Chapter 29

That night seemed unusually long.

Just past the Hour, the sky had yet to fully brighten. A few lanterns were lit in Linfeng Yuan, and the maids were already waiting outside the sleeping chambers. The faint aroma of medicine brewing on the stove wafted through the air.

For once, Yiling woke earlier than Xie Hengzhi.

But as she opened her eyes, glanced around, and realized she was actually lying in Xie Hengzhi’s arms, she was momentarily unsure if she was still trapped in a nightmare.

Xie Hengzhi’s sleeping expression was always composed. As Yiling tilted her head slightly, his face came into clear view, just inches away.

Yiling froze instantly, her ears buzzing. She didn’t even dare to blink.

It wasn’t until Xie Hengzhi’s warm breath repeatedly brushed over the top of her head that she became certain this was real. And in that moment, she felt as though she had turned to stone.

After what felt like an eternity, the sensation returned to her limbs. She tried to quietly extricate herself from Xie Hengzhi’s embrace.

But as soon as she moved, Xie Hengzhi stirred, showing signs of waking.

Yiling immediately shut her eyes tightly, not daring to breathe.

Feigning sleep had always been a torturous experience for Yiling, and today was no exception.

Xie Hengzhi’s usual routine of getting up, washing, and dressing seemed unusually drawn out.

Though he made no sound, his presence was palpable every second.

Finally, after what felt like ages, he seemed ready to leave. Yiling let out a silent sigh of relief.

But just as Xie Hengzhi took two steps, he suddenly turned back and asked, “Awake?”

Yiling blurted out, “I’m not awake.”

“…”
The room’s atmosphere froze in an instant.

For a brief moment, Yiling thought it might have been better to have drowned in the lake.

Xie Hengzhi said nothing more, but it seemed as though he chuckled softly.

After such an ordeal, Yiling found it impossible to fall back asleep. Once Xie Hengzhi left, she lay there, staring at the light patterns seeping through the window lattice beyond the curtain, looking utterly weary of the world. She didn’t even want to move her eyes.

As Xie Hengzhi stepped out of the sleeping quarters, he encountered the old madam (Mrs. Xie) of the Xie family, who had come with Xie Xuan to visit Yiling.

“Mother? Why are you here so early?”

The Mrs. Xie was also somewhat surprised.

It was true that her daughter-in-law had fallen into the water and fainted the day before, but no one dared to inform the old lady that it was Xie Hengzhi himself who had gone into the water to rescue her.

Thus, she assumed that since Yiling had regained consciousness, Xie Hengzhi would surely have left for court as usual.

Unexpectedly, he was still at home at this hour.

As they spoke, Xie Hengzhi reached out to support Mrs. Xie.

The moment she touched the fabric of his sleeve, Mrs. Xie didn’t answer but instead asked, “Are you not going to court today?”

Xie Hengzhi replied, “I’ll be staying home today.”

“That’s good. I imagine Yiling would feel more at ease with you around.”

Mrs. Xie added, “I’ll go check on her.”

She moved to head inside, but Xie Hengzhi raised his hand to stop her. “Mother, she’s still asleep.”

Mrs. Xie immediately stepped back. “Then I’ll come back later to see her.”

Xie Hengzhi’s intention was to let Yiling rest more, but unfortunately, his wife had far too many admirers.

As soon as mother and son had left, new visitors arrived.

Mama Cao, having heard the news, tiptoed into the sleeping quarters.

Her movements were more cautious than usual there wasn’t the slightest sound of footsteps.

As she approached the bed and lifted the curtain, her eyes suddenly met Yiling’s.

The two froze, staring at each other.

Seeing Yiling’s utterly hopeless expression, she smoothly let down the curtains again, turned around, and left without saying a single word.

Yiling: “?”

Was she just here to check if she was still alive?

“Mama Cao.”

Yiling called out to her. “Is something the matter?”

“Oh, it’s like this,” Mama Cao turned back and said. “The Crown Princess has come to visit you, but this old servant could tell you didn’t want to see anyone, so I turned Her Highness away.”

Yiling: “…”

She dared to turn away the Crown Princess?

Throwing off her quilt, Yiling sat up and scolded, “You don’t bear the surname Xie, so stop acting like you’ve got nothing to lose!”

“It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault!”

