Confusion (3)

"There's still a pulse!" The Royal Guard let out a breath of relief, but quickly tensed again.

"Quick, return to the palace at once! Notify those Royal Physicians, and summon water- and light-element recovery mages too!! And the Royal Alchemists—do not overlook any profession capable of healing! If anything happens to him, we'll all be in deep trouble!!"

"Also, notify the Ye Clan and the Seventh Princess..."

Crash...

The teacup fell to the floor and shattered in every direction.

"What did you say? Little Lang was struck by lightning, and now his life hangs in the balance?" Long Anqi seemed unable to believe it and anxiously sought confirmation.

"Yes. Young Master Ye Lang returned alone through the rain just now and was struck down by lightning on the way. He is currently receiving treatment in the palace," the Royal Guard answered.

At that moment, Long Anqi could no longer care about anything else. She did not investigate why Ye Lang had returned alone, nor did she care about the raging wind and rain outside. She immediately rode with Ye Chengtian toward the Imperial Palace.

The two of them were the first from the Ye Clan to reach the Imperial Palace. Afterward, as the news spread, Ye Lanyu, Ye Yi and his wife, as well as the ailing Tiger Girl, all braved the thunderstorm and hurried to the palace.

"Chengtian, Anqi, you're here. Don't worry. The physicians are treating Ye Lang inside. According to them, his life is not in danger."

When Ye Chengtian and his wife were led to the place where the Thirteenth Young Master was being treated, they saw the Emperor and the tear-streaked Seventh Princess nearby. The Emperor noticed them as well and immediately informed them of the situation.

"How is he now? Can we go in and see him?" Long Anqi asked. Until she saw her son herself, she could not put her mind at ease.

"Not yet. There cannot be too many people inside, or they will interfere with the treatment. Don't worry. With those Royal Physicians, healers, and priests there, even if your son had kicked the bucket, they could still bring him back." The Emperor smiled faintly, seemingly trying to break the oppressive mood.

"What exactly happened? Why did he return by himself?" Once she had calmed down, Long Anqi began demanding answers.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have left him alone in the room. It was my fault," the Seventh Princess said remorsefully.

"Why did you leave him alone? It's not as if you don't know him. If you couldn't take care of him, you shouldn't have brought him out." Long Anqi rebuked her without the slightest courtesy, regardless of the tears on the Seventh Princess's face or her remorseful expression.

"It was my negligence. I forgot Taiya wasn't by his side and thought she was accompanying him," the Seventh Princess said softly. Tears seemed to glimmer in her eyes again.

"Taiya... she isn't a god. She gets sick too. Usually, when that happens, Little Lang never makes a fuss. He obediently stays home with her and clumsily takes care of her..."

When Long Anqi mentioned Tiger Girl, she spoke somewhat absentmindedly. By the end, remembering the way her son took care of people, she wanted to laugh—but how could she possibly laugh at a time like this?

"You don't need to be like this. I already said Ye Lang will be fine. I believe the treatment inside will be finished before long, and they'll return a perfectly intact Ye Lang to you," the Emperor immediately said upon seeing the mood grow heavy.

"That's right. What's wrong with you two women? My son is blessed and fortunate; nothing will happen to him. Don't stand here looking so miserable. It's bad luck." Ye Chengtian held Long Anqi's hand as he spoke. At a time like this, a man had to give a woman confidence.

"Besides, Anqi, this matter cannot entirely be blamed on others."

"Exactly. You can't blame the Princess either. It had already been agreed that Young Master Ye Lang would stay behind, and he even nodded. No one knows why he ran back," the maid at the side added. She did not want to see her mistress being wronged.

"Let's not discuss this now. We'll know once Ye Lang wakes up," the Seventh Princess said. She knew that even if they guessed, they would never figure out the reason, because the Thirteenth Young Master was simply that special.

Not long afterward, the Royal Physicians and the others filed out one after another. They delivered good news to the anxious people waiting outside, lifting more than half the heavy stone from their hearts.

"Young Master Ye Lang's condition is stable. His body is no longer in danger, but he may remain unconscious for some time and will not wake immediately. There is no need to wake him. Let him rest for a while."

"Then can we go in and see him?"

"Yes, but keep quiet. Don't disturb him."

"Mm, understood."

When everyone entered, they saw the slightly furrowed face of the Thirteenth Young Master Ye. Whether it was from pain or something else, no one knew, but it filled Long Anqi and the others with an indescribable ache.

Fortunately, the Thirteenth Young Master's life force was sound, and that temporarily put their minds at rest. As long as he was all right, they could slowly find a solution to anything else.

Soon afterward, Tiger Girl, Ye Lanyu, and the others arrived. Seeing the Thirteenth Young Master Ye lying unconscious on the bed, Tiger Girl's face held sorrow, anger, and an extremely complicated expression.

"What did you promise me? You said you would take good care of Young Master. Why did he end up like this?" Tiger Girl looked coldly at the Seventh Princess. If she had not been afraid of disturbing the Thirteenth Young Master, she would probably have been roaring by now.

Yet this low, icy questioning carried a different kind of force. Anyone could clearly feel her anger. So this was what she was angry about.

"I don't know why it happened either. Everything was fine at first. I don't know why he left alone," the Seventh Princess said, shaking her head.

"I don't care why he left. He has always been like this. You should have taken proper care of him. If you couldn't do it, you shouldn't have promised me!" Tiger Girl's voice remained just as cold. "If anything happens to him, I definitely won't let you off!!"

Wasn't that going too far? In front of so many people, someone with the status of a maid spoke to an Imperial Princess like this. It seemed rather strange.

Especially since the Emperor was present. She seemed not to place the Empire in her eyes at all.

These words made the Emperor frown, astonished some people, and angered others. Only the Seventh Princess herself felt ashamed—ashamed before the Thirteenth Young Master and Tiger Girl.

"Impudent! Who do you think you are, daring to speak to the Princess like that?" the Princess's maid berated her. In their eyes, Tiger Girl was nothing more than a female slave. No matter how much the Thirteenth Young Master doted on her, that fact would not change. A female slave actually dared to challenge an Imperial Princess; as the Princess's maids, how could they be polite? However...