Shen Miao lit a lamp at night, intending to organize the books that Shen Qiu had sent over during the day. Shen Qiu always thought she enjoyed reading, and knowing she would soon be married, he had sought out many rare editions. Some of these rare books recorded major events of previous dynasties, while others were romance novels. Shen Miao planned to select the romance novels to give to Luo Tan and Feng Anning, but the historical books she would keep, as they might prove useful in the future.

While she was organizing, she suddenly heard movement outside her window. She wasn’t accustomed to having servants attend to her at night, and Jingzhe and Guyu usually retired early, so it certainly wouldn’t be them at this hour. Looking toward the window, she saw no one. After some consideration, Shen Miao opened her door and walked out to the courtyard to investigate.

She wasn’t afraid of intruders, since Cong Yang was still in the courtyard—if there were any real danger, he would have acted already. However, as soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw a figure standing beneath a tree. She paused for a moment, then approached with her lantern, and was startled to discover it was Xie Jingxing.

Xie Jingxing wasn’t wearing his usual purple robe but had changed into black clothing. In his purple robes, he looked like a noble young master of the mundane world, but in black, he exuded a cold and deadly aura. Yet the lazy smile hanging on his face remained the same as always as he looked at Shen Miao and approached her directly.

Shen Miao felt something was off about Xie Jingxing, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. She stood next to him and asked, “Why are you standing here?”

In the past, Xie Jingxing would likely have invited himself in and sat in her room drinking tea without asking.

Xie Jingxing curled his lips into a smile. Before Shen Miao could speak again, he suddenly pitched forward toward her.

Shen Miao instinctively caught him, but when she did, she felt a large wet patch on his back. Looking at it in the faint light of her lantern, she saw alarming bloodstains. Because of the winter cold outside, her sense of smell wasn’t very acute, but when Xie Jingxing fell against her, she finally smelled the heavy scent of blood.

Shen Miao called softly, “Cong Yang?”

There was no response from around them; Cong Yang seemed to be absent.

Shen Miao felt anxious. At this critical moment, Cong Yang had disappeared. She didn’t dare alert others, not knowing where Xie Jingxing had obtained his injuries. Half-dragging and half-carrying him, she brought Xie Jingxing back to her room, laid him on her bed, and was about to seek a physician.

As she was about to leave, Xie Jingxing seemed to regain consciousness momentarily and said, “Don’t call anyone.”

Shen Miao paused, then crouched beside him again and asked, “What about your wounds?”

With effort, Xie Jingxing fumbled in his robe and pulled out something like a medicine bottle. Before Shen Miao could ask more questions, he fell unconscious again.

Shen Miao made a quick decision. There was still some warm water in the room that she used for washing her hands at night. She brought it over, found a clean handkerchief, dipped it in the water, and after a moment’s hesitation, slowly began to undo Xie Jingxing’s clothes.

In the lamplight, the young man’s body was proportioned and slender, seemingly full of strength. Shen Miao inexplicably felt her face grow hot, and she tried to work more quickly.

Xie Jingxing’s clothes were soaked with large patches of blood. The congealed blood stuck to his skin, and after being exposed to the cold wind outside, it had almost fused with his body. Every time Shen Miao pulled at the fabric, Xie Jingxing’s brows would furrow slightly, as if feeling discomfort even in his unconscious state.

With no alternative, she found a pair of silver scissors, sterilized them in the flame, and carefully cut open his clothes.

Shen Miao wasn’t unfamiliar with the male form—she had seen Fu Ming’s body many times—but this was different from Xie Jingxing. Especially now, when she was protecting Xie Jingxing without even calling for Jingzhe or Guyu, undressing him alone felt inevitably awkward.

However, the embarrassment on her face quickly disappeared, replaced by a grave expression.

