Chapter 17: Trust — If Brother Is Hungry, Brother Shall Eat.

Yanjing Huan stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around. His long phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze fell upon the envoy from the Yan Kingdom.

That look was as cold as an icy lake, bottomless and unreadable. One couldn’t tell what emotion lay beneath.

The envoy’s expression changed as he quickly lowered his head in fear.

Shen Xingwan also turned to look at Yanjing Huan. He curled his fingers slightly, holding her hand tightly.
“Was it that I didn’t make myself clear enough just now?”

The envoy trembled in terror. His knees gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to make a sound.

Yanjing Huan fully turned around, towering over the envoy as he looked down at him.

“I’ll say it again. My mind is made up. I will marry Shen Xingwan as my official consort as planned. When you return to the Yan Kingdom, report this truthfully.”

His cold voice carried an oppressive force that made the envoy, still kneeling on the ground, tremble uncontrollably.

“Do you understand?”

“Y-yes… yes… Your humble servant takes his leave…”

The envoy quickly answered, kowtowed three times, then scrambled to his feet and retreated in haste.

Shen Xingwan saw the envoy fleeing in panic and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Why is he so scared of you, like you’d eat him alive?”

Yanjing Huan turned back to her, his expression softening.
“Then what about you? Are you afraid of me?”

Shen Xingwan seriously considered the question for a moment and nodded.

This time, it was Yanjing Huan who chuckled and raised his brow. His deep eyes, like tranquil pools, gazed at her intently.
“What, are you afraid I’ll eat you?”

“Of course not.”
She pretended not to understand, turning her face away and glancing elsewhere.
“I used to be a little afraid. But now… not so much.”

“Oh right, you were about to show me something good earlier. But we got sidetracked—hurry and show me now.”

She changed the subject as she reached out with her other hand and waved it in front of him, asking for the gift.

She probably hadn’t noticed that her cheeks were already flushed bright red, like a freshly picked peach. A few rays of light filtered in through the window drapes, casting a glow on the fine fuzz of her skin, making her look especially tender and enticing.

It made one want to take a bite.

Yanjing Huan’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he silently gazed at her.

She rarely showed this kind of girlish charm.

“Um…”

Shen Xingwan suddenly lowered her head.
“Your parents… they don’t approve of you marrying me, do they?”

“If I want to marry you, why would I need anyone else’s approval?”

Yanjing Huan held both of her hands, wrapping them in his palms.
“What matters most is—do you agree?”

Shen Xingwan stared at his eyes in a daze.

His gaze was sincere and unwavering, without a hint of falsehood.

To say she wasn’t moved would be a lie. Even though she had been deceived by Wei Zilin in the past, she could still feel the fiery passion he held deep in his heart.

It felt like getting burned. Shen Xingwan quickly pulled her hands away, not daring to look into his eyes any longer.

She didn’t dare believe a single word of a man’s confession anymore.

People are not plants—how could they be without feelings?

Of course she could feel that he was different toward her. But right now, she truly couldn’t—shouldn’t—accept a new relationship.

She still had a deep grudge to settle. There was no room in her heart for love and entanglement.

It was better to return to the main topic and finalize the alliance.

She steadied her emotions and looked up at him.
“I’m willing to do everything I can to persuade the entire Shen family to support you, Prince Regent, and assist the Fourteenth Prince, Wei Zihui, in ascending the throne.”

Yanjing Huan frowned.
“My words weren’t meant to imply I need the Shen family’s support.”

“It doesn’t matter.”
Shen Xingwan smiled faintly, pretending to be relaxed.
“What matters is—I’m willing to support the Fourteenth Prince.”

Yanjing Huan frowned even deeper and gazed into her eyes as though trying to see through to her heart.

Just as the two were at a stalemate, a subordinate came running up and knelt at the doorway, cupping his hands as he urgently reported:
“Your Highness, the Fourteenth Prince is in trouble!”

Yanjing Huan’s expression turned cold at once. A sharp glint of murderous intent surged in his eyes. As he turned to leave, he looked back at Shen Xingwan and instructed,
“Wait here for me.”

“I’ll go with you!”

Shen Xingwan quickly caught up to him, following closely behind.

