By the second evening, Tuoba Hong could indeed speak as Qin Wan had predicted. His pillows were propped higher, and his deathly pale face finally showed a hint of color.
Tuoba Wu was explaining the recent events to him, “…Since we were constantly guarding you, Xu Chang couldn’t find an opportunity. Qin Wan said you would wake up soon, and Xu Chang probably got anxious. I had no idea he was the culprit then—I even let him sit with the outer guards! Later, Young Master Yan pretended to suspect the Northern Wei warriors who had been on guard duty earlier and had people monitor them. Xu Chang, wanting someone to take the blame and create chaos, made those two flee.”
“That very night, when those two escaped, Young Master Yan pretended to chase them, throwing the camp into chaos. Then he set up an ambush in the medicine room and caught Xu Chang trying to poison you with instantaneous deadly poison!”
Tuoba Wu’s face showed anger as she spoke, “We never imagined it would be Xu Chang. Crown Prince Brother, you trusted him so much! During the confrontation, I heard His Highness say he was Tuoba Qi’s man!”
Tuoba Hong showed slight surprise, “Fourth Brother?”
Though able to speak, Tuoba Hong was still weak, his voice extremely hoarse. Tuoba Wu tried to keep him from talking too much, telling the whole story herself. Tuoba Wu nodded.
“Exactly. His Highness said that when Xu Chang was originally framed in the army and about to die, Tuoba Qi saved him. After that, he worked for Tuoba Qi, owing him a life debt. Elder Brother, your patronage couldn’t compare to that. Coming to Great Zhou this time, Tuoba Qi wanted something to happen to you here. With Fifth Brother also present, if anything happened to you, he would be the only one left to stir up trouble. By the time we returned home, he might have already become Northern Wei’s new Crown Prince…”
Speaking thus, Tuoba Wu glanced at Tuoba Rui standing nearby, “Fifth Brother worked very hard this time too. When we searched the mountains for you that night, Fifth Brother led the way.”
Tuoba Hong looked gratefully at Tuoba Rui, “Thank you for your efforts, Fifth Brother.”
Tuoba Rui sighed, “We’re family, and we’re not in our territory. Naturally, we must stand united.”
Tuoba Rui’s words matched his character perfectly. Though not particularly close to Tuoba Hong, he couldn’t stand by while family members were in danger in a foreign land.
Tuoba Hong remained grateful. Tuoba Wu held his hand and said, “Crown Prince Brother, thankfully you woke up, or Tuoba Qi’s scheme would have succeeded! These past few days, I’ve been blaming myself—if only I hadn’t made you angry!”
Hearing this, Tuoba Hong weakly tugged at the corner of his mouth, “It’s nothing. While I was unconscious, sometimes I could hear you and Miss Qin talking. I couldn’t make out Miss Qin’s words clearly, but your voice was familiar, so I could understand some.”
Tuoba Hong spoke very slowly, pausing to catch his breath, “I know you’ve worked hard these days. Brother doesn’t blame you. After this incident, you’ve matured, which makes me happy.”
Tuoba Wu now felt only contentment—even if Tuoba Hong had scolded her, she wouldn’t have minded. Usually, she took Tuoba Hong’s love and indulgence for granted, but seeing him at death’s door made her realize how important her Crown Prince Brother was to her.
“But we must thank Qin Wan the most.” Speaking of Qin Wan before Tuoba Hong, Tuoba Wu showed some embarrassment, “I’ve already apologized to her again. We’re fortunate she saved you, and later she helped me care for you day and night. Otherwise, we might have been separated by death.”
Tuoba Hong nodded, “I know. We must thank her properly.”
Tuoba Wu smiled, “Not only does she know medicine, but she can also examine corpses! It turns out she solved several cases in Great Zhou. She contributed significantly to finding Xu Chang, and now the Great Zhou Emperor has made her a Princess!”
Tuoba Hong’s eyes brightened slightly, “You said… examining corpses?”
“Yes! Can you believe it? I couldn’t either!”
Thinking thus, Tuoba Wu’s thoughts deepened. She had thought Qin Wan’s medical skills were already impressive but never imagined she could examine corpses too. When she heard this news, she was stunned for a long while before realizing—no wonder Yan Chi wouldn’t casually like someone! Qin Wan was far from an ordinary beautiful noble lady!
“She also requested a nominal position in their court to continue helping examine corpses for their officials.”
Tuoba Wu’s tone was full of admiration, clearly showing she no longer held any prejudice against Qin Wan.
Just as she finished speaking, a guard announced from outside, “Princess, Miss Nine, and Young Master are here!”