Xie Jingxing’s body had many knife wounds. Though none were very deep, they crisscrossed his body in large numbers. While not fatal individually, Shen Miao knew that so many wounds could cause a person to bleed to death. She didn’t dare hesitate, immediately using the cloth dampened with warm water to clean the blood around his wounds. Then she took the medicine powder from the bottle and sprinkled it on the wounds. After searching for a while and not finding clean bandages, Shen Miao had no choice but to take out a new cloth she had made to bind her chest, using it to bandage Xie Jingxing’s wounds. Shen Miao had never bandaged anyone before, but she had seen Shen Qiu’s soldiers do it, so she imitated their technique. Though the result was somewhat unsightly, at least the bleeding stopped.

She then found some qi-blood replenishing pills from her cabinet, which Luo Tan had bought for her, saying they would improve a woman’s complexion during her monthly period. Although Xie Jingxing wasn’t menstruating, he had lost a lot of blood, so these should help replenish it. Shen Miao crushed the pills, dissolved them in warm water, and fed them to Xie Jingxing.

After finishing everything, the night was as deep as impenetrable fog, and outside, not even the murmurs of animals could be heard. Xie Jingxing lay half-naked on her bed, wrapped in layers of Shen Miao’s chest-binding cloth, looking strange no matter how one viewed it.

Shen Miao’s mouth twitched, and she decided to turn Xie Jingxing over to check if he had any other wounds.

Xie Jingxing’s clothes were wet in large patches, but his pants were dry, so Shen Miao hadn’t suspected he might have injuries beyond his waist and back. As she turned him, her hand accidentally touched Xie Jingxing’s thigh. Shen Miao recoiled as if burned, but then sensed something wasn’t right.

The skin under her hand was hard, not as smooth as the other uninjured skin, but rather like it was covered with a thick scab. Her heart jumped, and instinctively she slightly lifted Xie Jingxing’s pants, discovering a terrible scar extending deep into his lower abdomen.

This was different from the crisscrossing wounds Xie Jingxing had received today. Today’s wounds, though numerous, were not deep and thus not life-threatening. But this one wound curved and twisted, its color intense, clearly an old injury. Yet the fact that it still left such a deep mark after so long indicated that it must have been bone-deep and horrifying when first inflicted.

Shen Miao had never heard of Xie Jingxing sustaining such injuries in Ming Qi. Could it have happened in Da Liang? She wondered suspiciously, discovering more wounds, each one bone-deep. Though the wounds had healed, they still made one marvel how Xie Jingxing had survived such life-and-death situations.

She hadn’t realized she was still touching Xie Jingxing’s leg and was about to move lower when the man on the bed groaned and grabbed her wrist. Shen Miao’s face immediately flushed crimson, thinking Xie Jingxing had awoken and misunderstood her intentions. She instinctively looked at him, but saw his brows were tightly knit, his lips pursed, and his eyes still closed. He hadn’t awakened.

Shen Miao breathed a sigh of relief. Though she still had questions about those scars, she dared not examine further. Since she had shredded Xie Jingxing’s upper garments, she had no choice but to find one of her oversized outer robes for him to wear, covering him thoroughly. Fearing his wounds might cause a fever during the night, she moved a stool to sit by the bed and watch over him.

She didn’t know when she fell asleep.

When Shen Miao awoke at the first glimmer of dawn to the sound of roosters, she found herself lying on the bed with thick quilts covering her. She clearly remembered sitting on the stool watching over Xie Jingxing the night before, but hadn’t expected to fall asleep midway. She must have been extremely tired to sleep so deeply that she didn’t notice being moved.

She instinctively sat up and saw the room was empty with no sign of Xie Jingxing. After a moment’s confusion, she heard an amused voice from behind: “Looking for me?”

Xie Jingxing approached, wearing a loose inner garment. Who knows where he found it, but he appeared to have just washed, with water droplets sliding from his chin into the depths of his collar. Shen Miao looked at him in astonishment. Xie Jingxing had been wounded and unconscious just yesterday, but now he looked refreshed and energetic, showing no trace of yesterday’s precarious condition.

