At the palace gate, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Fan Chang Yu couldn’t openly board the Xie family’s carriage.
She handed over Xie Zheng, whose condition was worsening, to Xie Eleven who came forward to meet them. Xie Eleven immediately noticed something was wrong with Xie Zheng and hurriedly asked, “General, what’s wrong with the master?”
Time was pressing, so Fan Chang Yu only instructed in a low voice, “Take him back to the Xie residence immediately, and send someone to fetch a doctor.”
As Fan Chang Yu tried to withdraw her hand and leave, Xie Zheng gripped her wrist tightly. The blood-red color that had faded from his eyes slowly returned, looking somewhat fierce in the lamplight at the palace gate.
Unable to free her hand, Fan Chang Yu helped him into the carriage and said quietly at the carriage shaft, “Let go first, I’m not leaving. I’ll go give Xie Five some instructions and come right back.”
Accompanying Fan Chang Yu into the palace tonight was still Xie Five, who had been through life and death with her since she was a squad leader.
Only then did Xie Zheng release her hand. As he collapsed onto the carriage seat, sweat had already soaked his hair roots, and a faint blush colored his pale face. In the soft bamboo-filtered light inside the carriage, he had a breathtakingly beautiful appearance.
Fan Chang Yu steeled her heart and lowered the carriage curtain. After jumping down from the carriage, she said to Xie Eleven, “You go ahead first.”
Xie Eleven vaguely understood something and didn’t dare delay at all. With a crack of the whip, he drove the carriage away.
By now, many court officials were also leaving the palace, and their expressions varied as they witnessed this scene.
Just then, Tang Peiyi caught up and greeted Fan Chang Yu, “General Fan, shall we return to the Memorials Office together?”
Fan Chang Yu wanted to go back to find Xie Zheng, fearing that if she left with Tang Peiyi and the others, it would be difficult to slip away later. She was about to refuse when she saw He Xiuyun give her a meaningful look. Thinking they might have something to discuss with her, she nodded, “Alright.”
As their carriages headed towards the Memorials Office together, the court officials coming out behind them didn’t dare to speculate openly.
Xie Five had earlier seen Fan Chang Yu supporting Xie Zheng out of the palace. After Fan Chang Yu boarded the carriage, he asked, “General, did something happen at the palace banquet?”
Fan Chang Yu’s nerves had been tense all night, and now her temples were beginning to throb. She massaged her brow bone and said, “It’s a long story. You go back to the Memorials Office alone later and report to my aunts that I’m safe. I’ll go to the Xie residence for a while.”
She was still worried about Xie Zheng’s condition.
Xie Five had just agreed when he suddenly pulled the reins with a “whoa.”
Fan Chang Yu heard someone outside calling her “worthy sister.” She lifted the carriage curtain and saw that Tang Peiyi and the others’ carriages had stopped at a fork in the road.
He Xiuyun leaned out from the carriage window and said to Fan Chang Yu, “Sister Long Yu, Tang General, Brother Wen Chang, and I want to go see the New Year’s Eve lantern festival. We won’t be going with you.”
She called He Jing Yuan “Uncle,” so He Xiuyun always acted as an elder brother to her.
Even if Fan Chang Yu was slow-witted, she understood that Tang Peiyi and the others were helping her avoid gossip.
Her jumping into Taiye Pool to “rescue” Xie Zheng tonight would inevitably cause speculation among the court officials. If she were left alone, it would surely lead to wild conjectures. Leaving with them would at least somewhat silence the rumors.
She was grateful, but now was not the time for thanks. She nodded and said, “Then Elder Brother, go with General Tang. The New Year’s Eve market in the capital is a grand sight. Once Elder Brother is familiar with the place, you can bring Sister-in-law to see it again in the future.”
He Xiuyun smiled and agreed, then lowered the carriage curtain.
The north wind was biting cold, carrying fine snow that danced in the streets filled with the smell of firecrackers and fireworks.
The clear sounds of horse hooves and rolling carriage wheels were particularly distinct. A shadow seemed to flit past, and the candlelight inside the carriage flickered as a cold breeze swept in through the window.
Fan Chang Yu supported Xie Zheng, who was leaning on the seat with blood seeping from his bitten lip again. Her brows furrowed tightly as she asked, “How are you feeling?”
Xie Zheng’s breath was like fire. He opened his blood-red phoenix eyes, recognized who had come, and directly raised his hand to press against the back of her neck, sealing her lips with a kiss.