Tuoba Wu brightened, hurriedly saying, “Quick, invite them in!”
With the case solved and Tuoba Hong awake, the Great Zhou guards outside the tent had been replaced by just a few Northern Wei guards. When Qin Wan and Yan Chi entered the tent, they saw Tuoba Hong’s complexion had improved significantly. Qin Wan curtsied, first checked his pulse, then smiled and said, “Your Highness is halfway recovered, but the injury was severe. You’ll need at least half a month of rest before moving freely. Until then, you must be careful.”
Tuoba Hong coughed lightly and nodded, “I haven’t thanked Miss Nine yet. For this life-saving grace, Tuoba Hong will surely repay you in the future.”
“I don’t deserve such thanks. Your Highness’s awakening is half due to your strength. With such severe injuries, most people wouldn’t have survived.”
Tuoba Hong’s lips curved slightly, his cultured gaze falling on Qin Wan.
He had always thought Qin Wan uncommonly beautiful, and now knowing she had saved him and could not only practice medicine but also examine corpses, he felt both surprised and amazed. “No matter how modest Miss Nine is, saving my life is a fact I won’t forget. Without Miss Nine’s help, no matter how much I could endure, it would have been useless.”
Qin Wan smiled without speaking. Tuoba Hong then looked at Yan Chi, “I must also thank Young Master Yan for his efforts this time.”
Tuoba Hong was a very cultured person, and since the culprit was from Northern Wei, he didn’t even harbor resentment toward Great Zhou. He felt especially grateful for Yan Chi and Qin Wan’s efforts.
However, Yan Chi said, “Besides visiting the Crown Prince, now that you can speak normally, we wanted to ask about what happened that day. Xu Chang is dead, and we cannot learn the truth of events from him.”
Though speaking at length still tired Tuoba Hong, nodded and said, “That day, Fifth Brother and I led several others up the mountain from the upstream direction. As we moved toward the center, we went further. Later, seeing it was getting late, we decided to split up to search for the game and signal when we found any. I was originally walking alone, but soon I heard movement behind me. Looking back, I saw Xu Chang had followed me. I was very surprised to see him, and before I could ask anything, I saw him shooting an arrow at me. The distance was too close, and being on horseback, I couldn’t dodge in time.”
“After the arrow struck me, I fell and everything went black. A moment later, I saw Xu Chang dismounting and walking toward me, seemingly to check my wounds. I saw him approach, but my vision darkened again. I felt him prodding me with his bow, probably checking if I was dead. I couldn’t move by then, and he likely thought I was dead. After that, I lost consciousness completely…”
Yan Chi frowned, “He didn’t smear the bait on you?”
Tuoba Hong shook his head, “I was barely conscious then. I could feel him testing me with the bow, but I don’t know what happened after that.”
“Did Your Highness wake up again after that?”
As Tuoba Hong was about to answer, “I woke up that night when it was raining. I found myself at the bottom of the cliff, confused. I tried to move but couldn’t, and called out twice before losing consciousness again.”
Though Tuoba Hong’s injuries weren’t immediately fatal, they were severe enough that he couldn’t maintain consciousness for long. Yan Chi nodded, “I understand. Your Highness should rest well. I’ll take my leave.”
Tuoba Hong nodded, and Qin Wan added, “The medicine will be sent to Your Highness shortly.”
With that, they both took their leave.
Watching Qin Wan and Yan Chi leave together, Tuoba Wu’s lips turned down slightly.
Knowing Tuoba Wu’s feelings for Yan Chi, Tuoba Hong lightly coughed, “You and Young Master Yan…”
Tuoba Wu snorted softly and turned around, “What is Crown Prince Brother saying? I don’t understand.”
Tuoba Hong blinked, momentarily confused by Tuoba Wu’s meaning. Could it be because of his earlier opposition?
Thinking this, Tuoba Hong sighed, “I’m not opposing your feelings for Young Master Yan. I just think you shouldn’t be so rash. If you truly like him…”
Tuoba Wu’s eyes widened, “Crown Prince Brother! What like or dislike? I would never like someone so cold and unfeeling! Earlier… I was just curious about what the Young Marshal of Shuoxi was like!”
Tuoba Hong was half-skeptical, but her tone was quite emphatic…
He looked at Tuoba Wu in confusion.
“Since the Crown Prince lost consciousness, he naturally wouldn’t know all the details.”
Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi, “Do you think something’s amiss?”
Yan Chi shook his head, “Not really. Xu Chang was definitely the culprit, but for the criminal case files, every detail should be clear.”
Qin Wan understood this point even better, and she had another question, “Remember that diagram I gave you showing the Crown Prince’s wound patterns?”