She asked, “Has your body recovered?”

Xie Jingxing smiled. “Of course.”

Shen Miao nodded. “Indeed, the qi-replenishing pills were effective. My cousin didn’t lie to me.”

“Qi-replenishing pills?” Xie Jingxing frowned. “What are those?”

“They’re for women to replenish qi and blood,” Shen Miao said with a straight face. Women take one during their monthly period to prevent weakness. Last night I saw you had lost a lot of blood, so I thought your qi and blood must be depleted, and I gave you three pills.” She smiled at Xie Jingxing and said, “Seeing how quickly you’ve recovered, it must be due to their effect.”

Xie Jingxing’s smile froze.

Seeing his discomfort, Shen Miao couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. But her amusement vanished with his next words. Xie Jingxing casually remarked, “Oh, if that’s the case, consider it a reward for feeling me up last night.”

Seeing Shen Miao freeze, Xie Jingxing smiled suggestively. “Last night, someone was touching places they shouldn’t have…”

Shen Miao’s face changed from red to white, then from white to green. She angrily demanded, “You were awake?”

“I couldn’t speak, but my mind was clear.” Xie Jingxing walked to the table and sat down. After washing up, he seemed even more at ease, as if in his residence. He warmed a pot of tea and poured himself a cup, smiling at Shen Miao.

Shen Miao hesitated, standing still, and asked, “What happened to your wounds? What exactly happened yesterday?”

“Doing you a favor,” Xie Jingxing said lightly. “A place like the Prince Ding’s mansion, I’d rather not go there again.” He stretched lazily. “Fu Xiuyi has so many tricks up his sleeve, even I found it hard to handle.”

“You went to Prince Ding’s mansion?” Shen Miao’s eyes widened. “You went to Prince Ding’s dungeon?”

Xie Jingxing’s gaze flickered. “You know quite a bit about Prince Ding’s mansion, even aware there’s a dungeon.” He continued, “Yes, I went for a visit last night, and along the way rescued your Master Pei.”

Shen Miao stared at him in shock.

She hadn’t expected Xie Jingxing would personally go to rescue someone. Xie Jingxing’s identity was sensitive, and Fu Xiuyi was not someone easy to deceive. If Fu Xiuyi discovered any clues, Xie Jingxing would inevitably face many troubles. When Shen Miao had asked Xie Jingxing for help, she knew he had many capable people around him, but she hadn’t expected him to risk himself.

Shen Miao didn’t know what to feel, but if it was Prince Ding’s mansion, Xie Jingxing’s injuries made sense.

Fu Xiuyi was an extremely cautious and suspicious person, having made many enemies. Thus, Prince Ding’s mansion was like an impenetrable fortress. As for Prince Ding’s dungeon, it mainly held prisoners Fu Xiuyi considered important, mostly spies from enemies or others. The dungeon, being a place housing many of Prince Ding’s secret prisoners, was of utmost importance. It could be said that Fu Xiuyi spent more effort guarding the dungeon than the entire mansion.

In such circumstances, for Xie Jingxing to infiltrate the dungeon alone and rescue someone, escaping alive was already quite an achievement.

Seeing Shen Miao lost in thought, Xie Jingxing tilted his head, looking at her curiously, and asked, “Why aren’t you asking about your Master Pei’s welfare?”

Shen Miao came to her senses. “Is he still alive?”

“Alive and well,” Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow. “Not a spark of fire touched him.”

Shen Miao caught the wording in his response and asked, “Fire?”

“I burned down Prince Ding’s dungeon,” Xie Jingxing said. “Eliminating the root of the problem.”

Shen Miao gasped. If he had burned down Prince Ding’s dungeon, it was no wonder Fu Xiuyi would want to hunt down the arsonist relentlessly. Most prisoners in the dungeon held secrets Fu Xiuyi wanted to know; Xie Jingxing’s fire ensured those secrets would never be revealed to Fu Xiuyi. Having suffered such losses, how could Fu Xiuyi easily spare Xie Jingxing?

