Chapter 29
The Duke's old cold legs came back, and he couldn't sleep all night. Even the Princess had a stiff neck. The next morning, she urged her husband, "Ask the imperial physician to come and take a look."
The eldest princess pinched her temples gently with her slender fingers. Whenever she didn't sleep well, she would easily get a headache. As the couple got older, illnesses came easily.
The Duke hadn't slept all night. He leaned against the pillow and turned his head to look at his wife. He said tiredly, "No need. It's just that I have to drink those medicines again. I'm tired of them. Let's rest for two days first."
The princess raised her eyes to look at her husband and sighed, "I think you are too proud. You are afraid that people will know that you are a commander in the battlefield and you can't stand it after entering the forest. It's shameful."
The Duke cursed, "Your Highness has seen through me, why bother poking at my scars?" He turned his back and lay down.
The princess was speechless. "How old are you? Why are you still so competitive like a teenager?"
The Duke said impatiently, "Oh, don't worry about it. Your Highness, go and have your meal. I'll lie down for a while."
The princess called the maid and got off the bed first. Her eyes fell on his old cold leg. His trouser leg was half lifted up by the Duke, revealing a blue patch at his ankle. This was the case every time he had an attack. After being married for decades, the princess knew that her husband had this problem. The pain was terrible, but he always endured it and didn't say a word. She went to wash first, changed her clothes soon, and sat down next to him again.
"Go take a warm bath?"
"Oh, you are so unbecoming at your age." The Duke changed direction again and leaned inward impatiently.
Whenever Hui people get sick, the Duke gets in a bad mood.
The princess continued, "Shall I ask the imperial physician to give you acupuncture?"
The Duke said nothing, obviously unhappy.
It was getting late, and the younger generation had arrived to pay their respects. Soon, the fourth and first wives came in together and personally served their mother-in-law with meals. The fourth wife did not see the Duke, so she asked,
"Mother, where's father?"
The princess was in low spirits, "My old cold legs are acting up."
The fourth wife dared not say a word.
Soon, the third and fourth masters came with their juniors to pay their respects, and asked about the Duke. The princess told them the truth. Wang Yining sighed,
"It's very humid in this forest. Our little girl Xing got a rash last night."
After hearing this, the Third Master said to the Princess, "It is very hot during the dog days of summer. Your Majesty will probably have to stay for a while. Since my father is ill, why don't I send him back home early?" The Third Master usually respected his father who was both a civil and military talent.
The eldest princess glanced at him but didn't speak immediately.
Upon hearing this, Xie Yunchu glanced at Wang Shuhuai beside her. Her husband stood tall and graceful without saying a word.
She suspected that the Duke's illness was related to Wang Shuhuai.
The princess drank the ginseng soup and pondered for a moment before saying, "Zhang'er, go to Qiankun Palace and report to His Majesty that your father is ill. The palace is cold and damp, so it is inconvenient for him to recuperate. We need to send him back to the capital."
The third master nodded immediately, turned around and left the Zhangde Hall.
At this time, Wang Shuhuai stepped out from the crowd and bowed to the princess, "Grandma, how about I escort grandfather back to the capital?"
The eldest princess looked at him calmly. He was dressed in a deep blue robe and stood tall like a bamboo. He made all the men in the room pale in comparison. It was a pity that such an outstanding person was not her grandson. She shook her head and said, "No need. Your third uncle can send you off. You can stay in the palace to accompany the emperor."
After paying respects to his elders, Wang Shuhuai returned to the villa to change into his official uniform and went to the Qiankun Hall. When he entered the house, Xie Yunchu quietly pulled him aside and asked, "Second Master, how did you do it?"
"Did Grandfather know about this beforehand?"
Xie Yunchu never dared to ask these questions before, but now he has no scruples and just wants to satisfy his curiosity. Wang Shuhuai is a person who will never take the initiative to confess if his wife doesn't say anything.
Wang Shuhuai calmly glanced around, led her across the threshold, and said softly, "Grandfather is very perceptive. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to explain it later, so I naturally kept it a secret from him."
"Last night, His Majesty hosted a barbecue banquet. It was hot, so we put ice in the tea. I also secretly added some Xifenglie to Grandfather's wine. This wine is strong, and the ice and fire collide with each other. Grandfather's old cold legs will definitely flare up," Wang Shuhuai said with a guilty look on his face. "There is no other plan. We can't force the Princess and His Majesty to release the people. I can only let Grandfather suffer."
When Xie Yunchu heard this, his wet almond eyes were filled with surprise, "What do you mean by letting him go?"
