TGCFNM -Chapter 518 Invite the Rui Prince’s Consort

By the time Su He and Doctor Zhuang rushed over in great haste, Xiao Yunsheng had already completely fallen unconscious. Even when Chu Ling applied acupuncture, he could not be awakened.

Wan Xing had already cut open the clothing around Xiao Yunsheng’s right shoulder blade, exposing the part where the arrow had struck, hoping to see if it could be pulled out.

“No, you can’t. The arrow has barbs,” Bai Su immediately stopped him.

Chu Ling quickly stepped forward. “You can’t pull it out. The arrow has barbs that have hooked backward into the flesh and bone. If you forcefully pull it out, this arm will probably be ruined.”

“But if we don’t pull it out, Commander Xiao might…” Wan Xing’s expression darkened, and he couldn’t finish the sentence.

Su He came over holding his dissection knife, frowning as he carefully examined the wound.
“I can cut away the flesh little by little, but the arrow… it’s still difficult to remove.”

Doctor Zhuang also examined it carefully and shook his head with an ugly expression. “Although young friend Su He has already given Commander Xiao the antidote, if the arrow isn’t removed, the medicine will be useless!”

Just as everyone was at a complete loss, Prince Su and Princess Su hurried over.

Doctor Zhuang immediately stepped forward and explained the situation to them. “At the moment, young friend Su He has fed him an antidote, and it seems to have temporarily suppressed the poison. But the poison is on the arrowhead, so if the arrowhead isn’t removed, Commander Xiao is still in great danger.”

Princess Su’s eyes filled with tears as she hurried over. After first thanking Chu Ling and the others, she carefully looked at the wound. Her tears could no longer be held back and slid down her cheeks.

Prince Su looked at Doctor Zhuang anxiously and asked, “Can it be forcibly pulled out?”

Doctor Zhuang spoke with regret. “If it’s forcibly pulled out, this arm will likely be ruined. Even if he’s lucky enough to keep it, he’ll never be able to wield a blade again.”

For the commander of the Imperial Guards, how cruel would that be?

“Go find the Rui Prince’s Consort,” Princess Su said, wiping the tears from her face as she looked at Prince Su. “Hurry and bring her here.”

A glimmer of hope appeared on Prince Su’s face. After finding a horse, he quickly rode away from the city gate.

Princess Su then turned to Su He. “Coroner Su, please help cut away the poisoned rotten flesh. I’ll hold him down.”

As she spoke, she also asked Chu Ling, Wan Xing, and Wan Sanjin to firmly restrain Xiao Yunsheng so he wouldn’t move.

“Doctor Zhuang, please testify for me, a mere woman,” Princess Su said. “I was the one who asked Coroner Su to cut away the flesh. I was the one who asked Lord Chu and the others to hold down my son. If anything goes wrong, it has nothing to do with them. It is entirely my responsibility.”

After saying this, Princess Su turned her head away, unable to bear watching.

Doctor Zhuang immediately agreed and instructed his grandson Zhuang Tianyou to stay nearby and constantly monitor Commander Xiao’s condition, preventing him—while in a confused state—from biting his own tongue.

At the same time, Doctor Zhuang applied acupuncture while allowing Su He to begin.

Su He took a deep breath, took out the smallest and sharpest knife, and carefully began cutting downward along the place where the arrow had entered.

As the flesh was cut deeper and deeper, Xiao Yunsheng’s consciousness began to fade.

Doctor Zhuang had Zhuang Tianyou place a slice of ginseng in his mouth, then used acupuncture to keep him from losing consciousness, while judging the situation and allowing Su He to continue.

After a while, a horse neighed outside the temporary tent. The Rui Prince’s Consort dismounted and strode in.

“How is the situation now?” she asked while quickly walking over.

The moment she arrived, Chu Ling felt as though the backbone of the situation had appeared and finally let out a breath of relief. The others felt the same—the tense atmosphere suddenly steadied.

Su He stepped aside so the Rui Prince’s Consort could clearly see the wound.

“Well? Can it be pulled out?” Princess Su asked anxiously.

“It’s not a big problem,” the Rui Prince’s Consort said after examining it carefully. “He’ll just have to endure some suffering. And this arm will need proper rest—he won’t be able to use it for quite a long time.”

She grasped the arrow and cautiously tugged it outward once, then adjusted the angle and slowly pulled again, finally revealing the sharp tips of the barbs.

Fortunately, Su He had already cut away the poisoned rotten flesh, which allowed the Rui Prince’s Consort to see everything clearly.

“The barbs are movable. They must have opened after the arrow was shot. There are five in total. I’ll need someone to help hold them down. Also, these barbs are very thin and slippery—only fingertips can hold them in place,” she said.

