The icy lake water instantly engulfed him.
The Emperor of Chu thrashed his hands, bobbing up and down. In his eyes, it was as if he and Lady Wang were dancing together in the water.
Until he struggled to breathe and accidentally swallowed a mouthful of water.
The daze in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a real and sober awareness.
There was no Lady Wang!
There was no woman!
He was just alone, drowning in the water.
Thankfully, the edge of the water was not far from the shore, only about ten feet away.
The Emperor of Chu struggled to swim towards the shore, but his legs seemed to be frozen by the cold, stiff and immobile.
Relying only on the paddling of his hands, the distance between him and the shore hardly shortened.
The bone - chilling cold seemed to spread from his legs to his waist. Finally, panic showed in the Emperor of Chu's eyes.
"Save..."
"Gurgle... gurgle..."
The Emperor of Chu couldn't help opening his mouth, and the lake water rushed in. He coughed even more violently.
Countless bubbles churned on the surface of the lake.
"He Fulin... Save the Emperor!"
The Emperor of Chu thrashed about wildly, shouting with all his might.
A small sparrow that had accidentally fallen from the willow tree on the shore was startled and flew away, chirping in fear as it left.
"Your Majesty!"
In the distance, came the shouts of He Fulin and the imperial guards.
Just now, two imperial guards had faintly heard the Emperor's cry, though it was extremely faint. They still came to search.
"I'm here..."
The Emperor of Chu's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to answer with all his strength, he failed to utter the last word.
His legs seemed to be suddenly pulled down by a strong force. His mouth and nose, which were half - floating on the water, were once again submerged.
"Gulp... gulp..."
The bubbles in the lake became even denser.
It seemed to imply that there was intense activity underwater.
As the Emperor of Chu struggled, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed that there was nothing at his stiff legs.
However, that strong force still remained.
It seemed that an invisible and transparent "person" was firmly grabbing his ankle, not allowing him to float up.
I am the Son of Heaven, the True Dragon!
Whether it is a human or a ghost, all shall retreat!
The coldness in the Emperor of Chu's eyes mixed with the icy cold of the lake. A black hand rope on his wrist finally slipped out with his movement, emitting a sharp light in the lake water.
It seemed that there was a roar hovering in his ear. Then, the restraint on his ankle suddenly disappeared.
Taking the opportunity, the Emperor of Chu paddled with his hands to float up and shouted, "He Fulin, save the Emperor!"
"Your Majesty!"
He Fulin trotted over, looking at the water in panic.
The Emperor of Chu was already exhausted. Without the movement of his hands, he seemed about to sink again!
"Hurry up and save the Emperor!"
He Fulin couldn't swim. Fortunately, two imperial guards immediately jumped into the water and fished out the Emperor of Chu.
The Emperor of Chu shivered. When he got out of the water, small snowflakes fell on him, adding to the cold.
Especially when the cold wind blew, he tried to hold back but still shivered several times!
"My leg... He Fulin, summon the imperial physician!"
The Emperor of Chu's eyes were full of pain, and he fainted.
He left a mess for He Fulin.
As for why it was a mess!
Naturally, it was because his shouts just now had attracted everyone who was visiting Fangshan.
Originally, it was just a gathering of young people. Although there were several princes and princesses, everyone was still a bit relaxed.
They were playing and enjoying the scenery, having a great time.
As they got closer, they saw the wet Emperor of Chu.
And his personal eunuch, He Fulin.
Everyone was both puzzled and shocked.
They wondered why the Emperor of Chu had come to Fangshan.
They had not received any news before.
What shocked them was that the Emperor of Chu, the ruler of the country, was lying unconscious here in a disheveled state.
It seemed as if he had just fallen into the water!
While everyone was exchanging glances privately, Chu Nian'an and Chu Heye also came.
"Father?"
Chu Heye and Chu Nian'an called out at the same time.
The former's eyes were full of meaning. He secretly sized up the Emperor of Chu, as if he understood something.
But he didn't say a word. He just took off his cloak and put it on the Emperor of Chu, then picked him up horizontally and rushed towards the house, "Someone, summon the imperial physician!"
