The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 163

Chapter 163: Clash Again, Danger Lurks

Xiao Jinyu also sensed the sound of the wind coming from the breaking air. When Gao Changgong shouted to dodge back, she had already retreated. The arrow just brushed past her eyes and slammed into the corner of the eaves with a thud.

Gao Changgong was still in shock, but his shimmering eyes suddenly showed joy.

Fenghuang, in addition to being horrified, had already chased the arrow towards the direction of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace where she was.

This scene happened so quickly that everyone was stunned in shock. After a long while, Gao Zhan came back to his senses and shouted, “Where is the General of the Leading Army? Go and find out who fired the arrow!”

Gao Anagong walked out from among the Imperial Guards and bowed to Gao Zhan, “Your Majesty, I am here. I will go and investigate immediately!”

“Go quickly, go quickly!”

“Wait!” Gao Changgong immediately stopped him and said to Gao Zhan in a cold voice, “Your Majesty, for the sake of fairness, my people must also investigate with him!”

“What do you mean, Changgong? Do you not trust me?” Gao Zhan said unhappily.

“It’s not that I don’t trust Your Majesty, I don’t trust this General Gao Anagong!”

Gao Anagong was promoted to the position of General of the Leading Army after currying favor with He Shikai and Lu Lingxuan, who then spoke well of him to Gao Zhan. To put it bluntly, this person could be considered Lu Lingxuan’s lackey, or even a man under her skirt!

Being so directly told by Gao Changgong that his character was untrustworthy, Gao Anagong’s face stiffened with hidden anger, but he dared not speak in front of the Emperor.

Gao Zhan was also a little surprised, as if he had not expected him to say this, so he waved his hand and said, “Alright, alright, I know you love your wife and want to catch the culprit and seek justice for her. Then send your trusted aides to investigate with this General Gao!”

“Yes!”

Gao Changgong immediately passed the word to Lu Yu, who relayed it to Zhao Wu, Yang Zhi, and others.

The heavy rain poured down, and the Bronze Sparrow Terrace became lively again. A group of ministers surrounded Emperor Gao Zhan and took shelter from the rain in the palace. The sound of discussion rose again, with joy and shock, praise and admiration for Princess Consort of Lanling, joy for the rain falling on the fertile fields and the hope of a good autumn harvest, and anger towards the person behind the arrow.

“Princess Consort of Lanling just prayed for rain, relieving our Qi State from the disaster of drought, but she was attacked by a villain who wanted to kill her. This matter must not be left unsettled, otherwise, it will be difficult to appease the people!” Li Mi shouted again in the crowd!

“Yes, we must find the culprit and avenge the Princess Consort for this arrow!”

“Who says that the rain falling means it was definitely she who brought it?”

At this time, Lu Lingxuan actually retorted.

“She is not the only one praying for rain on this Bronze Sparrow Terrace!”

“Who can be sure that this rain was definitely brought by her?”

Amidst her repeated questioning, the ministers’ faces showed surprise again.

Not only Princess Consort of Lanling?

Then who else?

Gao Zhan was about to speak when he looked up and saw another young woman in white robes, almost identically dressed as Xiao Jinyu, appearing on the highest lookout platform of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

The young woman in white robes also covered her face with a veil, her eyes were clear and bright, her figure graceful and slender!

When Xiao Jinyu turned around, she saw the young woman in white robes. Although she didn’t know how she got onto the Bronze Sparrow Terrace or when she appeared behind her, she recognized at a glance that the young woman was Zheng Yue!

“What are you doing here?” Xiao Jinyu asked, sensing her ill intentions.

“I just want to see you, to see how outstanding and amazing you are, to make Changgong so devoted to you. Even if I lowered myself to marry into the Prince of Lanling’s Residence and become the Right Consort, he wouldn’t agree!”

“He cares about you so much that even having another woman by his side would make him afraid of upsetting you. But he doesn’t care about my sadness and pain at all!”

“It was clearly me who met him first, Xiao Jinyu, why did you appear in his life? If it weren’t for you, Xiaoguan would definitely follow the Empress Dowager’s wishes and marry me. You stole the husband who should have belonged to me!”