Wang Shuhuai's eyelashes twitched, realizing that he had said something wrong, and immediately changed his words, "No, what I meant is that the eldest princess and grandfather have a deep relationship and cannot be separated easily. Once grandfather gets sick, the eldest princess will have trouble sleeping. After all, they have been married for decades, how can they bear to see grandfather suffer? Naturally, they should be sent away from this damp place."
Xie Yunchu wondered if the Duke had also suffered from old cold legs in his previous life, otherwise how could he be easily assassinated? She didn't know who the assassin was targeting. She was still worried about whether the Duke could save his life this time.
"How about you arrange for Qi Wei to secretly protect Grandfather?"
Wang Shuhuai followed Xie Yunchu's advice, but, "Madam, you seem very uneasy?"
This was the first time that Xie Yunchu was so persistent about something.
Xie Yunchu lowered his eyes and said, "Grandfather is the pillar of our second branch. If anything happens to him, we will never have peace again."
Wang Shuhuai was slightly startled. He had not expected his wife to think so far ahead. Her palm-sized face was glowing white, and the beauty mole at the end of her eye was full of charm, but also filled with anxiety. Wang Shuhuai looked at her with rare tenderness and comforted her,
"Ma'am, don't worry. I'll take care of everything. No matter what happens outside, it won't bother you."
Xie Yunchu was slightly stunned. This was indeed true. In her previous life, no matter how turbulent the court was, she was always safe at home. Although he did not give her love, he gave her a quiet corner of peace.
Such a capable husband should work hard to climb up the ladder. When he becomes the Prime Minister, she will no longer have to look at anyone's face or be humble.
She was really stupid in her previous life, that's why she wanted his heart.
"Second Master, I understand."
Looking at his wife's demure smile, Wang Shuhuai suddenly felt a sense of certainty in his heart.
He wants to keep her rich and prosperous.
In the evening of that day, Qi Wei returned to the palace and told Wang Shuhuai that the Duke had arrived safely at the palace and was recuperating in Qinghui Palace.
After waiting for another two days, there was no news from the mansion, which showed that the disaster in the previous life had been avoided. Xie Yunchu was completely relieved. She found Wang Yining,
"I've been out for more than ten days. I'm really worried about Sister Ke. I plan to return to Beijing tomorrow."
Wang Yining was a little reluctant, "Mother is still in the palace, I can't go back with you."
It just so happened that some officials had to return to the capital to work, so the emperor held a banquet in Mingyu Palace that night. Xie Yunchu ordered Chunqi and Qiu Sui to stay and pack their bags, and took Xia An to attend the dinner.
There is a village to the north of Yanshan Mountain, where mountain people made a living by hunting. Later, this area was enclosed as a royal enclosure, and these people learned opera, creating the famous drum and gong opera in the north. I don't know which minister proposed that these people present music to the emperor, and the emperor agreed. Not long after the dinner began, a group of peasant women in straw hairpins and cloth skirts came on stage to beat drums and gongs, and several old men in plain clothes played erhu on the stage to sing. The tone was different from the formal opera in the capital, and seemed to be mixed with the leisurely and carefree atmosphere of the fields, which was quite interesting.
Everyone listened attentively, and some ministers even tapped their chopsticks on porcelain plates in response.
From time to time, concubines would urge the emperor to drink, and even the eldest princess got a little tipsy.
Xie Yunchu and Wang Shuhuai sat in the back seat. Wang Shuhuai greeted the officials around him politely. Wang Yining held her child and babbled. Only Xie Yunchu remained awake. She stared at the peasant women beating the drums. Suddenly, some fragmented fragments flashed through her mind. The guard who delivered the message seemed to have mentioned something about disguise and the word peasant woman, but because it had been so long, Xie Yunchu could not remember it clearly.
What if the assassin back then was not targeting the Duke, but the Duke was just injured by accident?
Xie Yunchu's heart suddenly jumped to her throat, and she stared at the hammers in the women's hands without moving. Cold sweat broke out on her back. Xie Yunchu was extremely nervous and could not help but tug at her husband's sleeve.
Wang Shuhuai suddenly turned his head and met his wife's panicked eyes. His heart suddenly sank, and he leaned close to her and whispered, "What's wrong?"
Xie Yunchu was trembling all over, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "There's something wrong with those peasant women."
Wang Shuhuai was so perceptive that his alarm bells immediately rang. He grabbed his wife tightly and looked around calmly. The Yulin Guards retreated solemnly to both sides, some distance away from the hall.
If an assassin entered the dinner in disguise, the only possible targets would be the two at the top.
