The princess regretted it.

Chapter 12 Lin Qian's Injury

A figure lay motionless on the bed, her head, hands, and legs bandaged in white. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes, seemingly unchanged, were a bloody mess. Several maids stood trembling beside the bed, carefully wiping away the blood with wet wipes. Minister Lin, his face filled with grief, summoned the imperial physicians.

After Lin Qian's carriage was knocked over and her leg was unfortunately broken, the Lin family rushed to the scene and rushed her to the best clinic in the capital without delay. The doctors in the clinic treated and bandaged Lin Qian's wound.

Lin Qian was still in a deep coma, her right calf severely swollen. Although secured with a splint, the gauze bandages were still soaked with blood. Her face and hands were also bandaged, evidently injured in the accident. The sight of her entire body covered in bandages was truly horrifying and unbearable to watch.

The imperial doctors stepped forward without hesitation and examined Lin Qian's injuries very carefully.

Lin Qian's face and hands were covered in extensive abrasions, some of which were quite deep. Without proper treatment, they would likely leave indelible scars. However, the imperial physicians knew that the special Jade Face Cream, formulated by the palace, could heal these wounds. However, the cream's ingredients were all extremely precious medicinal herbs, and the preparation process was extremely complex, so quantities were limited. Of course, if they could obtain a reward from His Majesty, that would be even better.

The most serious injury was to her leg, where the bones were noticeably dislocated. Although the doctors at the clinic were highly skilled in bone setting, Lin Qian's fractures were quite severe. Furthermore, after returning from the clinic, Lin Qian briefly regained consciousness. However, due to fear and pain, she cried incessantly, causing the bones to shift further. Furthermore, the ointment the clinic had previously applied wasn't entirely effective.

The imperial physicians had no choice but to carefully remove the splint and reset the bones. The procedure was excruciating, successfully waking Miss Lin from her coma, but the intense pain soon caused her to fall back into unconsciousness. Minister Lin, watching his daughter suffer such torture, felt a wrenching pain in his heart. The physicians quickly cleaned the wound and applied a special ointment brought from the Imperial Hospital. This ointment was carefully brewed from a variety of precious herbs known to reduce swelling, relieve pain, and aid bone healing. It was specifically formulated for this type of injury.

After completing the treatment, the imperial physician solemnly instructed Minister Lin that Lin Qian must remain in bed for the time being and must not move. With proper rest, her ability to walk might not be significantly affected. Minister Lin was filled with gratitude, but he couldn't help but ask, "My daughter has loved dancing since she was a child. Will she still be able to do it?" The imperial physician remained silent, only slowly shaking his head with regret. He then bowed and took his leave. Minister Lin quickly summoned the butler, who respectfully escorted the imperial physicians out of the mansion.

Minister Lin looked at his daughter, bandaged and still unconscious, with distress. He hated the perpetrator even more, his rage growing uncontrollable. He tilted his head slightly and instructed the trembling maidservant beside him, "Please take good care of the young lady." With that, he turned and hurried towards the study, his hurried steps betraying his inner anxiety and anger.

After entering the study, Minister Lin's face was gloomy. He called the servant and ordered sternly, "Go and call everyone else who went out with the young lady today."

Soon, the maids and attendants who had accompanied Lin Qian on her outing arrived trembling with fear in the study. Minister Lin's gaze was cold and gloomy as he scanned the group. He said in a deep voice, "How did today's events unfold? Tell me everything clearly." Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. One of the maids trembled as she spoke, "Master, the young lady's carriage was moving safely down the road when suddenly another one came hurtling down from a side alley. It was so fast the driver had no time to react, and the carriage was overturned." Another attendant hurriedly added, "Master, we were terrified. By the time we realized what was happening, the young lady had already fallen unconscious to the ground."

Minister Lin listened to their story, his brow furrowed, his fists clenched. He asked gravely, "Did anyone see the driver clearly? Was there anything special about that carriage?" Everyone pondered for a moment, then shook their heads. Minister Lin chided, "You're a bunch of idiots. The carriage wasn't small, and the driver was sitting in the front, unobstructed. Yet, no one could see clearly. What good are you?"

Everyone was so frightened that they immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy. At this moment, the attendant from before spoke again, "Master, there really was no markings on that carriage; it was just an ordinary, common carriage. But I remember something strange: it seemed to have been parked in a side alley before, and it suddenly rushed out after seeing the young lady's carriage. Furthermore, the driver was wearing a bamboo hat and coarse linen clothes. His face was not visible."

Upon hearing this, Minister Lin suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. He wondered to himself: If this was intentional, why? Did Qian'er offend someone? This matter would have to be properly questioned after Qian'er's personal maid, Yan'er, woke up. However, there was no need to keep these useless people. With this in mind, Lin Song said to the servant Liangliang with a gloomy face, "Tell the butler to sell out all these people." With that, he ignored everyone's pleas for mercy and ordered the guards to drag them away.

Minister Lin paced back and forth in his study, wondering: Who could be behind this? What was their motive? Was it aimed at him, or Qian'er? If it was Qian'er, then when and where had she offended someone? If it was him, then why? Who in the court could it be? Minister Lin thought about everyone he had antagonized, and who he might have offended unintentionally, but he still couldn't come to a conclusion.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He immediately called a few servants and whispered to them, "From now on, you all go and secretly find out the whereabouts of the carriage that caused the accident, and report to me immediately if you have any news. Also, find out what has happened to families in the capital recently. This matter must not be made known to anyone. Do you understand?" "Yes! Master." The few people took the order and left.

The study room instantly returned to silence. Minister Lin sat quietly on the chair, his eyes fixed on a certain place, his heart still restless.