Chapter 324: Provoking Anger
Gu Jinzhao looked up at Ye Xian, who was usually unreadable. Gradually, anger simmered within her.
He was furious with her—his grip on her arm tightened.
"Why aren’t you speaking? How did you end up in Xie Sixing’s hands? Did he do anything to you?"
He fired questions at her, as if he wanted to shake the answers out of her immediately.
Gu Jinzhao was beautiful. If anyone dared lay a hand on her… A cold fury churned in Ye Xian’s heart.
Gu Jinzhao gave a faint smile. "Sit down first, and I’ll explain everything to you."
Ye Xian stared down at her coldly.
She tugged at his sleeve, and only then did he relent, taking a seat in the nearby round-backed chair.
The moment he sat, his brows furrowed deeply as if he had noticed something. Suddenly, he seized her hand. "Why is your hand bleeding?"
Gu Jinzhao lowered her gaze. Earlier, while Xie Sixing wasn’t paying attention, she had plucked a few South Sea Pearls from her belt and scattered them along the way. But Xie Sixing had drugged her—without pain, she couldn’t stay conscious. She didn’t know if it would work, but she had to try.
Once Yuzhu escaped, she would surely return to Wanping soon. After Third Master Chen learned of her predicament, he would send people to search for her. The pearls would serve as evidence. But whether he could trace them to this place…
She had been abducted by Xie Sixing, and she had no idea what would happen next. Her reputation might suffer, but to Gu Jinzhao, that was the least of her concerns. In her past life, she had survived even after being exposed for an affair with her stepson. She believed that as long as one lived, anything was possible. She would never choose death to preserve her reputation.
Ye Xian took a deep breath and sneered, "Gu Jinzhao, I have to hand it to you!"
He strode over to the lattice window.
……
The prolonged silence inside the room first puzzled Li Xianhuai.
So Xie Sixing really had brought someone extraordinary!
He knew his master well—Ye Xian usually had no interest in women. What kind of celestial beauty had Xie Sixing brought to keep him inside for so long? Li Xianhuai couldn’t make sense of it.
Xie Sixing was equally baffled. He had brought Gu Jinzhao for two reasons: first, her striking beauty might sway someone who prized such things. If the heir to the marquisate wasn’t swayed by looks, he could still use a woman from the Chen Family for many purposes—her value was immense.
…But the heir to the Marquis Changxing didn’t seem like someone who cared for beauty. He shouldn’t have stayed inside this long.
Outside, everyone stood with their hands at their sides, not daring to speak.
Finally, the lattice window creaked open, and Ye Xian stepped out, wiping his hands.
Xie Sixing’s heart leapt with hope. He cupped his hands in greeting. "Was the heir satisfied?"
But Ye Xian ignored him entirely, calling instead for Xie Yuan. "Go fetch bandages and medicine immediately, then summon Physician Guo."
Xie Yuan, noticing the blood on Ye Xian’s hands, hurried off with a bow.
Only then did Ye Xian turn his gaze to Xie Sixing. The coldness in his eyes sent a chill down Xie Sixing’s spine. Something’s wrong, Xie Sixing thought. Ye Xian didn’t look pleased at all! He took a step back and asked softly, "Has the heir been injured?"Ye Xian ignored him and instead turned to Li Xianhuai, directly pointing at Xie Sixing. "Seize him immediately, tie him up, and throw him into the side room. You guard him personally. I'll come over later to question him." After speaking, he returned to the wing room, the door slamming shut behind him.
Xie Sixing's face turned pale with fury!
He shouted sharply, "Young Master Ye! I respect you as a man of standing. What is the meaning of this?"
Xie Sixing would never have imagined that after seeing that person, Ye Xian would order his arrest! Just who was that woman? Back then, he had interrogated those guards, but they only said she was the wife of the Chen Family, refusing to reveal anything else. Xie Sixing had assumed that since Gu Jinchao was so young, she must be the wife of one of the Chen Family's young masters. He had truly been arrogant, dismissing her without a second thought—he hadn’t even bothered to ask about her!
Now, it was clear that Ye Xian knew this woman!
Li Xianhuai, however, had no such hesitation. He had a good habit—whatever the situation, if the Young Master gave an order, it was right! Following his instructions was never wrong. Years of experience had proven this absolutely true. So without delay, he drew the curved dagger he always carried in his sleeve and lunged at Xie Sixing.
Li Xianhuai was fast, but Xie Sixing was faster. With a kick, he unsheathed a hidden dagger and swiftly countered Li Xianhuai’s strikes!
Before entering the marquis’s residence, everyone was searched for weapons. Xie Sixing hadn’t dared to carry a blade openly. His usual weapon was a long saber—this dagger was his last resort for self-defense, and he wasn’t skilled with it. Besides, Li Xianhuai was no ordinary opponent. Within a few moves, he had already figured out Xie Sixing’s fighting style and grinned. "Yer skills ain’t bad, but ya messed with our Young Master! Better surrender now. The marquis’s estate is full of traps—even if ya beat me, ya ain’t gettin’ out!"
Excitement had him slipping into his native Sichuan dialect.
Xie Sixing sneered. "Bullshit! Beat me first, then talk!"
No sooner had he spoken than a sharp pain shot through his back, slowing his movements. He turned to see a guard in the shadows holding a crossbow.
