Princess Luoyan’s face turned livid at the sight. With a single command, the guards of the princess’s mansion swiftly surrounded them, forming a human wall, drawing their swords to protect He Sui’an and Qi Buyan.
The people present were in a panic, fearing for their own safety. Princess Luoyan, enraged, demanded, “Who dares to act recklessly in my mansion?”
She deliberately avoided looking at Liu Yan.
Xie Wenqiao’s expression was grave.
Prince Tuoba Wu of Nanliang sheathed his sword. If the flying sword could be explained as Princess Luoyan’s unsteady hand, the dagger used to stab someone could not—it meant someone intended to kill.
The guards of the princess’s mansion were fairly strict; without an invitation, it was difficult to enter. Was the assailant one of the guests at the banquet? Tuoba Wu mused with interest. If so, who could it be?
However, Tuoba Wu had his doubts.
Why were the targets the two guests invited by Princess Luoyan and not the princess herself? Generally, the assassination target would be an important figure at the banquet.
Since the target wasn’t his future wife, Tuoba Wu decided not to intervene. After all, his mission in Great Zhou was to safely escort Princess Luoyan back and secure two cities as her dowry.
Tuoba Wu sat back indifferently.
His attendant poured him a drink.
“You should also be careful,” Liu Yan, seemingly disturbed by the incident, coughed a few times and pulled Princess Luoyan closer, as if afraid something might happen to her. He suddenly called out to Xie Wenqiao, “Lord Xie.”
Xie Wenqiao left his seat and stepped forward. “What are your orders, Your Highness?”
Liu Yan, in a serious tone, said, “Since Lord Xie is here tonight, I hope you will thoroughly investigate this matter and give an explanation to me, to Ah Yan, and to all the guests present.”
Princess Luoyan looked at Liu Yan holding her hand. His hand was large, broad, and warm, with thin calluses, much like her father’s hand.
Had these hands ever thrust a deadly blade into the bodies of her brother and sister-in-law?
Doubt, like a seed, took root and sprouted in her heart after the night’s events, growing larger and larger, nearly bursting out and causing her immense pain.
She wanted to shake it off.
But she restrained herself from doing so at this moment.
Xie Wenqiao replied without any emotion, “Rest assured, Your Highness. I will do my utmost to investigate tonight’s incident and give an explanation to you, the princess, and all the guests present.”
Tuoba Wu stroked his chin, scrutinizing Xie Wenqiao in his plain gray robe. His appearance was upright and honest. Even when bowing, he did not seem humble but rather stood firm and unyielding.
Did his future wife like this kind of man? Tsk, Tuoba Wu drank another bowl of wine.
Princess Luoyan, using the pretext of tending to He Sui’an’s injuries, pushed away Liu Yan’s hand. If she didn’t push it away now, she wouldn’t be able to endure it any longer.
Liu Yan glanced at his hand.
It was empty.
The person who once viewed him as a father had ultimately turned against him. Liu Yan had long anticipated this day. It was understandable that Ah Yan would hate him to the bone upon learning the truth, and he accepted it.
He just didn’t expect it to come so soon.
From the day he killed Ah Yan’s brother and sister-in-law, his own friends, there was no turning back.
Liu Yan’s hands were already stained with blood. For those who aim to achieve great things, emotions must not be allowed to interfere. In the face of this, familial love, friendship, and romantic love were all insignificant. He was willing to sacrifice these things.
Those with emotions were not suited to be born into a royal family, as the late emperor had told Liu Yan.
And he had managed to achieve that.
Princess Luoyan walked over to He Sui’an’s side.
Seeing that He Sui’an had been injured in the night’s incident, she felt guilty and said, “I have sent someone to summon the imperial physician. For now, you two should stay in the princess’s mansion. I will ensure your safety.”
These words were meant for both them and the assailant.
He Sui’an didn’t pay attention to what was happening around them or what was being said. Her attention was entirely focused on Qi Buyan in front of her. Their positions hadn’t changed.
He Sui’an was still holding Qi Buyan’s hand.
Her grip was quite strong, leaving red marks on his skin, but Qi Buyan didn’t seem to feel any pain, allowing He Sui’an to hold onto him. Her palm was pressed against his wrist, slightly sweaty.
The slightly damp cold sweat transmitted through their touching skin to Qi Buyan.
He looked at her.
There was pure confusion in Qi Buyan’s eyes, wanting to know the reason for He Sui’an’s actions. She opened her mouth, but found herself unable to speak at the moment, not knowing what to say.