At this moment, Shen Miao couldn’t help but admire Xie Jingxing. She thought her courage was considerable, but that was relying on memories from her previous life. Xie Jingxing, however, could always act according to his own heart’s desire, and even if he poked a hole in the sky, he would still complain that the sky wasn’t solid enough.

After a pause, Shen Miao asked, “Is he at Prince Rui’s mansion now?”

Xie Jingxing replied, “Gaoyang is treating him.”

Shen Miao found this strange. Gaoyang was treating Pei Lang, so why didn’t Xie Jingxing let Gaoyang treat him as well? Instead, he came with his injuries to her courtyard. Did Xie Jingxing think her medical skills were superior to Gaoyang’s?

But she had more pressing questions to clarify. After looking at Xie Jingxing for a while, he smiled and said, “Why are you staring at me? I’m not that kind-hearted. If it weren’t for you—”

“How did you get your injuries?” Shen Miao interrupted him.

“Prince Ding’s mansion has many guards, and there are death soldiers in the dungeon,” Xie Jingxing unusually explained to her. “Too many people made it inconvenient, so I had to go in alone.”

“Not those,” Shen Miao paused before asking, “Your old wounds, those that look very deep—were they received in Da Liang?”

Xie Jingxing was stunned and said nothing.

“In Ming Qi, there was never news of you being in mortal danger,” Shen Miao said, “Yet they look like old wounds. How did you get them?”

“Concerned about me?” Xie Jingxing gave her an ambiguous look. “It’s nothing worth mentioning.”

“I want to know,” Shen Miao lowered her eyes. “Even if it’s just preparation for going to Da Liang. You can’t let me go unprepared to face a completely unfamiliar person and place.”

This reason was noble, but Shen Miao knew that wanting to know the origin of those wounds had nothing to do with it.

Besides his previous life’s grudges, Xie Jingxing knew her deeply, but from Shen Miao’s perspective, there was still much she didn’t understand about him. Previously, she had been afraid to know more—Xie Jingxing was such a dangerous person that knowing more of his secrets only increased the danger. Now, however, she wanted to actively learn about matters concerning Xie Jingxing.

Xie Jingxing looked at the tea in front of him and smiled. “I received them in the Northern Borders.”

Shen Miao suddenly looked up.

Xie Jingxing said calmly, “There were imperial spies in the Xie army. When I went to the Northern Borders, due to a change in plans, I was to return early to Da Liang to resume my identity. But the ambush in the Xie army was real.”

“The Northern Border people and the imperial spies collaborated, setting a trap originally intended for Xie Ding, but because I requested the commander’s token, it was redirected at me. I was prepared that day, but didn’t expect the Marquis of Lin’an’s confidant to be the Emperor’s man; he betrayed me. Although Da Liang’s Mo Yu army secretly came to my aid, I was still seriously injured. My brother arranged for deception, switching one thing for another, making the Emperor believe his plan had succeeded, while I was brought back to Da Liang to recover. It took half a year of recuperation before I could get out of bed. Looking at Shen Miao, he smiled indifferently. “To be precise, the wounds were received in Ming Qi.”

A wave of realization swept through Shen Miao’s heart, then suddenly cleared.

She had wondered how Xie Jingxing could have been injured—so that was it!

Many things had changed between her previous life and this one, and the fate of the Xie father and son was among them. In her previous life, Marquis Lin’an Xie Ding had gone to battle first, met defeat and death, after which the Lin’an Marquis Household declined. Then Xie Jingxing took the imperial military order and campaigned again, only to meet the fate of being pierced by ten thousand arrows. Whether Xie Jingxing had faked his death in her previous life or not, one thing was certain: the simultaneous death in battle of the Xie father and son was the outcome the Fu family had designed for the Lin’an Marquis Household.

