The luminous pearl on the bedside wall played its part perfectly at this moment, casting a cold white light on half of the man’s face. This delicate light adorned his sharp features with a layer of enticing clarity.
This made him appear less intimidating than usual.
But beneath that beautiful exterior and the loose robe, there must be malice hidden. Ji Yuluo shifted her gaze away from his face.
To better serve their husbands at night, women of the time slept on the outer side, while men slept on the inner side. When Nanny Liu had made the bed earlier, she had placed Huo Xian’s bedding on the inner side. However, he was now sitting at the head of the bed, showing no intention of moving.
Facing his gaze, Ji Yuluo walked to the edge of the bed and sat down half a person away from him, speaking softly, “Husband, since you have returned to the manor now, will you still need to enter the palace tomorrow?”
Huo Xian glanced at her. “The assassin has been caught, and the Emperor is relieved. I won’t need to enter the palace tomorrow.”
Under his scrutinizing gaze, Ji Yuluo feigned surprise, let out a long breath, and said, “That’s wonderful. It’s good that the matter is resolved. Husband still has duties tomorrow, so you should rest early. I’ll go put out the light.”
With that, she stood up. Before she could take two steps, Huo Xian grabbed her hand, his thumb pressing heavily on her wrist.
It was a dominant gesture, allowing no resistance.
It was fine when he was sitting, but once he stood up, his tall shadow loomed, compelling attention and vigilance.
Huo Xian smiled slightly. “What’s the hurry? It’s still early.”
His words carried a hint of lingering affection, as if deliberately teasing her.
Ji Yuluo forced a bitter smile, feeling both guilty and helpless. “Husband knows well that I have been frail since childhood, having spent the last three years recuperating in the temple with little improvement. I’m afraid I cannot serve you at the moment and must ask you to bear with it for a while.”
Huo Xian stepped closer. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”
Without waiting for Ji Yuluo’s response, he bent down and scooped her up. She struggled for a moment but quickly calmed down, a swift return to composure that seemed habitual. Huo Xian turned and placed her on the bed. As he leaned down, the bed curtains fell, half draping over his body still outside.
He stared into her seemingly calm eyes and said, “Don’t you know that at times like this, a woman should be shy and anxious? Maintaining calm isn’t always appropriate, little girl.”
Ji Yuluo’s hand, resting at her side, clenched tightly. “I’m afraid I can’t please you as much as the concubines do.”
“Don’t worry, I find Madam’s figure quite appealing,” Huo Xian said, his hand already on her waist.
He wasn’t lying; her waist was incredibly soft. Unlike the girls in the flower houses who practiced flexibility, ordinary ladies who stayed indoors were usually stiff.
Ji Yuluo controlled her breathing. She understood Huo Xian’s insinuation but pretended not to, saying, “Some things are natural.”
“Is that so?” Huo Xian continued to move his hand down. “That’s something to be quite envious of.”
Ji Yuluo bit her inner lip, closed her eyes: Huo Xian!
Through the thin fabric, she could almost feel the rough calluses on his palm. She had to exert great restraint not to kick him in the face!
At this moment, a voice drifted down from above. Huo Xian’s voice was low as he said, “If you can’t take it, you can fight back. Aren’t you good at running?”
Ji Yuluo opened her eyes and looked at him. “Husband, what are you saying? How could Yuluo dare to fight with you?”
Huo Xian glanced at her, then stood up and grabbed her ankle, his hand finding the thin callus on her toes with precision. “Being stubborn always leads to trouble.”
As he spoke, he pulled her jade-like foot, yanking Ji Yuluo’s head off the pillow and dragging her forward. Just as Huo Xian’s imposing figure loomed over her, there was a sudden commotion outside. Someone knocked on the door urgently, calling, “Master, Master, something terrible has happened!”
It was Nanny Liu.
For someone as calm and composed as Nanny Liu to be so agitated, it must indeed be something serious.
