Han Yan called out anxiously, “Your Highness, Your Highness, your boxes!” But the Crown Prince had already vanished, no longer concerned about any boxes.

Han Yan looked at the three large boxes on the ground and sighed helplessly, “Oh dear, what should we do now?”

Fu Yun Xi sat down beside her and raised his hand to stroke her hair. His touch was comforting, and Han Yan kept still with wide eyes, allowing him to continue, like an obedient small animal.

Her actions yesterday had been rash, and Fu Yun Xi must have been very angry. For some reason, knowing he would be angry because of her made Han Yan feel unsettled.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice rich yet cool, showing no sign of displeasure. But the more normal he seemed, the more uncertain Han Yan felt, growing increasingly restless.

“Um… My Lord, yesterday I…” She tried to acknowledge her mistake, but heard Fu Yun Xi sigh softly and say with resignation, “Foolish.”

“Huh?” Not expecting this response, Han Yan was momentarily stunned and looked up at him.

Fu Yun Xi finally lowered the hand that had been playing with her hair and gazed at her. “You acted too impulsively, disregarding your life. What if you had died?”

His words were gentle, but to Han Yan’s ears, they carried a hint of sorrow. Her nose tingled with emotion as she recalled the moment she saw Fu Yun Xi yesterday, appearing like an Asura emerging from hell to claim lives, his white robes stained with blood for her sake—he truly had been worried about her.

Tugging shyly at Fu Yun Xi’s sleeve, Han Yan carefully admitted her fault: “It won’t happen again…”

Just as she finished speaking, she felt a hand pat her head. Han Yan froze, looking up to meet his gaze. Those deep phoenix eyes, like a still pond, held an expression she couldn’t quite read—something like tenderness, with a hint of enchantment. Han Yan was very close to him, able to smell the faint, cool fragrance from his body. As their breaths mingled, her face suddenly flushed bright red.

He sighed softly and then kissed her forehead. It was a fleeting kiss, like a dragonfly touching water, without any passion—warm and gentle. For some reason, it felt more like a promise. Han Yan’s tension and anxiety from yesterday dissipated with this kiss.

He released her, his gaze calm as water. Han Yan suddenly felt a tug at her heart—she would become increasingly dependent on such a gentle Fu Yun Xi. She suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest.

Fu Yun Xi was startled at first. Han Yan rarely initiated intimacy with him, especially when fully conscious. It was rare to see her so dependent, like a little hedgehog finally lowering its spines, endearing herself to others. He allowed her to nestle against him, thinking she was still too young—so young she didn’t even know what it meant to love. He would have to wait until she grew up if she still liked him then… if he was still alive.

Han Yan thought that Fu Yun Xi treated her too well. He had always been protecting her, yet she hadn’t helped him at all. Han Yan didn’t consider herself an exceptionally talented beauty. When Fu Yun Xi first wanted to make her the Xuan Qing Wang Fei, she thought he must have had ulterior motives. But now it seemed that even if he did, it was a losing deal for him. Now her enemies included the Empress Dowager and the Seventh Prince above, and Zhuang Yu-Shan and the Zhou sisters below, bringing Fu Yun Xi considerable trouble.

After some thought, she sat up and asked, “Yesterday’s incident—were there any results?” If they had captured any survivors for questioning, they might have learned something.

“No survivors.”

Han Yan was startled, looking at Fu Yun Xi. “Did you kill them?” She vaguely remembered Fu Yun Xi killing several knife-wielding assassins, though she had been barely conscious at the time. Now it seemed Fu Yun Xi had been thorough, possibly killing them all.

Fu Yun Xi nodded. “The assassins caught at the ceremonial grounds bit their tongues and died.”

His gaze grew distant.

Since he hadn’t directly answered Han Yan’s question, did that mean the assassins who had pursued the Crown Prince—rather than those at the ceremonial grounds—had all been killed? Han Yan considered this, then looked up again with a smile, trying to comfort Fu Yun Xi: “My Lord needn’t worry, didn’t I kill two assassins myself?” It only showed how incompetent their assassins were if even she could handle them.

Fu Yun Xi was somewhat amused, knowing Han Yan didn’t want him to feel responsible. However, he wasn’t feeling guilty. Thinking of the two men Han Yan had killed, he said, “I had those bodies examined. You didn’t kill them.”

“What?” Han Yan was stunned. That wasn’t right—she clearly remembered fighting with all her might, desperately swinging that large blade, using all the techniques Chai Jing had taught her, and managing to kill two men by chance.

Fu Yun Xi glanced at her. “The bodies showed pressure point injuries at the joints. The assassins must have been wounded before you struck them.”

Han Yan paused, thinking back carefully. It did seem that suddenly those two assassins’ movements had slowed, giving her an opportunity. She hadn’t noticed at the time, but now thinking back, there were many suspicious details. These men were surely chosen death squads—even with the few moves she had learned from Chai Jing, facing these seasoned killers would have been like an ant trying to shake a great tree, completely futile. How could she have possibly killed two of them? So someone had helped her in secret.

Then who had injured the assassins?

“According to what you’re saying, someone saved my life. But if they wanted to save me, why didn’t they show themselves?” Han Yan asked curiously. If this person had saved her life, they were her benefactor, yet they had never revealed themselves—why was that? Han Yan looked at Fu Yun Xi. “When you came to save me, did you see anyone?”

Fu Yun Xi shook his head.

Han Yan frowned. If so, this person must have deliberately avoided being seen by Fu Yun Xi. If they didn’t show themselves, perhaps it was because they couldn’t, and they would be recognized by both her and Fu Yun Xi. Who among their mutual acquaintances would need to stay hidden? Moreover, since this person could help her, they might know something, or more likely, be connected to this matter. Thinking of this, Han Yan felt somewhat relieved—it seemed that one way or another, she wasn’t meant to die. Even if Fu Yun Xi hadn’t come, this secret helper wouldn’t have let her die in vain. Perhaps she would eventually see their true identity.

Though she still had no clues about who had helped her secretly, Han Yan continued talking with Fu Yun Xi until they heard someone announce that Zhuang Shi Yang had come personally to escort Han Yan back to the manor.

Han Yan hadn’t expected this move. As Fu Yun Xi was about to refuse, Han Yan tugged at his sleeve and told the servant, “Go tell Father that I’ll gather my things and return with him immediately.”