Shen Shufang sat on an embroidered stool at Yiling’s bedside, dabbing at her eyes with a silk handkerchief, her face full of sorrow. “If I hadn’t rushed to the lakeside pavilion yesterday and instead waited for you in the tent, you wouldn’t have suffered like this.”

She hadn’t come empty-handed today. Not only had she brought the best tonics from the Eastern Palace, but she’d also summoned her most trusted imperial physician to examine Yiling. Only after hearing him say that Yiling was out of danger did she finally relax.

Even so, looking at Yiling’s pale complexion, Shen Shufang was still consumed with guilt.

Yiling, on the other hand, stared at her in shock, unable to believe she was hearing Shen Shufang repeatedly admit fault in her lifetime.

After a moment, Yiling snapped out of her daze and quickly said, “Your Highness, please don’t say that. If everything in this world could be predicted, there wouldn’t be so many natural disasters and human tragedies.”

“Natural disasters cannot be foreseen, but man-made calamities…”

As she said this, Shen Shufang thought of the perpetrator and gritted her teeth. “How could there be someone so cruel in this world, intent on taking your life!”

Who indeed?

While Yiling had been sitting in bed in a daze earlier, this was exactly what she had been pondering.

Last night, she’d been too frightened to think deeply. This morning, no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t figure out why someone as powerless as her would face such a deadly threat.

After much consideration, the only conclusion was that it had to be one of Xie Hengzhi’s enemies—Princess Yu’an.

If revenge was to be taken, why not go after Xie Hengzhi? Why target her repeatedly?

Thinking of this, Yiling seethed. “When her guilt is confirmed, I want her to experience what it feels like to be plunged into a freezing lake in the dead of winter!”

“A woman?”

Shen Shufang was momentarily surprised before saying, “That might not be possible. What she’ll experience is more likely what it feels like for a man to fall into the water.”

Seeing Yiling’s confusion, Shen Shufang clicked her tongue. “What? Xie Hengzhi didn’t even tell you who the culprit was.”

Yiling: “He said he was still investigating. Could the culprit actually be a man?”

“Of course.”

Shen Shufang hesitated for a moment, glanced outside the door, and then lowered her voice.

“He’s probably afraid you’d get upset and wants to spare you. The culprit was caught on the spot yesterday, and Xie Hengzhi took him away immediately.”

She added, “He’s at your residence now. I even heard some commotion there earlier on my way over.”

“What?”

Yiling sat up straight in shock. “Who is it?”

Shen Shufang: “…It’s the young master from the Yi minister’s household.”

There was a pavilion called Linglong Pavilion within the Xie residence, meant for guests. However, the Xie family rarely entertained visitors, making it one of the quietest places in the residence.

By the time Yiling hurried over, she could hear heavy thudding and the miserable wails of Yiyun before even entering.

She nearly fainted on the spot and was barely able to walk with the help of Mama Cao and the maids.

When she finally stepped inside, the sight before her almost made her stop breathing.

It took four guards to deal with Yiyun.

Two pinned him down on a bench while the other two alternated striking him with wooden paddles, each blow mercilessly landing without pause.

Xie Hengzhi, on the other hand, was leisurely sitting under the trees, sipping tea. If not for the cries echoing in the courtyard, one might think he was enjoying a peaceful moment admiring the scenery.

“I just wanted to scare her! I never intended to kill her!” Yiyun wailed.

Xie Hengzhi didn’t even look up, completely ignoring his pleas.

Yiling was no stranger to seeing Yiyun punished—she could even call it a common occurrence.

But the way her family disciplined him was worlds apart from Xie Hengzhi’s methods.

If this continued, Yiyun wouldn’t just be injured; he’d be crippled!

“Stop at once!”

At her shout, Xie Hengzhi’s brow furrowed slightly.

Turning to see Yiling stumbling over, his originally calm expression finally changed. He gave the guards and servants behind her a cold, sweeping glance, then asked in a low voice, “Who allowed the lady of the house to enter?”

“Don’t blame them; I insisted on coming in myself!”

Yiling paid no attention to anything else, rushing to check on Yiyun. His face was deathly pale, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

After a moment of stunned silence, Yiling turned back to Xie Hengzhi and demanded, “Are you planning to beat him to death?”

Xie Hengzhi had no intention of taking Yiyun’s life.

