Self-rescue
Suddenly, the dark sky began to scatter snowflakes again.
Amidst the towering red walls of the palace road, Xie Qi carried Li Wan steadily and swiftly.
Li Wan was wrapped tightly in his cloak, only her misty eyes visible. A few cold snowflakes landed on her eyelashes, mingling with her tears, and slid down her cheeks.
Through the gap in the cloak, she glimpsed Xie Qi's taut jawline and his thin lips pressed tightly together beneath his sharply defined profile.
She knew he was angry, angry that she was useless and that she always caused him trouble.
But at this moment, he was the only one she could turn to for help.
Her body, burning with heat, instinctively longed to be close to his cool clothes.
She even unconsciously rubbed her forehead against his chest, feeling the firm muscle lines and steady, powerful heartbeat beneath the layers of clothing.
Realizing what she had done, she felt terrified and wanted to apologize.
"Xie Qi..."
As soon as she spoke, she realized how soft and trembling her voice was.
Looking up, I saw his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, but he didn't say anything.
The Xie family's carriage was parked outside the Meridian Gate.
Once placed in the carriage, Li Wan struggled to curl up in a corner, trying to get away from Xie Qi.
At this moment, she knew exactly what kind of poison she had been given. Of course, she also knew how to counteract its effects. Even if Xie Qi was unwilling, she could find someone else.
However, a sliver of reason still clung to her, warning her: No!
Since she transmigrated into this body, she has been grateful to its owner. It was Jiang Feiwan who enabled her to stand in the capital and gave her the opportunity to change the tragedy of her previous life.
She cannot control Jiang Feiwan's body, even though Jiang Feiwan is dead.
A thin layer of sweat seeped down her back, soaking her inner garment. Li Wan bit down hard on the soft flesh in her mouth, using the pain and the taste of blood to hold onto that last shred of reason.
However.
The breathing in the darkness grew more and more rapid, and the once spacious carriage now felt unusually cramped.
Xie Qi sat opposite her.
His face was hidden in the shadows, and only when the light of the snow occasionally flashed could one see his unfathomable eyes.
He watched silently as she endured her pain, watching the blood seep from her lower lip, which she had bitten raw in her suffering.
He remained silent throughout, his hands resting on his knees, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white.
When Li Wan was thrown onto the soft bed, she could no longer bear the heat and took off her outer clothes, leaving only a thin inner garment covering her fair body.
The sweat-soaked fabric clung stickily to her skin, outlining her slender waist and slightly trembling figure.
"Jiang Feiwan".
The potent effects of the drug overwhelmed her reason. Through her blurred vision, she saw Xie Qi approaching, the hem of his dark robe embroidered with gold rising and falling with each step he took.
Xie Qi stood before the couch.
She instinctively reached out to touch him, but the moment her fingertips touched his strong, thin wrist, she abruptly pulled her hand back.
She can't ask anyone else; only she can save herself.
"Xie Qi..."
She closed her eyes.
...
The snow fell intermittently throughout the night last night.
Li Wan sat at the mahogany square table, looking at the food laid out on the table, but had no appetite whatsoever.
She did that right in front of Xie Qi...
Li Wan's face turned bright red, and she couldn't eat a single bite of food.
After changing into a light blue padded jacket and long gown, he took Xiuhe and headed to the West Mansion.
Having met Lin Youke last night, Li Wan had a gut feeling that the mastermind behind Xiao Xian and Lin Youke's collusion with the enemy might not be Xiao Xian, but more likely Lin Youke.
The Lin family may hold the biggest secret behind their military defeat.
The flowers in the plum grove are either as white as snow or as red as fire, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.
Li Wan and Xiu He strolled slowly along the blue brick path in the woods.
"Why does the young lady seem so distracted?"
Xiuhe placed the hand warmer into Liwan's hand.
“Last night, the eldest young master carried you back, saying you were drunk and didn’t need us to serve you. But when I went to your room this morning, I didn’t smell any alcohol,” Xiuhe asked in confusion.
