Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Now, who cares if you become a good person?
Seeing that Nan Xu didn't even give him a glance, Li Zhan felt an indescribable loneliness in his heart.
He stretched out his hand out of habit to grab something, but he could only reach a thin layer of outer fabric, which slipped from his hand.
"Nanxu..."
"Zhan'er, you haven't met your uncle yet!" Cheng Guang stopped Li Zhan from taking a step forward, his eyes full of warning. He approached Li Zhan and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Don't forget your identity, your Majesty!"
The three words "Prince Consort" were like a wake-up call, like invisible shackles that bound his hands and feet, and also his heart.
Watching the graceful figure going away, he turned around, concealed the complicated look in his eyes, and followed Cheng Guang to see Duan Wenpei.
Coming in with them was the imperial physician invited by Xie Jin.
Duan Wenpei took off his clothes, exposing half of his body, and lowered his eyes to let the imperial physician pull out the arrow.
Duan Wenpei was notoriously difficult to get along with, so Cheng Guang didn't dare to disturb him rashly.
After scanning the mess on the ground, he asked Huang Yu and Xie Jin about the situation. Hearing that they had encountered assassins, he remembered Nan Xu and her group who had just hurried away, and couldn't help but be curious, "I see Miss Nan is here too. Isn't this too coincidental?"
Not only was an important official of the dynasty assassinated, but the assassin also used the thunder bomb used by the government. It is very likely that there was a mistake in the armory.
Since this concerns the stability of public security in the capital, Cheng Guang does not intend to let go of any suspicious points.
Huang Yu was tongue-tied and couldn't articulate a clear answer for a long time. Xie Jin glanced at Duan Wenpei, then at the absent-minded Li Zhan, then smiled and took over the conversation. "What a coincidence! Miss Nan heard that our master particularly likes the food at Tianxiang Tower, so she came here specially to try it. She booked the room next to ours." He pointed at the large hole in the wall with a look of regret. "If the assassin hadn't arrived so suddenly and used the thunder bomb, Miss Nan would have definitely tasted every dish our master loves."
The meaning behind their words was the same: they were just an engaged couple meeting, and the assassination had nothing to do with Nan Xu.
Cheng Guang's smile faltered and he hummed awkwardly.
The imperial decree granting the marriage was still fresh, so it was normal for two people who were engaged to meet and get acquainted with each other first. However, this was a little too fast.
However, women are fickle by nature, so there is nothing much to say.
He glanced at Li Zhan, who had a gloomy expression, and just hoped that his good nephew would no longer be obsessed with old love.
Then he asked, "I see, Miss Nan seems to have an injury on her neck, and I'm really worried, so I asked a few more questions. It's my duty, Master. Please don't blame me."
Xie Jin smiled and said a few polite words. Duan Wenpei was almost done treating the wound.
The arrow had been pulled out and placed on the table, shining coldly in the sunlight.
Li Zhan recognized the style of the crossbow arrow at a glance. Is this Ah Xu's thing?
The arrow was shot by Ah Xu!
Like a person who has been suffering from drought and finally finds a downpour, once he realizes the truth, the heart that has been suppressed with great difficulty begins to stir again.
Ah Xu must hate Wei Yangbo very much, otherwise he wouldn't have used such a harsh hand.
Li Zhan smiled, leaned forward and bowed slightly, "My Lord, you are so brave that the assassin was brought to justice. I hope you will be magnanimous and not take the person who shot the arrow seriously. She is timid and I think it was unintentional."
Is Nanxu timid?
A coward will not fire a crossbow when danger is imminent, nor will he bite back when he is strangled.
He touched the tooth marks on the base of his palm that were almost scabbed over, and admiration flashed in his eyes.
This prosperous capital is filled with crying ladies from noble families who cannot withstand the storm.
I live by my husband and I die by him.
This one, obviously, is not!
He looked at Li Zhan. The scholar-like man was humble and gentle, not sharp enough, but he was swearing in front of him the sovereignty that had long since ceased to belong to him.
He had just come in and called out to Nan Xu, but Nan Xu ignored him. Duan Wenpei sneered, thinking that childhood sweethearts were just like that.
"Your Highness, you're worrying too much." He leaned back in his armchair, letting the doctor tend to the wound. He said calmly, "If you want to be honest, she shot me with an arrow, and I pinched her for a moment. The two attacks countered each other, so I don't mind."
Before he finished speaking, Li Zhan's expression changed.
No wonder Ah Xu covered his neck. He thought he was accidentally scratched in the chaos, but he didn't expect that he was pinched by someone.
He no longer cared about the princess consort and rushed to Duan Wenpei with an angry face and asked, "Did you hurt Nan Xu's neck?"
