Chapter 114

114

Ever since Qin Sang returned from her inexplicable serious injury, the Second Young Master Xie had stayed by her side in her courtyard for three days and two nights without taking off his clothes. When this reached the ears of the two mistresses of the Xie family, both sisters-in-law were worried and uneasy, feeling that if this matter continued to develop, it would lead to great chaos.

So Xie Sui'an was secretly drugged by her mother, who then had Jinyun carry her back to her house and lock her up.

"Let him report to the Imperial Guard as soon as he wakes up. Staying at home all day, constantly hanging around that girl, if anything happens to him, our family will be guilty of deceiving the emperor!" This was the first time Wang Huiwen had been so nervous since Prime Minister Xie left, deeply feeling the crisis of his family's destruction, and earnestly instructed Cen Biyun.

Cen Biyun's face turned pale, and she hurriedly nodded: "Of course." She came to see her good-for-nothing son three or five times a day, standing outside the house with great worry, and she also ordered several servants to surround the courtyard to prevent him from escaping.

Even so, she still felt it wasn't enough, wishing she could move her own bed into his room and personally watch over him.

Xie Sui'an had been taking care of Qin Sang for two or three days and was already exhausted. After being drugged, he slept for a whole day and night. When he woke up, he didn't know how much time had passed. He wanted to go out, but found that he was locked up.

Only one maid remained in the room, trembling and hesitant to speak. She said that the Second Madam had ordered her to serve him, and that the young master could order her to do anything he wanted.

...Xie Sui'an's mind went blank for a moment, and he looked up at the unfamiliar girl.

She was indeed quite pretty, with bright eyes and white teeth, snow-white skin, and black, smooth hair... It was clear that her mother had carefully chosen her to introduce him to the world of meat.

But he was quite irritable, so he walked to the door and called for Jinyun. Jinyun was idly carving wood in the courtyard, having been instructed by his mistress to stay by his young master's side at all times.

Hearing this, she hurried to the door and said quickly before her young master could speak, "Madam won't let you go out. She said that if you recover, she will take you directly to the Imperial Guard to report. There are people taking good care of Miss Qin Sang, so you shouldn't go and cause trouble."

Xie Sui'an's lips were cracked from dryness, and he naturally understood his mother's intention in making these arrangements, so he simply asked, "How is she? Has her fever gone down?"

“I’ve already left, I’ve left,” Jinyun nodded hurriedly. “I was able to get up today. The doctor you invited, Dr. Liu, is still at home. He said that as long as I take good care of myself for a month or so, I’ll be completely fine.”

Qin Sang suffered from internal injuries, which are the most difficult to treat. Xie Sui'an then asked, "Will there be any long-term effects? Such as weakness in the future?"

Jinyun shook his head: "The doctor didn't say. Should I ask someone to inquire?"

“Go ahead,” Xie Suian thought for a moment and then said, “Wait, you… tell her that I’ve already reported to the Imperial Guard and have been very busy lately, so I haven’t had time to see her. Tell her to…”

“Young master, even if you don’t say these things, Miss Qin Sang understands everything.” Jin Yun interrupted his young master without any politeness. Even he understood the implications of this matter and advised him directly, “Young master, you should pay less attention to Miss Qin Sang. She has been betrothed to Prince Ning’an by imperial decree and is the future Princess Ning’an. What you are doing is against the rules. You should find someone else to like.”

Xie Sui'an: "..."

Jinyun heard no sound from inside and knew that his young master was grieving, but there was nothing he could do. He said, "Then I'll go and call someone."

Xie Sui'an listened to the commotion outside, remained silent for a long time, and finally squatted down with his back against the door.

The little girl stood there bewildered until she heard Xie Sui'an ask her, "What's your name?"

The young maidservant said in a trembling voice, "The Madam has bestowed upon me the name Yunniang."

"And what was your original name?"

"Dates".

"Your original name sounds better. When did you enter the manor?"

"I just entered the mansion," Zao'er replied. "I came to the capital with my parents when they fled from war."

Xie Sui'an raised his eyelids, finally showing some interest: "Where did you escape from?"

“Yanzhou,” Zao’er said. “Yanzhou is plagued by locusts. All the grain has been eaten by insects, and we can’t survive. Someone said that we could find a way to survive in the capital. Our parents couldn’t bear to watch us starve to death at home, so they brought my older sister and younger sister with them.”

Xie Sui'an slowly stood up, supporting himself on the door frame: "Come here, tell me in detail, who told you that you could find a way to survive in Kyoto..."

***

While Qin Sang was recuperating, news of Qin Baoyun poured into the small house like snowflakes.

First, the displaced people outside the city were forcibly suppressed, sparking several massacres and causing widespread panic among the people of the capital, who began to question the imperial court. Meanwhile, some dark forces quietly emerged and grew stronger in the countryside.

Then came the imperial envoy sent out by the emperor, who went out standing and returned lying down, his coffin surrounded by refugees all the way, their wails deafening. Students from the Imperial Academy paraded through the streets, their poems and essays condemning the princelings flying like snowflakes.

Then the Emperor publicly issued an edict stating that he had dispatched Prince Ning'an to replace the Imperial Envoy and go to provide disaster relief and appease the people. In reality, only Qin Sang and her group knew that Prince Ning'an had already left the capital, and his fate was now unknown. The Emperor only issued this edict now because the Crown Prince's faction was currently embroiled in a public opinion storm, arousing public outrage among non-Crown Prince ministers. Hearing rumors, the generals of the various garrison camps naturally prepared for a potential mutiny. Therefore, the Crown Prince's faction dared not launch an attack at this time.

