Zhu Ying swiftly turned around, intending to shield Shang Qingyan, but it was already too late. The carriage crashed into them with a loud “bang.”
After the collision, both horses fell to the ground, and the two carriages shattered in response.
The rain suddenly intensified. Through the curtain of rain, everyone stared in shock at the scene of the accident.
Shang Qingyan sat slumped on the ground, his snow-white robes splattered with mud. The white jade prayer beads in his hand scattered into the air before falling into the puddles below.
The transcendent, reclusive immortal of moments ago was instantly dragged into the mortal world.
Yu Ange was no better off. To avoid injury, she had rolled several times in the mud, and now she was indistinguishable from a mud-covered figure.
Seeing Shang Qingyan collapsed nearby, Yu Ange crawled over on her hands and knees and asked, “Are you all right?”
Shang Qingyan, known for his fastidiousness, felt his scalp tingle the moment the mud-covered Yu Ange approached. Propping up his “frail” body, he retreated two steps in alarm and cried out, “Stay away from me!”
Yu Ange hadn’t expected the collision to affect Shang Qingyan like this. Fortunately, he wasn’t injured, but now she was in an awkward position—neither able to help him up nor leave him be.
The envoys from Jingdu and the guards finally snapped out of their daze. Someone shouted, “Catch the assassin!” and everyone sprang into action, surrounding Yu Ange with drawn swords.
Zhu Ying, in particular, glared at Yu Ange as if he wanted to devour her alive.
Seeing the situation turn hostile, Yu Ange quickly removed the waist token from her belt and loudly explained, “I am Yu Anhe, son of Shenwei Dajiangjun! I am no assassin!”
Hearing this, Shang Qingyan’s eyes flickered, and his fingers involuntarily tightened.
The guards sheathed their swords, and the Jingdu envoys exchanged glances before hurriedly stepping forward.
The lead envoy, named Pan De, approached with an umbrella to examine the waist token. After scrutinizing it for a while, he forced a stiff smile and bowed to Yu Ange. “Well, it really is Young Master Yu! We were just about to tidy up and come fetch you. Who would’ve thought we’d run into you here? But what happened to you?”
Yu Ange replied, “I originally wanted to hunt some game to taste, but who knew it would rain? The mountain path was treacherous, and the horses were startled just now…”
After a few more words, she seemed to suddenly realize something. “Wait, fetch me? Why fetch me?”
Pan De said, “The elderly lady of Yu Fu fell seriously ill some time ago. The Emperor, moved by Shenwei Dajiangjun’s filial devotion but unable to leave his post, has sent Nanchuanwang to escort you back to the capital to attend to her illness.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ange sneered inwardly. The Emperor, suspicious and overthinking, claimed to be fetching her brother back to attend to their grandmother’s illness, but in reality, he feared their father’s military power and intended to use her brother as a hostage to keep their father in check.
In her previous life, after her brother entered the capital, he was beaten to death for “harassing” Song Jin’er.
When she went to Shengjing to collect her brother’s body, she found his bones shattered, a clear sign of inhuman torture before his death.
Yu Ange knew her brother well. Though he was a wastrel, he was not disrespectful. He would sooner harass a cricket than harass Song Jin’er.
Despite the glaring inconsistencies, under the weight of imperial authority and the Emperor’s readiness to discard those who had served their purpose, Yu Ange had no choice but to suppress her doubts. To protect the Yu family, she endured her grief and brought her brother’s body back to the borderlands.
Now that she was impersonating her brother to come here, saving Shang Qingyan was one aspect, while the other was to enter the capital in her brother’s stead, preventing him from dying an innocent and tragic death.
More importantly, using her brother’s identity would provide more opportunities to eliminate Cen Jiashu and Song Jin’er.
Yu Ange anxiously asked, “How did my grandmother fall ill? How is she now?”
Pan De was about to answer when a commotion arose nearby—it was Zhu Ying helping Shang Qingyan to his feet.
Pan De clapped his hands together: “Oh dear! Your Highness!”
Yu Ange immediately feigned fear and trepidation, quickly stepping forward to Shang Qingyan, bowing and saying, “I truly deserve death for disturbing Your Highness, Nanchuanwang. I beg Your Highness for forgiveness!”
