"My Lord Lan, quickly protect the carriage, the Emperor is here."
"What?" The person on horseback was clearly startled. Without further thought, he leaped forward into the midst of the assassins. Several of his subordinates followed suit, and the situation immediately changed.
Amidst the clash of swords and blades, Shangguan Yao breathed a sigh of relief. However, due to a moment's carelessness, he was struck in the arm by an assassin's sword. He winced in pain, his face contorted, and large beads of sweat dripped down. Song Yuan cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Shangguan Yao said in a deep voice, "I am fine."
At this moment, the newcomer had reached Shangguan Yao's side and, along with Song Yuan, began to protect the Emperor.
The newcomer was Lan Qinglun, the Assistant Minister of War, the youngest official in the Eastern Qin court. He was on his way to visit the Minister of War that evening and was returning home when he encountered this situation.
Lan Qinglun had clear, handsome features and a radiant demeanor, possessing the elegance of a scholar and the steadiness of a general. Seeing the Emperor injured, he attacked with lethal force, commanding Song Yuan as he fought, "Lord Song, protect His Majesty well. The Imperial Guard will be here soon."
"Yes."
Song Yuan retreated, protecting Shangguan Yao while fending off those around him.
With the arrival of reinforcements and the threat of the Imperial Guard, the assassins realized their assassination attempt was unlikely to succeed. Infuriated, they all turned to attack Lan Qinglun, to vent their frustration, neglecting Song Yuan and Shangguan Yao.
As Song Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't help but worry and quickly reminded him.
"Lord Lan, be careful."
Lan Qinglun responded while fighting. Due to a momentary lapse in concentration, he was struck by an assassin's sword to the chest. The pain was unbearable, and he staggered backward.
The assassin was about to kill Lan Qinglun when the sound of approaching horses was heard in the distance. The elegant young master,顾不得 killing anyone, waved his hand and calmly commanded.
"Retreat."
In the blink of an eye, dozens of assassins vanished into the darkness. On the street, only the injured Lan Qinglun, the Emperor, and Song Yuan remained. All others had been killed.
Even the two hidden guards, Mingri and Mingyue, had not survived. Lan Qinglun's subordinates were also killed.
The street was littered with corpses. At this moment, the sound of horses grew closer.
Leading them was the capital's Imperial Guard. They tumbled off their horses in panic, a dark mass of them rolling onto the ground. They spoke with fear.
"Lord Lan, this humble subordinate deserves death."
The Imperial Guards had rushed over upon receiving the notification and were unaware that the Emperor was present. Lan Qinglun clutched his chest, propped himself up, and said in a deep voice, "The Emperor is here. You will protect him."
The Imperial Guards' expressions changed dramatically. They quickly looked up and indeed saw someone behind Lord Lan. It was the Commander of the Imperial Guard, Lord Song, and the other, though they had never met, possessed a chilling and domineering aura, clearly indicating he was the one being protected by Lord Song, and must be the Emperor.
They quickly prostrated themselves on the ground and cried out their plea.
"Your subject greets His Majesty. My apologies for arriving late to save you, I deserve death."
"Who are you?" Shangguan Yao spoke coldly, but before he could finish his sentence, he fell to the ground, his body devoid of strength, his face darkening.
Song Yuan and Lan Qinglun were greatly alarmed. They quickly examined the situation and saw that the Emperor's face was purplish-black, his lips cyanotic, clearly poisoned. What could be done?
They hadn't expected the sword to be poisoned. Yet, Lan Qinglun and Song Yuan, both injured, were unharmed. It was clear that the assassins' target was the Emperor.
"What should we do? We must return to the palace immediately."
Song Yuan, enduring his pain, reached out to help the Emperor onto his horse to return to the palace.
Lan Qinglun quickly blocked Song Yuan's action. "Lord Song, wait. The Emperor has been poisoned. If we return to the palace now and miss the opportune moment, it may be too late. We must find a medical clinic immediately and treat him here."
After speaking, Lan Qinglun looked up at the trembling captain of the Imperial Guard kneeling on the ground and asked in a deep voice, "Are there any medical clinics nearby?"
The captain of the Imperial Guard raised his head, scanned the surroundings, and finally pointed to a spot not far behind them.
"There is a medical clinic ahead. I've heard that the Young Master Leng Yue there has excellent medical skills."
"Good, Lord Song, quickly."
Lan Qinglun commanded sternly. Song Yuan, his heart trembling, dared not say anything more. He reached out, picked up the Emperor, and they rushed towards the medical clinic. The captain of the Imperial Guard behind them cautiously rose and ordered a few subordinates, "Clear the street immediately."
He himself led a group of subordinates, following behind Song Yuan and Lan Qinglun, all heading towards the Poppy Medical Clinic.
The clinic was deathly quiet. Everyone had already gone to bed. Lan Qinglun stepped forward and knocked on the door. The sharp knocks echoed loudly in the night, making it clear to anyone how anxious they were.
The commotion at the door had already alerted the people inside the clinic. Yan Mei, leading a shop assistant, opened the door. Before she could even see what was happening, someone had barged in, followed by a bloodthirsty command.
"Where is Young Master Leng Yue? Quickly, someone is poisoned."
Yan Mei, startled, said nothing more. Lives were paramount. Without asking any questions, she simply said, "I'll go and fetch my young master."
She then darted towards the back of the building. Lights were faintly visible in the small building. Wanwan had already heard the commotion outside and poked her head out to ask, "What's happening?"
"Someone is poisoned, and they've come to find the young master for an antidote."
Before Wanwan could respond, another voice called out, "I'm coming right away. You go ahead and help out."
Yun Xiao had already gotten out of bed. As a doctor, she never took matters of life and death lightly. Wanwan quickly entered the inner room to help her master get up, carefully putting on her mask.
As she was putting on her shoes, her sharp eyes caught sight of the Feng Jue tattoo on her master's ankle, and she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"Master, what is this?"
Yun Xiao lightly tapped her head and said urgently, "At a time like this, you're still concerned about this?"
With life-or-death matters at hand, the two moved swiftly downstairs.
However, Yun Xiao never dreamed that the poisoned person was Shangguan Yao, that hateful, damnable man who had wronged the Yunwangfu. He had finally received his retribution. She truly wished she could rise up immediately and let him die.
But faced with the watchful gaze of Song Yuan and another man at her side, and the kneeling crowd outside the clinic's doors, if she refused to treat him, it would not only bring trouble upon herself but also endanger the lives of the several people inside the clinic.
Finally, out of necessity, she knelt down and carefully examined the man to determine what poison he had ingested. Indeed, a villain's fate was a villain's fate; retribution might be delayed, but it would not be absent.
Now, this man had finally faced his consequences. Seeing his pale face, cold sweat beading, and furrowed brows, she surmised he must be in great pain. His face was bruised and blackened, and his dark hair was somewhat disheveled. He was no longer the aloof, majestic emperor, but merely a pathetic man.