looked towards the head of the table, only to see the Emperor glancing at her in a seemingly casual manner.
Their eyes met, and she pretended to blush and lowered her gaze.
Si Muyan sighed softly: "Little sister, what are you going to do?"
The younger sister smiled and said, "Big sister, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Si Muyan closed her eyes and stopped asking questions.
Before long, music and dance began, and everyone in the hall congratulated the Emperor, exchanging congratulations with him. Those who rarely saw the Emperor tried every means to gain his favor.
The concubines rarely saw their maternal relatives. They would look at them longingly, and even if they couldn't speak, it was good enough if they could raise a cup to drink together from afar.
The Imperial Concubine's eyes were red, and her younger sister from her maternal family boldly went up to offer a toast. Seeing that the Emperor was not paying attention, the Imperial Concubine pulled her sister down to sit and spoke to her in detail.
The other concubines dared not be so reckless, but they were also eager to make a move.
Only Consort Rong, without making eye contact with anyone from the Hu family, coquettishly peeled fruit from the table, leaning half her body against the Emperor, wanting to feed him.
But the Emperor straightened his posture and gently rebuked him: "You must not be rude."
Consort Rong pouted and had no choice but to straighten her posture.
The Emperor looked up at his younger sister, only to find her head bowed, seemingly lost in thought.
He felt a strange sense of guilt.
Just then, the dancers filed in, the one in the lead holding a bunch of red plum blossoms, which was very eye-catching and beautiful.
Si Muyan tapped her hands to the rhythm of the music, saying, "Red plum blossoms are beautiful, but they're not fragrant enough. Winter plum blossoms are fragrant, but they're not pretty enough. I want to plant half of each in the yard, so they'll be both beautiful and fragrant."
Hearing this, the younger brother turned around and said, "Big sister, you should just give up. You've already planted so many old things in your yard and you're always fertilizing them. If you plant fragrant wintersweet, it won't be fragrant anymore; it will be a combination of fragrance and stench, and it will smell terrible."
Si Xingzhi laughed heartily from the side: "You're wrong. Your eldest sister can't bear to part with that land. It's better to use it to grow vegetables than to grow flowers."
Si Muyan scolded the two of them, "Father, little brother, you're just making fun of me. I originally wanted to raise chickens and ducks, but you wouldn't let me."
Si Xingzhi joked, "Raise a few ducks so they can keep your little brother company."
My younger brother is going through puberty, and his voice sounds like a duck's quack, so he's become less talkative. His family's teasing actually makes him talk more.
The younger brother, supporting himself with his hands, said, "Why don't you just tell your older sister to stop raising children and raise me instead?"
The family chatted and laughed, enjoying each other's company.
This attracted the Emperor's frequent glances, until he finally exclaimed, "What did you say, Minister Si? Is it so interesting?"
Si Xingzhi was startled and quickly stood up to answer, "It is my eldest daughter. She is wondering what kind of flowers to plant in the courtyard that will never fade in all four seasons."
The Emperor smiled and said, "Does the young lady like flowers? The palace servants in the Imperial Garden have cultivated quite a few. If you like them, I will have them sent to the Marquis's residence."
Si Muyan stood up to express her gratitude.
Just then, the dancer holding the bouquet of plum blossoms suddenly leaped up and pounced on the emperor. The flowers in her hand fell to the ground and turned into a sharp blade.
Everyone else was laughing and chatting and didn't see it, but the little girl kept staring at the dancer's movements. The moment she saw the dancer get up, she screamed.
"Your Majesty, be careful."
After saying that, she stood up, grabbed her skirt, and rushed over in one stride.
The Emperor was somewhat bewildered by the shout, and Consort Rong next to him also screamed.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am afraid."
He actually hid directly behind the emperor.
The younger sister disregarded her image and rushed from the table in front of the emperor, hugging him tightly. The dagger then pierced directly into her back.
The next moment, the crown prince subdued the dancer, and the guards also subdued the remaining dancers.
The emperor held his younger sister in his arms, and could still feel the sticky blood gushing out from her back. He also saw that his younger sister's beautiful face was getting paler and paler.
He panicked and cried out repeatedly, "Wan'er, are you alright? Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician!"
The imperial physician arrived just in time and quickly said, "Your Majesty, find a clean place to put the young lady down."
Prince Ning, who was nearby, quickly came over and said, "Your Majesty, please hand her over to me."
The emperor refused, so he personally picked up his younger sister and carried her to the side hall next door.
Si Xingzhi was stunned, while his younger brother burst into tears.
The second sister was the calmest, and she stepped forward with trembling hands: "Father, eldest sister, little brother, let's go in and take a look quickly."
Si Xingzhi and his younger brother quickly followed, while Si Muyan followed numbly behind.
She didn't know how many people and events were involved in this upheaval, nor did she know if her younger sister was just one link in the chain, or something else entirely. But if she had known that her younger sister was planning to risk her life, she would never have agreed to it, even at the cost of her own life.
She didn't cry, she was just angry.
I'm angry that my younger sister is disobedient, and even angrier at myself for being useless.
She clenched her fists tightly, staring at the bloodstains in the hall, at the blood dripping down the emperor's dragon robe.
That's all her own sister's blood!
The younger sister barely opened her eyes and weakly cried out to the Emperor, "It hurts..."
The Emperor's voice trembled: "It's alright, Wan'er is alright. I'm here. I am the Son of Heaven, and I will surely protect you."
The younger sister forced a smile and reached out to touch the Emperor's face. However, her back was soaked in blood, which flowed down her arm and onto her hand, staining the Emperor's face with the blood from her fingers.
She panicked and tried to wipe it clean, but she couldn't get it off no matter what she did.
The Emperor hurriedly said, "Don't be afraid, Wan'er, don't be afraid..."
"So much blood... Am I going to die?" the younger sister said. "But Your Majesty... to die in your arms, Wan'er... will die without regrets."