11
Wei Zhuo quickly collected himself and followed closely behind Xiao Jingyao as they stepped out of the carriage.
Xiao Jingyao walked ahead, while Wei Zhuo kept to his side and slightly behind. However, after only a few steps, Xiao Jingyao suddenly halted.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Wei Zhuo followed his gaze and saw a man dressed in Xijiang attire sprinting toward them. His movements were swift and urgent, and in the blink of an eye, he had reached the Xijiang Ninth Princess.
“Ninth Princess,” the man called.
“Lian Sheng? Why are you here? Weren’t you with my third brother visiting Chancellor Liu ?” Yu Shu asked in surprise at the sight of him.
Lian Sheng was tall and imposing, standing like a protective mountain before the petite Yu Shu. Concern was written all over his handsome face. “His Highness has already returned to the guest residence. I heard your carriage broke down, so I rushed over. Are you hurt?”
Yu Shu, not one to make a fuss, waved it off casually. “I’m fine. I just twisted my ankle a little when I got off the carriage. I just need to rest for a bit—it’s nothing serious.”
“I should still take you to the medical clinic. If your foot is really injured, leaving it untreated would be troublesome,” Lian Sheng insisted. As he spoke, he crouched down in front of her with his back turned, then glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll carry you there.”
Yu Shu was momentarily taken aback, feeling slightly uneasy. In her memories, Lian Sheng had carried the original Yu Shu to the clinic like this when they were children. Back then, they were young, close, and unconcerned about propriety. But now, they were both grown, and she wasn’t truly the original Yu Shu. Letting Lian Sheng carry her now felt a bit… awkward.
“Hurry up,” Lian Sheng urged when he saw her hesitating.
Qingli, standing beside them, also tried to persuade her. “Princess, I saw your foot just now—it’s already swollen. If you delay any longer, it might get worse. Just let Lian Sheng carry you to the clinic.”
Yu Shu hesitated for a moment, then tried to move her foot. The moment she attempted to stand, a sharp pain shot through her ankle, making it clear that walking was impossible.
Lian Sheng frowned. “Stop hesitating and get on. It’s not like I’ve never carried you before. Or… do you not see me as a friend anymore?”
Yu Shu couldn’t tell him the real reason. How could she ever not see him as a friend? He was such a good person. Instead, she simply said gratefully, “Thank you.”
Qingli quickly stepped forward to help Yu Shu onto Lian Sheng’s broad and steady back.
Lian Sheng hoisted her up effortlessly and chuckled. “Between us, what’s there to thank me for? Let’s go.”
There was unmistakable joy in his voice, and his steps were quick and steady as he carried her away.
Resting against Lian Sheng’s back, Yu Shu felt a strong sense of security—just like when her crown prince brother was still around, protecting her when they were young.
Watching their figures grow smaller in the distance, Wei Zhuo had a thought. Even though the Xijiang Ninth Princess had kept her veil on, making it impossible to see her expression, the way they spoke and interacted left little doubt—she was happy. The two of them seemed like a perfect match, so close and harmonious that there was no room for anyone else.
Wei Zhuo stole a glance at Xiao Jingyao beside him. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the emperor’s expression seemed a little off. How to describe it? It was the kind of frustration one felt after planning to do a good deed, only to have someone else swoop in and take the credit.
Just then, Xiao Jingyao turned his head, and their gazes met. His expression darkened as he shot Wei Zhuo a sharp glare. “Let’s go,” he ordered, his tone distinctly displeased.
Without another word, Xiao Jingyao turned and strode back toward the carriage.
A chill ran down Wei Zhuo’s spine. That look just now—no matter how he thought about it, it felt downright menacing!
Tsk. Better tread carefully. The last thing he wanted was to provoke the emperor’s irritation.
Wei Zhuo hurried after him, falling into step behind before climbing into the carriage.
As the carriage set off again, he sat quietly to the side, doing his best to blend into the background. Noticing Xiao Jingyao’s foul mood, he didn’t dare say a word. He kept his head down, barely daring to breathe.
Xiao Jingyao held a book in his hands, his gaze fixed on the pages. He turned one, then another, his movements quick and forceful. Wei Zhuo wasn’t sure if the emperor was actually reading or just venting his frustration on the book.
Finding nothing of interest in the book, Xiao Jingyao grew increasingly impatient. After flipping through several pages without anything catching his attention, he finally snapped it shut with a sharp thud against the table. His gaze shifted to Wei Zhuo.
“Look into that man, Lian Sheng. I want every detail—leave nothing out.”
An order from the emperor was absolute. It didn’t matter whether he was told to investigate Lian Sheng or eliminate him entirely, Wei Zhuo wouldn’t dare hesitate. Without missing a beat, he bowed and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll send someone immediately.”
Meanwhile, Lian Sheng carried Yu Shu to the medical clinic, completely unaware that he had just caught the attention of the Emperor of Daxia or that an investigation into his background had already been set in motion.
At the clinic, Lian Sheng crouched in front of Yu Shu, his voice gentle as he reassured her, “The physician will check your injury soon. Don’t worry, it’s just a bit of medicine, and you’ll be fine.”