Wang Shuhuai pulled his wife up, pretended to leave, and placed her in front of the screen guarded by the Imperial Guards. Then he returned to his seat and cast a sharp gaze on the wine cup for a moment.
Fortune and wealth are achieved through risk.
He secretly observed the old man, and when he saw that the other party had a strange look in his eyes, as if he was about to fight, he took up the wine cup without hesitation and climbed up the stairs to the emperor at the top, "Your Majesty, I, Wang Shuhuai, respectfully present this to you, and wish you good health."
The emperor was already half drunk, and waved at him in his wide robe, "Yunzhi, come here, drink..."
At this moment, the old man's tone suddenly paused, and suddenly changed to a voice of war. At the same time, several peasant women suddenly pulled out a soft sword from the mallet, and scattered in all directions with great force. Among them, the three with the most powerful martial arts went straight to the emperor.
Everyone was so frightened that they screamed and dodged everywhere. The emperor was so shocked that he almost stood there.
Wang Shuhuai reacted the fastest. He immediately threw down the wine cup, opened his arms, and stood in front of the emperor, "Protect the emperor!"
The Yulin Guards drew their swords and rushed forward. People were thrown to the ground at the banquet, and swords were clashing in chaos. One of the guards drew his sword and threw it to Wang Shuhuai, but Wang Shuhuai stood in front of the emperor and never retreated a single step.
Just when everyone thought that the assassins were going to assassinate the emperor, the peasant woman who was leading the group suddenly had a cold light flashing in her eyes. She suddenly changed direction and stabbed the eldest princess below the emperor with her sword.
At this time, the eldest princess was wearing an indigo-blue thin jacket with a front opening, and was surrounded by the Wang family, drinking and having fun. When the assassin came, no one was prepared. They saw the blade approaching step by step, as if it was going to pierce her. The children and grandchildren who were blocking in front of them staggered. The fourth master grabbed the wine pot and threw it at the intruder, while the eldest master stood beside his mother, trembling with fear.
None of the Wang family's descendants beside him dared to step forward to fight.
The eldest princess stared at the assassin, remaining motionless.
The female official quickly stepped in front of the princess. When the tip of the knife was about to penetrate her brow, the sword was suddenly picked up by someone, and a tall and slender figure jumped in and stood in front of the princess. However, these assassins were all death warriors. They did not care about their own lives at all and risked being cut in half by Wang Shuhuai at any time. The tip of the knife brushed past Wang Shuhuai's left arm and stabbed towards the princess' cheek. However, Wang Shuhuai's sword was faster and pierced the opponent's neck. At the same time, his left arm was also bleeding.
The bright red blood splattered on the eldest princess's cheeks, covering her cold eyes.
…
By the time the turmoil was quelled, it was already late at night. The assassins found out that they were the remnants of the Tianling Cult, and their purpose was to seek revenge on the princess. Five years ago, there was a drought in the northwest, and the Tianling Cult took the opportunity to cause trouble. The court officials wanted to appease them, but the princess went against the public opinion and sent heavy troops to suppress them. As a result, the Tianling Cult was defeated, and the remnants held a grudge and planned for many years just to avenge themselves.
The eldest princess was still in shock as she sat on the soft couch in the Zhangde Hall, with her children and grandchildren kneeling on the ground below her. The third master had returned to the capital to serve the Duke, and the eldest and fourth masters were serving the eldest princess today. They were all silent and prostrated on the ground, except for Wang Yining, who was leaning against the eldest princess with red eyes, sobbing non-stop.
Behind the screen, the imperial physician was applying medicine to Wang Shuhuai. When everything was done, Xie Yunchu personally helped him put on his robe and tied his belt. After a while, the couple slowly walked out and saluted the eldest princess together.
The imperial physician bowed first and said, "Your Highness, the Second Master's condition has stabilized. He has only broken skin and flesh, and no broken bones. Don't worry, he will recover in a month."
The princess pressed her brows tiredly and signaled the female official to send the man out. Then her eyes fell on Wang Shuhuai with a complicated expression.
"Huai'er, thanks to you tonight."
Wang Shuhuai bowed and said, "This is what my grandson should do." He then glanced at his calm wife and did not erase her contribution in front of the princess. "To be honest, today it was all thanks to Yun Chu's keen perception. She was the first to discover that the peasant woman's mallet was different. If not for this, my grandson would not have been able to get to you and Your Majesty in time."
The eldest princess shifted her gaze to Xie Yunchu, revealing relief and approval, "Chu'er has always been a good person." Her tone was obviously much more intimate.
