When Xue Liulan arrived at the East Gate, he sucked in a cold breath. Murong Jin stood in the darkness, her sword hanging at her side, blood dripping from the blade. Five men lay in pools of their own blood around her. In the distance, Xing was slumped over Liu's body, already gone. The air was thick with the stench of death.
He rushed to Murong Jin's side, staring at her pale, blank face. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice cracking.
She didn't seem to see him. Her eyes were fixed on the bodies of her friends, her hand clamped around the hilt of her sword, the knuckles white.
"Murong Jin." He grabbed her arm and felt a wave of heat. He looked at his hand. It was covered in her blood.
She had killed them, yes. But in her recklessness, she had been wounded. The dark clothes had hidden the bleeding.
He frowned. "It's over. Let's go home. I'll have them sent back to Wuchuan for burial."
Still, she didn't respond. The light in her eyes was fading. Her bloodless lips parted, but no sound came out.
"Murong Jin." Just as her sword slipped from her grasp, she collapsed into his arms. Her eyes were closed, but a strange, peaceful smile touched her lips.
A rustle of wind. Guyu landed at his side. "My lord, Li Yan of the Ministry of Justice is on his way."
"Handle this. Send them back to Wuchuan, secretly," he ordered, lifting Murong Jin into his arms.
"Yes, my lord."
"One more thing," he said, pausing. "The task I gave you."
"I was unable to retrieve the token," Guyu said, her head bowed.
He just sneered. "Of course you were." He disappeared into the night, leaving Guyu to wonder what he had meant.
She had been ordered to get the token of command for Thousand Day Drunk from Die Man, and Die Man had refused. Had the master expected it?
When Murong Jin drifted back to consciousness, the first thing she saw was Xue Liulan's face, tense with worry, finally relaxing.
"Did I cause you any trouble?" she rasped.
He was surprised by the question. He smiled. "And if I said yes, what would you do?"
"I would not implicate your household." She struggled to sit up.
He gently propped her up with pillows.
"How could you not? You are my wife. We are connected, no matter what." He sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the blanket over her.
She was silent for a moment. "Then perhaps you should give me a letter of divorce."
"What did you say?" His eyes narrowed. He leaned in, his face close to hers. "Say that again."
"If you divorce me, this trouble will no longer be yours." She turned away, hiding the pain in her eyes.
"What kind of man do you take me for? It doesn't matter. I will bear this for you," he said, tapping her on the forehead. "So stop thinking about divorce, and focus on getting well. You and I will settle this account after our child is born."
She stared at him, at his soft, adoring smile, and her nose stung. She had been prepared for this. If she had been captured, she would have used a letter of divorce to sever all ties. She had been willing to protect him from the fallout, and she had never imagined he would be willing to stand in front of it.
"I've already had them sent back to Wuchuan," he said, blowing on a bowl of medicine. "Don't think about anything else. If not for yourself, then for the child."
Her hand went to her flat stomach. A life was growing there—their life. Thank God. I didn't harm him.
"By the way," she said, her voice stronger, "those five men were not simple assassins. Their formation was deadly."
He didn't look up, his eyes on the medicine.
She understood, and a small smile touched her lips as she took the bowl and drank it down. It was bitter, but the bitterness didn't reach her heart this time.
"Guyu is investigating. Their goal was to stall you until Li Yan arrived. With you caught red-handed, even as a princess, you would have been stripped of your title and imprisoned."
"I thought they were Xue Feiyan's men."
"Li Yan came from his own residence. If it had been a pre-set trap, he would have stayed nearby. He wouldn't have risked you escaping." He sat beside her, slipping under the covers and pulling her against him.
Her head rested on his shoulder, and the exhaustion finally began to pull her under.
"You truly terrified me tonight," he murmured into her hair.
"Mm," she hummed.
He held her tighter. "If they want to touch my woman," he whispered, "they had better see if they have the skill for it."
A few days later, Hanlu returned from Yin with the antidote for the witchcraft. Murong Jin was already well enough to walk in the courtyard, leaning on Xue Liulan's arm.
"My lord." Hanlu appeared from the trees, presenting a sandalwood box.
"What did he say?" Xue Liulan asked, taking it.
"Gongzi Suyi said you made a bad trade. He said if you had truly followed the late Crown Prince's advice, you would already be halfway to victory."
Murong Jin just smiled. If Xue Liulan had truly been heartless, he could have let the witchcraft kill the Emperor and used Die Man's betrayal to destroy Xue Feiyan completely.
"He knows me too well," Xue Liulan laughed, glancing at her.
"He is Gongzi Suyi, after all," she said. "His insight is second to none."
As Hanlu vanished, they continued their walk. She could see it all now. Xue Feiyan had no choice. If he didn't make this deal, his only option was to rebel, and either way, Xue Liulan would be the one to emerge victorious.
When Li Yan received the invitation from Xue Liulan, he hesitated. To accept was to invite suspicion from Xue Feiyan. To refuse was to slight a prince.
"My lord should go." Ling Yan was standing by a pillar, pale and coughing. "I will have men watch over you."
"I'm not afraid of an ambush. But the Seventh Prince is still in prison. If he hears I met with his brother…"
"My lord, please rest assured," she said. "The master trusts those he employs. He will not doubt you."
She was seized by another fit of coughing.
"You should rest, Lady Ling Yan. You look worse every day. If the Seventh Prince returns and finds you in this state, I won't be able to answer for it."
Her eyes darkened. "It's an old ailment." She smiled, a faint, dismissive gesture. "Please, my lord. Go to the banquet. I will arrange for men to be nearby."
"No need," Li Yan said, a new confidence in his voice. "The Fifth Prince has invited me openly. He doesn't want my life. He wants something else. This is about the woman, Die Man."
Ling Yan nodded. "Then what is your decision?"
"He sent a gift. It is only polite to return one." Li Yan smiled. "I am no fool."
"Then I leave it in your hands, my lord."