Under Pei Ji’s suspicious gaze, Xie Wangze finally surfaced, his face pale. Before the crowd could react, he sank back underwater again.
In an instant, countless bubbles rose from the water.
The Chu Emperor’s expression changed drastically, as did Pei Ji’s, who had just crawled ashore and collapsed on the ground.
“Quick, save him!”
The Chu Emperor rushed forward anxiously, as if he intended to jump in himself, but someone held him back. “Your Majesty, be careful.”
Pei Ji shot to his feet in an instant. “Has he gone mad?!”
He moved to jump in as well, but someone pinned him down.
“Little Marquis, rest first.”
Someone had already jumped in by then, followed by more than a dozen people diving in one after another, all to rescue Xie Wangze.
Chu Yunge stood by without moving, her expression calm. Even Du Ruo beside her showed more emotion than she did.
Someone noticed Chu Yunge’s gaze and couldn’t help frowning, deeming her cold-blooded.
Chu Yunge merely shook her head. Xie Wangze’s determination to return was truly strong.
This time, the Chu Emperor would feel guilt and heartache.
Xie Wangze could no longer hold on.
He had actually reached his limit long ago, but because Pei Ji had kept persisting, he had persisted as well.
Even though his chest felt like it was exploding and his ears rang incessantly, he did not give up.
He had to return to the Chen State.
He had waited for victory. Pei Ji surfaced first, but he himself could no longer hold on.
Before losing consciousness, he saw countless people jumping into the water, and then he blacked out.
Xie Wangze was quickly pulled out, but because he had held his breath for too long earlier and then tumbled back in, he swallowed a lot of water. Even though the time submerged this time was short, by the time they rescued him, he had already stopped breathing.
“Drain the water! Quick, drain the water!”
“Imperial Physician! Where is the imperial physician?!” The Chu Emperor’s face was extremely grim. He could suppress Xie Wangze and keep him from returning to the Chen State, but if Xie Wangze met with such an accident in the Chu State, the situation would be entirely different.
For such a major event, imperial physicians and doctors were on standby, but even when the imperial physician arrived, it was no use. They drained the water, but Xie Wangze still did not resume breathing.
“He isn’t really dead, is he?”
“He likes the Princess that much? Desperate for her sake?”
Chu Yunge overheard the surrounding discussions and nearly cursed out loud.
Was Xie Wangze doing this for her? Clearly, it was to return to his country. Did they have no brains?
The onlookers held bizarre views. Even after the imperial physician drained the water, there was no effect. After checking his breathing, the physician actually shook his head, knelt, and begged forgiveness.
“This humble subject is incompetent. Young Master Xie has already stopped breathing.”
“How is that possible? Treat him, continue treating him. If you can’t save Young Master Xie, We will exterminate your nine clans.”
The Chu Emperor flew into a thunderous rage, his face ashen. Everyone knelt, and some even looked toward her. Chu Yunge did not want to describe the looks in their eyes, as if she were the one who had caused his death.
She had not said a single word from start to finish, but with Xie Wangze dead, needless to say, whether it was the common folk, the court officials, or the Chu Emperor’s temperament, they would inevitably blame it all on her.
If problems arose between the two countries later, she would become the target of public criticism.
Even if they spared her life due to blood ties and did not push her out to die, her reputation would still suffer terribly.
Chu Yunge erupted in an instant, lashing out indiscriminately. “What are you looking at? Was it This Princess who pinned him down and told him not to come up?”
“They made that bet without asking This Princess’s opinion. It was approved by royal brother, and they agreed not to push too hard or gamble with their lives. He pushed too hard and died, and now you’re all looking at This Princess? You don’t dare say anything to royal brother or curse Pei Ji who started the bet. Do you take This Princess for a soft persimmon you can pinch at will?”
“When the Chen State comes to settle accounts later, are you planning to push This incompetent Princess out as a scapegoat? A bunch of useless cowards, bah! What kind of men are you? Let me tell you, don’t even think about making This Princess take the blame.”
