There’s no need to rescue him.

Hearing these words, Gong Quan, being helped to rest at the side, felt a painful constriction in his throat. Thinking that he had presided over the Ministry of War for over twenty years, that Zhu Yushen had gone to war multiple times during the nation’s perilous moments, yet now was actually going to die drowning in the lake for the laughable reason of “conforming to heaven’s mandate”—his chest heaved up and down several times before he fainted in grief and indignation.

On the other side, though Qin Sang and Qin Ruo didn’t dare injure Shen Jun, their sword techniques formed a tight net, and Shen Jun couldn’t break free for the moment.

Every minute, every instant, Zhu Yushen’s life was slipping away.

Qin Ruo reversed his sword to thrust backward, using attack as defense, forcing Shen Jun back several steps.

In the midst of dodging and moving, Shen Jun glanced at Taiye Lake. The surface that had been rippling moments ago was gradually calming—Zhu Yushen had stopped struggling.

If this dragged on, he would die.

This thought exploded like thunder above Shen Jun’s head, shattering her last trace of hope in Shen Xi into nothing.

People in desperate straits always burst forth with extraordinary courage.

Shen Jun watched the long sword thrusting toward her again. She neither dodged nor retreated, but met it palm-first. The instant her palm touched the sword tip, she turned her palm downward to grip it, then yanked back.

The sword left its sheath, its blade gleaming like water.

“Princess?!”

In his shock, Qin Ruo hastily withdrew his hand, but Shen Jun had already collided with the blade’s gleam.

The sharp sword tip pierced Shen Jun’s shoulder. Even though Qin Ruo withdrew his force very quickly, a large amount of fresh blood still gushed from Shen Jun’s wound.

“Princess!” Seeing this scene, Qin Sang cried out softly, wanting to step forward to support her.

Shen Jun waved her hand to block him and called out loudly to Shen Xi: “Shen Qingyue, remember this well! I don’t care what rules you have in your palace. If Fourth Brother dies here today, it’s the same as taking my life! If he’s gone, I, Shen Jun, will absolutely not live alone!”

Because she was attending the palace banquet tonight, she wasn’t wearing red but an ivory white dress and shirt, plain and simple. Precisely because of this, the fresh blood flowing from her shoulder was all the more brilliantly crimson.

Shen Xi looked at this blood color and somehow recalled what Shen Tuo had said to him two years ago when he returned to the capital from exile: “A’Jing is gone, but A’Jun and you are still here. Our Shen household has shallow fortune. In the future, you two siblings must look after each other and live well.”

Fresh blood was still dripping down.

This bloom of blood on Shen Jun’s shoulder was just like the one that had blossomed on Shen Jing at Zhaojue Temple back then.

Nearly three years had passed. Shen Xi still missed her, often seeing her in dreams walking toward him from the night, draping an outer robe over his shoulders, saying softly: “When spring deepens, I’ll take Lin’er to Beiping to see Third Sister. You’ll come with me then. We three siblings haven’t had a reunion in many years.”

Elder Sister was just like this—treating the world with her life’s gentleness. Even her heart’s desire was nothing more than the word “reunion.”

But he had told her: there will be plenty of time in the future.

Plenty of time in the future.

Days always become one day fewer with each passing day. How could there be plenty of time? How could there!

Shen Xi’s hand hanging at his side began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Save him.” He turned his face away, his voice hoarse.

As soon as the words fell, Zhu Yushen’s deputy general broke free from the Jinwu Guards’ restraint and jumped into the lake, desperately swimming toward the lake’s center.

By the time he pulled Zhu Yushen up from underwater, Zhu Yushen had already lost consciousness.

Several Prefecture Army Guards quickly entered the water and together with the deputy general, worked to push Zhu Yushen to shore. Fang Xu set down his medicine box, checked Zhu Yushen’s breath and throat pulse, overlapped his palms, and gently pressed on his abdomen over ten times before Zhu Yushen coughed up a mouthful of lake water.

Fang Xu breathed a sigh of relief, took Zhu Yushen’s pulse, beckoned a nearby medical assistant to replace him, and turned back to report to Shen Xi: “Lord Shen, though the Fourth Prince’s life is saved, because he was submerged too long, his pulse is very weak. I don’t know if his heart, lungs, or brain are injured. Once His Highness stabilizes somewhat, this subordinate would like to take him back to the Imperial Medical Academy for treatment.”

