Chapter 8

The sedan chair came to a halt. Ying Yue thought her cries for help had finally been answered, but outside, the celebratory music swelled louder, firecrackers burst in unison, creating an even greater uproar than before. Amidst the noise, she vaguely caught something like “invite the groom to shoot the arrow” in the cheers.

Ying Yue couldn’t make it out clearly. The sudden, violent commotion nearly stunned her. The only silver lining was that the chair had finally steadied. Gathering what little composure she had left, she clung to the side of the sedan, using it as support to inch forward and reach for the bright red curtain—

Before she could touch it, a sharp “thud” sounded as an arrow struck the sedan door from outside. Whether due to the close range or the archer’s formidable strength, the impact shook the entire chair twice.

Then, a burst of raucous laughter erupted outside: “Master Fang, have you gone mad? That’s your bride, not some highway bandit! Use that much force, and you’ll scare her unconscious—then you won’t even make it to the wedding ceremony!”

“You don’t understand. Master Fang means to assert his dominance right from the start. Look at his imposing manner—no doubt the Husband’s authority will be firmly upheld in the future!”

“Ah, Brother Xue speaks wisely, indeed, haha—!”

The men outside bantered back and forth with hearty laughter, while inside, Ying Yue was utterly wretched.

No one had explained the wedding rituals to her. Madam Xu had only threatened her to obey without question. When the arrow struck, she thought it was aimed at her, nearly scaring her soul out of her body. A mouthful of blood mixed with saliva sprayed out as she choked and coughed violently. Almost simultaneously, a hand lifted the sedan curtain from outside—

It was Jinling.

Earlier, she had picked up the precious vase that had rolled away. Now, as Ying Yue was about to step out, she seized the chance to slip the vase back to her.

Jinling was completely unprepared for the sight of Ying Yue’s ghastly face. Her eyes widened instantly, nearly bulging out of their sockets. A scream froze on her lips, but shock rendered her mute.

Her stiff posture quickly drew attention. Another person stepped forward, peering through the lifted curtain.

Ying Yue, weak and teary-eyed, looked out but couldn’t make out the figure clearly. The stranger, however, reacted lightning-fast—snatching the crumpled Head covering from her lap and throwing it back over her head. Before Ying Yue could react, she felt herself lifted clean off her feet, swept up into a bridal carry.

Blind once more, she flailed in panic, grabbing at the man’s lapel and clutching it tightly, terrified of falling.

The man carrying her paid no heed to her actions. With long strides, he turned and sprinted toward the grand vermilion gates. Behind them, the firecrackers and drums fell silent, replaced by a rising hum of bewildered murmurs.

“What happened?”

“Did the bride have a sudden fit?”

“Who knows? Hey, what’s wrong with the bride?”

The questions eventually converged on Jinling. Her lips and legs trembled in unison. According to Madam Xu’s plan, the truth shouldn’t have been exposed until after the ceremony, when the veil was lifted in the bridal chamber. By then, most formalities would be complete, and the Pingjiang Earl’s family, for the sake of their reputation and the old Earl’s health, would be less likely to cause a scene. As long as it wasn’t exposed publicly, there’d still be room to maneuver—

But now, it was all ruined!

The third young lady was usually as timid as a rabbit, letting anyone push her around—how could she suddenly become so fierce as to dare bite her tongue and attempt suicide?!

If she had always had this temperament, Madam Xu wouldn’t have forced her into the bridal sedan to ruin things!

In the current situation, the joyous occasion could turn into a funeral at any moment—and right under everyone’s eyes. If word reached Old Master Fang and he was so enraged that he couldn’t catch his breath—Jinling didn’t even dare think about it. If it came to that, would the Xu family members who escorted the bride even be able to escape? If the Pingjiang Count’s household caught them, they’d be beaten to death on the spot—and they’d deserve it!

Jinling’s legs trembled uncontrollably, with nowhere to flee. Faced with everyone’s questioning, she couldn’t even think of a plausible excuse and wished she could faint on the spot. Fortunately, Mama Cai, who had come with them, was old and sharp-witted—the same one who had been pinching Ying Yue earlier—managed to brush off the crowd with some excuse about the young lady being delicate. She then pulled Jinling into a small circle of their own people and demanded sharply, “What happened?”

