Prime Minister.

Chapter 301 [Once a fleeting glimpse of beauty]

"Xue Huai—!!!"

Jiang Li's mournful cry pierced the chaotic night sky, her voice filled with unprecedented terror and despair.

Xue Huai accidentally fell into the water while trying to save her, and he couldn't swim. He had almost died in the Nine-Bend River next to the Green Green Villa before, let alone the incredibly dark and desolate Slender West Lake at night.

If Jiang Li didn't care about Xue Huai's life or death when they first met, and only regarded him as a pawn that could be used, then now she absolutely would not allow Xue Huai to get into trouble in front of her.

She instinctively broke free from Su Erniang's embrace and rushed towards the side of the boat, almost leaning half her body out of the gunwale, frantically searching for that familiar figure on the murky water, but could only see the surging lake surface in the night.

"Your Highness! Danger!"

Su Erniang was terrified, fearing that Jiang Li might impulsively jump down, so she could only hold her tightly again and drag her back away from the edge of danger.

Several maids wielding daggers immediately surrounded them, forming a human wall, and warily scanned the dark waters around them.

The battle at the stern was drawing to a close in the blink of an eye. The guards of the princess's residence were all top-notch fighters, and although the three assassins who attacked from underwater were brave, they were quickly killed under the overwhelming strength and numbers of the enemy.

When the last assassin was pierced through the heart by a sword, he swayed and fell into the lake with a look of resentment in his eyes.

Holding the heartbroken Jiang Li in her arms, Su Erniang shouted sternly, "Get into the water immediately! Save Xue Tongzhi at all costs!"

"Puff! Puff!"

Seven or eight guards, all excellent swimmers, jumped in without hesitation and dived underwater like agile cormorants.

Meanwhile, the chaos on the other side is also intensifying.

The sounds of fighting, screams, and splashing on the three-story pleasure boat rose and fell, as the guards of the princess's residence were ruthless and showed no mercy.

When Su Erniang's fierce order of "Kill without mercy" was issued, the guards had no more scruples. Amidst the flashing blades, the enemy fell like harvested straw, and those who tried to escape by jumping into the water were shot or captured by the guard ships surrounding them.

However, none of this could attract Jiang Li's attention for even a moment; her entire mind was focused on that dark body of water that had swallowed Xue Huai.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment, and the former prosperity and beauty of Slender West Lake were completely torn apart by bloodshed and desolation.

Jiang Li's face was ashen, and her body trembled slightly in the night wind, not from the cold, but from a deep-seated fear and a regret that almost tore her apart.

If she hadn't insisted on taking a night tour of Slender West Lake, if she hadn't suddenly decided to release lanterns at the stern of the boat, if she hadn't been unable to suppress her impulse to ask that foolish question, if she hadn't dragged Xue Huai to stay in this corner for so long, how could a few assassins have found such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

"You can't be hurt... You absolutely can't be hurt..."

Jiang Li bit her lower lip hard until she tasted a trace of blood. Her hands gripped the cold gunwale tightly, her nails almost digging into the wood.

Her eyes, which were always cool, wise, and somewhat distant, were now filled with helplessness and panic. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Su Erniang felt Jiang Li's stiffness and trembling, and was equally anxious, but could only whisper to comfort him, "Your Highness, please rest assured, Xue Tongzhi is a lucky man, the guards will definitely be able to rescue him!"

In this suffocating wait—

Wow!

The water suddenly parted about two zhang away from the painted boat, and a lithe figure carried another unconscious person to the surface!
"Found him! Lord Xue has been found!" the guard in the water shouted.

"Quick! Pull it up!"

Su Erniang practically shouted it out.

The ship immediately threw down ropes and hooks, and the guard struggled to lift Xue Huai close to the ship's side. The people on the ship then pulled him up and carefully laid him flat on the deck.

Xue Huai's eyes were closed, his face was a horrifying bluish-gray under the lamplight, his lips were bloodless, and his chest was not rising or falling.

"Xue Huai!"

Jiang Li could no longer care about her princess demeanor. She pushed Su Erniang away and staggered to her knees beside Xue Huai. Her hands trembled as she tried to touch his cheek, but she was worried about hurting him.

At this moment, Su Erniang displayed astonishing composure. She quickly checked Xue Huai's pulse and breathing, and then said urgently to Jiang Li, "Your Highness, Xue Tongzhi's pulse and breathing are very weak. He must have inhaled too much lake water while drowning. We must immediately perform water removal and first aid!"

Jiang Li forced herself to calm down and said in a trembling voice, "Second Aunt, please tell me what to do."

Su Erniang briefly explained the first aid method in a few words. At that moment, she could only press on Xue Huai's chest to try to squeeze out the water. The problem was who would help him breathe.

"Everyone, listen up! Turn around and don't look back!"

At Jiang Li's command, the maids and guards of the princess's residence obeyed without hesitation. Then, looking at Su Erniang, who was slightly taken aback, she said without room for doubt, "Begin." This was the Jiang Li that Su Erniang knew best—calm, restrained, and extremely decisive. But tonight, she was somewhat different. The suppressed madness deep in her eyes startled Su Erniang.

