Chapter 57
The rain fell slanting from the darkened sky, while the lush pines and cypresses of the Loting Mountain shone with beauty.
On a clear day, beneath the azure sky, one could see the imperial tomb across the mountains, with its majestic palaces and structures. Wei Zhan's tomb was nestled among the distant mountains in opposition.
According to an imperial decree from the ancestors, no living person could be buried alongside the emperor. The front of the imperial tomb was lined with hundreds of stone statues, armed with spears and swords, guarding the former rulers of the dynasty.
Wei Zhan's tomb stood like a valiant general, leading thousands of troops in the wind and rain.
Amidst the misty rain in the mountains, the burning paper money's flames blurred in the damp mist.
Zhao Heng picked up a handful of mud and planted the snow orchid next to the tomb. Turning to look at Li Wenjian, she saw him pouring wine leisurely into the cup on the altar.
The members of the Yulin Guard stood tall and resolute, and the sound of rain hitting their iron armor echoed like shattering jade.
"General, there's movement in the valley," a Yulin guard approached Jian Ning, his face solemn.
Jian Ning immediately gripped his sword, gazing towards the pine-covered valley with a look of anger in his eyes. "Everyone, stay vigilant. If there's any movement, swear to protect His Highness!"
A flurry of arrows whistled from all directions, their blades cutting through the air with a sharp hiss, like a rapid and dense rain.
The Yulin guards maintained a stern expression, swiftly unsheathing their long swords from their waists and deflecting the onslaught of arrows.
"Protect His Highness!" Jian Ning's voice cut through the rain curtain.
Zhao Heng turned around and saw dozens of dark figures leaping towards Li Wenjian.
Her heart leaped, her voice stuck in her throat as she tried to shout, her eyes widened in shock. She watched as a Yulin guard kicked one of the assassins in the chest from behind, sending him flying several yards away.
Li Wenjian reacted swiftly, taking a few quick steps to reach Zhao Heng and, under the protection of the guards, he grabbed her wrist.
"Your Highness," Jian Ning avoided the arrows and approached Li Wenjian. Seeing him unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "There are over thirty assassins, please seek temporary refuge in the carriage, Your Highness."
As a figure fell towards them, Li Wenjian shielded Zhao Heng behind him. He kicked the assailant in the abdomen, disarming him as he fell, then he grabbed Zhao Heng's wrist and headed towards the Huangguai carriage.
The contours of the mountain in the misty rain were blurred, with the muddy road ahead.
Zhao Heng followed behind Li Wenjian, trudging through the mud. She worried about Jian Ning, and as she turned back to look, she heard a short and urgent whistling sound. Squinting her eyes, she saw several flashes of silver approaching.
Unable to dodge, Li Wenjian suddenly embraced her waist, picked up a bloody sword from the ground, and held it in front of her. The sword danced in a dazzling display, clashing with the incoming blades, until they fell to the ground.
"Go," Li Wenjian looked back at the approaching assailants, pushing Zhao Heng in front of him, gesturing for her to go first, while he stayed to fend off the attackers.
As the cold light interlaced in front of her, Zhao Heng felt her heart race, watching as Li Wenjian swiftly turned the blade, its edge gleaming in the mist, directly towards the assassin's neck.
The assassin ducked under Li Wenjian's sword, raised his blade to strike at him. The long knife was mere inches from his cheek, slicing a strand of hair before grazing past.
Seeing the assassin's knife aimed at Li Wenjian's neck, Zhao Heng's hand subconsciously reached for the protruding knot on her wrist. In a moment of blankness, she sprinted towards the imposing figure.
In the moment close to him, she pressed the knot.
The thin blade wire sprang out like a slender leaf, piercing into his vest.
At the same time, Li Wenjian's sword pierced the assassin's neck, blood spraying out.
Shocked, Zhao Heng watched as the burly assassin fell into the mud with a dull thud. She looked through the blood mist at Li Wenjian, the drops of blood from the blade wire rolling into the mud.