Ye Xian truly had no qualms about ganging up on him! Xie Sixing gritted his teeth in fury. He should have brought all his men—then they’d see who was tougher! The worst kind of opponent was one who had no honor and would stop at nothing.
Surrounded on all sides, even Xie Sixing’s formidable martial arts couldn’t save him. Soon enough, Li Xianhuai had him bound.
Wiping sweat from his brow, Li Xianhuai thought to himself—Xie Yuan’s younger brother really was impressive. If he had fought alone, the man might have escaped.
But caught was caught. Li Xianhuai hauled Xie Sixing off to the side room.
......
The wound was sprinkled with medicine and wrapped in bandages.
Only a single candle flickered in the room, casting a dim, yellowish glow.
Ye Xian’s pale, slender fingers wound the bandages around and around. Gu Jinchao watched him work in silence, her thoughts drifting. Ye Xian was sensitive and meticulous—he seemed quite skilled at this sort of thing... It reminded her of the days back in the Gu household when they had still interacted.
That night, after he had personally killed Xiao You, he had come to Daxing to see her.
When she had walked a few steps away, he had nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Gu Jinchao had noticed, though she never mentioned it.
Now, her mind turned to the matter of Xie Sixing.In fact, everything was already quite clear. In her past life, Third Master Chen had died in Sichuan, and Ye Xian was definitely involved—perhaps others as well. In that life, Ye Xian's father and grandfather had both served under Prince Rui. He surely harbored hatred for Zhang Ju Lian's faction and also for Chen Yanyun.
Thinking of those fair, slender hands—more beautiful than a woman's—that had once been stained with blood, from the Chen Family, the Zhang Family, and countless others...
But he hadn’t done any of that yet. None of it had happened!
Gu Jinzhao snapped back to reality and quickly reminded herself.
She recounted her experiences to Ye Xian, though not in too much detail, before saying, "Young Master Ye, could you send a message to Third Master Chen? Let him know I’m here... About the kidnapping, I’m afraid..."
She was already a married woman—her reputation mattered greatly.
In truth, even him helping her apply medicine like this wasn’t proper. Ye Xian pressed his lips together and said softly, "I understand. This matter won’t spread."
Only then did Ye Xian realize why Chen Yanyun had ordered the city sealed.
Gu Jinzhao had gone missing—how could he not be furious? He was probably ready to kill someone by now. Who would have thought Xie Sixing and his people would be so bold as to lay hands on Gu Jinzhao?
Imperial Physician Guo arrived overnight.
Ye Xian arranged a place for Gu Jinzhao to stay. She lay behind the bed curtains, extending only one hand.
She was uneasy. She had heard that some highly skilled physicians could even discern a person’s identity from their pulse. But whether Physician Guo truly didn’t know or simply didn’t dare say, she couldn’t tell. Outside the curtains, she heard him say, "This young lady is in good health, though she seems to have caught a slight chill and shows signs of blood and qi deficiency. A few doses of medicine should set her right."
Ye Xian had someone escort him out, and only then did two maids lift the curtains.
"Rest for now. These two maids will attend to you," he said coolly.
Gu Jinzhao called out to him, "Young Master Ye... this... this is the Marquis’s residence. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to stay here, would it?"
If others found out, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself.
Ye Xian was silent for a long moment before giving a bitter smile. "Chen Yanyun is supposed to be a master strategist, yet he couldn’t even protect you. And you still side with him?"
What did Ye Xian mean by that? She had married Third Master Chen—of course she would side with him. Besides, Gu Jinzhao genuinely cared for him now and couldn’t bear to hear others speak ill of him. After being alone and frightened for so long, she missed him terribly...
Just as Gu Jinzhao was about to respond, Ye Xian swiftly turned away. "Don’t worry. I’ll send someone to inform him first thing tomorrow."
No matter how willful he was, he wasn’t foolish enough to cross that line.
He had someone bring supper—a bowl of plain congee, cold bamboo shoots, and several delicate pastries.
With her injured hand, Gu Jinzhao had the maids help her eat the congee. She had already bathed and was now reclining on the daybed while eating, with Ye Xian sitting across from her, watching. Gu Jinzhao had a preference for strong flavors—she ate the most of the cold bamboo shoots and the dried plum vegetable cakes. Even drinking the congee wasn’t a quiet affair; she sipped it from the spoon like a kitten, looking as though she was thoroughly enjoying it. He found himself growing a little hungry just watching.
After a few bites, Gu Jinzhao couldn’t eat anymore... The atmosphere felt somewhat strange. She had never spent time with Ye Xian like this before.
Ye Xian, absorbed in watching her, asked, "Are you full?"
Gu Jinzhao couldn’t very well say it was because of his gaze, so she pushed the congee bowl aside and nodded.Ye Xian was a bit disappointed. He had found it quite amusing, like feeding his parrot—no, even more entertaining than feeding his parrot.
He was about to have a maid fetch water for Gu Jinzhao to wash up when Li Xianhuai hurriedly announced his presence outside.
Ye Xian frowned impatiently and walked out.
“Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on Xie Sixing? What are you doing here?”
Li Xianhuai was practically frantic, stepping closer in haste. “Young Master, Chen San has arrived!”
He added, “And he’s with Duke Zheng. They’re waiting outside right now, saying it’s urgent… The Marquis and the old Marquis have already retired for the night. I saw soldiers they brought stationed outside the alley. What should we do?”
P.S. ?? No writer’s block today, so I finished early~~ Mwah! ~~
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