Lin Yanxi’s small hand covered his large one. Ever since his cold illness had healed, he had always been warm, a comforting heat emanating from him. But today, his hand was unusually cold, as if it might leave her at any moment.
“But I am too afraid. I fear I cannot escape the events of my past life. Only by leaving here, leaving the court, can I feel even a little at peace.”
She fell silent in the darkness for a long time, her thoughts a jumble.
After a long while, she let out a sigh and said, “But I suppose if you were to wake up, I wouldn’t bear to leave anymore.”
Her voice was faint, tinged with sadness. Her only response was an endless silence.
During the days Shen Muzhou was unconscious, Luo Jingxin had returned to the manor several times but was blocked by people from the Anye Division. Finally, she had her maid cause a scene at the entrance.
“Princess Zhaoyang, the Second Miss has ordered that the Prince is gravely ill and all visits are refused.”
“Visits? Don’t you know our Princess is betrothed to the Prince? His Majesty ordered her to move into the Prince’s manor.”
Luo Jingxin, with her maid in tow, insisted on barging in. The Anye Division guards were hesitant to stop them outright, considering she was a Princess, and dared not be too forceful, leading to some chaos.
“What is this commotion?” Lin Yanxi emerged from the manor. With a slight wave of her hand, the guards’ crossed swords were withdrawn.
She stepped out of the manor gates and cast a disgusted glance at Luo Jingxin. “Princess Zhaoyang, spare yourself some dignity.”
Luo Jingxin’s face contorted with shame. Enraged, she retorted, “You wretch! What right do you have to stop me from entering the Prince’s manor? What, is this manor yours to command now?”
“Don’t forget His Majesty’s decree. You are merely a concubine, I am the legitimate wife!”
Lin Yanxi let out a mocking laugh. “How pathetic you are.”
Luo Jingxin glared at her, flushed with shame and fury. “What did you say?”
“I said you are truly pathetic. You can only bluster with the empty title of legitimate wife. If His Majesty knew you had brought the Prince to this state, would you still be the Princess Consort?”
Luo Jingxin cried out in extreme anger, “Of course I would! My father is Prince Anchang! He defended half of Nanmin’s territory. I was raised in the palace from childhood, and the Empress treated me like her own daughter. What do you have to compete with me?”
“A mere daughter of a Grand Tutor, how dare you aspire to the Prince!”
Lin Yanxi stood on a few steps, her gaze sweeping around.
Many onlookers had gathered around. Upon hearing her words, everyone’s hearts trembled, and they exchanged glances.
Lin Yanxi scoffed at this. “Prince Anchang’s manor wields quite the authority. But have you ever considered why His Majesty raised you in the palace?”
She let out a sneer. Luo Jingxin was rendered speechless by her words.
Luo Jingxin was not foolish. She understood perfectly well that His Majesty was wary of Prince Anchang’s manor, and keeping her in the palace was merely holding her as a hostage.
“However… you may come in with me. You should see the Prince and apologize to him.”
Lin Yanxi turned and walked ahead. Luo Jingxin quickly followed. The manor was filled with Anye Division guards, but they seemed to only obey Lin Yanxi.
The door to Shen Muzhou’s sleeping chambers was tightly shut. At Lin Yanxi’s signal, the guards opened the carved wooden door. The room was filled with the scent of medicine, with only a few shafts of sunlight piercing through the window lattice, illuminating his sharp, stern profile.
His face was pale, and he lay there motionless. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest indicated that he still clung to life.
Luo Jingxin trembled as she rushed forward and collapsed onto the floor. She slowly touched Shen Muzhou’s hand, and large tears rolled down her face. “My Prince, Xin’er has come to see you.”
“Please wake up. Wake up and see Xin’er. I beg you.”
Lin Yanxi stood behind her and said coldly, “It is because of your selfish desires that you have brought him to this state. What right do you have to beg him to wake and see you?”
Luo Jingxin suddenly turned to look at her, screaming hysterically, “It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me who harmed him!”
“It was you! From beginning to end, it was you who insisted on fighting me for the Prince. This injury was also to save you.”
Lin Yanxi strode forward and raised her hand, delivering a sharp slap.
“Slap–”
Luo Jingxin clutched her cheek, screaming and demanding, “How dare you hit me?”
“Slap– Slap–”
Two more slaps landed on Luo Jingxin’s face.
She was stunned by the blows, her ears ringing. Her elaborate hairstyle became disheveled, and her fair, delicate face bore several finger marks.
“How many people has your selfishness harmed? It even cost Wanwan her entire life. She could have found someone she loved in the border towns and lived a happy life, but to fulfill your wishes, she married Shen Yu.”
“And you? You’re returning Shen Yu to your sister, then trying to appease him, making him willingly used by you. You claim to love the Prince, yet you’ve put him in danger several times.”
“You love no one, you only love yourself.”
Luo Jingxin’s eyes were red with tears as she gritted her teeth. “No, it’s not like that. I, all of this is your fault! It’s your fault!”
Lin Yanxi sighed softly. “Unrepentant to the end.”
“Escort her out.”
Luo Jingxin clung to Shen Muzhou’s hand, refusing to budge. “I’m not leaving. I am the Prince Consort personally bestowed by His Majesty, you are the one who should leave.”
Xiao Liu and the guards, their faces grim, stepped forward and forcibly dragged her out of the manor, throwing her outside.
She lay on the ground, watching as the manor gates slowly closed before her, shutting out all view of what lay within.
---
Three months later.
The weather in Nanmin had begun to turn cold, ushering in the harsh winter. The lone tree in Yue Luo Pavilion had become bare, its branches adorned with frost.
Although Shen Muzhou had woken up, his internal injuries had not fully healed, requiring him to rest in bed.
