Lin Yanxi plunged the broken blade in her hand into her chest under his gaze. Blood instantly dyed her clothes red, then trickled down the blade, drop by drop, landing in the bronze basin filled with talismans.
"Lin Yanxi! Get out here! I don't need you to save me in such a way!" Shen Muzhou was outside the barrier, desperately trying to break through, but was repeatedly repelled by the talismans, falling to the ground.
He lifted his bloodshot eyes and looked at the little girl covered in blood, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, calm down. The second miss will be alright, she will definitely be alright." Xiao Liu rushed forward, trying to help Shen Muzhou up.
Shen Muzhou pushed himself up from the ground and stumbled forward a few steps, his body swaying precariously, leaning more than half his weight on Xiao Liu to keep from falling.
He continued to move with difficulty, step by small step, towards the barrier.
"Your Highness." Xiao Liu called out helplessly.
Shen Muzhou struggled to lift his arm. The moment his fingertips touched the edge of the barrier set by the talismans, he was thrown back again, landing heavily on the ground. Xiao Liu was also sent flying several meters away and fainted.
He lay on the ground, trembling, a thin layer of frost forming on his eyebrows and temples. "Yanxi, live..."
The cold disease raged within him, plundering his life. He forced his eyes open, only able to watch Lin Yanxi in the room, powerless to do anything.
Jiang Mingsheng saw the short blade buried in her chest. He formed a seal with his hands and pointed at the hilt. The blade twisted half an inch deeper into the flesh.
"Ah—"
This half-inch was so painful it made her suffocate.
As the blood dripped into the bronze basin, the black talismans absorbed it all, slowly turning blood-red.
She felt very cold, her frail body stiff and helpless. She collapsed on the ground, her breath faint.
Jiang Mingsheng pointed again with his fingertip, and the hilt sank another half-inch into her flesh. From the wound, one could see her tender flesh turning outward. Jiang Mingsheng used his talismanic arts to guide the blood into the black talismans.
"Ah." Her body convulsed, her limbs curling up, then biting her teeth to force them to relax.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on her smooth forehead.
Shen Muzhou lay on the ground. Without Xiao Liu's support, he could only crawl arduously towards the barrier, step by step.
His limbs slowly became stiff, covered with a layer of white frost.
"No... Yanxi, Zhaozhao... live, you live."
"Pfft—"
The next moment.
They were both trying their utmost to keep the other alive.
Jiang Mingsheng glanced at the talisman, only a corner of which remained black, not yet stained with blood.
He looked at his disciple, tormented and covered in blood, with heartache. He condensed his talismanic power again. "Disciple, bear with it."
The blade dug into her flesh once more.
Lin Yanxi gritted her teeth against the pain, letting out a muffled groan. Her entire body was ice-cold, a chill almost akin to death...
"Let's live together."
---
Fifth Prince's Residence.
Night had completely fallen, and the guests had dispersed. Shen Yu, somewhat tipsy, walked inside.
He mumbled, "Little Jiu is so disloyal, leaving without a word."
A nearby attendant held him up and reminded him, "Your Highness, the secondary consort is still waiting."
Hearing "secondary consort," his heart fluttered first, then he grinned foolishly.
He asked, "How is it? Is my hair messy? Is my attire improper?"
As he spoke, he sniffed his sleeve. "Is the smell of wine too strong? She doesn't like me drinking. She's a noble county princess, marrying me and only being a secondary consort. She must feel wronged. I'll have to coax her quite a bit later to get her to settle down."
In his memory, Luo Jingxin was not as gentle and amiable as she appeared. She had many little tempers and needed constant coaxing.
The attendant led him toward the bedroom. "Your Highness, walk slowly."
Master and servant, one after the other, stopped before a wooden door adorned with red "xi" characters. Shen Yu tidied his hair and clothes, then nervously pushed the door open.
A woman with a red veil covering her head sat perfectly upright on the bed.
She seemed a bit plump; her waist was slightly thicker than Luo Jingxin's slender, tall figure.
He smiled, showing no hint of disdain. A little chubbiness was fine; as long as it was her, it was all good.
Shen Yu, swaying, picked up a red weighing rod tied with a jade pendant from the table and lifted the veil.
Luo Wanwan lowered her face, shrinking back in fear.
The room fell silent for a moment. Shen Yu stared at her, stunned, then rubbed his eyes. The person before him had not changed.
After a long pause, he stammered, "You, Luo Wanwan? You... why are you here?"
Luo Wanwan kept her eyes down, afraid to look at him.
Actually, even if she didn't say anything, Shen Yu understood.
He had heard that a young maidservant had recently joined the Princess Chaoyang's side; she was her legitimate younger sister brought from the Prince Anchang's mansion.
He had thought they were getting married, and Prince Anchang, who always doted on his legitimate daughter residing far away, had sent his sister to congratulate them.
He never expected her to be here to marry him in her place.
"Was it her idea? Did she arrange this properly?"
His eyes reddened, his voice trembling slightly.
Luo Wanwan sat on the bed, looking at him shyly, not knowing how to answer. Such matters did not require her answer.
They had grown up together; how could he not know Jingxin's temperament?
An unnamed rage snapped the last thread of reason in his mind. He carelessly tossed the red veil back onto her and asked coldly, "Why did you conspire with them to deceive me?"
His heart full of joy, only to be met with emptiness – how could he not be angry?
He then went mad, tearing down the "xi" characters and red silks all over the room. "Why? Why did you deceive me too!"
"Does she really not want to marry me? Does she hate me that much!"