Princess Luoyan noticed something was amiss and repeated what she had just said. Only then did He Sui’an come back to her senses, avoided Qi Buyan’s gaze, and let go of his hand, lowering her still-bleeding head.
“Then I will trouble the princess,” He Sui’an said in a very small voice.
As soon as she let go of Qi Buyan’s hand, the butterfly silver chain on his wrist swayed a few times, the sound of the silver ornaments clinking reaching He Sui’an’s ears. She never once lifted her head to look.
Qi Buyan bent down to pick up the silver ornament from the ground.
Princess Luoyan didn’t notice the oddity between them, her mind solely focused on He Sui’an’s injured head. If anything were to happen to them because of her, Princess Luoyan would never forgive herself.
She called for someone to take them to a side room.
The other guests were allowed to leave, but Xie Wenqiao would visit them tomorrow to record their testimonies. With so many people attending the banquet, someone might have witnessed the assailant.
After advising Princess Luoyan to ensure her safety, Liu Yan also left with his attendants. On any other day, Princess Luoyan would personally escort him to the mansion gate and see him off in his carriage, but not tonight.
He Sui’an followed the servants of the princess’s mansion through winding corridors and into a side room.
The incident had happened so suddenly that it was hard to find a well-prepared, clean room for immediate accommodation. The side room was small, simply furnished with a table, a few chairs, a daybed, and a bed.
He Sui’an went in and sat down.
She felt a bit dizzy; the knock to her head hadn’t left her feeling well. The servants bustled in and out, preparing items to treat her wound. When the imperial physician, summoned by the princess, arrived, he could begin treating her immediately.
The princess’s mansion was not far from the palace, and calling an imperial physician was quicker and more effective than calling a doctor, given their superior medical skills. After a quarter of an hour, Princess Luoyan led the imperial physician to the side room, where he hurriedly examined the wound.
A head injury could be serious, so the imperial physician asked He Sui’an several questions.
Her consciousness was still clear, and the situation was not severe. After bandaging her wound, the physician prescribed some blood-enriching and body-conditioning medicine.
Princess Luoyan advised He Sui’an to rest well and did not disturb her further, leaving the room with her attendants and leaving He Sui’an alone with Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan sat opposite He Sui’an.
She was unsettled.
He leaned over to look at He Sui’an’s bandaged wound. His presence and breath enveloped her. He Sui’an turned her face slightly, but Qi Buyan seemed not to notice, focusing only on the wound.
Layers of white cloth wrapped around He Sui’an’s head. The imperial physician had removed her forehead ornament during the bandaging and placed it on the table beside them. The warm candlelight cast a cold sheen on the silver ornament.
Although the bleeding had stopped, a faint scent of blood lingered in the air.
Qi Buyan’s fingers gently touched the back of He Sui’an’s head, feeling the wound beneath the layers of white cloth, still emitting a strong medicinal scent.
“I remember the first time I met you, you also had an injury here.” His tone was very calm, wanting to kill the one who hurt her, but also wanting to first check her wound.
This time, He Sui’an did not avoid him.
Her long, lowered eyelashes obscured the emotions in her eyes, giving an inexplicable sense of distance. “It doesn’t hurt as much after applying the medicine. The first time I met you, I did have an injury there.”
She also remembered how that wound had happened.
It was during a family trip when she got separated from her parents and ran into a fugitive. Fearing that He Sui’an would call the police and expose his whereabouts, the man had smashed her head with a brick, intending to kill her.
For some reason, after being hit in the head, she found herself in a book she had read, still wearing the dress she had worn for the trip.
So.
Was she dead or alive?
Had she been killed? Was there still a chance to return to the modern world?
He Sui’an didn’t know and wasn’t sure. Before she lost consciousness, the fugitive thought she was dead and fled. As He Sui’an’s consciousness faded, it seemed someone else approached.
The person spoke a few words to her.
“Your mission… is to… remember… don’t ever…” The voice was strange, as if it used a voice changer and needed modern technology to be heard.
Since He Sui’an was almost unconscious at the time, she couldn’t hear clearly. Even after regaining her memory, she didn’t know the complete message, only a few words, making it impossible to guess.
Lost in thought about this matter, He Sui’an’s gaze drifted aimlessly.
“He Sui’an.”
Qi Buyan called her softly.