Xiao Jinyu listened to her finish speaking calmly, then looked at the cinnabar dot between her eyebrows that emitted a strange red light.

After she had vented her unwillingness and anger, she continued,

“There is no such thing as first come, first served in matters of the heart. I also don’t want to argue with you about right and wrong in this matter, Zheng Yue, are you poisoned?”

“Yes, I am poisoned. I just can’t understand, I can’t understand, Xiao Jinyu, you are indeed excellent and extremely beautiful. Even if your face is ruined, Changgong doesn’t care at all. But I can’t let go, making me give up on him and forget him is more painful than gouging out my heart!

I really can’t let go!”

As Zheng Yue spoke, tears streamed down her face. At this time, the heavy rain was still falling, and the rainwater flowed down from the eaves like a stream.

Zheng Yue suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with a fierce light. She smiled strangely and said, “Xiao Jinyu, if I die to save you, will Changgong remember me forever?”

Before Xiao Jinyu could understand what was going on, Zheng Yue suddenly strode towards her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another arrow. At this moment, she pushed Zheng Yue away, but because of the recoil, her feet slipped back rapidly. She lost her footing and suddenly fell downwards.

Gao Changgong’s panicked cries immediately reached her ears!

In the eyes of the onlookers, the woman in white robes suddenly fell from the Bronze Sparrow Terrace!

“A’yu—”

Gao Changgong shot like an arrow towards where she was falling!

Li Mi and Cui Heng were also horrified and ran towards the Bronze Sparrow Terrace!

At this moment, they saw a silver thread shoot out from Xiao Jinyu’s wrist. At the same time, a young man climbed up the floors of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace as light as a swallow. Almost as soon as Xiao Jinyu shot out the thread, the young man grasped the other end of the rope, clinging to the eaves. Because his body was hanging in the air, only one hand tightly grasped the corner of the eaves. Ling Ye also flew over at this time. Because of his exceptional lightness skill, he quickly reached the top of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace and tied the young man’s body with a rope, giving him support.

This series of actions happened almost in an instant. The ministers sheltering from the rain under the eaves hadn’t understood what was going on when they saw the Prince of Lanling standing on the open platform, holding the Princess Consort of Lanling, who had fallen into his arms, and sobbing. Large raindrops quickly drenched his entire body, but he seemed oblivious, only holding the woman in white robes tightly.

“What happened? Is Princess Consort of Lanling really dead?”

“Falling from the ten-zhang high Bronze Sparrow Terrace, what do you think will happen?”

“What a pity, what a pity! Was she pushed down by someone? And who was that woman who appeared on the platform later?”

“It seems to be Zheng Yue, the legitimate daughter of the Yingyang Zheng Clan!”

“It’s her!”

“If it weren’t for Princess Consort of Lanling, the one marrying the Prince of Lanling should have been this legitimate daughter of the Zheng Clan, right?”

“No wonder… no wonder…”

“But, look, this Princess Consort of Lanling seems to be different from the last time we saw her. The scars on her face seem to have healed?”

Someone said this, and Gao Zhan immediately turned his gaze to the woman tightly held in Gao Changgong’s arms. At this time, the veil on the woman’s face had fallen off, revealing a face with snow-white and translucent skin. Except for a faint scar, it was as radiant as a lotus emerging from the water, a hundred flowers in full bloom!

It was truly a beauty that would make one unforgettable after just one glance!

✿✿✿

Here, the Prince of Lanling didn’t notice the amazed and envious gazes around him, but only focused on the woman in his arms.

Li Mi and Cui Heng also hurried to the platform and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

They clearly saw that Fenghuang had caught the thin rope shot out from her wrist and used reverse force to cushion the force of her fall, and the Prince of Lanling had caught her in his arms.

She should be fine, right?

She absolutely cannot be hurt!

As the two anxiously waited, Xiao Jinyu slowly reached out and stroked Gao Changgong’s face.

“Changgong, the rain is too heavy, let’s go find shelter too!”

Gao Changgong was stunned when he heard this, and the sound of Li Mi and Cui Heng’s sighs of relief reached his ears.

“You’re alright, that’s great, that’s really great!”

