On the Brink of Death

Huan Da turned over and lay back on the bed, pulling the quilt over his head, as if the exposed secret had nothing to do with him.

Wei Lan grabbed two jade pendants and held them in front of Huan Da’s eyes. “Are these yours? What was our relationship in the past?” Her voice suddenly trembled, “Yun Rong’s beloved should be Huan Ying. Why is the keepsake with you?”

Huan Da remained motionless, his muffled voice coming from under the covers: “What’s the point of asking now?”

“The jade pendant is engraved with ‘Greatness Lies in Tolerance’!” Wei Lan suddenly realized, tracing the merged Taiji pattern with her fingertips. “So it was Huan Da back then, not Huan Ying? Then why did the entire household say…”

“Governor Liu is coming back soon to arrange your marriage. Why dwell on old matters?” Huan Da sneered coldly.

“Governor Liu?” Wei Lan immediately caught onto the key point. “Did you say Liu Mingyi? When did he become a governor?”

Huan Da realized he had misspoken and fell silent.

Wei Lan recalled the letters she had received over the past two years, and suddenly, a chill ran through her. “He was never sent to the front lines as a military doctor, was he?” In a flash of realization, everything became clear. How could an ordinary military doctor decide her marriage? She remembered her father often mentioning “Governor Liu’s brilliant military tactics.” So, the Governor who had been winning battles in Shaanxi was actually Liu Mingyi!

“I need to write to Mingyi and ask him directly.” Wei Lan’s mind was in turmoil, her voice filled with urgency. “But first… I don’t want to be kept in the dark. Was it you I loved in the past?”

Huan Da remained silent for a long time before finally sighing. “I’m tired. Please leave, Your Highness.”

After that day, Huan Da deliberately avoided Wei Lan. She sought him out several times but always found him missing. Even his bloodstained bandages were neatly cleared away. The two jade pendants still lay by his pillow, yet he never returned to claim them.

That afternoon, Wei Lan sat in the courtyard on a wooden swing, lost in thought. Behind her, Qiutang gently pushed the swing, hesitating before finally speaking. “Your Highness… the heir of the Earl of Xiangcheng sent another letter.” She took out a blue satin pouch stuffed with five or six unopened letters.

“Didn’t I tell you to gradually distance yourself from him?” Wei Lan tightened her grip on the rope.

Qiutang blushed at being exposed, her voice softening. “Your Highness, he is fighting at the front lines. If he sends so many letters without receiving a reply, I fear it may dampen his morale…” Wei Lan suddenly realized that this girl had likely been secretly corresponding with the heir for over half a year.

“I won’t read them. Do as you see fit.” Wei Lan turned away, but Qiutang’s next words made her freeze in place. “But this time, the letter mentions Governor Liu…” She had only learned from Huan Da that Governor Liu was Liu Mingyi. Normally, she and the heir never discussed military affairs in their letters, but this time, it was just a single remark.

“Let me see it!” Wei Lan’s boots scraped against the ground, nearly stopping the swing. She snatched the letter and quickly skimmed through it. Most of it was idle chatter, but one line about Governor Liu sent a chill down her spine, making her body go cold from head to toe:

“The newly appointed governor was struck by a stray arrow and is on the brink of death.”

Wei Lan’s fingers tightened around the letter, her knuckles turning white. Qiutang noticed something was wrong, but before she could react, the princess was already trembling all over. Ink stains blurred as tears dripped onto the paper, yet Wei Lan remained unaware, crying silently.

She checked the date on the letter and realized it was written before Liu Mingyi’s most recent letter assuring his safety. This meant that either the heir or Liu Mingyi’s letter was fake. Clutching the letter tightly, she turned and ran towards her father’s study.

Gong Yonggu was in a meeting with his advisors when his daughter burst in, pale as a ghost. He immediately waved for everyone to leave.

“Rong’er, what’s wrong?” he asked gently.

Wei Lan steadied herself against a wooden pillar, forcing herself to remain calm. “Father, is it true that Liu Mingyi was seriously wounded by an arrow?” Since all her letters passed through Gong Yonggu, if there was any forgery, it had to be his doing. She desperately hoped he would deny it, that the heir had made a mistake and that Governor Liu was safe.

But instead, Gong Yonggu turned away, avoiding her burning gaze. “On the battlefield, stray arrows have no eyes. Injuries are inevitable…”

“You forged the letter reassuring me of his safety, didn’t you?” Wei Lan’s voice sharpened, her nails leaving a white scratch on the wooden pillar.

“The best physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau has already been sent to him overnight,” Gong Yonggu said soothingly. “Telling you would only make you worry unnecessarily. Rong’er, you must understand your parents’ good intentions.”

Upon hearing her father confirm it, pain surged through Wei Lan’s chest, and a metallic taste filled her throat. A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the cold stone floor, quickly seeping into the cracks between the tiles. A wave of dizziness washed over her, a loud buzzing filling her ears before she collapsed.

She remained unconscious for three full hours before finally waking. The physician, after checking her pulse, informed her parents, “Her Highness is suffering from extreme emotional distress and internal turmoil. Medicine alone will not cure her; she must resolve her inner conflict.” He prescribed some herbal remedies before taking his leave.

Princess Le’an sat by the bedside, looking even paler than Wei Lan. Seeing her mother’s sunken cheeks, Wei Lan remembered that two years ago, she had learned of her mother’s heart disease. Since then, she had never defied her. Whether it was learning music, chess, calligraphy, or enduring tedious banquets, she had obediently complied. But this time was different—this was a matter of life and death, and she couldn’t hesitate.

“Mother, please return to your room and rest. I need to speak with Father alone,” Wei Lan croaked.

Princess Le’an’s hand trembled as she gripped her silk handkerchief. “Rong’er, don’t scare me…”

Wei Lan propped herself up, shaking her head. “I’m fine.”

Once her mother left, supported by Qingtan, Wei Lan immediately grabbed her father’s sleeve and pleaded, “Father, I must save Mingyi!”

Gong Yonggu’s eyes reddened as he gripped his daughter’s frail hands. Shaking his head, he sighed, “You know I won’t agree. For your mother’s sake—if she finds out…”

Wei Lan took a deep breath and interrupted, “Don’t use filial piety to suppress me. Mingyi is at death’s door, and you still can’t see what’s truly important?”

Gong Yonggu remained firm. “It’s not just for your mother’s sake. It’s also for your safety. I will never agree. Don’t you care for Huan Da? I can speak to your mother, and you may marry him if you wish.”

Wei Lan let out a sorrowful laugh. She no longer cared whether Yun Rong’s beloved had been Huan Da or Huan Ying. Just to stop her from going to the battlefield, her father was willing to let a princess marry a guard. “But I only wish to marry Liu Mingyi.”

“If he dies, I will not live alone.” She pulled out a golden hairpin from under her pillow and pressed it against her throat, her voice cold. “At fourteen, I should have died, but Mingyi pulled me back from the gates of hell. Now, it’s my turn to save him. Do you want a living daughter, or a lifeless corpse?”

Gong Yonggu was stunned by her resolute gaze. The once obedient daughter before him had changed. Blood was already seeping from where the hairpin had pricked her skin. Frantic, he raised his hands. “Put it down! I agree—I’ll arrange an escort at once!”

“Then we leave immediately!” Wei Lan declared.