In this life, due to certain changes, Xie Jingxing had somehow changed his mind and campaigned early. The Emperor, who had originally planned to deal with the Marquis of Lin’an, seized the opportunity to target Xie Jingxing instead. With Xie Jingxing’s “death,” the Marquis of Lin’an unexpectedly lost all spirit, sparing the imperial family from having to take further action.

This aligned perfectly with what Xie Jingxing had told Su Mingfeng: “Ming Qi never nurtured me, only sought to eliminate me.”

Indeed, Ming Qi only wanted to eliminate Xie Jingxing. The Lin’an Marquis Household had rendered meritorious service to Ming Qi’s empire, but once a bird has been shot, the bow is put aside—when a vassal’s merits are too great, the royal family eagerly suppresses them. Although Shen Miao had long known that the decline of the Lin’an Marquis Household in her previous life was connected to the royal family, hearing Xie Jingxing say it himself was different.

If even Xie Ding’s confidant was an imperial spy, then almost every move of the Lin’an Marquis Household was under Emperor Wenhuidi’s surveillance. So Xie Jingxing’s lack of closeness with Xie Ding from childhood—perhaps he couldn’t be certain who the spy was, but he knew that imperial agents never left the Lin’an Marquis Household.

Perhaps even Madam Fang, Xie Changchao, and Xie Changwu were secretly controlled by Emperor Wenhuidi. But now Xie Changchao and Xie Changwu were dead, Madam Fang was nearly broken, and the Lin’an Marquis Household had no successor. Emperor Wenhuidi likely wouldn’t have other designs on them anymore.

Looking at Xie Jingxing again, Shen Miao felt thankful for their survival.

Xie Jingxing’s life in Ming Qi indeed wasn’t as privileged as Su Mingfeng had imagined. Perhaps when Da Liang sent Xie Jingxing over, they had anticipated that with the sudden death of Princess Yuqing, the Marquis of Lin’an would doubly cherish this son. They hadn’t expected that this seemingly flourishing marquis household concealed crisis upon crisis. Living in the Lin’an Marquis Household, Xie Jingxing wasn’t necessarily happier than in an ordinary family. On the contrary, from a young age, he had been forced to adapt to a life that even many adults would find difficult.

Intrigue, deception, the false sentiments between royal families, and the hidden dangers amid apparent harmony and happiness.

If there had been no one from Da Liang to save him on the Northern Border battlefield, or if the timing had been even slightly slower, the current Xie Jingxing would be nothing but a pile of yellow earth.

Xie Jingxing observed Shen Miao’s expression, which, despite her efforts to maintain calm, still showed fluctuations in her breathing. He raised his lips in a smile, reached across the table to pat her head, and said, “What are you afraid of? Once in Da Liang, with me there, who would dare touch you?”

“Da Liang also has a royal family,” Shen Miao felt things weren’t so simple.

Xie Jingxing was unconcerned. “I am also royalty.” He withdrew his hand, indifferently saying, “Except for my royal brother, you need not fear anyone. Even if you meet my brother and truly anger him, tell me, and I will still keep you safe and sound.”

“Da Liang is my territory. Anyone who dares bully you is opposing the world. As for these miserable affairs in Ming Qi, let’s not mention them in the future. It hurts one’s pride.” He smiled teasingly, but Shen Miao felt a slight heartache.

How could it be just about hurt pride? It was simply that the past days hadn’t been too happy, so better not to mention them. A noble young man who should have enjoyed innocent and carefree days had lived like an insect under the crushing weight of a foreign power.

After a few more words, as daylight broke and Jingzhe and Guyu were about to come to wake Shen Miao, Xie Jingxing finally left.

After Xie Jingxing’s departure, Cong Yang suddenly appeared from somewhere. Shen Miao glared at him and asked, “Why weren’t you here last night?”

Last night, when Xie Jingxing was injured, at such a critical moment, Cong Yang had disappeared. Now he showed up after the person had left.

