Chapter 328 – Serious Injuries (2)

As they were happily talking, several noises suddenly came from outside the door.

Old Madam Lu frowned and asked the maid, Chen Wei, to go out to see what had happened.

But before she could go out, they saw Lu Shiming striding in. “Mother, something happened to Lingzhi.”

Ye Zhen’s spirits lifted up at once. Did Lu Lingzhi really get hurt? Who had hurt him? Was it Tian Jiu or the rebels?

Old Madam Lu clenched her hands tightly. “What happened to Lingzhi?”

“Lingzhi was seriously injured on the way back. The emperor has already sent Qi Yizheng to treat him.” Lu Shiming relayed to the family the news he had received from the court today.

Seriously injured? Old Madam Lu swayed and almost fainted, but Ye Zhen quickly caught her.

“Grandmother, take care,” Ye Zhen said in a low voice while supporting Old Madam Lu.

“Isn’t the Xifan rebellion suppressed? Why would you still encounter assassins on the road?” Old Madam Lu felt like the black shadows were appearing before her eyes. If something happened to Lu Lingzhi, who else could the Lu Family rely on?

“They said that a confidant of the Prince of Xifan was coming to his aid. Now the assassin has been arrested, and the truth will be clear only after interrogation,” Lu Shiming said.

Ye Zhen was shocked. If Hong Ling hadn’t said that Tian Jiu had gone to Xifan, she would have applauded… but now she couldn’t rest assured, fearing that the assassin who was caught could be Tian Jiu.

“Is the injury serious?” Old Madam Lu asked hurriedly.

Lu Shiming did not dare say that Lu Lingzhi was unconscious now, otherwise, he feared the old lady would not be able to bear the shock. “There should be no problem if Imperial Physician Qi Yizheng is going to treat him in person. Mother, you don’t have to worry.”

“How can I not worry?!” Old Madame Lu yelled anxiously.

♚

The news of Lu Lingzhi’s serious injury was passed back to the capital, and everyone in the Lu Family suddenly felt that there were dark clouds looming over their heads. Ye Zhen’s heart also felt heavy. She was worried that the person they had apprehended was Tian Jiu. She wished nothing would happen to her father’s trusted confidant.

As such she decided to enter the palace for clarity of the situation. In order to find out more, she planned to stay in the palace for a few days.

When Old Madame Lu heard Ye Zhen wished to go to the palace to inquire about the news, she was very touched. “Seeing you care so much about your eldest brother, he will be very happy when he comes back.”

“I have nothing that I can do for the family. I can only ask for more information, so Grandmother can rest assured,” Ye Zhen whispered.

“Good girl, you are so considerate.” Old Madam Lu touched the little girl’s head, feeling very relieved in her heart.

“Grandmother, don’t worry too much, Eldest Brother will return safely.” She knew Lu Lingzhi would return safely and that his wounds would take a long time to heal. However, she dearly hoped he would be unable to recuperate.

Old Madam Lu nodded. “I know, your eldest brother will be fine.”

The very next day, Ye Zhen went to the palace. Even before she had entered the palace, the empress dowager was aware of her worries. So she asked the emperor to inquire into the matter.

“— I heard that it was an arrow in the shoulder and a knife in the calf. Originally, the injury was not serious, but there was poison on the edge of the knife. Imperial Physician Qi is going to treat him himself. Don’t worry, Qi Yizheng is very good at detoxification,” the empress dowager whispered to Ye Zhen.

When Ye Zhen’s soul had been wandering in the palace, she had heard that Lu Lingzhi was injured, but she didn’t know exactly what had happened. She had even wondered what kind of injury would take him out for so long. It seemed that it wasn’t the wound but the poison that was the problem.

“Imperial Mother, I heard that it was the confidant of the Prince of Xifan who hurt my eldest brother?” Ye Zhen asked tentatively.

The empress dowager raised her eyebrows. “That’s what they said, but they had originally caught three people. I heard that two are already dead. One of them was imprisoned. They should be sent to the prison for interrogation in a few days. ”

Ye Zhen lowered her head and said nothing, feeling a little uneasy in her heart. She wanted to know what happened.

Seeing her like this, the empress dowager thought she was worried about Lu Lingzhi, so she smiled and said, “A’Yi talked about you for a long time yesterday. It seemed like he was looking for something to do with you.”

“He lost in a cuju match, and I promised to win it back for him.” Ye Zhen said with a smile, “Imperial Mother, I will go see him, lest he quarrels with me and gets angry.”

“He should be back from the imperial study now. Go on.” The empress dowager said, “Even if you are anxious about your eldest brother, it is useless to worry now. Come back in a few days. Then you will know the details.”