Chapter 48 It was as if they wanted to tear her apart and devour her.
Throughout the entire mansion, anyone allowed to enter the inner courtyard each day was required to pass through three verifications: a password, a token, and a hidden stake. Coupled with the numerous traps and mechanisms throughout the house, it was virtually impregnable, making it impossible for even a bird to cross.
Even if Han Ren really came, he didn't believe that person could overcome all these obstacles and get close to him.
Moreover, Sheng Kingdom and Da Que had no diplomatic relations and no communication between them. He refused to believe that even though he had changed his name and appearance, Han Ren could still find him in the vast sea of people.
Arriving at the display cabinet on the east side of the study, Yun Tianlei pressed an inconspicuous Pixiu statue on the third row. The gears turned with a faint mechanical sound, and Yun Tianlei went straight into the secret passage hidden behind the bookshelves. He stood in front of a cold jade platform and gazed at the object that was firmly surrounded by a crystal cover and was capable of bringing the dead back to life.
Unfortunately, this ingredient needs to be combined with other ingredients as a medicinal guide; it alone is not enough to turn the tide.
Emerging from the secret room, Yun Tianlei sat in a rosewood armchair by the window, looking at the seemingly ordinary furnishings in the room. He clicked his tongue in admiration, thinking to himself that there was indeed such a capable person in the world, who could conceal murderous intent within elegance and turn danger into nothingness.
When Princess Zhaohua came out after her bath, she saw him still staring intently at the diagrams and components, and immediately frowned, her tone carrying a hint of displeasure: "All you do all day is tinker with these things."
When her ex-husband was defeated and killed in a court struggle, she was implicated and placed under house arrest in a separate residence. Unexpectedly, she was ambushed by assassins sent by her political enemies, and her bodyguards were almost all killed or wounded.
At the critical moment, Yun Tianlei, who happened to be passing by, saved her.
After spending some time together, she discovered that this man was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also exceptionally eloquent and knowledgeable. In order to find someone to rely on, and also because she valued his abilities, she asked her elder brother, who had regained power, for permission to have him marry into her family.
However, in all these years of marriage, her husband has almost never left the house, unless it is an unavoidable occasion such as a grand palace ceremony or a festival or sacrifice.
At first, she thought he was just aloof and didn't like socializing. But after pressing him several times, he finally revealed bits and pieces of his past. Piecing the information together, the gist of it was that Sheng Guo had enemies who were hunting him down.
Although the specifics of the deep-seated hatred are unknown, judging from his tense and withdrawn demeanor, it's clear that the enemy is no ordinary foe.
However, she wasn't too worried about the impregnable Princess's mansion.
Yun Tianlei, sensing the situation, put on a smiling face, stood up and stepped forward, fawningly massaging her shoulders: "Princess, please calm down. I was just thinking that I should arrange this mansion more thoroughly so that you can rest easy."
Princess Zhaohua snorted dismissively, saying, "Not even a fly from outside can get into this mansion. I don't think that person could harm you in the slightest, even if he has extraordinary abilities."
"By the way, the palace issued an imperial decree today, saying that next month, the Empress Dowager will host a 'summer banquet' in the palace."
Upon hearing that he would have to go out again, Yun Tianlei's expression changed slightly, and he nodded reluctantly.
This summer banquet was held by the Empress Dowager every year, and as the son-in-law of the emperor, he had to attend and show his face before the emperor to show his filial piety and respect to the Empress Dowager.
After thinking it over, he realized he was being too cautious. So many years had passed, and there was no news of Han Ren. He might be dead by now. Why should he be so anxious all the time?
Thinking this way, I felt a little more at ease and stopped worrying about it.
...
The day I entered Da Que happened to be the beginning of summer.
Jiang Fushi followed the messenger towards the capital of Daque. After about ten days, she finally caught a glimpse of the majestic city gates of the capital.
Being in a foreign country, with the pursuers from Dasheng unable to reach her for the time being, Jiang Fushi's long-tense heartstrings finally relaxed a little, and she felt a rare sense of leisure.
She got off the car, strolled around the market, bought some unique herbs and spices from Da Que and a few exquisite pastries, and then tried her luck at various pharmacies, hoping to find the life-saving Nine Star Flower.
That evening.
The group finally entered the imperial city, and the Fengmei people, holding tokens, booked a quiet inn courtyard for their stay.
Jiang Fushi walked at the front with a heavy heart, thinking about how to find out Zhan Xiao's whereabouts the next day. Unexpectedly, she had only taken a few steps when she heard a chaotic voice behind her.
"Chief! Chief, what's wrong?"
The terrified scream made her turn around, only to see Shui Lingyu suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood, her face instantly turning ashen, and her whole body uncontrollably falling forward.
