Chapter 375: Only Wishing You Happiness Without Calamity
"Xiao Beichen!" Without Xiao Huayong's support, Shen Xihe fell from the galloping horse. Fortunately, she landed in a grassy patch and wasn't hurt by the fall. But the moment she tumbled down, she saw Xiao Huayong and the massive tiger locked together as they crashed to the ground.
She quickly grabbed onto anything she could reach to stop herself from rolling further, then desperately scrambled back up. What she saw froze her blood - the giant tiger was pinning Xiao Huayong beneath it, the two lying motionless in a stacked position. Her face turned deathly pale.
She could still hear the tiger's heavy panting, which sent her into a panicked frenzy. She wanted to find a suitable weapon to charge forward with, then remembered she was wearing the hidden sword hairpin Xiao Huayong had given her. She yanked it from her hair in such haste that she didn't even notice she'd pulled out only the empty casing - there was no sword inside.
Clutching the wooden casing, she rushed forward anyway and stabbed downward at the tiger's back.
"Cough, cough, cough-" The pained groans turned out to be from Xiao Huayong. The tiger's body was still warm, and Shen Xihe could feel its body slightly twitching, yet it seemed powerless to resist. Only then did she realize her "sword" hadn't penetrated the tiger's body. Stunned, she stared blankly at the wooden hairpin in her hand.
"Youyou, if you don't pull me out soon, I won't die from the tiger's attack but from being crushed by it!" Xiao Huayong's voice came from underneath.
Shen Xihe then realized that in her determination to fight the tiger, she had thrown herself onto it with such force that she was now lying on top of the tiger as well.
She quickly got up and pushed the heavy tiger aside with great effort, finally revealing Xiao Huayong covered in blood. The fallen tiger had two dark Eucommia Leaves embedded in its neck, with the entire sword blade buried deep in its throat.
The tiger's eyes were still open, blood continued to flow, its abdomen still rose and fell with breath, but it was completely immobilized.
"Xiao Beichen, are you alright?" Shen Xihe helped Xiao Huayong up.
Xiao Huayong looked at the flustered Shen Xihe, took in her disheveled appearance, saw the deep concern and worry in her eyes, noticed the wounds on her legs, and without regard for his own blood-soaked state, pulled her into a tight embrace.
Just then, the sound of hoofbeats and whistling arrows erupted densely - Tianyuan and the others had arrived from the foot of the mountain.
Zhenzhu and Sui Axi immediately rushed over. Without minding that Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe were embracing, Zhenzhu said, "Princess, let this servant examine your wounds."
Xiao Huayong released Shen Xihe. The two separated - one following Sui Axi to a secluded spot for treatment, the other being carefully examined by Zhenzhu.
The remaining tiger, upon Tianyuan's group's arrival, chose to flee.
Shen Xihe only had several deep claw marks on her legs, which paled in comparison to Xiao Huayong's injuries. While fighting two tigers and trying to climb a tree, his arms had been clawed almost to the bone.
Xiao Huayong had multiple lacerations all over his body. After Zhenzhu finished bandaging Shen Xihe's wounds, she went to assist Sui Axi in treating Xiao Huayong's injuries.
After basic treatment, they quickly returned to the city, first going to the Princess Manor where Xiao Huayong also freshened up and changed clothes.
When Shen Xihe had finished bathing and dressing in fresh clothes, he came to see her, filled with remorse and self-reproach: "It was my poor planning that put you in danger. If not for you, I might not have escaped alive today."
Fortunately, Shen Xihe had detected the fragrance before reaching the ambush point and recognized the purpose of the scent. Otherwise, if they had unknowingly run into the area surrounded by the fragrant spices, they would have fallen into a den of wild beasts, with certainly more than just three tigers pursuing them."What do you mean by that?" Shen Xihe examined him from head to toe. He was neatly dressed, with all his wounds concealed beneath clean clothing. His calm demeanor made it impossible for anyone to guess he was injured.
Moreover, his long-term medication had left him with a strong medicinal scent, which completely masked any trace of the trauma medicine.
"I've said before that since I've chosen you, I'll share both fortune and misfortune with you."
Besides, such crises were unpredictable. Their intelligence didn't mean others were foolish. As Xiao Huayong began to reveal himself, many grew suspicious, and countless people wanted to test his capabilities.
Today's incident was merely the beginning. In the future, they would face more schemes and intrigues.
Xiao Huayong grasped her hand: "I only wish for you to walk with me, enjoying blessings without calamities. Today I failed to achieve this - I am still not fearsome enough."
"Your Majesty is The Supreme One, yet assassination attempts still occur. You needn't dwell on this so much. Let's find the mastermind and return the favor properly." Shen Xihe diverted Xiao Huayong's attention.
Xiao Huayong's eyes darkened: "Rest assured, I will definitely capture this person."
Having official matters to attend to, he didn't linger long at the Princess Manor, not wanting to delay Shen Xihe's rest. He left the Princess Manor and returned directly to the Eastern Palace.
"Your Highness, you must be more careful from now on." Zhenzhu spoke her warning only after Xiao Huayong had departed.
Heaven knew how terrified she had been when she saw Shen Xihe covered in blood. Fortunately, Shen Xihe had only suffered minor injuries.
At the same time, they deeply regretted letting their guard down just to give the Crown Prince and the Princess some private time.
"This isn't your fault. Don't blame yourselves." Shen Xihe glanced at Zhenzhu, Moyu, and the others, soothing them gently. "We've been too comfortable these past two months, which made us negligent."
From March to now, late May, Xiao Huayong had taken her out on more than ten excursions. Each time had been so joyful that they had all become immersed in these relaxed, leisurely moments, nearly forgetting that one was the daughter of the Northwest King and the other was the current Crown Prince - how many people wished for their deaths!
Still, whoever devised such a scheme certainly possessed cunning ingenuity.
To accomplish this, there must have been a breach on Xiao Huayong's side. Someone had planted a mole near him long ago, though likely this person didn't know much about Xiao Huayong's affairs - otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to resort to such methods.
"Your Highness, it was someone from the local operatives who leaked information." As soon as Xiao Huayong returned to the Eastern Palace, Tianyuan, who had returned earlier, reported the investigation results.
When Xiao Huayong took Shen Xihe on excursions, he naturally selected places with beautiful scenery. Previous locations had all been scouted by local agents, and this time was no exception. However, the person sent to investigate today's destination had leaked the information to outsiders in advance.
There was a path on the mountain covered with blooming azaleas, exceptionally beautiful. Anyone who had visited beforehand would have guessed that Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe wouldn't miss such scenery, hence the ambush set beyond the azalea sea.
Fortunately, this person wasn't important, believing the local operatives to be a mysterious organization. The Eastern Palace merely purchased information from them and didn't know their specific affairs.
"The person?" Xiao Huayong asked expressionlessly.
"The person has already committed suicide." Tianyuan knelt before Xiao Huayong with bowed head."Investigate. I want to know who the information was leaked to, and who set up today's trap." Xiao Huayong's eyes darkened. "Order the local authorities to capture three fierce tigers and cage them. Once we identify the culprit, throw them to the tigers."
That's all for today. We had guests at home, and I've been busy all day. I only started writing after cleaning up in the evening. I dare not stay up late—too much late-night work clouds my mind. See you tomorrow.
End of Chapter
OpenNovel