There were many noble people on this trip, and the two big boats had even arranged accompanying imperial physicians.
Chu Nian'an didn't know the Emperor's private side. Although she was also curious about the Emperor's purpose for this trip, she was more concerned about the Emperor's health.
Seeing He Fulin in a state of panic, she scolded coldly, "You useless thing. How did you protect Father?"
He Fulin and the imperial guards all knelt down and begged for mercy.
In the crowd, Yan Zhao scanned the Emperor's face, his eyes full of inexplicable meaning.
Just now, he and Ning Yuwǎn had simultaneously noticed someone in the house and were deliberately distracted.
Only a moment later, when he returned to the house, he found He Fulin moving Ning Yuwǎn away through the secret passage.
So he carefully followed all the way. Unexpectedly, he saw the Emperor of Chu about to make a move on Ning Yuwǎn.
Yan Zhao was filled with hatred. The Emperor of Chu had not learned his lesson from the "switching of the crown prince" incident in the palace.
Just a few months later, his vicious thoughts resurfaced, and he still wanted to do something improper to Ning Yuwǎn.
Yan Zhao originally wanted to kill the Emperor of Chu on the spot, but was stopped by Ning Yuwǎn.
"Today is not his day of doom."
When she pretended to be unconscious and the Emperor of Chu got closer, Ning Yuwǎn finally felt that there was an inexplicable force protecting him.
Ning Yuwǎn secretly cast a small spell to temporarily suppress the force on him and then led the Emperor of Chu into an illusion.
However, with her golden pupils, she could clearly see that the Emperor of Chu was surrounded by purple aura and there was a flash of golden light.
It seemed to clearly indicate that he was the Son of Heaven on earth and his life should not be ended!
There was a scarlet tinge in Yan Zhao's eyes. He didn't doubt Ning Yuwǎn's words.
It was just...
The Emperor of Chu had hurt the people he loved several times.
Wen Sui, Yan Xi, and now Ning Yuwǎn.
The hatred in his heart was hard to dispel, and he felt even more depressed.
"Even if he is the Son of Heaven, he will eventually reap what he has sown for all the evil he has done."
The cycle of heaven is fair, and everything has its cause and effect.
It's not that there is no retribution, it's just that the time is not right.
Yan Zhao's fist tightened and then loosened, loosened and then tightened. Finally, he endured it.
If he could endure for five years, he could naturally endure for a while.
"My Lord, why do you think the Emperor came to Fangshan?"
He Mengchang didn't know when he had walked behind Yan Zhao, his eyes shifting suspiciously.
Yan Zhao put away his hatred, his eyes cold, "Even the Third Prince and the Princess don't know. How would I know?"
He Mengchang rubbed his hands and smiled, "My Lord has always been favored by the Emperor. I thought you knew."
"Oh?" Yan Zhao raised his lips, but his smile was a bit chilling, "If Young Master He is so curious about the Emperor's actions, how about I recommend you to enter the palace and be the Emperor's personal eunuch?"
Then He Mengchang could know the Emperor's whereabouts all the time.
He Mengchang only felt a chill between his legs. He was the only legitimate son of the He family. How could he enter the palace to be a eunuch?
But when he saw Yan Zhao's cold face, he suddenly remembered the pair of human - skin lanterns at the Empress Chu's birthday banquet.
Yan Zhao's unbridled cold - bloodedness was tolerated by even the Empress Chu.
He was just the grandson of the prime minister. He didn't have the face to be highly regarded by Yan Zhao.
He Mengchang immediately broke out in a cold sweat on his back and retreated awkwardly, hiding in the crowd.
"Idiot!"
The killing aura on Yan Zhao was even stronger than usual. People around him all avoided his eyes and carefully got out of his way.
"Thoroughly investigate the matter of the Emperor's fall into the water!"
He said word by word, reminding everyone not to deviate from the direction and focus on the reason why the Emperor came to Fangshan again.
The wind blew and the snow stopped. It seemed colder tonight than usual.