Unable to control his emotions, he asked again, "Qin Luo, is Xiang Qiu still there?" His voice rang in his ears once more...
At three-quarters past midnight, Crown Prince Jiang Yuanjun arrived alone on horseback and knocked on the tightly closed vermilion-lacquered palace gate with its copper knockers. The commander of the Imperial Guards, who was pacing back and forth with a torch in hand, was clearly incredulous when he suddenly saw the Crown Prince riding a fine horse and trying to rush through the palace gate. The guard rubbed his eyes, thinking it was due to overwork in recent days, but before he could take a closer look, someone beside him called out, "Your...Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Jiang Yuanjun's face was grim, her eyes sharp, as she looked at the commander of the Imperial Guards: "Open the palace gates! Marquis Jingning has been assassinated in his residence and is in imminent danger. I must report this to the Emperor immediately!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards was shocked to hear this. Since returning to the capital, the Marquis of Jingning had been assassinated twice. Who was this Marquis of Jingning? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was the emperor's nephew. He had only been back in the capital for a few days when he was able to "forcibly" strip the eldest son of Grand Secretary Liang of his position as commander, and a new official took office.
According to the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, except in special circumstances, anyone who knocks on the palace gates at night shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane. But he was the crown prince, the future monarch. He looked again at the expression of the prince on horseback. He recognized those icy eyes; he had seen them before, back in the turbulent year in the capital—the winter of the third year of the Kang Le reign.
Jiang Yuanjun's cold eyes looked over again, and the commander of the Imperial Guards was startled once more. This matter was no small thing, and thinking of this, he hurriedly ordered the Imperial Guards to open the palace gates.
Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Emperor Kangxi suddenly heard in the Hall of Mental Cultivation that the Marquis of Jingning had been assassinated, and he was furious. He immediately issued an edict ordering Minister Du of the Ministry of Justice, Crown Prince Jiang Yuanjun, and Luo Ling, the chief official of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, to thoroughly investigate the case.
Minister Du of the Ministry of Justice is a veteran of two reigns. As for the Crown Prince and Luo Zhanshi, they were both childhood playmates of the Marquis of Jingning and came from the Luo family, one of the four great families. No one could refute them with a single wrong word.
As the night deepened and everyone slept soundly, the long street was bustling with people. Waves of patrolmen and imperial guards followed their leaders, rushing towards places like the Eastern Depot. The Liang family, whose gates were tightly shut in the dead of night, was also awakened by a sudden knocking sound, and lights were lit up throughout the courtyard.
Inside the main tent in the courtyard, Liang Shuwen lay pale-faced, muttering incoherently with his eyes closed. Seeing this, Madam Qian quickly grabbed an oil lamp, put on her clothes, and slapped him hard across the face. Liang Shuwen suddenly felt the pain, abruptly opening his tightly closed eyes. His face was drenched in sweat, and he was breathing heavily, clearly having just had a nightmare. He then suddenly heard a commotion outside the courtyard, and after a long pause, he muttered to himself, "What happened?"
Madam Qian glared at Liang Shuwen with an annoyance, and said with a forced smile, "You're asking me? I should be asking you!"
But Liang Shuwen seemed not to hear him, as if he had just woken from a nightmare and had been talking to himself. He suddenly sat up, about to put on his nightgown and get out of bed. He muttered, "I, the Grand Secretary, have never done anything wrong, except for one thing..."
Inside the tent, Madam Qian rolled her eyes and hurriedly summoned her personal maid.
*
As dawn approached, Chu Yening awoke from his deep sleep. The immediate pain in his abdomen and chest made him smile faintly. The study was filled with the strong smell of medicine, which suddenly reminded him of that year in the military camp when he was seriously injured while saving Li Mou and nearly died in a foreign land.
He suddenly felt thirsty and was about to sit up to get the teapot from the table when he realized that he had lost all feeling in one arm and was pressing down on a heavy object. He slowly turned his head and first saw the cloak that Brother Luo often wore, and then under the cloak, the girl who was sleeping soundly with her head resting on his arm, her eyes red and swollen.
Suddenly, the scene under the starry sky last night flashed into his mind.
Chu Yening chuckled and reached out to gently stroke the girl's messy hair. He intended to slowly lie back down on the bed, but the person in his arms had clearly opened her eyes because of his little gesture.
Qin Weixi opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a pair of smiling, peach-blossom eyes. She sat up abruptly: "Fourth Brother, you're awake? I'll go call Dong..."
Chu Yening then grabbed her from behind.
"Qin Luo".
Qin Weixi lowered her eyes and, seeing that he insisted on holding her hand, had no choice but to sit back down. She then quietly pulled her hand away and asked, "Does your wound still hurt? Fourth Brother, what exactly happened at the bottom of the cave yesterday?"
Chu Yening smiled but didn't answer. Instead, she glanced at the outer room and asked, "Who else has been here?"
