In the grand hall of the palace,
The Old King was radiant, immersed in a chorus of congratulations.
Suddenly, someone hurriedly burst into the hall. It was the assistant of the Eldest Prince. But wasn't he supposed to have gone with the Eldest Prince to receive someone?
"Something terrible has happened! Duke Lin suddenly coughed up blood and fainted on his way here. Then, while being taken to the hospital, there was an accident, a car crash. He's currently being treated, and his condition is unknown."
The Old King's wine glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.
He widened his eyes and exclaimed, "What did you say?"
In a room nearby,
Karina, dressed in finery, sat in a wheelchair. She asked her servant for the time once again, growing impatient. "Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
Her face was still recovering, and she couldn't wear makeup for too long as it could worsen her condition. Whether it was psychological or not, Karina already felt an itchy, stinging sensation on her face.
Karina impatiently said, "Bring me the mirror."
Taking the mirror, she lifted her delicate veil and quickly examined the uncomfortable areas on her face without thoroughly inspecting them.
Kara burst into the room, saying, "Something has happened, Karina."
Inside the grand hall, there was a cacophony of noise, chaos ensuing as everyone stood up, talking all at once.
The worry and anxiety of the King's faction were written all over their faces, while Lai En's supporters appeared concerned on the surface but couldn't hide their joy, as if they had won a great prize.
The journalists present immediately sprang into action.
The Old King quickly ordered the halting of the live broadcast.
Lafeier sat in a chair, surrounded by chaos. He admired the Old King in front of the grand hall, who was almost unable to withstand the blow and needed assistance. Lafeier lifted the glass of red wine in front of him to his lips and asked, "Is she still in Hua Country?"
Lai En knew without even thinking that his father was asking about whom. These past few days, his father had been inquiring about Qiao Ying's whereabouts two or three times a day, ensuring she was in Hua Country before feeling at ease.
Lai En couldn't understand why his father was so fearful of a girl. She only had some martial arts skills and a bit of courage, right?
His father even said she was more formidable than Qin Han Yue.
Now that Lin Cheng's life hung by a thread, their plan was on the verge of success, yet his father was still asking about her.
Lai En replied, "Yes, she's been staying at the Qin family's place. Our people are keeping an eye on her. Don't worry, as soon as she receives the news and rushes over, Lin Cheng... hmph." Lin Cheng's tombstone was probably already gathering dust.
Lafeier said, "That's good."
Lai En added, "Father, you're injured. Drink less."
At the hospital,
Lin Cheng lay on the operating table, the overhead surgical light shining directly on him. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, and two dark red lines trickled down from the corners of his eyes, disappearing into his hairline, presenting a frightening sight.
A silver needle pierced his sea of energy.
In his semi-conscious state, Lin Cheng slowly regained consciousness. In a daze, he met the calm and indifferent familiar eyes visible outside the face mask.
"Just sleep for a while, and you'll be fine."
The girl's voice sounded composed, almost cold, yet miraculously brought a sense of peace and trust.
As the anesthesia coursed through his body, Lin Cheng once again lost consciousness.
The Old King remained at the palace to stabilize the situation while dispatching two of his sons to the hospital in haste.
Outside the operating room,
The Eldest Prince, having had his injuries treated, sat on a resting chair.
Lin Guli stood at the door of the emergency room, his legs stiff and numb, but he refused to take a step back or sit down to rest, ignoring the comforting words of the Eldest Prince.
At this moment, the other two sons of the Old King arrived. "Elder brother, how are you?" they asked.
The Eldest Prince, Chadan, weakly replied, "I'm lucky to have survived, but Duke Lin..."
"What's the situation inside?"
The Eldest Prince shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't know. "It's my fault for asking the driver to drive too fast, causing the accident."
"It was said that Duke Lin suddenly coughed up blood and passed out. Elder brother, you were also anxious to bring him to the hospital. It's not your fault."