He is a modest and handsome gentleman, and his inappropriate behavior shows a bit of hysterical unwillingness.
Duan Wenpei raised his eyes, and his red eyes, which were caused by the pain of pulling out the arrow, added a hint of evil charm to his angular face.
"It's me." He slowly stood up and let Liu Hui help him get dressed. He asked nonchalantly, "My Lord, what do you want?"
Li Zhan opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Yes, what can he say?
Duan Wenpei and she were a real engaged couple, but she and he had no relationship at all.
His reaction seemed a bit cowardly in Duan Wenpei's eyes. Duan Wenpei raised his eyebrows, showing a bit of contempt.
If you have the intention but don't have the courage to fight for it, who will be willing to help you?
"Master Cheng, these assassins probably came from Shu. Investigate them thoroughly and keep your people under control."
It's a double entendre, referring to both the assassin and Li Zhan.
Cheng Guang didn't dare to offend only Nuo Nuo, who felt a little regretful in his heart. If he had known this would happen, he should not have agreed to bring Li Zhan, who came to see him at the government office, with him.
The sun moved westward, and the sky was a fiery red. Duan Wenpei left Tianxiang Tower, abandoned his horse and got on the carriage.
Just as he was about to step onto the footstool, the imperial physician who had just treated his wound also said goodbye to everyone with his medical attendants. Duan Wenpei paused, called Liu Hui over and whispered a few words to him.
Huang Yu and Xie Jin were about to return to the yamen, and when they turned around, they saw Liu Hui asking the imperial physician for something.
The imperial physician fiddled with the medicine for a while, then took out two bottles of medicine and handed them to Liu Hui with numerous instructions.
Xie Jin loved to join in the fun, so he leaned over to listen for a while, then turned around and burst into laughter.
Huang Yu was puzzled. "What are you happy about?"
Xie Jin winked and said, "I'm smiling, the iron tree is about to bloom! Guess what Liu Hui wants?"
"What do you want?"
"I want some good medicine for my throat!"
*
After leaving Tianxiang Tower, Yin Ruizhu comforted them for a while before they reluctantly said goodbye.
Nan Xu returned to the Marquis' Mansion with a depressed look on his face.
After entering Xiefang Garden, she couldn't hold back her tears and threw herself into the soft quilt woven with golden thread.
Yu Ming and Yu Xiang were so anxious that they asked someone to prepare water for Nan Xu to wash her face, and asked everyone in the yard to close the door to prevent Nan Xu's movements from leaking out.
After Nan Xu had cried enough, the little maid brought her some fragrant and soft bird's nest porridge. After a few mouthfuls, she finally calmed down.
Yu Ming spread rose dew on Nan Xu's head. The elegant fragrance made her forget the unpleasant things for a short time, even the pain in her neck.
When she turned around to get the hairpin, she didn't pay attention and it pulled her neck, causing her to break out in a cold sweat due to the pain.
Yu Ming looked at this with heartache and asked the maids why the palace doctor had not arrived yet.
Four or five people went out to urge him, but the one who showed up was Yuxiang holding a bottle of medicine.
"The doorman handed it in, saying that it was brought in by someone who served as a regular servant of Wei Yangbo right after we returned home." After this incident, Yuxiang could no longer call him son-in-law. He placed the medicine bottle in front of the dressing table with disdain, picked up the basin and went out to pour water.
After removing the seal from the Imperial Hospital on the medicine bottle, Yu Ming took a sniff and smelled several familiar medicinal scents, all of which were used to treat bruises and injuries, which were exactly what Nan Xu was experiencing.
"Miss, how about giving it a try?" Yu Ming didn't dare to make a decision on her own and asked Nan Xu what she thought.
Nan Xu covered her neck and dared not move. She puffed out her cheeks and did not answer.
What is this?
Apologize to her?
Why didn’t you know to show mercy before getting to the bottom of the matter?
Who cares if you're a good person now?
She waved away the porcelain bottle that Yu Ming handed to her and said angrily, "If you don't want to try it, take it away." As soon as she finished speaking, her throat felt burning and painful, and she couldn't stop coughing.
Although Yu Ming was anxious, she did not dare to force him to do anything. Coincidentally, the court physician was brought in by the servants, so she had to put the medicine bottle in a hidden place.
*
Although Xiefangyuan guarded the city like a barrel, the truth would eventually come to light.
Within a day, the Marquis's wife knew that Nan Xu was injured.
The next day, after the girl and her wife paid their respects, he hurried over to visit Nanxu.
It was early June, the sun was high in the sky, and the breeze brought a heat wave, making people feel listless.
