The guard nodded and bowed obsequiously: “Sir, we’ve left the Shizi right here.”
Wiping sweat from his forehead that wasn’t really there—they had encountered Lord Cui on their way back to Jingdu—the guard watched as Cui Lie dismounted and strode forward. At a glance, Cui Lie spotted Jin Mozhi lying half on his side atop a pile of corpses, his face smeared with blood from who-knows-which body.
Cui Lie stepped forward and gave him a kick, a flicker of disdain flashing in his eyes: “Jin Mozhi, what does it matter if you were born noble? What does being a Shizi matter? Aren’t you just like a dead fish on a chopping block now?”
“You just watch from hell—watch how your Jinjia family members descend into hell one by one.”
With that, Cui Lie took a torch from a nearby guard and tossed it over. The dry autumn air instantly turned the pile of corpses into a blazing inferno!
Under the cold night sky, amid the raging flames, Cui Lie’s face was icy, his gaze sinister, and a wicked smile curled at the corners of his lips—the joy of a conspiracy fulfilled.
Only after Cui Lie and his men had left did Zhongshan finally burst out: “That bastard Cui Lie really is ruthless—he even wanted to burn the Shizi’s body to ashes!”
Zhishui watched their retreating figures coldly, hoisting the Shizi onto his back as he said: “What matters now is bringing the Shizi back to life!”
After the battle at Pingshaguan, the severely wounded Shizi had been urgently summoned and escorted back to the capital. From the moment the Shizi defied orders to protect the three hundred households in that village, to Deputy General He from the Cui Jia faction stealing credit, it was clear the Shizi would face grave danger upon his return.
To protect the Shizi, the military’s divine physician had provided a death-simulating drug.
If the Shizi did not wake within three days, he would never wake again!
The journey to the capital had already taken two days, and they had spent one day at the Houfu. Now, time was running out.
Zhongshan and Zhishui made their way into the mountains, finally arriving at a farmhouse at the foot of the hills.
“Hurry!”
A man dressed in short work clothes anxiously stepped forward and directly shoved medicine into the Shizi’s mouth.
Zhongshan and Zhishui stared intently at the Shizi on the bed, choking back tears as they asked: “Military Physician Hu, the Shizi was injured even after his ‘death’ at the Houfu. Can he… can he still come back to life?”
“Fetch hot water and bring the medicine.”
Military Physician Hu didn’t answer. Instead, he removed all the Shizi’s dirty clothes, carefully cleaned the wounds—both old and new—and dressed him in clean garments.
Military Physician Hu pressed several acupoints on the Shizi’s body.
“Cough~”
The Shizi’s cough rang out, and Zhongshan and Zhishui exclaimed excitedly: “He’s alive, he’s alive!”
Military Physician Hu placed his fingers on the Shizi’s wrist. The pulse was faint, almost imperceptible, as if it might stop at any moment.
Military Physician Hu frowned: “The Shizi has both old and new injuries, and now he’s running a fever. Whether he survives depends on fate.”
For a moment, everyone fell silent, listening to the Shizi’s weak breathing, praying that he would pull through.
The Imperial Prison.
The Jinjia family gradually came to accept the reality of their imprisonment and impending exile. Soft sobs mingled with fear throughout the cells.
Cheng Qiqi sat in a corner holding her daughter, hoping only that no one would provoke them unwisely…
“Cheng Qiqi, it must be you who brought bad luck and killed Big Brother!”
A young girl stormed over toward Cheng Qiqi.
Cheng Qiqi lifted her leg, and the girl tumbled face-first into the dirt. If she remembered correctly, this was the youngest daughter of the fourth branch, Jin Qing’er. Just like Jin Xue’er, she had loved putting on airs since childhood!
“Get lost.”
Cheng Qiqi covered her daughter’s ears with her hands. Her daughter was sleeping soundly, and she didn’t want her to be disturbed.
“You…”
Jin Qing’er was about to say something when the yamen runner outside banged loudly on the bars: “Mealtime! Anyone who dares to fight will be whipped!”