Chadan looked at Lin Guli and after some consideration, he asked, "Prince Lin, how did the Duke's cold become so severe? Or... does he have some other hidden illness?"
At this moment, Lin Guli was completely indifferent to them, and he might not even have noticed that someone was talking to him.
The Young Prince frowned. "Could it be because of that promiscuous woman? Did she make him sick?"
Chadan scolded his younger brother, "Don't talk nonsense."
"I heard that the Duke fell ill after that woman left. Maybe it's because she hurt him emotionally and physically."
In the grand palace hall, the guests were seated, and the previous joyful and lively atmosphere had completely disappeared, replaced by a heavy and solemn atmosphere.
Everyone sat silently in their places, occasionally whispering words of concern. Even the young children, who didn't yet understand the situation, felt the gravity of the situation and remained calm, afraid to make a fuss.
The Old King sat silently at the main table, showing no intention of leaving or dispersing. He just sat there.
Everyone waited together for news from the hospital.
The media reporters also dared not leave at will.
And the citizens who had heard about Lin Cheng's car accident and had no further information were highly concerned about the matter, curious about what had happened, to what extent Lin Cheng was injured, and whether today's engagement ceremony could proceed smoothly.
The surgery lasted nearly five hours, and finally, the doors of the emergency room opened, and Lin Cheng, covered in tubes and wearing a ventilator, was pushed out.
The three sons of the King rushed forward, inquiring about the situation.
Lin Guli seemed to be holding his breath, unwilling to relax. "Doctor, how is he?"
The attending physician took off his mask and looked regretful. "His life has been temporarily saved, but whether he wakes up or not is uncertain."
Inside the palace hall, no one spoke anymore, and the atmosphere had become so heavy that it was almost suffocating.
Suddenly, the cry of a child rang out, and a woman quickly covered the child's mouth and hurriedly took the child out of the hall.
The Old King's brows furrowed even tighter.
A person hurriedly appeared, the Second Prince who had rushed back from the hospital.
Everyone stood up as they saw the Second Prince, eagerly awaiting news.
The Old King supported himself on the table, assisted by his daughter, Kara, and reluctantly stood up, his gaze fixed on the approaching Second Prince, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Lafeier also looked toward the Second Prince, who had brought back the news.
In the presence of all eyes, the Second Prince quickly approached the Old King and whispered something in his ear.
Upon seeing the Old King's pale face, everyone in the room turned ashen in an instant, almost stumbling in shock.
The Second Prince swiftly reached out to support him.
Witnessing the Old King's reaction, nearly half of the people present felt a pang of anxiety. They were all curious about the condition of Lin Cheng, but no one dared to ask.
After a brief moment of composure, the Old King made an effort to stand upright and looked at the crowd. He pushed away his children who were assisting him.
Then, he loudly addressed the crowd, saying, "The engagement banquet will proceed as planned. Duke Lin will not be able to attend, and the ceremony will be conducted later by Karina alone."
Raphael, father and son, exchanged a knowing glance.
He's actually not dead.
Upon hearing that the engagement banquet would proceed, a sense of relief washed over almost half of the people. Finally, someone gathered the courage to ask, "How is Duke Lin doing?"
The Old King did not respond to the person but instead instructed the media reporters to turn on the cameras, facing the entire nation.
The Old King said, "Today, I have two announcements to make."
Everyone immediately guessed what the Old King was about to announce.
The guests seated on the right side of Lai En's party exchanged puzzled looks.
Lai En's expression grew dangerous.
In the hospital,
The Eldest Prince sat on the sofa in the hospital room, his gaze fixed on the television where his father, the King, publicly announced, "The first announcement is that I have reached the age of abdication, and C Country will soon welcome a new King."
In the grand hall, the Old King continued with the second announcement, "I hereby declare to the nation that Duke Lin Cheng will be the next successor to the throne. As soon as Duke Lin recovers from his injuries and is discharged from the hospital, the coronation ceremony will be held immediately, followed by his marriage to Karina."
