Such precise archery, called a mere accident rather than deliberate intent—even Ziqing herself didn’t believe it!

No, she was certain this arrow hadn’t come from her own bow. Someone must have slipped past her, Situ Haonan, and even Yelu Qianqian’s notice, firing from the opposite direction of where she’d been hunting the leopard!

Creating a false impression for both her and Situ Haonan!

What a vicious, cunning scheme—not only had it deceived her and Situ Haonan, but it had also left them facing the suspicion of Yelu Qianqian’s guard and everyone else, forced to insist it had been an accidental shot!

An “accidental” shot and such precise archery contradicted each other, leaving both Ziqing and Situ Haonan with no way to clear their names now.

If they claimed now that she hadn’t fired the arrow at all, who would possibly believe them?

That was precisely where the true malice of this scheme lay.

Ziqing wanted nothing more than to kick the Second Beast Young Master, still slumped nearby, but she held herself back.

Now, only Yelu Qianqian waking up and clarifying everything herself could truly resolve this—otherwise, there would be no clearing their names.

Everything regarding the Western Three Cities had been proceeding so smoothly. If this misunderstanding was allowed to fester, not only would all of Jun Beiyue’s painstaking planning for the Western Three Cities come to nothing, but even next year’s matter at Mingsha Mountain would become unreachable to them!

Facing everyone’s suspicious stares, Ziqing had no intention of hiding anything, saying seriously instead, “I’ve already said—the truth will come out once Princess Qianqian wakes. If this physician can’t save her, we’ll find another who can. For now, we should set out for the capital immediately, report this to His Majesty, and have the Medicine Clan leader examine her!”

At these words, a flicker of displeasure crossed the Second Beast Young Master’s eyes—he truly hadn’t expected Han Ziqing to escalate this matter all the way to the royal capital at this point!

Well, so what if he hadn’t expected it? He still had arrangements in place.

The moment Ziqing said this, Yelu Qianqian’s guard immediately protested. “Absolutely not! This matter must be investigated by people sent from Western Jing ourselves—otherwise, wouldn’t everything simply be however you say it is!”

“This princess consort has already said—everything will be made clear once Princess Qianqian wakes!” Ziqing said coldly.

“Western Jing can no longer trust you to look after Princess Qianqian. Heaven knows whether she’ll even wake up at all.” The guard paused, then added, “And if Princess Qianqian never wakes, would this matter simply be swept under the rug?”

At these words, Ziqing couldn’t help but suck in a breath. What a Second Beast Young Master—not only had he buried himself deep, but he’d planted his spies just as deep too!

This guard was clearly acting deliberately! Otherwise, how would a mere guard dare to act so presumptuously on his own?

Ziqing wasn’t foolish enough to keep clashing with this guard—rumors would spread even faster the longer this dragged on.

She turned to the Second Beast Young Master with an anxious expression. “Second Young Master, you were there too, you witnessed everything—please, speak fairly for us!”

If he wanted to keep up the act, let him carry it through to the end.

The Second Beast Young Master nodded quickly. “I can vouch that the Princess Consort absolutely didn’t do it on purpose. She was hunting a leopard at the time and had no idea Princess Qianqian was even there!”

“Then how could the arrow be so precisely aimed? Don’t tell me that’s a coincidence too!” the guard demanded.

Ziqing said nothing, letting the Second Beast Young Master argue it out with the guard. A flicker of appreciation crossed his eyes as he continued, “Even the most precise shot can happen by accident—why couldn’t it be? If it wasn’t an accident, who else could have fired such a precise shot?”

“The Princess Consort’s archery skills are said to surpass even the Princess Imperial of Western Chu—I heard her arrow once caused an uproar throughout the entire capital of Da Zhou!” the guard countered.

The Second Beast Young Master was immediately left speechless by this perfectly reasonable rebuttal, turning to Ziqing with an innocent expression.

Ziqing had no way out now. This matter would have to be discussed with Jun Beiyue—it wasn’t that she had no options at all. She could simply agree to the guard’s demand and let Western Jing send their own investigators; she could weather any rumors that followed. But the situation at the Western Three Cities—that, she couldn’t be certain of.

How long would it take for Western Jing to send someone? How long would it take for the Medicine Clan leader to heal Yelu Qianqian? How long could the situation at the Western Three Cities afford to be delayed? And what kind of man was the Emperor of Western Jing—what was his temperament like?

All of this required careful consideration—but so much of it was information only Jun Beiyue truly understood.

Never had Ziqing wished more fervently for Jun Beiyue to be here—not for his protection, but simply for a single nod from him, telling her she could act boldly.

She was terrified of ruining everything he’d worked so hard to build, of destroying his carefully laid plans!

Ziqing hesitated. Even the most decisive person, once they had something to worry about, someone to consider, would inevitably lose their edge of resolve.

At this moment, the Empress of Eastern Qin smiled. “This guard is simply being responsible. It’s indeed necessary for the Emperor of Western Jing to know about this matter. If my own child were harmed abroad like ‘this,’ nearly losing their life, I… would absolutely see this through to the end!”

Coming from someone of the Empress’s standing, such words carried tremendous weight, even if there was an unmistakable hint of instigation behind them.

Just as Ziqing was about to speak, Baili Weisheng, who had been watching Yelu Qianqian with an air of amused curiosity, suddenly let out a sharp cry. “Ah!”

Everyone froze at once. At first glance, this man seemed like a pedantic scholar; look more closely, and he seemed more like a shabby, roguish bookworm; look closer still, and there was something distinctly unhinged about him.

What was he doing?

Ziqing frowned as well, silently urging him not to cause more trouble.

But Baili Weisheng cried “Ah!” again, then said seriously, “Everyone, quiet down—I can save her!”

“Really!” Ziqing couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope.

But the guard immediately challenged him. “You’re just a veterinarian—you think you can save people? What do you take our princess for?”

“Those who don’t consider shrimp seafood commit a sin. Those who don’t consider a veterinarian a physician are…” Baili Weisheng paused mid-sentence. Unhinged as this fellow was, he still had a certain magnetic charm that drew attention, and the guard, momentarily silenced, waited for him to finish.

To everyone’s surprise, Baili Weisheng finally said, “Those who don’t consider a veterinarian a physician… are simply ignorant!”

With that, he shoved the guard aside at once, produced a red pill from seemingly nowhere, and pressed it directly into Yelu Qianqian’s hand—moving so quickly that even Ziqing, standing right beside him, hadn’t managed to react in time.

“You—you! How dare you! Beastfolk clan leader, if anything happens to Princess Qianqian, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!” the guard roared furiously, immediately moving to carry Yelu Qianqian away.

But the moment he lifted her up, Yelu Qianqian suddenly gave a violent cough, and instantly, everyone froze in shock.

The Second Beast Young Master shot the guard a sharp look, but the guard, paying no mind to anything else, was determined to scoop Yelu Qianqian up.

Situ Haonan immediately seized his wrist, saying coldly, “You’re the one being presumptuous. Do you think you can just handle the princess’s precious person however you please?”

“And it’s not up to you either!” the guard shot back, breaking free to struggle, but Situ Haonan flung him aside forcefully, furious now.

Just then, Yelu Qianqian suddenly began coughing violently. Ziqing’s heart leapt with joy as Baili Weisheng slammed a hand hard against her back. Yelu Qianqian spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged water, and at the same moment, opened her wide, hazy eyes.