"Get out! Make her get out of the capital, the farther the better!!"
Flames instantly devoured everything...
The capital, the rebel army, her father, and him...
It was like a nightmare from which she could never wake, blood and fire, sin and retribution, seeming to swallow everything whole.
Chu Ruoyan struggled desperately, tears streaming wildly from the corners of her eyes.
It was because of her, all because of her!
Because of her origins, in the dream, Yan Zheng used her to threaten her father...
And because of this, her father believed it was true and jumped from the city wall to protect her...
Blood seemed to flood in from all directions, she couldn't breathe at all!
Like a dying fish, she thrashed wildly, trying to find a sliver of life...
"Ah Yan!"
Someone was calling her.
"Ah Yan, wake up!"
"It's me, I'm here, don't be afraid!"
That familiar, comforting voice became the only guide in the murky water.
She struggled to move towards him...
Finally... she broke the surface!
"Ah!"
Chu Ruoyan's eyes flew open, and she gasped for air in great, heaving breaths.
A pair of strong, solid arms wrapped around her shoulders: "Ah Yan, it's alright now, it's alright!"
Those large hands gently patted her back, and a scent mixed with the fresh fragrance of herbs gradually soothed her frantic, anxious heart.
Chu Ruoyan leaned against the man's chest, her hair and clothes completely soaked.
It took a moment before she realized something and jerked her head up: "Yan Zheng?! You're back?!"
Yan Zheng looked down and kissed her temple tenderly: "If I hadn't come back, you would have worried yourself to death..."
"But the war in the southern barbarian lands isn't over yet? How could you—"
"Nothing is more important than you." Yan Zheng reached out and picked up clean undergarments from outside the bed curtain. "Quick, get up and change your clothes first, you're soaked through!"
Chu Ruoyan sat up as he suggested, but her eyes remained fixed on him, unblinking.
Yan Zheng had no choice but to explain: "Don't worry. Before I left, I asked that master from the western border to seriously wound Meng Ji. Meng Ze dotes on his sister and won't take the field for a while. Besides, Old Xu is holding the fort there. Nothing will go wrong."
Only then did Chu Ruoyan relax, letting him peel off her wet clothes and help her into clean ones.
Perhaps because they had been apart for so long, the slightly rough touch of the man's large hands sent a faint shiver through her.
Somewhat embarrassed, she turned her face away. The breathing within the bed curtain grew slightly strained, followed by Yan Zheng's restrained, husky voice: "The old divine physician said your pregnancy is unstable. You need to rest and recuperate properly first, don't harm your health."
Chu Ruoyan nodded, then asked in surprise: "The old divine physician has been here? Then what about Qin—"
She cut herself off, instinctively looking towards the outside of the bed curtain to see if anyone else was present.
But Yan Zheng turned her face back towards him, enunciating each word clearly: "That person is fine. Your Second Elder Brother is awake too. Song Jia is dead. What else do you want to know, hmm?"
Chu Ruoyan was taken aback, clearly sensing the man's anger.
Then, her chin felt cool as he lifted it: "Ah Yan, why are you always like this, with endless worries? What did I tell you before I left? Wait for me to handle everything. But you? Did you take any of it to heart?"
The woman subconsciously replied: "But the other side..."
"I know. There are endless rotten matters, but that's the failing of those below. It shouldn't have exhausted you like this!" Seeing her speechless look, Yan Zheng's heart softened again, his voice unconsciously gentle. "Ah Yan, I'm not blaming you. I blame myself for not being by your side, letting all those demons and monsters crowd around you!"
Chu Ruoyan quickly pressed her fingers to his lips: "Nonsense. You're charging into battle at the front, and if I still make you worry about the rear, wouldn't that be my failing as your wife?"
Yan Zheng grasped her fingers: "Ah Yan, I just hope that from now on, you will put yourself first. Otherwise, if anything were to happen to you... I don't know what I might do."
Chu Ruoyan's heart skipped a beat, remembering the frenzied figure from her dream. She immediately threw herself forward to hug him: "No! That day will never come!"
The young lady's sudden initiative made the man curl the corner of his lips: "Alright, it won't."
The two of them simply held each other quietly, savoring this rare moment of tenderness.