As soon as the Old King's words were spoken, some were overjoyed while others were dismayed. The atmosphere on both sides of the seating arrangement visibly differed.
The Second Prince wore a solemn expression and wanted to dissuade his father. He whispered, "Father, the doctors said that Lin Cheng is unlikely to wake up."
However, the Old King persisted stubbornly, saying, "As long as Lin Cheng is not dead, even if he sleeps for a year or two, he still has the right to sit on the throne."
"Besides, who among us doesn't know that today is not just an engagement banquet? Do you think I have the option to step back or choose?"
"Let's take it one step at a time, but in this situation today, I must maintain stability."
"Immediately send someone to the hospital. I don't want any information about Lin Cheng's condition to leak."
The Old King then gave a fierce look and quietly instructed his second son, who sat there calmly, seemingly watching a play, "And send someone to investigate the driver responsible for the accident."
Having said that, he exchanged a glance with Raphael, who hid a sharp edge in his eyes.
Their gazes clashed, and under Raphael's concealed hostility, the Old King announced, "Let the engagement banquet begin."
Karina was pushed forward.
The audience below resumed their seats, but their attention was no longer on the engagement banquet.
"The Eldest Prince and Duke Lin were in the same car. The Eldest Prince's condition is not serious, so Lin Cheng should be fine, right?"
"Didn't you pay attention earlier? The car directly crashed into the seat where Duke Lin was sitting. The Eldest Prince was on the other side and narrowly escaped."
"No matter how serious or not serious it is, the person must have already escaped danger. Otherwise, the King wouldn't have announced Duke Lin as the successor, and this engagement banquet wouldn't continue."
"It was an unexpected disaster. It was just a false alarm."
"An unexpected misfortune? I highly doubt it. It seems someone is determined to prevent this engagement banquet from proceeding smoothly."
...
PREVIOUSNEXT
In the grand hall of the palace,
The Old King was radiant, immersed in a chorus of congratulations.
Suddenly, someone hurriedly burst into the hall. It was the assistant of the Eldest Prince. But wasn't he supposed to have gone with the Eldest Prince to receive someone?
"Something terrible has happened! Duke Lin suddenly coughed up blood and fainted on his way here. Then, while being taken to the hospital, there was an accident, a car crash. He's currently being treated, and his condition is unknown."
The Old King's wine glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.
He widened his eyes and exclaimed, "What did you say?"
In a room nearby,
Karina, dressed in finery, sat in a wheelchair. She asked her servant for the time once again, growing impatient. "Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
Her face was still recovering, and she couldn't wear makeup for too long as it could worsen her condition. Whether it was psychological or not, Karina already felt an itchy, stinging sensation on her face.
Karina impatiently said, "Bring me the mirror."
Taking the mirror, she lifted her delicate veil and quickly examined the uncomfortable areas on her face without thoroughly inspecting them.
Kara burst into the room, saying, "Something has happened, Karina."
Inside the grand hall, there was a cacophony of noise, chaos ensuing as everyone stood up, talking all at once.
The worry and anxiety of the King's faction were written all over their faces, while Lai En's supporters appeared concerned on the surface but couldn't hide their joy, as if they had won a great prize.
The journalists present immediately sprang into action.
The Old King quickly ordered the halting of the live broadcast.
Lafeier sat in a chair, surrounded by chaos. He admired the Old King in front of the grand hall, who was almost unable to withstand the blow and needed assistance. Lafeier lifted the glass of red wine in front of him to his lips and asked, "Is she still in Hua Country?"
Lai En knew without even thinking that his father was asking about whom. These past few days, his father had been inquiring about Qiao Ying's whereabouts two or three times a day, ensuring she was in Hua Country before feeling at ease.
Lai En couldn't understand why his father was so fearful of a girl. She only had some martial arts skills and a bit of courage, right?