Suddenly, He Sui’an thought of the ending for everyone in the original story and instinctively pinched her hand. He separated her tightly clasped fingers, revealing the marks her nails left on her palm.
“He Sui’an, you’re acting very strangely tonight. Can you tell me why?”
The medicinal scent filled Qi Buyan’s nose, but he seemed not to notice, waiting for He Sui’an to speak. She finally looked at him, their eyes meeting in midair.
“I… I don’t really want to talk about it.” He Sui’an moved her dry lips.
She also didn’t want to recall the original plot for now.
“But I really want to know.” Qi Buyan tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear, his wrist’s butterfly silver chain brushing against her. The warm candlelight cast shadows on his delicately beautiful face, half hidden in gray shadows.
He Sui’an took a deep breath and compromised, “Then give me some time.”
“Alright.” He smiled gently and kindly, his thumb habitually stroking He Sui’an’s cold earlobe. “How long do you need? I’m too eager to know, I can’t wait too long.”
“A few days, just a few days.”
She said.
“Then I’ll wait a few days.” Qi Buyan moved away from He Sui’an, fetched the room’s water basin, sat back in front of her, soaked a cloth, wrung it out, and began wiping He Sui’an’s dirty face.
The cool cloth glided over He Sui’an’s soft white skin. Qi Buyan held the wet cloth with his left hand, and with his right hand, he cupped her face, keeping it steady, meticulously wiping away all the dirt.
He Sui’an didn’t close her eyes, staring at the water basin.
The water rippled constantly, reflecting Qi Buyan’s handsome face, which was split and distorted, creating a surreal image.
He Sui’an seemed both wanting to look at Qi Buyan and not wanting to, her gaze shifting indecisively, embodying a state of extreme contradiction.
Qi Buyan finished cleaning her face.
His fingers were still wet, water droplets trickling down between them, falling onto the carpeted floor without a sound. After a while, He Sui’an turned her back to Qi Buyan to change into a new dress.
Princess Luoyan, being considerate, had someone prepare a few new dresses in advance for He Sui’an to change into.
After changing into a new dress, He Sui’an mumbled, “I’m going to rest now.” She walked to the small bed, lay down lightly, hesitated for a moment, and patted the spot next to her.
“You should rest too,” she said, her words sounding similar to when she used to invite him to sleep together, but there was a subtle difference.
“Okay.”
Qi Buyan lay down in the spot she had patted.
The candles in the room burned out, and silence enveloped them. He Sui’an slept on her stomach to avoid aggravating her recent head injury. After about an hour, she suddenly opened her eyes, unable to sleep.
Qi Buyan’s breathing beside her was steady. His long hair, still braided in small sections, intertwined with her hair. He Sui’an quietly got up, careful not to disturb him, and crossed over him, holding her dress.
She didn’t see his long lashes move.
Afraid that wearing shoes would make noise, He Sui’an walked barefoot, quietly pushed the door open, and found a distant corner from the room to squat down.
The night wind rustled the leaves.
Squatting in the corner, He Sui’an rubbed her aching eyes and nose, looked up at the sky to keep from crying, but she couldn’t hold back any longer and buried her head in her knees, sobbing.
She wondered if her parents thought she was dead. This thought made her cry even more, but she didn’t dare make too much noise, biting her sleeve to muffle the sounds.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared.
The shadow was cast from above her head.
He Sui’an lifted her head, her eyes swollen, and nose red, tears streaming down her cheeks. Through her blurry vision, she saw a figure in indigo blue walking toward her. She stared blankly at Qi Buyan as he approached.
The boy walked slowly to He Sui’an, bent down, his robe hem touching the ground, and gazed at her. “He Sui’an, why are you crying?”
“It hurts so much.”
He Sui’an spoke the truth without lying. She was overwhelmed by her situation, by the thought of her parents, and by Qi Buyan’s circumstances, all these layers of pain weighing down on her like a mountain.
Qi Buyan’s fingers brushed over the white cloth covering the wound on the back of He Sui’an’s head. “Does it hurt because of the wound, or for another reason?”
“It just hurts.” She sniffled, not telling him the real reason.
Qi Buyan wiped the tears from He Sui’an’s face, the heat of the tears burning his fingers, seemingly searing into his bones. He Sui’an suddenly said, “I’m scared.”
He looked into her tear-reddened eyes and gently stroked her face, appearing indifferent yet slightly moved. “What are you afraid of?”
He Sui’an fell silent again.
