Her own face was even more swollen than before, appearing somewhat twisted and frightening.
"You're the only one serving her?"
The Emperor Yuwen Hong's low voice startled Xia An.
She turned and, seeing the Emperor in his bright yellow dragon robe, immediately knelt and bowed deeply.
"This servant, Xia An of the Left Side Hall in Yihua Palace, greets Your Majesty and wishes you peace."
Then she quickly explained,
"Originally, there were still Maid Chunqi and Eunuch Xiaoluzi serving here, but one was whipped and the other kicked — they are both lying in bed, unable to move, so only this servant is left to attend the young mistress."
Hearing this, Yuwen Hong's expression grew dark.
He stepped forward and looked at Lin Wanyi.
A couple of days ago, it had only been a knee injury — how had it come to the point that both her hands and feet were now bandaged?
Lifting the blanket gently, he was shocked by what he saw.
Her ankle was dislocated, the blood flow blocked, and her knee still bore its old injuries. The fair, delicate skin of her calf was now faintly bruised with a purplish tint.
Her ankle was badly swollen, even with medicine and bandages applied, it was obvious how brutally it had been damaged.
"Where is the medicine I gave to Lady Lin the other day?"
"The young mistress had me store it carefully. I will get it right away."
Xia An rummaged through a cabinet and took out the medicine, immediately presenting it, then went to fetch hot water and a cloth.
When she returned, she saw that the Emperor had already removed the bandage around Lin Wanyi's ankle with quick, practiced hands.
"The cloth."
"Yes."
The Emperor gently wiped away the old ointment with the cloth, then cleaned the swollen area with warm water. Despite all his care, the injury looked even worse than before.
"The medicine."
"Of course."
Taking the bottle of medicine he had personally bestowed on Lin Wanyi, Yuwen Hong began reapplying it to her wounds bit by bit, refusing to leave it to anyone else.
Xia An watched from the side, noticing how practiced His Majesty's technique was — which surprised her.
Why was he so skilled at treating injuries?
But these thoughts she could only bury deep inside, not daring to voice them at all.
After he had finished treating Lin Wanyi, the Emperor handed the bottle back to Xia An.
"Use some of this on your own face — it will heal by tomorrow."
"Many thanks, Your Majesty!"
Xia An took the copper basin, tidied things up, and slowly left the room.
Just as she stepped outside, Qiu Ming came over to help.
Dong Yuzhong lowered his voice and said,
"His Majesty is staying here with the young mistress. I will attend to him. You and Qiu Ming go get your injuries treated first."
"Thank you, Eunuch Dong."
Xia An glanced through the curtain, but worrying any further was useless.
She could only follow Qiu Ming away for now — there might still be a tough battle ahead.
Inside the room, Yuwen Hong sat quietly on the edge of the bed, watching as Lin Wanyi's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed. He remembered how she had massaged him before, pressing between his brows with her fingertips.
So he copied the movement, trying to smooth her brow, but ended up waking Lin Wanyi instead.
He misjudged the pressure and left a faint red mark on her forehead.
"You're awake?"
"Your Majesty? Why are you here?"
Lin Wanyi tried to rise to pay her respects, but as soon as she moved, pain shot through half her leg.
Yet she also felt a cooling sensation — just like what she'd experienced with the treatment for her knee before.
She looked at the Emperor with some confusion, which made Yuwen Hong feel slightly awkward, so he coughed and changed the subject.
"What happened? How did the whole household end up injured like this?"
Lin Wanyi lowered her eyes and then calmly replied,
"Consort Chu came here looking for trouble, using the excuse that the Moon Gate was locked. She kicked Xiaoluzi, slapped Xia An, and I could not stand by, so I argued with her. She pushed me down, twisted my ankle, and then drew the sash at her waist to whip me. Chunqi was hurt while trying to protect me."
Her eyes were clear, completely fearless.
She did not cry, did not exaggerate, simply reported it as if she were a bystander.
The Emperor raised his brows, looking at her — she was still the same person, but somehow he could not quite see through her anymore.
They sat facing each other in silence for a long moment.
At last, Yuwen Hong raised his voice and called out.
"Dong Yuzhong."
"Your servant is here."
Dong Yuzhong came in quickly, bowing slightly to receive orders.
"Look into this matter. If it is as Lady Lin says, then every servant and maid around Consort Chu is to be flogged with thirty strokes. The ringleader is to be sent to the Yeyou Courtyard for hard labor. As for Consort Chu herself, send two imperial etiquette matrons to instruct her properly in the rules of the palace!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
This decree was a powerful slap in Consort Chu's face.
Never mind the thirty strokes — surviving them would be difficult enough, and being sent to the Yeyou Courtyard to do hard labor meant there would be no chance of rising again in this lifetime.
This also served as a warning to those palace servants who had aided and abetted wrongdoing.
Lin Wanyi and the others had been attacked around noon, and by evening the Emperor had personally come to see them. Not long after, news spread that Consort Chu and her attendants had been punished.
That news seemed to grow legs and soon swept through all six palaces.
The first to visit Lin Wanyi, naturally, was Qinhe, the chief palace maid by the Noble Consort's side.
As soon as she stepped in, she smiled kindly with a hint of concern.
"When the Noble Consort heard what happened here, she was so worried she fell ill from anxiety. But with the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, so many things require her attention, so she sent me with some gifts to check on you."
She gestured to the attendants behind her, who carried medicines, tonics, and other supplies.
There were also bolts of fabric and jewelry, which didn't seem intended for Lin Wanyi herself.
"Her Ladyship heard how loyally your servants defended you, and was very pleased. She specially rewarded Xiaoluzi with a length of cloud-patterned brocade, and Chunqi and Xia An with gold jewelry, to commend their devotion."
Xia An, who was serving at Lin Wanyi's side, looked up in surprise and confusion when she heard this.
"Take them," Lin Wanyi said. "Since this is the Noble Consort's kindness, you may accompany me to the Linzhi Palace in a few days to give her proper thanks."
"Yes, my lady," Xia An answered respectfully.
Then she curtseyed to Qinhe and accepted everything she had brought.
Lin Wanyi gave Qinhe an apologetic smile.
"Thank you for making the trip. My leg is still injured and I cannot properly pay respects to Her Ladyship — I hope you can help explain to her on my behalf."
"My lady, there's no need to say such things. The Noble Consort was both worried and happy when she learned of this."
Qinhe then stepped closer to Lin Wanyi and lowered her voice.
"Her Ladyship said, 'When Lady Lin acts, she makes a stunning move.' Most of Consort Chu's servants were crippled, and even Consort Chu herself is stuck under the watch of the etiquette matrons. You should have seen how sour Lady Yi's face was!"