Chu Yunge stormed over while cursing up a storm, her words rapid but her voice crystal clear. With her final words, she kicked aside the official who had been glaring at her most obviously.
“Get out of the way!”
She had only enjoyed the princess’s life for a few days, had not even tasted all the delicacies in the capital, and she was still so young… For the sake of her male favorites, she would save him!
At that moment, Chu Yunge was even grateful for the original princess’s reputation. After all, she was a wrecking ball—no need to hold back, just go wild.
When she saw Xie Wangze, Chu Yunge’s anger surged even more.
Xie Wangze had sought death himself and even dragged her down with him!
“Xie Wangze, can you hear me?” Chu Yunge stepped forward and slapped Xie Wangze twice across the face to vent her anger.
The crowd gasped. Even the Chu Emperor, whose expression had been uncertain, changed color. “Chu Yunge!”
He issued a warning shout.
“Don’t interfere with This Princess.” Chu Yunge indicated she was proceeding with the rescue according to protocol, merely slipping in a bit of personal revenge midway—it wouldn’t sit right with her if she didn’t vent.
It also helped that she knew basic first aid.
While performing chest compressions on Xie Wangze, she glanced at Pei Ji and the emperor beside her.
“Pinch his nostrils shut, use the head-tilt chin-lift method, and blow air into his mouth.”
Damn this transmigration novel. Besides the aphrodisiac, she had run into the obligatory mouth-to-mouth resuscitation scene.
The Chu Emperor was not a transmigrator, but with this step in the play, it was fulfilled.
Now it was the Chu Emperor’s turn to take the stage.
After instructing him, Chu Yunge sat back and waited for the Chu Emperor to initiate the artificial respiration rescue.
But the Chu Emperor showed no intention of moving, merely looking toward Pei Ji and the people around.
“How do you blow?” Pei Ji was also baffled by what he heard; he had never heard of such a method. Under the surrounding gazes, his back ran cold with lingering fear.
“Just blow air into his mouth, give him air.”
Chu Yunge emphasized again, but Pei Ji still did not move immediately.
She glanced at the Chu Emperor again, who showed even less intention of acting.
Chu Yunge was speechless. Saving a life was a race against time—at this rate, Xie Wangze really would die!
Chu Yunge started cursing again.
“Useless, all of you useless.”
Chu Yunge shoved Pei Ji aside. “Everything has to be done by This Princess.”
With that, she quickly positioned him and lowered her head to blow air into Xie Wangze’s mouth.
She was not the female lead, yet she still had to handle this part.
Perhaps because Xie Wangze had kissed her like a madman before, it had affected things? So the Chu Emperor would not kiss him?
While lost in wild thoughts, Chu Yunge continued blowing air according to what she had learned.
Pei Ji’s pupils contracted sharply. He reached out to pull Chu Yunge back. With her treating Xie Wangze’s body like this in front of so many people, plus her earlier words, the people of the Chu State would not let her off, nor would the Chen State.
But as soon as he reached out, the Chu Emperor held him back.
The Chu Emperor’s eyes were deep and inscrutable. Pei Ji could not read his emotions for a moment and only heard him say, “Let royal sister try.”
It meant treating a dead horse as if it were alive.
Pei Ji was forced to withdraw his hand, but regret and fear flooded his eyes. He had been wrong; he should not have made that bet. He had not expected Xie Wangze to take such a risk.
He had even less expected Chu Yunge to step up herself. He really should not have hesitated. Afterward, if anyone wanted to make trouble, they should come at him; he should bear the storm from the Chen State side.
But his hesitation had instead pushed Chu Yunge to the front.
Regret and fear overwhelmed him. And then, seeing them so intimate in front of this vast crowd—even for a married couple, it would be…
Although he already knew Xie Wangze and the princess had been intimate before, he had not witnessed it with his own eyes. Now that he saw it firsthand, it felt as if a knife had plunged deep into his heart, blood dripping everywhere, his mind on the verge of exploding.