"Why did you come back again?" Li Wenjian furrowed his brow slightly.
Zhao Heng pressed the knot again, retracting the blade wire into the vine bracelet.
She had no idea.
The Yulin Guards continued to battle the assassins, and a freed Yulin guard approached. Li Wenjian saw that most of the assassins had been defeated, so he dropped the bloody sword, wiped his hands on his robes, and pulled Zhao Heng towards the carriage.
The sound of rain hitting the carriage roof was incessant.
Zhao Heng's dress was covered in mud, and blood stained her all over.
"I'm not injured," Zhao Heng lowered her eyes, her voice weak from fear and shock.
Li Wenjian looked up, seeing her trembling slightly under the cloak and knelt in front of her, checking her for any injuries.
When he touched her arm, she let out a soft hiss.
Li Wenjian looked up, then gently squeezed again.
Zhao Heng inhaled sharply, her eyes moist as she looked at him. "Your Highness, it hurts a little."
Li Wenjian fell silent for a moment, then said, "Let me see."
The light inside the carriage was dim, enhancing the faint features of his face.
She hesitated, then raised her hand to remove the cloak.
Li Wenjian carefully untied her belt, slowly removing the light jade-colored top to reveal a white undershirt.
The pattering of the rain against the window panes and against Zhao Heng's heart reverberated through her body, causing her blood to tumultuously churn in the presence of his closeness.
The flickering light from the wall lamp cast two vague shadows on the cedar carriage walls.
As his breath drew near, his fingers lightly touched her right arm.
"It seems to have hit somewhere, but it hasn't affected the muscles or bones," Li Wenjian said, looking up at her. He saw the moisture and mistiness in her eyes, and in the drip-drip-drip of the rain, he gazed earnestly into her eyes, his Adam's apple rolling slightly, as he asked, "What's wrong?"
After a moment of silence, Zhao Heng lowered her head and softly asked, "Have you always faced such dangers, Your Highness?"
Li Wenjian lowered his eyelids slightly, then after a moment, his gaze met hers as he gently draped her clothing over her shoulders, filled with a smile, and softly said, "Compared to the battles my father and grandfather fought to establish the dynasty, these assassinations are nothing."
"I was truly scared just now," Zhao Hrng admitted.
Li Wenjian held her hand and used a cloth to wipe away the blood on her palm.
"A Heng," Li Wenjian squeezed her palm.
"Yes?" She responded.
"Do you remember what I told you back at the hot springs palace?" his voice was gentle and clear.
Zhao Heng thought for a moment before answering, "That my future in the Eastern Palace may not be smooth sailing. Even for you, the path you have walked has been fraught with dangers."
The weight of his seemingly casual words soaked in the blood of the recent events, and she now realized the gravity of his words.
"Not that part," Li Wenjian wiped the blood from her hand, saying, "I also said that as long as I am here, I will do my best to protect you and spare you from distress."
"A Heng, this is my promise to you," Li Wenjian raised his hand to press gently on her furrowed brow, looking at her with utmost seriousness, and said, "So do not be afraid."
He looked up and met her tearful eyes.
Their gazes locked, and suddenly, she moved forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, her voice trembling with a hint of indiscernible distress as she said, "I'm afraid something will happen to you."
As she embraced him against the carriage wall, her breath mingled with his, causing him to struggle for air.
The sound of the rain and the flickering candle flame created an atmosphere of uncertainty.
A feather-light kiss grazed the corner of her lips.
His fingertips brushed against her damp eyes, his voice a husky murmur. "Does Ah Heng worry about me?"
Her lashes fluttered twice, a silent but emphatic nod her answer.
Li Wenjian's lips curved into a faint, pained smile. He encircled her waist, then tilted her chin up before leaning in for a kiss.