He knew she had always been afraid of pain. Even the slightest scrape had once been enough to make her cry and complain. Yet this time, with her ankle visibly swollen, she had endured it without a single complaint until now. That resilience only made Lian Sheng feel even more distressed for her.
“I’m fine,” Yu Shu said casually. To her, this injury was nothing. She had once been pampered to the point where even the smallest scrape would cause a commotion, but after the fall of the Dayan Dynasty, she no longer had the luxury of being delicate. She had learned to swallow her pain in silence, she had suffered far worse and endured it without complaint. Compared to those past wounds, this was hardly worth mentioning. It would pass, just like everything else.
The physician soon arrived to examine her injury, gently pressing around her swollen ankle before confirming, “It’s just a sprain. Fortunately, the bone isn’t damaged.”
“I’ll prescribe an external ointment for you. Make sure to rest and avoid putting weight on it. You should recover in a few days,” the physician advised.
“Understood. Thank you, physician.” Before Yu Shu could respond, Lian Sheng had already spoken on her behalf.
The physician glanced at Lian Sheng, then nodded approvingly. With the wisdom of an elder, he remarked, “You’re a good young man. Very good.”
“It’s what I should do,” Lian Sheng replied, though a faint flush appeared on his sun-kissed face.
Once they had the medicine, a guard had already arranged for a new carriage. Lian Sheng carried Yu Shu onto it, giving Qingli firm instructions to take good care of her before stepping out to join the escort team.
The carriage moved steadily along the road, the rhythmic clatter of hooves filling the quiet air. Before long, they arrived at the guest residence. Without hesitation, Lian Sheng arranged for a soft sedan chair to carry Yu Shu inside.
As soon as they returned, Mu Liangzhe, his arm still in a sling, came rushing over to check on his younger sister.
Yu Shu frowned with concern as she noticed Mu Liangzhe’s disheveled appearance, his neck in a sling and his arm hanging limply. “What happened to you?”
Mu Liangzhe simply shrugged, seemingly unfazed. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just a minor injury. It’ll heal in a couple of days.”
“A minor injury?” Yu Shu wasn’t buying it. “Weren’t you supposed to meet with Chancellor Liu? How did you end up getting hurt?”
At the mention of Chancellor Liu, Mu Liangzhe’s frustration boiled over. He walked over and sat down beside Yu Shu, venting his anger. “That old man is nothing but trouble! I gave him so many gifts, hoping he’d put in a good word for us with the Emperor of Daxia to speed up our audience. But you know what he did? He didn’t say a single good word about us, nor did he make any effort to arrange an earlier meeting. Instead, he just kept stringing me along, telling me to wait. Well, I’ve waited long enough, and I’m done with it!”
“So, you got into a fight with him?” Yu Shu raised an eyebrow, cutting straight to the point.
Mu Liangzhe paused, reaching up to touch his nose with his hand, only to quickly stop himself when he realized which hand he was using. He gave Yu Shu an awkward smile and explained, “I didn’t exactly fight him. I just had a little scuffle with his guards.” He even gestured with his hands as he spoke. “You know, that guard of his is actually quite skilled. We were pretty evenly matched. But since we’re on Daxia’s turf, I couldn’t afford to actually hurt one of Chancellor Liu ‘s men. So, I let him win on purpose.”
Yu Shu inwardly scoffed. Lost is lost, she thought. No need to dress it up with such lofty excuses. How shameless!
Mu Liangzhe seemed to read her mind. He pulled his injured arm out of the sling and waved it around in front of her, as if to prove it was perfectly fine.
Yu Shu glanced at his arm, which moved freely as if nothing had happened. She reached out and jabbed her finger hard into his arm, eliciting a sharp hiss from Mu Liangzhe.
“Hey, take it easy!” he yelped.
“If you didn’t lose on purpose, then why aren’t you actually hurt?” Yu Shu shot him a sidelong glance, her tone dripping with skepticism.
“Well, even if I intended to lose, I still had to make it look convincing. So, I did get a little hurt,” Mu Liangzhe replied, carefully tucking his arm back into the sling. “But there’s a deeper strategy here that you might not understand.”
“Oh, do enlighten me,” Yu Shu said, leaning back with an amused expression, ready to hear what grand explanation he would come up with.
Mu Liangzhe raised an eyebrow, clearly proud of himself. “Think about it. If Chancellor Liu ’s guard injured me, how do you think he’d react? And if the guard had seriously hurt me, what do you think would happen then?”
Yu Shu was momentarily speechless. After a pause, she replied, “Chancellor Liu would probably feel some responsibility. Even though you were the one who started the trouble, you’re still an envoy from Xijiang. Out of a sense of propriety as a great nation, he couldn’t just ignore the situation. He’d have to smooth things over.”
“Exactly,” Mu Liangzhe chuckled, a sly grin spreading across his face. “That’s why I couldn’t come out completely unscathed. I had to shed a little blood and make it look serious. Once he sees that, he’ll feel compelled to appease me, and I can seize the opportunity to push for an audience with the Emperor of Daxia.”
Alright, Yu Shu had to admit, she was convinced. This guy was full of cunning schemes!
“We’ll probably get to see the Emperor of Daxia very soon,” Mu Liangzhe declared with confidence.
No, Yu Shu shook her head. She had just scolded the emperor earlier that day and had no desire to see him again anytime soon!
**