Within 12 minutes

◎Luozhou◎

After Qin Feng and Qin Yan left, only Hua Yao, Cui Xun, and the man in black who had fainted on the ground remained.

Cui Xun walked to the horse, nimbly mounted it, and once settled, he reached out his hand to Hua Yao.

She looked up, backlit, so she couldn't see his expression. His hand was suspended in mid-air, palm up, long and strong fingers.

Hua Yao hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward and placing her hand in his palm.

Her back inevitably pressed lightly against his chest, and through several layers of clothing, she could feel the warmth and firmness of his touch.

"Are we just going to leave him alone?" She looked at the man in black on the ground.

Cui Xun gently pulled on the reins, his voice calm, "They'll be useful." As soon as he finished speaking, the horse's hooves kicked up a cloud of dust.

The two fell silent for a moment, with only the wind whispering past their ears.

"Are you going to Luozhou?" Hua Yao asked suddenly, looking at the empty road ahead.

"And you too." The voice came softly from behind her head.

Hua Yao was taken aback. What did he mean by "there's still her"? She subconsciously turned to look at him, her hair almost brushing against his chin. They were too close, close enough for her to see his slightly lowered eyelashes. She quickly turned back, looking straight ahead.

"Why am I still here?"

“On the way,” he chuckled, then added, “If you don’t want to go to Luozhou, I can kidnap you and take you with me.”

Hua Yao was speechless. "The Duke's actions are truly... unconventional. He either threatens people with arrows or directly kidnaps them."

Cui Xun neither confirmed nor denied, and then changed the subject.

"You asked before why he didn't directly win over your father." His voice was slightly low. "In the eyes of the world, and even in that person's eyes, Prime Minister Hua is a loyal subject, only loyal to the emperor and not forming factions. But I think he was just waiting, waiting for an opportunity to expose those ugly things to the public."

Hua Yao was horrified. "You mean, my father has important evidence that can help you clear your mother's name, and the person you're talking about..."

The thought suddenly became clear: "Could it be the current emperor?"

Cui Xun is already in a high position, yet he still needs the support of a prime minister, which means that the person he is going to oppose is above the two of them. Apart from the current emperor, she can't think of anyone else.

Cui Xun narrowed his eyelashes slightly. "Everyone says that Miss Hua is immoral and dissolute, a spoiled brat. But when I first saw you at Linyun Tower, you didn't have the slightest frivolous appearance as rumored. You were no longer Miss Hua at that time."

"What does this have to do with you coming to me?"

“When a person goes to a strange place, all they think about is how to get back. I can grant your request. Give them the bait, and they will surely come.” Cui Xun’s tone was as indifferent as if he were talking about the weather today.

“I am not Miss Hua, and I cannot allow the Hua family to be put in danger because of my own selfishness. You have chosen the wrong person from the beginning.” Just as she said, if she cooperated with Cui Xun, she would be implicated in the Prime Minister’s mansion. She could not do such a heinous thing. “Even if you say that you will not implicate the Prime Minister’s mansion, how can you guarantee that?”

"Prime Minister Hua is a loyal and righteous man. He will not let such a wrongful case be tarnished. As I said, he is just waiting for an opportunity, and that opportunity is you."

"You only need to mention one thing to your father, and the safety of the Prime Minister's residence will be in my hands. After it is done, I will keep my promise and let you return to your original world."

How can I trust you?

Cui Xun reined in the horse, and once it came to a stop, he lightly touched the saddle with his toes, spun around, and landed. He then reached out and wrapped his arm around Hua Yao's waist, lifting her down in a swift and decisive motion.

“You came here because you encountered water danger. If I’m not mistaken, there was a teardrop-shaped object with you.”

Hua Yao had just steadied herself when she seemed to hear a terrifying story.

"You know that?"

"The person you sought on East Street that day knows the story and reason behind your encounter with Miss Hua."

Hua Yao grabbed his arm excitedly, "Where is he now?"

