Chapter 2, Second Side, Near Death

The weather was crisp and clear, before dawn, when a bloodied man was carried out of the Regent's Palace through the back door.

Among those who were "throwing people," a young woman dressed as a guard couldn't bear it and wanted to step forward to save the bloodied man. Before she could take a step, the guard Cui Jiu, who was standing nearby, coldly watched and reminded her, "Miss Fu, if you want to save him because you like him, that's understandable. But if it's just because you can't bear it, I advise you to save your breath. People fall from heights every day in Sui Kingdom. You can't control that."

In the Kingdom of Sui, the strong prey on the weak, and even the current regent is no exception. Although the regent has a general mother, after the general's sacrifice, the young regent was isolated and ostracized. He won back his current position after years of fighting in the military.

Not to mention someone with no family background or connections.

Fu Qianji was silent for a moment, then took a deep look at the bloodied man who looked like rotten flesh. A rope was tied around his neck, and the other end of the rope was held by Cui Jiu.

Yesterday he soared like a phoenix, today he has fallen into the mire.

One end of the rope is yesterday, and the other end is today.

She was just a lowly guard who couldn't even hold her own rope, so how could she possibly control others?

The lights were dimming, and curfew was approaching.

Cui Jiu dragged the blood-soaked figure along the way, the blood sticking to the flesh and meandering along the path, like the disgusting trail left by a slug, making people want to avoid it.

But people are strange. Even when they're disgusted and terrified, they still can't help but peek from a distance, as if afraid of missing something of great importance.

The servants at the door waited anxiously for a long time, but instead of seeing the person they were waiting for, they were greeted by a crowd of people rushing in. They immediately ran off to report to the steward in a panic.

The common people knew that there was much trouble in front of the Jiang residence, so they hid far away and watched from the sidelines.

The guard glanced at Cui Jiu, then quickly and discreetly looked away, unconsciously tightening his grip on the knife.

Steward Du hurried along, smiling, "Lord Cui, are you busy?"

Cui Jiu loosened the rope in his hands. The man, covered in blood, said respectfully but firmly, "The Regent has punished the servants who failed in their duties on behalf of the Second Miss. He is giving the Second Miss a chance to vent her anger."

Old Master Du glanced at the man who looked like a mangled mess and said slickly, "Look how polite Your Highness is. My young lady only suffered some minor injuries. How could Your Highness have to take it to heart and beat this man right in front of you like this? If my young lady saw this, she would definitely faint from fright. It would be bad if she really got sick."

Cui Jiu looked at the steward expressionlessly and said, "His Highness means well, are you not going to accept it?"

The Regent of Sui Kingdom was holding up half the sky, and Old Du hurriedly bowed and said, "Oh dear, look at what you're saying. It's not that this old servant doesn't want to accept it, it's that he doesn't have the guts to accept it. The Jiang family is just a merchant family. Even if this punished official is not someone we lowly people would dare to humiliate."

With that one sentence, Cui Jiu severed all ties with the Jiang family. His eyes narrowed, his gaze turning icy, and tensions instantly rose.

A beautiful young noblewoman stepped out of the carriage, dressed in a long brocade dress with clusters of flowers, a jade pendant with kingfisher feathers and coiled dragon patterns at her waist, and jade hairpins adorning her hair. Slightly tipsy from her revelry, she got out of the carriage without noticing the bloodstains on the ground.

Just a few days ago, Jiang Linzhi was beyond medical help, but now she came in leisurely, stepping on the blood and swaying gracefully, saying: "Lord Cui? Oh, what's wrong? You look so pale. This humble woman invites you to Qingzhou Pavilion to have some fun and relax."

Jiang Linzhi took a few steps forward and finally saw the bloodied figure on the ground. She screamed, patted her chest, and took a step back, attracting many people to peek in her direction.

Jiang Linzhi looked like he was about to faint and said, "My God, I was so scared! Help me inside!"

Upon seeing Jiang Linzhi, Cui Jiu's expression turned cold. He knew Jiang Linzhi's trick of pretending to be stupid, so he called out to her, "Second Miss, this is the Prince's sincerity."