"And you? Coveting the position of imperial consort, or do you like wealth and glory? Is it worth it to trade your entire life for it?"
He looked down at her, gripping her chin for a moment before disdainfully releasing her hand. "You're nothing like her. If it were your elder sister, she would never have endured this meekly."
Luo Wanwan was terrified by his frenzy. She cowered at the edge of the bed, not daring to speak. She held back her sobs, tears falling silently.
The room was a mess. He sat on the floor, exhausted.
They were both silent for a long time. He finally said weakly, "I'm not angry at you."
She understood. He was angry at the deception of the woman he loved, angry at the Empress's schemes, and angry at his powerlessness against imperial authority.
Luo Wanwan's voice trembled as she cried, timidly saying, "I'm sorry."
Unfortunately, this apology could not mend anything.
He gave a self-deprecating laugh, a smile uglier than crying. He got up from the floor and, gazing at the face that bore some resemblance to Luo Jingxin's, asked again, "She's marrying Little Jiu, isn't she?"
At this moment, Wanwan felt he was pitiful and couldn't hide it any longer. "Mm."
His body swayed uncontrollably. He tried to stand steadily. "She's always been like this since childhood. What she wants, she will strive to get."
"If she had been willing to marry me obediently, she wouldn't be herself."
After saying this, Shen Yu left the room. The guards outside looked at each other, then glanced at the mess inside. They knelt on the ground, not daring to speak.
Wanwan sat for a long time amidst the mess in the room. She changed out of her wedding attire, feeling a bit hungry. "Xiao Tao... Xiao Tao?"
She called out a few times, but no one answered. She walked outside. No one was waiting to serve her in the courtyard. Her courtyard was adjacent to the main courtyard. She walked a few more steps and heard the sound of a man sobbing in distress.
After searching around, she discovered the voice came from above.
Shen Yu sat on the roof ridge, surrounded by several wine jars. He took a sip of wine, gazing in the direction of the imperial palace, murmuring, "Jingxin, Xin'er..."
Xiao Tao then walked over from a distance and said, "Secondary consort, it's a day of great joy today, and you've been wronged. Would you like me to call the Prince down?"
Luo Wanwan shook her head. "Forget it. His heart is hurting; let him be."
"I'm a bit hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
She hadn't eaten anything all day. Xiao Tao thought for a moment and said, "At this hour, there are only leftovers. Oh, right, the Crown Prince sent over congratulatory gifts; there's a piece of sugar cake. Why don't you have some pastry to tide you over, Secondary Consort?"
Luo Wanwan was not picky about food, and she also loved sugar cake. "Okay."
She turned and went back into the room. When Xiao Tao brought her the pastry, the sky was already faintly brightening. She took a bite of half the sugar cake and found it tasted quite good and strangely familiar.
---
Jiang Mingsheng merged the blood talisman with the Twin Flowers and injected it into Shen Muzhou's body. By then, there was no breath from his nose.
He could only try to save him as a last resort, gambling on his fate.
Shen Muzhou remained unconscious for a day and a night, constantly vomiting blood. Xiao Liu was extremely anxious and went to find Jiang Mingsheng several times. He impatiently said, "Why are you still looking for me? The blood talisman has already entered his body. Whether he can be cured depends on himself."
"To save your Prince, my disciple... my disciple is still unknown whether she lives or dies!"
As they argued, a servant ran over and said, "Your Highness is awake! Your Highness is awake!"
Jiang Mingsheng shot them a glare and huffily returned to guard Lin Yanxi. For the past few days, he had been infusing Lin Yanxi with a lot of talismanic power to keep her alive.
Later that day, Shen Muzhou, with his recently recovered body, went to see Lin Yanxi.
The young girl's pale face had no trace of color. She lay quietly on the bed, her breathing shallow, devoid of any vitality.
The people of Moonfall Pavilion were also in low spirits, secretly wiping away tears.
In the past, Moonfall Pavilion had been the liveliest place in the entire residence.
Xiao Liu followed behind and tentatively whispered, "Your Highness, you've just woken up. The second miss has servants attending her."
Shen Muzhou's face was equally pale. He gently took Lin Yanxi's small hand. After the cold disease was resolved, his body gradually began to warm up, but Lin Yanxi's hand was frighteningly cold.
He rubbed her small hand and turned back to say, "You all go down first."
Li Zi and Tang Chao retreated outside the room, glancing back repeatedly.
As Xiao Liu was about to leave, Shen Muzhou called out to him, "Xiao Liu."
"Have there been any developments in the investigation I asked you to conduct?"
Xiao Liu knelt on the ground and replied, "There are already some clues."
Shen Muzhou, while investigating the corruption of officials in Ghost Town and the trading of official positions, discovered that it was connected to the Crown Prince. He had asked Xiao Liu to follow this lead.
If anything were to happen to him, with Lin Yanxi holding this evidence, the Crown Prince would not be able to make things difficult for her.
Xiao Liu continued, "However, the matter is complicated and will require some time."
Shen Muzhou's gaze remained fixed on Lin Yanxi. "Good, continue the investigation, but don't alert the enemy."
"Yes." With that, Xiao Liu withdrew.
He used a handkerchief to moisten it slightly and gently dabbed it on her lips. Her pale lips regained a touch of moist pink.
"Wake up soon. I'll grant you whatever you wish."
"I owe you my life this time."
Shen Muzhou stayed by Lin Yanxi's bedside for three days, feigning illness and not attending court. During this time, Jingxin visited daily but was turned away.
"An imperial edict has arrived—"
In the early morning, the cry of "An imperial edict has arrived" broke the oppressive and somber atmosphere in the residence.