Chapter 192: Chapter 90 His Knife_4
Meng Xiyang’s eyes flashed coldly for a moment, then she opened them wide in feigned surprise. "The Princess Consort is quite the joker. The medical officers from the Medical Officer Institute have been visiting regularly and have never discovered any poisoning. How could a female doctor from a small clinic diagnose the Princess Consort’s fetus as poisoned?"
She lifted her gaze towards Lu Tong, her tone becoming chilling, "I think, this woman is spreading deceitful nonsense!"
The unfounded accusation was a clear attempt to saddle blame. If it wasn’t for the fact that the Consort was foolish to the point of being outrageous, there was only one other possibility, she planned to silence her by killing her.
With a dead person, naturally, there’d be no need for reservations.
A moan reached her ears, and Lu Tong looked down to see the wet patch beneath Pei Yunshu growing larger. When Meng Xiyang had brought people to crash through the door just a moment ago, it had caused Pei Yunshu to become even more nervous, her blood had broken, and the situation was only getting more dire.
She certainly chose her moment well.
Meng Xiyang noticed the pained expression on Pei Yunshu’s face as well, feeling a surge of joy inside. Childbirth was already a life-and-death matter, today Lu Tong was undoubtedly doomed, but if the shock and worry caused complications for Pei Yunshu, leading to both her and the child’s death, wouldn’t that fit perfectly with what she wanted? As for the blame...
Her gaze shifted to the two maids who were protecting Pei Yunshu in front of her bed. These maids were unknown to her, showing an unholy level of loyalty to Pei Yunshu, impervious to Meng Xiyang’s repeated attempts at bribery. If that was the case... it was time to make these two the scapegoats, bringing to an end the bonds between the three of them.
Meng Xiyang pointed at Lu Tong, "Seize this woman for me!"
Pei Yunshu was taken aback, "Meng Xiyang, how dare you!"
Meng Xiyang frowned, "The Princess Consort is delirious from this woman’s bewitchment. And these two—" She looked at Fangzi and Qiong Ying with a strange smile, "Being the Princess Consort’s personal maids but conspiring with outsiders to harm the Princess Consort, seize them as well. Let the Commandery Prince decide their fate upon his return!"
The servants waiting behind her were eager for just these words and rushed in at the command, reaching to grab Lu Tong.
Seeing this, Qiong Ying and Fangzi kicked away an older serving woman who was in their way and pulled out daggers from their waists, positioning themselves in front of Pei Yunshu’s bed.
They actually know martial arts?
A flicker of surprise passed over Lu Tong’s face.
It seemed that Princess Wenjun was not entirely without tricks up her sleeve.
Watching from the doorway, Meng Xiyang’s face darkened. No wonder these two maids never left Pei Yunshu’s side; they had something to rely on. These ordinary servants and maids were useless, Meng Xiyang shouted, "Lu Han—"
With her loud call, a uniform sound of footsteps suddenly erupted in the courtyard, as a group of sword-bearing guards arrived at the door, they were the Wangfu’s guards.
Meng Xiyang stepped back and pointed at the people inside with a stern voice, "Take them down!"
"Yes!"
Dressed in green, the guards pounced aggressively on their quarry like a pack of wolves descending on sheep, Meng Xiyang smirked coldly.
Prince Wen doted on her, allowing her to command the Wangfu’s guards. These guards were indeed skilled, and even if Pei Yunshu’s two maids were adept, they were still outnumbered; and on top of that... there was another person in the room, a complete liability.
Inside, as the fierce-looking guards swarmed in, Fangzi and Qiong Ying struggled, caught between protecting Pei Yunshu on the bed and Lu Tong while facing the guards, finding themselves in a tight spot.
A burly guard dodged Fangzi’s dagger and suddenly grabbed Yin Zheng’s arm, dragging her out. Yin Zheng had never seen such a scene and cried out instinctively.
The moment Lu Tong turned and saw this, she grabbed a vase from a small table and swung it hard at the guard’s head.