Seeing her, Jinling finally found her anchor. She leaned in anxiously and whispered, “Mama, it’s terrible—the third young lady bit her tongue!”

Mama Cai was stunned. “What?”

“It’s true! Her face was covered in blood. When I lifted the curtain, she spat out another mouthful—it was terrifying!” Jinling babbled in panic. “Mama, what do we do now? Should we run? Young Master Fang carried her inside—he doesn’t recognize her, but Madam Hong definitely will. There’s no hiding this. They’ll come questioning us any moment!”

“Nonsense! Where would we run? If we abandon this mess and flee, do you think Madam would spare you when we return?” Mama Cai’s heart pounded wildly, but she kept her composure better. After shutting down Jinling’s terrible idea, she quickly devised a plan. “We’ll go inside. As long as it doesn’t escalate publicly, the situation isn’t completely ruined.”

Jinling was dumbfounded—this wasn’t completely ruined?!

She was a first-rank maid by Madam Xu’s side, trusted enough to be sent on such a shady mission. She wasn’t usually one to panic over nothing, but the horrifying glimpse she’d caught inside the sedan had left her deeply shaken. She hadn’t fully recovered yet and stammered, “G-go inside?”

Wasn’t that walking right into a trap?

Ignoring her doubts, Mama Cai countered, “How badly was the third young lady injured?”

“Terribly!” Jinling answered hurriedly. “There was blood everywhere. Mama, did you see her hands? When Young Master Fang carried her out, I saw her palms were completely stained red. It’s hard to say if she’ll even survive—ah.”

Though she usually paid no mind to Ying Yue, a marginalized concubine-born daughter, Ying Yue had never offended her. The thought of a young girl losing her life like this made Jinling sigh with a pang of pity.

“It’d be best if she doesn’t survive.” A shrewd glint flashed in Mama Cai’s eyes. “Young Master Fang was the one who carried her in. If the third young lady breathes her last in the Pingjiang Count’s residence, the Count’s household won’t be able to shake off responsibility. By then, the marriage will be off, but Lord Fang and Madam Hong won’t be able to hold Madam accountable either. We can just say she succumbed to a sudden illness and be done with it.”

Jinling: “…”

Mama Cai yanked her arm. “Gather our people. Hurry inside! Standing around here looking suspicious won’t help!”

Suppressing the chill rising from the depths of her heart, Jinling obeyed and rushed to make arrangements.

**

Ying Yue didn’t breathe her last.

Young Master Fang, who had carried her straight into the mansion, was decisive and swift in action. Within a short quarter of an hour, he had not uttered a word, silently moving back and forth. After settling her in an empty room, he quickly fetched Doctor Wang, who had been attending to Old Master Fang in the residence.

Doctor Wang, middle-aged and not as nimble on his feet, panted heavily as he followed. Upon seeing the bride with her head hanging off the bed and a small mouth full of blood, he was startled and hurried forward to examine her.

“Where is she hurt? In the mouth? Open up and let me see!”

Fang Han Xiao stood by the green bed curtain, having carried Ying Yue all the way from the mansion gates and then rushed to fetch Doctor Wang. The continuous exertion seemed to have no effect on him—his breathing remained steady as he lowered his gaze to Ying Yue’s face, which looked even more ghastly after the jolting journey and choking on blood.

Who would have thought that even a bad bamboo could occasionally produce a good shoot? The head of the Xu family was a scoundrel, and the daughter he doted on was shameless. Yet this neglected, hastily pushed-forward illegitimate daughter turned out to be fiercely unyielding.

Ying Yue at this moment: “Ah—”

She silently opened her mouth wide for Doctor Wang to see.

—A person truly intent on suicide wouldn’t be this cooperative with a doctor.

Fang Han Xiao’s brow twitched slightly.

Doctor Wang peered intently into Ying Yue’s mouth. By now, the blood had clotted inside, and her tongue was swollen. Unable to discern the exact injury, he turned to ask for water so she could rinse her mouth first.

