Chapter 10

Although Lanjiang river was famous, it was located in a remote area, and ordinary people rarely ventured there. Over time, it gradually became a place exclusively for the noble families of the capital to visit.

Along the way, Yi Ling constantly urged the coachman to go faster. The wheels were almost sparking from the speed, yet it still felt insufficient to her.

She lifted the curtain of the carriage to look ahead, hoping to catch up with Princess Yu’an.

Unfortunately, the princess’s horse was running too fast, and her large carriage simply couldn’t keep up.

However, Yi Ling felt certain that it would be some time before Xie Hengzhi could dispatch Princess Yu’an, so she believed she would definitely catch this exciting scene.

Thinking this, she lowered the curtain and leaned back leisurely on the soft cushion.

As for Princess Yu’an, Yi Ling had had the fortune of meeting her twice at court banquets.

As the youngest daughter of the Emperor and the Queen’s legitimate child, she had been showered with affection since childhood. This had made her somewhat arrogant and domineering, unreasonable, and even cruel and tyrannical compared to others.

Therefore, Yi Ling had always kept her distance from her.

Xie Hengzhi had once been a companion to the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, and now he was firmly aligned with the Crown Prince’s faction. Yet, he had managed to offend his own people.

What was that saying? “Evil people will always meet their match.”

Of course, Yi Ling didn’t believe Princess Yu’an would truly take Xie Hengzhi’s life, nor did she think Xie Hengzhi would be bold enough to harm the Emperor’s daughter in public.

But some torment and entanglement were inevitable.

Yi Ling currently had no way of dealing with Xie Hengzhi, but surely someone had a way to handle him, right?

On a chilly autumn day, Yi Ling couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement and warmth as she thought about these things.

She reached down to the seat of the carriage and actually retrieved a folding fan.

Mallow had no idea what Yi Ling was thinking, only that her bones were almost shaken out of place from the bumpy ride, yet she still clung to the carriage frame, asking nervously, “Madam, why did you tell Princess Yu’an about the whereabouts of the Lord? What if something happens?”

Outside the carriage, people had become scarce, the trees were withering, and the golden autumn wind blew fiercely.

Yi Ling gently waved the fan, half-closing her eyes, concealing her excited gaze, though her smile was hard to hide.

“The noble princess rarely leaves the palace; we can’t let her make the trip for nothing, can we?”

Mallow: “Huh?”

–
This year, the dry season came particularly early, and the Lanjiang river was no longer navigable by boat. Instead, the large maple groves along the river became the main scenic view.

When Yi Ling arrived, she saw a sea of red in the mountains, but there wasn’t a single person in sight, not even a sound.

Originally, Yi Ling had no idea how to find Xie Hengzhi and Princess Yu’an, and she was confused outside the dense maple forest.

It wasn’t until she heard the loud crack of a whip, accompanied by the sound of trembling tree branches, which felt especially eerie.

Yi Ling raised an eyebrow, lifting the hem of her skirt to follow the sound, with Mallow struggling to keep up.

Soon, Yi Ling saw a carriage, and horses stopped in the distance. She focused her eyes but saw no people, only faint sounds.

She slowed her pace and walked calmly into the deeper parts of the forest, eventually finding a crowd in a clearing.

The King Yan and Xie Hengzhi were on a trip, and naturally, unimportant people avoided them.

Thus, only three or four people were going to the meeting at Qujiang, but they were all young aristocrats, accompanied by a large group of servants.

The crowd formed layers around them, holding their breath and not daring to make a sound.

Yi Ling stopped about three zhang away, standing beneath a banyan tree, its thick trunk blocking most of her figure.

Over there, Princess Yu’an, dressed in red, was riding a tall horse. Her expression was fierce, and she didn’t dismount even when she saw the King Yan. As usual, she acted arrogantly.

Xie Hengzhi, who was surrounded in the middle, seemed oblivious to the hostility of Princess Yu’an. He lazily stood up from a rough bamboo chair under the tent, bowing to her with an air of leisurely elegance. Dressed in a brocade robe with a jade crown, he seemed like the only noble in the area.

Then he said something with a smile on his face.

Upon hearing this, Princess Yu’an’s anger flared up even more. She was about to speak when the King Yan stopped her.

Yi Ling, eager to watch the scene, quietly walked forward.

Her figure was light and graceful, and she wore a simple, elegant outfit, bringing only Mallow as a maid. She quietly blended into the crowd.

She also brought her folding fan, half-covering her face, confident that she wouldn’t attract attention.

But for some reason, as soon as she stood still, Xie Hengzhi glanced in her direction.

Yi Ling felt a moment of unease and pushed Mallow in front of her, partially hiding behind her while sticking out her round head to observe the situation.

Princess Yu’an, whose anger had overtaken her, didn’t notice Yi Ling’s presence. She completely ignored the King Yan’s scolding words, even without looking at him, and pointed directly at Xie Hengzhi, saying, “Tell me, what did you do to Chu Ren?”

Upon hearing this, the King Yan, who had always relied on flattering the Emperor to gain favor, suddenly acted deaf. He tugged at his beard, avoiding eye contact and sitting down quietly, refusing to speak.

