“…Pull her away!” he wanted to rush forward regardless of propriety, but Leng Yue’er suddenly grabbed his wrist. Her palm carried the faint calluses of someone who had trained with weapons for years. Yet the warmth of her skin cut straight through the darkness in his heart, forcibly pulling him back. All he could do was shout hoarsely.
Not far away, the little maid was already terrified out of her wits. The approaching carriage showed no sign of slowing, rushing forward like a flying arrow. Zhu Yan’er was frozen in place, so frightened she could not even cry out.
At the critical moment, the maid gathered all her strength and yanked her aside. Zhu Yan’er narrowly avoided the carriage, but one of her feet was directly crushed under a heavy wheel. She did not even have time to scream before her vision went black and she collapsed unconscious.
The scene turned Pei Qingmin’s face deathly pale. He staggered back uncontrollably, only to fall into Leng Yue’er’s arms. The warmth that remained on his fingers from her palm steadied him just enough to regain his composure.
The carriage brushed past the edge of his robe. Only after traveling several more steps did it finally come to a stop.
“Prince Wei?” A low, leisurely voice came from inside the carriage, carrying a natural nobility. It was none other than Xun Junwang, Pei Yuanjun.
Pei Qingmin steadied himself and concealed the complicated emotions in his eyes before bowing respectfully.
“Your nephew greets Imperial Uncle.”
“No need for formalities.” The carriage curtain was lifted slightly, revealing Pei Yuanjun’s strikingly handsome face. A faint, half-smiling expression rested on his lips, yet there was no warmth in his eyes. His noble ease carried an oppressive presence that ordinary princes could not match.
“What happened here?”
“Imperial Uncle, please forgive me,” Pei Qingmin said with his head lowered, posture extremely humble. Cold sweat had already soaked through his back.
Leng Yue’er stood quietly beside him with her hands behind her back, expression indifferent, as though everything here had nothing to do with her.
“Oh?” Pei Yuanjun raised a brow. His phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly as he swept his gaze over Pei Qingmin and the unconscious Zhu Yan’er on the ground.
“Explain. What sin have you committed?”
Pei Qingmin quickly recounted what had happened. His voice trembled slightly near the end, his clothes already drenched with cold sweat.
“So it was such a coincidence,” Pei Yuanjun chuckled coldly. The curve of his lips was sharp and indifferent.
“Guards!”
“Take everyone in this shop and interrogate them thoroughly!”
At his command, the accompanying guards immediately moved forward. The shopkeeper, already terrified when the signboard fell earlier, now collapsed to the ground in panic, kowtowing desperately and begging for mercy. His cries were miserable, but they did not shake Pei Yuanjun in the slightest. In the eyes of the powerful, a shopkeeper’s life was worth nothing.
The cries gradually faded away.
Pei Qingmin steadied himself and carefully spoke again.
“Imperial Uncle, may I request to borrow a carriage? My cousin has injured her foot and cannot walk. My own carriage is not nearby, and she needs immediate treatment.”
He did not expect this imperial uncle, who had always been distant, to agree.
“Very well,” Pei Yuanjun replied simply.
That straightforward answer made Pei Qingmin pause in shock. By the time he looked up again, the curtain had already fallen, and the carriage slowly departed, leaving behind an old and slightly shabby carriage coated with straw residue, clearly used for transporting miscellaneous goods. Yet it solved his urgent need.
Without hesitation, Pei Qingmin arranged for two passing women and the maid to help carry Zhu Yan’er into the carriage before rushing her to a clinic.
After settling her, he let out a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His body swayed slightly, and a hand reached out to steady him. He leaned into that support, unconsciously resting his head against Leng Yue’er’s shoulder.
“Not bad. All settled,” she said softly, patting his back lightly.
“Let’s go,” she added.
Her hand did not withdraw. The two of them walked back slowly like this, his hand resting on her arm. Neither spoke a word along the way.
After returning to the residence, Pei Qingmin did not mention Zhu Yan’er’s injury again.
An hour later, an imperial summons arrived, ordering Pei Qingmin and Leng Yue’er to enter the palace immediately. Consort Zhu Jing wanted to see them.
The moment Consort Zhu Jing saw Pei Qingmin, she was enraged by his still listless, sickly appearance.
Though she herself was frail, she had always hated incompetence. Looking at her useless son, she could not even be bothered to finish a proper scolding.
“You useless thing, what exactly can you even do? It was just taking your cousin out, and she ended up like this…”
She was so angry she nearly wanted to slap him.
“If anything happens to your cousin’s foot, you will marry her!”
She spoke bluntly, cutting straight to the point without any pretense.
She continued scolding him for nearly an hour, repeating the same accusations of weakness and incompetence. Pei Qingmin stood there the entire time with his head lowered, neither defending nor responding. His submissive attitude only made Consort Zhu Jing more irritated. Finally, she waved her hand in disgust.
“Get out! You’re infuriating just to look at!”
Pei Qingmin bowed and withdrew.
Watching him leave, Consort Zhu Jing grew even angrier. She immediately summoned Leng Yue’er, intending to vent her frustration on this unruly dark guard she had long heard was disobedient and uncontrollable.
Leng Yue’er entered the hall slowly. Her gaze swept over the Consort seated on the phoenix throne. She was completely different from the frail and sickly woman described in the book. The real Consort Zhu Jing was imposing, though her face was filled with hostility.
Following the rules of a dark guard, Leng Yue’er knelt on one knee, but there was no trace of submission in her expression. Her spine remained straight, and her eyes carried an unmistakable defiance.
“How bold! How dare you be so arrogant in front of this Consort?” Zhu Jing trembled with rage as soon as she spoke.
“I ordered you to monitor Prince Wei, and you do nothing all day. You don’t even know what happens around him. Do you admit your guilt?”
Leng Yue’er raised her eyes and smiled faintly.
“Heh… I do not.”
“Impudent! What kind of attitude is this?” Zhu Jing slapped the armrest of her throne. “It seems I have been too lenient with you all, which is why you have become so lawless! Today I will teach you a lesson and show you who your master is!”
She raised her hand, ordering the guards to punish her.
The smile on Leng Yue’er’s face deepened. In the next instant, she stood up. Her figure flashed, instantly evading the approaching palace maids like a ghost, appearing directly in front of Consort Zhu Jing.
“You want to teach me a lesson? You are not worthy.”
Zhu Jing froze, then screamed.
“Guards! Kill her!”
Before her voice even fell, a black shadow appeared behind Leng Yue’er. She did not even turn her head. With a flick of her hand, a silver needle shot out, striking the attacker’s face precisely. The man collapsed without a sound.
“Still want to kill me?” Leng Yue’er stepped forward, her smile cold and without warmth.
The surrounding palace attendants shrank back in terror, not daring to make a sound.
Before Zhu Jing could react again, Leng Yue’er’s right hand shot out like lightning and locked tightly around her throat.
Zhu Jing’s face instantly turned red, her breathing becoming labored. Her earlier arrogance vanished completely, replaced only by fear.
“Remember this,” Leng Yue’er said coldly, her face almost touching hers. “Do not interfere with me. Do not point your finger at me.”
A silver needle appeared between her fingers. She aimed it directly at Zhu Jing’s widened eyes.
“Aah!”
Before it even made contact, Zhu Jing had already fainted from terror.
“Pathetic,” Leng Yue’er sneered softly.
She withdrew the needle, turned around without another glance, and walked straight out of the hall, leaving behind a room full of panicked attendants and the unconscious Consort Zhu Jing.