“My third brother is resting in the outer room now. He didn’t sleep a wink all night. In the middle of the night, I let Doctor Dong and the others go back to sleep. My fifth brother went back to the palace. In less than a quarter of an hour, he came to the mansion with people from the Ministry of Justice and the imperial physicians.” As she spoke, she looked out at the sky and saw that the sky was beginning to lighten. “My brother and fifth brother should be back soon.” She then recounted the plan of Luo Ling and Zhong Ti last night, as well as Jiang Yuanjun’s late-night return to the palace.
Chu Yening pondered for a long time: "Brother Luo understands me best."
Seeing that his face was pale and his lips were cracked, Qin Weixi got up to find a cup to pour him some water. Finding the kettle empty, she went to the outer room to find the hot water that Aunt Ruan had boiled before dawn, which was now lukewarm. She left only the words, "Wait for me."
Chu Yening sat up naturally, lazily draping one arm over her bent leg. Listening to her footsteps and her busy figure, his gaze softened even more.
Qin Weixi filled the cup with warm water and strode over: "Fourth Brother, the water's here, drink slowly." His hand, which had been holding the cup in mid-air, paused and then abruptly withdrew.
The faint smile on the lips of the person on the couch, those bloodless lips, suddenly transported her back to the starry night before, to that unexpected kiss.
"Little Seven, feed me."
"Last night, your fourth brother... now... his hands hurt, and his head hurts too..."
"Your hands are injured too?" She glanced at him quickly. After returning home, she had carefully examined any obvious injuries, and both hands were clearly unharmed. But despite saying this, Qin Weixi still stretched out her arm to bring the water glass to his lips. Then, she turned her head away and lowered her eyes slightly.
At first, she could still hear him drinking water, but then he fell silent. Qin Weixi's heart skipped a beat, and she turned her head abruptly. Just then, the person on the bed grabbed her wrist and pulled her up, causing her to fall into his arms.
Qin Weixi gasped softly, then looked at the cup where he had drunk all the water. She quickly glanced towards the outer room, when Chu Yening suddenly chuckled in her ear: "Afraid your third brother will see?"
"Qin Luo, you didn't reject me last night."
Qin Weixi turned to look at him and hurriedly tried to get up, but she was obviously no match for the valiant young man on the bed who was now in his prime and had fought bravely against the enemy. Instead, he once again held her tightly in his arms, completely ignoring the open wounds on her chest and abdomen.
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a soft voice suddenly sounded behind her: "Lolo, answer me."
A warm breath brushed against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. She instinctively blurted out, "You were forcing yourself on me." Then, remembering his wound, she quickly added, "Be careful not to aggravate it."
But the person behind her still held her tightly in his arms: "Don't move. Qin Luo, it'll only be a little while." He slowly closed his eyes, and then spoke softly and gently.
The outside was eerily quiet. Looking through the small window, she saw no one moving about in the courtyard; it was just before dawn, and everyone was probably still asleep. But her heart was pounding, each beat feeling as if it were uncontrollably rushing to her throat.
"Qin Luo, is Xiang Qiu still there?" A soft voice whispered in his ear.
Qin Weixi slowly exhaled and nodded haphazardly.
Chu Yening chuckled softly: "Then let's consider it a token of our love."
Qin Weixi turned around abruptly upon hearing this, her nose brushing against his for a fleeting moment. She then turned her head away again, lowering her voice as much as possible, and said, "Chu Yening! What token of love! I was only eight years old then!"
Chu Yening seemed to be suppressing the unrestrained laughter in his heart, and said lazily, "Rules are made by people, and the earlier you send it, the sooner you'll be mine. But Qin Luo, I have already made a vow in front of Aunt Xiao that I will protect you for all eternity. Yening will protect Weixi for all eternity."
Qin Weixi was taken aback when her mother was suddenly mentioned.
Chu Yening continued, "Qin Luo, those days in the Qin family's old house were the happiest time of my life."
Qin Weixi suddenly felt a pang in her heart, and then felt the warm breath of the person behind her getting even closer. A strange tickling sensation came from her ear. Just as she was about to speak, she heard the person behind her say again, "Qin Luo, answer me."
Qin Weixi felt that her cheeks must be completely red at this moment. She suddenly remembered that after returning to the capital, they were in the Buddhist hall of Jingyun Temple. The woman's lips in the painted boat were like a big red plum.
Seeing that she remained silent, Chu Yening slowly rested his chin on her shoulder again and said softly, "Also, since returning to the capital, I have never asked you whether you have thought of me during these years in Jiangnan."
Upon hearing this, Qin Weixi suddenly recalled the cenotaph he had mentioned at the old house that day, and how she had prayed for him every New Year in Jiangnan, hoping for his safe return from every battle.
Thinking of this, she suddenly felt the person behind her breathe even closer. She turned around abruptly and whispered, "Third Brother is sleeping outside. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll call him in!"
Chu Yening raised his eyebrows, then chuckled softly, "Old Tao?" His eyes crinkled as he continued, "Those older brothers are your support, very good. You'll have even more support in the future." He then added, "Are you tired? Do you want to go to sleep for a while? I'll have someone arrange a room for you."