The yamen runner’s harsh tone instantly extinguished Jin Qing’er’s unvoiced anger. But when she saw the food, Jin Qing’er erupted: “Is this for beggars? Even pig slop isn’t this bad!”
“I won’t eat it!”
Jin Xue’er glanced at the watery porridge thin enough to reflect a face and the discolored steamed buns, then kicked them over!
All the Jin family members were fuming.
Cheng Qiqi covered her daughter’s ears, looked at the spilled porridge and buns, and lowered her gaze. Having eaten her fill of buns earlier at the Houfu, she wasn’t hungry at all now.
The Jin family kept cursing incessantly, so Cheng Qiqi quietly tore off two small wads of cotton and stuffed them into her daughter’s ears. Leaning against the wall, she settled in to sleep quietly. They were to be exiled tomorrow, and who knew how exhausting the journey would be!
“Think you’re still a pampered young lady in the imperial prison?” The yamen runner entered the cell and grabbed Jin Qing’er, who had been making the most noise, to drag her out.
Jin Qing’er turned pale with fright, refusing to leave at all costs. Her face ashen, she pleaded, “I won’t make noise anymore, I promise I won’t.”
Li Shi from the fourth branch stepped forward and discreetly slipped some broken silver to the yamen runner. He weighed it in his hand before coldly warning, “Make another sound, and you’ll be dragged out for a proper lesson.”
After the yamen runner left, the Jin family fell completely silent!
Half-asleep, Cheng Qiqi felt as if she were holding a stove. Her heart sank—this was bad, An’an had a fever!
Cheng Qiqi looked down to see her daughter’s face flushed bright red, her lips already dry and cracked.
“An’an, An’an, wake up quickly!”
Cheng Qiqi gently patted her daughter’s cheek, her eyes filled with self-reproach. She had been negligent. Even though she had pretended to An’an that they were just playing house, it was all a lie. Yet, witnessing her own father die before her eyes, and today with Cui Lie’s sword…
The little girl must have been terrified!
“What’s wrong?”
Liu Suyi couldn’t sleep at all. Hearing Cheng Qiqi’s movements, she immediately brought over the watery porridge: “Quick, give An’an some water!”
Asking the yamen runner for water would be futile. Thanks to Cheng Qiqi’s earlier act of giving away meat buns, Liu Suyi wasn’t hungry, but somehow, she had kept this porridge and bun.
Looking at the porridge Liu Suyi offered, Cheng Qiqi realized that she was actually the one in the Houfu who had adapted the fastest.
“Mother.”
Jin Suian’s weak voice sounded.
Cheng Qiqi, who had been unsure how to replace the porridge, immediately set aside the water. She pressed the back of her hand against An’an’s forehead: “An’an, where do you feel unwell? Tell Mother.”
“Mother, I dreamed of so much blood. Father was lying on the ground, and no matter how much I called him, he wouldn’t answer me.”
“Wah… Does Father not like me anymore?”
Jin Suian sobbed tearfully.
Cheng Qiqi understood immediately—the little girl was having nightmares from the fright, likely causing a fever from the shock.
“An’an, be good, don’t be afraid. Father loved An’an the most. If you don’t believe me, ask Grandmother. Grandmother would never lie to you.”
Cheng Qiqi gently patted Jin Suian’s back to soothe her.
“Grandmother?”
Jin Suian looked timidly at Liu Suyi, wanting to draw close yet not daring to. Her expression filled Liu Suyi with deep regret.
Liu Suyi tried her best to make her smile gentle, even softening her voice more than usual: “An’an, your mother is right. Your father loved An’an the most!”
Thinking of Mo’er who died young, Liu Suyi couldn’t hold back her tears again.
Seizing the opportunity, Cheng Qiqi took the water, replaced the thin porridge inside with water, and added a little fever-reducing medicine before feeding it to Jin Suian’s mouth: “An’an, be good, drink the water, and your fever will go down!”