His father even said she was more formidable than Qin Han Yue.
Now that Lin Cheng's life hung by a thread, their plan was on the verge of success, yet his father was still asking about her.
Lai En replied, "Yes, she's been staying at the Qin family's place. Our people are keeping an eye on her. Don't worry, as soon as she receives the news and rushes over, Lin Cheng... hmph." Lin Cheng's tombstone was probably already gathering dust.
Lafeier said, "That's good."
Lai En added, "Father, you're injured. Drink less."
At the hospital,
Lin Cheng lay on the operating table, the overhead surgical light shining directly on him. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, and two dark red lines trickled down from the corners of his eyes, disappearing into his hairline, presenting a frightening sight.
A silver needle pierced his sea of energy.
In his semi-conscious state, Lin Cheng slowly regained consciousness. In a daze, he met the calm and indifferent familiar eyes visible outside the face mask.
"Just sleep for a while, and you'll be fine."
The girl's voice sounded composed, almost cold, yet miraculously brought a sense of peace and trust.
As the anesthesia coursed through his body, Lin Cheng once again lost consciousness.
The Old King remained at the palace to stabilize the situation while dispatching two of his sons to the hospital in haste.
Outside the operating room,
The Eldest Prince, having had his injuries treated, sat on a resting chair.
Lin Guli stood at the door of the emergency room, his legs stiff and numb, but he refused to take a step back or sit down to rest, ignoring the comforting words of the Eldest Prince.
At this moment, the other two sons of the Old King arrived. "Elder brother, how are you?" they asked.
The Eldest Prince, Chadan, weakly replied, "I'm lucky to have survived, but Duke Lin..."
"What's the situation inside?"
The Eldest Prince shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't know. "It's my fault for asking the driver to drive too fast, causing the accident."
"It was said that Duke Lin suddenly coughed up blood and passed out. Elder brother, you were also anxious to bring him to the hospital. It's not your fault."
Chadan looked at Lin Guli and after some consideration, he asked, "Prince Lin, how did the Duke's cold become so severe? Or... does he have some other hidden illness?"
At this moment, Lin Guli was completely indifferent to them, and he might not even have noticed that someone was talking to him.
The Young Prince frowned. "Could it be because of that promiscuous woman? Did she make him sick?"
Chadan scolded his younger brother, "Don't talk nonsense."
"I heard that the Duke fell ill after that woman left. Maybe it's because she hurt him emotionally and physically."
In the grand palace hall, the guests were seated, and the previous joyful and lively atmosphere had completely disappeared, replaced by a heavy and solemn atmosphere.
Everyone sat silently in their places, occasionally whispering words of concern. Even the young children, who didn't yet understand the situation, felt the gravity of the situation and remained calm, afraid to make a fuss.
The Old King sat silently at the main table, showing no intention of leaving or dispersing. He just sat there.
Everyone waited together for news from the hospital.
The media reporters also dared not leave at will.
And the citizens who had heard about Lin Cheng's car accident and had no further information were highly concerned about the matter, curious about what had happened, to what extent Lin Cheng was injured, and whether today's engagement ceremony could proceed smoothly.
The surgery lasted nearly five hours, and finally, the doors of the emergency room opened, and Lin Cheng, covered in tubes and wearing a ventilator, was pushed out.
The three sons of the King rushed forward, inquiring about the situation.
Lin Guli seemed to be holding his breath, unwilling to relax. "Doctor, how is he?"
The attending physician took off his mask and looked regretful. "His life has been temporarily saved, but whether he wakes up or not is uncertain."
Inside the palace hall, no one spoke anymore, and the atmosphere had become so heavy that it was almost suffocating.
Suddenly, the cry of a child rang out, and a woman quickly covered the child's mouth and hurriedly took the child out of the hall.
The Old King's brows furrowed even tighter.
A person hurriedly appeared, the Second Prince who had rushed back from the hospital.
