Qin Yan and Xin Lan remained behind. Xin Lan chose to stay behind instead of accompanying Lingxi so as not to be a third wheel.
Qin Yan turned to go but Xin Lan instinctively held his arm. He shifted sideways before she held on any longer than a second.
"The rain is very heavy. You might catch a cold if you get into the rain", she said.
Qin Yan did not answer but instead stood still with his hand folded across his sword as usual.
Seeing that he decided to stay back, Xin Lan felt a bit relieved and continued talking, "are you allergic to speaking?" she asked.
Qin Yan did not answer.
"You barely say a word. If Her Highness does not ask you a question, you won't say a word. If I hadn't heard you speak before, I would think you were a mute", she continued talking.
"How long have you been by her highness's side?" she asked him.
He did not answer.
"Can you tell me what her highness was like before marrying His Highness? Does she have any other hobbies besides reading and tending to flowers? Apart from incense blending and medicine, does her highness have anything else she likes doing?" she asked more questions but Qin Yan did not bother answering any single one of them.
Almost giving up, she asked, "do you think I'm talking too much?"
That was when Qin Yan chose to speak up, "yes"
Xin Lan could not believe her ears, "you....." she could not argue with him.
She decided to watch the rain, "I'm just bored and want to talk to someone. Why are you....." she turned to look at him but could not find him anywhere.
It seemed he had disappeared into thin air.
"Qin Yan?" she called but got no response.
"Where did he disappear to?" she wondered when she felt a shadow over her.
She turned to find Xin Xie holding an umbrella over her head.
"Xin Xie?"
"Hmm? Who else are you expecting?" Xin Xie asked handing her the umbrella to her.
"Didn't you see Qin Yan?"
"No. Let's go. It's getting late", Xin Xie urged and they both walked on with each of them holding an umbrella.
"Why did you come here?" Xin Lan asked.
"Her Highness asked me to come pick you up"
[Channing Palace]
Lingxi and He Yu soon reached Channing Palace and were soon in front of their room.
He Yu closed the umbrella and set it down. He turned to Lingxi who waited for him to finish and lifted her up in his arms.
"What are you doing?" Lingxi asked a bit surprised by his suddenly carrying her in.
He did not answer but carried her inside the room and helped her sit on the bed.
He left and soon returned with a small bowl of hot water. He set it down next to Lingxi's feet and bent down. He took her left foot and helped remove her shoe.
"What are you doing? It's improper", Lingxi wanted to shift her feet away but He Yu did not let go.
"It's the duty of a husband to take care of his wife. Besides, didn't you do the same for me?" he asked.
Lingxi did not argue any further. He slowly washed her feet and dried them with a towel before helping her wear her socks.
"All done", he said.
Lingxi looked at him, "I would like to show you something", she said.
"What is that?" He Yu asked.
She smiled and stood up without saying anything.
She went in front of the workspace table and drew out the folding screen. He Yu watched her from behind wondering what she was doing.
Lingxi was changing her clothes behind the screen. The clothes she wore before were hung above the screen and she reached for another outfit that was wrapped on the table. She wore that one and came out from behind the screen.
The dress she wore was a pure white silk gauze with a tiny woven net pattern. It was a simple night outfit for sleeping but it was shining brightly.
He Yu smiled as he looked at her. She was truly mesmerizing and pretty.
She spread her hands lightly, "how do I look?"
"Pretty", He Yu complimented.
The look in his eyes shone brightly as he looked at his pretty wife.
Lingxi smiled satisfied with his answer. "He Xuan gifted this to me", she said.
"Whoever chose this dress has a fine taste", He Yu answered.
Lingxi folded her hands and looked at him, "Of course, Fujun has a fine taste"
He Yu was taken slightly aback.
Catching his surprise, Lingxi decided to speak up, "I know you were the one who chose this outfit for me. Or else, how could He Xuan know my size. The both of you are birds of the same feather, shameless, that's why he claimed it was his gift"
He Yu smiled, "you knew"
Lingxi walked up to him and held his hand, "thank you"
"What for?" He Yu asked.
