Chapter 152

By the time they reached the palace gates, there were too many eyes watching for Fan Changyu to openly climb into the Xie family’s carriage.

She handed the increasingly unwell Xie Zheng over to Xie Eleven, who had hurried forward to meet them. One glance was enough for Xie Eleven to realize something was wrong.

“General, Master is…”

Time was short. Lowering her voice, Fan Changyu instructed, “Take him back to the Xie residence immediately. Send someone to fetch a physician as well.”

She tried to pull her hand away and leave, but Xie Zheng’s grip around her wrist remained iron-tight.

The bloodshot redness that had faded somewhat from his eyes slowly returned. Under the lantern light at the palace gates, the look in his eyes was almost frightening.

Unable to free herself, Fan Changyu helped him into the carriage before speaking softly beside it.

“Let go first. I’m not leaving. I just need to give Xie Five a few instructions, then I’ll come back.”

The one who had accompanied her into the palace tonight was still Xie Five, the man who had followed her through life-and-death battles ever since she had been a mere squad leader.

Only then did Xie Zheng release her.

As he collapsed onto the carriage seat, sweat had already dampened the roots of his hair. A faint flush spread across his otherwise pale face. Under the soft bamboo-shadow lantern light inside the carriage, his beauty was almost breathtaking.

Hardening her heart, Fan Changyu lowered the carriage curtain.

After jumping down, she said to Xie Eleven, “Go first.”

Xie Eleven seemed to understand something and dared not waste a second. Cracking his whip, he drove the carriage away at once.

At this hour, many officials were also leaving the palace. Witnessing the scene, all wore varying expressions.

Just then, Tang Peiyi caught up and greeted Fan Changyu.

“General Fan, shall we return to the Couriers’ Lodge together?”

Fan Changyu still wanted to go after Xie Zheng. If she traveled with Tang Peiyi and the others, it might be difficult to slip away later. She was about to refuse when He Xiuyun shot her a meaningful look.

Thinking they had something to discuss with her, she nodded instead.

“Sure.”

The group of carriages headed toward the Couriers’ Lodge together.

The officials who emerged afterward saw the scene but did not dare gossip openly.

Earlier, Xie Five had also noticed Fan Changyu helping Xie Zheng out of the palace. As soon as she entered the carriage, he asked,

“General, did something happen at the palace banquet?”

Her nerves had been stretched taut all evening. Now a dull ache had begun forming behind her eyes.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she said, “It’s a long story. When we arrive, return to the Couriers’ Lodge alone and tell Auntie and the others that I’m safe. I’m going to the Xie residence.”

She simply couldn’t stop worrying about Xie Zheng’s condition.

Xie Five had just answered, “Understood,” when he suddenly reined in the horses.

Fan Changyu heard someone outside calling her “virtuous sister.”

Lifting the curtain, she saw Tang Peiyi’s carriage stopped at a fork in the road.

He Xiuyun stuck his head out the window and called,

“Virtuous Sister Changyu, General Tang, Brother Wenchang, and I plan to go see the New Year’s lantern festival. We won’t be accompanying you any farther.”

Since she addressed He Jingyuan as Uncle He, He Xiuyun had always treated himself as an elder brother before her.

No matter how slow she might be, Fan Changyu understood now that Tang Peiyi and the others were helping her out of a difficult situation.

Her leap into Taiye Pool tonight to “save” Xie Zheng would inevitably provoke discussion among the officials. If she left alone, people would surely speculate. By departing together with Tang Peiyi and the others, many rumors could be suppressed before they started.

Grateful though she was, now was not the time for thanks.

She nodded and said,

“Then enjoy yourselves with General Tang, Elder Brother. The capital’s New Year’s night market is one of its greatest sights. Once you’re familiar with it, you can bring Sister-in-law here to see it again in the future.”

He Xiuyun smiled.

“Certainly.”

Then he lowered the curtain.

—

The north wind howled fiercely, carrying fine snow across streets still thick with the scent of firecrackers and fireworks.

The clatter of hooves and the rumble of wheels sounded especially clear.

A shadow seemed to flash past.

The candle flame inside the carriage flickered as a gust of cold air swept through the window.

Fan Changyu supported Xie Zheng, who was leaning against the seat. Once again, he had bitten through his lip, fresh blood staining the corner of his mouth.

Her brows knitted tightly.

“How are you?”

His breathing seemed ablaze.

When he lifted his bloodshot phoenix eyes and recognized who it was, he immediately raised a hand, pressed it against the back of her neck, and sealed her lips with his own.