Xie Hengzhi didn’t mind the King Yan’s feigned deafness. He raised an eyebrow, his expression calm.

“What is the princess talking about? I don’t understand.”

“Stop pretending!”

Princess Yu’an sneered. “That day, you argued with him at Wenhua Palace, and the next day, he vanished without a trace. How can you say you had nothing to do with it?”

Xie Hengzhi stood under the maple tree, the crimson fallen leaves making him appear even more handsome and ethereal, as if he were an immortal in the forest.

“Of course, I had nothing to do with it.”

Perhaps because Xie Hengzhi’s demeanor was so honest and his appearance so otherworldly, Princess Yu’an was momentarily stunned.

Could it be that he really didn’t?

Seeing this, Xie Hengzhi asked, “Does the princess have any evidence?”

If there was evidence, would she have come here to confront him in Qujiang?

Princess Yu’an fell silent.

Xie Hengzhi continued to look at her respectfully, his slender eyes holding a faint smile, the corners of his lips curling in a playful manner, clearly not taking the royal princess seriously.

“Since there is no evidence, why is the princess asking me for someone?”

Princess Yu’an’s face flushed red with anger. She didn’t know where to direct her frustration.

At this moment, a clear female voice floated from the crowd.

“Don’t you know yourself?”

The surrounding people immediately turned their attention to the source of the voice.

Fortunately, Yi Ling had her folding fan, which she shyly used to cover her face.

No one believed that the elegant woman had spoken.

Princess Yu’an, however, did not turn around to find the source of the voice. She simply heard the words, and, like a sudden awakening, her anger flared up again.

That’s right, why pretend? Who doesn’t know what kind of person Xie Hengzhi is?

“I do things without needing evidence!” Princess Yu’an shouted. “You killed Chu Ren, and today you must give me an explanation!”

“Kill Chu Ren?”

Xie Hengzhi raised an eyebrow and smiled. “He was the heir of a marquis. I didn’t have the courage to take his life.”

Upon hearing this, Yi Ling couldn’t help herself and blurted out, “That’s hard to say.”

“…”

All eyes turned toward her again, and Yi Ling quickly shrank her head, hiding behind Mallow like a quail.

Princess Yu’an turned her head, but in her haste, she didn’t investigate thoroughly. She just glanced in the direction and returned to glaring at Xie Hengzhi.

In fact, when she saw Xie Hengzhi so confident and righteous, her heart was nearly filled with despair.

Wang Lang must be dead, with no evidence to prove otherwise; that’s why Xie Hengzhi dared to be so arrogant!

“Just tell me, Your Majesty—” Princess Yu’an stared at Xie Hengzhi, her eyes bloodshot with rage. “Is Chu Ren dead or alive?”

But Xie Hengzhi’s gaze landed on Yi Ling.

He was very tall, and his gaze easily passed over Mallow, landing on the woman behind her. He looked at her for a while, then slowly withdrew his gaze, still wearing that indifferent expression, and casually uttered three words.

“I don’t know.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Ling added, “Then he’s gone.”

“……”
After the first two exchanges, the people around Yi Ling had already scattered, leaving only Mallow, who stood in front of Yi Ling, looking helpless and abandoned.

Feeling the warning gaze from Xie Hengzhi, Yi Ling didn’t even dare to lift her head.

She was both embarrassed for shrinking like a turtle and angry at herself for not being able to control her mouth.

She had come to watch the commotion, yet here she was stirring up trouble.

Now, what if Xie Hengzhi refuses to sleep in the same bed with her tonight?

As she was brooding over this, a cry came from the crowd, with King Yan shouting, “He’s alive!!!”

Yi Ling immediately looked up and saw Princess Yu’an furious, her almond-shaped eyes wide, as she whipped her long whip toward Xie Hengzhi.

The surroundings exploded in shouts, and almost all the guards rushed up. Even King Yan was stunned, sitting frozen in his chair, unable to shout out despite his breath caught in his throat.

Yi Ling, with her delicate constitution, could not stand the sight of blood. As the whip came down, she quickly closed her eyes.

The wind rustled through the treetops, the dense branches making a soft rustling sound.

But there was no scream of flesh being torn as she had imagined. Slowly, she opened her eyes and, seeing the scene before her, let out a sigh of relief, mixed with a hint of disappointment.

Xie Hengzhi simply tilted his head, raised his hand, and caught the long whip of Princess Yu’an with ease.

That slender, well-proportioned scholar’s hand gripped the end of the whip, holding it by his ear, completely unfazed by the wind.

He rarely showed any sign of emotion. Without speaking, he slowly turned his face back and fixed his deep gaze on Princess Yu’an, who was still on her horse.

The surrounding leaves were picked up by the wind, floating in the air, and it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Princess Yu’an froze in place, still gripping the whip, her chest heaving violently.

It was as if one could hear the thumping of her terrified heartbeat.

“Princess.”

Xie Hengzhi raised his eyes, and the autumn breeze seemed to still be under his aggressive gaze, the surroundings silent.

“My face cannot be struck.”

In the Great Liang Dynasty, an official’s appearance was an important factor.