When the topic of last night came up, Li Wan's ears turned red again. She lowered her head and stammered, "I...drank a little bit of strong liquor, it didn't taste very strong."
"I hope the eldest son is well."
Xiuhe called out in vain, then curtsied and greeted him.
Li Wan subconsciously looked up and met Xie Qi's downcast gaze.
She instinctively took a half step back and lowered her head even further. "My lord."
Xie Qi's gaze swept past her blood-red ears, and he said calmly, "To the West Mansion?"
“Go and pay your respects to the old lady,” Li Wan murmured.
Xie Qi nodded, turned slightly to the side, and walked past her.
The dark robe brushed against her long skirt, and the resulting breeze made her gasp for a moment.
She bit her lip in annoyance, thinking to herself: Brother Liang, although... but... please don't dislike me in the future.
When Li Wan arrived at the main house where the old lady lived, there were many people sitting in the main hall.
Upon seeing Li Wan, the old lady's smile deepened.
“Ah Wan is here. She was just about to send someone to call you when you happened to come over.”
"grandmother."
"Auntie."
"Uncle."
Li Wan bowed to the old lady, Aunt Yang, and Xie Ye one by one.
Xie Ye returned the greeting, "Last night I heard that my sister-in-law got drunk in the palace and was carried back by my elder brother in front of Princess Heshun, the Third Prince, and the noble ladies of various families. I thought she was quite drunk, but she looks to be in good health today."
Every time Li Wan heard Xie Ye speak, she felt like vomiting and wanted to hit him on the head with a stick. He and Xie Qi, one with a sharp tongue and the other with a foul mouth, were truly brothers.
Li Wan suppressed a roll of her eyes and chuckled, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle. I only had a small cup yesterday. I was mainly feeling unwell from the cold and almost fainted. Fortunately, my husband came in time."
When the old lady heard Li Wan say that she had fainted, her expression tightened. "How is Wan now? It's freezing cold. If you need anything, just send a servant to let us know. Don't run back and forth."
As she spoke, she hurriedly asked Granny Kang to pour Li Wan a cup of ginseng and ginger soup, saying, "Drink some quickly to warm yourself up."
"Thank you for your concern, Grandmother. I'm much better now." Li Wan took the ginger soup, drank a sip, and immediately felt refreshed.
“Grandmother is biased. When I came, why didn’t you give me a bowl of that thousand-year-old ginseng soup? You only gave it to my sister-in-law.”
Xie Ye pretended to be aggrieved and complained.
With a smile, Granny Kang served ginseng soup to Xie Ye and Concubine Yang, saying, "It's my fault for being slow. I'll serve it to the Second Young Master right away."
"You..." The old lady shook her head helplessly as she looked at Xie Ye's shameless behavior.
"Now that the Crown Prince is overseeing the country and your elder brother is assisting him, he must be much busier than before. As a son of a marquis, you should help Aqi with more things."
When the topic turned to matters of the court, Xie Ye's expression turned serious.
He knew that the current status and prosperity of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion were all supported by his elder brother. In the past, he only wanted to be a playboy who indulged in eating, drinking, and having fun, but after his brother was assassinated and seriously injured, he realized the dangers of the deep pool of the imperial court.
Now that the emperor is seriously ill and the crown prince is overseeing the country, various forces are eager to make their move. As a senior official in the court, my brother is bound to be a thorn in the side of all these forces. If they cannot win him over, they will try to eliminate him.
Under such circumstances, he could no longer be as carefree as before.
"Grandmother, rest assured, I will do everything in my power to help my brother whenever he needs it," Xie Ye said sternly as he stood up.
The old lady nodded with satisfaction. Although her little grandson had no great ambitions, he was definitely a person who could distinguish right from wrong when it came to matters of principle.
As Li Wan listened to the grandmother and grandson talking, she secretly pondered how to bring up the Lin family.