Pinned against the carriage, his breath scorching hot, it felt like he was burning away her anxieties. Her fingers, weak and trembling, clutched at his bloodstained collar as she surrendered to the kiss.
The flickering candlelight mirrored the frantic hammering of her heart.
"Your Highness."
The chaos outside the carriage came to a halt, and Jian Ning finished surveying the area, approaching to report.
Coming back to her senses, Zhao Heng pushed away from the intertwined embrace, then raised her head to meet his eyes, filled with a red tint and a bewitching entanglement. His breath lingered in her nose, disorienting her breathing.
He smelled pleasant, like the fragrance of orchids soaked in dew that bloomed during high summer, faintly cool and crisp.
Zhao Heng's heart was in turmoil.
"What is it?" Li Wenjian asked.
He sat next to Zhao Heng, picking up her fallen outer garment to help her put it on. He then retrieved a new cloak from under the seat, wrapping her in it and tying the collar straps for her.
Jian Ning reported from outside the carriage, "Your Highness, they were all carrying deadly toxins hidden in their teeth."
Li Wenjian pushed open the carriage window to look outside, where dozens of black-clad bodies lay on the ground.
Frowning, he asked, "Not a single one left alive?"
"No," Jian Ning shook his head helplessly.
"Understood," Li Wenjian lowered the hand holding the curtain, letting it fall and blocking the already dim sunlight from outside.
*
The rain washed over the palace path, casting a cold, greenish glow over the stone slabs.
"Your martial skills are quite impressive, Your Highness. You're no less skilled than the Yulin Guards," Zhao Heng said, recalling the dazzling swordplay he displayed amidst the rain.
In the rain, Li Wenjian held an umbrella for her, most of it sheltering her head, but the raindrops cascaded down from the edge, wetting his shoulders within moments. "I've been neglecting my training in recent years, so I've definitely gotten rusty," he admitted.
"You're so skilled, did you start learning martial arts as soon as you could walk?" Zhao Hong asked.
Seeing the gentleness in his demeanor earlier, she only now realized that beneath his gentle exterior, there lay a sharp edge.
"Ziren began martial arts training at the age of two, so I started teaching him along with my own training," Li Wenjian explained, glancing at the bloodstains on her clothes. "You've never met A Zhan and my brother, Ziren. Compared to them, my skills are nothing special."
Zhao Heng smiled faintly. "But I bet they can't match Your Highness in other areas."
Li Wenjian's gaze fell on her face. "After hearing your praises so often, I can't help but see myself as perfect."
The gentle movement of Zhao Heng's long lashes in the wind added to the ambiance, as she softly replied, "You already are."
*
Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, Zhao Heng bathed and drank the ginger soup Lin Mama had prepared before taking a nap.
Li Wenjian still had many tasks to attend to, so he couldn't relax like her and headed to the study room.
The rain gradually faded away into silk-like drizzles.
An Xuyi hurriedly approached Li Wenjian at the foot of the stairs and bowed respectfully. "Your Highness."
Li Wenjian nodded in acknowledgment.
"Yang Luo has news," An Xuyi said, presenting a sealed paper containing the wax seal.
Li Wenjian took the letter and briefly scanned the words on the paper.
"Yang Luo is dead," he said as he handed the letter back to An Xuyi.
An Xuyi was shocked and read the words on the letter from beginning to end, feeling a chill down his spine.
Yang Luo had found spies from the Northern Di in the Northern Mansion and died in Luojia.
"The Northern Di are resurfacing in the Northern Mansion..." An Xuyi frowned and asked, "Is the mastermind behind this trying to sow distrust between His Majesty, Your Highness, and the Second Prince with foreign forces?"
Li Wenjian's expression turned frosty: "It seems like someone is deliberately cutting off the communication between me and Ziren."
For years, Li Wenjian had thought that Ziren refused to return to the capital out of resentment. However, this year, despite his father's illness, Ziren's messages remained unanswered, leading Li Wenjian to realize that something was amiss.