Huo Xian glanced at Ji Yuluo, retracted his legs, got off the bed, and while tying his belt, walked towards the door. “What happened?”
Nanny Liu replied, “An assassin has entered the west courtyard. Concubine Sheng is injured. I saw a lot of blood. Do you want to…”
Nanny Liu fell silent as she saw Ji Yuluo coming over, wrapped in a long coat.
As the stewardess, Nanny Liu was generally sensible. Knowing that the master and mistress were rarely together, she wouldn’t usually interrupt for a concubine’s issue. Hence, she felt somewhat ashamed in front of the usually easygoing mistress, but since it was Concubine Sheng who was injured, she had to report it.
Nanny Liu didn’t know Sheng Lanxin’s true identity, but she had seen how well Huo Xian treated Sheng Lanxin. He had given her the keys to the storeroom and allowed her access to the study, a privilege even Nanny Liu didn’t have. Except for not letting her live in the main courtyard, he had granted her almost complete freedom and indulgence.
As expected, Huo Xian’s expression changed drastically upon hearing the news. He grabbed a robe from the pearwood rack and, in that instant, he frowned and turned to look at the woman who had been at a disadvantage moments ago.
She was calmly adjusting her clothes, her previous disheveled state completely gone. Noticing his gaze, she turned her head and said, “Husband, don’t delay any further. Concubine Sheng must be terrified.”
Ji Yuluo and Huo Xian went to the west courtyard together.
The usually quiet west courtyard was brightly lit, and knowing Huo Xian was coming, the concubines gathered outside Sheng Lanxin’s house, wiping tears and clutching their chests, looking terrified and in need of comfort.
Ji Yuluo glanced at Hongshuang, who lowered her voice and said, “Miss, I only hurt Sheng Lanxin.”
Ji Yuluo withdrew her gaze.
Ignoring the concubines in the courtyard, Huo Xian pushed the door open and strode in. The maids, servants, and the doctor were gathered inside the inner room. The water in the basin was red, with a blood-stained white cloth hanging over the edge.
Sheng Lanxin’s complexion was poor. She wore a leather coat over thin inner clothes, her left sleeve cut open to reveal a wound that was neither too deep nor too shallow.
She winced in pain but retracted her arm upon seeing Huo Xian, rising to give him a bow. She then saw Ji Yuluo following behind and also bowed to her.
Huo Xian frowned, “What happened?”
A guard from the courtyard, standing behind a curtain, bowed and said, “Master, none of us noticed anyone sneaking into the inner courtyard. Please punish us!”
As he spoke, he had already knelt down.
Behind him, dozens of guards knelt outside the inner room in a dense throng, causing the concubines trying to attract Huo Xian’s attention to retreat back into their rooms in fright.
Huo Xian glanced at Ji Yuluo and asked, “Where did you lose sight of the intruder?”
While the guards explained, Ji Yuluo didn’t pay close attention. She was idly surveying her surroundings. Sheng Lanxin’s room, like her name, was clean and elegant. There were no incense burners emitting smoke, only a few orchids by the window that spread a light fragrance, making the air pleasantly refreshing.
The items in the room were neatly arranged, not scattered like those in typical women’s quarters, but there was a sense of coldness, as if something was missing.
While no one was watching, Ji Yuluo slowly took a few steps. She instinctively raised her hand to pinch her lower lip, unable to immediately pinpoint what felt off.
Her gaze swept over all the visible items in the room: the bed, the table, the vanity, the screen, the washing stand—wait, the washing stand!
The washing stand held small basins, bowls, cups, and toothbrushes, but there was only one of each item. At the bottom, there was a circular water stain, indicating that a basin had originally been placed there, which Sheng Lanxin was now using to treat her wound. Yet the stand originally only had one basin.
Ji Yuluo suddenly realized what was wrong. This room was spotless, with no traces of a second person living there. Even the jade pillow by the bed was singular!
For the most favored concubine in the manor, could it be that Huo Xian never stayed here? How was that possible?