When Xie Yunchu heard Wang Shuhuai's voice of "Yunchu", he was rarely distracted. He had been waiting for such a sentence for his whole life in his previous life. It turned out that those two words sounded so beautiful when he pronounced them. It was a pity that the woman who was always servile and fawning in his previous life would never hear it.
Wang Shuhuai risked his life to save her, which made the princess' other children and grandchildren feel ashamed.
The master and others couldn't even raise their heads.
The princess looked extremely calm, and she didn't say anything extra. She just nodded and said, "Go back and rest. We'll be back in the capital tomorrow morning."
After Xie Yunchu and Wang Shuhuai left, the master and others burst into tears, "Mother..." They were about to explain themselves for their incompetence, but the princess had no intention of listening to their confession. She waved her hand for everyone to disperse, and walked into the inner hall alone, holding the hand of a female official.
The old lady sat against the bed curtain for a long time, and the personal maid opened the curtain and served her a cup of soothing tea, "Your Highness, drink it."
The princess did not take the teacup, but looked deeply into the lady-in-waiting's eyes, "What do you think of what happened today?"
The female official had served the princess for decades and understood what she was asking. "This servant feels that the Second Master is very special."
"Yes." The princess raised her head and sighed, "Either he truly treats me as his grandmother, in which case I should repay him, or he is risking his life. He is so cunning and cruel, I cannot be his enemy."
The female official did not expect that a newly-minted scholar who was only 20 years old would actually make the regent princess feel wary.
"Your Highness, please tell me what you are planning, and I will help you to understand it."
The princess laughed. After making the decision, her expression became less solemn. She leaned back on the pillow and said slowly,
"The Jiangnan case has become a big deal. Someone recently reported the case to the court. Regardless of whether the case is directed at me or not, the matter of the Jiangnan Fish Scale Atlas should be resolved." The princess smoothed the wrinkles on her clothes and made up her mind. "Instead of letting people find out about me, it's better to send one of our own people to the south and take the initiative."
The female officer asked, "Who do you plan to send south?"
"Wang Shuhuai."
The princess said word by word, "Whether he is truly submitting or just pretending to be submissive, let him go south and we will know for sure."
"Besides, he has made many great contributions, and your majesty and I need to give him an explanation."
"Who else but him?"
The female official smiled, "Your Highness is wise. No matter how powerful the Second Master is, he cannot escape from your grasp."
The princess did not respond to this, but sighed, "Old man Wang He really gave birth to a good grandson."
"If Xu'er and Ye'er were half as capable as he is, I would be able to rest easy."
The female official helped her lie down, "Fifth Master and Sixth Master are still young. When they pass the imperial examination and become officials, you can promote them. They will definitely not lose to Second Master."
The eldest princess sneered, "Even you try to coax me."
Xie Yunchu and her husband returned to the villa. She stared coldly at Wang Shuhuai's injured hand and said, "Second Master is really trying hard."
She didn't expect that while helping the Duke avoid disaster, Wang Shuhuai got injured instead.
Wang Shuhuai looked relaxed, staring at his wife with sharp eyes, "Madam, this time it's all thanks to you."
Xie Yunchu certainly knew what he meant. He had taken another big step up the ladder to fame. He wanted to mock him, but thinking of how hard he was working, he finally shut up and said, "Rest early."
Xie Yunchu washed first. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw the tall man standing behind the screen in embarrassment. Their eyes met. Xie Yunchu's gaze moved to his wounds. Naturally, she knew what he was thinking. In her previous life, she wanted to help him, but he didn't allow her. In this life, he was dreaming.
"Second Master, please ask Minggui to serve you." Xie Yunchu walked into the inner room leisurely.
Xie Yunchu didn’t know how Wang Shuhuai took the shower in the end. When he came out, Xie Yunchu had already fallen asleep peacefully.
After such a big incident, the emperor was in no mood to escape the heat. He returned to the palace the next day and took all the people to the Beizhenfusi Yamen for interrogation.
After returning to the palace, Wang Shuhuai went to the study as usual, and Xie Yunchu hurried back to Chunjingtang to hug his daughter. The couple parted ways on the stone path.
For several days, Wang Shuhuai was recuperating in the mansion, and Xie Yunchu never went to the study to visit him. The crisis in the Duke's Mansion was resolved, and she and Wang Shuhuai should return to their respective tracks. With Wang Shuhuai's rescue this time, her status in the Wang family rose, and even Jiang was polite to her. She was happy to live a relaxed and comfortable life.
Instead, Wang Shuhuai was lying alone in the inner room of the study, looking at the vast moonlight spreading over the empty study. He felt strange in his heart. It had only been a few days, but he was not used to sleeping in a separate bed from her.
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