The emperor frowned in silence.
Yan Zhao's abdomen bled profusely, his condition growing increasingly dire.
Yue Qianchong, who had always held the Yan family in high regard, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty! If we delay any longer, he may succumb to his injuries. Should we return to camp first and have Chief Physician Zhang treat him before investigating the truth?"
The emperor found this reasonable and waved his hand. "Back to camp!"
In less than half an hour, the group returned to the encampment.
The assembled ministers, who had been waiting outside, immediately knelt in unison. "We greet Your Majesty! Your safe return is a blessing for Great Xia!"
"Your Majesty's fortune is boundless—"
Before the flattery could continue, the emperor cut them off with a cold laugh. "Enough! Where is Chief Physician Zhang? Summon him at once to save this man!"
The crowd fell silent, and Yin Shun hurried forward. "Your Majesty! The Empress collapsed in distress upon hearing of the assassination attempt. Chief Physician Zhang was just attending to her."
"What?" The emperor's brow furrowed, and he turned toward the Empress's tent, only to see Prince Qin emerging with Chief Physician Zhang. "How is the Empress?" he demanded.
Prince Qin replied, "Rest assured, elder brother. Her Majesty is unharmed."
He glanced at Chief Physician Zhang, who quickly added, "Your Majesty need not worry. The Empress was merely overwhelmed by shock. I administered medicine, and she is now resting."
The emperor finally relaxed, then remembered Consort Xue, who had remained in the palace due to illness.
He thought to himself, Thank goodness she didn’t come. If she had heard of the assassination attempt, who knows how distraught she would be?
"Chief Physician Zhang, go tend to that man over there. Ensure he survives!"
Chief Physician Zhang bowed in acknowledgment. Prince Qin, upon recognizing the injured man, stiffened. "Isn’t that… Yan Zhao, the sixth son of the Yan family? Was he today’s assassin?"
The emperor shook his head. "No, he is the one who saved me. The assassin was Feng Shuo…"
"Feng Shuo? Feng Ping’s second son? No wonder I saw him trying to flee earlier—he committed an unforgivable crime!" Prince Qin saluted the emperor and immediately led guards to apprehend him.
Fortunately, thanks to the Duke of Chu’s warning, the hunting grounds had been sealed. Feng Ping wouldn’t escape!
The emperor scanned the crowd and narrowed his eyes. "Where is Yan Zheng? As the head of the court, how dare he be absent when his emperor was attacked?"
His tone carried clear reproach.
The ministers remained silent, but Yin Shun whispered something into the emperor’s ear. The emperor paused, a pang of regret stirring in his chest. "So I misjudged him… Had I listened to his counsel regarding the Feng family earlier, this wouldn’t have—"
He stopped abruptly, recalling the torn imperial robe on his back, and declared, "The Chief Minister has served well. Restore his position immediately. Yin Shun, go personally and summon him here."
As Yin Shun departed, the officials exchanged covert glances.
The Chief Minister had been dismissed at noon, yet not three hours later, he was reinstated.
Such was the emperor’s regard for him!
Soon, Yan Zheng arrived.
He bowed to the emperor, but upon seeing Yan Zhao, his expression darkened. He dropped to his knees. "Your Majesty, this subject is guilty!"
The emperor raised a brow. "What crime have you committed? Had you not stabilized the court after the assassination attempt, chaos would have ensued!"
Yan Zheng insisted, "It concerns my younger brother, Yan Zhao… In the past, he attempted to assassinate Your Majesty—a crime punishable by death. Yet I spared him. Though there were extenuating circumstances, I abused my authority. I deserve punishment!"
His words were resolute. The emperor deliberately remained silent, letting the tension linger.
But the court officials understood—if the emperor truly intended to punish him, he wouldn’t have reinstated him.
"Your Majesty! Had the Chief Minister not spared Yan Zhao then, how could the traitor have redeemed himself by saving Your Majesty today?"
"Minister Xu speaks wisely. Moreover, Yan Zhao is the Chief Minister’s only brother. Acting out of familial loyalty is only natural!"
"Indeed! And the Chief Minister mentioned there were hidden circumstances. Perhaps Yan Zhao never intended to assassinate Your Majesty in the first place!"
The voices overlapped, steadily absolving Yan Zheng of blame.
Prince Yu interjected, "Elder brother! Yan Zheng committed the grave crime of deceiving the throne! And who’s to say Yan Zhao truly saved you? What if this was a staged act with the assassin—"
Before he could finish, Chief Physician Zhang countered, "Your Highness exaggerates. Yan Zhao’s wounds are life-threatening. Who would risk their life for a ruse?"
Prince Yu faltered, but the emperor cut in, "Enough. Given the enmity between the Yan and Feng families, I find it hard to believe Yan Zheng conspired with them. As for deceiving the throne… Chief Minister, what were these ‘hidden circumstances’?"
Before Yan Zheng could speak, Yan Zhao stirred weakly, struggling to kneel. "Your Majesty… My third brother is blameless… I was ensnared by the Southern Barbarian Princess’s ‘puppetry art’… and thus acted against you… Punish me as you will… but spare my brother…"
Each word left him paler, his body swaying precariously.
The emperor couldn’t bear it. "Enough. I never said I would punish you. Though you once attacked me, today you saved me. In honor of your father and brothers, I pardon you. Go and recover."
Yan Zhao, fading from blood loss, murmured, "Then… my third brother…?"
The emperor chuckled. "He is my Chief Minister. If I spare you, why would I punish him?"
With that, Yan Zhao collapsed unconscious.
Meanwhile, by a mountain stream…
Chu Ruoyin sat atop a boulder, lost in thought.
Bihe sighed and stepped away, giving her mistress space.
Suddenly, hoofbeats approached, and an elderly man with white hair charged toward Chu Ruoyin.
"Young mistress, be careful!"
Bihe’s warning came too late—the man leaped from his horse.
Though limping, he seized Chu Ruoyin and pressed a blade to her throat.
"Feng Ping! Release her!!"
Prince Qin galloped forth, furious.
Feng Ping sneered. "Release her? Do you take me for a fool? Prince Qin, if you don’t want her hurt, clear a path for me. Otherwise—"
With a cruel grin, he nicked her neck, drawing blood.
Prince Qin’s eyes blazed. "Stop!! How can you harm your own daughter?!"
Feng Ping scoffed. "Daughter? She’s nothing but a bastard born of a whim. You think I’d claim her?"
Chu Ruoyin trembled, humiliation and rage choking her voice. "Even now… you feel no remorse toward my mother?"
"Remorse? That whore isn’t worth it!" Feng Ping’s gaze turned venomous. "If she hadn’t switched carriages with her sister, I could’ve married into the Jiang Family! I wouldn’t have needed to embezzle funds to cover my debts! My downfall is her fault—and yours!"
"You little wretch, meddling where you don’t belong! If you hadn’t stolen Prince Qin from Ying’er, the Feng family wouldn’t be ruined!"
Each word was a blade, carving into Chu Ruoyin’s heart.
She wanted to vomit—disgusted by her bloodline, by the fact that this monster was her father.
She suddenly looked up, her gaze lingering deeply on Prince Qin.
"No!!" Murong Jin shouted, only to see a smile bloom on the woman's lips—
Bleak yet breathtakingly beautiful.
