Doubts

The first thing He Lin did after getting out of bed was to go next door to see Qi Junxu.

Qi Junxu was injured while searching for Dragon Blood in the back mountain. He was bitten by a poisonous scorpion and reportedly fainted on the spot. His guard, Feng He, carried him back.

Even the shaman said that the toxin was spreading rapidly in his body, and if treatment had been delayed any longer, his entire leg might have been ruined...

Jiang Yi glanced at it secretly, and the wound was truly shocking, comparable in severity to the heart-gouging and worm-removing wound inflicted by He Lin.

The area where the scorpion had bitten him was a deep, dark purple, surrounded by large patches of bluish-purple spots. His entire leg was swollen beyond recognition, and he felt no sensation no matter what methods were used. Anyone who saw it would be horrified.

Fortunately, the shaman had encountered this situation before and knew how to treat it. Otherwise, if they had waited until they returned to the capital to see a doctor, it would have been hard to say whether they could have saved the leg. The Imperial Concubine would certainly not have let them off so easily.

What a great doctor! He truly saved a life!

When He Lin and Jiang Yi knocked and entered, Qi Junxu's guards had just finished changing his bandages.

When he saw the two of them arrive together, Qi Junxu was stunned for a moment, then slowly sat up and gave Feng He a look, signaling him to leave. Jiang Yi moved a small stool for He Lin and placed it by the bed.

"I'll head out now. Call me if you need anything."

These words were spoken to He Lin.

He Lin let out a soft "hmm" and nodded to her.

After Jiang Yi left, only He Lin and Qi Junxu remained in the room.

The air became eerily quiet for a moment, as if neither of them knew what to start the conversation with.

Jiang Yi waited by the crack in the door for a long time but didn't hear any voices coming from inside. She was speechless. They were clearly brothers, yet they were too shy to approach each other.

After a long silence, He Lin spoke: "How are your injuries? I heard from Jiang Yi that you were bitten by a poisonous scorpion when you went to the back mountain to find medicine for me. What did the shaman say?"

Qi Junxu chuckled lightly: "It's nothing, it's just scary to look at. She's making a big fuss over nothing. You're in bed recovering yourself, why would you tell you something like this?"

He Lin lifted a corner of the blanket to look at his left leg and couldn't help but frown. Just as Jiang Yi had said, it was terribly swollen, and the wound was bruised and purple, looking quite serious.

"How did you get injured like this?"

"I already said I'm fine."

Qi Junxu snatched the corner of the blanket from He Lin's hand and covered his legs with it again.

He Lin raised his eyes and stared straight at him, as if he had already seen through his thoughts.

"Qi Junxu, let's talk."

Qi Junxu seemed to find it quite amusing, his smile deepening as he asked with a raised corner of his mouth, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"What exactly is your purpose in coming to southern Xinjiang with us?"

"I never expected that you, as the head of Yuling Pavilion, would be so direct in asking me questions."

He lowered his eyes and smiled to himself: "What do you think?"

When he first set off from the capital, he said he had something to do, but so much time has passed and he hasn't taken any action. Now, he's suddenly showing mercy by helping He Lin find medicinal herbs. This series of unusual actions inevitably arouses suspicion.

Shangguan Dehui and Ma Zhang are dead. Could it be that he is still not giving up on that position?

Before He Lin could ask, Qi Junxu, contrary to his usual demeanor, dropped his carefree and playful smile and said seriously, "Would you believe me if I said I came here after your wife, Jiang Yi?"

He Lin narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"...I remember saying before at Mirror Flower Water Moon that if Jiang Yi was willing, I could take her as my concubine, and that statement still stands."

Jiang Yi, who was eavesdropping outside the door, hissed.

You're going to die, Qi Junxu!! What nonsense are you spouting in front of He Lin? This lame joke isn't funny at all!

He Lin remained silent, only staring intently at him.

As he watched, Qi Junxu couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing, slapping his thigh and shaking his head with glee.

After he finished laughing, He Lin let out a soft hum.

"...He Lin, were you nervous when I said that just now?"

"Your Highness is overthinking it. I know her. Jiang Yi is stubborn and would never be content to be a concubine, and besides..."

Qi Junxu pressed further: "And what?"

"Besides, she doesn't even like you, so why are you so upset?" He Lin silently muttered to himself.

He Lin didn't say it, but Qi Junxu said it for him: "And she only likes you?"

He Lin glanced at him and said, "In any case, I owe the Second Prince a favor this time. As long as you don't threaten His Highness the Crown Prince or do anything outrageous, I will help him if he is in trouble in the future."

After saying that, He Lin got up to leave.

Qi Junxu called out to him, "He Lin, do you really think I'm interested in that position?"

"What's the meaning?"

"The meaning you understand it to be."

Qi Junxu gave a wry smile.

Everyone in the Liang court believed that Qi Junxu wanted to compete with the Crown Prince for the throne. He was willing to sacrifice his own uncle to rebel in order to try his best. In front of the world, he had already been branded as unfilial and suspected of plotting a rebellion. But the reasons and bitterness behind it were probably only known to him.

He didn't want to fight or contend, but what could he do when he was born into royalty? Fighting with his own brothers was his destiny…

He Lin lowered his eyes and his eyelashes trembled. A trace of emotion flashed deep in his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“He Lin, you know I have a younger brother, right? His name is Qi Junheng, and he was born to my father and Consort Su.”

As he said this, He Lin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly.

