At the palace gates, under everyone's watchful eyes, Fan Changyu could not just openly board the Xie family's carriage.
She handed the rapidly deteriorating Xie Zheng over to Xie Shiyi, who had come forward to meet them. Xie Shiyi saw at a glance that something was wrong with Xie Zheng and asked anxiously, "General, the Master is..."
Time was short. Fan Changyu simply lowered her voice and instructed, "Take him back to the Xie residence immediately, and send someone to fetch a physician."
Fan Changyu tried to pull her hand away, but Xie Zheng gripped her wrist tightly. The bloodshot color in his eyes, which had faded slightly, slowly returned. Under the lights of the palace gate, he looked somewhat menacing at first glance.
Unable to break free, Fan Changyu helped him into the carriage. At the side of the carriage, she whispered to him, "Let go first. I'm not leaving. I'll just go say a few words to Xie Wu and be right back."
The one who had accompanied Fan Changyu into the palace tonight was still Xie Wu, who had gone through life and death with her ever since she was a squad leader.
Only then did Xie Zheng release her. As he collapsed onto the carriage seat, the roots of his hair were soaked with sweat. A faint blush spread across his pale face, and under the soft reflection of the bamboo shadows inside the carriage, he possessed a heart-stopping, magnificent beauty.
Fan Changyu steeled her heart, lowered the carriage curtain, and jumped down. She said to Xie Shiyi, "You go on ahead."
Xie Shiyi seemed to understand something and didn't dare to delay for a moment. He cracked the whip and drove the carriage away.
Many court officials were leaving the palace at this time, and their expressions varied as they witnessed this scene.
Just then, Tang Peiyi also caught up. Seeing Fan Changyu, he called out, "General Fan, shall we return to the Office of Presentations together?"
Fan Changyu looked back, wanting to find Xie Zheng. She feared that if she left with Tang Peiyi and the others, it would be difficult to slip away later. Just as she was about to refuse, she saw He Xiujun give her a meaningful look. Fan Changyu thought they had something to discuss with her, so she nodded. "Alright."
Their carriages headed toward the Office of Presentations together. The officials who came out later saw this and dared not make any wild speculations.
Xie Wu had also seen Fan Changyu helping Xie Zheng out of the palace earlier. As soon as Fan Changyu boarded the carriage, he asked, "General, did something happen at the palace banquet?"
Fan Changyu's nerves had been stretched taut all night, and a dull ache was now throbbing in her head. She pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "It's a long story. In a moment, you'll return to the Office of Presentations alone and let my mother and the others know I'm safe. I'm going to the Xie residence."
She was, after all, still worried about Xie Zheng's condition.
Just as Xie Wu agreed, he suddenly cried "Whoa!"
Fan Changyu heard someone outside call her "dear sister." Lifting the carriage curtain, she saw that Tang Peiyi's and the others' carriage had stopped at a fork in the road.
He Xiujun poked his head out of the carriage window and said to Fan Changyu, "Dear sister Changyu, General Tang, Brother Wen Chang, and I want to go see the New Year's Eve Lantern Festival, so we won't be traveling with you."
She addressed He Jingyuan as "Uncle," so He Xiujun had always regarded himself as an older brother to her.
No matter how slow she was, Fan Changyu understood that Tang Peiyi and the others were helping her out of a predicament.
Her jumping into the Taiye Pond tonight to "save" Xie Zheng would inevitably cause gossip among the court officials. If she left alone, it would surely lead to wild speculation. Leaving with them would, to some extent, silence the wagging tongues.
She was grateful, but now was not the time for thanks. She simply nodded and said, "Then you and General Tang go on, my dear brother. The capital's New Year's Eve night market is a grand spectacle. Once you're familiar with the place, you can bring my sister-in-law to see it again in the future."
He Xiujun smiled and agreed before lowering the carriage curtain.
The north wind howled, sweeping flurries of fine snow through the streets, which were filled with the smell of firecrackers and fireworks.
The clatter of horse hooves and the rumble of wheels were exceptionally clear. A dark shadow seemed to flit past, and the candlelight inside the carriage flickered as a cold draft blew in from the window.
Fan Changyu helped Xie Zheng up. He was leaning against the seat, the corner of his lip once again bitten open and bleeding. Her brows furrowed tightly. "How are you?"
Xie Zheng's every breath felt like fire. After he lifted his blood-red phoenix eyes and clearly saw who it was, he directly raised a hand to press the back of her neck, sealing her lips with a kiss.