With no one else in the room, Fang Han Xiao paused briefly before moving to the table to pour a cup of water from the teapot. Ying Yue took it, her hands trembling with desperation as she forced herself to take a few sips, gargled noisily, and spat it out before collapsing weakly by the bed.

Then again: “Ah—”

She was indeed a remarkably resilient and cooperative patient.

However, her condition was undeniably weak. If not for the slow trickle of blood mixed with saliva choking her throat, she would have fainted outright upon lying back down.

Despite her critical state, Doctor Wang’s tense expression eased slightly after examining her wound. “It’s not severed.”

Fang Han Xiao, standing nearby with his hands behind his back, must have made some gesture, as Doctor Wang continued, “The bite is deep, but the tongue isn’t severed. Rest assured, Young Master, with proper care, it will heal.”

After a brief silence, Doctor Wang added, “The bleeding has mostly stopped by now. I’ll prescribe a decoction for Madam to drink, which should halt it completely. However, the recovery will require careful attention and involve considerable trouble.”

He seemed to be speaking to himself the entire time. From her angle, Ying Yue couldn’t see Fang Han Xiao, but she suddenly realized: Young Master Fang was mute and couldn’t speak.

She had, of course, heard of this before. But hearing was one thing—she had never imagined she would have any interaction with her elder sister’s husband, so she had never paid it much mind.

Doctor Wang soon left, likely to prepare the prescription. Ying Yue quietly closed her eyes. Knowing her life was no longer in danger, her tension eased, and she decided to feign unconsciousness—

Because her troubles were far from over. She hadn’t forgotten: she was an impostor!

“What ‘Madam’? That’s not her at all. Fang Hanxiao doesn’t know yet, but once he finds out, why would he kindly find a doctor to treat her injuries? He might just throw her out the front gate immediately.”

Because of this, even though she had already been in close proximity to Fang Hanxiao, she hadn’t even dared to look at him—she was too guilty.

Of course, she was well aware in her heart that being kicked out was only a matter of time. But she had a small scheme—the doctor treating her injuries seemed quite skilled, and she wanted to get at least one bowl of medicine from him before leaving. Once she returned, Madam Xu would be too furious to even think about punishing her properly, let alone hiring a doctor for her.

The room was extremely quiet. With her eyes closed, her other senses heightened, but Yingyue still couldn’t detect much movement. The only thing she could tell was that Fang Hanxiao hadn’t walked away—there were no footsteps—so he must still be standing near the bed. Apart from that, all she could hear was the faint sound of her own swallowing—

“Hanxiao, what happened? I heard you carried the bride here?”

Hurried footsteps accompanied the voice—it was Madam Hong, who had been entertaining guests in the banquet hall, rushing over after hearing the news.

Yingyue’s eyelids trembled—her luck was terrible! She hadn’t even had time to get that bowl of medicine!

Wuwu.

Fang Hanxiao glanced toward the bed.

He could see the barely perceptible movement in Yingyue’s slender, bloodstained neck and the sudden flutter of her eyelids.

The look in his eyes—was truly indescribable.

Author’s Note:

First Encounter Mini Scene:

Fang Hanxiao: “This Xu family’s illegitimate daughter is quite chaste and virtuous—”

Yingyue: “I don’t want to die! Doctor, save me, save me quick! X﹏X~”

Fang Hanxiao: “—gradually expressionless.”

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As a genuine, non-scheming airhead, when her life was hanging by a thread, she didn’t have the capacity for cunning—she just wanted to survive. So she quickly exposed herself in front of the male lead.

Don’t worry about misunderstandings—a shrewd male lead like him can easily see through a simpleton like her. Of course, because he can’t quite grasp the airhead’s thought process, there will still be plenty of developments he won’t anticipate. It’s just that he can’t lower his IQ to match hers, haha. You know how it is—sometimes being too smart makes you overthink things~

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And now, as the first male lead to appear within the first ten chapters, Fang Hanxiao steps forward and gives everyone a proud look—> → →