Everyone stood up as they saw the Second Prince, eagerly awaiting news.
The Old King supported himself on the table, assisted by his daughter, Kara, and reluctantly stood up, his gaze fixed on the approaching Second Prince, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Lafeier also looked toward the Second Prince, who had brought back the news.
In the presence of all eyes, the Second Prince quickly approached the Old King and whispered something in his ear.
Upon seeing the Old King's pale face, everyone in the room turned ashen in an instant, almost stumbling in shock.
The Second Prince swiftly reached out to support him.
Witnessing the Old King's reaction, nearly half of the people present felt a pang of anxiety. They were all curious about the condition of Lin Cheng, but no one dared to ask.
After a brief moment of composure, the Old King made an effort to stand upright and looked at the crowd. He pushed away his children who were assisting him.
Then, he loudly addressed the crowd, saying, "The engagement banquet will proceed as planned. Duke Lin will not be able to attend, and the ceremony will be conducted later by Karina alone."
Raphael, father and son, exchanged a knowing glance.
He's actually not dead.
Upon hearing that the engagement banquet would proceed, a sense of relief washed over almost half of the people. Finally, someone gathered the courage to ask, "How is Duke Lin doing?"
The Old King did not respond to the person but instead instructed the media reporters to turn on the cameras, facing the entire nation.
The Old King said, "Today, I have two announcements to make."
Everyone immediately guessed what the Old King was about to announce.
The guests seated on the right side of Lai En's party exchanged puzzled looks.
Lai En's expression grew dangerous.
In the hospital,
The Eldest Prince sat on the sofa in the hospital room, his gaze fixed on the television where his father, the King, publicly announced, "The first announcement is that I have reached the age of abdication, and C Country will soon welcome a new King."
In the grand hall, the Old King continued with the second announcement, "I hereby declare to the nation that Duke Lin Cheng will be the next successor to the throne. As soon as Duke Lin recovers from his injuries and is discharged from the hospital, the coronation ceremony will be held immediately, followed by his marriage to Karina."
As soon as the Old King's words were spoken, some were overjoyed while others were dismayed. The atmosphere on both sides of the seating arrangement visibly differed.
The Second Prince wore a solemn expression and wanted to dissuade his father. He whispered, "Father, the doctors said that Lin Cheng is unlikely to wake up."
However, the Old King persisted stubbornly, saying, "As long as Lin Cheng is not dead, even if he sleeps for a year or two, he still has the right to sit on the throne."
"Besides, who among us doesn't know that today is not just an engagement banquet? Do you think I have the option to step back or choose?"
"Let's take it one step at a time, but in this situation today, I must maintain stability."
"Immediately send someone to the hospital. I don't want any information about Lin Cheng's condition to leak."
The Old King then gave a fierce look and quietly instructed his second son, who sat there calmly, seemingly watching a play, "And send someone to investigate the driver responsible for the accident."
Having said that, he exchanged a glance with Raphael, who hid a sharp edge in his eyes.
Their gazes clashed, and under Raphael's concealed hostility, the Old King announced, "Let the engagement banquet begin."
Karina was pushed forward.
The audience below resumed their seats, but their attention was no longer on the engagement banquet.
"The Eldest Prince and Duke Lin were in the same car. The Eldest Prince's condition is not serious, so Lin Cheng should be fine, right?"
"Didn't you pay attention earlier? The car directly crashed into the seat where Duke Lin was sitting. The Eldest Prince was on the other side and narrowly escaped."
"No matter how serious or not serious it is, the person must have already escaped danger. Otherwise, the King wouldn't have announced Duke Lin as the successor, and this engagement banquet wouldn't continue."
"It was an unexpected disaster. It was just a false alarm."
"An unexpected misfortune? I highly doubt it. It seems someone is determined to prevent this engagement banquet from proceeding smoothly."
...
PREVIOUSNEXT
