"Lord Marquis, Madam—"
A faint scent of blood and medicine lingered in the room. Seeing Jiang Shi enter with the entourage, Qin Guan gracefully performed a curtsy. Beads of sweat dotted her pale forehead, clearly showing the immense effort she had expended.
"Good child, you've worked hard." Jiang Shi grasped Qin Guan's hand before turning her gaze to the Grand Princess lying motionless on the bed, eyes tightly shut. "Mother, she—"
Qin Guan replied, "The method I used was successful."
At these words, the tension in the room eased instantly, and Yue Qiong's eyes lit up with joy.
But Qin Guan wasn't finished. "However, if the Grand Princess's wound doesn't fester within two days, she can be considered out of danger. But if it does fester, she will still—"
The joy in Yue Qiong's eyes froze, and sorrow flickered in the gazes of the others.
This meant they wouldn't know whether the Grand Princess had truly been saved until two days later.
Jiang Shi clenched her teeth. "Guan'er, does this mean these two days are critical?"
Qin Guan nodded. "Indeed. The Grand Princess must not be left unattended."
Jiang Shi glanced at the darkened sky outside—ink-black, deep into the night. "Guan'er, could you stay at the marquis's residence these two days? Surely you'd know best how to care for Mother?"
Qin Guan also looked out the window, then back at the Grand Princess on the bed. Hesitation flickered across her face before resolve settled in. "Very well. Qin Guan will stay for two days."
After a brief pause, she added reassuringly, "Madam and Lord Marquis need not worry excessively. Though these two days are crucial, I've done everything possible. Statistically, the chance of the Grand Princess's wound festering is only two or three in ten."
Hearing this, Jiang Shi visibly relaxed and instructed her head maid, Lü Yun, "Send someone to Qin Manor to inform them, then prepare the Plum Courtyard next to the young mistress's quarters."
Lü Yun hurriedly acknowledged the order. Jiang Shi and Yue Qiong then stepped forward to examine the Grand Princess. Her complexion had shifted from ashen to pale, her breathing stronger, though she still looked frail—yet far less alarming than before.
Jiang Shi asked, "Guan'er, what should be done tonight?"
"Tonight, we need only administer the medicinal broth to the Grand Princess," Qin Guan replied.
Jiang Shi nodded and turned to Lu Xiu. "Then let Lu Xiu keep watch. Instruct her carefully."
Qin Guan assented and gave Lu Xiu her directions. As she turned, her gaze landed on Yan Chi standing at the rear.
Yan Chi leaned gracefully against a curio cabinet, his eyes fixed on her. The distance between them softened the intensity of his earlier stare, yet his unwavering gaze held no impropriety—only the forthright boldness characteristic of military men.
Holding Cold Moon, Qin Guan approached him. "Cold Moon has been cleaned. My thanks to the heir apparent."
As Qin Guan presented the dagger with both hands, Yan Chi raised an eyebrow.
His gaze dropped to her hands—exceptionally beautiful, with slender, jade-white fingers like peeled spring onions. Her unvarnished nails were faintly pink, translucent, and impeccably neat. The ornately sheathed Cold Moon rested in her palms as if cradled by smooth jade, a sight most pleasing to the eye.
"A gentleman does not go back on his word. Having promised this blade to Ninth Miss, how could I take it back?"
Qin Guan lowered her eyes. "This gift is far too precious. Qin Guan dare not accept it."
The dragon motifs carved into the scabbard left no doubt—Cold Moon had come from the imperial palace.Moreover, an item carved with dragon patterns was not something an ordinary commoner like her could carry around.
"If it can accompany you in healing people, then it is indeed precious. But if it's merely a trinket hanging from me like a pendant, then it's worthless. Ninth Miss saved my aunt; such a debt cannot be offset by one or two objects." After a brief pause, Yan Chi added, "Does Ninth Miss wish to scramble for a knife again the next time she needs to save someone, just like today?"
Qin Guan frowned, not expecting Yan Chi to be so eloquent. Indeed, his words struck at the heart of the matter.
After these incidents, Qin Guan had already made up her mind—she would prepare her own set of silver needles. As for the knife, Cold Moon was indeed very handy, but she didn’t want to accept such a gift from the Crown Prince without reason.
"Your Highness makes a valid point, but I will prepare my own tools in the future."