Just as Ji Yuluo was processing her surprise, she felt her elbow being tugged. She turned to see Hongshuang winking at her and then quietly slipping out through the curtain.
After a while, seizing the chaotic moment, Ji Yuluo also slipped away unnoticed.
Simultaneously, as the two disappeared, Huo Xian looked up from the commotion, his sharp gaze fixed on the swaying bead curtain. He then stepped out of the inner room, and Nanyue quickly approached, speaking in a low voice: “According to your earlier instructions, guards are stationed in both the front and back courtyards. If the mistress tries to escape, she will be stopped, forcing her to act, which will reveal whether she was the assassin that day.”
Huo Xian responded with a grunt, his expression dark as he looked at the swaying green pines outside. His eyes were fierce, like a wolf stalking its prey. Nanyue shivered slightly, instinctively touching his own neck.
In the pine forest, Hongshuang approached Ji Yuluo and said, “Miss, everyone is concentrated in the west courtyard now. It’s the perfect time for us to leave, though it’s a pity we can’t take Biwu with us today.”
Ji Yuluo, deep in thought, stared at a fallen leaf and didn’t respond to Hongshuang’s words.
Seeing her absent-mindedness, Hongshuang nudged her. “Miss?”
Ji Yuluo snapped out of her reverie. “What did you say?”
Hongshuang replied, “Everything is ready. As you predicted, the guards are all in the west courtyard. The main courtyard is now the safest place. Leaving from the main courtyard is our best option.”
Ji Yuluo was silent for a moment, then asked, “You said Sheng Lanxin is the most favored concubine in the manor?”
Hongshuang, puzzled by the question, hesitated before nodding. “It’s well known that Sheng Lanxin is favored.”
Ji Yuluo crossed her arms, her other hand raised in front, pinching her fingertips. “Then why has someone never stayed overnight in his most favored concubine’s room?”
Hongshuang was bewildered. “What? What do you mean?”
Ji Yuluo suddenly turned around, the moonlight highlighting the intrigue in her eyes. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Hongshuang, we’re not in a hurry to leave.”
Hongshuang panicked. “Miss! We can’t keep dodging this. If we miss this chance to leave, it will be much harder later. It’s not worth risking everything for Zhao Yong. We can escape today; if we delay, it will be too late.”
“Not necessarily.” Ji Yuluo’s face remained calm. After some thought, she said, “Huo Xian might be… unwell.”
Hongshuang was taken aback for a moment. “W-what?”
Ji Yuluo gazed thoughtfully at the tall courtyards of the west courtyard. People often said that the most outrageous thing about the commander was the unusually large number of concubines in his inner residence. But this might just be a cover.
He used a courtyard full of concubines to conceal this secret, and Sheng Lanxin was used to reasonably transform these concubines into mere decorations, making people think he neglected others due to his special affection for Sheng Lanxin.
However, the truth of the matter still needed further investigation.
But if it were true, then the man in the room earlier was merely bluffing, and there was nothing to fear.
With this in mind, Ji Yuluo made up her mind.
Meanwhile, footsteps were chaotic in the courtyard, and the guards’ swords clanged as they ran, lighting the entire residence with oil lamps, making an even bigger commotion than the earlier assassination attempt in the west courtyard.
Nanyue ran over, panting. “Master, our men are stationed outside, and we haven’t seen the mistress leave.”
Huo Xian’s face was so dark it seemed ink could drip from it. The glance he gave Nanyue made him hold his breath.
Nanyue was about to lower his head to accept his punishment when suddenly a voice came from the corridor: “Husband!”
Everyone turned to look.
They saw Ji Yuluo slowly approaching, looking around in surprise at the scene. “What’s going on? Who are you looking for?”
Huo Xian simply stared intently at the calm face of the girl in front of him without saying a word.
Nanyue glanced at his master and hurriedly said, “Oh… we’re looking for the assassin.”