Shen Xi hummed in acknowledgment.

He lowered his eyes, the teardrop mole at his eye corner reflecting a dim light: “Go check the Fourth Princess’s injury—”

“No need.” Before Fang Xu could move, Shen Jun interrupted.

Shen Xi raised his eyes, his gaze as cold as frost and snow.

He looked toward Shen Jun but said nothing. After a while, he turned around with hands clasped behind his back and returned to the front palace on his own.

However, once Shen Xi left, no one at Taiye Lake could make decisions. Everyone looked left and right, finally settling their gazes on Liu Chaoming and Su Jin.

Liu Chaoming, finding it none of his concern, turned and left.

Su Jin thought for a moment and instructed: “Fang Xu, escort both the Fourth Prince and Fourth Princess to the Imperial Medical Academy. Find some medical women to treat the Fourth Princess’s wound.”

Fang Xu acknowledged this.

She looked toward the crowd again: “Where are the people from the Ministry of Rites?”

Zou Liren, leading two directors and several junior clerks, emerged from the crowd and bowed to Su Jin: “Lord Su.”

Today’s autumn ceremony, though interrupted by an accident, couldn’t omit any of the proper etiquette or rewards that should be given, or it would disgrace the imperial family.

Su Jin naturally knew this point. She first handled the Ministry of Rites’ follow-up matters, then had the Imperial Guards salvage the dragon boat and instructed people from the Ministry of Works to inspect it. After all this commotion, looking at the sky again, it was already nearly dawn of the next day.

Thinking that today people from Beiping Prefecture should return the military tally of the Northern Grand Camp to the Ministry of War, and with no court assembly, she returned to Liuzhao Pavilion to handle urgent matters first. Then she washed up, closed the doors and windows, and had just leaned onto the bed when exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep.

She slept deeply, unaware of time passing. When she woke again, the sky outside was filled with rosy clouds.

Su Jin took a moment to gather herself before realizing this golden light wasn’t morning glow but evening glow.

Just then, a knock came from outside: “Lord Su, are you awake?”

It was Wu Jizhi.

He must have been waiting outside for some time, only knocking when he heard movement inside.

Sure enough, as soon as Wu Jizhi pushed open the door, he said: “Lord Su, Lord Shen has mostly handled palace affairs. He came looking for you earlier, but you had closed your room and were sleeping. Lord Shen therefore instructed this subordinate not to disturb you—whenever you wake, you can go find him.”

Su Jin hummed in acknowledgment, sipping tea to clear her mouth while asking: “How are the Fourth Prince and Fourth Princess?”

“The Princess’s injury isn’t serious. The Imperial Medical Academy has already treated it. As for the Fourth Prince, Physician Fang from the Imperial Medical Academy has been watching over him all day. Lord Shen asked you to come so you could hear together what Physician Fang has to say. Only—”

Wu Jizhi hesitated here.

“This afternoon, the Fourth Princess went to find Lord Shen. She said the autumn ceremony had passed, the military tally returned, and she wished to request permission to return to Beiping with the Fourth Prince. But Lord Shen didn’t agree.

“Not only did he not agree, he didn’t even consent to the Fourth Prince leaving the palace. He personally wrote a directive stating that due to injury recovery, the Fourth Prince should move to Chunyu Pavilion in the rear palace in three days, with Imperial Medical Academy personnel watching over him day and night. Only after His Majesty returns to the palace and confirms the Fourth Prince’s condition is stable will another decree be issued.”

Until His Majesty returns to the palace?

This was… keeping Zhu Yushen under house arrest until Zhu Nanxian returned to the capital?

Su Jin understood. Shen Xi issued such a directive entirely for her and Zhu Nanxian’s sake.

Zhu Yushen held the power of the northern border’s heavy military forces. Once he returned to Beiping, it would be like releasing a tiger back to its mountain. But if kept in the capital, then even with great military power in hand, distant water couldn’t put out a nearby fire.

Even though Zhu Yushen had nearly drowned in the lake yesterday due to dementia, Shen Qingyue still couldn’t fully trust him.

Keeping Zhu Yushen confined in the palace meant his life was to a certain extent in Su Jin’s hands. Shen Qingyue’s action was also adding a “safety lock” for her security.