Cui Xun glanced at her hand, and she had no choice but to let go, watching him walk to the shade of a tree and sit down.

"Am I taking you to find him?" he said slowly.

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and go." Hua Yao walked to his side and was about to pull him up.

"What's the rush? This beautiful landscape deserves to be fully appreciated."

...

Hua Yao was speechless. Well, what goes around comes around. She smiled awkwardly and then sat down next to him. "Your Excellency is in high spirits."

Cui Xun glanced sideways and chuckled softly.

--

The Eastern Palace Sleeping Room.

The hall was deathly silent, the heavy, lingering smell of medicine filling the air.

Several palace servants and imperial physicians stood silently in the shadows, not daring to utter a sound.

The silence was broken by the sound of a porcelain bowl shattering.

Upon hearing the commotion, the imperial physicians and palace maids hurriedly knelt down.

"Useless, a bunch of useless people!" The Empress's chest heaved violently as she glared at the kneeling imperial physicians below.

"After so much treatment, there's been no improvement whatsoever; in fact, it's gotten worse. You wouldn't have enough heads to chop off."

The crowd bowed even lower, their foreheads touching the ground, pleading, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

The physician Zhang, kneeling at the front, trembled violently, his heart filled with bitterness and despair.

The prince's illness has been going on for a while now. His pulse is extremely irregular, and his symptoms come and go. No matter how many ancient prescriptions and rare medicines have been used, there has been no improvement.

It's not that they don't want to save their lives, it's that they simply don't know where to start.

"Mother..."

A very faint, hoarse voice came from behind layers of brocade curtains.

Empress Jiang's anger was instantly replaced by tenderness. "Yi'er, your mother is here, your mother is here." She bent down and gently brushed away the Crown Prince's hair, which was damp with cold sweat.

Eight-year-old Li Shiyi lay on the bed, his face frighteningly pale and his eyes lifeless.

His eyelashes fluttered, and his voice was so soft it seemed to dissipate, "Mother, am I... about to die?"

The Empress's vision blurred with tears from her heartache. "Nonsense," she said, forcing a lighthearted tone. "Our Yi'er is destined to live to be a hundred years old. Get well soon, and your mother will take you horseback riding."

Li Shiyi stared blankly at her, seemingly not listening.

After a moment, tears of grievance slowly welled up in his eyes, and his voice became even lower, "Father...why haven't you come to see me yet?"

Jiang Liusi gently coaxed, "Father is busy with state affairs, but he will come to see Yi'er when he is done."

"Who said I wouldn't come?"

A deep, steady male voice rang out from outside the hall, and a bright yellow dragon robe swept across the threshold.

All the kneeling palace servants crawled on their knees, turning towards the palace gate, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

"All of you, step back!"

Li Juan walked and talked, his posture still upright despite being nearly fifty years old.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the head eunuch immediately replied, then turned to the crowd, his thin voice squeezing out from his throat, "Quickly, all of you, get out of here, and be quiet!"

The palace servants felt as if they had been granted a pardon, but dared not show it. One by one, they maintained their bowed posture and walked lightly and quickly out of the hall.

...

The palace doors were gently closed, and the room fell silent once more.

Li Juan strode towards the bed. The Empress had already risen and bowed.

"Father..." Li Shiyi, lying on the bed, saw who it was, and a glimmer of light returned to his dim eyes. He struggled to sit up.

"Lie down properly." Li Juan sat down by the bed and reached out to help him up.

"Where else does it hurt?" he asked, his tone gentler than when he spoke to the others.

The prince blinked, his voice weak and feeble, as if he had been ill for a long time. "My bones... hurt a little. I have no strength in my body, as if I'm tied up with ropes."

He took a breath before continuing, "My head is always foggy, and sometimes my vision is blurry."

Li Juan raised his eyes and glanced at the small rosewood table beside the bed.

Besides the water, there was also a medicine bowl base on top, with the same pattern as the broken bowl shards on the ground.

He turned his gaze to the Empress. The Empress immediately understood where his gaze was directed.