The effects of the Soft Bone Powder seemed to be gradually fading. The hand behind her neck held tremendous strength, while his kisses were fierce and demanding.

With her head tilted back, Fan Changyu could do nothing but endure.

A moment later, the carriage stopped.

Outside, Xie Eleven forced himself to announce,

“Master, we’ve arrived.”

Fan Changyu braced a hand against Xie Zheng’s chest.

The place where his teeth grazed her shoulder sent a faint sting through her.

Her fingers clenched tightly in the front of his robes. A pale blush spread across her face as she pressed her lips together, enduring the strange sensations his kisses stirred within her.

“Take the carriage through the side gate. Don’t alert anyone else in the residence.”

Xie Zheng’s eyes were unfocused.

His voice was hoarse and low.

Receiving the order, Xie Eleven quickly turned the carriage toward the side entrance.

After presenting his token, the servants opened the gate.

The carriage entered almost silently and stopped in front of the main courtyard.

Xie Eleven went to summon the physician who resided at the estate.

After recovering somewhat, Fan Changyu helped Xie Zheng out of the carriage.

The moment they entered the room, he pressed her against the door.

His kisses and bites landed chaotically across her neck and shoulders.

His breathing was heavy and uneven.

The clear, cool voice she knew was gone.

“Changyu… Ah Yu…”

Sharp teeth grazed the tender flesh of her neck.

It felt as though a taut string had been stretched beneath her skin.

No matter how tightly Fan Changyu clenched her teeth, a faint tremor still traveled from her neck all the way to her fingertips.

A watery sheen appeared in her eyes.

Without saying a word, she merely shot him an irritated glare through the pain.

That single look seemed to snap the final fragile thread of restraint remaining in his mind.

The exquisitely embroidered third-rank military court robe she wore was ripped open in one forceful motion.

He lowered his head and kissed her exposed skin.

Fan Changyu’s back pressed against the carved wooden door.

Sweat slid from her jawline.

Her lips had gone pale from being pressed together so tightly.

She pushed him lightly.

“Your injuries… treat them first.”

Xie Zheng’s breathing remained unstable.

He lifted his head and said, “All right.”

Unexpectedly, the moment he straightened up, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed, his face turning white as snow.

Fan Changyu was startled.

Quickly supporting him, she called,

“Xie Zheng! What’s wrong?”

She carried him to the couch and laid him down.

Then she loudly urged Xie Eleven to bring the physician faster.

Her court robe, half damp and now torn open by Xie Zheng, was impossible to wear in front of others.

She hurried to a chest containing his clothes, intending to borrow something to wear temporarily.

After putting on a narrow-sleeved robe, she discovered it fit her surprisingly well.

Fan Changyu froze.

She pulled out several more robes and compared them against herself.

Every one of them fit.

This entire chest of clothing…

Had he prepared them for her long ago?

Looking at the unconscious, pale-faced man on the couch, a sharp ache suddenly rose in her chest.

Before long, Xie Eleven returned with the physician.

After taking Xie Zheng’s pulse, the physician frowned deeply.

Fan Changyu immediately asked,

“Doctor, how is he?”

The physician pricked Xie Zheng’s fingertip with a silver needle, drawing a drop of blood.

His expression was extraordinarily complicated.

“The Marquis suffers from excessive heart fire. This fire originates at the Gate of Life, travels through the Triple Burner, and accumulates in the liver and kidneys. It has become so intense that it has injured his internal organs and caused him to vomit blood.”

“I’ve released blood from the Shangyang acupoint, which can only provide temporary relief.”

“It treats the symptoms but not the root cause.”

“If this fire is not dispersed, the Marquis may be in grave danger.”

When Xie Eleven escorted the physician away, he suddenly knelt outside the door.

His head remained lowered.

Knowing his request was presumptuous, he still spoke through a choked voice.

“General, please save the Marquis.”

Fan Changyu sat on a stool, watching Xie Zheng, who remained unconscious despite the physician’s acupuncture treatment.

She merely said,

“Leave.”

After kowtowing to her once, Xie Eleven closed the door behind him and departed.

Fan Changyu walked over and sat beside the couch.

Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to Xie Zheng’s lips.

Then she lifted her head slightly and whispered,

“You married into my family, remember.”

…

That night, the entire imperial capital was alive with celebration.

The palace glittered with brilliant lights, while all one hundred and eight wards outside the city shone brightly as well.

Children’s laughter and the cries of street vendors carried through several streets.

As midnight arrived, the great temple bell within the city rang out.