Then came news that Prince Ning'an had been assassinated while traveling. The Crown Prince cried outside Mingyu Shop, saying that he had been framed, but the Emperor refused to see him.

Two days later, news came again that Prince Ning'an had been assassinated.

The court officials were filled with anxiety, and the Xie family was also shrouded in gloom. How could they not be gloomy? The Prince of Ning'an, whose fate was tied to the life and death of his family, was fighting outside, his life hanging in the balance. Whether he would gain wealth and honor overnight or be implicated and executed could happen in the blink of an eye.

Just as she was able to get out of bed and walk, news came from inside the manor that the Second Young Master Xie had finally packed his bags and gone to report to the Imperial Guard.

As early autumn arrives, the maple leaves in the garden turn a fiery red, and the withered leaves tumble down all day, landing on the eaves, under the eaves, on the grass, and on the stone slabs.

The autumn rain fell continuously from morning till night, and by evening, the air was damp and chilly. Qin Sang, who was weak, was sitting in the hall roasting sweet dates wrapped in a cloak when she heard someone walking through the rain.

Qin Baoyun, wearing a raincoat with rain dripping from his hat brim and straw hat, stood under the eaves and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "The Prince of Ning'an has returned."

Qin Sang's hand holding the grill tongs trembled, and she looked up to ask, "Where did you go back to?"

"They've already returned home."

Qin Sang paused for a moment, thinking that the person must have had a very difficult journey to avoid being hunted down, and that quietly returning home must have been a last resort.

She then asked, "Are you injured?"

"He must be injured," Qin Baoyun said in a deep voice. "The Prince's mansion is secretly sending a doctor over."

Qin Sang nodded: "Since you've noticed, the Crown Prince must know too. But once inside the Prince's residence, it's not easy to carry out an assassination. Take a few more skilled men and go check it out. We can't let anything slip by."

Qin Baoyun nodded and left.

As Qin Sang stirred the charcoal in the stove, she thought to herself that the situation was finally about to become clear.

***

Sure enough, the news of Prince Ning'an's safe return to the capital spread to the capital the next day. The Crown Prince turned green with anger and threw a tantrum in the Eastern Palace, whipping the palace maids and eunuchs kneeling in a row in the courtyard.

"Are you all just eating shit? He's already back in the capital! Back in the capital! Listen to what they're saying outside, huh? They all say he's virtuous and talented, that he's the only one worthy of the future throne! What am I then? Haven't I given him enough favors? What am I?!"

"Crack!" The cold whip lashed at the trembling palace maid, who gritted her teeth and held on with a deathly pale face.

But Zhao Bing seemed to thoroughly enjoy this violent and bloody scene, a crazy, excited smile appearing on his face. In a fit of rage, he raised his hand, swung the whip around, and lashed it down again.

"Snap!" The sound was so loud that not only was the skin torn open, but the bones were probably broken as well. The little palace maid let out an unbearable scream of pain and lay on the ground convulsing.

"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!" Zhao Bing stomped on it. "This world is mine, and it can only be mine! What kind of dog is Zhao Kun, daring to come out and compete with me?! Zhao Jun!"

"Here." A tall, wiry guard stepped forward in response.

"Take men and kill him for me!" Zhao Bing's eyes flashed with a blood-red glint of ferocity. "Kill him for me!"

Zhao Jun stood still.

Enraged, Zhao Bing lashed out with his whip. Zhao Jun took the blow head-on, and a glaring bloody welt instantly appeared on his face, with blood streaming down his cheek.

He raised his head and glanced silently at Zhao Bing. Zhao Bing, after being looked at like that, finally came to his senses.

He was startled and quickly dropped the whip in his hand, taking half a step forward and saying worriedly, "Oh dear... this... Hey, quickly call the imperial physician..."

"There's no need to trouble the imperial physicians; I'll bandage myself when I get back," Zhao Jun said, his expression remaining indifferent.

The prince hesitated for a moment, then finally broke free from his erratic and incoherent state, straightened his clothes, and waved his hand as if he had become a different person.

Immediately, someone came up and carried away the palace maid who was on the verge of death from the courtyard.

"My uncle always says this isn't the best time, but tell me, when is the best time?" Zhao Bing turned and walked to the corridor, taking a refined sip of tea. He gave a gentle, courteous smile. "My father won't see me, and my mother is ill. That thing is about to return and become famous; I wonder how many people in the court will support him. How can I not be anxious?"

A eunuch who looked like a head steward handed Zhao Jun a handkerchief sprinkled with medicinal powder. Zhao Jun took it, covered his cheek, and listened quietly to Zhao Bing's complaints.

"In my opinion, we shouldn't have worried so much. We should just do it. The generals of those garrison battalions outside the capital might not dare to act rashly. Aren't they afraid that I will punish them afterward? Now look what's going on. What will Uncle do when Zhao Kun comes back?"

Zhao Jun stared at the bloodstains on the ground like a clay puppet, not even blinking. Only when the other party stopped rambling did he say in a businesslike manner, "If Your Highness has any questions, I will go out of the palace to discuss countermeasures with the officials."

Zhao Bing leaned back in his chair, looking quite content, and squinted his eyes slightly. A palace maid immediately came forward to massage his shoulders.

He nodded slightly, enjoying the gesture: "Go ahead. I'd like to hear what Uncle has to say now."