“Really?” Taohua was stunned. “There’s someone shooting arrows at us?”
“You think I’m joking?” Shen Zaiye’s expression turned serious as he held Taohua close and spurred the horse to gallop through the forest. The whistling sound of arrows behind them didn’t stop, sending chills down Taohua’s spine.
For this spring hunt, the Emperor had invited civil and military officials, as well as members of the imperial family. The area within ten miles of West Mountain was restricted, so outsiders couldn’t enter. This meant the archer must be someone Shen Zaiye knew.
Who could be so vicious? If they wanted to shoot Shen Zaiye, couldn’t they at least let her dismount first?
Sighing, Taohua nervously clutched Shen Zaiye’s clothes and glanced back, muttering, “I don’t see anyone.”
“If you could see them, who would dare continue the assassination attempt?” Shen Zaiye sneered, focusing on the path ahead as he planned to return to the Emperor’s route.
As they rode, he quietly asked the woman in his arms, “If we’re surrounded by assassins later, would you choose to die with me or save yourself?”
Taohua looked up at him incredulously. “Why even ask that? If one can survive, why die together?”
Shen Zaiye frowned slightly, his face darkening.
He must have been foolish to ask her this question, expecting something pleasant from someone who couldn’t say anything nice.
Ahead was a fence for the hunting grounds. Taohua, seeing it, nervously shouted, “Just jump over it in one go! Don’t stop! Arrows are flying everywhere behind us!”
However, Shen Zaiye seemed not to hear her and reined in the horse, saying softly, “The horse can’t make it.”
How could it not? Taohua anxiously grabbed his collar. “I thought all of you in the Great Wei were excellent horsemen! Last time, some acrobats went to Zhao to perform, and their horses could jump through fire rings!”
Glancing at her sidelong, Shen Zaiye replied with a mix of anger and amusement, “You think everyone in Zhao is an acrobat?”
“…”
Before she could say anything else, Taohua’s pupils contracted as she saw an arrow heading straight for Shen Zaiye’s back. She immediately swung her arm against his shoulder.
Caught completely off guard, Shen Zaiye nearly fell off the horse face-first, saved only by his grip on the reins.
“What are you doing?” he shouted angrily.
But his voice was drowned out by the sound of an arrow piercing flesh, accompanied by the tearing of skin and muscle, leaving him stunned as he looked up.
An arrow had passed through where he had just been, lodging itself directly into Jiang Taohua’s shoulder!
Pale-faced, Taohua drew in a sharp breath, turning to look at Shen Zaiye through gritted teeth. “Don’t you have eyes in the back of your head?”
He refused to jump when she told him to, and now she was caught in the crossfire! This was more unjust than Dou E’s goose!
The whistling of arrows through the forest suddenly stopped. Shen Zaiye sat back on the horse, his eyes complex with emotion. He unconsciously echoed her words, “Do you have eyes in the back of your head?”
Jiang Taohua: “…”
Raising her hand to cover her shoulder, cold sweat beaded on her face, clearly in no mood to be angry with him. Her body began to tremble, her voice shaking as she looked at him like an innocent, injured little rabbit, pitiable and aggrieved. “It hurts…”
Coming to his senses, Shen Zaiye quickly turned the horse around and headed down the mountain, frowning as he said, “Didn’t you just say you’d abandon me and escape alone?”
Yet she had taken this arrow for him instead.
“It was instinctive. I didn’t want to suffer either,” Taohua pressed her lips together, her palm sweating from the pain. Trying to ignore the wound on her shoulder, she smiled lightly. “You owe me one now, my lord.”
Shen Zaiye fell silent, his eyes as deep as ink, his fingers white-knuckled on the reins.
This unpredictable woman was truly going to be the death of him!
They quickly returned to the stables, where imperial physicians were already waiting. Taohua closed her eyes, feeling terrible and not wanting to think about anything as she lay on the bed, allowing them to remove the arrow and treat her wound.
Zhan Lu approached his master with surprise, his eyes questioning. Shen Zaiye shook his head, his whole body radiating anger. “Go inform His Majesty.”
“Yes, sir.”
The physicians and female attendants in the room were too frightened to make a sound, while the officials who had rushed over stood outside, not daring to enter.
It was rare to see Prime Minister Shen so angry. His face looked as if he had returned from hell, his gaze so cold that no one dared meet his eyes. He held the bloodied arrow in his hand, which bore a certain family’s mark. Some tried to get a closer look, but Shen Zaiye’s hand blocked their view.
“Prime Minister, His Majesty, and several princes, along with Lord Meng and others, are still on the mountain,” Zhan Lu reported upon his return, bowing. “It’s unclear when they’ll come down.”
“Then we’ll wait,” Shen Zaiye said. “Send someone back to the city on horseback to fetch some restorative medicine.”
“Yes, sir!”
Closing the door on the clamoring crowd outside, Shen Zaiye walked to the bedside. The female attendant had already cleared away the excess bandages.
“Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep, but it’s become inflamed from the journey,” the physician said. “With the applied medicine and two doses of internal medicine, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”
Glancing at him, Shen Zaiye asked in a low voice, “You know what to tell the Emperor?”