When he arrived at the scene, he’d found Yiyun shouting Yiling’s name by the lakeside, as though trying to summon her back from the water.

Someone so foolish and reckless wasn’t worth his ire.

However, Yiyun’s repeated provocations couldn’t go unpunished.

Now hearing Yiling’s words, Xie Hengzhi felt a flicker of inexplicable anger.

He curled his lips into a mocking smile.

“He nearly cost you your life. So what if I beat him to death?”

Yiling had already learned the details from Shen Shufang earlier. Yiyun was undeniably involved.

But after all, he was her own younger brother, and she was certain Yiyun would never dare to kill anyone.

Even if he had the guts, he would only go after Xie Hengzhi in desperation, not harm an unrelated woman.

“There must be some misunderstanding… yes, definitely a misunderstanding!”

Yiling had never understood Xie Hengzhi’s thoughts; she only knew that with this man’s ruthlessness, he would undoubtedly take Yiyun’s life.

“He’s just an incompetent wastrel—how could he possibly have the ability to commit murder right under your nose?!”

Xie Hengzhi looked at the barely conscious Yiyun, who was still desperately nodding, and said in a low voice, “I think he’s quite capable.”

Did that mean Yiyun was destined to die?

Yiling blurted out, “If he truly intended to kill someone, the law should decide his punishment. What right do you have to take his life on your own?!”

Soaked and frail, Yiling’s pale cheeks flushed unnaturally from her agitation.

Xie Hengzhi turned his head to look at her, scrutinizing her face with a peculiar expression.

“You seem to care quite a bit about this young master of the shangshu (Minister’s) family.”

Upon hearing this, Yiyun suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

Yiling, however, was only focused on the fact that someone’s life was at stake. Xie Hengzhi was still speaking in such a detached and irrelevant manner it was utterly cold-blooded.

“What does it matter which family’s young master he is?! Be it a royal, a commoner, a peddler, or a beggar on the street, even a singing girl in a court—they all have lives given by their parents! Even if he is foolish and useless to the state, a life is still a life. What gives you the right to decide whether he lives or dies?!”

As her voice fell, Xie Hengzhi’s gaze darkened, and he stared at Yiling unblinkingly.

Yet his expression showed no sign of relenting. The silence left Yiling guessing at his thoughts.

Oh no.

Had she just angered him?

Yiyun was thinking the same thing.

Looking at Xie Hengzhi’s expression, he could only pray that this kind-hearted Mrs. Xie would stop talking.

But no one paid attention to his feeble gestures. Instead, the atmosphere between the couple grew increasingly tense.

With a sudden “thud,” Xie Hengzhi turned to the sound and saw Yiyun’s head slump lifelessly onto the bench as he fainted.

Immediately after, Yiling’s sharp gasp filled the air.

Xie Hengzhi frowned. Just as he turned back, he saw Yiling roll her eyes and faint as well.

Her posture as she collapsed was almost identical to Yiyun’s on the bench.

Yiling wasn’t entirely pretending to faint.

She was naturally weak and had been greatly frightened, so her strength had already waned.

When she collapsed with her eyes shut, her consciousness was already fading. Later, as Xie Hengzhi carried her unhurriedly back to Linfeng Yuan, she dared not open her eyes, and eventually, she truly lost consciousness.
When she woke up again, the sky outside was pitch-black.

The alternating days and nights had completely disoriented her sense of time.

Especially now, as she saw Xie Hengzhi sitting by the window, with a tray of light porridge and side dishes illuminated by soft candlelight. Yiling was even more unsure whether it was night or dawn.

Staring at his figure, her thoughts had yet to fully clear.

The atmosphere in the room was so warm and tranquil that, for a moment, she forgot why she had fainted in the first place.

It wasn’t until Xie Hengzhi picked up a spoon to serve soup, the crisp clink of ceramic pulling her back, that he spoke without turning around.

“You’ve slept another whole day. Aren’t you hungry?”

After a long while, as Xie Hengzhi poured half a bowl of winter melon soup, Yiling finally stirred on the bed, her movements faint and hesitant.

She slowly approached, sat across from Xie Hengzhi, and sipped at the soup in small bites, stealing glances at him occasionally.

His expression had returned to its usual calm, all emotions hidden deep in his eyes.