Even if someone in a high position urinates, it becomes a divine gift of charity to someone in their social class, let alone something to be ungrateful for and refuse. Jiang Linzhi, with his back to Cui Jiu, sneered, "Is that so? Your prince is so..."

It probably wasn't anything nice, Cui Jiu thought, his lips pursed as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

Jiang Linzhi turned around, grinning, and said, "Why be so polite? If I were a little shameless, I could be considered family with Your Highness. Your Highness's sentiment is enough; I won't bother with the gifts..."

If they accept the blood-soaked man, wouldn't that be acknowledging that he's doing this to avenge them? The Jiang family's reputation is already bad; this would only plunge them to the lowest point.

But when they turned around, Cui Jiu had already left, leaving the Jiang family members watching the blood-soaked man bewildered in the wind.

Jiang Linzhi's eyes turned cold as the autumn wind blew. Looking at the bloodied man, he was no longer afraid. He sighed softly, "Look at him. He was someone else's dog. He didn't even want to treat his injured leg. He was slaughtered and eaten. Tsk tsk tsk."

Jiang Linzhi squatted down, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the bloodied man's face. He looked at the handsome face and was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Take him to the clinic, don't bring him to the mansion. Let me know when he wakes up."

The tinkling sound of jade pendants grew louder as they approached, causing the man behind the desk to smile repeatedly, though his gaze remained fixed on the documents. Only when Jiang Linzhi skipped into the inner room did the handsome man, who had been working at his desk, calmly rise and go to greet her.

The pungent smell of perfume from the brothels wafted over her. Jiang Linzhi tossed her clothes and shoes aside as she walked behind the screen. Her elaborate attire was stripped away, revealing thick bandages around her neck, making her look like a porcelain doll pieced together with straps. She said, "I saw two dogs at the door. One dog was carrying another half-dead dog to sell. I was afraid it wouldn't sell and its owner wouldn't let it go home, so I bought it."

Qi Lingjun calmly tidied up the clothes scattered on the floor, then served Jiang Linzhi with a composed expression as she washed up, saying without looking at her, "Miss, you make it sound nice, but were you probably forced into this by a dog?"

Jiang Linzhi was speechless for a moment, then coughed lightly and said, "Am I that useless in your eyes?"

Qi Lingjun rubbed the perfume into Jiang Linzhi's hair and said, "It's not in my heart, it's the truth."

The eldest daughter of the Jiang family was a remarkable woman. Although the royal family forbade her to speak of it, it was this remarkable woman who made snuff bottles from the Crimson Flower and later burned the Crimson Flower to save the people's livelihood. However, the second daughter was a well-known useless beauty. Apart from her face and her ability to make jokes, Jiang Linzhi really couldn't do anything.

Jiang Linzhi angrily splashed water, splashing Qi Lingjun's arm with water. Qi Lingjun immediately grabbed Jiang Linzhi's wrist and said, "The wound can't get wet."

Seeing that there wasn't much water on the bandage, Qi Lingjun glanced at Jiang Linzhi's expression and softened his tone, saying, "You're just not good at handling this kind of thing. These chores can be left to someone like me."

Jiang Linzhi smiled and said, "My little Wu is the best at talking." After washing up, Jiang Linzhi closed his eyes, humming a little tune, and lay on his back on the edge of the bed like a turtle.

Jiang Linzhi's long, wet hair fell naturally, wrapped in a dry towel by Qi Lingjun. As he wiped Jiang Linzhi's wet hair, he said, "If you keep going like this, I'm afraid you won't have enough money to cover the expenses during the holidays."

She didn't want to worry about expenses, so she said nonchalantly, "Haven't we collected the rent from the south yet?"

Qi Lingjun said, "We've already collected most of it. If we collect it all, we'll be rich, but who can guarantee there won't be any unforeseen circumstances?"

The affairs of the manor were managed by Qi Lingjun. If he said there was a surplus, there would definitely be a surplus; if he said there was a shortage, there would definitely be a way to make up for it elsewhere. Over the years, Jiang Linzhi knew that he couldn't handle these complicated matters.