Cong Yang’s voice came, full of apology: “Young Madam, it was truly unfortunate. Yesterday I had a task, and I thought I would return quickly, but I was delayed midway. By the time I returned, it was already morning of the next day.” His expression was both remorseful and sincere as he asked, “Did Young Madam have any tasks for me?”

“Nothing,” Shen Miao waved her hand, closed the window, and left.

Cong Yang leaped back to the tree, feeling quite wronged in his heart. Last night, his master had instructed him not to make a sound, so Cong Yang had to squat in the tree all night without even a blanket. He wondered what his master and the young madam had been doing in the room. Then he thought about how his master, with those minor injuries, had still traveled to the Shen residence. His master wouldn’t even let Gaoyang stop his bleeding, letting the blood soak his entire body—all just to make the young madam worry.

Poor him, he had endured a night of cold wind, only to be blamed by the young madam, with no reward from his master. Who would care for him?

Meanwhile, Xie Jingxing was walking towards Prince Rui’s mansion.

Cong Yang had modified all the houses between Prince Rui’s mansion and the Shen residence, removing the walls between the houses, essentially forming a connected, multi-courtyard compound.

In the deep winter with cold wind and heavy frost, he wore only a loose inner garment with a casual dark cloak thrown over it. Black and white, the deep colors collided, making his face appear somewhat pale.

He wasn’t wearing his mask, and his expression wasn’t as relaxed as usual. His beautiful, normally curved peach blossom eyes were cold and deep, carrying a hint of detached coldness.

To Shen Miao, he had still lied.

Those crisscrossing wounds weren’t just from the Northern Borders, but also from Da Liang.

The wound from the Northern Borders was indeed from a knife wielded by the Xie army’s deputy commander, the most trusted man of Xie Ding, amid thousands of soldiers. That knife cut to the bone, and during his half-year recovery in Da Liang, many said he wouldn’t survive. In the end, it was Gaoyang who saved him from the brink of death. Gaoyang said that if the knife had been just one inch higher, or if he had been brought to Gaoyang a bit later, his life likely couldn’t have been saved.

News of his injury was known only to Gaoyang, Emperor Yongle, and his confidants. When he reappeared before Da Liang’s court officials, he was still the elegant and peerlessly handsome Prince Rui.

But the sudden reappearance of a prince in the royal family was not an easy matter. Even though Emperor Yongle suppressed dissent with his imperial authority, in this world, everything is related to interests. The emergence of Prince Rui would cause some people to lose benefits. Thus, assassinations, ambushes, setups, and conspiracies emerged one after another, their methods strange and difficult to discern.

There were life-and-death moments when danger hung by a thread, and in these, he also received many wounds. The struggle in Da Liang was more dangerous than in Ming Qi. In Ming Qi, his identity was hidden, and the imperial family targeted the entire Lin’an marquis household rather than him personally. In Da Liang, all his dangers came from his title as Prince Rui, and all the hidden arrows aimed for his life.

Yet after each profound crisis, the next day on the court, there was still a lazily smiling Prince Rui. Over time, in everyone’s hearts, Prince Rui became a terrifying enemy with deep schemes and ruthless methods. They no longer acted rashly, showing him respect and fear, inwardly wishing for Prince Rui’s death while outwardly bowing and scraping to him.

That was what Xie Jingxing had fought for with his life.

He had spent two years solidifying his position as Prince Rui in Da Liang, until no one dared to doubt, challenge, or scheme against him. Those deadly fights on snowy nights, those traps in the court, were like last night’s black robe—cut to pieces and discarded.

Standing in the sunlight was always a noble, elegant, immaculate person.

Shen Miao had said, “Even if it’s just preparation for going to Da Liang. You can’t let me go unprepared to face a completely unfamiliar person and place.”

On this winter morning, Xie Jingxing walked slowly, his blue boots stepping on the snow, making rustling sounds. Ice crystals swayed on the trees like hanging jewels.

A faint smile gradually appeared on his lips.

What was there to prepare for?

After all, before that time, he would clear away all troubles for her.