Chapter 200: Devotion
Jun Huang threw a questioning glance at Nan Xun. What did he mean by that?
Nan Xun couldn't stop himself from staring at her. She looked adorable when she cocked her head. After a long pause, he said, "You've always been more beautiful than other people. Your smile is capable of bewitching anyone."
Jun Huang widened her eyes slightly before chuckling. "Only you are able to say such shameless things with such a serious face."
Nan Xun didn't want Jun Huang to think that he was joking. He hurriedly added, "I – I meant it."
Jun Huang paused. They shouldn't continue this topic. She fell silent. Nan Xun wasn't going to say anything either if she didn't give him a response. He continued to push the wheelchair forward.
The sun had risen near the top of the sky. Under the shade, the warmth was pleasant, and it made them reluctant to leave.
They reached the front palace, which was where most visitors went to pray. It was said that the Buddha honored here could ensure the worshipper a lifetime of safety.
That reminded Nan Xun of something. He told Jun Huang to wait for him before rushing into the palace.
Nan Xun said a few words to the abbot, who nodded in response. He took Nan Xun to the back. When they came back out, Nan Xun was holding something in his hand. He bowed to the statue of Buddha earnestly, whispering something at the same time. Jun Huang assumed that he was expressing his gratitude to the Buddha.
Nan Xun hurried to her with a wide grin. His forehead was covered in sweat, but it didn't dampen his grace.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Jun Huang couldn't help her curiosity. "Has something good happened?"
"I requested for this charm some time ago. I just got it blessed. It's said that this charm can protect you for your whole life. I'll put it on you." Nan Xun leaned in to put the protection charm on Jun Huang's neck. He nodded in satisfaction and added, "I know you don't believe in things like this, but it can't hurt. I heard that after being exposed to the incense smoke for some time, a charm would become magical."
Nan Xun's attitude compelled Jun Huang to take his gift seriously. She lowered her head to look at the yellow protection charm. After a moment of silence, She looked up at Nan Xun and smiled at him. "Then I'll accept this gift."
"Of course you will," Nan Xun said with a smile. "I got it for you. It's not going to work on me if I keep it. Your health condition isn't the best. The incense smoke may help. It's going to waste on someone like me, someone who's taken countless lives."
Jun Huang gave him a meaningful look. Nan Xun didn't see anything wrong with his explanation. "Come on. It's getting late."
"Alright."
Time flew when one wasn't burdened by responsibilities. Jun Huang didn't usually have such feelings. After resting for days to recover from her wounds, though, she started to feel lazy.
Due to her injury, Nan Xun had ordered the cooks to prepare specially designed meals for her every day. Qi Chen sometimes delivered rare medicinal ingredients to the manor as well, which Nan Xun would have the cooks put into her food. She was almost getting overly nourished.
She felt like she had been wasting time, but Nan Xun disagreed. He thought that Jun Huang was overtaxing herself by reading books all the time. He knew he couldn't stop her from doing it. She would get bored.
The opportunity to stay with Jun Huang for days did not come often. He didn't want to anger her and cause her to move out.
Nan Xun wanted to let her rest for a few more days, but Jun Huang turned him down. Once she was able to walk on her own, she started planning her next step.
She now knew about most of the forces supporting Qi Chen openly, but she didn't know about his secret benefactors. If she went head to head with Qi Chen recklessly, it wasn't going to end well for her. It was better that she stayed at Qi Chen's side for now.
Nan Xun didn't want Jun Huang to exhaust herself. Besides, he had not forgiven Qi Chen for hurting Jun Huang without thinking things through. He didn't think Jun Huang should return to Qi Chen. He had even prepared a speech to convince her.
Nan Xun went to Jun Huang the day she planned to return to Qi Chen and said without preamble, "I don't think you should go back to Qi Chen again."
Jun Huang arched an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Think about it. He put you in the water prison because of someone's false accusation. What's going to happen next time? Will you be lucky enough to make it out alive? I can't imagine the possibilities. You still have a lot of goals. Why must you focus all your efforts on Qi Chen? There are other angles we can attack to get what we want." Nan Xun slowly told her the arguments he had prepared and rehearsed several times. He didn't even have to stop to think.
