“Marquis Huo, your cold joke isn’t funny at all.”

She glared at Huo Chang’an, who wasn’t angry. He came over to help her down from the horse, but Leng Xue, inexplicably troubled, kept his arm across her waist. Huo Chang’an gave him a meaningful look before he finally let go.

Inside the moving carriage, Su Zhen leaned against Leng Xue’s shoulder while he sprinkled golden sore medicine on her wound. Huo Chang’an watched the two and said, “Couldn’t you just tear some cloth to bandage the wound?”

Su Zhen quickly said, “My body can only be seen by my wife.”

Huo Chang’an laughed out loud, “If I say you’re a woman, you dare to provoke my cousin. If I say you’re a man… heh, with just this little injury, tears are already coming out.”

Su Zhen was about to retort when Leng Xue scolded, “If you’re in pain, then shut the hell up and conserve your strength, or just pass out.”

“You think I don’t want to pass out? Aren’t I waiting for Wuqing and the others?”

Su Zhen muttered. Her current mood was like an arrow strung taut on a bow. Not to mention the large contingent of soldiers, just Chao Huang alone—could these three young men escape unscathed?

This time she really owed them for their help.

The day Shi Jian treated her to dinner, those three young men had just arrived, hearing that the Six Doors was recruiting. They had come from their respective regions seeking fame.

With her mind already set on leaving, seeing that the few of them wore worn clothes and had been eating and drinking simply like her for many days, she had gone out in the middle of the night to exchange the banknote obtained from Gao Chaoyi for silver, then visited the three of them, leaving them five hundred taels.

The young men were greatly surprised and asked what she wanted in return. She said she only hoped that if they succeeded in the future, they wouldn’t forget their origins and would treat the people kindly, then left.

She hadn’t expected that today at the examination, the clever youths would quietly follow on horseback.

It was also fortunate that Wuqing acted so quickly, or Chao Huang really would have put a hole through her. The sword tip had only penetrated a few inches into her flesh.

Even so, she was in such pain she wanted to scream. Leng Xue held her tighter and said, “Rest a bit. I’ll wake you when they arrive.”

No—Su Zhen shook her head, forcing herself to rally her spirits to tease Huo Chang’an, “Marquis Huo, what is Baiyi to you?”

Huo Chang’an had been looking at her indifferently, but hearing this, his eyes deepened. After a long while, he slowly replied, “A friend, I suppose.”

“Huaisu remembers that Marquis Huo once said not to let me fall into your hands again, or I’d be in trouble. Yet now you’re helping me for Baiyi’s sake. You two… aren’t just friends, are you?”

“Do you believe this marquis will throw you off the carriage right now?”

Huo Chang’an’s expression darkened, his features turning cold.

Su Zhen had always felt that Huo Chang’an was a forthright and magnanimous person, but she hadn’t expected him to be quite frightening when angry. Looking to Leng Xue for support, Leng Xue said she deserved it. She stuck out her tongue, thinking to herself: See, didn’t I still manage to get information out of you? Flying into a rage from embarrassment—there’s definitely more than friendship there.

Huo Chang’an pulled a bottle from his bosom and threw it to Leng Xue, “Give him one pill. This medicine has pain-relieving effects.”

“Li Huaisu, I’m giving you this medicine not for Baiyi’s sake, but because Huo respects that you obtained a seat assignment token and walked into that Imperial Academy. Even if you can achieve a ranking in this metropolitan examination, the Empress Dowager dotes on Lian Xin the most. Unless that person speaks up, I’m afraid no one else would dare let you enter the Golden Throne Hall.”

“That person?”

“The current emperor.”