Without daring to hesitate any longer, she immediately pressed Xue Huai's chest rhythmically, while telling Jiang Li how to draw out his qi.

Jiang Li knelt beside Xue Huai's head, gazing at the face that had appeared so many times in her dreams. At this moment, his eyes were closed and he was almost lifeless. She could only suppress the grief in her heart, pry open his mouth, take a deep breath, and then lean down without hesitation to breathe into his mouth.

Time passed slowly, and the surroundings were deathly silent, with only the muffled sounds of Su Erniang pressing her chest and the rhythmic breathing of Jiang Li remaining.

One, two, three...

Just as Jiang Li raised her head again to blow air—

"Cough...cough cough...vomit..."

Xue Huai's body suddenly arched, and he coughed violently, choking out a large amount of turbid lake water from his mouth and nose!
Although the maids and guards on the periphery dared not turn around, they knew that Xue Huai had been rescued and couldn't help but cheer.

They felt a wave of fear. If Xue Huai hadn't pushed Jiang Li away in the blink of an eye, causing the assassin's most threatening strike to miss, they couldn't even imagine what the consequences would have been.

Even if the stab wasn't fatal and Jiang Li was only slightly injured, the Emperor's wrath would still await these subordinates of the Princess's residence, and a large number of them would meet a tragic end. Therefore, how could they not be grateful to Xue Huai?

Now that Xue Huai was saved, their joy and excitement came from the bottom of their hearts.

Su Erniang also breathed a sigh of relief and immediately turned Xue Huai's body to the side, gently patting his back to help him expel the water from his lungs.

Xue Huai's cough lasted for a while, each cough seeming to use all his strength, his body convulsing in pain.

He seemed not to be fully conscious; his eyes were unfocused, and he was only breathing instinctively with each cough.

"Xue Huai! Look at me! Look at me!"

Jiang Li's voice was choked with sobs, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads, dripping onto Xue Huai's cold, damp face.

She reached out and carefully cupped his cheeks, feeling the faint but real life force beneath her fingertips, and the huge weight in her heart finally settled.

Xue Huai's cough gradually subsided, and his unfocused gaze slowly focused. He saw the beautiful face before him, her cheeks wet with tears, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness... are you alright?"

Hearing his first words ask about her safety, Jiang Li felt a sharp pang in her heart. A surge of emotions overwhelmed her, causing tears to stream down her face. She could only nod frantically, choking out, "It's alright, everything's alright, Xue Huai, you scared me to death..."

After a careful examination, Su Erniang said to Jiang Li, "Your Highness, Xue Tongzhi is temporarily out of danger, but he has severe water inhalation into his lungs and needs immediate medical attention. I heard about the Jimintang clinic in the city—"

"Are the imperial physicians who accompanied me south incompetent? Let the pleasure boat dock first."

Jiang Li interrupted Su Erniang and then ordered the guards to carefully carry Xue Huai into the cabin, take off his wet clothes, wrap him in a thick blanket, and immediately bring him dry clothes, hot water, and ginger soup.

Xue Huai quickly drifted off to sleep. Jiang Li looked at his sleeping face, which lacked his usual composure and imposing presence, and instead showed a rare vulnerability. She took a deep breath, instructed the maids to take good care of him, and then stepped out into the outer room.

Su Erniang and Yi Zhong, the commander of the princess's personal guards, were already waiting there.

Jiang Li looked slightly disheveled at the moment, but her phoenix eyes were filled with murderous intent as she said in a deep voice, "Yi Zhong."

"The general is here!"

"Bring all the assassins back to the headquarters, dead or alive, and find out their origins for me. Also, send someone to inform the Yangzhou government and the Yangzhou garrison that I have been assassinated and that Yangzhou is under martial law for three days! During this period, all government affairs will be temporarily handled by the prefectural magistrate Zhang Shi, and Xue Tongzhi will accompany me to protect my safety."

"The last general takes command!"

Jiang Li then looked at Su Erniang and said, "Erniang, send someone to Shen Garden to tell Shen Qingluan and Xue Huai's guards that Xue Huai is fine and that they should not panic. They will be able to see Xue Huai within three days at most."

Su Erniang lowered her head and said, "Yes, Your Highness."

"So be it."

Jiang Li waved her hand and quickly returned to the inner room.

Before long, the painted boat docked, and Xue Huai was carefully lifted by the guards onto a carriage with thick, soft cushions. Jiang Li followed without hesitation and continued to stay by his side.

Under the tight escort of the princess's elite guards, the carriage sped towards the princess's residence in the western city.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Li held Xue Huai's cold right hand tightly with both hands, gazing at his pale and weak face, and the thrilling scene from that time involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

If Xue Huai hadn't pushed her with all his might, she might have already perished. But Jiang Li felt no fear. She quietly approached Xue Huai, lowered her head, and whispered softly yet firmly in his ear, "Xue Huai, thank you."

(End of this chapter)