She waited a long time, but he never brought up anything about Yiyun.

Instead, he patiently served her food and porridge, acting every bit the gentle and considerate husband.

It wasn’t until her bowl of porridge was nearly empty that he finally said, “The young master of the Yi family has been sent back home.”

Yiling’s hand froze for a moment, though she continued to stir the soup and drink it spoonful by spoonful.

Seeing this, Xie Hengzhi added, “He’s alive. He’ll be bedridden for half a month at most.”

For Yiyun, just receiving a beating was already merciful on Xie Hengzhi’s part.

But being sent back to the Yi residence like this meant, given her parents’ temperaments, another severe punishment awaited him.

Furthermore, he likely wouldn’t be able to leave his room for the next year or so.

Still, preserving his life was a relief.

So Yiling said no more. Only after finishing her meal did she lift her head to look directly at Xie Hengzhi.

“Being alive is good,” she said, taking the silk handkerchief he handed her and wiping her mouth slowly, her movements tense. “After all, I wasn’t seriously harmed.”

Xie Hengzhi responded with a simple “Hmm.”

Yiling continued, “I suppose he bore a grudge against me for cutting down his sister’s memorial tablet. In this matter, I was indeed in the wrong.”

Xie Hengzhi nodded again.

His reaction was so composed, so calm, that Yi Ling felt he was hiding something sinister.

“You… really let Yiyun go?”

“I said he’s been released,” Xie Hengzhi replied with a glance. “If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to send someone to check the Yi residence.”

Yiling dared not say more and quickly retreated to her bed.

But as she walked, a thought struck her. She turned back, puzzled, to look at Xie Hengzhi.

The incident had occurred at the Xishan Hunting Grounds, a place ordinary people couldn’t access.

Yi Yun certainly didn’t have the means to set a trap under the Crown Prince’s nose. The mastermind behind this had to be someone else.

Could he not have thought of this?

That night, in the Hehuan Palace.

The incident where Yiling was attacked had not been made public.

Among those present on the Xishan yesterday, only the Crown Prince and Shen Shufang knew the truth. The others were told that Yiling had accidentally fallen into the water.

But Princess Yu’an was the instigator, and she had received the first-hand news as soon as the incident occurred.

At that time, she was strolling in the courtyard behind Hehuan Palace, unable to understand how things had escalated to this point.

She had clearly instructed her people not to actually take Yi Ling’s life but to stage a show with Yiyun.

Even if the plot were exposed, she could easily claim it was a childish prank and insist that no one could harm her.

But how could the two guards actually kill a servant from the Xie family and almost drown Shang Yiling in the lake?

No matter how unruly Princess Yu’an was, she knew Yiling’s identity. Not only was she the legitimate wife of Xie Hengzhi, a renowned talent throughout the land, but she was also a lady of noble rank granted by the Emperor himself.

Now that things had developed this way, with the dead assassins clearly linked to her Hehuan Palace, there was no way she could clear her name, no matter what she did.

Since the incident, Princess Yu’an had not slept a wink.

Thinking back to how she had once kidnapped Yiling, she was even more filled with fear, unsure of how Xie Hengzhi would settle the matter with her.

But she waited and waited. By tonight, there was still no movement from the Xie family.

Without realizing it, Princess Yu’an had wandered to the edge of the pond.

Looking down, she saw her reflection in the water. Though it was blurry, the outline of her jeweled clothing was still faintly visible.

It reminded her of when she was nine, during the birthday banquet her father had held for her.

The entire country celebrated, with the capital city lit up and music and songs filling the air.

She wore a magnificent crown and attire, held by the Emperor himself, receiving everyone’s congratulations, honored beyond compare.

At that time, Xie Hengzhi was still somewhere in a remote village, begging for a bowl of thin porridge.

Yes, what did she have to worry about?

She was a dignified princess!

Princess Yu’an stared at her reflection, a surge of confidence filling her heart.

Even if she had taken Yiling’s life, what could Xie Hengzhi do to her?

At most, he would report to the Emperor, but could her father really take a princess’s life to make up for someone else’s death?

But just then, she saw something—a shadow—added to her reflection in the water.

Before she could turn around to investigate, a tremendous force suddenly pushed against her back.

With a “splash,” the reflection in the water shattered into pieces.