Qin Weixi raised her eyes and saw that his eyes were now clear and bright, completely devoid of his previous unruly demeanor, and she felt relieved. For some reason, she laughed and blurted out, "You're so unserious." Then she noticed the patch of blood that had seeped through the plain white nightgown and got up to say to him, "I'll go, I'll go get Uncle Dong to re-bandage you."
Chu Yening said, "Wait a minute, Fourth Brother has something to tell you."
Seeing that she remained unmoved, he continued, "It was Sun Shaopu. Yesterday, you and I saw that drunken old man. Judging from the things he said, I think that back then, the person who could wear a crown and step on people after getting off the carriage, with such arrogant behavior, could only be Sun Shaopu. But there is something strange about Ma Lianren."
"And Chen Guiyi."
Qin Weixi pondered for a moment, silently reciting the names of Sun Shaopu, Chen Guiyi, and Ma Lianren. They seemed unrelated, but apart from Ma Lianren's unknown identity, the other two were both members of the Eastern Depot. It was truly strange that Chen Guiyi could rise from a lowly eunuch to become a favored minister of the current emperor.
She recalled Sun Shaopu, who held a high position and committed many misdeeds back then, and said, "Fourth Brother, but Sun Shaopu, my father or the Qin family, I investigated back in Jiangnan, and the Qin family had no enmity with him. If it was because of Cui Lu's matter back then, I think it was really wrong."
"Back then, Chen Guiyi was just an insignificant eunuch. Compared to the current Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Director of the Eastern Depot, he was utterly insignificant. But..."
Chu Yening said, "But sometimes a small thing can breed resentment. But Qin Luo, you're right. If Chen Guiyi's status back then wasn't enough, perhaps there was someone else behind him. Or perhaps it's Sun Shaopu. Why Sun Daban's voice was poisoned and rendered mute remains a mystery." He smiled coldly, "He would rather sacrifice his own life than say a word about what happened back then. Perhaps only when an opportunity arises will Sun Shaopu speak."
Both men fell silent for a moment, and for some reason, they both thought of the blank memorial tablet they had seen in the Qingzuan room. If the person the drunken old man had seen back then was indeed Sun Shaopu, and after the Qin family incident, Sun Shaopu suddenly disappeared without a trace for ten years, so everyone believed he was dead, could this blank memorial tablet be a tribute to Sun Shaopu? But many things are still uncertain.
The two exchanged a smile, undoubtedly waiting for the right opportunity.
Qin Weixi said, "Fourth Brother, we should talk about this after you recover from your injuries."
Chu Yening gazed at the girl before him, who had barely slept a wink, staying by his side every step of the night. He recalled the limping thief who had run away from the bottom of the cave the previous night. He had initially thought that was Ma Lianren, but the thief's resolute attitude towards death and the group of assassins who suddenly sprang from the shadows told him instinctively that it wasn't Ma Lianren. If this Ma Lianren was indeed the person Gao Jian had seen back then, the limping young actor Bai Sheng who had died in the fire, why would he so easily choose to die when he had been willing to hide in the theater for ten years? Just a scapegoat.
He had slaughtered all the assassins at the bottom of the cave, but despite all his calculations, he hadn't anticipated that the dying "Ma Lianren" would give him a contemptuous smile and say in a deep voice, "Lord Jingning is indeed like his father, but who knew that the fearless young lord who could kill enemy soldiers with every move also had a weakness?" He raised his chin sinisterly, gesturing towards the top of the cave: "If I'm not mistaken, that girl is now your weakness, Lord Jingning?"
"Ma Lianren" laughed with a ferocious grin: "But this weakness will eventually die, just like your father, who died a violent death in a foreign land!"
He gripped the sword he had snatched before falling into the cave and slashed it at the neck of "Ma Lianren." Then, he raised his hand and shot the hidden arrow he had given to the little girl into the thief's right eye: "Fine, I was going to spare your life for now and let you live a few more incense sticks' time. But I can't now, because I find you too noisy."
The thief was already severely injured and barely breathing, but he could still hear the echoes from the bottom of the cave, the thief's curses: "Lord Jingning, your weaknesses will all die, and die a miserable death!"
In that brief moment of distraction, the thief used all his strength to press the mechanism at the bottom of the cave, causing a sharp blade and an arrow to suddenly strike his abdomen and chest. At that instant, he also heard a voice calling "Chu Yening" drifting from afar.
He gave a cold laugh, kicked the thief in the chest, pulled out the sharp blade and stuck it into his vital spot, then pulled out the arrow to prevent the girl from worrying.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I can't die yet, because there are still people waiting for me to return home. I won't die in the future either; I want to be with her year after year, forever and ever."
A surprised exclamation suddenly rang in their ears. The sound wasn't loud, but it was quite noticeable in the quiet morning. The two hurriedly looked out the window and saw Doctor Dong, with dark circles under his eyes, standing under the eaves, mouth agape, exclaiming in surprise, "Good heavens! How did the wound reopen? You little rascal! Go back to bed and lie down right now!"
Doctor Dong's exclamation startled Tao Qingyun, who was dozing outside, causing her to suddenly open her eyes and stand up abruptly. She looked around blankly and exclaimed, "Where's the thief! Master is here!"
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