The slender and verdant leaves of Longjing tea unfurled and swirled in the clear tea, reflecting Xia Mingyuan’s face in the teacup. He lightly blew on the tea, causing the foam to slowly dissipate.
Yuanxi stood somewhat reservedly aside, her eyes already swollen from crying. Xia Mingyuan set down the teacup, sighed, and said, “Xiao’er, after such a big incident, why didn’t you tell me? You’ve been through a lot.”
Seeing the deep concern in Xia Mingyuan’s eyes, Yuanxi felt her nose tingle and nearly cried again. Although she had always harbored an inexplicable fear of her father, the recent dangerous circumstances had exhausted her both mentally and physically. At this moment, feeling the care of a loved one was like a warm stream flowing into her heart, making her feel that she was no longer fighting alone.
The old Marquis observed from the side with a cold gaze and quickly reassured Xia Mingyuan, “You can rest assured, Xia, since Yuanxi entered the Marquis Mansion’s gates, regardless of Xiao Du’s situation, we won’t let her suffer any grievances.”
Xia Mingyuan snorted coldly and said, “Old Marquis, there’s no need to be so nervous. Even if we don’t usually get along, it’s not like I would kick someone when they’re down.” He sighed again and continued, “Regardless of Xiao Du’s lack of progress, he’s still my son-in-law. How is he doing now? I don’t want my daughter to become a widow for no reason.”
Yuanxi furrowed her brows slightly, finding the term “widow” somewhat grating. She approached Xia Mingyuan and poured him some more tea, saying, “Father, rest assured, my husband will be fine. I can take care of myself.”
Xia Mingyuan glanced at her indifferently, then waved to his side, gesturing for a guard to hand a sandalwood box to the old Marquis. He said, “These are some rare medicinal herbs from my mansion, bestowed by the palace. I’m not sure if they’ll be of any use, but you might as well keep them for now.” Then, he turned to Yuanxi and asked, “Since I’m here, I’d like to see him myself. Yuanxi, will you take me there now?”
Yuanxi hesitated and glanced at the old Marquis, knowing he didn’t want outsiders to know about Xiao Du’s condition. The old Marquis looked at the wooden box in his hand, understanding that Xia Mingyuan had come prepared today and couldn’t be easily dismissed. He reluctantly forced a smile and said, “Thank you for your kind offer, but Xiao Du is currently being treated, and even we can’t enter. I’m afraid we’ll have to postpone your intentions for now.”
Xia Mingyuan shrugged, picked up his teacup again, and said, “That’s fine. Since I’m already here, I’ll wait with you. Having a resolution tonight means I won’t have to worry about Xiao’er anymore.”
He had adopted a full-on attitude, leaving the old Marquis with no room for further refusal. They all waited in the hall.
Yuanxi ordered some fruit tea to be served and discreetly glanced at the several guards accompanying Xia Mingyuan, feeling a sense of doubt lingering in her heart. Though touched by her father’s concern, she couldn’t shake the feeling that his motives for coming weren’t entirely pure.
After a while, Xia Chun rushed in, sweating profusely, and exclaimed, “My Lord, Mistress, Dr. Zuo has come out and asked for you to come over immediately!”
The old Marquis and Yuanxi immediately sensed the urgency from his expression and hurriedly stood up, following Xia Chun out. Xia Mingyuan’s eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness, as he quickly put down his teacup and rushed after them with his guards.
Outside Xiao Du’s room, chaos reigned. The Princess, unable to withstand the shock, had already been dragged back to her room by Madam Yu. Dr. Zuo looked grave as he paced outside the door. Upon seeing the old Marquis and Yuanxi arrive, he approaches them with apologies and sorrow, saying, “It’s all my fault, My Lord… My Lord may not make it through tonight!”
Yuanxi covered her mouth in shock, nearly fainting. The old Marquis’s body trembled violently, his eyes full of grief. For a moment, he couldn’t speak, forgetting that someone behind him shouldn’t have heard such words.
Only then did Dr. Zuo notice Xia Mingyuan, who had followed closely. He was so frightened that he shivered and stuttered as he bowed, “X-Xia… Lord Xia, w-why are you here?”
Xia Mingyuan’s gaze showed a hint of inquiry as he glanced at Dr. Zuo and then at Left Qiao. He said, “Dr. Zuo, you’ve seen clearly. This matter concerns the life and death of the Marquis, as well as the safety of the border. We cannot make hasty decisions.”
Left Qiao wiped the sweat from his face and glanced apologetically at the old Marquis, saying, “Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility of a turnaround. In any case, tonight is a critical moment. Let’s hope the Marquis can hold on.”
Xia Mingyuan sighed and walked to Yuanxi, who was already overwhelmed with grief. He gently hugged her and said softly, “Don’t worry, Dad will stay here with you tonight. No matter what happens, Dad will help you get through it.”
Yuanxi lifted her head in panic, feeling as if everything was unreal. Her eyes were red and swollen, her voice weak and distant, “Dad, are you staying tonight?”
The old Marquis finally snapped out of his misery and closed his eyes, speaking coldly, “Without seeing the outcome, how can Lord Xia willingly leave, right?”
