Tears began to well up in her eyes as she thought of this.
"Your Highness, you mustn't cry on such a joyous occasion," a palace maid reminded her.
"Yes, yes, this consort is happy, so happy," she replied.
With that, she had the meticulously prepared golden jade bracelets, adorned with the auspicious motif of dragons and phoenixes, brought out. For the first time, she addressed Princess Huaran, now Princess Li, with a gentle smile.
"This is a gift from His Majesty when I first entered the Prince's manor. I hope you and Yunli will grow old together, supporting each other for a lifetime. May you soon have many descendants and leave a noble lineage for the Prince Li's manor."
"This daughter-in-law bows to Mother Consort's teachings and will surely live a harmonious and blissful life with His Highness."
With that, she respectfully accepted the bracelet gifted to her, displaying a gracious and fitting smile.
Consort Wei was immensely pleased.
The Ninth Prince stood by with a neutral expression. Women, to him, were merely tools for procreation. The Princess Consort was no different. However, given that the Princess Consort was backed by the forces of Qianzhou, he had to feign closeness with her.
Fortunately, this Princess Consort was not like other women who were constantly trying to seduce him. In that regard, he was quite satisfied.
After the grand wedding was successfully concluded, the Ninth Prince did not hold back, spending the night with his newlywed Princess Consort.
Those unaware might have thought he was extremely pleased with his new Princess Consort. Yet, only the two of them, in the privacy of their chambers, understood that it was merely a formality.
One desired to quickly bear a legitimate heir, ensuring her lineage and allowing her to continue her carefree life.
The other also wished to quickly bear a legitimate heir. This would not only solidify her position but also bring comfort to her mother and younger brother within the Prince Yu's manor.
Therefore, love, to them, was fleeting. One did not care for it, and the other could not offer it.
While the capital city of Dongdu was still immersed in the joyous celebrations of Prince Li's wedding, Liang Quanbin in Jinling City remained oblivious to the impending danger.
His injuries had finally improved, allowing him to sit up occasionally. Lying down all day had made his uninjured arms and legs feel numb.
On this particular day, with the sun shining brightly, he was gazing out of the window from his room.
Beside him, the steward was going over his accounts for the recent period.
Their peaceful day was suddenly interrupted by a visitor.
Upon seeing the visitor, who was an informant for the Duke of Wei, Liang Quanbin assumed that Zhu Hong's plan had succeeded. If the First Prince were truly overthrown by them, it would be a momentous occasion!
Overjoyed, he waved his hand at the steward and then inquired,
"Has the Duke's side sent any news?"
"Yes."
"How is it? What evidence has Zhu Hong confessed?"
Seeing Liang Quanbin's demeanor, the visitor thought him a truly skilled actor. If not for the urgent kill order from Dongdu, he might have been deceived by Liang Quanbin's apparent loyalty.
"If Lord Liang is so eager for an answer, why not ask him directly?"
Ask him directly?
How could he ask?
One was in Jinling City, the other in Dongdu, over a thousand miles apart. How could he possibly ask?
Before he could voice his thoughts, the visitor drew a sharp blade and lunged towards his neck.
Startled, Liang Quanbin stumbled backward, his body hitting the wall with a painful thud. His eyes were filled with terror and confusion.
"Are you mad? How dare you attempt to assassinate me?"
"I have received secret orders from the Duke. You shall be sent to the King of Hell immediately."
With that, he struck again, this time plunging the blade directly into Liang Quanbin's chest. Liang Quanbin looked down at his body in utter astonishment, unable to feel the pain, and merely asked,
"Why?"
Alas, he received no answer from the informant. He could only watch as blood flowed from the wound. After confirming that Liang Quanbin had stopped breathing, the informant left the Ministry of Justice's residence.
As for the crime of assassinating the Minister, the Cao family would be the perfect scapegoat, wouldn't they?
This entire scene was witnessed by Su Cheng, who had been secretly observing. Once the assailant left, he immediately rushed into the room.
Beside him stood another person. Although their face was covered by a black scarf, it was clear that it was Lin Huaijin.
Since arriving in Jinling City, he had been serving Old Master Min. However, before Prince Ding departed for the southwest, he had predicted this event. Therefore, Su Cheng and Lin Huaijin had been staking out the location day and night, intending to rescue Liang Quanbin in time.
If he died, many clues would be lost. Keeping him alive and exploiting his hatred would make it easier to bring down the Duke of Wei.
Lin Huaijin, as a direct disciple of the divine physician Zhang, had also added a secret weapon to the medicine he had previously administered. This would slow down Liang Quanbin's bleeding, preventing him from dying of excessive blood loss.
His cessation of breathing moments ago was merely temporary.
"Hold him down. I need to pull out the blade."
"Alright."
Liang Quanbin was not someone they cherished. Moreover, he had already lost consciousness. Whether to use anesthesia or not was irrelevant.
With a swift movement, the blade was pulled out, yet there was no gushing of blood.
Su Cheng was deeply impressed by Lin Huaijin's skill.
"If I hadn't discovered during his treatment that his heart was on the right side, this stab would have surely ended his life!"
Lin Huaijin had practiced medicine in the common folk for many years. Although people with their hearts on the right side were exceedingly rare, he had encountered such cases before. Furthermore, the children of those individuals were similarly affected, indicating a hereditary trait.
Liang Quanbin happened to be one such person. It seemed as though everything was divinely ordained.
At this moment, Liang Quanbin's old wounds had not yet healed, and new ones were added.
When he finally regained consciousness, the pain in his chest was so severe that he could not even speak.
Opening his eyes, he saw Feng Jinlin and his gaze was filled with excitement.
If there was anyone Liang Quanbin trusted most at this moment, it would undoubtedly be Feng Jinlin.
He had saved his life multiple times, truly appearing as a lucky star sent by the heavens to protect him.
Feng Jinlin feigned concern and asked in a low voice,
"Who has offended you, my lord? Could it be that Huo Chong sneaked in and attempted to assassinate you?"
Liang Quanbin weakly shook his head. Although he did not understand why the Duke had ordered his death, he was certain there must be a misunderstanding.
However, his head was swimming, and he could not comprehend anything.
He could only grasp Feng Jinlin's hand, his grip tightening and loosening, trying to convey something. Unfortunately, Feng Jinlin did not understand.
Then, his body gave out, and he fell unconscious again.
"No way, is your medical skill really that good? How could he pass out again without even saying a few words?"
He had personally witnessed the medical prowess of the divine physician Zhang. How could his disciple be so much less skilled?
Lin Huaijin and Su Cheng, who had been hidden, suddenly appeared. Lin Huaijin held a silver needle, raising an eyebrow at Feng Jinlin as if to ask, "Do you want to give it a try?"
Su Cheng, watching from the side, found the situation immensely amusing.
"You try getting stabbed in the chest and see if you can wake up and talk. If you can, I'll write my surname 'Lin' backward."