Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:Chapter 854: Encounter at Taiye Pool

"Would anyone else come to this kind of eerie place? Moreover, the sachets are meticulously filled with medicinal ingredients, likely prepared by the Imperial Pharmacy. I just don't know which pharmacist made them!"

Du Xue murmured to herself, and as she spoke, she turned around to look in all directions, but did not see any type of spore-bearing plants. Du Xue's brows furrowed involuntarily.

Could it be... that someone accidentally dropped this?

Du Xuechun thought to herself, then put the sachet into her sleeve pocket and turned around, walking towards Chuxiu Palace.

However, when Du Xuechun arrived at Chuxiu Palace, she was informed by the palace maids that Consort De had already finished her dinner and had gone to Fengyang Palace, saying that she had something to discuss with Princess Heya.

After hearing the words of the Chuxiugong palace maid, Du Xuechun looked suspicious. He Ya was still so young, how could Consort De have something to discuss with her? The more he thought about it, the more doubtful he became.

Du Xuechun couldn't help but glance behind the palace maid named Qiuyue, only to see a group of maids and eunuchs from the Chuxiu Palace with their heads lowered, meticulously cleaning the courtyard. Their expressions appeared normal, without any signs of abnormality.

Only then did Du Xuechun nod her head, turn around and leave, walking towards Heya's Fengyang Palace. As she walked along the road, Du Xuechun pondered over it but couldn't figure it out. Could it be that this Consort De had also gone to look for her? Did she want to tell her something through Heya?

A bad premonition surged in Du Xuechun's heart, making her feel uneasy. She quickly shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it anymore. She thought it would be better to go to Fengyang Palace and meet Consort De, then she would know the truth about this matter.

To travel from Consort Cong De's Chuxiu Palace to Consort He Ya's Fengyang Palace, one must pass through the Taiye Pond. This pond is filled with various species of lotus flowers, and because it is also home to some colorful koi fish, the water in the Taiye Pond is relatively deeper compared to other ponds.

After the transition from summer to autumn, all the lotus flowers have withered and fallen, so there is not much beauty to be seen. On a daily basis, when passing by this path, one can only see a pond full of withered, yellowing lotus leaves, a scene of decay, which looks quite desolate.

In the summer, there are more people here who come to appreciate the lotus flowers. However, when autumn arrives, there are hardly any people to be seen, let alone during this time period. They are all in the palace, chatting and having dinner.

As the sky gradually darkened, Du Xuechun gazed at the endless withered lotus pond, and the hidden worries in her heart intensified.

Therefore, she couldn't help but quicken her pace, wanting to leave this place as soon as possible. However, before she could take a few more steps, just as she reached the edge of the pond, she was suddenly pulled into the lotus pond by an unknown force. Fortunately, the water in the pond was shallow, only just covering Du Xuechun's forehead.

Despite this, Du Xuechun was still choked heavily and had to drink several mouthfuls of water in succession. Du Xuechun was extremely panicked and hastily stretched out both hands, slapping the surface of the pool, trying to grab onto anything to pull herself out of the mud.

However, Du Xuechun discovered that the more she struggled, the more the silt restrained her, rendering her completely immobile.

Du Xuechun had no choice but to grit her teeth discreetly, furrowing her brows and striving to relax herself, calming her mind and remaining still. Only in this way did Du Xuechun feel a slight relief from the suffocating and stifling sensation in her chest.

"Is anyone there? Anyone?"

Du Xuechun glanced tentatively at both sides, calling out a few times. She didn't hold much hope to begin with. Seeing the surrounding silence and no one coming forward, she gave up on that idea, thinking that she could only rely on her own efforts to find a way to save herself.

Time trickled away bit by bit, and Du Xuechun found the water in the Taiye Pool to be too frigid. Her body temperature was dissipating little by little, and her hands and feet were becoming numb from the cold, gradually losing sensation. Even if she wanted to move, she was powerless to do so, increasingly unable to stir.

And somehow, the silt was slowly rising, gradually, from her waist to her shoulders, with an apparent intention of submerging her.

Du Xuechun couldn't figure out how she had fallen into the Taiye Pool. Just now, she only felt that something seemed to be pulling and tugging at her ankle, and then she fell in. But that thing was as thin as a silk thread, unlike a human hand, but more like... Yes! It was more like a rope!

Could it be that someone knew she would definitely pass by here today and deliberately set a trap here just to make her fall into Taiye Pool and take her life? Thinking about it, Du Xuechun felt it was unlikely. If they really wanted her life, it would be extremely difficult to do so with the water in Taiye Pool.

If it were other rivers or lakes, it might be possible.

Moreover, as the Empress, if she doesn't return to Yikun Palace for such a long time, the palace servants will surely notice her unusual behavior and inform Ming Ying, who will definitely report it to Feng Xuanche upon learning about it.

At that time, when Feng Xuanche found out, he would immediately send someone to search throughout the entire imperial harem. As long as she could stay still and secure in the Taiye Pool, persisting like this and waiting quietly, she would be able to wait until the people Feng Xuanche sent to search for her arrived.

No matter how Xu-Chun Du thought about it, she felt that this plan was not very thorough and seemed to have a bit of a childish flavor.

Slowly, Xu-Chun Du only felt that her legs, which were stuck in the mud, began to feel a little numb, and her hands, which were clinging to the surface of the pool, were gradually frozen and lost sensation. The warmth inside her body was being stripped away bit by bit.

From head to toe, the initial tingling sensation had transformed into complete numbness. Even when Du Xuechun gently nibbled on the flesh of her arm with her teeth, she could no longer feel any pain, as if someone had administered anesthetic powder to her.

Here is the English translation with the original HTML tags preserved:Du Xuechun thought to herself and couldn't help but laugh softly. Her current situation was somewhat like an animal trapped in a swamp, helpless and alone.

This cold effect, if used to perform surgery on patients and remove lesions, would certainly be possible. However, no doctor would use this method.

Once the temperature of the human body falls below the range that the patient can tolerate, the patient will definitely go into shock and lose consciousness on the spot. At that time, the amount of bleeding from the patient's wound will also be greatly reduced. Generally speaking, it is difficult for doctors to determine whether the patient's blood loss exceeds the body's tolerance.

Du Xuechun initially thought that by making her brain work rapidly, she could reduce her drowsiness. However, she suddenly realized that she had absolutely no control over her own mind. Feeling exceptionally fatigued, her eyelids gradually grew heavy. As she closed her eyes, she began to doze off.

Here is the translation with original HTML tags preserved:"Du Xuechun, don't fall asleep! If you just fall asleep like this, you will never wake up again!"

At this very moment, a voice suddenly cried out in Du Xuechun's mind, and she hurriedly called out loudly.

It was precisely because of this sound reminder that Du Xuechun opened his eyes again and looked around at the pitch-black surroundings. However, he discovered that something seemed to be moving in the mud. The movement was not significant, but Du Xuechun could see it very clearly and was certain that his eyes were not playing tricks on him.

就在她前方四、五米的样子，有一个三四个月婴儿大小的东西，正在一点一点地向着她的方向，挪步前进。

因这周围实在是太黑，杜雪淳看不清楚那究竟是个什么玩意儿，心中暗叫一声不好，忙不迭的伸出手去，向四处摸寻着看看有什么可以护身的东西。