Ye Hui pulled out his hardness from his pants, about to lower her head... Qin Yuhang blocked her with his hand, reprimanding: "Stop fooling around. Rest well today, and do nothing."
"Ah, I just wanted to make you feel good, not to do anything. Why are you thinking so perversely?" Ye Hui's delicate eyebrows, like blue-black ink, gently furrowed, her bright eyes holding a light of seeming guilt, sighing: "Only with you do I feel not just passion, but a sense of tranquility and peace, a feeling only true spouses have."
"We are already husband and wife," Qin Yuhang wrapped his hand around his wife's back, gently patting her from behind, quietly observing her pure and elegant face, his deep eyes rippling: "They lack security and want to be intimate at every opportunity. We are different. You are my legally wedded wife."
Ye Hui, thinking of her status as a princess, teased: "This legitimate husband might be giving way soon."
In the past, Yingtang Kingdom had monarchs with secondary husbands, but no one dared to treat a national ruler as a secondary husband. Even historical records would note a queen's husband as a certain emperor, not a husband relegated to a corner.
Qin Yuhang smiled with warmth comparable to a gentle breeze: "When I chose the senior brother for you, I wanted you to reach the position of national mother. I will not regret this." He only wanted to leave the best things for her.
Ye Hui's eyes, like an autumn lake, embraced him, muttering: "My love, no matter how many men I have, you will always be my greatest love."
Qin Yuhang turned and blew out the lamp, pulling the blanket over them: "Sleep, my wife. Rest well tonight. I'll want you again tomorrow morning!"
"Gladly."
A few days later, it was the Dragon Boat Festival. The entire family, accompanied by a group of guards, went out to see the festivities. In the sparsely populated northwestern region, the streets were relatively wide. Throughout the morning, lion dance teams, dragon dance teams, acrobatic troupes, and people from various ethnicities in vibrant costumes came to enjoy the celebration.
Merchants seized the opportunity to sell goods. Colorful tents were set up everywhere, selling snacks, crafts, cosmetics, clothing, accessories, and daily necessities.
Muo Qi held the child to Ye Hui's right, with Qin Yuhang on her left, Old Ten and Old Eleven behind, and finally, a twenty-person royal guard in uniform.
The street was crowded, but people automatically made way upon recognizing Ye Hui's group as untouchable.
After wandering for an hour and feeling tired, they passed a tea stall. The owner was extremely hospitable, offering cooling herbal tea. Ye Hui invited everyone to rest at the tea stall.
The shopkeeper served the tea. Ye Hui, parched, was about to drink... Qin Yuhang, having learned from servants about his wife's previous kidnapping by human traffickers who drugged her, snatched the cup and took a sip, saying "It's fine" before handing it to her. Trained in his sect, he could usually detect most poisons and sedatives.
Ye Hui, remembering her previous mishap, laughed sheepishly: "With so many eyes watching, who would dare cause trouble? They'd be courting death, my love." The weather was hot, and she tilted her head back, drinking the entire cup of cool tea.
Qin Yuhang wiped her mouth with his sleeve. Ye Hui had Muo Qi bring Heng Ting, asking the shopkeeper for a spoon to feed the child some tea. As she took the child from Muo Qi, she suddenly felt dizzy, her chest tight. She swayed and vomited blood, falling backward but clutching the child tightly.
Qin Yuhang shouted in alarm, embracing his wife and child, sweeping the blankets from Old Ten and Old Eleven's hands: "Protect the queen! This is a thieves' shop!"
"Today, no one escapes! Capture the Chu Wang's wife and child for a great reward. Capture or kill!" A loud shout, and a group of black-clothed people with masked faces and weapons rushed from behind the tent.
The Chu Wang Palace guards, well-trained, immediately formed a protective circle around Ye Hui, drawing their weapons to fight the black-clothed attackers.
Old Ten and Old Eleven, one on each side, protected Ye Hui, blocking hidden weapons and asking: "How is she? Is the poison too strong?"
"My wife?" Qin Yuhang placed his hand on her pulse, feeling her heartbeat was very slow.
Held by him, Ye Hui's body was soft, her mind spinning. She struggled to open her eyes, emitting a voice as thin as a mosquito: "The child... the child..."
Qin Yuhang held her tightly: "The child is fine, don't worry."
"Protect the child, don't mind me," Ye Hui said, then her head drooped to one side. Qin Yuhang was startled and checked her pulse again. Fortunately, she had just fainted. He originally had antidote pills from his sect, but they were left in the Chu Wang Palace.
Old Eleven, in the midst of chaos, threw a medicine bottle to Qin Yuhang: "Give the queen this medicine. It might not be effective, but it can protect her vital energy."
The pill was good for treating internal injuries but not specifically for detoxification.
Muo Qi had already taken Heng Ting, trembling, her heart racing, eyes filled with tears - not worried about her own situation, but concerned for her master's condition.
Heng Ting was scared to the point of wailing loudly by the chaotic scene. Mo Qi saw some yellow food packaging paper on the table, tore two pieces, pinched them and stuffed them into his ears, then quickly took off her long gown to completely wrap his small body, hugging him tightly and gently comforting him, paying no attention to the deadly fighting around her. She didn’t even furrow her brow when her arm was somehow scratched by a flying hidden weapon.
The guards of the Prince of Chu’s palace had been with Huangfu Zeuan for many years and were extremely loyal, but the assassins were likely specially trained death warriors who were willing to fight to the death.
One black-clad assassin who was stabbed in the abdomen chose to take a guard down with him, inserting his knife into the guard’s heart, and they both fell.
The street that was just bustling moments ago quickly emptied as people were cut down and others ran away in terror. Only the bold ones watched from a safe distance.
Even if the common people didn’t know the details, such an assassination scene couldn’t go unreported. The street patrol officers were certainly not idle, and the uniform of the Prince of Chu’s guards clearly indicated the identity of the attacked person.
If the Princess Consort were to be killed in this city, almost all officials would be implicated. Some quickly ran to the county office to report, while others hurried to the military camp to request reinforcements.
As time passed, the assassins knew that prolonging the fight would be disadvantageous, and they went mad with desperate tactics.
One black-clad assassin, stabbed in the abdomen with an eye fallen out, swung his knife, his mind filled with thoughts of his family being killed if the assassination failed. His face suddenly turned savage as he lunged forward, his head instantly destroyed, spraying blood over a meter high, his headless body falling backward.
Though the assassin died, he had broken through the Prince of Chu’s guards’ tight defense, allowing several black-clad assassins to rush in to kill Ye Hui.
The guards fought desperately to block the breach. One was covered in blood, wounded in multiple places, his movements slowing, with a wound in his side bleeding profusely, yet still gritting his teeth in fierce combat.
Old Eleven stepped forward to replace him, his sword drawing an arc. His blade cut like butter, and with a crisp sound, he broke an assassin’s knife in half, then immediately cut off the assassin’s arms. “Die!” Old Eleven laughed grimly, kicking the man flying.