Yan Chi nodded, “It’s still in the council tent.”
“I still haven’t figured out what caused it. Yesterday afternoon I went to the council tent to look again at everything found in Xu Chang’s quarters, but nothing seemed suspicious.”
All of Xu Chang’s possessions, useful or not, had been collected. Qin Wan had examined each item but found nothing that could have caused that mark. This was why Yan Chi had asked for details today, but since Tuoba Hong hadn’t seen the entire process and Xu Chang was dead, it seemed this mystery would remain unsolved.
“We’ll have to set this question aside for now. With Xu Chang dead, there’s no way to verify. Since we’ve caught the killer, we don’t need to investigate this detail further.”
Qin Wan nodded in agreement, “That’s true.”
The case had already dragged on for many days, and Yan Huai, seeing it solved, only wanted to resume the spring hunt arrangements rather than dwell on it further. Though it was dark now, drums and gongs still sounded from the plaza outside, suggesting some kind of competition…
Just as this thought crossed Qin Wan’s mind, a young guard ran over, “Young Master, the Crown Prince requests your presence up front—”
Yan Chi’s eyes showed confusion, and the guard quickly explained, “There’s horse racing at the front grounds. The Crown Prince wants Young Master to join in watching. He says you’re skilled in horsemanship and wants you to judge who rides best!”
With the Crown Prince’s invitation, Yan Chi couldn’t refuse. He turned to Qin Wan, “Would you like to come along?”
The front plaza would surely be full of men now, making it inappropriate for Qin Wan to attend. She curved her lips and shook her head, “You go ahead, Your Highness. You’ve been quite busy these past days—you should rest early later.”
Yan Chi’s gaze softened, and he nodded before following the guard.
Qin Wan stood watching Yan Chi disappear into the distance before turning toward the Empress Dowager’s tent.
Meanwhile, Tuoba Wu yawned. Having cared for Tuoba Hong for many days, she was extremely tired, but with Tuoba Hong just having taken his medicine and fallen asleep, she was reluctant to leave.
Seeing this, Tuoba Rui said, “Imperial Sister, go rest first. I’ll watch here.”
Tuoba Wu looked at Tuoba Rui with some concern—he was young and inexperienced in caring for others.
Tuoba Rui scratched his head, “Elder Brother doesn’t need much care now, just someone to stay nearby. Don’t worry, I won’t fall asleep. You’ve been caring for Elder Brother for days and are exhausted.”
Tuoba Wu saw the logic in this, “You’ve become more sensible after this incident.”
Tuoba Rui grinned, losing his usual careless, arrogant demeanor.
After giving a few more instructions, Tuoba Wu left the tent.
Suddenly, only Tuoba Rui remained in the tent. The distant drums from the training ground barely reached his ears as he sat down, his pale eyes quietly watching Tuoba Hong.
The tent was extremely quiet. The yellowish lamplight cast shadows across Tuoba Rui’s face, half-bright and half-dark, making him appear both youthfully spirited and deeply gloomy as he watched Tuoba Hong, as if in a trance.
He hadn’t expected Qin Wan to know the art of examining corpses either.
When Qin Wan entered with the medicine, she saw Tuoba Rui’s deep, gloomy expression. She paused, her hands unconsciously tightening, causing the medicine package to make a soft sound.
Tuoba Rui turned around, traces of coldness still lingering on his face. Seeing Qin Wan, his lips finally curved up as he stood. Seeing Qin Wan curtsy, he said, “Why has Miss Nine come? Why didn’t they announce you?”
Qin Wan stepped forward, “They’re used to seeing me come here daily.”
She handed over the medicine package, “These are sleeping aids and medicinal herbs I prepared. Though the Crown Prince has awakened, his wounds aren’t healed, and he’ll have trouble sleeping. Just put these in the incense burner over there, like normal fragrance powder.”
Tuoba Rui smiled as he accepted it, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
Qin Wan shook her head, “It’s my duty. How quickly or slowly His Highness recovers depends on these few days.”
“Alright, don’t worry, I’ll follow your instructions.”
After Tuoba Rui spoke, Qin Wan should have left, but she looked around the tent, “Where is the Princess?”
“Imperial Sister has been caring for the Crown Prince for days. Seeing how tired she was, I told her to rest first. I’ll watch over Elder Brother tonight.”
Qin Wan nodded, glancing at the sleeping Tuoba Hong, “Then I’ll take my leave.”
Tuoba Rui nodded, but Qin Wan’s feet seemed heavy. She turned and walked away very slowly because somehow, the way Tuoba Rui had been sitting by Tuoba Hong’s bed earlier had chilled her to the core.