She was taken aback, then her eyes narrowed slightly, and she quickly turned back.
"Quickly, help the leader back to his room!" Wen Yuan's voice trembled with urgency.
Everyone hurriedly carried the unconscious Shui Lingyu into the guest room. Jiang Fushi sat down in front of the bed with a frown, took out a silk thread to take her pulse, and her face darkened as soon as her fingertips touched her.
Her pulse was erratic, and her internal energy was surging wildly through her meridians—a sign of internal force backlash. The suppression methods she had secretly applied were clashing violently with Shui Lingyu's own powerful internal energy, and now they were on the verge of exploding.
A silent silence descended. Jiang Fushi's shimmering eyes were filled with guilt, and the silk threads of her hair trembled slightly. She whispered to the person on the bed, "I'm sorry..."
Ultimately, it was her unethical methods that caused the problem. If she hadn't secretly drugged and sealed Shui Lingyu's meridians, Shui Lingyu wouldn't have lost all her martial arts skills, nor would she have suffered this backlash.
Over the past few days, the media outlets have treated her with the utmost kindness and consideration...
She took out her silver needles and inserted them into several key acupoints of Shui Lingyu. With a twist of her fingertips, she slowly released the internal energy restriction on him, allowing his pent-up internal energy to be slowly released.
Shui Lingyu fell into a deep sleep, her ashen complexion gradually fading and regaining some color. Maids carried medicine and warm water in and out, taking meticulous care of her.
Fearing the situation might worsen, Jiang Fushi dared not leave easily. She withdrew from the inner room and sat on a pearwood chair in the outer room, instructing the maid to carefully observe Shui Lingyu's expression and breathing, and to notify her immediately if anything seemed amiss.
Outside the window, the bright moon hangs high, its clear light spilling down like water, covering the courtyard in a silvery white.
She stood by the window, the summer evening breeze carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, brushing against her cheeks but unable to dispel the melancholy in her heart. Longing surged up, and the image of that person clearly appeared in her mind.
On such a beautiful night, I wonder what he's doing? Is he thinking of her too? How much pain must he be in when the Cold Marrow Corrosion flares up?
Thinking about it, I couldn't help but tear up.
Even a well-connected organization like Fengmei couldn't find any trace of the Nine-Star Flower, so it seems that forcing it is ultimately futile.
Feeling timid, she lost her interest in moon-gazing and returned to the table to sit down.
Da Que is famous for a fruit wine called "Jade Dew White". This wine is mellow and sweet, with a low alcohol content and no hangover. The inn just brought over a small jar, which she picked up and drank in one gulp.
Perhaps because he was too preoccupied with his worries, even the mellow wine tasted bitter as it went down his throat, stirring up his sorrows and causing him to feel slightly tipsy. He suddenly remembered the past.
I wonder how Lou Bingling is doing now, far away in the capital of Sheng Dynasty? And how is my free-spirited and unrestrained aunt, the eldest princess, doing well? I imagine that when she was in the capital, although she was walking on thin ice, she always had a roof over her head to shelter her from the wind and rain, and a caring maid to accompany her.
But now, Qingdai has died tragically, Rongrong is missing, and Zisu, whom she has always regarded as a confidante and trusted deeply, turns out to be a spy planted by her father by the emperor...
In just six months, her life was turned upside down, from a princess of noble birth to a fugitive in a foreign land.
Life is unpredictable, like a dream.
"Leader?" The maid exclaimed in surprise as she saw the person on the bed slowly wake up. She was about to go forward to help him up, but Shui Lingyu waved his hand, refusing to let them get close.
He sat up halfway, his stagnant internal energy slowly recovering. Although he was still weak, he was no longer in serious danger.
"How are you feeling? This servant will summon Doctor Jiang right away..."
Shui Lingyu interrupted her, walked straight out of the inner room, and lifted the beaded curtain of the partition. The woman had fallen asleep on the table at some point, with an empty wine cup in her hand. The fatigue from days of travel had condensed into faint dark circles under her eyes, and her exposed wrists were slender and thin, easily encircled by one hand.
He slowed his pace.
Intermittent murmurs echoed in the quiet air: "Don't leave me..."
After a moment of silence, Shui Lingyu walked past her and went out the door.
When Jiang Fushi woke up again, she was woken up by a maid. Realizing that she had fallen asleep drunk, a hint of embarrassment flashed across her face. After learning that Shui Lingyu was alright, she got up to explain the situation to him, and just then she met him in the courtyard.
He seemed to be discussing something with Wen Yuan. When she came over, Wen Yuan tactfully bowed and withdrew.
"What's the matter?" Shui Lingyu asked first.
"Your internal energy restriction has been lifted, and your martial arts will soon be restored. I am grateful for Feng Mei's escort and care during this time, and I intend to... take my leave now."
