With so many eyes watching, what could Li Qitian do at this moment?

He could only suppress the resentment in his heart, put on a complete act, stepped down from his palanquin, and personally approached to check the situation. On one hand, he loudly ordered people to summon the imperial physician, and on the other hand, he went to press Pang Xiao’s philtrum.

Li Qitian held back his anger, using considerable force with his hands. If it were an ordinary person pretending to faint, they would have jumped up from such forceful pressing.

Yet Pang Xiao remained lying powerlessly on the ground.

Huzi, Xie Yue, Xu Weizhi, and the elite Tiger Guards, witnessing Li Qitian using such harsh methods to press the prince’s pressure point at close range, wished they could step forward and kick him away. However, given the vast difference in status, it was already the greatest mercy for the Emperor to lower himself to their level, and they couldn’t move.

Just then, there was a commotion outside the crowd.

The people parted like the Red Sea for Moses, all turning their gazes to a woman in plain white clothing who was hurrying toward them.

Qin Yining’s face had lost all color, her bright countenance drained of blood, pale as paper. Her sparkling eyes held moisture, making anyone who looked at her feel pity.

“My lord, my lord!” She stumbled forward to his side, and Qin Yining immediately embraced Pang Xiao, simultaneously pushing Li Qitian away without ceremony. “My lord, don’t frighten your wife, my lord!”

Others didn’t dare push Li Qitian away, but as Pang Xiao’s lawful wife, seeing her husband collapse, whatever she did in her panic could not be held against her by Li Qitian. Otherwise, if he argued with a woman following proper conduct, where would his dignity be?

Li Qitian stood up, coldly watching this couple’s performance.

But this matter had no evidence and could not be exposed, leaving him grinding his teeth in fury yet completely helpless.

“My lord! Your wife has already lost everything. You are my only support. Nothing can happen to you!”

Qin Yining’s tears fell like broken pearls. Her sorrowful cries, like those of a fragile kitten, made many soft-hearted common people’s noses sting with sympathy.

How tragic this was.

The good Minister Qin had died mysteriously in the north, and even now His Majesty had not given a clear explanation.

All of the Qin family’s relatives, including the princess consort’s twin children, had been killed by bandits on the road while escorting the coffin home.

A woman who was once enviably happy now wore nothing but plain white. Her family, relatives, and children had all disappeared overnight, and now her husband had also collapsed to the ground.

Some people began to shed tears along with her.

Others felt confused in their hearts.

The Emperor’s attitude toward Qin Huaiyuan’s death was too thought-provoking, leading many people to inevitable conspiracy theories—

Bandits appearing on the road during the funeral procession and killing everyone was simply an earth-shaking tragedy, yet they hadn’t seen the court swearing to catch the perpetrator. They couldn’t help but suspect this was deliberately orchestrated by someone with ulterior motives.

Why?

Wasn’t it because Prince Zhongshun’s achievements had overshadowed his master!

Among the common people, those with keen insight analyzed it this way, and even more among the court officials thought the same, only no one had the courage to speak it aloud.

After his anger, Li Qitian also quickly realized he seemed to have fallen into another trap again. Grinding his teeth in fury, he said with feigned urgency: “Why haven’t you gone to summon the imperial physician!”

“Yes!”

Xiong Jinshui hurriedly ordered the accompanying young eunuch to go.

At this timely moment, Bingtang stepped forward, taking out thin silver needles for acupuncture. “Princess Consort, let this servant try.”

Qin Yining nodded repeatedly, moving aside to make room while wiping her tears with her sleeve. As soon as her sleeve approached her eyes, they immediately reddened again and more tears rolled out, crying pitifully like pear blossoms in the rain.

Bingtang inserted two needles into Pang Xiao’s body, and Pang Xiao immediately stirred and regained consciousness.

Qin Yining joyfully rushed forward, “My lord!”

Lying on the ground, Pang Xiao saw Qin Yining whom he hadn’t seen for many days, couldn’t help but curl his lips in a smile, “Sister Yi.”

Qin Yining also broke into a smile through her tears, supporting Pang Xiao to sit up: “My lord, are you alright? You really frightened your wife!”

When Qin Yining helped Pang Xiao up, her sleeve accidentally touched his face. A sharp, irritating sensation suddenly rushed up, and his eyes immediately reddened too.

Pang Xiao couldn’t help but feel helpless – wasn’t this ginger juice applied a bit too much? No wonder his precious Sister Yi was crying so pitifully.

But the sight of the husband and wife looking at each other “with tears” still moved many onlookers around them.

Many common people, thinking of the hero’s tragic circumstances, felt sympathy, and some had already begun wiping their eyes.

Pang Xiao was helped up by Qin Yining and somewhat weakly bowed to Li Qitian: “Your Majesty, please forgive this subject. This subject has offended Your Majesty’s presence. Please punish this subject.”

Could Li Qitian punish him? If he did, he’d probably be drowned by the people’s spittle!

Li Qitian said with a concerned expression: “No matter! We’re family, wouldn’t such words be too formal?”

“This subject dare not presume.” Pang Xiao respectfully lowered his head.

Qin Yining then used her other sleeve to dry her tears and curtsied: “Your Majesty, this subject’s wife has an unreasonable request. The prince is physically weak and his condition is worrying. This subject’s wife would like to request Your Majesty’s permission to let the prince temporarily return to his mansion to recuperate. When he recovers, he can enter the palace to report for duty. Would this be possible?”

As soon as Qin Yining finished speaking, Pang Xiao’s tall frame swayed, nearly causing Qin Yining to lose her support.

Another gasp of alarm arose from the crowd.

If there weren’t so many people present, Li Qitian really wanted to strangle this cunning woman!

