Seeing Ouyang Ting's expression, how could Gu Qianying and the others not understand?
So all of this, all of this, was...
The conspiracy must have begun the moment Ouyang Qinglin returned.
And everyone here was a victim of the conspiracy.
Under the clash of swords, the围攻 guards suffered heavy casualties. Ouyang Ting issued a death order: Gu Qianying and the others must die.
The crime was, as Ouyang Ting declared, treason and rebellion.
However,
Ouyang Qinglin and Nangong Mo, with their superior martial arts and profound inner strength, had no problem dealing with dozens of guards.
During this time,
Ouyang Ting summoned the Imperial Guards to encircle and suppress Gu Qianying and her group.
Fortunately, the hundred men in green arrived with extreme speed. As they fought fiercely, they quickly reached the Central Palace. Outside the Central Palace, Ouyang Qinglin, Nangong Mo, and some men in green were engaged in a fierce battle with the Imperial Guards.
Inside the room,
Gu Qianying was performing surgery on the new Empress Chen.
Lu Zhu, dressed as a palace maid, was also assisting.
Lu Zhu had been rescued by the new Empress Chen from Ouyang Qinglin. To avoid exposing her identity, she had served as a maid for the new Empress Chen for a day.
Now that the new Empress Chen was in a critical condition, Gu Qianying had summoned her back through a special method of communication.
A soft rug was spread on the floor. The new Empress Chen lay on it. The bleeding had been stopped by silver needles, but her water had broken. Chen had drunk a dose of heavily poisoned fetal-preserving medicine. At this moment, a cesarean section was the only way to save the fetus.
Before the surgery, Gu Qianying had already administered another poison to Chen.
That's right!
It was a poison!
It didn't have the effect of fighting poison with poison, but it could paralyze the nerves. The silver needles could stop the bleeding, but they couldn't paralyze.
If not for this, Gu Qianying feared that the new Empress Chen would not be able to withstand the pain of the abdominal incision and would die from it.
The nerves began to enter a state of paralysis.
Seeing this, Lu Zhu handed Gu Qianying a delicate surgical knife, about half a palm in length, which she had never seen before. On the table beside her, there were several similar knives, but each varied in size and length. They were not daggers, but they were sharper than daggers.
Gu Qianying took the surgical knife from Lu Zhu and, with practiced ease, sliced open Chen's abdomen. Some blood spilled out, but not much. Each layer of the skin was cut with such precision that the major arteries beneath the skin were not harmed in the slightest.
The delicate surgical knife seemed to possess a soul in her hands, moving like flowing water and as swift as the wind.
This cesarean section technique was taught to her by her master in her previous life. Even this delicate surgical knife in her hand and those on the table were all gifts from her master.
In her previous life, at the time, she didn't think those strange surgical knives could be used for anything. It wasn't until she witnessed her master perform a cesarean section on a parturient woman that she realized those surgical knives could be used in such a way.
And her master's medical skills were truly... unparalleled in the world.
Her master often told her: "Whether a king or a commoner, they are all equal in my eyes. Saving people knows no distinction."
And that saying: "A man can divorce his wife, and a woman can divorce her husband. If Grandpa is in a bad mood, he won't save them. The reason is: Heaven's will is hard to find, and justice lies in people's hearts."
This jumbled saying was the famous quote of her master, Old Man Bai.
She didn't know what bizarre experiences her master, this strange old man, had encountered in his youth in his previous life. Not only did he often talk nonsense, saying that a world without mobile phones was extremely boring, but he also often instilled in her the peculiar notion that women could have multiple husbands.
Eight layers of the abdomen had been cut open, and the abdominal wall was pulled apart to both sides. Gu Qianying clearly saw the uterus enclosing the fetus. She cut open the uterine wall and saw two fetuses, each wrapped twice by the umbilical cord. Through a thin amniotic membrane, Gu Qianying took a deep breath.
Fortunately, both fetuses showed signs of life.
Then, Gu Qianying put down the surgical knife, asked for a pair of scissors, and cut open the amniotic membrane enclosing the fetuses. Gu Qianying first reached in to confirm the position of the fetus's head, then grasped the head of one fetus and slowly took it out, then took out the other. After clearing the foreign matter from their mouths and airways, she pulled out their shoulders. Once the fetuses' bodies were completely out, she used the scissors to cut the umbilical cords, then removed the placenta and discarded it.
After being examined and cleaned, the two infants let out loud cries.
Lu Zhu held one infant in each arm, waiting by the side.
A moment later,
Gu Qianying sewed up the uterus and the abdomen. The needles and thread used for suturing were also special ones passed down from her master in her previous life. The new Empress Chen was rather slender, with little fat on her abdomen, so the suturing was quicker. Her technique was skilled, and she finished in a short time.
The final step was to detoxify Chen. The detoxification method used was her self-made acupoint bleeding combined with autologous blood to counteract all poisons. Not long after, Chen woke up.
Upon waking, her first question was about her children. Upon learning that she had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, she cried with joy.
Her complexion was still a little pale, but her strength had recovered somewhat.
"Qianying... you are... this empress's savior. From today onwards, this empress and you are sisters, the closest... sisters."
Raising her hand, which was trembling slightly from weakness, she grabbed Gu Qianying's wrist. Her voice was very sincere.
Gu Qianying looked at her, and after a long while, she finally said, "Even the best sisters can fall out. If you are grateful, then live well for yourself and your children. Only then will my sacrifice of blood not be in vain."
Gu Qianying's wrist was wrapped in bandages, and blood was still seeping through them.
Chen's eyes reddened, and tears fell. She tightly grasped Gu Qianying's wrist, choked with emotion, and could not speak.
She had never imagined that there would be someone in this world who truly cared for her.
Her heart was filled with gratitude, but this scene moved her even more.
Her heart touched, she no longer concealed anything from Gu Qianying.
Yi Lingzhu had been stolen, and the thief was a man wearing a half-silver mask. I couldn't see the man's appearance clearly, but I knew that person was very familiar with this place and was also injured. He was subsequently rescued and brought back to the sleeping quarters. I don't know who this person is,
But I am certain that the empress and this person have an unusual relationship. That day, my people saw the empress leaning on that person's shoulder and talking about the time they knew each other. Judging by the empress's tone, she seemed to have known that person for a very long time.
Chen's sudden words made Gu Qianying freeze. She looked up at Chen, utterly shocked.
What?
The man with the half-silver mask? Could it be Nangong Mo?
How is this possible?
Also, the empress of Xia and Nangong Mo knew each other long ago?
What was their relationship in the past?
Her thoughts raced, but she couldn't find any clues.
She suddenly let go of Chen's hand, her eyes staring at Chen vigilantly, as if trying to see through her, yet as if shrouded in a layer of mist.
"Who exactly are you?"