“Tell me what happened to you today.”
Xie Lanyin lowered her eyelashes, feigning recollection and lingering fear.
“Today… I went to Qingliang Temple on the outskirts of the capital to offer incense and pray for blessings. On the way back, the horse pulling the carriage suddenly got spooked and became frenzied for some reason. The coachman couldn’t control it, and the carriage lurched and tilted violently… I hit my head, and after that, I knew nothing.”
She raised a hand, her fingertips gently touching the still aching spot on the back of her head, her brow furrowing slightly from the pain.
“When I woke up again… I was already in that desolate farmhouse, my hands and feet bound, unable to speak.” Her voice trembled slightly, carrying the lingering fear of surviving a calamity. “Later… those two men came in, intending… to do something untoward. And then, Lord Zhan arrived.”
She omitted the details of her resistance, only emphasizing the outcome of her unconsciousness and abduction.
Zhan Shuo listened quietly, his fingers ceasing their tapping on his knee.
“Going to Qingliang Temple to offer incense,” he asked, his question direct and sharp, “was it an impromptu decision, or planned beforehand?”
“It was an impromptu decision.” Xie Lanyin raised her eyes. “Tomorrow is the Spring Banquet in the palace…” She paused, her voice growing softer. “His Majesty intends to… bestow a marriage between Second Prince and me at the banquet. I presume Lord Zhan has also heard of this. Feeling uneasy, I wanted to go to the temple to calm myself and offer a stick of incense.”
Zhan Shuo neither confirmed nor denied, continuing, “Did those two men say anything unusual? Or was there anything suspicious about them?”
Xie Lanyin appeared to be racking her brain, then said after a moment, “They… mentioned it was ‘ordered from above.’ From their words, it seemed ‘above’ only wanted them to… put on a show, but those two men…” She appropriately revealed a trace of humiliation and lingering fear, not continuing further.
“According to my subordinates’ investigation, Miss Xie’s counterattack was resolute and extraordinary. How did you manage it?”
Xie Lanyin raised her pale face. “Lord Zhan… when a person is on the brink of death, they are naturally forced to unleash their potential.”
Her voice rose slightly. “Even a cornered rabbit will bite… In that moment, I only wanted to live. Or perhaps, in Lord Zhan’s view, I should have surrendered obediently, to conform to the duty of a ‘young lady of good family’?”
Zhan Shuo watched her in silence. After a long moment, he slowly said, “Miss Xie, you overstate. I am merely asking as per procedure, to clarify the details.”
Xie Lanyin leaned heavily back against the headboard, closing her eyes, her voice becoming weak and distant. “Lord Zhan, I am not a criminal, but a victim. Now… I only feel pain all over, mentally and physically exhausted, and I want to go home.”
She paused, then reopened her eyes and looked at him. “If I recall any overlooked clues later, I will certainly inform you, Lord. This case… concerns my life, and also the Xie family’s pure reputation. With today’s events spreading, my name is beyond redemption. I only hope, Lord Zhan… that you can investigate impartially and thoroughly, find the true culprit, and give me a clear explanation.”
Having said this, she no longer looked at him, closing her eyes completely. Her long eyelashes cast fragile shadows on her pale cheeks, showing a weary and resolute refusal to continue the conversation.
Silence permeated the West Wing Room for a moment.
Then, an extremely faint, almost inaudible breath escaped Zhan Shuo’s throat.
Those old foxes in the Imperial Court, no matter how much they feared and detested him in their hearts, always maintained a distant yet courteous facade when they saw him. As for the noble young ladies in the capital, they dared not even raise their heads when they occasionally met him, their eyes darting like startled sparrows, not even daring to breathe deeply.
This one, however, was different. Fresh from her ordeal, wrapped in his cloak, lying in his territory, she had the audacity to openly dismiss him.
So be it.
He hadn’t expected to unearth any conclusive clues from her narrative immediately anyway. This questioning today was merely a necessary formality, a perfunctory explanation for the anxious Minister Xie outside, and for the palace, which would soon inquire about the matter.
He rose, his movements swift, the chair scraping lightly against the floor.
His gaze swept over the slender figure on the bed, wrapped in black. She kept her eyes closed, as if she had sunk into her own world, isolating herself from all external disturbances. Beneath her feigned composure, the sense of brokenness was still evident, but the inherent strength in her bones was undeniable.
Zhan Shuo lingered no longer, turning and heading for the door.
He stepped into the bright light of the corridor, the faint, almost imperceptible trace of emotion on his face completely gone. He was once again the unpredictable and awe-inspiring Commander of the Imperial Guard.