Su Jin was silent for a moment before asking: “Qingyue issued such a directive—what did the Fourth Princess say?”

“The Princess was naturally extremely angry but also helpless. Actually, when the Princess first returned to the capital, because she missed Lord Shen, she had someone send her luggage to Shen Manor, planning to stay there. After her big argument with Lord Shen today, she’s already gone back to the manor to retrieve her luggage.”

Hearing this, Su Jin’s heart felt very uncomfortable.

Wu Jizhi asked: “Lord Su, it’s already the hour of you. Would you like to dine before going to find Lord Shen, or go now?”

Su Jin said: “I’ll go dine with him.”

At the western courtyard of Liuzhao Pavilion, a junior clerk had just laid out dishes for Shen Xi when he saw Su Jin arrive and hurriedly had people add several more dishes.

Shen Xi’s complexion was somewhat haggard, his appetite very poor. He ate only sparingly, but didn’t stop his chopsticks. Su Jin knew he was forcing himself to eat—he was leaving the capital tomorrow for Wuchang and wanted to go and return as soon as possible.

But Su Jin didn’t say much, only: “You needn’t rush too much on your way to Wuchang. After all, I’m handling palace affairs. In the past two years when I was in Annan, didn’t you also manage alone?”

Shen Xi nodded and finally finished the vegetables in his bowl: “This afternoon, I thought carefully and sent Thirteen a letter in my own hand.” He was quiet for a moment. “I told him not to delay too long on the road due to military affairs. If he can return early, then return early.”

Saying this, he leaned back against the chair, extremely weary, supporting his temples with his hand.

After the junior clerks attending in the hall cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, too lazy to move elsewhere, he instructed: “Summon Fang Xu to Liuzhao Pavilion.”

The Imperial Medical Academy was brightly lit until the middle of the night. When Fang Xu left, he instructed a junior medical assistant who often followed him to watch over Zhu Yushen.

When Zhu Yushen moved to Chunyu Pavilion, he would need to guard the pavilion day and night together with the Imperial Guards until Zhu Nanxian returned. Therefore, tonight he planned to report to Shen Xi and Su Jin before going home to rest for a night.

The junior medical assistant was very conscientious. No matter how tired, he watched over Zhu Yushen without blinking.

Who knows how long had passed when the room door creaked open. A medical officer entered with a prescription: “Come look at this. Did your master write this prescription wrong?”

The medical assistant’s master was Fang Xu. Glancing at the prescription, it was indeed Fang Xu’s handwriting. But the Fourth Prince clearly suffered from drowning and dementia—why use notoginseng for stopping bleeding?

“Did Master write this prescription just now?” the junior medical assistant asked.

“Yes.” The medical officer said, “It was just sent into the palace.” He added, “Why don’t you go ask? No one knows Physician Fang’s medication habits better than you. If this notoginseng has another purpose and we delay His Highness’s treatment, that would be bad.”

The junior medical assistant was still hesitating when the medical officer said: “I’ll watch here for you. Go quickly and return quickly.”

However, not long after the medical assistant left, the inner door creaked open again.

The newcomer had a tall figure, draped in an ink-black cloak, face unclear.

The medical officer guarding inside the room wasn’t surprised to see this person but stood and bowed, silently withdrawing.

The candle flame on the table flickered faintly, sometimes bright, sometimes dim. The person in the black cloak stood silently for a moment, removed the hood, revealing a cool, handsome face without a single flaw.

Liu Chaoming said in a low voice: “Starting now, there are still two hours until dawn. Before we succeed, His Highness and I only have these two hours. If His Highness isn’t truly demented, then rise.”

As his words fell, the room remained quiet. The candle flame on the table shrank slightly, as if even it dared not make a sound.

But just then, a soft sigh came from the wooden bed.

That Zhu Yushen who had been bedridden for over a year, whom even those closest to him and who cared most about him thought had gone mad, suddenly opened his eyes.

A light floated up from the depths of his previously lusterless eyes, slowly rising, transforming into a pool of moonlit ocean. But the instant he sat up from the bed, it abruptly receded—like a tide that could swallow the sky and sun, suddenly sinking into an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep, becoming even more profound than before.

“Liu Yun.” Zhu Yushen said blandly.