Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 373 Nighttime Horror in the Palace

Shen Yanzhou looked at his blood-soaked back, his eyes slightly warm.

These soldiers were in danger because they were protecting him.

If it weren't for his insistence on staying on East Street to appease the people, if it weren't for him... Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, ultimately turning into a heavy sigh and an even sharper sword strike in his hand.

"kill!"

Another wave of assassins surged forward, and the leader seized the opportunity when Shen Yanzhou turned around, his short knife flashing coldly as he thrust it straight at his back!

"Be careful, Your Highness!"

With lightning speed, Cui Jiu swung his sword to parry.

With a crisp clang, the short knife was deflected, but he didn't notice that a fallen assassin behind him was struggling to get up, his curved blade carrying a final, fierce slash aimed at his back!

"Pfft-"

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was particularly jarring in the noisy battlefield.

Cui Jiu felt a heart-wrenching pain in his back, as if his internal organs had been ripped apart.

He groaned, his hand gripping the sword losing all strength, and the longsword clattered to the ground.

His vision blurred, his body felt like it was filled with lead, and he could no longer hold on. He collapsed to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Cui Jiu!"

Shen Yanzhou's eyes were bloodshot. He turned around and kicked the assassin who had ambushed him away. Just as he was about to step forward, he was entangled by several assassins and could only watch helplessly as Cui Jiu fell into a pool of blood.

Just then, several figures rushed out from the shadows.

It was the women who had been transporting the wounded earlier. They had been hiding behind the woodshed, but when they saw Cui Jiu fall, they forgot their fear and hurriedly carried a door panel over, working together to lift the unconscious Cui Jiu onto it.

"Quick! Move it to the back!"

The woman at the head of the group, her face still covered in dust, her voice trembling with tension, clung tightly to the corner of the door and staggered toward the broken wall where the wounded were being housed.

The others gritted their teeth and held the door firmly, afraid that the jolts would worsen Cui Jiu's injuries.

At the makeshift medical station behind the broken wall, Shi Wanxia and two doctors from the East Palace were extremely busy.

Although she didn't know anything about medicine, she quickly helped by handing out strips of cloth and boiling water, and from time to time she also had to comfort the injured and wailing guards.

Her moon-white dress was no longer recognizable as its original color, the hem of her skirt was stained with blood, and her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, but she didn't even have time to wipe them away.

"Lord Shi, we need strips of cloth here!" a doctor called out.

Just as Shi Wanxia handed over the strip of cloth, she caught a glimpse of several women carrying a door panel and rushing over. The person lying on the door panel was covered in blood and could not be seen clearly, but the black outfit made her heart skip a beat.

"This is……"

She hurried forward, and when she saw the face of the person on the door, she was struck dumb and froze on the spot.

It's Cui Jiu.

His eyes were tightly closed, his face was as pale as paper, his lips were bloodless, and blood was seeping continuously from the deep, bone-revealing knife wound on his back, staining a large area of ​​the door beneath him red. His body was covered with old wounds upon new wounds, densely packed, a horrifying sight.

“Cui Jiu…”

Shi Wanxia's voice choked instantly, and tears welled up without warning, rolling down her cheeks.

She quickly squatted down, her hands trembling as she tried to check his breath, but she was afraid of hurting him, so her fingertips hovered in mid-air, hesitant to fall.

"Lord Shi, please move aside, let me see!"

An elderly doctor with white hair and beard pushed through the crowd and rushed to the door.

He was the Crown Prince's physician, and had followed Shen Yanzhou for many years. He was used to seeing swords and shadows, but at this moment, he was shocked by the injuries on Cui Jiu's body, and his pupils shrank.

The old doctor quickly pressed down on Cui Jiu's wrist, placed his fingertips on his pulse point, closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, then leaned down and flipped his eyelids, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Shi Wanxia stood to the side, barely daring to breathe, her palms clenched until they turned white, feeling as if her heart was pounding so hard it was about to burst out of her chest.

"How is he?...is there any hope for him?"

Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

The old doctor straightened up, let out a long sigh, and although his expression was still solemn, his tone softened: "Don't worry, Lord Shi, he's fine. He just fainted from blood loss."

"The knife in his back looked terrifying, but thankfully it didn't hit any vital organs."

Shi Wanxia's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly settled down, her legs went weak, and she almost couldn't stand up.

She leaned against the woodpile beside her, looking at Cui Jiu, who lay unconscious on the door panel, and her eyes welled up with tears again.

If he hadn't stood in front of him, that cold arrow would have hit him instead;

He lay here covered in wounds, all to protect the Crown Prince.

"You guys, quickly carry the person into the empty room inside!"

The old doctor shouted to those around him, "Bring me strong liquor, clean strips of cloth, and wound medicine. Hurry up!"

Several able-bodied young men who had heard the news rushed forward and carefully lifted Cui Jiu off the door panel, carrying him to a relatively intact empty house not far away.

As Shi Wanxia watched their retreating figures, she felt a mix of emotions.

Cui Jiu was Cui Zhihao's man, but after spending time together, she had come to regard him as a trustworthy friend.

Now that he has been seriously injured while protecting her, she cannot stand idly by.

"I'm going to help."

Shi Wanxia wiped her eyes and turned to follow, but was stopped by another younger doctor.

"Lord Shi, there are still many wounded outside. It would be safer for you to stay here and take care of them."

The young doctor pointed to the groaning guards and civilians around him, "We've got your hands on Guard Cui's side, so you can rest assured."

Shi Wanxia looked around and saw that there were indeed many people waiting for treatment. She could only suppress her worries and nodded: "Thank you both, doctors. Please...please do your best."

"Your Excellency can rest assured that this is your duty."

Just as the fighting and rescue efforts on East Street were in full swing, the tranquility of the night in the Hall of Mental Cultivation deep within the Imperial Palace was broken by an urgent announcement.

Shen Yuxi was lying on his side on the couch, taking a nap. He was nearly fifty years old, and his temples were already streaked with white, but he was still very energetic. However, there was always an imperial majesty between his brows.

Yu Heng, the personal eunuch, tiptoed in. Looking at the emperor's sleeping face, he hesitated several times before finally gritting his teeth and kneeling down.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, wake up! Something has happened!"

Shen Yuxi was startled awake. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with the drowsiness of someone just waking up, but it was instantly replaced by an air of authority.

He sat up, his voice low: "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"

Yu Heng lay on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, just now... just now, the Eastern Palace's special signal smoke was lit on East Street. It was the highest level of emergency signal. It seems... it seems that His Highness the Crown Prince has been attacked."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "This old servant knows that disturbing His Majesty in the middle of the night is a capital offense, but this matter concerns the safety of the Crown Prince, and this old servant dares not conceal it."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Shen Yuxi's hand holding the teacup suddenly stopped, and a little tea spilled out, landing on the bright yellow dragon robe and spreading into a small dark stain.

The sleepiness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming rage.

"Snapped!"

The teacup was smashed to the ground, the crisp sound of the blue-and-white porcelain shattering particularly jarring in the silent hall.

"Who dares to touch my Crown Prince?!"

Shen Yuxi suddenly stood up, the hem of his dragon robe sweeping across the edge of the bed, exuding an aura of overwhelming power.

"What a courage!"

The eunuchs and palace maids serving inside the palace were so frightened that they all knelt down with a "plop," burying their heads low, trembling all over, and not daring to even breathe.

Everyone knows that Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou is the apple of His Majesty's eye. Normally, even the slightest disturbance to his hair can enrage His Majesty. Now that the Crown Prince has been attacked, His Majesty's anger is likely to spread throughout the entire palace.