Ziren had always been close to his grandfather and wouldn't have ignored news that threatened his life.
Absolutely not.
Recent events involving remnants of the previous dynasty had been unsettling, with rebellions erupting under the pretense of restoring the old regime in various regions, leaving Li Wenjian deeply unsettled.
He suspected that there was a problem with the communication between him and Ziren, hence the secret dispatch of Yang Luo with his encrypted message to the Northern Mansion.
But now, Yang Luo was dead.
There was a mole in his midst.
"There must also be someone by his side," Li Wenjian lightly tapped his forehead with his fingertip. "Intercept the message about his journey to the capital."
An Xuzhi's expression turned pale: "If they can do this, they must be trusted individuals by Your Highness and the Second Prince."
A beam of light and shadow fell through the window, causing Li Wenjian to squint. "Exactly. I am very worried about the Northern Mansion. Ziren has been in exile for years and if someone is deliberately sending him false or fabricated information, making him believe that his father and I are intentionally exiling him..."
An Xuzhi also realized the gravity of the situation; the mastermind pulling the strings from behind was inciting discord, and Ziren was likely feeling like a trapped bird. What had the messenger Chen Lun said during his visit to the Northern Mansion?
Had it provoked Ziren's anger, leading to Chen Lun's execution?
Or worse, had he begun to suspect whether Chen Lun had been killed by Ziren?
How much of the information from the Northern Mansion could be trusted now?
An Xuzhi solemnly said, "Your Highness, I will go to the Northern Mansion."
Li Wenjian was momentarily silent, silently evaluating the young man in front of him before slowly shaking his head.
"Xing Yan is heading south, and the most suitable person to go to the Northern Mansion is me. Ziren and I have known each other since childhood, and he will surely believe me!" An Xuzhi insisted.
However, Li Wenjian remained focused on the thin piece of paper on the desk. "Going to the Northern Mansion now would be suicide. A Lin, I cannot bear to watch you walk into certain death!"
"But!" An Xuzhi's shock was mixed with bitterness and complexity, "Are we just going to allow the enemy to manipulate around you and the Second Prince?"
"A Lin, we must tackle each issue as it comes," Li Wenjian said, looking towards the sky outside. "I need you to investigate the origins of the assassins who struck this morning."
*
When Zhao Heng woke up in the afternoon, the rain had stopped, and the late afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, casting a fresh and dusty scent in the air. The autumn chill was setting in, bringing a slight coolness with the breeze blowing through the window panes.
Looking around the clear and serene bedchamber, the morning's violence felt like a gruesome nightmare.
"My Lady!"
Lian Zhou entered the room and greeted Zhao Heng upon seeing her awaken.
Turning her head, Zhao Hong asked, "What is it?"
Approaching her, Lianzhou lowered her voice, "Physician Zheng still hasn't found anything unusual. The pastries sent by Concubine An and the Eastern Palace's food show no signs of incompatibility."
As the evening sunlight bathed her, Zhao Heng looked up at the crimson clouds in the sky, silent and contemplative.
The golden rays of the setting sun gleamed on the glazed tiles, creating a beautiful shimmer.
In the distance, she saw Lin Mama approaching with Li Wenjian's medicine.
She got up to go out.
"Mama, give it to me."
Lin Mama handed her the medicine bowl; seven days of medicine, three days of bloodletting, already starting the second seven days.
Carrying the medicine bowl, Zhao Heng walked towards the study.
When she reached the door, she realized there was someone inside.
An Xuzhi's voice came from inside the room, "Although you used your own body to set up a ruse and were granted the title of Marquis Yan'en to the fake remnant of previous dynasty, but I heard that the sword missed your heart by a hair's breadth. It's too dangerous, and it shouldn't have been done. Even if it meant getting a guard to impersonate you."
Li Wenjian vaguely caught a glimpse of a light green skirt outside the door, paused for a moment, and then turned and walked away.