Yi Ling always felt that Xie Hengzhi, having been the top scholar in the imperial examination, could not have achieved that position without the advantage of his looks.

“If the princess insists on having me hand over Wang Churen, I will comply, and I will search this capital for him, so that the princess may see him alive,” his cold expression softened as he spoke, a slight smile creeping up his face as he slowly enunciated each word, “and dead, to see his corpse.”

The last four words were laced with an undeniable threat.

Xie Hengzhi claimed not to know Wang Churen’s whereabouts, but if Princess Yu’an continued to humiliate him, he would surely find him and kill him.

Princess Yu’an was too stunned to speak, cold sweat dripping down her forehead.

How dare he, how dare he so openly threaten her!

Seeing her reaction, Xie Hengzhi knew the matter was settled.

With a sudden flex of his arm, he yanked the whip and the princess off the horse.

In an instant, everyone rushed forward, regardless of their status.

It was the guards of King Yan who were the quickest, catching Princess Yu’an just before she hit the ground.

The scene was chaotic, but Xie Hengzhi stood calmly in place, his hands clasped behind his back, saying, “Princess, be careful.”

Princess Yu’an was sprawled on the ground, gasping for air, her gaze toward Xie Hengzhi filled with an indescribable mix of hatred and fear.

Meanwhile, Yi Ling, who had witnessed the heart-pounding scene, felt her legs go numb.

She had originally come to watch Xie Hengzhi’s joke, but instead, she had witnessed his venomous yet calm demeanor.

A sense of dread washed over her, and she felt a chill run down her neck.

She raised her fan again, half-covering her face, and quietly started to slip away.

But after taking just two steps, a voice called out from behind.

“Madam, where are you going?”

—
Princess Yu’an was taken away by King Yan.

Before getting into the carriage, she still stared at Xie Hengzhi with bloodshot eyes; her expression dazed, as if her soul had left her body.

Yi Ling stood properly beside Xie Hengzhi, with her eyes fixed straight ahead, not daring to look at anything, not daring to say a word.

A doctor came forward to tend to the wound on Xie Hengzhi’s palm, softly advising him not to touch any cold water and to be careful of infection to avoid scarring.

Whether Xie Hengzhi was listening, it was unclear. As soon as the doctor finished, he turned to Yi Ling and asked, “Why are you here?”

Suddenly questioned, Yi Ling thought for a moment before replying, “I was bored; I just came to enjoy the scenery.”

Enjoy the scenery.

Xie Hengzhi sneered silently, staring at her for a long while, as if trying to see through what she was thinking.

In the end, he only asked, “Is it beautiful?”

Yi Ling didn’t dare to answer “beautiful,” nor could she speak carelessly, fearing that she might reveal her role in inciting Princess Yu’an.

So she avoided answering, her eyes darting around. Seeing the doctor had finished bandaging Xie Hengzhi’s wound, she pretended to ask, “How’s your injury?”

The specially made nine-section whip was incredibly sharp.

Xie Hengzhi had caught Princess Yu’an’s whip with his bare hands, his palm torn open. The doctor had frowned repeatedly as he applied the medicine, but Yi Ling hadn’t even looked at it once.

“My right hand might be useless.”

Such good news?

Yi Ling almost laughed when she heard that.

When she looked up, she met Xie Hengzhi’s gaze, and Yi Ling’s lips curled into a frown.

So he was lying to her.

Yi Ling touched her nose, steeling herself to continue asking, “Stop joking like that. Does it still hurt? Do you need to change the bandages every day?”

Xie Hengzhi didn’t answer, still staring at her intently.

Until Yi Ling began to feel uneasy under his gaze, he gave a faint smile, withdrew his wrapped right hand, and walked out of the tent with his hands behind his back.

Yi Ling hurried to follow him, nearly jogging to keep up with Xie Hengzhi.

When they passed the spot where Princess Yu’an had fallen off her horse, Yi Ling’s heart skipped a beat.

When she had urged the princess to cause trouble for Xie Hengzhi, she hadn’t expected things to escalate like this. The noble princess almost fell and got injured. She wondered if the blame would fall on her.

With this thought, Yi Ling anxiously asked, “I wonder how Princess Yu’an is. Will she complain to His Majesty?”

“I haven’t done anything wrong. Even if she accuses me all the way to the heavens, I am still innocent.”

“…”
Who cares if you’re innocent or not?

Yi Ling turned her face away.

After a moment, she suddenly turned back with a puzzled expression and asked in surprise, “Is Wang Churen’s disappearance really unrelated to you?”

Xie Hengzhi glanced at her, “Do you think I did it?”

Probably everyone in the world thinks so.

Yi Ling pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Xie Hengzhi added, “If I wanted Wang Churen dead, I could have easily framed him with some fabricated crime; no need for those shady methods.”

Yi Ling, who had been awkward just a moment ago, was stunned by his straightforward tone, causing her to stop in her tracks again.

Though his understanding of “open” and “shady” methods was somewhat unique…

Yi Ling couldn’t help but think; he was making a lot of sense.

This scoundrel, wasn’t this exactly how he had tormented her former fiancés?!