"You know I won't do that at time like this, Nan Xun," Jun Huang said seriously. She wasn't just humoring Nan Xun. "That's not going to help. I know what I'm doing and the risks I'm taking. This time Wei Lanying has caught me off guard, but she isn't going to get lucky again. Do you think that I'm incapable of protecting myself? You don't have to worry too much. If there's something I can't deal with, I'll tell you immediately, and I'll keep myself safe."
Nan Xun knew that there was never a way back for Jun Huang. He knew how hard she had worked to realize her dream of a better country. If she gave up now, all the time and efforts she had devoted would be in vain. She had thus stubbornly insisted on dragging her tired body around in the imperial city. He knew he couldn't convince her to pull away.
He sighed. There was nothing he could say to change her mind. They had finally resolved their differences, and they got closer because of it. He didn't want to push her away, and he didn't want Jun Huang to push him away.
"No matter what happens, don't shoulder everything on your own," he said after a long pause. "Remember to come to me. I'll do everything I can to ensure your safety. Understand?"
Jun Huang broke into a bright smile. Covered in the warm glow of sunlight, her crinkling eyes made Nan Xun's heart race.
Nan Xun was worried that he would lose control of himself. He quickly turned away. Jun Huang let out a silent laugh at his reaction.
One of her servants came to take her things back to her manor. She was going to visit Qi Chen. She shouldn't go there with her hands full.
Qi Chen had not come to bother her the past few days – it was probably the guilt that stopped him from coming. It gave her time to recover.
On the other hand, the housekeeper, who came to deliver the medicinal ingredients to her, had exchanged a few words with her, telling her that Qi Chen had been looking into the one who drugged her, and that the investigation had yielded some results. Qi Chen was waiting for an opportunity to talk to her before deciding what to do.
Jun Huang knew Wei Lanying was the one who drugged her, but she didn't have evidence to back herself up. She wasn't someone who would point fingers without proofs, so she kept it to herself.
She was surprised that Qi Chen had found something. Even though Wei Lanying was prone to jealousy, she wasn't brainless. Xiaoyun, who had so easily been manipulated by Wei Lanying, was the gullible one. Wei Lanying would not make the same mistakes. Jun Huang believed that things weren't as simple as it seemed.
She went to the crown prince's manor straight away. Qi Chen was sitting in the pavilion with his eyebrows furrowed. He put down the letters in his hand when he saw her and walked up to her.
"Is brother Feng feeling better?" Qi Chen gave her a once-over before letting out a sigh of relief. He still felt a little guilty for what happened. He was the one who wronged her. Every time he thought about the way Jun Huang had helped him without asking for anything return, he felt the urge to kill Wei Lanying with his own hands.
Jun Huang pulled her lips into a smile and nodded. "This gentleman is feeling alright. I only got sick because I've always been prone to diseases. After recovering from the illness, I'm feeling much better. I'm fine as long as I don't stand for too long."
Qi Chen was reminded of the fact that Jun Huang had stayed in the freezing water overnight. The water came from a river of negative energy. The cold would seep into the bones. Even if she had only put a hand underwater, her blood circulation would slow down after half an hour. The chill could stay in her body causing her pain for quite a long time. He couldn't imagine how she felt after being immersed completely for a day.
"Then have a seat," said Qi Chen. He helped her sit down and turned to the maid standing next to them. "Go brew a pot of ginger tea."
Once the maid left, Qi Chen said, "It's been proven that ginger tea can drive away the cold energy. It was remiss of me to not think of it until today. Brother Feng should take some ginger with you when you leave."
Northern Qi didn't produce ginger locally. Most of the time it was imported from other countries, and the prices were high. Only the rich royalties could afford it. Peasants normally lived their whole life not knowing the taste of ginger.
Ginger, however, had been a common produce in Western Que. Jun Huang hated the taste, but of course she couldn't turn down Qi Chen's earnest offer. She nodded.
"By the way, these are something I've been reading. Brother Feng should have a look." Qi Chen handed the letters he had placed on the stone table to Jun Huang.
Jun Huang took the letters. She was surprised to see what's written on them.