Qi Junxu saw all these reactions. He curled his lips and continued, "My mother is not as favored as Consort Su, nor does she have the status of the Empress, so naturally my father does not like me as much."

"Of the three princes, my father's favorite is my third brother. He is intelligent and favored by my father. He can easily enter and leave the Imperial Study with Consort Su and can see my father at any time. I have envied him since I was a child."

"But as much as I envy him, I don't resent him at all. We always arrived at school late, one after the other, and were often punished by the Grand Tutor to copy books. After being kept behind to copy books, we would go to the Imperial Garden to catch crickets. He would also invite me to Consort Su's palace for snacks. In all things, he was a pretty good playmate. Since he left, I have never been as happy as I was."

“That year, an epidemic broke out in the palace, and he and I both accidentally contracted it. I remember it very clearly. It was raining heavily that night, and I had a persistent high fever. Even the imperial physicians were helpless. In my sleep, I vaguely called out for my father. My mother felt sorry for me and braved the heavy rain to beg my father to come and see me, but he just coldly sent someone to tell my mother to go back and not to make a fuss.”

Qi Junxu paused, as if remembering something, and scoffed, "Making a fuss? If visiting your sick son is making a fuss, then what is he doing? He's staying up all night taking care of my younger brother... I crave his love while simultaneously hating him in my heart, hating his injustice. Why? Why are they both his sons, yet he's so biased!"

"...So after I grew up, I founded Mirror Flower Water Moon right under his nose. When it comes to gathering intelligence in the capital, the only one that can rival your Yu Ling Pavilion is probably Mirror Flower Water Moon. Although it's a brothel, it's much more convenient for getting things done..."

Indeed, that was probably the favorite pastime of the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital. Many people outwardly scoffed at it, but secretly went there countless times.

Wu Wenpin is a case in point; perhaps the Minister and his son even slept with the same woman…

He Lin pursed his lips: "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I just want to tell you that if one day you discover that my mother has done something irreparable and unforgivable to you, could you please spare her for the sake of today, or at least not drive her to her death? I am willing to give everything to make amends, even if you want my life..."

Hearing this, He Lin frowned even more deeply.

Something that is irreversible and unforgivable.

From the moment he entered, Qi Junxu addressed people as "I" instead of "this king." Now that he was saying such things, given his arrogant nature and unwillingness to bow down to others, He Lin naturally noticed this.

If it involves the Imperial Concubine, then it can only be a matter within the inner palace.

The affairs of the harem... More than ten years ago, his mother was also in the harem.

He Lin's eyes gradually turned sharp and cold. Could it be that matter?

“One thing at a time, I need to know exactly what your mother did to wrong me.”

"I'm sorry, I can't say."

He Lin tilted his head: "So, Second Prince, have you accomplished what you came to Southern Xinjiang for? Or did you follow me all this way just to confirm something, then try to gain my sympathy and beg for my forgiveness?"

"I……"

These words were harsh, unlike what he would normally say.

However, in a way, He Lin was right.

He came to the Southern Frontier to confirm whether the heart-eating worm implanted in his body was related to his mother. He took the initiative to help He Lin collect herbs in order to find a way to make amends, but he never thought of using this matter to blackmail He Lin.

It was simply out of guilt.

"If what you say is the same as what I'm thinking, I won't let her off easily. After all, even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, and it's only right that a murderer pays with his life. I will investigate all of this thoroughly."

"He Lin!"

After saying that, He Lin walked towards the door without looking back.

The moment she opened the door, Jiang Yi nearly fell on him.

"Haha, well, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. I just heard you guys sounding like you were arguing, so I..."

He Lin didn't hear a word he said. He bent over slightly and clutched his chest in pain.

"He Lin! What's wrong? Did I bump into you just now?"

Looking down, he saw that his black clothes were soaked through with blood.

"Oh! You're bleeding! Don't scare me!"

"It's alright, help me back."

"..."

"Okay, okay! Please don't get excited!"

"Calm down, calm down! I'll go and call a shaman for you!"

"..."

After a series of loud noises in the next room, it finally quieted down completely. Qi Junxu remained in a daze for a long time, and finally couldn't help but give a wry smile.

Indeed, He Lin's current state is all thanks to them; how can he possibly ask for their forgiveness?

Over the years, he has endured countless hardships in the trials of Yu Ling Pavilion alone...

...

Aside from accompanying He Lin as he recovered from his injuries, Jiang Yi couldn't have been more relaxed during her stay in southern Xinjiang.

Until one day, Shan Yanzhi came in and gave He Lin a letter.

Only then did they learn that something big had happened in the capital, and that He Wei and He Yu had returned from the Northern Desert.

However, for some unknown reason, He Wei was imprisoned by Emperor Liang. According to reports from Yu Lingge's informants, He Wei had offended His Majesty with his words, and in his fury, Emperor Liang disregarded the objections of his ministers and imprisoned He Wei.

Upon receiving this news, He Lin immediately decided to return to Beijing.

After being away for so long, it's time to go back.

Unexpectedly, when it came time to count the heads, the numbers didn't match up. Qi Junxu and his guard Feng He had already left, leaving only a letter briefly explaining the situation.

The group stared at each other, bewildered. How could he be so disloyal? His cousin was right there! He just left without a word?

The letter from Yu Ling Pavilion briefly mentioned that He Wei had offended His Majesty, but did not explain why. He Lin and Yin Zhaobai both knew that Wu Yuan was not such a careless person.

It seems this matter is really serious, so serious that it cannot be stated explicitly in the letter.