She was simply taking advantage of his position as Emperor and need to maintain face, making such demands. That Pang Zhixi was no good either – they were truly bullying him by knowing he couldn’t lose his temper!

But for the sake of reputation, Li Qitian could only nod in agreement, and had to add: “I will have the imperial physician go to the prince’s mansion to treat Zhixi later.”

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s compassion!” Qin Yining bowed respectfully once more, then turned to help Pang Xiao toward the carriage at the street corner with Huzi and the others.

The common people spontaneously cleared a path.

Qin Yining first helped Pang Xiao into the carriage, then stepped on the wooden stool to get in herself.

At the moment the curtain was lowered, her gaze inadvertently met Lu Heng’s.

Lu Heng’s eyes were as always burning and gentle, though that emotional display lasted only an instant before he resumed his indifferent appearance.

The curtain fell completely, blocking the view from outside the carriage.

The elite Tiger Guards followed behind the carriage, riding all the way toward the prince’s mansion.

Meanwhile, those common people who had been at the back of the crowd all spontaneously followed behind the carriage, in a grand procession escorting the prince home. Only those near His Majesty’s presence, kneeling on the ground, couldn’t move and could only keep their heads lowered.

Li Qitian boarded his palanquin with a smile on his face, ordering: “Return to the palace.”

“His Majesty departs!”

“Long live our Emperor, long live, long live!”

The common people knelt to respectfully see him off.

Li Qitian’s imperial procession had come to personally receive Pang Xiao, but in the end hadn’t brought anyone back, making the trip for nothing and being talked about behind his back for so long. Li Qitian, sitting in his palanquin and trembling with anger, was a matter for later discussion.

The common people who followed Pang Xiao’s carriage back to the prince’s mansion, seeing the dilapidated courtyard walls and entrance of the mansion, couldn’t help but sigh again.

This was a prince’s mansion? It was completely different from their image of a prince’s mansion being golden and magnificent! The prince had fought wars abroad, sleeping in the open and risking his life and death. When he returned to the capital, the place he lived in, aside from being larger, wasn’t much better than what they common folk lived in.

After seeing the prince enter his mansion, Ji Yun went to the entrance as Qin Yining had instructed to thank all the common people and ask them to disperse.

Only after the prince’s mansion gates were completely closed did sighs arise from the crowd.

Because they had just seen His Majesty’s procession, regardless of distance or whether they could clearly see Li Qitian’s appearance, everyone tacitly agreed not to discuss it further.

However, everyone more or less felt indignant for Pang Xiao in their hearts. A great hero had actually lost his entire family and fallen to such a state.

His Majesty had initially only arranged for a eunuch to deliver the decree, perhaps later being forced by public opinion to personally come and receive him.

His Majesty’s treatment of meritorious officials seemed somewhat too unfair.

Someone also remembered the former Marquis Dingbei, now Duke Dingguo, Ji Zeyu.

“I heard Prince Consort Ji now only has his title but no official position.”

This comment again caused many people to sigh with emotion.

In the prince’s mansion, Xie Yue, Xu Weizhi, Huzi and the elite Tiger Guards had been arranged by Ji Yun to rest in the outer courtyard. Qin Yining and Pang Xiao went to the main room of the second courtyard.

Everyone remained silent all the way.

Only after entering the room, when Bingtang had brought people to serve tea and refreshments and was guarding outside the door, did they speak.

Pang Xiao looked at the clean and tidy furnishings inside the room, compared to the dilapidated scene they had seen when returning to the mansion, it formed a stark contrast like heaven and earth.

He relaxed and lay on the warm kang by the window, “Ah! Finally home! Hehe, my wife is so clever.”

He reached out with his large hand and pulled Qin Yining into his embrace.

Qin Yining leaned against Pang Xiao’s chest, smiling as she said: “If I hadn’t appeared quickly, with him in such a rage, if he had taken you into the palace, he would probably have found ways to punish you. I would never let you fall into his hands alone.”

She had experienced being helplessly confined in the palace, where calling to heaven brought no response and calling to earth brought no answer. If Pang Xiao were to be arrested by Li Qitian on some pretext, how could she do anything from outside the palace?

Pang Xiao’s large hand patted her slender shoulder, joking: “Could I really avoid attending court?”

“Claim illness.” Qin Yining sat up straight, a strand of loose long hair falling over her shoulder. “This is such a good opportunity. Everyone saw you collapse, so it’s perfect to claim illness and not attend court. Even if you go later, the attention will have died down. Besides, with so many people at court, he won’t have a chance to use underhanded tactics against you.”

“What if he impeaches me?” Pang Xiao asked with a smile.

Qin Yining’s beautiful eyes turned craftily, “Actually, some things happened after I returned to the capital. That day when entering the city, I coincidentally met the ninth young master of Duke Changguo’s mansion, he…”

Before Qin Yining could finish her words, Bingtang’s voice came from outside: “Princess Consort, Vice Director Liu has arrived!”

Qin Yining was startled, quickly pressing Pang Xiao to lie down, while she again used ginger juice to irritate her eyes, causing tears to flow again.

“Quickly invite Vice Director Liu in,” Qin Yining said to those outside with a nasal voice.

Seeing this, Pang Xiao frowned disapprovingly: “Use less next time. Too spicy.”

Qin Yining took a moment to stick her tongue out at Pang Xiao and make a face.

Pang Xiao was almost made to laugh out loud, but hearing footsteps approaching outside, he had to struggle to hold it in. In his heart, he had already embraced and kissed his adorable Sister Yi tens of thousands of times.

Vice Director Liu carried his medical bag, entering with respectful steps, and bowed respectfully: “This subject pays respects to Your Highness and the Princess Consort.”