Unexpectedly, it was the old lady who spoke first.
"Your Uncle Lin will be returning to the capital soon, so you should know this beforehand."
Li Wan was taken aback when she heard this. She recalled the news she had heard in the teahouse in town in her previous life.
Indeed, it was at this time that Lin Shang returned to the capital. Shortly after returning, he handed over the position of commander-in-chief of the Jinlin Army to Xie Qi. A year later, a war broke out on the border. Xie Qi led the Jinlin Army to fight. A year later, the entire army was annihilated at Yugu Pass.
The gears of Jinlin Army's fate began to turn with difficulty the moment Lin Shang returned to the capital.
Li Wan clenched her fingers. She knew that Lin Youke and Xiao Xian's conspiracy had begun when Xie Qi took over the Jinlin Army.
"Ah Wan, why do you look so pale again?"
Aunt Yang suddenly spoke up, interrupting Li Wan's thoughts.
Aunt Yang smiled and said, "Awan, don't worry. Your maternal uncle Lin and your two cousins are easy to get along with. When Uncle Lin comes back, let Qi-ge take you to visit them a few more times, and you'll get to know them."
Li Wan was about to say "yes" when she noticed that the old lady seemed to hesitate for a moment.
Why is that?
Li Wan turned to look at Xie Ye, but his expression remained unchanged.
Li Wan thought for a moment and then changed the subject, “Last night in the palace, I ran into my cousin You Ke. I was feeling unwell at the time and wanted to ask my cousin to call my husband, but he seemed... somewhat unwilling.”
Li Wan said this to see their attitude towards the Lin family. If they truly had a close relationship with the Lin family, they would have to explain things to Lin Youke.
Conversely, it indicates that there is already a rift between the two families.
Sure enough, the other three were stunned as soon as she finished speaking.
Aunt Lin, clearly unaware of the situation, froze with a smile and remained silent.
Xie Ye spoke up for Lin Youke first, "Sister-in-law, you may not know this, but my cousin Lin has been aloof since childhood. I suppose it's not convenient for him to stand out in the palace. My brother, I grew up with him, and I know he is kind-hearted."
"So that's how it is."
Li Wan looked at the old lady and said, "It was my misunderstanding of my cousin. If we meet again, I will definitely apologize to him."
“No need,” the old lady finally said.
The old lady's offhand "No need" made Li Wan pause.
The old lady softened her expression. "Although it is your maternal grandparents' family, your mother is no longer here. There is no need to be too close to each other, so as not to make either family uncomfortable."
Xie Ye looked puzzled upon hearing this, and was about to ask when he saw the old lady raise her hand to touch her forehead.
"I'm tired after talking for a while, you should all go back now."
Li Wan got up to take her leave with them, but then she heard the old lady say, "Awan, stay and give me a back massage."
After Xie Ye and Aunt Yang left, Li Wan walked up to the old lady and reached out to massage her back, but the old lady pulled her hand and sat her down beside her.
"Awan, now that you've married into the Marquis's household, you'll be spending your life with Aqi. Your grandmother has a few words to tell you."
“Grandmother, please say so.”
“Aqi is a child who can achieve great things, but he is too thoughtful. His mother… is his unresolved issue. Therefore, you must remember to maintain a proper distance from the Lin family. Do not be too close to them, nor too distant to arouse suspicion.”
"Yes," Li Wan replied obediently.
Back at Yingyue Residence, Li Wan was in a complete mess.
The Xie family and the Lin family have a grudge, and the reason should be related to Xie Qi's mother. So why did Lin Shang still hand over military power to Xie Qi?
There were also the cases of Lin Youke, Xiao Xian, and Consort Xue's treason...
Li Wan's head throbbed with pain as she thought about it, and she cried out in her heart: She was just a country girl, she couldn't handle political intrigue!
It's the Lunar New Year, let her rest for a while.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com