Chapter Ninety-Six
Xueying was still staring blankly at her hand when the medical officer withdrew his fingers from her pulse and stood up respectfully. "The General's wife has a stable pulse and should be fine. I will prepare a few more doses of calming medicine to prevent any complications," he said. Upon hearing this, Yixiao let out a sigh of relief, her strength drained, and she knelt down, clutching her abdomen.
"The first time killing someone is always like this. You'll get used to it," Yixiao comforted after sitting for a while, as the crowd around them gradually dispersed. Seeing Xueying still in a daze, she added, "I didn’t even notice he had something in his hand. How did you spot it?"
"I saw the look in his eyes," Xueying replied, still shaken. "But I didn’t mean to kill him—are you alright...?"
"Lucky for me, he jabbed right into this," Yixiao grimaced, straightening up and fishing around her waist until she pulled out a brocade pouch. She shook it at Xueying—it was the pouch containing the arrowhead.
"Then why were you rolling on the ground earlier?" Xueying scolded. "You scared me half to death!"
"Unfair!" Yixiao hissed through gritted teeth, tossing a clump of dirt at her. "Try getting stabbed yourself and see how you like it!"
Xueying retaliated by picking up another clump and throwing it back. "Fine, let’s switch. Go bring him back to life, and we’ll do it again!" The two glared at each other for a moment before finally bursting into laughter.
Upon returning to camp, an enraged Feng Suige nearly executed the remaining three Imperial Guards on the spot. It took Yixiao nearly half an hour of persuasion before he reluctantly agreed to have them escorted back to Suosha for further judgment.
After calming down slightly, Feng Suige briefly recounted the intelligence they had gathered and said gravely, "Everything is too quiet—unnaturally so. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong..."
Before he could finish, a commotion erupted at the periphery. A Suosha Guard sprinted over, shouting, "Your Highness, someone’s approaching from outside!" Fu Yixiao rushed forward and demanded, "What’s happening?"
The guard pointed behind him. "Two of our men from the Holy City are here. They say they have urgent news for the Princess."
Yixiao hesitated, glancing at Feng Suige, who nodded. "Bring them in."
As the guard left, Yixiao whispered worriedly, "Could they be sent by the Holy Emperor?"
"Possibly," Feng Suige frowned. "We’re already very close to the Holy City. He might have already learned of our movements..."
While they speculated, two men dressed as civilians strode in behind the guard. Yixiao gasped and ran toward them. "Why is it you two?"
Before they could bow, she grabbed one by each arm and pulled them up. "Speak—" she began, but then one of them winced in pain. She immediately released them, alarmed. "What’s wrong? How are you injured? What happened?"
The guard rubbed his arm and said bitterly, "The Holy Emperor fabricated charges and detained His Highness. We helped Xiao Canjun escape through the hidden waterways..."
Yixiao stiffened, but before she could press for details, the other man pulled out a sealed letter from his robes and presented it to her. "This is Xiao Canjun’s handwritten letter. Please read it, Your Highness!"
Yixiao took it and had barely skimmed a few lines when Feng Suige abruptly snatched the letter from her hands. After quickly scanning the contents, he remarked coolly, "The handwriting may be Xiao Weiran’s, but the writer certainly isn’t him."As everyone froze in surprise, Feng Suige slowly turned to Yixiao and asked, "Have you forgotten how we were forced to jump into the river?" Yixiao opened her mouth slightly but couldn't respond. Feng Suige pulled her close with a teasing smile, his finger lightly tracing her lips. "Besides, what does Xia Jingshi's life or death have to do with us, right?" Just as Yixiao was about to protest, Feng Suige pinched her waist, making her swallow her words.
The soldier glared at Feng Suige. "When did Brocade's affairs ever require a Su Sha man to interfere—you’re just eager for His Highness to die sooner so Su Sha will have one less obstacle when attacking Brocade!" Unfazed, Feng Suige smiled faintly. "She is my consort, so her affairs are mine. As for Xia Jingshi... well, you’re not wrong. I’ll admit to that."
"Princess!" another soldier pleaded in a low voice. "His Highness has always treated you well... Please, for the sake of past affection, help us rescue him..." Feng Suige scoffed. "And have I treated her poorly? Leave. I won’t allow her to do such a thing."
After standing silently for a while, the soldier who had delivered the letter stamped his foot and tugged at his companion. "Stop begging. Don’t forget her status has changed—how could she still remember past affection?" He shot Yixiao a resentful glare. "Let’s go. I refuse to believe Xiao Canjun can’t come up with a proper plan!"
Without bidding farewell, the two stormed off like the wind. Before they were even out of earshot, Yixiao snatched the letter back and demanded angrily, "What was that about?" Feng Suige raised a finger to his lips, then summoned two guards and whispered, "Follow them at a distance with a few men. Leave markers along the way. Once you see where they’re headed, report back immediately!"
In the wilderness, several guards dressed as retainers cautiously escorted an inconspicuous, simple carriage. The curtain was suddenly lifted slightly, revealing the pale profile of the man inside. "Lieutenant General Xue, pick up the pace. I’ll be fine—"
"No," Lieutenant General Xue said firmly. "The men have already split into three groups to search, as you ordered. No matter how fast we go, we won’t outpace them. Just rest easy. I’m sure we’ll have news soon." Xiao Weiran sighed. "With the situation unclear, how can I rest? I only hope they don’t miss Yixiao."
Just then, the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoed from the forest path. Lieutenant General Xue strode forward to look and exclaimed joyfully, "Our men—they’re back!" With a swift motion, Xiao Weiran flung open the carriage curtain and tried to step down, leaning against the carriage wall. Lieutenant General Xue hurried back to support him.
"They must have met Yixiao," Xiao Weiran said, his face brightening. "Otherwise, they wouldn’t have returned so soon." Lieutenant General Xue beamed as he carefully steadied Xiao Weiran, nodding eagerly. "See? When has Xiao Canjun ever been wrong?"Seeing Xiao Weiran coming to greet them, the two soldiers dismounted from their horses from afar and knelt down, calling out, "Xiao Canjun." Noticing their dejected expressions, Xiao Weiran's heart sank, and he pressed, "Did you see Yixiao?" The two soldiers exchanged glances before kneeling together before Xiao Weiran. One of them choked out, "We did meet her, but... she refused to help." Both Xiao Weiran and Lieutenant General Xue were stunned and asked in unison, "How could that be?"
The other soldier, his face flushed with anger, shouted, "She came with Vermilion Sand Country's Feng Suige! That Feng Suige—he was practically hoping His Highness would meet misfortune sooner..." "What? Feng Suige is here too?" Xiao Weiran exclaimed in surprise. "Tell me everything in detail."
In their indignation, the two soldiers competed to recount the events from start to finish. Listening quietly, Xiao Weiran's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and by the end, he was smiling. Finally, with a pleased expression, he ordered Lieutenant General Xue, "Change our route—follow the path they came from. Feng Suige's involvement has greatly increased our chances of success!"
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