She cried, and Qi Buyan patiently waited for her to finish, his gaze never leaving her, only lifting his hand to wipe away her tears as they fell.
With Qi Buyan by her side, He Sui’an gradually stopped crying. She fell silent, hugging her knees, staring fixedly at the ground, her mind lost in thought.
Qi Buyan also half-squatted.
A few strands of his long hair draped over his shoulder, his elbow resting on his knee, propping his face with one hand. He just watched her, his gaze clear and penetrating, as if he could see through to her heart. He Sui’an didn’t dare to look directly at Qi Buyan.
After a long while, He Sui’an stood up, her legs numb to the point of losing feeling. She tugged at Qi Buyan’s sleeve. “Let’s go back to the room.”
They walked slowly.
He Sui’an’s legs were numb, so she couldn’t walk fast.
The moonlight stretched their shadows, the sound of the silver ornaments scattering in the wind. He Sui’an sneaked a glance at Qi Buyan, only to be caught by him.
When they returned to the room, He Sui’an was just about to climb onto the bed when she remembered she had gone out barefoot, making her feet dirty. As she was about to wash them, Qi Buyan wrapped her feet with a wet cloth.
He Sui’an’s ten toes curled slightly as the damp cloth gently brushed over them.
Her feet rested in his hands.
After wiping them clean, He Sui’an pulled her feet back, climbed to the innermost part of the bed, curled up like a quail, leaving a large space for Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan held He Sui’an by the shoulder, turned her to face him, and then lay down, drawing her into his arms. He Sui’an looked confused, her eyes meeting Qi Buyan’s chest.
Smelling Qi Buyan’s warm scent, He Sui’an nervously clutched his clothing.
She only fell asleep in the latter half of the night.
When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
He Sui’an was still in Qi Buyan’s arms. Outside the room, Zhi Mo knocked on the door, saying that Aunt Cui from the auction house had sent a message, wanting to see them today as she had something important to tell them, at the auction house.
Before relaying the message, Zhi Mo had reported to Princess Luoyan. The princess did not interfere with whom they met but advised them to be careful, as leaving the princess’s mansion could mean encountering more dangers.
He Sui’an replied, “We understand, thank you, Sister Zhi Mo.”
“Miss He is too polite.” Zhi Mo, after delivering the message, left without disturbing them further or asking if they planned to meet at the auction house.
The footsteps outside gradually faded away.
He Sui’an knew Qi Buyan would go to the meeting, so she got up and dressed.
After getting ready, they left the princess’s mansion. Princess Luoyan, always concerned about their safety, had arranged a carriage at the mansion gate along with several highly skilled guards.
The carriage was faster than walking, and they quickly arrived at the auction house. He Sui’an and Qi Buyan got off the carriage one after the other. The steward, who had been instructed to wait at the entrance, greeted them and led them inside.
The auction house was not open for business today.
Aunt Cui had sent the staff home, leaving the large building nearly empty except for a few people. The steward led them to the fifth floor, saying, “The boss is waiting for you upstairs. I will take my leave now.”
He Sui’an climbed the wooden stairs, finding Aunt Cui waiting in the room where they had met yesterday.
Aunt Cui looked like she hadn’t slept well. Even with a mask on, her exhaustion was evident in her eyes. Without saying a word, she handed them a stack of letters.
She didn’t trust anyone else to deliver the letters about Liu Yan, feeling more assured giving them personally. “You’re investigating Liu Yan. He won’t let you off easily. I hope these will be useful.”
He Sui’an accepted the thick stack of letters.
Aunt Cui glanced at them, feigning a relaxed tone. “I’ve done my part.” She had her own motives, hoping to make Liu Yan see reason and stop his reckless behavior.
Before they left, she asked Qi Buyan to help reset Ah Xuan’s dislocated jaw. Qi Buyan had used a skillful technique to dislocate it, and it required his expertise to avoid misalignment.
Ah Xuan was in the next room.
Qi Buyan didn’t refuse Aunt Cui’s request and went to the next room to help Ah Xuan, leaving He Sui’an alone with Aunt Cui.
Aunt Cui looked meaningfully at He Sui’an’s obviously tear-streaked eyes.
He Sui’an suddenly gathered her courage and asked, “Can you tell me how to hide my presence so that the poison Gu won’t track me?” Despite the abruptness, she had to ask.
Before Aunt Cui could respond,
Qi Buyan’s voice interrupted, “Why do you want to know that?”
She didn’t know when he had returned.