One solemn toll after another echoed far into the distance, as though announcing to the world that the old year had passed and a new one had begun.

Countless fireworks shot into the snowy night sky.

In an instant, dazzling colors filled the heavens.

Neighbors everywhere set off firecrackers to welcome the new year.

The endless crackling sounds filled the city with festivity.

Fan Changyu lay sprawled across a warm white marble stone at the edge of a hot spring pool.

Her wet hair clung to her cheeks.

A faint pink flush covered her entire body.

She had lost count of how many fireworks displays she had watched.

Now she was utterly exhausted, no less than after fighting a major battle.

The person behind her drew her completely into his embrace.

When he began kissing her shoulder again, Fan Changyu instinctively shrank inward slightly.

Turning her head, she asked,

“Has the medicine still not worn off?”

Her cheeks were crimson.

Damp strands of hair clung messily to her face.

Her lips were swollen, and her bright eyes seemed filled with mist.

Though her expression remained stubborn as ever, there was now something pitiful about it as well.

Xie Zheng looked at her.

His eyes were impossibly deep.

His Adam’s apple moved slowly.

In a hoarse voice, he answered,

“Mhm.”

The water rippled.

Fan Changyu let out a muffled sound as well.

She had no strength left.

Simply resting against the wall of the hot spring, she laid her head on her arms and endured.

What she was thinking, however, was something entirely different.

Ever since coming to the capital, she had been burdened by one matter after another and had neglected her martial training.

That had to be the reason.

Wasn’t Xie Zheng supposed to have been drugged with Soft Bone Powder?

How could his stamina still be better than hers?

Starting tomorrow, she would definitely resume practicing martial arts diligently.

That night, there were others who also could not sleep.

After all the officials who attended the palace banquet had left, an inconspicuous carriage emerged from Xihua Gate.

Its wheels crushed the thick snow on the road as it headed directly toward the Prime Minister’s residence.

Compared to the festive decorations throughout the city, the Prime Minister’s residence remained solemn and austere.

Even the row of red lanterns hanging beneath the corridors added little cheer.

In the oppressive silence of the snowy night, they only made the estate seem more gloomy.

This time, because the storm outside was so severe, Qi Sheng was finally allowed into Wei Yan’s study.

He had not even removed his cloak.

The fine snow on the edge of his hood melted under the room’s charcoal heat, leaving blotchy wet marks.

He looked every bit as miserable as a stray dog.

Wei Yan sat behind a low table.

Despite the bitter cold, he wore only a thin cloth robe.

One aged yet powerful hand held a purple writing brush as he continued writing across the paper before him with flowing strokes.

The emperor standing below might as well not have existed.

Qi Sheng no longer cared.

Whether it was the bitter cold of New Year’s Eve or the terror of his failed scheme, his voice trembled as he spoke.

“Prime Minister, save me! Please save me! Xie Zheng wants to commit regicide!”

Wei Yan never paused his brush.

Without even raising his eyes, he asked,

“Why would he want to kill you?”

Qi Sheng glanced at him and said,

“He’s… he’s investigating what happened to Sixteenth Brother. He found a mad palace maid in the Cold Palace who once served Noble Consort Jia. That madwoman claimed that the Prime Minister had an illicit affair with one of the imperial consorts!”

The moment those words left his mouth, a crack appeared in the purple brush Wei Yan was gripping.

Slowly, he raised his eyes and looked at Qi Sheng.

His gaze was no different from how one might look at a dead man.

The look frightened Qi Sheng as well.

Originally, he had intended to use the palace maid as leverage against Wei Yan.

Immediately, he changed his story.

As he lied, he widened his eyes forcefully, making them protrude even more noticeably.

“Xie Zheng wanted to question that palace maid and verify the story. I feared he would use it against the Prime Minister, so I devised a plan to pin the crimes of illicit relations with an imperial consort and defiling the imperial harem on him.”

“The scheme was flawless.”

“Who could have known he would break it tonight…”

He even burst into tears.

“Xie Zheng has long harbored rebellious intentions! He’ll definitely kill me!”

“Everything I did was for the Prime Minister’s sake!”

“Prime Minister, you must save me!”

Wei Yan set down the cracked brush.

“So…”

“What exactly did Your Majesty hear from that palace maid?”

The calm tone carried no visible emotion.

Yet every word made the killing intent in the room unmistakably clear.

Qi Sheng’s sobbing halted.

He froze in place.

For a brief moment, it felt as though the shadows of Xie Zheng and Wei Yan—uncle and nephew—had overlapped into one.