"Bang—"
The guard’s body shook and he slowly fell to the ground.
Yin Zheng looked at her, still shaken, while everyone else in the room froze for a moment at the sight.
This seemingly frail woman acted with decisive fierceness.
The delicate porcelain vase shattered on the ground, mixed with the stark color of blood. Lu Tong quickly stepped forward and briskly drew the curtain around the bed.
The moonlight sifted through the cloud gauze canopy like a pale crescent moon, or a veil of cloud, softly falling from above their heads and separating the inside of the tent from the outside, creating two distinct worlds.
Along with it drifted her calm voice.
"Protect me."
Fangzi and Qiong Ying snapped back to reality. At this critical juncture of life and death, their sole mission was to ensure Lu Tong successfully delivered the Princess Consort’s baby.
From within the tent came the low moan of a woman. Meng Xiyang’s face grew even darker; the female doctor was more troublesome than she had anticipated. Her eyes suddenly narrowed, her voice turning shrill.
"Take them down, dead or alive——"
In an instant, the guards inside the room dropped all pretense, drawing their swords and lunging towards the several people within. Shielded by the cloud gauze canopy, Lu Tong’s expression was unchanged, as if she hadn’t heard the clamor of the fight outside, calmly guiding Pei Yunshu’s breathing.
With a "whoosh," a flash of cold light flew toward her from the side, grazing Lu Tong’s cheek as it passed. In the next moment, it was repelled by Qiong Ying’s dagger.
"Doctor Lu, you’re hurt..." Pei Yunshu gasped, looking at the blood on Lu Tong’s face.
"Never mind, I’m fine," Lu Tong replied, pressing on her, her tone flat.
The sounds of combat outside grew fiercer. Fangzi and Qiong Ying, distracted by their need to protect Pei Yunshu and the others behind them, faltered. Meng Xiyang’s eyes flickered as she called out loudly, "Who sent you? How dare you plot against the Princess Consort in broad daylight!"
"Lu Han, kill them——"
Upon hearing this, the leader of the guards suddenly abandoned Fangzi and, with a twist of his long sword, stabbed viciously toward Lu Tong’s back. In a flash of lightning, the sword’s silver tip aimed for Lu Tong’s heart!
"Bang——" A noise sounded.
A sharp whoosh split the air.
A cold light pierced through the crowd, forcefully penetrating the guard’s skull.
Warm blood spattered across the moonlit gauze canopy, a mottled scattering of red and white.
As the arrows fell to the floor, so did the guard and his sword.
At some point, the commotion inside the room had stopped. In the deadly silence, Lu Tong heard Meng Xiyang’s trembling voice.
She said, "Pei, Pei Yunmeng... how did you get here?"
Pei Yunmeng? Lu Tong was slightly stunned.
Pei Yunshu also heard the commotion outside, her face showing delight, "Ah Ying is here?"
Lu Tong couldn’t afford to be distracted, only hearing footsteps from outside, approaching step by step; it seemed someone had entered the room and walked to the front of Pei Yunshu’s bed.
The gauze canopy divided the inside from the outside, like the clear moonlight partitioning the world into day and night. However, when the sword cut through the canopy during Fangzi’s fight with the guard, the moonlight found a seam to shine through.
Peering through the torn seam, Lu Tong caught a glimpse outside.
A figure in scarlet stood before the bed.
Amidst the chaos, with his back to Lu Tong, she couldn’t see his expression, only the fully unsheathed silver blade at his waist.
Lu Tong had seen Pei Yunmeng draw his knife before, but it seemed he always sheathed it halfway through. This was the first time she’d seen the snow-bright silver knife completely drawn; its blade was sharp and fierce, as if the person in front of her had shed his affable mask to reveal the defiance and ruthlessness beneath.
No longer concealing his raging killing intent.
He turned his head slightly, exuding an air of chill, yet his voice was gentle and reassuring as he spoke to Lu Tong.
"Continue."