Inside the encampment, it was chaotic, and everyone felt endangered, but there was silence on the small path outside Longhu Mountain, where a row of palace carriages stood.
Su Mi sat inside the carriage, while Ling An stood outside with an icy expression on his face. He coldly observed the surroundings, and at the slightest movement, he would turn his head and scrutinize them until he confirmed there was no danger.
Suddenly, under Qin Yan’s order, Chun Mei and Feng Bao went to tidy up the luggage, but Su Mi had already followed Ling An onto the path. They had been waiting for a long time now, past the time Qin Yan said he would return to the main mansion, but he still hadn’t arrived.
Su Mi, inexplicably, felt a sense of worry in her heart. Unable to restrain herself, she lifted the curtain and looked at Ling An.
“Ling An, do you know when the Lord will come?”
Ling An didn’t even turn his head at her words. He continued to survey the surroundings. “I don’t know.”
Su Mi withdrew her hand from lifting the curtain and once again leaned against the protruding wooden edge of the window, her gaze fixed on the entrance of the Longhu Mountain encampment and tightly focused on the direction of the palace.
It wasn’t until past noon that people started coming out one by one. However, they all seemed disheveled, with their clothes in disarray and accompanied by Imperial Guards. Su Mi’s heart leapt into her throat, and her previous uneasiness suddenly intensified.
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“zsae…”
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Tkp hsknl wdnsdpnkswpzu pzsole esod. “R’x qkdl.”
Fw Yk zssjle yv vbl czssepvykd vbyv oyp pvkzz qykdvzu ssgkdt yde vbl czwaale qzlpb. Tla blyav valxczle. Rd bla xkde, kv pllxle vbyv Ckd Zyd bye dlhla clld kdfwale clqsal.
But she almost forgot that he was the Chief of the Eastern Bureau. How could he not encounter danger? The injury didn’t seem life-threatening, but the more she looked, the more it hurt. She hated herself for not being able to suffer in his place.
“What are you thinking?” Qin Yan frowned. He didn’t like to see Su Mi in distress, and besides, in his eyes, this couldn’t even be considered a serious injury. What was there for her to be upset about?
“Nothing.”
Su Mi sighed, shook her head, and took out a clean silk handkerchief from her right sleeve pocket. She carefully wrapped it around Qin Yan’s hand, making a knot. She didn’t have any ointment with her, so she could only do this to prevent the wound from getting dirty.
Just as she was about to retract her hand, Qin Yan reached out and pulled her into his embrace. The force from the movement of the carriage and Qin Yan’s arm strength perfectly counteracted each other, firmly placing her on his lap.
Su Mi’s mood wasn’t good because of Qin Yan’s injury, but she was also easily flustered. His action distracted her.
“Lord, you’re injured.” Su Mi tried to get up, but she couldn’t free herself from the hand around her waist.
Qin Yan chuckled. “It’s just a hand, not a leg.” Besides, seeing her blush was better than seeing her frown.
The carriage on the path began to bump again. Su Mi looked down at Qin Yan’s neatly bandaged right hand, the faint redness of which could easily seep out with a little force. She dared not move again and leaned obediently against Qin Yan.
After a while, Su Mi’s hand, without any change in expression, groped out a protective talisman that Mrs.Yu had given her at the Lingquan Temple a long time ago. Taking advantage of Qin Yan closing his eyes to rest, she secretly wrapped it around the tassel bag at his waist. Both items had a similar apricot yellow pattern, and placed together, they weren’t too conspicuous.
Perhaps afraid that Qin Yan would notice her actions, Su Mi leaned slightly against his chest, feeling somewhat guilty. She spoke up.
“Lord.”
“Hmm.” Qin Yan kept his eyes closed and responded.
“The other day, before we entered the forest, I said something to the lady from another family in the wide tent at the forest entrance.”
“What did you say?”
“I said… that there will only be me in the Lord’s residence from now on. Will the Lord be angry?” Su Mi mentioned this purely as a passing thought in her mind, but it slipped out unintentionally. However, now that she had said it, she stored a glimmer of hope, not knowing how Qin Yan would respond.
Qin Yan chuckled, opened his eyes, and looked down. Su Mi was nestled in his embrace with rosy earlobes. How could she say such a clumsy thing?
Su Mi felt a slight tremor in her throat when she sensed Qin Yan’s laughter, but she didn’t know what he was laughing about. Her heart pounded incessantly as she speculated about Qin Yan’s response. Until a pleasing middle-tone voice came from above their heads with a hint of laughter.
“You spoke the truth. Why should I be angry?”
***
The palace carriage raced all the way and stopped at the entrance of the chief’s residence in the eastern courtyard. Feng Bao and Chun Mei, who arrived later, helped Su Mi back to the residence together.
As soon as Su Mi left, Qin Yan’s face immediately turned cold.