The effects of the bone-softening drug seemed to be slowly dissipating, but the force of his hand on the back of her neck was still intense. His lips and teeth were also ravaging her fiercely. Fan Chang Yu could only tilt her head back and endure.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and Xie Eleven awkwardly said from outside, “Master, we’ve arrived.”
Fan Chang Yu braced herself against Xie Zheng’s chest, feeling a slight sting on her shoulder from his canine teeth. She tightly gripped the front of Xie Zheng’s clothes, a faint pink coloring her face as she pressed her lips together, enduring the strange sensations coursing through her body from his kiss.
“Enter through the side gate. Don’t disturb the others in the mansion,” Xie Zheng said, his eyes hazy and his voice hoarse and deep.
Following the order, Xie Eleven quickly turned the horses around and drove the carriage towards the side gate. After presenting the token, the Xie household servants opened the side gate, and the carriage entered the compound almost silently, stopping in front of the main courtyard.
Xie Eleven went to fetch the resident doctor, while Fan Chang Yu, having slightly recovered, supported Xie Zheng as they got out of the carriage.
As soon as they entered the room, she was pinned against the door by Xie Zheng. He kissed and nibbled her neck and shoulder frantically, his breathing heavy and erratic. His low, rich voice had lost its usual coolness: “Chang Yu, A Yu…”
The delicate flesh of her neck was gnawed by sharp teeth, and it felt as if a string was tightening in the nerves under her skin. Even though Fan Chang Yu clenched her jaw, a subtle tremor still traveled from her neck to her fingertips.
Her eyes were covered with a layer of moisture. She didn’t say a word, just glared at Xie Zheng with a slightly pained and annoyed look. This caused the precariously taut string in his mind to snap completely with a “crack.”
Her intricately embroidered, high-quality third-rank military official’s court robe was forcefully torn open by him, and he lowered his head to kiss her exposed skin.
Fan Chang Yu’s back was pressed against the carved wooden door, sweat sliding down from her jaw, her lips pressed white.
She pushed him once, saying, “Your wounds… need to be treated first.”
Xie Zheng’s breathing was very unstable. He raised his head and said “okay,” but unexpectedly, as soon as he stood up, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed, his face as white as snow.
Fan Chang Yu was startled and hurriedly supported him, asking, “Xie Zheng, what’s wrong?”
She moved him to lie on the soft couch and called loudly for Xie Eleven to quickly bring the doctor. Her half-wet court robe had been torn open by Xie Zheng and was not fit to be seen, so she rushed to the chest where Xie Zheng kept his clothes, intending to grab a set of his to wear temporarily. After putting on a long-sleeved robe, she found it fit surprisingly well.
Fan Chang Yu paused for a moment, then tried on several more robes, finding they all fit her perfectly.
It seemed that this chest of clothing had been prepared for her by him long ago.
Fan Chang Yu looked at the pale-faced, unconscious man on the soft couch, and for a moment, her heart tightened with an indescribable feeling.
Xie Eleven quickly brought the physician. After taking Xie Zheng’s pulse, the physician’s brows furrowed tightly.
Fan Chang Yu hurriedly asked, “Doctor, how is he?”
The physician used a silver needle to draw a drop of blood from Xie Zheng’s fingertip, his expression extremely complicated as he said, “The Marquis is suffering from an excess of heart fire. This fire originates from the life gate, travels through the triple burner, and accumulates in the liver and kidneys. When it becomes too strong, it damages the internal organs, causing him to cough up blood. I’ve used the Shangyang acupoint to release blood, which can only provide some relief for the Marquis. It treats the symptoms but not the root cause. If this fire is not dispersed, I’m afraid the Marquis is in great danger…”
As Xie Eleven escorted the physician back, he knelt at the door for Fan Chang Yu. He lowered his head, seemingly aware that what he was about to say was presumptuous, but still choked out, “I beg the General to save the Marquis.”
Fan Chang Yu sat on a stool, looking at Xie Zheng, who was still unconscious despite the physician’s acupuncture treatment. She only said, “Go out.”
Xie Eleven kowtowed to her once before closing the door and leaving.
Fan Chang Yu walked over and sat down in front of the soft couch. She leaned down to kiss Xie Zheng’s lips once, then raised her head slightly and said to him in a low voice, “You’ve married into my family.”
…
That night, the entire imperial city was extraordinarily lively. The palace was brilliantly lit, and the one hundred and eight wards outside the city walls were also brightly illuminated. The laughter of children and the calls of street vendors could be heard several streets away.