They were letters Wei Lanying exchanged with her parents. At first, Wei Lanying only complained to her parents that she had not been treated well, and that Qi Chen was being colder and colder to him. Then something caught Jun Huang's attention. Wei Lanying's mother had proposed some tricks she could use. They were shameless tricks that could not be brought up in polite company, one of which was the use of aphrodisiac.
Chapter 201: Affair
"What does brother Feng think?" Qi Chen asked.
Jun Huang gave it a moment before saying, "This gentleman thinks that the letters are likely to be given to you on purpose."
"What do you mean? Are these fake?"
"Not necessary," Jun Huang said with a smile. "But I think that these are not all of the letters. Lady Wei doesn't seem worried that you would see the letters. Actually, it seems that she wants you to see them. The first few letters show you her genuine love for you, and her feelings justify what she did next. Isn't that how Your Highness think?"
Qi Chen nodded hesitantly and sighed. "When I first read the letters, I felt like it was me who forced her to take such extreme action. If I had paid more attention to her, she would not have tried to drug me."
"Your Highness is mistaken," Jun Huang said.
Qi Chen looked up at her, waiting for her to continue. Jun Huang read through the letters again. There was something odd about them. She pointed it out to Qi Chen. "Has Your Highness noticed the change in frequency of the letter exchange? At first, Lady Wei exchanged three letters with her parents per month on average. Last month, there was a sudden spike. There was a letter almost every day. Then, suddenly, there was a period of time when no letters were exchanged. Why is that?"
"What is brother Feng implying?"
"This gentleman believes that they have exchanged letters on those days as well, but they were planning something they didn't want Your Highness to know about. That was why the letters are missing. Of course, that's merely my speculation. I don't have any evidence yet."
The maid who had left earlier came back with a pot of ginger tea. She poured Jun Huang a cup. The intense smell made Jun Huang scrunch her nose. She knew she didn't have a choice here. She took a deep breath and picked up the teacup. As soon as she took a whiff, though, it sent her into a coughing fit. Qi Chen startled and came up to steady her breathing.
It took a while for Jun Huang to recover. Her eyes were misty and her cheeks were red. Some of the ginger tea had been spilled, but not much. Even though her robe was stained, it wasn't obvious.
"What's wrong?" Qi Chen frowned. He was momentarily drawn by Jun Huang's appearance. He shook his thoughts away and cursed at himself. He turned to Jun Huang with a concerned expression.
Jun Huang took a deep breath and waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing. The smell is a little strong. That's all. I'll be fine. There's no need to worry." She held her breath and took a small sip. The tang of ginger assaulted her taste buds. She grimaced.
She tilted her head up and finished the whole cup. It tasted as bad as it worked well. Jun Huang's body warmed up and her face lost its sickly look. Qi Chen relaxed and sat back down.
"Brother Feng's words make sense," Qi Chen said after drinking some tea. "But how should we recover the lost letters?"
Jun Huang curved her lips. "It's simple. Your Highness must remember that Lady Wei has a personal maid. The maid entered the manor with Lady Wei when you married her. I was told that the maid had been serving Lady Wei since they were little. If that's the case, the maid must know a lot of Lady Wei's secrets. Perhaps she was even behind some of the tricks Lady Wei's used."
Qi Chen nodded. "You're right. How about I had her taken here for interrogation? If you have the time, you should stay and help."
Jun Huang wasn't going to turn the offer down. She wanted to hear what the maid had to say. She also wanted to prevent the maid from getting her and her master out of the mess. What happened was no trivial matter. Jun Huang would not allow history to repeat itself. She would eliminate the roots of the problem.
The maid was brought to them. Her eyes were red from crying. Her pink dress was tainted with dirt. And her hair was a mess. She looked pitiful, but Jun Huang didn't feel a lick of sympathy for her. Jun Huang wasn't a merciful person, and she had been through much worse in the water prison. The state the maid was in was nothing in comparison.
The maid looked at Qi Chen, then at Jun Huang. A shudder ran down her spine. She knew Jun Huang would demand packback from her, but she didn't expect that to come so soon and so unexpectedly. She wasn't prepared at all.
"Kneel!" the guard restraining her snapped. The maid shuddered and dropped down to the ground. The impact sent a sharp pain through her knees. She grimaced and bowed down with a pale face.