The effects of the Bone-weakening Powder on him seemed to have dissipated somewhat. The force with which he held her neck was immense, and his lips and teeth ravaged her fiercely. Fan Changyu could only tilt her head back and be forced to endure it.
A moment later, the carriage stopped. Xie Shiyi braced himself and said from outside, "Master, we've arrived."
Fan Changyu pressed her hands against Xie Zheng's chest. A faint, sharp pain arose on her shoulder where his canine teeth were gnawing. She clenched her five fingers tightly on the lapels of his robe, a light pink blush spreading across her face. She pressed her lips together, enduring the strange sensation his kiss sent coursing through her body.
"Take the carriage in through the side gate. Don't disturb anyone else in the residence."
Xie Zheng's eyes were clouded, his voice deep and hoarse.
Receiving the order, Xie Shiyi quickly turned the horse and drove toward the side gate. After he showed the token, a servant of the Xie residence opened the gate, and the carriage entered the estate almost silently, stopping in front of the main courtyard.
Xie Shiyi went to fetch the physician who resided in the estate, while Fan Changyu, after catching her breath, helped Xie Zheng out of the carriage.
The moment they entered the room, she was pinned against the door by Xie Zheng. He kissed and nipped wantonly at her shoulder and neck, his breathing heavy and ragged. His low, mellow voice had lost its usual clarity. "Changyu, A Yu..."
The tender flesh of her neck was ground by his sharp teeth, and it felt as if a string had been pulled taut in the meridians beneath her skin. Even though Fan Changyu clenched her jaw, a fine tremor still traveled from her neck down to her fingertips.
A watery sheen covered her eyes. Without saying a word, she shot Xie Zheng a pained and slightly annoyed glare, which caused the precarious string in his mind to snap with a "crack."
Her third-rank military official's court robe, exquisitely embroidered and of excellent quality, was ripped open in a large tear by his hands. He then lowered his head and kissed the exposed skin.
Fan Changyu's back was pressed against the carved wooden door. Sweat trickled down from her jaw, and her lips were pressed so tightly they turned white.
She gave him a push. "Your injuries... apply medicine first."
Xie Zheng's breathing was very unsteady. He looked up and said okay, but unexpectedly, as soon as he straightened up, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed, his face as white as snow.
Fan Changyu was startled and quickly supported him. "Xie Zheng, what's wrong with you?"
She moved him to the soft couch to lie down and loudly called for Xie Shiyi to hurry with the physician. Her half-damp court robe had been torn open by Xie Zheng, making her unpresentable. She rushed to the chest where Xie Zheng kept his clothes, intending to grab a set of his to wear for the time being. After pulling on an arrow-sleeved long robe, she was surprised to find that it fit her unexpectedly well.
Fan Changyu paused for a moment, then took out several other robes and held them against herself, discovering they all fit perfectly.
This chest of clothes, had he prepared them for her long ago?
Fan Changyu looked at the pale, unconscious man on the soft couch, and her heart ached with a sudden pang of bitterness.
Xie Shiyi quickly returned with the physician. After taking Xie Zheng's pulse, the physician's brow furrowed deeply.
Fan Changyu asked anxiously, "Physician, how is he?"
The physician pricked Xie Zheng's fingertip with a silver needle to draw a drop of blood. His expression was extremely complicated as he said, "The Marquis is suffering from an excess of heart-fire. This fire originates from the gate of life, travels through the triple burner, and accumulates in the liver and kidneys. It has become so vigorous that it has damaged his internal organs, causing him to vomit blood. By letting blood from the Shangyang acupoint, I can only provide some relief for the Marquis. Ultimately, this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. If this fire is not dispersed, I fear the Marquis will be in grave danger..."
When Xie Shiyi was seeing the physician out, he knelt before Fan Changyu at the door. He lowered his head, as if he knew his next words were presumptuous, but still said in a choked voice, "I beg the General to save the Marquis."
Fan Changyu sat on a stool, looking at Xie Zheng, who still hadn't woken up even after the physician's acupuncture treatment. She only said, "Get out."
After kowtowing to her, Xie Shiyi closed the door and left.
Fan Changyu walked over and sat down before the soft couch. She leaned over and kissed Xie Zheng's lips, then lifted her head slightly and said to him in a low voice, "You married into my family."
...
That night, the entire imperial city was bustling with excitement. The palace city was brilliantly lit, and the one hundred and eight wards outside the city were also ablaze with lights. The laughter of children and the cries of street vendors could be heard from several streets away.
