But just as Lin Qingge reached out to push, she felt a sticky patch.
Instantly understanding what it was, Lin Qingge's face fell. "Constable Yan, are you injured?"
With the help of Lu Mingxuan, who had rushed over, the two of them managed to move the great mountain that was Yan Tinghao.
Only then did Lin Qingge see the extent of Yan Tinghao's injuries.
A bloody wound, deep enough to expose bone, stretched from Yan Tinghao's back all the way down to beneath his left ribs.
"What happened?"
Lu Mingxuan, who had witnessed the entire event from the sidelines, explained, "My Lord, that Second Prince must have hidden a dagger in his sleeve and intended to harm you. Constable Yan sensed it and lunged forward to block that fatal blow for you."
Feeling it was unnecessary and even somewhat excessive, Lin Qingge swallowed the scolding words that were about to spill out. While bandaging Yan Tinghao's wound, she ordered Lu Mingxuan to find a doctor quickly.
"My Lord, I... I'm fine."
Yan Tinghao weakly tugged at the corner of his mouth, but Lin Qingge was already annoyed. "I have hands and feet, and my head isn't hollow. I can dodge danger myself. Why are you trying to be a hero?"
Despite her grumbling, Lin Qingge's movements were swift and precise. At the same time, she looked at the Eighth Prince on the stage. "Your Highness the Eighth Prince, you can't say you didn't see it this time, can you?"
The Eighth Prince, serving as the referee, glanced at his second brother, who looked unconcerned, then at the solemn Lord Lin who was questioning him. He nervously fiddled with his fingers. "That... I accidentally got something in my eyes just now, so..."
"Go to hell with your 'got something in your eyes'!" A booming roar, like a bell, erupted from a nearby restaurant. This was followed by a woman's furious curses, "You bastards think I'm dead, don't you? You dare to bully my son right in front of me? Your fathers and mothers didn't matter to me back then, and you little brats dare to bully my son under my nose! Damn it! If I don't skin you alive today, I'll take your surname! Yan Xiuping! Stop pulling me! Yan Xiuping, if you keep holding me back, I won't let you into my bed for a month!"
Everyone else: ...
Putting aside the blushing and embarrassed crowd, Yan Xiuping, inside the private room, used all his might to barely restrain his enraged wife.
Leng Ningyue, standing in the corner, looked at Lin Moyuan, who was guarding Lin Zimo, and said, "Help me keep an eye on Mo'er."
"Mother, where are you going?"
A cold glint flashed in Leng Ningyue's exposed beautiful eyes, and she replied with three emotionless words: "Swatting flies." With that, she strode towards the door.
The unbridled, oppressive killing intent caused the beautiful woman who was struggling with her husband to stop her movements. "Husband, this Madam Lin is so imposing! I like her so much! It's a pity she's already someone else's daughter-in-law..."
"This Madam Lin indeed has the demeanor you possessed in your younger days."
"No, my Hao'er! I'm going to fight those brats to the death!"
"Madam, do not be angry. Those are, after all, princes, and I myself slipped away from the Northeast Grand Camp under the pretense of sick leave. If I were to rashly go out, I might provide fodder for gossip."
"Go to hell with your fodder! My son is this badly injured, and you're worried about gossip!"
Looking at the typhoon-like devastation before him and the couple arguing one-sidedly, Murong Bai sighed with a hint of helplessness. "Although I don't wish to see that ugly creature, it's a matter of life and death. I should go over. After all, if Constable Yan has a mishap, no one will be left to compete with you for the family inheritance~"
Lin Moyuan: ...
Meanwhile.
The match was once again forced to a halt. Ling Han walked to Lin Qingge's side and earnestly suggested, "My Lord, if you order it, I have a hundred percent certainty I can eliminate 'him'?" Although 'he' was not explicitly named, everyone present knew who it was.
Ye Shenxiao, who loved to watch the fun, immediately chimed in, "My Lord, Ling Han has so many fleas he's not afraid of itching; it's only a matter of time before he takes a blow. You might as well let him take it for a cause."
Lin Qingge, who had been busy, rubbed her temples with a headache. "Ye Shenxiao, are you stupid? If Ling Han really succeeded, not only you all, but I would have to be buried with him!" The death of a prince was no trivial matter. No matter how unsightly the Second Prince was, he was still the Emperor's son, and an investigation would surely ensue. However, as a member of the royal family, failing to set an example and committing murder so brazenly in public was something that could absolutely not, and would not, be let off so easily...
As Lin Qingge's eyes grew colder, the Second Prince, the instigator, walked over as if nothing had happened. "Tsk, it's just a game of Cuju, and you're so careless that you fell and ended up in such a pathetic state. In my opinion, you should just pack up and go home to farm."
*Thump—*
This was the sound of the vein in Lin Qingge's forehead snapping, and along with it, Lin Qingge's sanity broke. "You damned ugly freak! I, your Lord, am magnanimous and don't bother to argue with scum like you who can't see the light of day, yet you keep blabbering..."
Hua Jinrong quickly covered Lin Qingge's mouth and then gave the Second Prince, whose face had turned ashen, an apologetic smile. "Our Lord forgot to take her medicine when she went out today and her habit of speaking the truth has flared up. We hope Your Highness the Second Prince will not take offense."
...
Just as the Second Prince was about to erupt, his gaze fell upon a white figure gracefully approaching from a distance, and his eyes widened. "You, you are Bai He Xuan?"
"I am Murong Bai, an examiner from Fengtian Prefecture. Greetings, Your Highness the Second Prince." After a slight nod, Murong Bai walked to Yan Tinghao's side under the astonished gazes of the Second and Eighth Princes. After examining the wound, he frowned. "Constable Yan's internal organs were not damaged, but he has lost a lot of blood and may develop a fever. He needs to be moved to another location."
"Lu Mingxuan."
As soon as Lin Qingge called his name, Lu Mingxuan, without needing further instruction, efficiently went to find someone. After the injured Yan Tinghao was carried away by the guards, the Cuju match resumed amidst a murmur of voices. Although the onlookers didn't see what happened, with someone suddenly injured so severely, they could guess with their toes that someone had played foul during the game.
Meanwhile, due to Yan Tinghao's departure, Lin Qingge's side was short one person. "My Lord, if it's really impossible, why don't I go in?" As soon as Lu Mingxuan's self-recommendation ended, a cold, clear female voice like a frigid pool drifted from afar: "I will."