"Your – Your Highness…"
"Talk," Qi Chen demanded in a steely voice. "Tell me everything you know. If you dare to hide anything from me, I will not go easy on you."
The maid bit her lip and stared at the ground. She had been with Wei Lanying for more than a dozen years. She had learned to be cruel to herself when needed. She took a deep breath to calm herself, but her fingers were still trembling.
Jun Huang narrowed her eyes at the maid as if she could see through her. The maid broke into cold sweat. Her hair stuck to her forehead messily.
"You should open up," Jun Huang said calmly. It was as if she was merely commenting on the weather. The maid, however, felt chilled to the bones. "You should know that if you hide anything from the prince, you will end up worse than Xiaoyun. Do you think that Lady Wei will save you? This gentleman knows that you are a smart one. Don't fool yourself into thinking she would risk herself for you."
The maid had been under arrest along with Wei Lanying, but she knew what had happened to Xiaoyun. It was a fate worse than death. She would never want the same thing to happen to her.
Wei Lanying had lost. It was impossible for her to rise again. After some hesitation, the maid decided to talk.
Jun Huang and Qi Chen expected the maid to tell them how Wei Lanying planned to regain Qi Chen's favor, but what the maid said was far worse. She explained how they had used the child in Nan Guyue's body against her and Jun Huang. Qi Chen had been feeling guilty about that already. Her confession sent him into fury. No one said anything lest they attracted Qi Chen's ire.
The maid was dragged away. Qi Chen had made up his mind about what to do. If Wei Lanying was capable of such malice, the ones serving her were unlikely to be innocent. There was no reason for him to go easy on the maid. As for Wei Lanying…
Qi Chen's eyes went cold. Jun Huang got to her feet and cupped her hands. "Your Highness needs time to take care of your personal affairs. This gentleman will take my leave."
She fixed her clothes and walked away without stopping.
Qi Chen stood up and made his way to Wei Lanying's cell. She was kept in the hidden prison in the manor. It wasn't as torturous as the water prison, but it was far from comfortable. The whole place was infested with vermins. Wei Lanying had never been in a situation like this. Her pale face was covered in dried tears. She had lost the superior air around her.
She rushed toward the cell door when she saw Qi Chen. "Are you here to let me out, Your Highness? I know you wouldn't listen to those lies…"
"Shut up!" Qi Chen snapped. "Do you think I'm that stupid? Why must you keep on plotting against other people, Wei Lanying? I had let you run free because I didn't know what kind of a person you are. You're vicious enough to kill an unborn child! Are you going to plot against me next time?!"
Wei Lanying shook her head and tried to explain, but Qi Chen had already waved a man in. The man came in with a variety of torture devices. Wei Lanying tried and failed to break out of the other prison guards' restrain. Her scream rang through the prison. Qi Chen didn't stay for long.
When Wei Lanying regained her consciousness, Nan Guyue was standing before her. Nan Guyue huffed when she saw the state Wei Lanying was in – both her hands and legs were restrained by iron chains, and her body was covered in wounds.
"So this is how it ends for you," Nan Guyue sneered. "You're more pitiful than the beggars on the street."
Compared to Nan Guyue, Wei Lanying was a mess. Wei Lanying pulled her lips into a feral grin and said mockingly, "Yes, this is how I end up, but what about you? I pity you, Nan Guyue. One day you'll end up like me."
Nan Guyue was reminded of the premature death of her child. She couldn't take Wei Lanying's jabs. She slapped her with all the force she could muster. Blood streamed down from the corner of Wei Lanying's mouth.
Wei Lanying stared at Nan Guyue with vicious eyes. If looks could kill, Nan Guyue would be dead. There was nothing Wei Lanying wanted more than to tear Nan Guyue to pieces and devour her blood and flesh. She would send her to hell and leave her with no hope to reincarnate.
"Do you think I've been quiet because I'm scared of you, Wei Lanying? No, I'm just not as foolish as you are. You've tried every trick to gain the heart of a heartless man, and you doomed yourself as a result. For the prince, you're merely a pawn on his way to success. Now you're useless to him, so he throws you away."
A cruel smile split Nan Guyue's face. She looked terrifying with the shadow embracing her from behind.