Chapter 297 My Name is Linglong
"Ah—!"
A woman's agonized scream pierced the air.
The Crown Prince jolted in shock.
He saw the tiger viciously tearing at the woman's arm, warm blood splattering across her face.
The young eunuch hurriedly helped the Crown Prince up: "Your Highness, we must leave quickly!"
The Crown Prince stared at her face, finding it somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before. But the night was too dark, he couldn't see clearly and couldn't recall who she actually was.
He watched as the woman endured excruciating pain, fumbling at her chest as if searching for something.
"Your Highness... help me..." Xie Ping's voice trembled, her breathing unsteady as she spoke, "On my body... there's... beast-repelling medicine... quickly take it out... hurry!"
The Crown Prince frantically patted Xie Ping's body: "I... I apologize for the impropriety."
After much difficulty, he finally found a packet of powder in her chest.
Xie Ping tore it open with her teeth and threw it at the tiger.
The tiger roared, slowly backed away, then turned and fled.
A chunk of flesh had been torn from Xie Ping's arm, leaving it bloody and mangled. She didn't need to pretend - her eyes rolled back and she directly lost consciousness.
The Crown Prince was terrified out of his wits, catching Xie Ping's limp body.
He knew very well that if this woman hadn't suddenly appeared, the next to be killed by the tiger would have been the eunuch beside him, and finally himself.
This suddenly appearing woman had saved his life.
Realizing the scent of blood could attract other wild beasts, he urgently said: "Quick, help me carry her back."
The young eunuch was also frightened senseless, trembling as he came over to lift Xie Ping's body. Together with the Crown Prince, they carried her down the mountain and back to the bedchamber.
"Quickly summon the imperial physician!"
The Crown Prince sat on the ground, completely drained, staring blankly at the woman lying on the couch.
For some reason, the more he looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. He must have seen her somewhere before.
The imperial physician arrived quickly, accompanied by the Crown Princess.
It was long past midnight. The Crown Princess had just fallen asleep when her maid woke her, saying the Crown Prince had returned covered in blood.
Terrified, she threw on some clothes and came immediately, indeed finding the Crown Prince sitting on the ground covered in blood, staring blankly as if he had lost his soul.
"Your Highness!" The Crown Princess hurried forward. "Where are you injured? What happened?"
The Crown Prince shook his head: "Not me, it's her."
He pointed at the person lying on the couch.
The Crown Princess looked up. On the couch was a very young girl. Why did she seem... familiar too?
She couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness, who is she?"
"I don't know." The Crown Prince pressed his temples. "I encountered a tiger on the mountain. If she hadn't risked her life to save me, I would probably be dead."
The Crown Princess frowned.
The woman had a chunk of flesh torn from her arm, the injury extremely severe. It was unknown whether she would survive.
She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something strange about this whole affair.
How could there be a tiger on the imperial mountains?
Why would a woman suddenly appear in the middle of the night?
While the imperial physician was examining her, the Crown Princess quietly went out and ordered all her maids and matrons to investigate.
Soon, they brought back information.
The Crown Princess quickly returned inside and said coldly: "Your Highness, do you know why you encountered the tiger? It's all because of this woman before us!"
The Crown Prince looked up: "What do you mean?"
"She is the maid who tends the tigers at the imperial mausoleum." The Crown Princess's voice was icy. "She neglected her duty, allowing the tiger to escape late at night, nearly injuring the crown prince of the nation. She should be handed over to the Court of Judicial Review for punishment!"As soon as the Crown Princess finished speaking.
Xie Ping on the bed suddenly awoke. She rolled off and knelt on the floor, enduring the pain as she said: "This humble maid pays respects to the Crown Prince, pays respects to the Crown Princess. I am indeed the maid responsible for feeding the tiger. The tiger had been restless all night. When I went to fetch water, it broke out of its cage and escaped. I followed it all the way to the back mountain. Fortunately, no irreparable incident occurred. I know my sin is grave and am willing to atone with my death!"
She stood up and rushed toward the large pillar in the hall.
The Crown Prince reached out and stopped her: "You saved me, which offsets your offense."
The Crown Princess took a deep breath.
From the first day she married the Crown Prince, she knew that he, like the current Emperor, had a fondness for beautiful women.
But this lowly slave before her was covered in blood and had no beauty to speak of. She couldn't understand why the Crown Prince would act this way.
Never mind, she thought. If it weren't this slave, it would be some other woman. She couldn't be bothered to interfere.
The Crown Princess flicked her sleeve and left.
The Crown Prince helped Xie Ping up: "Your arm is injured. Lie down properly and let the imperial physician treat your wound."
Xie Ping wore an expression of fear and unease: "No, this slave is guilty, deserving of death ten thousand times. I beg Your Highness..."
"You are my savior," the Crown Prince pressed her back onto the bed. "What is your name?"
"This humble maid is called Linglong."
Xie Ping lowered her eyelids, concealing all emotion in her eyes.
Linglong was the first friend she had made after coming to the imperial mausoleum. It was Linglong who told her she could seek help from the old imperial concubine, through whom she found sanctuary.
Several years earlier, a large tiger had been captured alive at the imperial mausoleum, and feeding the tiger became Linglong's duty.
She often visited Linglong and came to know the tiger's temperament, what it feared, and where Linglong kept the key to the iron cage.
That night, while Linglong was sound asleep, Xie Ping covered her mouth and nose until she suffocated, then threw the body into the river guarding the mausoleum...
"Linglong, I'm sorry..." Xie Ping silently thought, "If I had any other choice, I wouldn't have taken your life. I'm sorry..."
The night felt exceptionally long.
Before dawn broke, Yun Chu awoke and roused her two children to change clothes. The final burial ceremony would take place this morning, and they could return to the capital in the afternoon.
The sounds of mourning at the imperial mausoleum had continued through the night.
The imperial bloodline knelt and kowtowed as they had the day before, while the Ministry of Rites recited eulogies. The Emperor and Chu Rui stood at the forefront, reciting along.
The ceremony lasted a little over two hours before finally concluding.
Two young eunuchs helped Chu Rui to his feet. Suddenly, he began coughing violently, bright red blood spilling from the corner of his mouth and dripping onto the white jade stone floor.
Gathering his strength, he said: "Imperial Uncle, Rui will no longer reside in the capital. I take my leave here."
The Emperor's eyes held a trace of depth: "Physician Li, come examine Rui."
Physician Li stepped forward and checked Chu Rui's pulse. After a long while, he said: "Prince Rui's body is depleted and requires careful rest..."
The Emperor asked calmly: "Is his life in danger?"
From what he knew, Chu Rui had not consumed heart's blood for at least three months and should have died long ago, yet he had survived until now.
This further proved that the former State Preceptor Qi was indeed useless. Because of his false words, countless young girls had lost their lives.
Physician Li bowed his head: "This... I cannot say for certain."
He couldn't identify Chu Rui's specific illness and truly didn't dare to speculate.The Emperor spoke calmly, "Now I am your closest kin. I truly cannot rest easy letting you leave the capital alone. I will have a residence arranged for you in the city—settle there peacefully and focus on recovering."
A bitter smile touched Chu Rui’s lips.
He was already halfway into the grave, yet the Emperor still insisted on placing him under surveillance.
He wondered if he would ever know freedom in this lifetime.
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