Her voice was strained, "It was freshly brewed detoxifying soup. Yi'er drank it, and within half a quarter of an hour, she vomited it all up, even more violently than usual." She looked at the mess on the ground, her hands involuntarily clenching slightly, "I was in a moment of panic, that's why..."

"The case of treason is very tedious. Even the Duke of Jin has left the capital to investigate. I have been busy these past few days," the Emperor said, rubbing his temples, his eyes showing weariness. "You have worked hard on the Crown Prince's side."

"It's all what I should do."

--

Six days later, in Luozhou.

The sound of horses' hooves stopped outside the rows of government offices. Cui Xun lowered his eyes slightly to look at Hua Yao, who had been silent since they entered the city.

"Now you must go see your father." He said in a low voice.

Hua Yao's fingers, which were gripping her sleeve, curled slightly.

She had thought about the journey countless times over the past few days. The Prime Minister Hua was a complete stranger to her. But now, she had to accept this identity.

"Go," she heard herself say.

...

The gatekeeper of the official residence was in a hurry to announce the news.

A moment later, hurried footsteps echoed from inside. A middle-aged man in a purple official robe strode out, the hem of his robe fluttering in the wind.

"Yao'er!"

Hua Yanbo saw his daughter first.

He stepped forward and quickly scanned her from head to toe. Seeing that she was unharmed, his furrowed brows relaxed, followed by an undisguised joy.

Upon seeing Cui Xun standing half a step behind his daughter, he paused for a moment, quickly straightened his sleeves, and bowed, saying, "Lord Duke."

Cui Xun returned the greeting with composure, saying, "Prime Minister Hua."

Hua Yanbo's gaze swept subtly between the two, a question lingering between his brows.

"I was on my way to Luozhou when I encountered some trouble with Miss Hua, so I decided to travel with her," Cui Xun explained briefly, his tone calm.

Hua Yanbo nodded, but his words of thanks were quickly overwhelmed by an even more urgent emotion. He looked at Hua Yao again, his voice softening involuntarily, "Was your journey arduous? Your grandmother wrote that you were to wait for me in Lingzhou, so why did you come to Luozhou? If I had known you were coming here, I should have sent someone sooner..."

He paused, his words trailing off.

He saw his daughter looking at him, her eyes gradually reddening.

Hua Yao's throat tightened.

The face before her should be unfamiliar to her.

But these eyes, eyebrows, nose, and mouth perfectly overlapped with the images that had long since faded from her memory.

When she was very young, her father's face was clear. But as the years passed, only a faint smile remained on the faded photograph under her pillow in the small welfare facility.

She thought she had long forgotten.

It wasn't there originally.

The word "father..." came out with a dry, hoarse voice.

Hua Yanbo felt a pang of sadness at her call, assuming that his daughter had been wronged.

He wanted to reach out and pat her arm, but with Cui Xun present, he could only say gently, "It's good that you've arrived safely. Go inside and rest. I'll have someone prepare a meal for you."

Hua Yao shook her head, took a deep breath, and suppressed the sob in her throat. "I'll stay at an inn."

Hua Yanbo was taken aback. "How can this be?"

“With so many matters to attend to right now, and the Prime Minister busy working for the people, how could he possibly have time to think about Miss Hua?” Cui Xun spoke up at the opportune moment. “It is ultimately inappropriate for a young woman to settle in this place full of men.”

“It’s more convenient to be out there. I’ve already made all the arrangements.”

Hua Yanbo looked at Cui Xun, his brows furrowing slightly. The Duke himself arranged this? He looked at his daughter again… and she didn't object.

After a moment of silence, he finally sighed, his compromise tinged with helpless indulgence, "Fine... as you wish." He then turned to Cui Xun, solemnly cupping his hands, "My daughter, I thank the Duke for taking good care of her."

Cui Xun nodded, "It's my duty."

Hua Yanbo and Hua Yao both looked at him... It's his duty? Something feels off.