“I understand, sir.” The physician bowed and left with the attendant to prepare the medicine.
Taohua lay quietly on the bed, her small face pale, her lips colorless. Shen Zaiye sat beside her and sighed softly.
“You truly are plagued by misfortune.”
Isn’t it all because of you? Taohua wanted to open her eyes and retort, but she was too exhausted, her shoulder aching terribly. Moreover, judging by Shen Zaiye’s tone, he might reveal some secrets while she was unconscious. She couldn’t miss that opportunity!
However, after that one sentence, Shen Zaiye remained silent for a long time. Just as Taohua felt she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly felt a softness on her lips.
Something warm covered her lips, lingering for a moment before withdrawing.
Did he kiss her? Taohua was stunned. She thought about how contradictory the Prime Minister was. Hadn’t he found her too dirty to kiss before? Now he was kissing her while she was awake and even when she was unconscious? What was he thinking?
The room was quiet. Even without opening her eyes, she knew he was looking at her, and her face felt hot.
“Prime Minister!” Half an hour later, Zhan Lu called from outside. “His Majesty has returned and is aware of what happened. He’s on his way here.”
“Understood.” Shen Zaiye responded, then looked down at the person on the bed and said softly, “Whether you’re truly unconscious or just pretending, when the Emperor arrives, you must not wake up.”
Jiang Taohua: “…”
How could this shrewd man guess everything?
The door to the room opened, and the Emperor entered with Consort Lan, followed by several princes and officials.
“Are you alright, Minister?” Emperor Mingde asked immediately.
Shen Zaiye shook his head with a somber face and bowed. “This subject is unharmed, thanks to Lady Jiang’s rescue. But Lady Jiang…”
He couldn’t continue and turned to look at the bed.
The Emperor was startled and quickly summoned the physician to ask, “How is Lady Jiang’s condition?”
The physician bowed and said, “The wound is very deep. She nearly lost her life and is still in critical condition. If she doesn’t wake up tonight, then… this subject fears there’s nothing more we can do.”
Everyone gasped. Prince Nan couldn’t help but step forward, frowning as he asked, “How did this happen?”
Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together and presented the bloodied arrow to the Emperor, kneeling on one knee. “This subject requests that Your Majesty seek justice for Lady Jiang. If not for her, it might have been this subject who died today!”
The Emperor frowned and took the arrow from his hand to examine it.
Each household’s hunting arrows had their mark, and this one had a green “Meng” character on its fletching.
“Your Majesty,” a nearby eunuch whispered after a glance, “this is Lord Meng’s arrow.”
“Lord Meng?” The Emperor was furious. He turned and had the guards bring the man forward. “How dare you!”
Lord Meng was dumbfounded, kneeling on the ground and staring at the arrow the Emperor had thrown before him. He quickly cried out, “I’ve been wronged! How could I possibly attempt to assassinate the Prime Minister?”
Shen Zaiye laughed coldly. “Perhaps it was just my misfortune to run into Lord Meng’s arrow. But Lord Meng’s archery skills are truly impressive. Several arrows came straight for me, making it difficult to dodge.”
“This…” Lord Meng panicked and instinctively glanced at Prince Yu.
Prince Yu maintained a serious expression and didn’t dare look at him, keeping his distance from the situation.
Emperor Mingde noticed his glance and also looked at Prince Yu, narrowing his eyes. “Does Wugu have something to do with this?”
“I’ve been wronged, Father!” Prince Yu quickly knelt. “I’ve been by your side the whole time and only just learned of this matter. How could I be involved?”
The Emperor looked at him suspiciously for a moment before turning his attention back to Lord Meng. “The evidence is clear. The Prime Minister wouldn’t falsely accuse you. Since that’s the case, you’ll be confined for now. After the hunt is over, you’ll be taken back to the capital for judgment.”
“Your Majesty!” Lord Meng repeatedly kowtowed. “I truly am innocent! This arrow…”
The Emperor waved his hand, clearly not wanting to hear more. The nearby guards efficiently took him away to be locked in the temporary palace’s dungeon.
“Don’t worry, Minister. I will ensure justice for you and Lady Jiang,” the Emperor said, turning back. “Lady Jiang was willing to risk her life to protect you. You are truly fortunate, Minister.”
Shen Zaiye nodded, his face still filled with worry. Consort Lan watched from the side, biting her lip before walking to the bedside to look.
Even with her color drained, the woman on the bed was still quite beautiful. Such a woman, willing to sacrifice herself to protect him—Shen Zaiye must be quite moved, right?
What a curious fate indeed.
“Since Lady Jiang is injured, I suppose the Prime Minister won’t be in the mood for hunting tomorrow?” she spoke up with a smile. “Tomorrow’s hunt will be quite dull without you.”
Shen Zaiye lowered his head and bowed to her. “Accompanying Your Majesties is this subject’s duty. I won’t neglect it because of Lady Jiang’s injury. I will certainly join Your Majesty on the mountain tomorrow.”
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Consort Lan looked at him with a charming smile. “She’s fighting for her life because of you, yet the Prime Minister won’t even stay by her side? If Lady Jiang knew, wouldn’t she be heartbroken?”
(End of Chapter)