As the hour of midnight struck, the bells of the Golden Temple in the city began to toll, one after another, distant and lingering, as if announcing to the world that the old year had passed and the new year had arrived.
Tens of thousands of fireworks from the city wards shot up into the snowy night sky in unison. In an instant, the sky was filled with dazzling colors. Neighbors also set off firecrackers to welcome the new year, and the "crack-crack-pop" sound was incessant, creating a lively atmosphere.
Fan Changyu lay on the warm white marble stone of the hot spring pool, her long hair plastered wetly to her cheeks, her entire body flushed a faint pink. She had already lost count of how many times she had watched the fireworks. Now, she was utterly exhausted, no less than if she had just fought a major battle.
When the person behind her pressed against her back, enveloping her in his arms, and began to peck kisses on her shoulder again, Fan Changyu's shoulder instinctively flinched. She turned her head and asked him, "Hasn't the drug worn off yet?"
Her cheeks were scarlet, and stray strands of sweat-dampened hair clung messily to them. Her lips were swollen, and a watery mist veiled her bright eyes.
Her expression was still stubborn, but it now held a hint of pitifulness.
Xie Zheng looked at her, his eyes bottomlessly deep. His Adam's apple bobbed slowly as he gave a hoarse "Mmm."
The water rippled, and Fan Changyu couldn't help but let out a muffled groan along with it.
She had no strength left, so she simply lay face-down against the wall of the hot spring pool, her head pillowed on her arms as she forced herself to endure.
What she was thinking, however, was that it must be because she had been so busy with various matters since arriving in the capital that she had neglected her martial arts practice. Wasn't Xie Zheng still under the effect of the Bone-weakening Powder? How could his stamina be better than hers?
Starting tomorrow, she must practice her martial arts diligently.
That night, there were others who were also sleepless.
After all the ministers who attended the palace banquet had left the palace, an inconspicuous carriage drove out of the Xihua Gate. Its wheels rolled over the thick snow on the road, heading straight for the Prime Minister's residence.
Compared to the festive lanterns and decorations all over the city, the Prime Minister's residence remained solemn. Even the row of red lanterns hanging under the eaves did not add much of a festive air to the estate. In the disquietingly silent night, they instead exuded a gloomy aura.
This time, due to the heavy snow and wind outside, Qi Sheng was finally led into Wei Yan's study.
He didn't even take off his cloak. The fine snow on the brim of his hood melted under the heat of the charcoal fire in the room, leaving mottled wet marks and making him look as pathetic as a stray dog.
Wei Yan sat behind a low table. In this cold night, he still wore a simple, thin cloth garment. A hand, aged yet still sinewy, held a purple-hair brush, writing something on the desk with fluid, powerful strokes, treating the emperor standing below him as if he were nothing.
Qi Sheng, however, couldn't care less. It was unclear whether the New Year's Eve snow was too cold or the fear from his failed plan tonight was too great, but his voice trembled as he spoke, "Prime Minister, save Us, save Us! Xie Zheng wants to commit regicide!"
Wei Yan's brush did not stop, nor did he even lift his eyes as he asked, "Why would he want to kill you?"
Qi Sheng glanced at Wei Yan and said, "He... he was investigating the matter of my sixteenth brother and found a mad palace maid in the Cold Palace who used to serve Jia Guifei. That mad maid said the Prime Minister once had an illicit affair with an imperial concubine!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the purple-hair brush in Wei Yan's hand was squeezed until it cracked. He slowly raised his eyes to look at Qi Sheng, his gaze no different from that of someone looking at a dead man.
Qi Sheng was also startled by that look. He had originally intended to use that palace maid as a bargaining chip to threaten Wei Yan, but he immediately changed his story.
As he lied, he widened his eyes with such force that they became even more prominent. "Xie Zheng was going to find that palace maid to verify the matter. We were afraid he would use this against the Prime Minister, so We devised a plan to frame Xie Zheng for the great crime of having an illicit affair with an imperial concubine and throwing the harem into chaos. The plan was flawless, but somehow he managed to foil it tonight..."
He even began to cry, snot and tears streaming down his face. "Xie Zheng has long harbored dissent! He will definitely kill Us! We did all this for the Prime Minister's sake. Prime Minister, you must save Us!"
Wei Yan set down the cracked purple-hair brush. "So, what did Your Majesty hear from that palace maid?"
This calm, yet murderously chilling tone made Qi Sheng's crying stop abruptly. He froze.
For a moment, he felt as if the images of the uncle and nephew, Xie Zheng and Wei Yan, had overlapped.
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