As midnight struck, the golden temple in the city immediately began to toll its bell. One sound after another, distant and prolonged, seemed to announce to the world that the old year had passed and the new year had arrived.
Thousands of fireworks were simultaneously launched into the snowy night sky from all over the wards. In an instant, the entire sky was filled with dazzling colors. Neighbors also set off firecrackers to welcome the new year, with the “pili pala” sound of firecrackers echoing continuously, creating a lively atmosphere.
Fan Chang Yu lay on the warm white marble stone by the hot spring pool, her long hair wet and clinging to her cheeks, her entire body tinged with a faint pink. She had lost count of how many times she had watched the fireworks. Now she was completely exhausted, no less than if she had just fought a great battle.
The person behind her pressed against her back, enveloping her entirely in his embrace. When he began to kiss her shoulder again, Fan Chang Yu instinctively shrank her shoulder inward and turned her head to ask him, “The drug’s effects still haven’t worn off?”
Her cheeks were flushed, with strands of sweat-dampened hair clinging messily to her face. Her lips were swollen, and her bright eyes were also glazed with a layer of moisture.
Her expression was still stubborn, but now with a hint of pitifulness.
Xie Zheng looked at her, his eyes unfathomably deep. His Adam’s apple slowly bobbed as he let out a hoarse “Mm.”
As the water rippled, Fan Chang Yu also let out a muffled groan.
She was already out of strength and simply lay on the edge of the hot spring pool, resting her head on her arm and enduring.
In her mind, however, she was thinking that she must have neglected her martial arts practice due to being entangled in various affairs since coming to the capital. Hadn’t Xie Zheng been affected by the bone-softening drug? How was his stamina still better than hers?
From tomorrow on, she will have to practice martial arts diligently.
That night, others also couldn’t sleep.
After all the officials attending the palace banquet had left, an inconspicuous carriage drove out from the West Hua Gate. The wheels pressed over the thick snow on the road, heading straight for the Prime Minister’s mansion.
Compared to the festive decorations throughout the city, the Prime Minister’s mansion remained as solemn as ever. Even the row of red lanterns hanging under the corridor didn’t add much festivity to the place. On this night so quiet it made one’s heart uneasy, it instead exuded a gloomy atmosphere.
This time, due to the heavy snow outside, Qi Sheng was finally led into Wei Yan’s study.
He hadn’t even taken off his cloak, and the fine snow on the brim of his hat had melted from the charcoal fire inside the room, leaving mottled wet marks that made him look as bedraggled as a stray dog.
Wei Yan sat behind a low table. Even on this cold night, he wore only a thin cloth garment. His old but still sinewy hand held a purple brush, writing something on the table with swift, powerful strokes, treating the emperor standing below as if he were invisible.
Qi Sheng didn’t care at all. Whether it was the coldness of the New Year’s Eve snow or the overwhelming fear after the failure of tonight’s plan, his voice trembled as he spoke: “Prime Minister, save me, save me, Xie Zheng wants to commit regicide!”
Wei Yan’s brush didn’t pause, and without even raising his eyes, he asked, “Why does he want to kill you?”
Qi Sheng glanced at Wei Yan and said, “He… he’s investigating the matter of Sixteenth Brother and found a mad palace maid in the Cold Palace who once served Consort Jia. That mad palace maid said the Prime Minister had secret liaisons with imperial concubines!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the purple brush in Wei Yan’s hand was immediately crushed. He slowly raised his eyes to look at Qi Sheng, his gaze no different from looking at a dead man.
Qi Sheng was also startled by that look. He had originally planned to use the palace maid as leverage to threaten Wei Yan, but immediately changed his story.
As he lied, he strained his eyes, making his protruding eyes even more prominent: “Xie Zheng wanted to find that palace maid to verify this matter. I feared he would use this against the Prime Minister, so I planned to frame Xie Zheng for the great crime of having secret liaisons with imperial concubines and violating the sanctity of the imperial harem. It was planned perfectly, but unexpectedly, he broke through this scheme tonight…”
He even began to cry, with snot and tears: “Xie Zheng has long harbored ill intentions, he will surely kill me! I did all this for the Prime Minister’s sake, the Prime Minister must save me!”
Wei Yan put down the cracked purple brush: “So, what exactly did Your Majesty hear from that palace maid?”
This calm tone, which yet made one feel the killing intent from every pore, made Qi Sheng’s crying stop abruptly, and he froze.
For a moment, he felt as if the shadows of Xie Zheng and Wei Yan, uncle and nephew, seemed to overlap.