Jiang Linzhi opened her eyes. The man before her was upside down, no longer the frail child she once was, but someone almost otherworldly. She touched a faint scar on Qi Lingjun's chin. Without close inspection, the scar was barely noticeable. Who would have thought that such a refined and upright man was once a despised beggar? Who would have imagined that this scar was once crawling with maggots, almost killing him?

Jiang Linzhi was momentarily moved and couldn't help but reach out to touch the scar, saying, "My Xiao Wu can guarantee that."

Qi Lingjun lowered his eyes and calmly looked at Jiang Linzhi. His gaze suddenly fell on the faded handkerchief, and then he leaned out of Jiang Linzhi's hand, took out a jar of ointment from the cabinet, and said, "It's time to apply the medicine."

Jiang Linzhi's hand froze in mid-air, but he didn't feel embarrassed. He chuckled and lowered his hand.

The bandages were removed, revealing a long and gruesome gash across her slender neck, like a centipede crawling up her neck in the cold, damp soil, burrowing into her skin and sucking blood into her flesh. It was clear that half of her neck had been severed, and her head was probably still trembling on her neck.

Faced with a meaningful gaze, Qi Lingjun lowered his eyes to avoid it, his slender, bony fingers tangling with his damp, cold hair before quietly pulling away, avoiding Jiang Linzhi's hand along with his own body. He took out a jar of ointment and said, "It's time to apply the medicine."

Jiang Linzhi's hand stopped in mid-air, but he wasn't embarrassed. He changed direction and picked up the bright red ointment, but because he was lying down, he couldn't find the exact location of the wound.

Qi Lingjun noticed the hair on his finger. He tried to pull it off, but the wet hair was tangled very tightly, even getting tighter and tighter, forming a messy loop. He silently tore it off, leaving red marks at the base of his finger.

Their fingertips intertwined, and the ointment reached Qi Lingjun's fingers. He rubbed two fingers together, and after the ointment had warmed slightly, he gently folded up Jiang Linzhi's collar and applied the ointment to the new wound that ran halfway down his neck.

The wound looked terrifying, but thankfully it had healed. The warm touch softened the ointment, which then spread to Jiang Linzhi's neck.

No amount of warmth could melt the chill in Qi Lingjun's eyes. His tone remained as calm as ever: "A dog that hurts people shouldn't be kept."

Jiang Linzhi said, "It hurt people a few days ago because it had an owner. Now that it has no one to back it up, it doesn't dare to hurt people anymore. Let's keep it to pass the time."

After applying the medicine, Qi Lingjun lowered his eyes, concealing his intense killing intent, and obeyed Jiang Linzhi's order, saying, "We have to get up early tomorrow, Miss, please rest early."

Jiang Linzhi tugged at Qi Lingjun's sleeve and said coquettishly, "It's going to rain tonight, aren't you going to stay and keep me company? Thunder is so scary."

Listening to Jiang Linzhi's absurd words, Qi Lingjun lowered his hands, his eyes cold: "Is this your order?"

Jiang Linzhi retorted, "Do you want this to be my order?"

The woman before him had implicated his entire family years ago, causing the deaths of all 132 members of his household. Qi Lingjun really didn't want to get too involved with her personal grudges, so he said, "I hope so."

Jiang Linzhi was determined not to let him have his way, and said slyly, "Then it's not."

It wasn't an order; Qi Lingjun could choose whether to do it or not. Qi Lingjun turned around, turned off the light, and prepared to leave.

With no beauty in his arms today, Jiang Linzhi sighed. Just as he was about to lie down, he was pulled into a warm embrace.

Jiang Lin snuggled closer to Qi Lingjun and said with a smile, "I didn't force you."

Qi Lingjun gave a low "hmm." As he moved closer, the faint scent of perfume from the unwashed male prostitute wafted into his nostrils. This spot likely required very intimate contact. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the skin behind her ear, stopping only when Jiang Linzhi cried out in pain.

Jiang Linzhi, hidden in the shadows, stared at Qi Lingjun with eyes as bright as lamps in the dark, and asked reproachfully, "What?"

The faint scent of Xunling Ten Mile Fragrance wafted from behind his ears. His face was cold and stern as he finally withdrew his hand: "Go to sleep."

I thought it would be a wonderful love affair, but all I heard was a night of cold, drizzling rain.