Yanjing Huan paused mid-step. Before he could speak, Shen Xingwan rushed to say,
“I already said, I’m willing to support the Fourteenth Prince.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with determination and confidence.
“Take me with you—I can definitely help him.”

Yanjing Huan took a deep breath and, in the end, said nothing more. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her along in the direction the subordinate had come from.

By the time they arrived at the Fourteenth Prince’s quarters, he had already fainted on the bed. Two or three palace servants were tied up with their mouths gagged and left in the courtyard—there wasn’t a single person inside the room attending to him.

Seeing this, Shen Xingwan rushed forward to check on his condition. At a glance, her heart sank.

Wei Zihui’s young face was contorted in pain, his whole body drenched, his complexion pale as paper, drenched in cold sweat. He was clutching his right arm tightly with his left hand, curled into the corner of the bed without the slightest vitality.

“Little Prince?!”

Shen Xingwan rushed forward and tried to help him up, but as soon as she touched him, he let out a pained moan and began sobbing softly.

Only then did she realize—his tightly clutched arm was bent at an unnatural angle. It was clearly broken.

“Quick, call for the imperial physician!”

She didn’t dare move him again, fearing further injury. She turned to Yanjing Huan and called out,
“His arm is broken! Hurry and get the physician to set the bone!”

Yanjing Huan, who had been interrogating the servants at the door, stepped in with long strides to check Wei Zihui’s injuries. He immediately ordered his attendant,
“Take my command token to the Imperial Medical Institute and summon the Chief Imperial Physician. Tell him to bring his people here immediately.”

The attendant looked troubled and knelt down with cupped hands, replying,
“Reporting to Your Highness—when your subordinate rescued the Fourteenth Prince earlier, we already sent for a physician. But today, all the on-duty physicians at the Institute have been summoned by the Imperial Noble Consort to care for the Emperor. She has ordered that no one is to be disturbed.”

“Outrageous!” Shen Xingwan was just about to protest when she saw the grim look on Yanjing Huan’s face and suddenly understood the bigger picture.

Someone wanted the Fourteenth Prince dead.

“What is going on here?” she asked, looking to Yanjing Huan.

Yanjing Huan’s face was cold as he bent down to lift the little prince from the bed.
“Zihui fell into a well. I’m still investigating the cause. But for now, the palace is no longer safe for him.”

Wei Zihui lay limp on Yanjing Huan’s shoulder. His clothes were disheveled, and he was trembling uncontrollably from the cold. Shen Xingwan’s heart ached. She grabbed a blanket from the bed, wrapped it around his shoulders, and asked,
“What do you plan to do?”

“I need to get him to safety first. Then I’ll investigate further.”

With that, he turned and ordered his attendants,
“Take Zihui back to my residence and have a doctor treat him. Also, bring me all the servants who were attending him. I’ll interrogate them personally.”

“Yes, sir.”

The attendants moved to take Wei Zihui from him, but Shen Xingwan stepped forward and blocked their path. She looked at Yanjing Huan and said,
“If you trust me, let me take him back to the Shen residence for treatment.”

Seeing his hesitation, she quickly added,
“My brother trained in martial arts since childhood. Our household employs a bone specialist who is very skilled in treating fractures. He’ll definitely be able to fix the broken limb. Don’t worry—I will protect him well. You can focus on the investigation.”

Yan Jinghuan gave her a deep look and handed the child in his arms to her. Shen Xingwan quickly reached out and carefully took the frail Wei Zihui into her embrace.

“Remember, do not reveal his identity. It could bring disaster.”

“Yes, I understand.” Shen Xingwan nodded.

After giving her his instructions, Yan Jinghuan ordered his attendants, “Escort Miss Shen back to the manor. Assign two extra teams of shadow guards to protect the Shen Residence. Report immediately if anything unusual occurs.”

“Yes, sir.”

The attendants responded promptly. They dressed Wei Zihui in a young eunuch’s robe, and using the Regent’s sedan chair, escorted the two out of the palace, switching to a carriage once outside to return to the Shen Residence.

Shen Xingwan settled Wei Zihui into a side room in the backyard of her courtyard, and sent Feiyun to summon the manor’s physician to treat his injuries and set his bones.

