The night watchman's drum beats softly, and outside the window, the sycamore trees provide ample shade. A light drizzle weaves through a pond of lotus leaves, and willow branches sway, splashing tiny droplets of water on the ground.

The entire Liangyuan Garden was brightly lit. A spring rain brought a chill, and the busy servants and maids' long sleeves were soaked with sweat. The night wind blew, and pear blossoms piled up all over the ground.

The room was warm and cozy. A dozen doctors filed in one after another to take her pulse and examine her. Xie Xuan sat on the edge of the bed, glanced at the person curled up in his arms, and poured the medicine soup handed to him by the doctor into her mouth.

Wang Wan had just changed her clothes and applied medicine. She was only wrapped in a thin, revealing white dress, and her face was weak and pale. After drinking the medicine, she pushed him away, rolled up in the blanket, and lay down on her side.

Seeing her dodge, Xie Xuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I just personally applied the medicine all over your body. Is it too late to be shy now?"

Her cheeks flushed, and she glanced at his untreated wounds in the light, urging him in a low voice, "The doctor is still waiting in the outer room, go and apply the medicine quickly."

She didn't break any bones; it was all superficial injuries.

Xie Xuan looked down at her disheveled appearance, stopped teasing her, went to the back washroom to tidy herself up, put on a clean robe, and went to the outer room to get her bandaged.

A light drizzle fell on the broad leaves of the sycamore tree outside the window, while soft, rustling sunlight streamed in through the window.

Wang Wan's pale face was huddled under the covers, revealing only a pair of dark, bright eyes that sparkled like stars.

Outside, the doctor's instructions could be heard from time to time, along with the footsteps of guards and the clash of knives. Words like "man," "whip," and "cage" could be faintly heard.

She snapped out of her daze and listened intently, but the sound was too low for her to hear clearly. So she lifted the gauze curtain, put on her shoes, and went to the window to listen.

As soon as I opened the window, the sweet fragrance of Asarum sieboldii wafted in. The drizzle had just stopped, and the air was damp and slightly cool. Pear blossoms covered the bluestone steps, and spring was in full bloom.

She shivered from the cold and peeked out to see the person standing under the eaves, but as soon as she poked her head out, she was suddenly tapped on the head. When she looked up, she met his eyes, which were smiling like a fox.

"What are you eavesdropping on?"

Wang Wanwei smiled, cleared her throat, and looked at him, "Where's Hengzhi Yan?"

Xie Xuan leaned lazily against the window, reached out his bandaged hand to touch the redness and swelling at the corner of her mouth, and said softly, "She's been sent to the Court of Justice."

She was startled, her bright eyes fixed on him, remembering Hengzhiyan's words on the cliff, "You—"

"What about me?"

He approached with a smile and suddenly kissed her on the cheek.

Wang Wan trembled, her eyes instantly turning crimson and glistening. The night breeze swept through the hall, ruffling her long hair at her temples. She stood there quietly, like a blooming sweetgum flower.

Xie Xuan glanced at her with interest a few times, and seeing that she still didn't speak, he grabbed the back of her head and pressed her down to kiss her passionately.

Their breaths mingled instantly, and tears welled up in her eyes as she unconsciously tiptoed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Gently—gently, it hurts~"

A cool breeze blew gently, and the pleasant scent of Asarum mixed with the damp air was like clusters of vines, tightly entwining the two of them.

Hearing his increasingly heavy breathing, Wang Wan gently nudged him and whispered, "Are you two no longer planning to have a marriage alliance?"

A fragrant breeze caressed their faces, carrying a luxurious sweetness.

Xie Xuan stepped back slightly, touching her slender waist, and said in a hoarse voice, "Mmm."

Wang Wan paused slightly. The two families had broken off their marriage alliance, which was why Hengzhi Yan had gone so far as to send assassins to kill her and even wanted to destroy her. Thinking of the twisted girl, she couldn't help but feel a surge of complex emotions.

Xie Xuan noticed that she was lost in thought and, fearing that she might overthink things, gently ruffled her hair and offered a few comforting words.

Wang Wan came to her senses, recalling the humiliation she had suffered, and looked up at him, saying, "The government should do what it should do; you shouldn't interfere."

"Don't worry, I won't abuse my power; that's the government's job."

"---" Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she asked, "You--you're not going to help her?"

"Help her?" Xie Xuan found it somewhat amusing, glancing at the wounds on her body that couldn't be concealed. "You want me to help her?"

Wang Wan paused slightly, then raised her chin. "Even if you want to help her, and the Longkang Heng clan wants to save her, my Langya Wang clan will not let her go."

This kind of vicious, arrogant, and presumptuous noblewoman dares to use assassins to kill people; who knows how rampant she is in the north.

Xie Xuan listened to her words, looked at her eyebrows and eyes, chuckled, and couldn't help but reach out and gently pinch her little face, then sucked on her lips.

Wang Wan was taken aback by his sudden kiss, her face flushing slightly. Before she could react, she heard him chuckle in her ear, "I only help my woman."

A cool breeze blew by, and the hazy moonlight shone down, illuminating his charming and alluring peach blossom eyes, as if reflecting her image.

Her eyes welled up with tears, and she muttered softly, "Justice in the world is provided by the government and laws; do not abuse private punishment."

"Okay," Xie Xuan replied, touching her pale face and coaxing her softly, "Go inside and sleep."

The window was closed, Xie Xuan's face turned cold, and he slowly descended the stone steps.

Mo Feng, who was waiting at the side gate, approached and bowed. "Sir, shall we send the person to the Court of Justice?"

After the Heng family members were brought back, they were imprisoned in the dungeon and tortured until they fell into a coma.

"Send it over, and also write a letter to the Heng family. If the Heng family wants to interfere, they should first smash up the businesses in Qingzhou."

"yes."

"Go and make arrangements, tell the Imperial Censor to treat him well."

He would not let anyone who bullied her get away with it, no matter who it was.

Moonlight spread out, wind and dew mingled with frost, and the remaining rainwater, carrying pear blossoms, drifted gently into the pond, where lotus flowers bloomed and the water shimmered.

When Xie Xuan entered the room, he found that the person lying on the couch had fallen asleep, her pale face devoid of color.

He walked over, bent down, and gently touched her face. He looked at the bruises on the corners of her mouth, the red marks and blood streaks on her exposed wrists and ankles, his face gloomy, and his eyes seemed to hide cold knives.

"You—how did you get in again?"

Suddenly, the person beneath him groggily opened their eyes, their watery eyes looking over in a hazy gaze.

Wang Wan didn't know what was wrong with her. She was in pain and tired, but she woke up as soon as he got close.

Xie Xuan composed himself, leaned down and kissed her forehead, "We've been sharing a bed for so long, how about an exception today?"

"---"

She muttered, "It's not right before we're married."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and the bamboo leaves outside the window rustled in the wind.

Xie Xuan bent over and stared at her blankly, without saying a word, remaining motionless like a stone statue.

Wang Wan bit her lower lip, waved her hand in front of him, and called out, "What's wrong?"

"marriage?"

He thought her unusual behavior today was because she was frightened, which was why she didn't resist him and became dependent on him.

Wang Wan felt a little embarrassed, so she reached out and lifted the blanket to cover her face.

Xie Xuan yanked the blanket off, forcing her to look over, and asked very seriously, "You don't like my second brother anymore?"

"---"