At that moment, the rain began to fall harder. Yu Ange raised her hand to wipe the rainwater from her face, but unfortunately, her palm was also covered in mud, making her face even dirtier.
Seeing this, Shang Qingyan frowned deeply, but as his gaze swept over his own body and he realized he was also covered in mud, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
Yu Ange was startled. It was well known that Nanchuanwang was in poor health. She had originally collided with the carriage to get close to Shang Qingyan, but now it seemed she had overplayed her hand—had she directly caused him harm?
The scene descended into chaos once again. The Jingdu envoy kept shouting for “the imperial physician,” while Zhu Ying supported Shang Qingyan, trying to move him to another carriage.
Yu Ange was only a few steps away from Shang Qingyan and, without a second thought, stepped forward to lend a hand.
But as soon as she touched Shang Qingyan, she sensed a surge of killing intent. By the time she instinctively reacted to counter it, the killing intent had vanished as abruptly as it appeared.
Yu Ange narrowed her eyes, pretending not to notice.
After helping to carry Shang Qingyan to the other carriage, the accompanying imperial physician rushed over in the rain. The carriage was too cramped, so Yu Ange and the Jingdu envoy both stepped outside.
The rain was still pouring heavily. The Jingdu envoy said anxiously to Yu Ange, “What a mess this is! How could you have collided with Nanchuanwang?”
Yu Ange knew the Jingdu envoy was afraid of taking responsibility, so she put on a pained expression and said, “It’s all my fault. When Nanchuanwang wakes up, I will surely offer a sincere apology.”
The Jingdu envoy paced back and forth, sighing, “Ah! This lord coughs up blood at the slightest breeze—he’s quite delicate. Let’s just hope he pulls through.”
Yu Ange glanced back at the carriage, her hand clenching slightly.
When she had helped Shang Qingyan earlier, she had clearly felt the muscles under his wide sleeves suddenly tense up.
Would an unconscious person instinctively resist a stranger’s touch?
Yu Ange narrowed her eyes. In her previous life, Shang Qingyan had established a new dynasty during the Liangbing invasion. The truth behind his “coughing blood at the slightest breeze” condition was hard to determine.
She would have to test him again later.
Inside the carriage, Shang Qingyan’s eyes were clear and alert. He instinctively tried to rotate the prayer beads on his wrist, only to realize the bracelet had snapped earlier.
His brows furrowed, and a wave of frustration surged within him. He had worn this string of prayer beads for many years and had grown attached to it.
Zhu Ying frowned deeply and said, “Master, this Young Master Yu seems suspicious.”
Yu Ange’s excuses might have fooled the Jingdu envoy, but they certainly wouldn’t fool them.
How could it be such a coincidence—going into the mountains to hunt, startling the horse, and just happening to collide with Shang Qingyan’s carriage?
Shang Qingyan let out a soft “hmm.” At the very least, this Young Master Yu didn’t seem as dissolute and useless as the rumors suggested.
At that moment, Imperial Physician Liu, who had been checking Shang Qingyan’s pulse, withdrew his hand.
Since this was one of his own people, Shang Qingyan coughed twice and said, “Imperial Physician Liu, I fear my condition is not very good.”
Imperial Physician Liu understood the implication and withdrew from the carriage. Shang Qingyan remained seated inside, listening as the physician addressed Yu Ange and the envoy from Jingdu: “Nanchuanwang has suffered a fright, and his old ailment has flared up. I fear his condition is not very good at the moment.”
The envoy from Jingdu inwardly scoffed. Shang Qingyan had merely been jostled a bit, yet he was already acting as if he were on death’s door. If he continued like this, he would likely pass away before the Emperor even needed to take action.
Yu Ange, meanwhile, glanced at the tightly shut carriage and cautiously asked, “Has Nanchuanwang regained consciousness?”
Imperial Physician Liu replied, “This old man administered acupuncture to Nanchuanwang. He has regained consciousness, but his spirits are not very high.”
Yu Ange promptly clasped his hands toward the carriage and said loudly, “This is entirely my fault. I beg Your Highness to punish me!”