Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1197: Chapter 1199: Chu Han Seriously Injured, Diao Yao Goes Missing_1

The group was in the midst of a lively conversation, when suddenly the voice of a maid came from outside, ”Miss, the Young Master Chu who previously stayed in our residence has returned and he’s badly injured. Your husband asks you to hurry over and see.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Ruozhu was startled, and she leaped from the bed in a flash, hurriedly saying to Wan Caiyue, ”Sister-in-law, could you look after Dengdeng for me? I won’t bring him along.”

”Okay, okay, hurry on over,” Wan Caiyue stood up anxiously as well.

Lin Ping’er was even more anxious than Bai Ruozhu, dashing out of the room immediately. Chu Hai and Diao Yao had stayed with the Bai Family for quite some time, even traveling to the Capital with them. Although the two rarely dined with the Bai Family, as time went by, affection inevitably grew, especially since Diao Yao was innocent and adorable, earning the affection of the Bai Family.

When Bai Ruozhu arrived at the hall, she saw Jiang Yichun treating Chu Hai. She quickly approached and asked, ”Does he have a serious internal injury?”

Jiang Yichun nodded, his hand placed on Chu Hai’s back, transferring inner strength, ”Talk later, otherwise his meridians will break.”

Bai Ruozhu dared not disturb Jiang Yichun any further, but she knew that using inner strength to heal others was very draining. She hadn’t expected Jiang Yichun to be willing to save Chu Hai; in truth, her husband was not as cold-hearted as he appeared, but tender inside.

Lin Ping’er and Bai Yihong crowded around Bai Ruozhu with concern, asking, ”How... how did he get injured like this? Where is Diao Yao?”

Bai Ruozhu quickly inquired with the gatekeeper, only to learn that Chu Hai was found collapsed at the Bai Residence Gate, alone!

Her expression grew solemn. Chu Hai had left so decisively that, given his personality, he would not have returned. His appearance at the gate of the Bai Residence with severe injuries, and without Diao Yao, indicated they encountered a grave threat.

If Diao Yao was not separated from him, then...

She dared not think further, her heart pounding fiercely. Diao Yao was still just a teenager, so she could only calmly wait for Chu Hai to awaken to clarify everything.

About the length of time to brew a cup of tea passed, and Jiang Yichun withdrew his hand from Chu Hai’s back, his complexion somewhat distressed as he sat to meditate off to the side. Bai Ruozhu tenderly wiped the sweat from his forehead, careful not to speak and disturb him.

She went over to check Chu Hai’s pulse and found his meridians were severely damaged. Without Jiang Yichun’s earlier assistance, Chu Hai might not have lived past three days.

He was also poisoned, though the poison was not too difficult to handle; it was the internal injury that was troublesome.

”He’s been poisoned; let’s prepare a decoction to detoxify him first,” she said, then wrote a prescription on paper and handed it to Jianqi to send someone for the medicine.

By the time the medicine was fetched back, Jiang Yichun had finished meditating and stood up, although he seemed somewhat weak.

”His life is spared for now, but whether he can preserve his inner strength will depend on his own fortune,” Jiang Yichun finally spoke.

”As long as one is alive, that is good. If the inner strength is lost, then one can retrain it,” Bai Ruozhu said.

Bai Ruozhu arranged for the servants to brew the medicine, and by this time, Chu Hai finally regained consciousness.

His slender eyes slowly opened, taking quite some time to focus. Upon seeing Bai Ruozhu in front of him, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm, ”I beg you... save Xiaoyao...”

Jiang Yichun quickly intercepted, pulling his hand back, and asked, ”What exactly happened?”

The corner of Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched. Achun was being too obvious; it was clear he was unhappy with Chu Hai grabbing her arm, but the man was clinging to her like a lifeline.

”We... were attacked, and she was abducted...” Chu Hai, extremely weak, finished the sentence and fainted once more.

”Diao Yao was abducted by someone? Where did it happen?” Bai Ruozhu asked anxiously, but unfortunately, Chu Hai could no longer respond to her.

She reached out to check Chu Hai’s pulse again and found that his condition had worsened. It was likely that waking up in such a panic had affected his internal organs, so at this time, him remaining unconscious was probably for the best, as it could at least spare his life.

”I’ll arrange for people to investigate. Have the Commerce Association look into it as well, and it would be best to draw a portrait of Diao Yao,” Jiang Yichun said.

Bai Ruozhu thought of Jianqi, who was the most skilled at recreating portraits. She immediately had him draw one and, true to his reputation, the portrayal was exquisitely lifelike. He even produced several copies to aid in the search.

As Jiang Yichun was about to leave, Bai Ruozhu suddenly stopped him, ”Achun, I feel that something is amiss. You should investigate discreetly. I’m worried that any overt actions might tip off the abductors and put Diao Yao in danger.”

Jiang Yichun nodded, ”Alright, I’ll be back soon.”

After Jiang Yichun had left, Bai Ruozhu thought it improper to have Chu Hai lying unconscious in the Main Hall, so she had a makeshift stretcher prepared and had him carried to his former room in the Bai Residence to settle down.

”You’ve been out for half a day, and it wouldn’t be good if you don’t return to the Jiang Residence for an entire day, especially with Elder Jiang Ge being ill,” Bai Yihong said, noticing Bai Ruozhu’s frown and reminding her.

”I’ll head back after lunch. I’ve already informed Achun’s aunt,” Bai Ruozhu said.

However, what would normally be a lively lunch was devoid of spirit, as everyone was preoccupied. With Chu Hai unconscious and Diao Yao’s fate uncertain, no one knew what might happen next.

When Bai Ruozhu returned to the Jiang Residence with Little Dengdeng, Jiang Yichun had not yet arrived, which made her worry about his unattended wounds.

After greeting everyone at the Residence, she took Little Dengdeng to take a nap, but she couldn’t close her eyes no matter how hard she tried. After tossing and turning, she sat up, instructed Nanny Zhang to watch Little Dengdeng closely, and decided to make a trip to the Palace.

Jiang Chenshi was surprised to hear that Bai Ruozhu was going to the Palace and asked, ”Isn’t this another visit to treat Consort Le?”

”Consort Le is in good health. It’s just the Empress Dowager and the Princess who want to speak with me,” Bai Ruozhu replied, slightly displeased and not in the mood to attend to her aunt.

Armed with the Empress Dowager’s token, Bai Ruozhu easily entered the Imperial Palace and hurried to Cining Palace.

Princess Diao Bin was not in Cining Palace but in her own Palace; however, Bai Ruozhu still took the initiative to inform the Empress Dowager of the situation.

”I shouldn’t have troubled you and the Princess with this matter, but since Diao Yao is a friend of the Princess, it seemed inappropriate not to inform the Princess,” Bai Ruozhu explained.

”You’re right; we should tell Diao Bin. She’s an adult, and we mustn’t keep her in the dark. We should all work together to find a way to save poor Diao Yao,” the Empress Dowager said before summoning Princess Diao Bin.

When Princess Diao Bin arrived and learned of the situation, her eyes reddened with worry, but she was at a loss for what to do.

”We can only wait for Chu Hai to wake up to understand the situation clearly. Otherwise, should we ask the Emperor to assign someone to investigate?” the Empress Dowager asked, sounding unsure.

Bai Ruozhu quickly shook her head, ”Since we don’t know who attacked them, it’s better not to alarm the assailants for now; I’m afraid they might resort to drastic measures.”

She couldn’t help but think of the secret Chu Hai was hiding and the way he looked toward the Imperial Palace, hence her caution.

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