Chapter 132: Qiao Qingyun Awakens

Upon finishing, she immediately bound Qiao Qingyun’s hand tightly with bandages. Watching the blood trickle slowly into Qiao Qingyun’s body, Xu Lu felt as if she had been granted a reprieve; her strength drained away entirely, and she collapsed onto the floor.

"Lu Lu."

Chun Cheng hurried forward to pull her up. Seeing that Qiao Qingyun’s complexion had improved slightly, he immediately ordered for anesthetic and a needle and thread to be brought, proceeding to stitch the wound in front of everyone.

Even with the anesthetic, a significant amount of blood welled up with every stitch. Fortunately, the needle did not pierce through the entire body this time, which made the task slightly less difficult.

"My Lady!"

Seeing Qiao Qingyun bleeding again, Qing Luo could no longer contain her anxiety. She burst into tears, refusing to stop despite Liu Fu’s attempts to comfort her.

"Why is my Lady’s fate so cruel? She had only just recovered, and now she is injured again!"

Hearing the mention of Qiao Qingyun’s health, Yuan Zaichun suddenly remembered that her postpartum period had only recently ended. This time… he feared the outlook was grim.

"It will not be! The Princess is blessed and will surely be fine!" Hong Ying barked coldly. Everyone present held their breath, terrified that something might go wrong.

After Chun Cheng finished stitching the wound, he stared at Qiao Qingyun’s face, his worry lingering. "Now, it all depends on her own will to live."

"What does that mean!"

Zhong Shi suddenly erupted, lunging forward to grab Chun Cheng by the collar. His bloodshot eyes were brimming with tears, his fury mixed with disbelief. He could not accept that Qiao Qingyun, a vibrant person, could simply be gone. It couldn't be! He had struggled to become the Young Master of the Lu Kingdom precisely so he could stay by her side legitimately. Was it all for nothing now?

"Brother! Don't be like this! Chun Cheng has done his best. Even if the Lady were here herself, she might not have been able to guarantee a recovery!" Realizing her brother had lost his composure and fearing he might harm Chun Cheng, Hong Ying stepped in to pull him away, offering an explanation.

"It can't be," the man muttered to himself. He suddenly turned, his gaze filled with murderous intent. He drew the blood-stained sword from his waist and pointed it at Yuan Zaichun, shouting, "This is all because of you!"

Yuan Zaichun stood as if his soul had been extinguished, his eyes fixed on Qiao Qingyun, unable to look away. Every word from Chun Cheng felt like a blade piercing his chest, a constant reminder that he was the root cause of all this. What did it matter if he had shielded her from assassination attempts more than once? Today, Qiao Qingyun had suffered this grievous injury solely to save him.

"Young Master Lu! Our Lord has done no less for the Princess than you have! Do you even know how many assassination attempts he has blocked for her?" Liu Fu, unable to bear watching his master’s sincerity being trampled, spoke up in his defense. But Zhong Shi only laughed wildly, looking deranged. "And isn't that all because of her mother? Isn't it?"

"If not for the Empress, would the Princess's mother be dead? Would the Princess have lost her child? Would she be lying here now?" Zhong Shi enumerated Yuan Zaichun’s crimes, leaving everyone present speechless. It was true; this assassination was also orchestrated by the Empress. If not for her, Qiao Qingyun could have remained uninvolved, but the assassin had been driven into a killing frenzy.

"Enough! Stop arguing!" Qing Luo cried out angrily. "My Lady needs rest, stop the noise!" She knelt beside Qiao Qingyun, holding her sleeve, her tears dampening the woman’s hand. "If my Lady doesn't wake up, I will go with her, all right? I still need to serve her."

Recalling the past, she remembered how, as a servant, she had never been treated as a human, merely a beast of burden that could work and speak. Only Qiao Qingyun had treated her kindly, not only exempting her from chores in recent years but even bringing her along to enjoy life. Even in her final moments of danger, Qiao Qingyun had not forgotten to tell Hong Ying to protect her.

The air grew stagnant. Zhong Shi lowered his sword and cast a cold glance at the dejected Yuan Zaichun. "You will never have another chance."

He moved to Qiao Qingyun’s side, taking her hand openly for the first time, and began to speak to her incessantly.

"My Lady... the name Zhong Shi was a gift from you. Actually, my name is Mo Yue—'Mo' for graphite, 'Yue' for the moon. I never told you because I feared bringing you trouble. Fortunately, it doesn't matter now."

His blood-stained hands gripped her palm, which had grown cold from the infusion. There was a heart-wrenching tenderness in the tough man’s demeanor.

"It’s cold, isn't it? Don't worry, your servant will warm it for you." He used two fingers to hold the infusion tube, ensuring that the blood entering her body remained warm.

Zhong Shi wore an expression of tenderness never seen before. He wanted to reach out and touch her face, but realizing his hands were filthy, he hesitated and wiped them nervously on his clothes, unable to bring himself to touch her.

"My Lady, this was too frightening. Won't you wake up soon? If you wake up, your servant will promise you anything, listen to anything you say." The Young Master of a kingdom bowed his head, accepting his fate, willing to pay any price just to see her wake.

They endured the night together. If not for Zhong Shi remembering the affairs of the Imperial Palace and sending someone back to report, the news of Qiao Qingyun’s critical injury would have been impossible to conceal.

"Brother... get some rest. Let me take your place." Hong Ying, having dozed off for a while, woke up to see her foolish brother still staring blankly. Anxious, she tried to take over.

"No. If she wakes up, I must be the first person she sees. Otherwise... she will be scared."

"Mm..."

Just as they were trying every way to rouse her, the woman on the bed let out a soft moan, her brows furrowing in pain. As her eyes opened, the first things she saw were Qing Luo’s weary face and Zhong Shi’s blood-covered features.

"You... you are all injured?"

"My Lady!" Qing Luo cried out in joy, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

Zhong Shi clutched her hand tightly, refusing to let go. His warm palm provided Qiao Qingyun with a sense of security. Seeing the group looking so nervous, she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. The movement was too sudden, however, and she accidentally pulled at her wound, gasping in pain as she muttered, "Oh, oh, that hurts!"

"Where does it hurt? Let me see!"

Having finally waited for her to wake, Zhong Shi was thrown into a panic at her cry of pain, checking her over frantically.