When the physician lifted the boy’s clothes, his small body was covered in wounds both old and new. Even someone as experienced as the physician couldn’t help but frown.

“This child… he’s suffering from both fresh injuries and lingering ailments. He’s long been malnourished, with a weak and fragile constitution. It will hinder his recovery. Truly pitiful.”

Shen Xingwan pressed her lips together and asked, “Can he be cured?”

“It’s possible, but his foundation is extremely poor. It will take considerable effort—and money.”

“I ask that you do your utmost. Use the best medicines. You must heal him.”

The physician nodded and said no more. He prepared his tools and began to set the bones and secure them.

The weak Wei Zihui was in excruciating pain. His heart-wrenching cries filled the room.

Shen Xingwan sat outside, waiting. Every one of his cries pierced her heart like a knife. On the day her entire family was massacred, buried beneath layers of corpses, all she could hear in her ears were the same painful, desperate screams.

She sat stiffly in her chair, tears silently streaming down her face.

At this moment, the boy suffering inside—was he not just another version of herself?

She would never let them succeed again!

She would never let anyone she cared about be harmed again!

The physician worked for a long time before finally setting the broken limb. He secured it tightly with wooden splints and cloth.

When Shen Xingwan went in to see him, the small child had curled up on the bed and fallen into a deep sleep. His little face was dirty, with crystalline tears still clinging to it. His brows were furrowed, as if he wasn’t sleeping peacefully.

Shen Xingwan took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears on his face. She pulled the blanket over him and softly instructed Feiyun, “Prepare nourishing and easily digestible soups for him every day. Take good care of him.”

Feiyun agreed and personally went to the kitchen to instruct the cook to buy the freshest bones every day and simmer them into thick, rich broth to be sent over.

The cook didn’t dare slack off. The next day, once the bone soup was ready, she placed it into a food box and hurriedly carried it to Shen Xingwan’s courtyard.

Feiyun took the food box, and just as the cook turned to leave, she realized the little tail that had been following her was gone.

When Wei Zihui woke up, a little girl poked her head in through the door and came inside. She wasn’t scared when she saw him. Instead, she giggled and ran over to look at him closely. “Big Brother, play!”

The little girl looked about four or five years old. Clearly, she had taken him to be her playmate.

Wei Zihui struggled to sit up, but as soon as he moved, the pain in his arm shot through him like a knife. He broke out in a cold sweat and collapsed back down with a stifled groan. “Ugh…”

The little girl widened her eyes and looked at him. After thinking for a moment, she held out a half-bitten jujube bun to him and said in a childish voice, “Brother hungry, Brother eat.”

“Xiao Lingdang!”

A sudden, anxious voice called from the doorway. A plainly dressed woman was waving frantically from outside. “Come out, quickly!”

The little girl turned and saw the woman. She smiled and shouted, “Mama!” Then she shoved the bun into Wei Zihui’s hand and ran off like a fluttering butterfly into the woman’s arms.

The woman scooped the little girl up and, with an apologetic look, gently closed the door before hurrying away with her in her arms.

As the cook took a shortcut back to the kitchen, she scolded Xiao Lingdang repeatedly for running off.

While passing through the garden, she ran into Tang Lin’er, who was taking a stroll and enjoying the sun. The cook quickly bowed in greeting.

Tang Lin’er, holding her belly, glanced at her. “The bird’s nest you made yesterday was far too fishy. Don’t make it again. Prepare something else today.”

“Yes, yes,” the cook responded obsequiously. “We just made some top-quality, thick bone broth in the kitchen—it’s excellent for the baby’s bone development. Would you like me to bring some for you, Miss?”

The cook’s fawning attitude pleased Tang Lin’er. She nodded and waved her off.

After the cook left, Tang Lin’er suddenly frowned and asked her maid, Ruyi, “Where did she come from just now?”

Ruyi thought for a moment. “When I went to the kitchen earlier to get your egg custard, I saw her ladling bone soup into a container and heading toward Miss Shen’s courtyard. I suppose she came from there.”

“Shen Xingwan? She never drinks bone soup…”

Tang Lin’er narrowed her eyes sharply and let out a cold snort. “Let’s go. It’s been a while since I paid a courtesy visit to my dear sister. The weather’s nice today—let’s go take a look.”