After a long while, Yan Zheng finally released her: "Ah Yan, my return to the capital this time was impulsive. I can't stay long, there are still some matters I need to handle..."
The woman promptly let go: "Alright. Will you be back for dinner tonight?"
Yan Zheng was stunned. He hadn't heard those words since he went off to war.
The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily: "Yes. Thank you for your trouble, madam."
Outside the room, Meng Yang, hearing this, felt a pang of bitterness.
The young master only knows to thank his wife for her trouble. Why doesn't he know to show some consideration for his subordinates?
This time, they had run eight horses to death, traveling day and night to get back...
But looking at the shadow in the courtyard being punished by standing like a wooden stake, he didn't dare utter a single word of this.
Hundred Knowledge Pavilion.
When Yan Zheng arrived, Yun Lang was in the middle of killing someone.
He had captured a group of Song Jia's people and was meticulously, without any trouble, beheading them one by one.
Hearing that his brother-in-law had come, he didn't bother with his blood-stained hands, casually tossed a head aside, and leaned back on his couch: "Here to demand accountability? Don't worry, I'll give you an explanation."
Yan Zheng gave a cold laugh and glanced at Meng Yang. The latter cupped his hands and said: "Pavilion Master, I'm afraid that explanation won't be easy to give. My young master also encountered them in the southern barbarian lands. There was some Vermilion Bird Envoy, Black Tortoise Envoy, and a White Tiger Envoy who was seriously wounded by my young master."
Yun Lang narrowed his peach-blossom eyes, then clapped his hands and laughed: "My dear cousin only has four envoys under him. Three ran off to your side, and the remaining one was killed by you. Quite the skill!"
Yan Zheng snorted, lifted his robe, and sat down opposite him: "Yun Lang, did I overestimate you? The dignified master of the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion, actually falling for a trap set by your own people, unable to even protect your own little sister!"
Mentioning this, Yun Lang's expression also darkened: "Tripping in the gutter, I was careless!"
Who could have thought that Hongxiu, who had been with him the longest, would turn against him!
Seeing this, Yan Zheng didn't say more.
They were both intelligent people; some gutters only needed to be fallen into once.
And considering that, this fellow was still his brother-in-law, so it wasn't wise to offend him too harshly...
"Pavilion Master Lang, since you are well aware, there's no need for me to remind you further. Ah Yan's and your identities are both too sensitive. If you want to stay in the capital, you absolutely must not be exposed. I have to leave again tomorrow, so her safety will have to be entrusted to you for a while longer."
Yun Lang raised an eyebrow: "Don't worry. If there's another mistake, this Pavilion Master will twist his own head off and give it to you as a chamber pot!"
Yan Zheng's mouth twitched: "That won't be necessary. Farewell."
He stood up to leave. Yun Lang suddenly said: "Wait, haven't you forgotten something?"
Yan Zheng: "?"
"You married my little sister, so I am your brother-in-law. What, can't even be bothered to call me that?" Yun Lang looked at him with keen interest, as if he was looking forward to seeing this current Chief Grand Secretary bow his head before him.
But Yan Zheng cupped his hands without hesitation: "Second Elder Brother."
With that, he strode away, leaving Yun Lang, who had wanted to tease him, looking bewildered.
That was way too fast!
Meanwhile, in the Bodhi Courtyard, the sky was almost turned upside down.
While Chu Ruoyan was still lying in her room, she heard Yulu speaking to someone in a hushed voice.
"What does the young master mean by this? Bringing a woman back? And daring to place her openly in the young mistress's courtyard?"
"Keep your voice down, don't let the young mistress hear!"
“And what if she does hear? How can there be such a thing? It's too bullying...”
Chu Ruoyan was momentarily taken aback, feeling a flicker of curiosity.
Yan Zheng, a man who wouldn't even tolerate a female mosquito in his courtyard, had actually brought a woman back?
Had the sun risen in the west?
She threw on her outer robe and stepped out, running right into Yulu and Nanny Zhou who had been speaking.
The two women lowered their heads in a fluster upon seeing her. "No need to hide it," said Chu Ruoyan. "I heard everything. What woman? Take me to see."