“Go to the palace.”
Ling An sat in front of the carriage and respectfully replied, “Yes, Chief.”
In the dim Qianqing Palace, Zhu Jingyu had only recently arrived when the imperial physician finally treated his wounds. The arrow had only pierced an inch into his flesh before Qin Yan stopped it.
He wore a simple robe over his silver silk inner garment, with his hand resting on the corner of the desk. Lu Dehai wanted to speak several times but ended up staying silent.
“You can go back for now. Qin Yan will come later.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
In the past, Lu Dehai found the name Qin Yan grating on his ears. But now, having experienced life and death, he realized that he had no reason to resent him. Being a puppet without any real power, he hadn’t been controlled by anyone.
This incident was not the first of its kind. Those who hoped for the Emperor’s demise in the court were mostly from the faction of Prince Qi, Zhang Huaian. In the past, Lu Dehai was deceived and thought that if the Emperor died, he could assist the new ruler. Now he understood that his life and the Emperor’s were intertwined.
Lu Dehai closed the door, and Zhu Jingyu suddenly squatted at the corner of the table. His figure appeared thin, draped in his robe, and the dim candlelight couldn’t clearly illuminate his expression.
Finally, urgent footsteps came from outside the door. Zhu Jingyu’s heart tightened, and he suddenly felt fearful.
Bang! The door was pushed open with a loud noise, and Qin Yan entered the hall with a cold expression. Ling An closed the door and stood guard by the side, peering through the window lattice.
Knowing that it was Qin Yan, Zhu Jingyu stood up but still refused to look directly into his eyes.
“What were you doing today?” A chilling voice sounded.
Qin Yan stood in front of Zhu Jingyu, his gaze sharp as a blade, and his anger in his words made Zhu Jingyu tremble more than the arrow.
Zhu Jingyu turned his head away and gritted his teeth. “My life is mine. Can’t I even decide my own death?”
“After all these years, aren’t you tired?”
“Even if you’re not tired, I am!”
Zhu Jingyu spoke with frustration, then looked at the brocade handkerchief wrapped around Qin Yan’s right hand. The plain pattern on it was obviously a woman’s personal item.
His voice suddenly lowered. “You wanted to get rid of me a long time ago. Why did you still save me?”
Qin Yan looked at Zhu Jingyu. If he had truly wanted to get rid of him, seven years ago would have been the best opportunity. Why wait until today?
However, he just coldly laughed and said, “Have you forgotten about the people who died for you? You don’t have the right to seek death.”
…
***
Inside the Shoukang Palace of the Empress Dowager, a pearl curtain separated the main seat from the guest seat in the eastern side hall.
Empress Dowager Zhang lay on the imperial concubine chair behind the curtain while her personal palace maid knelt on the ground, applying a crimson rouge to her delicate fingers.
“Brother, why did you fail again this time? I am very disappointed.” Empress Dowager Zhang’s voice was soft and delicate. She gave birth earlier to Prince Qi and had been well-maintained, surpassing the slightly older concubines in the harem in terms of beauty. Even her tone, filled with twists and turns, could make one’s heart melt.
Zhang Huaian looked at his sister behind the curtain. Although Empress Dowager Zhang was the youngest sister in the family, they had never dared to bully her since childhood. Her cunning mind had caused them much suffering even when she was still at the Zhang residence.
At this moment, he didn’t dare to be careless. “Empress Dowager, on several occasions, the eunuchs blocked our path. Several years ago, Ye Qing took a stab for him, and this time it was Qin Yan. However, considering the Emperor’s health, he probably won’t live for more than two years.”
“You’ve been saying this for so many years, ever since he ascended to the throne. The medicine he drinks every day could drown the pond in our backyard. Yet he remains alive and well.”
In fact, Zhang Huaian couldn’t understand this either. They had added certain substances to the medicinal drinks the Emperor drank daily, and the pulse diagnosis did detect some toxicity. But how could he still be alive?
“Empress Dowager, I will carefully investigate the matter when I return.”
“What about the Chief of the Eastern Bureau? Have you ever bribed him?”
Zhang Huaian snorted, “I tried five years ago, but he was too arrogant. He bluntly said that he looked down on Prince Qi and kicked my people out of the chief’s residence.”
“Why?”
Why? Zhang Huaian looked at Empress Dowager Zhang, slightly confused. Qin Yan had said it so directly. Did he still need to rush and ask why he looked down on him?
Empress Dowager Zhang glanced at Zhang Huaian with her phoenix eyes and spoke softly, “An eunuch, a villain in the eyes of common people, has been unreasonably protecting an Emperor who has been losing power in the court for years. He has managed to hold on for so many years. Don’t you find it strange? I find it very strange.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Huaian fell into contemplation. Perhaps he had overlooked something crucial.
I find it strange too. What link them together? Is it the death of the former Chief ?