Every day, besides investigating the whereabouts of the spellcaster, Lin Yanxi spent her time with Shen Muzhou. She brought him a bowl of congee, which was already half empty.
“Another bowl,” she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “The imperial physician said you need to replenish your nutrients now that you’ve woken up.”
“I’m full, I’m full.” Shen Muzhou coughed a couple of times, pulling off a somewhat guilty smile.
“You’re full after just this little? I personally brewed this congee. Have a little more.”
Lin Yanxi’s smile was sweet, and her tone held a hint of playful coyness.
Shen Muzhou gazed into her eyes, then nodded as if having made a decision. “Alright, then another portion it is.”
Lizi stood nearby, giving Shen Muzhou a look of helpless sympathy. She quickly took the congee bowl, pinched her nose, and opened the congee pot. The light brown congee was mixed with all sorts of medicinal herbs, and even some dried insects.
Another bowl of congee mixed with herbs was drained.
Lin Yanxi smiled and asked, “Do you like it?”
“Yes,” he replied with certainty, gazing deeply at the person before him, his eyes profound and affectionate.
“Then I’ll make it for you every day from now on.”
“This… alright.”
They sat for a while longer, chatting about other matters. Many things had happened in the capital these past few months.
Luo Jingxin, for her boastful words at the Prince’s manor and her mention of Prince Anchang’s achievements, had angered His Majesty and was exiled to the frontier.
Prince Anchang, fearing repercussions for his entire household, disowned his daughter. Only Shen Yu and Luo Wanwan interceded with the Empress once, but nothing changed.
Shen Muzhou nodded upon hearing this, calmly remarking, “She deserved it.”
She observed Shen Muzhou’s expression carefully. Seeing no change, she nodded.
Xiao Liu entered from outside the courtyard, looking somewhat troubled. “Your Highness, the Fifth Prince is here again, clamoring outside the manor to see you.”
Shen Yu would come to cause trouble every few days.
Shen Muzhou remained silent for a moment before saying, “I will not see him.”
Jiang Mingsheng had been searching for Jiang Cong these past few months. Jiang Cong, unwilling to return to the capital with him, entrusted Jiang Mingsheng with a letter.
The letter clearly stated that the pursuers had dropped a small token from the Dongyang Pavilion.
Moreover, the spellcaster was also from Dongyang.
Combining this with all the clues gathered recently…
Lin Yanxi’s fingers tightened on the letter, turning slightly pale. She said hatefully, “It’s Luo Qizhe! I’m going to kill him right now!”
“Zhaozhao, we have waited for so long. At this critical juncture, we cannot be impulsive.”
“How can you expect me not to be impulsive? He killed my mother and so many members of the Jiang family.”
Shen Muzhou pulled her close. “He is currently in the imperial palace. If he dies in Nanmin, it will inevitably lead to war between Dongyang and Nanmin.”
“Three days from now is when he is scheduled to return to Dongyang. I will have the Anye Division lie in ambush outside Nanmin.”
The procession accompanying Luo Qizhe as he left the palace was grand.
He waited for a long time in front of the imperial palace, looking around before departing. As his carriage passed by the Prince Mu’s manor, he lifted the curtain and glanced a few times.
“Your Highness, if His Majesty discovers you failed to bring the talisman master back to Dongyang, he will be furious. Furthermore, the backlash from practicing curses is worsening.” Ying Hong, sitting in the carriage, couldn’t help but remind him.
Luo Qizhe placed his hands together, turning the ring on his finger, and remained silent.
When he first learned that Lin Yanxi was the talisman master, he had tried to approach her, even considering resolving her in the South Street. But in the end, he could not bring himself to do it.
The carriage traveled for two days and two nights before exiting Nanmin.
As soon as they left Nanmin, the sound of horses’ hooves echoed, and their carriage came to a halt.
He lifted the curtain and, upon seeing who had arrived, gave a bitter smile and taunted, “What? Have you reconsidered and decided to return to Dongyang with me?”
“Luo Qizhe, you deliberately approached me and killed my mother and so many of the Jiang family.”
Luo Qizhe was not surprised by this. He stepped down from the carriage. “It seems you are not here for a reunion today.”
“I will make you pay for your blood debt!”
Lin Yanxi’s fingertips pinched a talisman, and a paper charm flew directly towards him. “Thousand Souls’ Call!”
As the black talisman flew towards Luo Qizhe, he chanted a spell to block it. “Using such a killing move, little girl, you truly bear no old feelings.”
Shen Muzhou, leading the Anye Division, engaged in a fierce fight with Luo Qizhe’s men. Dongyang’s forces were soon overwhelmed.
Luo Qizhe’s face was already streaked with blood.
Ying Hong, holding a spear, lunged at Lin Yanxi, but Shen Muzhou blocked her with his saber.
“Ugh–”
Luo Qizhe suddenly ceased his incantations, heavily wounded by Lin Yanxi’s talisman art. She drew the short sword from her person and, following Shen Muzhou’s earlier instruction, plunged it in, piercing his heart with a single thrust.
“First Prince! No, Your Highness…”
Ying Hong leaped forward and reached his side. “Why do this? I’ll find someone to save Your Highness, we can definitely save you.”
Luo Qizhe grasped her hand and shook his head. “Let all the mistakes end here.”
Lin Yanxi stood by, watching coldly as he fell to the ground, the short sword she had personally plunged into his chest, blood covering him. She could not say whether she felt sorrow or vengeful satisfaction at this moment.
Luo Qizhe looked at Lin Yanxi and Shen Muzhou and said, “Take care of the South Street courtyard for me. You promised.”
Lin Yanxi hesitated for a moment before nodding.
With Luo Qizhe’s death, all her hatred seemed to dissipate.