lcionline Chapter 213 Fire Fighting
Chapter 213 Fire Fighting
Jiang Dehai sighed deeply, his heart filled with powerlessness and sadness.
He heard clearly the despair and pain revealed in Yu Jingshu's words, but due to the limitations of his own identity, he could do nothing but sigh and verbally comfort her, which made him feel extremely tormented.
At this moment, in Yongqing Palace, Yu Yanwan, lying on the sickbed, opened her eyes vaguely. It was pitch black all around her, making it difficult for her to tell what was real and what was fake.
She recalled the thrilling scene at the door and the last words Ye Qianning left her as he lay in a pool of blood. She couldn't help but feel confused. Was all that just an overly realistic dream?
However, the details in the dream were too clear, especially the strange fragrance in the air after discovering that Ye Qianning had lost his breath, and the feeling of coma that followed like a tide, everything seemed as if he had experienced it personally.
"Someone is coming!"
She shouted with all her might, but her weak voice seemed to be swallowed up by the night, and even to herself it sounded particularly ethereal and weak.
The silence and darkness around confirmed the authenticity of everything. The safety of Ye Qianning, the whereabouts of the palace maids who were present at the time, all these mysteries were like huge rocks pressing on one's heart, making one anxious but helpless.
Thinking of this, Yu Yanyan's hand involuntarily touched her aching forehead. The skin under her fingertips seemed to still retain the warmth of last night's nightmare. She took a breath with difficulty, and supported her body from the soft bed with difficulty. She stepped on the cold ground with her feet, and staggered towards the table with flickering candlelight not far away. Every step seemed to be on the clouds, empty and erratic.
"Ouch!"
A scream seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet night. Her feet seemed to be tripped by something. Her body lost balance and she fell forward involuntarily, finally falling on something soft and warm. At that moment, time seemed to freeze.
Before she could come to her senses and investigate the mysterious object, the light outside the window suddenly became as bright as day. Then, a familiar female voice, with inviolable majesty and anger, broke the silence of the night.
"What do you want to do! Doing such a heinous thing in the palace, aren't you afraid of karma and retribution?"
Is it Lingzhi? Yu Yanwan felt a little puzzled. She tried to stand up despite her exhaustion, but she found that her limbs were as weak as lead and she couldn't move at all.
"Get out of here! Or I'll kill you too!"
A cold and ruthless male voice followed, mixed with the heart-pounding sounds of clothes being torn and flesh being cut by sharp weapons, and the smell of blood in the air gradually became thicker.
"Princess! Someone is trying to set fire to you! You must wake up! If you don't wake up..."
Lingzhi's voice was full of anxiety and helplessness, but when she was still alive, it suddenly turned into a heavy groan, and then everything fell silent, leaving only her figure lying on the ground.
In an instant, the four walls of Yongqing Palace were illuminated by the jumping flames. In this dazzling light, Yu Yanyan was horrified to find that she was lying on several unconscious palace maids and eunuchs. Not far away, Ye Qianning was lying quietly, his body covered in blood, his face as pale as paper, looking particularly desolate.
"Wake up! Wake up!"
She used up her last bit of strength to support her weak body and gently patted the face of the person beside her with her delicate hands. However, the only response she got was silence and death. Their bodies seemed to be swallowed up by the shadow of the night, lifeless.
The flames outside were getting more and more intense, and billowing black smoke rushed into the palace. The feeling of suffocation made Yu Yanyan feel that every breath was like dancing on the edge of a knife, extremely difficult.
In desperation, she had to grit her teeth and stand up shakily. She grabbed the teapot that had already gone cold on the table and sprinkled the slightly cool liquid on the faces of the people around her, hoping that the stimulation of the cold water would wake them up.
"It's on fire. If we don't wake up, we're doomed!"
Her voice was a little hoarse, but unusually firm. As she shook, those pairs of eyes finally opened slowly, and their bodies slowly sat up. They covered their noses that were stinging from the smoke, and endured the torture of coughing together with Yu Yanyan.
The fire was raging and the smoke was billowing, making it extremely difficult to escape to the window. Every step felt like wandering on the edge of hell.
"Princess, what should we do? We can't escape..."
A young maid's eyes were filled with tears. She looked at the raging flames and expressed her fear and pleading desperately, "I don't want to die. I am still looking forward to the day when I can leave the palace and go home. I want to see my family again."
Although the other eunuchs and palace maids did not say anything, the same fear and despair could be read from their expressions with their heads down and brows furrowed.
"Don't be afraid. This is the imperial palace. The firefighting team will be here soon. We must persevere. If we give up easily, wouldn't that be playing into the hands of the arsonists?"
There was unquestionable determination in Yu Yanyan's words. Her eyes moved flexibly, looking for life. Finally, her gaze was fixed on the nearest window, and a hint of determination flashed in her eyes.
"Let's rush over and get out through the window to survive!"
Her encouragement seemed to give everyone a shot of adrenaline. The eunuchs and palace maids responded one after another and followed her instructions. They used all the water they could find in the palace to soak the thick quilt. The group tried their best to slowly move towards the only window of hope with the wet quilt. But when they arrived, the window had been sealed from the outside. Despair flooded everyone's heart like a tide, and the fire became even more intense. There was only a thin line between life and death.
"Come and put out the fire! Save Wanwan!"
Su Jingchuan's call penetrated the flames and smoke, accompanied by hurried footsteps and chaotic shouts, bringing a glimmer of hope to this desperate situation.
Yu Yanyan quickly grabbed a burning stick and hit the window desperately, shouting with her last bit of strength: "Your Majesty, we are here!"
Eunuchs and palace maids also joined the ranks of those calling for help. For a moment, shouts and knocking sounds intertwined together, shaking the tranquility of the night.
After about an hour of suffering, the fire in Yongqing Palace was finally put out. Yu Yanyan and the surviving palace maids escaped. However, Ye Qianning's body had been devoured by the merciless flames and turned to ashes.
Su Jingchuan hugged Yu Yanyan tightly while she cried non-stop, and comforted her softly: "Wanwan, it's okay, everything is over."
Shu Rao, with a caring attitude, led the newly appointed head maid Xiancao of Yaohua Palace and the chief eunuch Xiaolinzi into the devastated Yongqing Palace. She was wearing a simple white gown and had a complicated expression.
"Wanwan, what is going on? What happened?"
There was concern in her voice, but her eyes seemed to be searching for answers.