Нan Yan grеw аnхiоus. "Yоur Highness, Your Нighnеss, your сhests!" But thе Сrоwn Рrinсе had alrеady vanished after stерping оut, no lоngеr соncеrnеd аbоut аny сhests.
Han Yаn lоokеd at the threе large сhests on thе flооr аnd sighеd in distrеss. "Аh, what should I dо nоw?"
Fu Yunxi wаlkеd оver аnd sat dоwn bеside her, rаising his hаnd to strоke her hair. Тhe sensatiоn оf his рalm gеntly carеssing hеr hаir was sооthing, аnd Наn Yаn widenеd hеr eуes, nоt daring to mоve аs shе аllowеd him tо tоuсh her, like a wеll-behaved little animаl.
Her behаvior yеsterdау had bеen truly reckless. Fu Yunxi must have been very angry when he found out. For some reason, knowing he would be upset because of her made Han Yan feel a bit uneasy.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked, his voice deep and cool, betraying no hint of abnormality. Yet, the more composed he seemed, the more uncertain Han Yan felt, growing restless.
"Um... Your Highness, yesterday I..." She wanted to confess her mistake, but then she heard Fu Yunxi let out a low sigh, tinged with helplessness. "Silly."
"Huh?" Not expecting him to say that, Han Yan was momentarily stunned and looked up at him.
Fu Yunxi withdrew the hand that had been tousling her hair and simply gazed at her calmly. "You acted too impulsively, disregarding your own life. What if you had died?"
His words were soft, but to Han Yan, they carried a hint of sorrow. Her nose tingled with emotion as she recalled the moment she saw Fu Yunxi yesterday—he had looked like a demon emerging from hell to claim a life, his white robe stained with blood, all out of genuine concern for her.
Feeling embarrassed, she tugged lightly at Fu Yunxi's sleeve and cautiously admitted her mistake. "I won't do it again..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Han Yan felt her chin being lifted. His cool fingers held her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze. His deep, phoenix-like eyes, as calm as a pool of water, now held an expression Han Yan couldn't quite decipher—seemingly gentle, with a hint of allure. Han Yan was so close to him that she could smell the faint, refreshing scent on him. As their breaths mingled, her face flushed bright red.
A soft sigh escaped his lips, and then he leaned down to press his lips against hers. It was a light, fleeting kiss, devoid of any desire—warm and gentle. For some reason, it felt more like a promise. Han Yan's tension and unease from yesterday dissipated in that kiss.
He released her, his gaze as calm as still water. Suddenly, a pang of sadness struck Han Yan's heart. This gentle Fu Yunxi—she would only grow more and more attached to him. Abruptly, she stretched out her arms, wrapped them around Fu Yunxi's waist, and buried her head in his chest.
Fu Yunxi was momentarily taken aback. Han Yan rarely took the initiative to get close to him, let alone when she was fully conscious. It was rare to see her so dependent, like a little hedgehog finally retracting its spines, evoking tenderness. He allowed her to cling to him. She was still too young; he couldn't rush things. Fortunately, it seemed his efforts hadn't been entirely in vain.Han Yan thought to herself that Fu Yunxi had treated her too well. All along, it had been Fu Yunxi protecting her, while she hadn’t been of much help to him. Han Yan considered herself neither a peerless beauty nor a woman of extraordinary talent. When Fu Yunxi had first proposed to make her the Xuan Qing Prince Consort, she had assumed he must have some ulterior motive. But now it seemed that even if he did, it was a losing bargain. With enemies ranging from the Empress Dowager and the Seventh Prince above to Zhuangshan and the Zhou Sisters below, she had brought Fu Yunxi no small amount of trouble.
After a moment of thought, she sat up again. “What came of yesterday’s events?” If any captives had been taken and interrogated, perhaps something could have been uncovered.
“There were no survivors.”
Han Yan was taken aback, looking at Fu Yunxi. “Did you kill them?” She vaguely remembered that Fu Yunxi seemed to have killed those knife-wielding assassins, though at the time she had been on the brink of death and wasn’t entirely clear. Now it appeared that Fu Yunxi left no room for mercy—it was entirely possible he had eliminated them all.
Fu Yunxi nodded. “The assassins captured at the sacrificial grounds bit off their tongues and died.” His gaze grew profound.
He hadn’t directly answered her question, which meant the assassins who had pursued the Crown Prince, not those at the sacrificial grounds, had all been killed? Han Yan thought for a moment, then lifted her head, her expression shifting to a cheerful smile as she comforted Fu Yunxi, “Your Highness need not worry. Didn’t I also kill two assassins?” It could only be said that the assassins they sent were too incompetent, if even I could handle them.
Fu Yunxi found this somewhat amusing, knowing Han Yan didn’t want him to blame himself. But he truly didn’t. Instead, thinking of the two burly men Han Yan had killed, he said, “I had the bodies examined. They weren’t killed by you.”
“What?” Han Yan was stunned. That couldn’t be right. She distinctly remembered embracing a fight-to-the-death resolve, desperately swinging that large blade and using every method Chai Jing had taught her, managing by sheer luck to kill two people.
Fu Yunxi glanced at her. “The bodies had injuries to the acupoints at their joints. The assassins must have been wounded before you struck them.”
Han Yan was taken aback, carefully recalling the events. It did seem that suddenly the movements of those two assassins had slowed, giving her an opening. At the time, she hadn’t paid attention, but now, thinking back, she realized there were many suspicious points. Those men were undoubtedly chosen as death warriors. Even if she had learned a few moves from Chai Jing, facing people who lived by the blade day in and day out, she would have been like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree—utterly overestimating herself. How could she possibly have killed two of them? So, someone had secretly aided her.
Then, the one who injured the assassins was someone else?
“According to what you’re saying, I must have been saved by someone. But if they wanted to save me, why didn’t they show themselves?” Han Yan wondered. If this person had saved her life, they were her savior, yet from start to finish, they hadn’t revealed themselves. Why was that? Han Yan looked at Fu Yunxi. “When you came to rescue me, did you see anything?”
Fu Yunxi shook his head.Han Yan frowned. If that were the case, then that person must have intentionally avoided Fu Yunxi to keep from being seen. If they didn’t show themselves, perhaps it was because they couldn’t—and because both she and Fu Yunxi would recognize them. Who among the people she and Fu Yunxi knew couldn’t show their face? Moreover, since this person was able to help her, they might know something and could very well be involved in this matter. Thinking this far, Han Yan felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that, no matter what, she wouldn’t have to die. Even if Fu Yunxi hadn’t come, that secret helper wouldn’t have let her die in vain—and perhaps she might even get to see their true face.
As for who the secret helper was, she still had no clue. After exchanging a few more words with Fu Yunxi, she heard someone outside announce that Zhuang Shiyang had come in person to take Han Yan back to the manor.
Han Yan hadn’t expected him to make such a move. Just as Fu Yunxi was about to refuse, Han Yan tugged at his sleeve and said to the servant, “Go and tell my father that I need a moment to gather my things, and I will follow him back to the manor right away.”
OpenNovel