An Lingrong was so terrified that her face turned pale, not a hint of color left.

“An jie, don’t be afraid, I’ve got plenty of strength. Hang in there, I’ll pull you up right away.”

Yu Ying’er said this while using all her strength to pull An Lingrong up.

At this moment, Ju Qing also struggled to run over, her hands constantly swatting at the bats that were attacking from above.

Just then, someone from behind pushed, and Yu Ying’er fell directly from the pavilion.

“Someone’s fallen, help!” Bao Juan shouted loudly, looking in the direction of the crowd.

For some unknown reason, the Empress slammed her arm against a pillar.

Jian Qiu, stunned for a moment, then screamed:

“The Empress is injured! Someone, come quickly!”

When everyone turned around, they saw that only Hua Fei was closest to where Yu Ying’er had fallen.

But at this moment, no one had the mind to care about anything else, all of them frantically waving their arms.

The guards arrived, holding torches, and used them to drive away the bats in swarms.

The chaotic crowd slowly began to quiet down.

Zhen Huan hurried to An Lingrong’s side. “An mei, are you alright?”

An Lingrong’s face was pale, and she couldn’t react immediately.

Zhen Huan quickly helped the trembling An Lingrong sit down.

At this moment, they heard Hua Sui crying below the pavilion:

“Young master, young master, wake up! Wake up! Please don’t scare me!”

“Someone, help! Hurry, save my young master!”

Only then did An Lingrong snap back to her senses. She grabbed Zhen Huan’s hand, her face filled with emotion:

“Guan jie, quickly, save Yu mei. She fell because she was trying to save me…”

Zhen Huan then realized the person who had fallen from the pavilion was Yu Ying’er. Her heart tightened:

“Someone, hurry! Yu Ying’er has fallen, quickly summon the Imperial Doctor!”

Jian Qiu also shouted that the Empress’s arm had been broken.

The Empress said her arm wasn’t seriously injured and instructed for Yu Ying’er to be carried to her palace for treatment.

The Emperor, who had been playing chess with Guo Junwang, rushed over upon hearing the news.

“How did Yu Ying’er fall from the pavilion for no reason?”

The Empress, clutching her arm, bent down slightly and apologized to the Emperor:

“Your Majesty, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t invited everyone here for a gathering today, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“How could this be the Empress’s fault?” Qi Fei said, trying to console the Empress. “The Empress had good intentions. Who could have predicted so many bats would appear?”

Jian Qiu, touching the Empress’s injured arm, looked at her with a pained expression:

“Your Majesty, when the bats attacked, the Empress was worried about An Chang’s health. She got so anxious that she slammed into the pillar.”

“If I hadn’t stopped her, her arm might have been broken.”

“Jian Qiu…” The Empress, waiting for Jian Qiu to finish, sharply interrupted her.

“Your Majesty, as the head of the Six Palaces, it is my responsibility to protect the concubines of the harem. If Yu Ying’er has ended up like this, it’s all my fault. Please punish me.”

“If it’s not the Empress’s fault, then whose fault could it be?” Hua Fei, displeased, said while patting the dirt off her clothes, “We were just having a meal, and now look at what’s happened to me.”

“Alright, now that the Empress is injured, she can’t be blamed for this,” the Emperor said as he ordered the Imperial Doctor to treat the Empress.

The Emperor, full of worry, looked at Zhen Huan. “Guan Guiren, are you alright?”

Zhen Huan shook her head. “I’m fine, just a bit startled. It’s just that poor An mei…”

The Emperor looked at An Lingrong, who seemed like a frightened bird, and asked:

“An Chang, are you alright?”

An Lingrong stammered:

“Your… Your Majesty, I… I’m fine. It’s just that Yu mei… she fell trying to save me. Please, Your Majesty, you must save Yu mei, no matter what.”

As she spoke, An Lingrong started crying.

She looked at Yu Ying’er, who was unconscious on the bed, and tearfully began to describe the scene when Yu Ying’er had saved her.

Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang, listening to An Lingrong’s words, suddenly recalled what Yu Ying’er had said a few days ago:

“An jie, don’t worry. If something like what Guan jie said happens, I’ll definitely block it for you.”

“I can’t speak for other things, but when it comes to strength and agility, none of you sisters can beat me.”

Those words still seemed to echo in their ears, as though they had been spoken just yesterday.

Looking at the lively person she once was, now lying motionless, tears sprang from Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang’s eyes.

In the previous life, it was An Lingrong who caused Yu Ying’er’s death at the hands of Su Peisheng.

In this life, it was once again because of An Lingrong that Yu Ying’er had fallen into this dire situation.

“May the wind understand one’s intent and not destroy it easily.”

In the previous life, Yu Ying’er had impersonated Zhen Huan and gained the Emperor’s favor.

In this life, Yu Ying’er had treated Zhen Huan with true sincerity…

If time is a cycle, why couldn’t it give Yu Ying’er a bright life?

Zhen Huan, in her heart, angrily questioned the heavens!

Why do kind-hearted people always end up in tragic failure?

Why do tigers never harm others, but humans hurt the tiger’s intentions?

In this second life, is there truly no way for me to protect those who love me?

Then why, heavens, have you made me live again?

The Emperor, deeply moved after hearing this, looked at her with a concerned expression.

In the past, he had only thought of Yu Ying’er as a performer of Kunqu Opera, a “pastime” to ease his boredom with state affairs.

He hadn’t expected her to sacrifice herself so selflessly in a time of crisis.

This great righteousness made the Emperor feel differently about her.

“Doctor Zhang, how is Yu Ying’er?”

“Your Majesty, Yu Ying’er sustained a severe blow to her head after falling from a high place, and there are large blood clots in her brain. That’s why she remains unconscious.”

“Doctor Zhang, are you saying that Yu mei is only temporarily unconscious and will wake up?” Shen Meizhuang, hopeful, asked.

“Replying to Lady Shen, yes, that’s correct…”

“Thank goodness, thank goodness.”

Shen Meizhuang, who had been gripping her handkerchief tightly, finally relaxed.

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong also showed signs of relief.

“But there’s also the possibility that she may never wake up,” Doctor Zhang added with concern.

“Then what is Doctor Zhang suggesting?”

The Empress, whose arm had just been bandaged, asked with great concern.

Doctor Zhang turned to the Empress and answered: “The time it takes for her to wake up depends on how quickly the blood clot in her brain disappears.”

“If the blood clot dissolves quickly, Yu Ying’er will wake up quickly. If not, it could take longer, or she might never wake up.”

“So if she doesn’t wake up, Yu Ying’er would be like a living corpse, lying there forever?” Qi Fei, never one to hold back, said as she couldn’t resist speaking.