The corners of Yan Chi’s lips curved slightly. "The knife you need must be thin and sharp, with an exquisite design. Such a blade isn’t something just any blacksmith can forge."
Seeing Qin Guan’s unwavering expression, Yan Chi simply said, "Then let’s wait until Ninth Miss finds a suitable knife before returning Cold Moon to me."
Yan Chi had conceded, making it difficult for Qin Guan to insist further. Just as she hesitated, footsteps suddenly sounded at the door.
"Reporting to the Marquis, that group is causing trouble again—"
The messenger spoke outside the door. Yue Qiong frowned and hurried out, followed by Jiang Shi and Yue Jia.
Qin Guan’s brow furrowed slightly. Yan Chi tilted his chin. "Shall we take a look?"
With that, Yan Chi strode ahead. Qin Guan glanced at Cold Moon in her palm and had no choice but to tuck it away for now.
Outside, they found Yang Xi, the steward of Marquis Anyang Manor.
"My Lord, this time they’ve even brought the body of the beaten man and moved from the side gate to the main gate. Now, a crowd of commoners has gathered at the entrance to watch. My Lord, what should we do…"
Qin Guan frowned upon hearing this. When she had arrived earlier, she had entered through the main gate and seen no signs of disturbance.
Yue Qiong turned to Jiang Shi. "Make arrangements for Ninth Miss. I’ll go see what’s happening."
After Yue Qiong left, Jiang Shi sighed, her face clouded with worry. Not wanting to alarm Qin Guan, she quickly approached and said, "The manor is going through turbulent times. Thankfully, you treated Mother. Shall I escort you to Plum Courtyard for dinner? You must be exhausted after today."
Qin Guan nodded, but she had heard the words "beaten man." In the Great Zhou Dynasty, any death without family confirmation of natural causes fell under official jurisdiction. Having accompanied her father on his official postings for so long, she couldn’t help but pay close attention whenever a death was mentioned.
Unable to hold back, she asked, "Madam, may I ask what has happened in the manor?"
Jiang Shi, burdened with worry and with only Yue Ning and Yan Chi nearby, found an outlet in Qin Guan’s question. "It’s Qing’er. After what happened last night, the news has spread throughout Jinzhou City by morning. When he went to the military camp today, he encountered craftsmen working on the city’s defenses."
She sighed. "He was merely passing by when he overheard them gossiping about Marquis Anyang Manor—saying… saying Jia’er brings misfortune to his wives, that the manor is responsible for deaths, and such things. Qing’er couldn’t bear it and stopped to argue with them. To his surprise, one of them dared to curse the manor right to his face, unafraid of his status. Words led to blows, and before long, they came to blows.""Qing'er is highly skilled in martial arts. He knocked that man down and left, but soon after, the man died. The body was first taken to the authorities to report the case. Governor Huo was already troubled by last night's incident and didn’t expect Marquis Anyang Manor to have another issue today, so he sent someone to inform us. It was upon hearing this news that Mother became so angry she fell ill."
Jiang Shi glanced toward the manor gates. "When Governor Huo sent his men, that group of people also arrived outside the gates demanding justice. At first, they only gathered at the side gate, but now they’ve moved to the main entrance."
Qin Guan understood immediately. Governor Huo must have delayed handling the case out of deference to the Marquis’s status, prompting these people to carry the corpse directly to the manor and cause a scene. So, the second young master of the Marquis’s household had killed someone...
No wonder Yue Ning had no idea how the Grand Princess had suddenly fallen so seriously ill when Qin Guan first arrived.
Jiang Shi sighed. "Jia'er’s incident just happened, and now Qing'er... To make matters worse, Qing'er refuses to admit guilt, insisting he controlled his strikes. His father ordered him to return and surrender to the authorities, but he flew into a rage and ran off. Later, the manor’s steward went to check—the man who was beaten to death was indeed covered in injuries and died vomiting blood." Her eyes reddened slightly. "If it were just a matter of money, that would be one thing, but I fear Qing'er may face imprisonment..."
Qin Guan frowned. "Covered in injuries?"
Jiang Shi nodded. "Yes, covered in injuries. Many of the craftsmen around him also testified that he vomited blood and died shortly after fighting with Qing'er... The man wasn’t married and had an elderly mother. Only a group of fellow craftsmen are standing up for him."
Qin Guan narrowed her eyes. "Madam, let’s not rush back to Plum Garden. Let’s go to the manor gates and see for ourselves."
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