“Be careful, my lady.”
Several gray crane wings brushed past my back, not painful. Xia Zhiyuan leaned close to my ear and chuckled softly:
“He won’t be able to protect you for long. It’s better to come to my side.”
As the gray mist dispersed, he released me, a subtle smile playing on his face. “Please consider carefully.”
The Eastern Palace and I walked in opposite directions, each harboring our own schemes.
After passing a grove of trees, I looked around to ensure no one was following, then pulled out a white silk cloth and waved it toward a nearby small hill.
A distant dog bark came from the hill. I felt relieved and walked along the water puddles by the forest toward the hill. I had barely gone far when the dog bark suddenly became panicked and urgent.
I stopped. Could something be wrong?
A chaotic sound of horse hooves came from the forest. I instinctively turned back, sighing at the saying “enemies often cross paths.”
Princess Xia Zhiqian, dressed in red, rode a blue horse, looking down at me with a smile. Several maids followed her, all out of breath and pale, looking like they had been running after her for a while.
“It’s indeed you,” she seemed to be waiting for me to bow, but when I didn’t respond for a long time, she spoke impatiently.
From such a distance, even in men’s clothing, she could recognize me. I smiled politely at her and bowed. “This servant greets the princess.”
Xia Zhiqian, holding a silver-handled whip, struck at me without a word. I dodged back, and the whip hit the grass, sending leaves flying.
“You dare to dodge?” she frowned.
I kept my hand behind my back, frantically waving the white silk toward the hill.
Que’er and Yuanxiao were hiding there, and they would find An Jin if they saw I was in trouble. I just needed to stall for time and wait for reinforcements.
“I completely let go of my worries. The white jade hairpin and coral waist buckle were things I bought myself, and the sandalwood beads… simply do not exist. An Jin never liked vermilion, so he had never worn the vermilion-colored auspicious crane ceremonial robe.”
The poor Seventh Princess, her mood now is probably quite complicated, mostly still guessing who this inexplicable new rival could be.
Xia Zhiqian probably thought I was too spineless, and bullying me offered no sense of achievement. She glared at me and said, “Remember, don’t foolishly try to win An Lang’s affection!”
“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.”
She turned to mount her horse, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, an extremely familiar dog bark approached from far to near, heading in my direction. Xia Zhiqian, about to mount her horse, froze and stopped moving.
A white mass, swift as lightning, came charging from the grass.
Was Yuanxiao here? I looked behind him and didn’t see Que’er. Probably Que’er went to find An Jin, while Yuanxiao insisted on finding me, thus splitting up.
With Yuanxiao’s arrival, I was touched, but Yuanxiao meeting the Seventh Princess, a ferocious dog facing a ferocious woman, might spell trouble.
Yuanxiao was quite vengeful and presumably still harbored resentment about Xia Zhiqian’s previous attempt to prevent him from being a proper dog. His massive body squatted in front of me and immediately barked fiercely at Xia Zhiqian.
Xia Zhiqian said, “Pull it away.”
I hurriedly tried to soothe him, whispering many kind words in his ear until he reluctantly calmed down.
Seeing him quiet, Xia Zhiqian instead sneered. “A cowardly dog matches a cowardly master, how fitting.”
So Yuanxiao became agitated again. This time, even I couldn’t hold him back.
He leaped forward, biting and violently pulling Xia Zhiqian’s red robe, ripping a large section of her pants, exposing her calf.
Xia Zhiqian screamed, and her attendants were too scared to approach because of Yuanxiao’s ferocity. I knew Yuanxiao was angry but wouldn’t truly bite her without my command, so the one who would ultimately suffer would likely be me. I quickly called him. Hearing my call, Yuanxiao finally let go and ran to me. Unexpectedly, Xia Zhiqian couldn’t swallow her anger and raised her whip, striking Yuanxiao hard from behind.
Yuanxiao was caught off guard, hit squarely, tumbling several times on the ground, finally collapsing beside my foot, gasping, with a bloody wound on his back, his skin torn and flesh exposed.
This whip hurt more than if it had struck me directly. In that instant, I felt completely hollowed out.
Yuanxiao struggled to rise, wobbling to my foot and lying down, rubbing against my leg and whimpering twice. I squatted down, patted his head, and whispered, “Yuanxiao, you’re a true hero.”
Xia Zhiqian ran up with her whip. “Bite! Bite again! Rabid dog, you’ll never learn without punishment!”
I looked up at her, my gaze must have been fierce, as she actually stepped back. “W-what are you doing?”
“Nothing,” I smiled and took a step toward her. “Just want to avenge Yuanxiao.”
What can be tolerated, and what cannot?
I never imagined I would one day pounce like a hungry tiger. But at that moment, I had only one belief.
You hit my Yuanxiao?! I’ll make you pay!
The previously numbed senses finally started working again, with my body aching all over, especially my face, which felt burning hot with some warm liquid flowing, unsure if it was water or blood. It sensed my pain and licked my face with its tongue, seemingly trying to comfort me.
Xia Zhiyuan followed behind me. “You’re injured,” he said with some hint of regret.
I stopped and looked back at him. “Your royal sister is more injured than me.”
I carried Yuanxiao, staggering forward. Xia Zhiyuan finally couldn’t bear it and reached out to support me, asking a servant to carry Yuanxiao. I shook my head, insisting on carrying it myself. He held my shoulder, seeming hesitant to speak.
“It’s fine, I can manage,” I said, kissing Yuanxiao’s head. “Yuanxiao, it’s time to lose weight. Even heroes can’t be too fat.”
It looked up at me, seemingly half-understanding, then buried its head in my arms, making a short, sharp whimper. Xia Zhiyuan’s hand on my shoulder applied some pressure, forcing me to lean towards him.
“Let me send you back,” he said.
“No need, my husband will come to pick me up—” I was shaking my head when An Jin’s voice rang out from ahead.
“Your Highness, please return my wife to me,” An Jin stood not far away, his face expressionless, his voice deep. Que’er stood behind him, staring at me in shock.
When did he arrive? I was puzzled.
Xia Zhiyuan stood beside me, not letting go. I struggled, but he held me tighter.
“Your Highness,” An Jin stepped forward, slowly approaching us. His lips were tightly drawn, and though he wasn’t smiling, he exuded an intimidating air. “Please return my wife to me.”
The words carried an implicit threat, far from respectful.
Xia Zhiyuan’s expression darkened. His guards, sensing the tense atmosphere, watched An Jin warily, hands on their sword hilts ready to strike. An Jin and Xia Zhiyuan faced off.
Xia Zhiyuan finally let go. I happily ran towards An Jin carrying Yuanxiao, but tripped and fell onto the grass. An Jin quickly steadied me and took Yuanxiao.
He didn’t even bid farewell to the Eastern Palace.
An Jin carried Yuanxiao in one arm, holding me with the other, silent on our way home. Upon arriving, he pulled me directly into our room and instructed servants to fetch a doctor. I sat on the bed, Yuanxiao placed on a soft cushion at my feet, both of us hanging our heads in apparent remorse. Que’er brought medicine and water, standing nearby looking dejected.
When the father-in-law heard I was injured, he rushed in to inquire, but was persuaded out by An Jin.
“Speak,” he said coldly, standing by the window without looking at me.
“Brother Jin,” I decided to use a soft approach and acted coquettish.