With the ecstasy of regaining what was lost and the lingering fear of shock, Gao Changgong took her into his arms and held her tightly for a long time again.

“I was prepared, but I didn’t expect it to be Zheng Yue?”

Xiao Jinyu explained to him.

Gao Changgong then cast his gaze towards the young woman who was standing on the ten-zhang high Bronze Sparrow Terrace, staring at him in a daze and fear. The young woman’s veil had been blown away by the wind, revealing a familiar face, but it was no longer as gentle and beautiful as before.

“Changgong, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen, I really didn’t mean for this to happen…”

The young woman shook her head and shed silent tears. It seemed as if she had made up her mind and was about to jump from the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, but at this moment, Ling Ye struck her leg with the hilt of a wooden sword. Zheng Yue flew backward into the hall like a rag doll, narrowly avoiding a fatal fall.

Ling Ye then pulled Fenghuang up onto the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

✿✿✿

Fenghuang angrily rushed over and grabbed Zheng Yue’s slender neck.

“Boy, don’t kill her! Just now, Lady saved her life, also because she didn’t want to make the Yingyang Zheng Clan a big enemy for the Prince!”

“Zheng Yue can die by someone else’s hand, but not by ours!”

“Moreover, Lady said that she was being used!”

Fenghuang then tremblingly released Zheng Yue’s neck and said in a deep voice, “Stay away from my Qing Gege in the future. If you dare to hurt her again, I will definitely kill you!”

“Get lost, you’re not qualified to be the Rain-Praying Goddess!”

Zheng Yue was about to run away crying, but a voice came from behind her, “Wait—”

Ling Ye suddenly intercepted her, “Take her down and leave her to the Prince and the Emperor of Qi to deal with!”

“No, I can’t see His Majesty, and I can’t see him!”

Changgong will definitely not forgive me! How can I see him again!

I don’t want to see the resentment and disappointment in his eyes!

Zheng Yue buried her head and cried, still struggling and resisting. Fenghuang had already grabbed her collar and walked down from the Bronze Sparrow Terrace!

The rain lasted for two full hours before gradually stopping.

When the rain stopped and the ministers came out from their shelter, the Prince of Lanling had already changed into new clothes with his Princess Consort.

At this time, Xiao Jinyu was no longer wearing a veil. They, as husband and wife, already knew that the veil was useless!

The ministers were also stunned and speechless.

Even Gao Xiaowan and Gao Xiaoheng, who had come to watch the rain prayer, couldn’t help but be surprised and their eyes lit up.

“I told you before, even if Fourth Sister-in-law’s face is a little damaged, she is still a rare beauty in the world, and you didn’t believe me!”

“Moreover, she is also skilled in medicine. Great-Grandmother’s illness was cured by her, so the scar on her face is naturally not a problem!”

As he spoke, Gao Yanzong looked at Gao Zhan and couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

Empress Dowager Lou’s eyes lit up even more, as if she saw the radiant woman from before, the woman who had captivated her son.

“Princess Consort of Lanling is alright, that’s great! It’s a blessing in disguise!”

“It’s a miracle, falling from the ten-zhang high Bronze Sparrow Terrace and still surviving!”

“You didn’t see someone risking their life to save her, and the Prince of Lanling also caught her in his arms. This can really be passed down as a beautiful story! I must write a poem about it when I get back!”

✿✿✿

Amidst the discussions, Xiao Jinyu bowed to Gao Zhan, who was still in a daze, and said, “The rain prayer is over, please Your Majesty be a fair witness!”

Gao Zhan came back to his senses and picked up the two notes that she and Lu Lingxuan had sent over, his brows furrowed.

Just as he was about to speak, Lu Lingxuan said, “Your Majesty, the matter of rainfall is determined by heaven. Even if the rain fell at this time, it’s just a coincidence!

You must know that Zheng Yue was also praying for rain on this Bronze Sparrow Terrace!”

“What are you trying to say?”

Gao Zhan was already a little displeased, especially after seeing Xiao Jinyu’s true face, his desire for possession and affection grew stronger.

“Go, bring Zheng Yue to me!”