Lingxi thought for a second before responding, "for always being there by my side and supporting me in everything. I wouldn't have come this far without you by my side", she said.
"I didn't do anything", He Yu denied.
"You've done a lot, don't deny it" Lingxi insisted.
He Yu laughed lightly and she stared at him for a long time.
He Yu noticed her long stare, "Zhizhi is looking at me like this - have you fallen for me?" he teased.
"Not yet"
"That hurts"
"But during the past few days, I've come to realize that even though you are shameless and constantly annoying, I am happy when you're with me", she said with a smile.
He Yu smiled back. He lifted both her hands and caressed it, "I'm happy as long as you're happy"
Then he kissed the back of her palms gently before hugging her.
---
The sudden demotion of the empress of Daxia to a concubine sent a shockwave throughout the nation. For an empress of great standing to fall very heavily from grace sent a message not only in the harem and court but beyond that the grand consort was not someone to be trifled with.
He Yan, on the other hand, felt the impact of the blow. He had lost some support but he was not very worried. He had always hated being tied down by his mother like a puppet.
Fortunately for him, he still had the Wu army in hand. With his remaining followers, he aimed to rise in court eventually.
Days rolled by and eventually, a date was scheduled to bid He Yan to the frontier while the return of Prince Wen, He Ming was also being announced.
****
Lingxi was out with Qin Yan down the mountain path picking some herbs.
She had already climbed down the valley and took time to select fresh herbs. She looked up and noticed a purple flower with slender green leaves.
"Qin Yan", she called, "get me that herb"
Qin Yan took a leap up the hill and uprooted the flower before landing back down. He handed the flower to Lingxi who placed it in her basket.
"Thank you", Lingxi did not forget to thank him even though it was considered unnecessary.
She went back to her work and was skimming through the grasses. Her gaze caught an important herb that was dark green and had four leaves all bent downwards.
She was just about to hold it when suddenly a rolling sound was heard.
A young man covered in bruises and blood fell directly in front of her destroying the herb she was about to take.
Lingxi was not happy.
The young man in question looked at her with dying eyes and struggled to speak. He was finally able to let out two words, "save me"
The sound of people approaching resounded as they climbed down the hill.
Lingxi looked at the man in front of her for a second and then, without a second thought, stood up and walked away with Qin Yan.
The young man saw his only ray of hope vanish. With the sound of his pursuers approaching, he saw his life flash before his eyes.
In a desperate attempt, despite his inability to speak at that moment, he managed to shout after Lingxi, "I am Prince Wen!"
Lingxi stopped walking for a second. He finally thought she had changed her mind but almost immediately, Lingxi continued walking.
He couldn't believe his eyes. He struggled to stand up.
"Aren't we going to save him? He is Prince Wen, after all", Qin Yan asked as they walked on.
"Master always said - 'mind your business and you'll live longer, get involved and you'll be entangled forever'", Lingxi responded.
She stopped walking when she heard a loud scream. She turned back to see what was going on. It was He Ming.
Despite his injuries, he had stood up supported by his sword and was fighting his pursuers. Two bodies had already fallen into the river below, turning the water red.
There were twelve people remaining in number and He Ming didn't look like he was going to win.
Lingxi deliberated for a moment and gave a signal to Qin Yan.
He rushed forward and in a single swift of his sword left a slash on each pursuer's neck. They fell to the ground, dead.
Qin Yan sheathed his sword back immediately he was done and walked past He Ming to meet Lingxi.
Lingxi looked at the severely wounded He Ming who was still struggling to stand still.
"Today, I have saved your life. I hope this can be treated as a passing encounter", she said.
She had no intentions of getting involved with him.
Prince Wen was highly famed for his achievements in battle and his martial ability was well known in the martial world. To be pursued and injured to such a state, he was definitely not simple.
She turned to go but a loud thud stopped her. He had fallen down and lost consciousness.
Looking at him from where she stood, she couldn't help but sigh.
This was going to be trouble.