Several maids who were cleaning the Xiefang Courtyard were leaning against the door railing and dozing off, but Nanxu was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing the Marquis's face grow long, Madam Lu hurried forward and woke the maid, scolding her: "What are you doing? Didn't you see the Madam coming? Where's the girl?"
The servants were ignorant and shrank back in silence when asked by Mother Lu. One of them, who was tall and eloquent, came to her senses and said that the girl had finished her breakfast in the morning and took people to the garden behind the yard.
Xiefangyuan is not the largest in the marquis's mansion, but the Yong'an Marquis and his wife doted on Nanxu, so they demolished an empty yard at the back and built a garden specifically for Nanxu to appreciate flowers and paint.
In the open space on the west side of the garden, there were several archery targets, and in the middle was a straw man made of straw.
The Albizia julibrissin flowers overhead fluttered down, making the beauty in pink clothes beneath the tree look even more charming. With a few 'whoosh' sounds, arrows fell like meteors, picking up petals of trumpet creeper flowers, brushing against the target and landing around the straw man.
Madam Hou was startled, but fortunately Mother Lu held her up, "Are you practicing archery?"
Mother Lu nodded affirmatively.
Madam Hou blinked. "When I saw those warriors practicing archery, weren't they shooting at the target? Why did Ah Xu shoot all the arrows onto the ground? Is there some reason for that?"
Mother Lu: ...
It’s nothing special...it’s just that the second girl’s aim is not good.
Nan Xu had already heard his mother's voice. Feeling guilty, he touched the stand-up collar shirt he had specially put on, put down the crossbow, and went forward.
She had delicate makeup and walked properly, but the collar that almost covered her chin looked weird.
When she got closer, she found that it was not only the clothes that were strange. From a distance of ten steps away, the Marquis's wife could see at a glance that there was a piece of paper stuck on the straw man's head, with the three words "Duan Wenpei" written neatly on it.
No wonder there are so many targets but they insist on shooting at the straw men.
The Marquis's wife looked at Nan Xu, who lowered her head and dared not look at her, and was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"I told you that if you had suffered any injustice, you would have cried your heart out to my Jiahuitang. Now I know that you have met a tough guy and dare not say anything!" The Marquis's wife poked Nan Xu's forehead in annoyance. When she lowered her eyes, she saw the red marks showing through the gap of her collar, and hurriedly pulled Nan Xu to sit on the chaise longue under the flower tree.
She gently unbuttoned Nan Xu's collar, revealing a circle of dark blue pinch marks.
The Marquis's wife accidentally touched it with her finger, and Nan Xu shuddered in pain and leaned back reflexively.
"Who pinched this?" Suddenly remembering Duan Wenpei's name on the straw man, the Marquis's face was filled with disbelief. "Wei Yangbo?"
Nan Xu looked at the Marquis' wife with tears in her eyes and nodded after a long time.
After getting the definite answer, Mrs. Hou was so angry that her eyebrows raised.
She knew that Nan Xu had left the house to meet Duan Wenpei, and thought that the worst that could happen was that neither of them could reach a consensus and would part ways unhappily.
The marriage is a foregone conclusion. Instead of having any unpleasantness between the couple on the wedding night, it is better to talk it out now.
After all, how many couples in this world are together without the help of their parents and matchmakers?
The emperor's order could not be disobeyed, and the Marquis' Mansion accepted it. But even if Nan Xu exposed the truth, Duan Wenpei could not strangle her openly. What was he trying to do? Kill Ah Xu and the marriage would be over?
"Come here, prepare the car! I want to ask Wei Yangbo how the Yong'an Marquis' Mansion offended him. First, he arrested my son, and now he wants to kill me, Ah Xu. Why not just kill me, the Marquis's wife, as well!" After saying this, she walked out angrily, and she really wanted to go to Wei Yangbo's Mansion to demand an explanation.
Tears were about to fall in her eyes, and Nan Xu stretched out her arm to block the Marquis's way.
"Mother, why don't you just not go? It doesn't... hurt that much, cough cough cough..."
Her objection was very unconvincing. The Marquis's wife could not help but sigh that her daughter had grown up, become sensible, and understood the overall situation.
But which mother would let her daughter suffer such an injustice before she even gets married!
The Marquis's wife took Nan Xu in her arms and patted her in a comforting manner, and told Yu Ming and Yu Xiang to take good care of her girl, and then she was about to leave the house with her people.
Seeing that she couldn't stop him, Nan Xu stomped her feet and had to bite the bullet and tell the truth.
"It was me. I shot him in the shoulder with a crossbow. He thought I was an assassin, so that's why," Nan Xu touched his nose angrily and muttered softly, "he pinched me."
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Hey guys, I forgot to apply!!!
I may have to reduce the word count and update more after it makes the list.
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