Which meant the five people holding them down might also be poisoned.

Su He took out a porcelain bottle and poured out the antidote. The Rui Princess Consort immediately felt relieved—she hadn’t expected there to be so much antidote.

Chu Ling and the other four each took one and swallowed it. Then, following the Rui Princess Consort’s instructions, they pressed down on the barbs that had already sprung out and slowly pushed them back in.

The sharp stabbing pain made Chu Ling frown slightly, and her fingertips instantly went numb, but that was the extent of it.

At that moment, Xiao Yunsheng suddenly gasped for breath, his eyes snapping wide open.

Seizing the moment, the Rui Princess Consort waited for the instant the barbs retracted, then abruptly pulled the arrow out. She tossed it to someone nearby to catch, while at the same time pressing a handkerchief against the wound and ordering someone to apply hemostatic medicine first.

Doctor Zhuang invited Chu Ling and the other to join him, and together they began performing acupuncture on Xiao Yunsheng.

The Princess Su Consort’s legs went weak and she nearly collapsed. Wan Sanjin hurriedly supported her, helping her step back.

“Commander Xiao is blessed by fate,” he said.

The Princess Su Consort forced herself to thank him, but as she looked at Xiao Yunsheng being held down over there, tears began to fall uncontrollably.

The Rui Princess Consort’s expression remained unchanged. She removed her blood-stained hand and carefully examined the wound, then looked at the arrow she had just pulled out and snorted coldly.

“How ruthless. This was clearly meant to take a life!”

“The bleeding has stopped,” Chu Ling suddenly said.

Doctor Zhuang frowned as he checked the pulse. “The pulse is weak, but it has stabilized.” As he spoke, he finally let out a long breath of relief.

Chu Ling also checked the pulse. Then, under Bai Su’s guidance, she inserted a few more needles. After stabilizing Xiao Yunsheng’s condition, she asked the Princess Su Consort to prepare a carriage so he could be transported back slowly. From here on, it would depend on careful watch—and he absolutely must not develop a fever.

The Princess Su Consort nodded in thanks and ordered someone to prepare a carriage. Xiao Yunsheng was carefully moved into it, and Doctor Zhuang, along with his grandson, simply went along to the Su Prince’s residence.

Just as they were about to leave, the Rui Princess Consort called out to the Princess Su Consort.

“What do you think about this matter?”

The Princess Su Consort took a deep breath and lowered her voice.

“Even if Xiao Lengjue truly intended to rebel, he wouldn’t have brought only this few men.”

The Rui Princess Consort hummed softly. “The timing is wrong, and the numbers are hardly enough… From that perspective, the origin of this arrow is rather suspicious. It feels like someone deliberately trying to provoke a conflict.”

“This matter…” The Princess Su Consort hesitated.

The Rui Princess Consort shook her head. This was not something they could influence.

The Princess Su Consort sighed, saying she would come personally to offer thanks another day, and left first. The Su Prince, who had returned a moment later, expressed his thanks and soon departed as well.

Chu Ling found the Rui Princess Consort and looked at the arrow in her hand.

“Princess Consort, may I take a look?”

The Rui Princess Consort carefully handed it over and reminded her, “Be careful.”

Chu Ling examined it closely, while Bai Su’s explanation echoed in her ears:

“This is a mother-and-child arrow. It’s somewhat similar to the miniature arrow I gave you. But making it this long takes time, effort, and money. And since your miniature arrows can achieve a similar effect, there’s no need to make them this long.”

“So the only possibility is that the person is skilled with long arrows.”

At that moment, the Rui Princess Consort also spoke slowly:

“The person who shot this arrow is extremely skilled with a bow—never missing a shot. But as far as I know, Xiao Lengjue uses a long spear. His subordinate Zhuque uses a bow, but I’ve never heard of any particularly remarkable archer among his people.”

For some reason, Chu Ling suddenly thought of Chu Yue.

Seeing Chu Ling’s slightly pale face, the Rui Princess Consort comforted her.

“This matter has nothing to do with you. You need not worry.”

Chu Ling nodded gently.

“Princess Consort… does this count as rebellion for the Xiao heir?”

The Rui Princess Consort stroked her head and gave a bitter smile, leaning close to whisper in her ear:

“The Prince Qi committed suicide out of fear of punishment.”

Chu Ling froze in shock!

After the Prince Qi Consort died, she had gone to see Prince Qi—so that had been their last meeting?

No wonder the Court of Judicial Review (Dali Temple) had suddenly been surrounded by heavy troops. It was clearly meant to lure the Xiao heir into a trap. And the Xiao heir had indeed taken the bait, bringing troops to attack.

“Xiao Shizi… is finished,” Chu Ling murmured.