As soon as Gao Zhan gave the order, Fenghuang had already carried Zheng Yue and thrown her in front of everyone!

Zheng Yue raised her tearful face and looked at Gao Changgong first. She couldn’t help but crawl over and explain, “Changgong, I didn’t do it on purpose, I didn’t mean to harm her, I originally wanted to… I originally wanted to… Yes, someone wanted to kill her, so I originally wanted to save her…”

Gao Changgong’s eyes were still filled with anger. Xiao Jinyu said, “She’s right, she wanted to save me and sacrifice herself. However, Zheng Yue, who exactly told you to come to this Bronze Sparrow Terrace?”

“Who was it?”

Zheng Yue tried hard to recall. Because of her sadness, she went to that tavern again. Someone gave her some wine to drink. Her maid had been by her side, advising her, but she couldn’t listen at all. Later, the maid disappeared, and a voice kept whispering in her ear, “Since she can pray for rain, you can too. If you want to win Gao Changgong’s heart, you have to completely replace her and then kill her!”

“Zheng Yue, go kill her!”

“Zheng Yue, kill her!”

✿✿✿

“I don’t know, I really don’t know who it was. I just went to a tavern in Yuan Zisi. There was an immortal lady there who told me to kill Xiao Jinyu…”

“But I know Changgong cares about her very much, I won’t kill her!”

“I won’t kill her, although I really hate her, but I can’t kill her…”

Listening to these incoherent words, Lu Lingxuan’s face changed slightly, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of her lips.

“You said an immortal lady told you to kill my Qing Gege, who is this immortal lady?” Fenghuang said angrily.

“I don’t know, I really don’t know…”

Zheng Yue covered her face and cried again.

Xiao Jinyu then came to Zheng Yue. Everyone saw that she had a silver needle in her hand and was about to pierce it into Zheng Yue’s head!

A shout came from beside her:

“Wait, Princess Consort of Lanling, what are you doing?”

Zheng Daozhong rushed out from the crowd and quickly pulled Zheng Yue into his arms, glaring at Xiao Jinyu.

“Even if A’yue has done something wrong, Princess Consort of Lanling can’t just kill her here in public, right? The life of my Zheng Clan’s legitimate daughter is not yours to take!”

“She’s been poisoned, my Qing Gege just wants to force the poison out of her!” Fenghuang retorted angrily, then turned to Xiao Jinyu, “Qing Gege, don’t bother with her, the Zheng Clan Head won’t appreciate it!”

“They’re not good people anyway!”

“You brat, what nonsense are you talking about? How dare you slander the reputation of my Zheng Clan!”

“If they were truly a respectable and influential family, how could they raise a scoundrel like Zheng Fourteenth Young Master? He saw my Qing Gege alone and tried to rob a young lady of her belongings. Is this kind of despicable act something that a respectable and influential family would do?”

Zheng Daozhong’s face turned pale, and murmurs of discussion arose from the surrounding people.

Zheng Fourteenth Young Master, who was hiding in the crowd, quickly lowered his body and quietly retreated from the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

At this time, Xiao Jinyu also said, “The poison Zheng Yue has been given will amplify her emotions and affect her mind. If she doesn’t get treatment, I’m afraid she will become even more insane.”

“How can I believe your words?”

Zheng Daozhong sneered, but then he became suspicious: his granddaughter was well-behaved and sensible, and she was never like this before?

Could it be that someone really poisoned her?

And who is this immortal lady she mentioned?

“If the Zheng Clan Head doesn’t believe me, it doesn’t matter. Take Zheng Yue back and find another doctor to see her!”

“Do you mean, Princess Consort of Lanling, that you won’t pursue A’yue’s mistakes? You don’t blame her…”

You don’t blame her for pushing you down from the Bronze Sparrow Terrace?

Although he didn’t see it happen, he couldn’t help but think of A’yue’s infatuation with Gao Changgong. She might be capable of doing such a thing!

“Yes, I won’t pursue it. She’s just a pawn being used. I want to pursue the person behind it all!”

After saying that, Xiao Jinyu looked at Lu Lingxuan, who was watching the drama unfold with a calm and ambiguous smile.