Xia Mingyuan chuckled dryly but didn’t reply. The old Marquis took a deep breath. In that moment, he seemed to revert to the resolute and decisive man he was on the battlefield. He called for Zhou Jingyuan and instructed, “Prepare a room in the main house for Lord Xia to stay. Also, send a few maids and servants to attend to him properly.”
Xia Mingyuan waved his hand and said, “No need. These guards by my side have been with me for over a decade. They know what to do. There’s no need for any more arrangements.”
Turning away, he squeezed Yuanxi’s hand and said, “Don’t worry, Dad will stay here tonight. If anything happens, someone will come and inform me.”
On this Mid-Autumn Festival, the only concern in his heart was the safety of Xiao Du. He casually replied and instructed Nanny Li to take note. The old Marquis squinted at the back of Xiaoming Yuan, a cold smile playing on his lips… Inside and outside the house, people’s hearts were vastly different, each holding their world.
As the moon rose to its peak, inside the main room of the Marquis’ Mansion, Xiaoming Yuan sat calmly in the grand chair. His most trusted guard, Han Kun, was currently leading four others to meticulously inspect the room’s contents. After confirming there was no anomaly, he allowed the others to guard outside and reported back to him, “Your Highness, rest assured, everything is fine.”
Xiaoming Yuan sneered coldly, “Marquis Xiao Yunjing wouldn’t be so foolish. Everyone knows I’ve entered his mansion. If I can’t leave them intact, neither the Empress Dowager nor the current emperor will easily let him off.”
Han Kun nodded knowingly, “That’s why Your Highness dares to stay in the Marquis’ Mansion with such confidence. Blame it on Marquis Xiao Yunjing for sealing off all information from the mansion so tightly. If it weren’t for the inability to contact the insiders in the mansion, Your Highness wouldn’t have needed to come in person.”
Xiaoming Yuan remarked, “Though rumors outside claim Xiao Du is on his deathbed, I refuse to believe it’s that simple. I need to see for myself to be at ease. Tonight, I’ll thoroughly investigate his background to make arrangements for tomorrow.”
Han Kun pondered for a moment before asking, “But why would Xiao Yunjing just wait for his demise?”
Xiaoming Yuan lightly tapped his finger on the table and said, “That’s why you and the others must guard outside diligently tonight, ensuring there are no slip-ups.”
Han Kun straightened up and respectfully replied, “Your Highness, rest assured, only the finest soldiers were chosen to accompany us today. I’ve also arranged for a team to keep watch outside the Marquis’ Mansion. Unless Marquis Xiao Yunjing dares to openly oppose our mansion, nothing will go wrong.”
Xiaoming Yuan nodded, giving a few more instructions to Han Kun before finally relaxing slightly. Just then, a shout from the guards outside was heard, “Your Highness has retired, no one is allowed to enter.”
Seeing the signal from Xiaoming Yuan, Han Kun loudly asked, “What’s the matter?”
A guard outside hurriedly replied, “It’s a maid from the mansion, saying she’s here to deliver supper specifically for Your Highness.”
Without reason, why would they send supper? Han Kun furrowed his brow, about to dismiss the maid, when he heard Xiaoming Yuan say, “Let her leave the food and go.”
Perplexed, Han Kun watched as the guard brought in a tray of pastries. Xiaoming Yuan’s eyes gleamed as he ordered Han Kun to carefully inspect each pastry. True to his suspicions, one pastry concealed a folded note.
Han Kun carefully unfolded the note, which read: “There’s deceit in the mansion, meet at the west corner gate at three in the morning.”
“This…” Han Kun gasped, momentarily unable to discern the authenticity of the message. He cautiously looked at Xiaoming Yuan.
With a brief thought, Xiaoming Yuan crumpled the note and casually tossed it into the flames. Han Kun watched as the note was quickly consumed by the fire, turning into a wisp of smoke. Despite his lingering unease, he asked, “What if this is indeed a message from that person? Shouldn’t I go to the corner gate later to investigate?”
Xiaoming Yuan smiled and shook his head, “Whether true or false, you only need to remember our purpose today. No one else needs to concern themselves with it. As long as we safely make it through to tomorrow morning, nothing that happens in the mansion can escape our eyes. Before then, the more we do, the easier it is to be caught.”
Han Kun nodded half understanding and arranged everything inside the room before going to guard outside. He also assigned someone to stay outside to closely monitor any movements within the mansion.
After a nerve-wracking day, Xiaoming Yuan felt somewhat fatigued. However, he dared not sleep too deeply and lay on the bed with his clothes on.
By the time the third watch arrived, the sound of drums echoed outside the wall. Xiaoming Yuan was abruptly awakened by an unfamiliar fragrance. He immediately became alert, following the scent. Just as he took a few steps, he felt the ground beneath him give way. Before he could even shout, he fell into a pit.
The pit wasn’t deep, but he fell in unexpectedly, tumbling about. As he lifted his head, he saw the stone slab above him instantly close shut. In the corner behind him, a dark figure was slowly approaching…