Chapter 252 - Outburst (2/2)

As Chen You saw her life flash before her eyes, the sword was luckily yanked out of the Empress dowager's hand just as it touched her neck and it ended up simply grazing her neck instead.

The Empress dowager immediately reached for the sword again and when she saw it was the Emperor who got in her way, her rage increased and she went to attack him instead, reaching for his neck. The Imperial guards promptly peeled her off him, but she had managed to claw at his neck, leaving a few bloody streaks.

The Empress dowager kicked and struggled and then just settled for irate bitter barking at the Emperor, ”This is all your fault! Why are you here?! You're always in my way! I left both of you alone so why can't you leave me alone?! You're always, always, always, always -!”

Her rant was cut short when the Emperor irritatedly closed the distance and knocked her out with the hilt of the sword to the back of her neck.

Chen You finally released the shaky breath she had been holding when she realized that she was still alive. It was only now that she realized that her mother was not moving. She froze and then tentatively brought up her shaky hands to touch her mother and as soon as she felt the warm liquid she became petrified and went completely still.

She had no thoughts, no reaction, nothing...She could not think or move, she did not want to.

”Take the Empress dowager back to the palace and guard her palace, she is not to leave her palace. Get the nearest physician here and send for the head physician.” The Emperor ordered and two Imperial guards immediately carried the Empress dowager off. While others sprinted off to get the physicians.

Chen Bo finally snapped out of it his stupor and dropped to his knees and pulled Chen You's mother's body off of Chen You and into his arms as he checked her breathing.

”She's alive.” Chen Bo said as he let out a sigh of relief as he realized she had only passed out from the shock of it. He hoped it to be so.

Chen Bo immediately hoisted her up and raced away with the steward promptly following him, completely forgetting about the shocked and pale Chen You on the ground.

The Emperor frowned and let out an irritated breath as he watched them race away. Things had gotten completely out of hand. The enemy had somehow magically escaped right when they were in his palm, his mother had completely lost her mind now and an innocent person was potentially dying.

”Help her up.” The Emperor ordered with a sigh as he glanced at the ghastly pale and lost Chen You on the ground.

Two Imperial guards grabbed her arms and pulled Chen You up, waking her up from her stupor. But as soon as they released her, she crumbled back to the ground. She could not feel her legs or anything at the moment.

Now that she was sitting up, she could see the blood on her hands. She shakily raised her hands and stared at them. She tried to form words but only unintelligible sounds came out of her mouth.

Her mind replayed that moment when the Empress dowager's sword came for her. She heard the Empress dowager's bark and turned, but before she could even see or react, she was knocked down to the ground.

It was only now as she stared at the blood on her hands that she finally processed what had truly happened. Her mother had tried to save her and now her mother was...Chen You shook her head and then brought her hands up to cover her ears as she continuously shook her head.

{...No, no, she's fine - This is all my fault...No! She's fine...Blood - No, no, no, no...It was all my fault and now - now...}

Chen You began hyperventilating, she buried her face in her laps and screamed for about a minute as angry tears poured from her eyes. It was anger at the Empress dowager, at the situation...but anger mostly at herself for bringing this to her mother.

Chen You suddenly then stopped screaming and then hastily and clumsily scrambled to her feet as she ran off to find her mother on her unsteady legs.

”Make sure she gets there safely.” The Emperor calmly said and an Imperial guard promptly followed behind Chen You.

The Emperor watched the sobbing Chen You racing off with a very conflicted expression. He looked on long after she was gone from view.

The Emperor let out a tired breath and glanced at the front courtyard littered with bodies, some of which belonged to the disappeared enemy group.

”Check to see if any of them is still alive.” He calmly ordered and then absentmindedly looked on as the Imperial guards went about checking for signs of life. The Commander swiftly collected himself, ignored the pain and joined the others worried about the Emperor punishing him for his failure just now.

This situation had definitely blown up into a more problematic one.

At the very least, the Emperor had finally had enough of his mother's antics. He had wanted to preserve her dignity but clearly, she apparently cared nothing for it.

Since she wanted to be treated like a crazy person, then he would have no choice but to indulge her.