Shui Lingyu raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure? His Highness is a wanted criminal secretly pursued by the Sheng Dynasty. How many days can he survive alone in this Great Que Imperial City?"
How could Jiang Fushi not know her own predicament?
However, protection obtained through threats is not a long-term solution. Fortunately, we have now arrived at the capital of Da Que. As long as we investigate patiently, meeting Zhan Xiao is only a matter of time.
"My mind is made up." She spoke calmly, looking up directly at him. "Chief Shui once said that Princess Zhaohua's mansion is full of traps and extremely dangerous. I am really worried about my husband's situation. I beg you, Chief, to help me one last time and lend me the layout of the traps in the mansion."
Upon hearing this, Shui Lingyu stared at her intently for a long time, his expression unreadable, before finally saying indifferently, "I will do my best."
Jiang Fushi didn't know if Shui Lingyu would really help her with this favor. The next day, she dismissed the attendants assigned to her by Su Wenjing, changed into a plain-colored cloth dress commonly seen on common women in Da Que, covered her face with a veil, hired a carriage, and went to the Zhaohua Princess's residence.
Since Zhan Xiao is going to take revenge, he will definitely scout the area around Princess Zhaohua's mansion. If she stays there, she might be able to find a trace of him.
Arriving at a teahouse diagonally opposite the Princess's mansion, she alighted from her carriage and sat down in a private room by the window on the second floor. She appeared to be enjoying her tea, but her gaze lingered on the street and the surroundings of the mansion.
This continued for three days in a row, but nothing was discovered.
On the fourth day, she woke up early and packed her bags, moved out of the inn, and planned to move to a place closer to the princess's mansion to save time and energy from traveling back and forth.
Pushing open the door, I discovered that the courtyard next door, which had been rented out by Fengmei, was already deserted.
I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
It seems that Shui Lingyu ultimately did not help her with this favor.
This collaboration was merely a mutually beneficial arrangement, and now that neither party owes the other anything, it's only natural for him to withdraw.
Carrying her package, she first found an inconspicuous inn near the princess's mansion and booked a room. Then she carefully walked through the streets and alleys around the princess's mansion, memorizing the routes.
The summer sun was scorching. After walking around for a while, Jiang Fushi felt tired and hot, and her legs felt weak. She walked to a teahouse with a cloth awning on the street, chose a seat in the back, and ordered a bowl of tea to quench her thirst.
Upon closer inspection of the text and seal, although the wording vaguely referred to a fugitive, Jiang Fushi knew perfectly well that this was clearly a hefty reward notice from Dasheng!
It was her oversight that she assumed everything was fine since there were no diplomatic relations between Dasheng and Daque. She overlooked the fact that there was frequent trade between the two countries, and such bounty orders could easily be sent to neighboring countries through caravans.
After all, a reward of a thousand taels of silver is enough to attract countless desperate criminals.
Jiang Fushi felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly lowered her head, pulled her veil tighter, and in her panic, she didn't even drink the tea served by the waiter before getting up and leaving in a hurry.
Whether it was psychological or not, when she mingled into the crowd again and walked onto the street, she felt as if someone was watching her, their gaze like thorns in her back, making her spine tingle.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, like a drumbeat. At first, she just quickened her pace, but then she almost started running, frantically turning into a secluded, deserted alley.
Just as she was about to stop and catch her breath, a silent, oppressive aura suddenly enveloped her. Before she could react, a pair of strong arms tightly embraced her, and then a hot and domineering kiss covered her.
The man held her waist tightly with one hand and supported the back of her neck with the other, trapping her between himself and the wall. His lips and tongue penetrated deeply with undeniable force, lingering and caressing her as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Jiang Fushi was so frightened that her eyes widened, her mind went blank, and she completely forgot to resist. She could only passively endure this sudden invasion, feeling the other person's slightly trembling strength and the light pain of his light kiss on her lower lip.
She didn't know how much time had passed, until she was almost suffocating, when the man reluctantly released her a little, and a hoarse, deep male voice sounded in her ear.
"Fushi...it's me."
Author's Note: [Cat's paw]
[Chin resting on hand] Actually, I wrote the ending yesterday, but I kept wondering whether to post it. Although the ending is happy, there's a scene of lovers committing suicide in the middle. After thinking it over, I decided to scrap the ending because it was too heartbreaking for even me. I still want them to be happy together.
Hi~ Anyway, I'm not planning to release this version of the ending, so now I have to completely rewrite all the previous ending ideas (tears). I'll try my best to update daily. When the main story is finished, there will be extra chapters. Don't worry, all the content that should be there will be there. Everyone who bullied Yuhe will pay the price!
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