Han Yаn frоwnеd аnd wаs about to tidу uр the mess оn the tablе whеn shе nоtiсеd an iron рlaque placed bеsidе the tеaсuр. Рiсking it up, shе fоund it surрrisinglу hеavу, inscribed with chаrаctеrs she couldn’t undеrstand. She guеssed it had bееn lеft bу thе mаn frоm earliеr—likеly sоmеthing оf greаt valuе. Wаlking over tо thе bed, hеr fingers found a rаised spot аt thе fоotbоard. With a forсеful tug, thе entirе bеd рlаnk liftеd, rеveаling а hollоw cаvity.
This wаs wherе Zhuо Qi hаd hidden еаrliеr. Аfter her rebirth, fеaring that Madam Zhоu might have plаnted spiеs in Qingqiu Gardеn, Нan Yаn had spent two days and nights creating this concealed space beneath the bed, worried that the silver she had exchanged with Jiang Yulou would be unsafe if kept on her person. The man from earlier had been honorable, at least—none of the silver inside had been touched.
Han Yan retrieved a small cloth pouch from the bottom, placed the iron plaque and banknotes inside, then rearranged the bed. After all this effort, she felt a slight drowsiness. However, the sky was already bright, and she couldn’t return to bed to rest. She asked Ji Lan to move the rattan lounge chair into the courtyard, where she dozed off briefly under the morning sun.
She wasn’t sure how long she had napped when she felt a cold hand patting her head. Han Yan’s eyes snapped open to find Fu Yunxi standing before her, looking down from above.
Recently, he had taken to wearing a cyan cloak over a dark-patterned brocade robe of a lighter cyan hue, which lent him a more martial air than before, though his expression was somewhat somber.
Han Yan was taken aback at first. She glanced around but didn’t see Ji Lan anywhere. Puzzled, she asked, “What brings you here?”
Fu Yunxi simply stared at her. “I heard this morning that the Zhuang residence encountered assassins last night. I came to check on the Princess Consort.”
When he uttered the words “Princess Consort,” Han Yan suddenly felt uneasy. She thought to herself how swiftly Fu Yunxi acted—this had only just happened, and he was already here. Ji Lan and the others must have been sent away by him. Coming so openly, he likely hadn’t sneaked in.
“Did you enter through the main gate?” Han Yan asked him.
Fu Yunxi found her question somewhat amusing, his expression darkening. “Would I, the Prince, need to use the back door?”
“That’s not what I meant…” Han Yan quickly denied. “It’s just that if you came through the main gate, many people must have seen you…”
“So what if they saw?” Fu Yunxi cut her off before she could finish. “You are now the Princess Consort of my Xuan Qing Prince’s Mansion. It is only natural for me to visit my own Princess Consort.”
Han Yan was left speechless by his words and could only glare at him in silence. Yet inwardly, she thought that Fu Yunxi’s actions would be seen by others as the Xuan Qing Prince doting on his Princess Consort—rushing over the very next morning upon hearing of the assassination attempt at her residence, as if to bolster her authority and demonstrate her standing in his heart. In the future, anyone thinking of bullying her would think twice, deterred by the Prince’s favor.
This man always handled matters with such thoroughness, Han Yan mused, and her irritation at his arrogant words faded somewhat. She simply asked, “Why did you come? Nothing happened anyway.”
Fu Yunxi, however, looked at her with tightly pressed lips. After a moment, he tossed her a small white jade vial. Han Yan fumbled to catch it. “What is this?”
Fu Yunxi took a step closer, grabbing her arm abruptly. Han Yan was startled as he pushed up her sleeve, his expression cold and stern as he stared at the bandaged wound wrapped in white cloth.Seeing his behavior, Han Yan understood he wanted to look at her wound, but she still felt somewhat embarrassed and shrank back slightly. "There's nothing worth seeing."
"Don't move!" Fu Yunxi said in a low voice. "Zhuang Shiyang actually didn't call a physician for you!"
Zhuang Shiyang indeed hadn't cared about the injury on Han Yan's hand, so she had to find another bandage herself, casually sprinkled some medicinal powder, and wrapped it up, thinking it would heal on its own. Now, hearing Fu Yunxi's displeased tone, she felt a warmth in her heart and comforted him, "It's not a serious wound anyway. No need to trouble a physician."
Fu Yunxi sat down on the stone stool beside Han Yan, his face dark as he tore off her bandage. He took out a brand-new bandage himself, intending to re-bandage her wound.
The dignified Xuan Qing Prince bandaging a young girl—Han Yan felt it was inappropriate and refused, "I can do it myself."
"Be quiet," Fu Yunxi said. He glanced at Han Yan, his usually profound phoenix eyes now emitting a faint chill. Han Yan almost didn't dare to look at him. She could tell he was in a bad mood, but why was he angry? She was the one in pain, after all.
Though Fu Yunxi's expression was grim, his movements grew increasingly gentle. Han Yan didn't feel any pain at all. Seeing how skilled he was, she couldn't help but remark, "Your Highness is quite proficient at this."
After a long silence without hearing Fu Yunxi's reply, she thought he was too angry to respond. Then, she heard his cool voice say, "Back in the army, whenever I was injured, I bandaged myself."
Han Yan was puzzled. "Wasn't there a traveling physician? Why did you have to bandage your own wounds?"
Fu Yunxi said indifferently, "I didn't trust them."
The words "didn't trust them" sounded casual, but Han Yan could sense their weight. She had heard that this Xuan Qing Prince began wearing armor and going into battle at the age of fourteen. One could imagine the skepticism a fourteen-year-old boy would face, especially in a place like the battlefield. The helplessness of not being trusted by others and not trusting others in return—in such circumstances, what price must one pay to secure even a sliver of survival? Was it perhaps that journey of being attacked from all sides that shaped Fu Yunxi into the aloof and detached person he was today?
While Han Yan was lost in thought, Fu Yunxi had already cleaned her wound, applied medicine, and re-bandaged it. His bandaging technique was far superior to hers. Just as Han Yan was about to thank him, Fu Yunxi looked at her and asked, "Why did you hurt yourself?"
Han Yan was taken aback and didn't know how to answer. Fu Yunxi, with his actions and his years in the army, couldn't be fooled by this wound. It was clear at a glance that it wasn't from a fall or a scrape but a deliberate self-inflicted injury. But how should she explain it to him now?
"The hairpin I gave you wasn't meant for you to harm yourself," he said, his deep eyes seeming to draw Han Yan in, yet revealing no emotion.
He had even noticed that. Han Yan inwardly panicked and forced a smile. "The situation was urgent at the time..."
"If you could invoke the name of the Xuan Qing Prince Consort, why didn't you do so from the start?" Fu Yunxi said coldly. "Instead, you harmed yourself to prove your innocence."Han Yan's face flushed red. At the time, she had invoked the title of the Prince Consort simply because the reputation of the Xuan Qing Prince was effective. Now, hearing his words, it sounded as if she were using the Prince Consort's name to act recklessly. Feeling somewhat uneasy, she stubbornly replied, "I have not yet entered the household, so naturally I cannot be considered the formal Prince Consort. How could I flaunt the title of Xuan Qing Prince Consort everywhere and become a laughingstock?"
Upon hearing her words, Fu Yunxi narrowed his phoenix-like eyes and said with a faint, teasing smile, "Are you reminding this prince to marry you as soon as possible?"
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