“Yes,” Master Sun looked at me again. “The lady’s constitution is special. I’m afraid she may find it difficult to conceive a child.”
My mind went blank.
The Queen turned around, approaching me with a sympathetic expression. “No wonder Lady An has been married to Lord An for over two years without a child. Please be at ease, I will have Master Sun prescribe some tonic to help you recover soon.”
I stood there like a wooden chicken, nodding slightly. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The Queen and the physician left the side hall, leaving me to rest. However, I took the opportunity to walk out to the garden, pacing back and forth in distress.
I was troubled not because the physician said I was infertile, but because I realized I had been too clever and fallen into a trap, with no way to explain myself.
Previously, Doctor Liu had checked my pulse, and I had always been healthy. Where did this cold condition come from? But now that the imperial physician had spoken, it was set in stone and irrefutable. If the Queen insists you are ill, how dare you say otherwise?
The question was, what was her purpose in forcing this infertility diagnosis on me?
I immediately thought of the Seventh Princess. Could she be creating a reason for the Seventh Princess to marry An Jin by having me divorced? But I quickly dismissed this thought. The marriage alliance with Western Liang was imminent and could not be called off at this time.
Even if this wasn’t the reason, it certainly wasn’t good news. It seemed that the cup of wine was likely meant to make me faint, providing an excuse to examine my pulse. I hadn’t expected my spontaneous fainting to save them the trouble of the wine.
Oh, An Jin, I’ve ultimately let you down… But why couldn’t you have explained things more clearly?
Frustrated, I tugged at my ear and walked several rounds, only to run into someone standing very straight, smiling coldly.
“Seventh… Princess?” I was stunned.
She smiled sweetly. “My lady, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.”
Before I could grasp the meaning of her words, I felt a pain in my neck.
Covering my neck, I turned to see a red-clad guard raising his hand, looking surprised: “Not unconscious yet?”
“My neck has always been tough,” I helpfully explained.
The Seventh Princess’s face darkened. She pulled out a sachet from somewhere and pressed it against my nose.
This time, I truly passed out.
When I awoke, touch was the first sense to react. I was on another soft bed.
I breathed a sigh of relief. At least the Seventh Princess hadn’t been cruel enough to throw me in a dark cell for torture.
Then I smelled a deep, rich fragrance.
Ambergris? I relaxed again. At least I was still in the palace.
I opened my eyes. A bright yellow bed curtain, surrounded by golden dragon tassels.
The breath I had just relaxed caught in my throat again. The Seventh Princess hadn’t brought me to the Dragon’s Bed, had she?!
“Awake?” A familiar voice, beautiful yet slightly gloomy.
I stared at the slightly effeminate face before me, opening my mouth but only producing unintelligible sounds. I tried to move and found that except for my eyelids, nothing would budge. Apparently, the Seventh Princess had delivered me like a packaged gift.
“Unexpectedly, my royal sister has sent me a great gift,” the Crown Prince smiled brilliantly. “My lady, should I accept this gift or not?”
The Crown Prince’s face looked somewhat unsightly. He glanced at me and said coldly, “Don’t think he can take you away.” Then he stood up, put on an outer robe, and walked outside the hall.
I strained my ears and could vaguely hear the conversation outside.
“…Does the Prince know the whereabouts of my wife?”
“How could… she be missing?”
I was feeling anxious. An Jin, An Jin, I’m right here, come and take me away quickly!
But obviously, An Jin did not hear my inner voice.
“Does the Prince really not know where my wife has gone?”
“I do not know.” The Crown Prince’s voice was steady. I was indignant; the Crown Prince was indeed lying without even a tremor in his voice!
An Jin seemed to fall silent for a while. I thought of his previous confrontational attitude towards the Crown Prince, and hope ignited in my heart. If only he would burst in and take a look…
“Since that is the case, this subject will not disturb the Prince.” An Jin’s voice was composed. “This subject takes his leave.”
He left, actually just leaving like that. Thinking about it, he couldn’t be aggressive on someone else’s territory. If he did, he would likely become a prisoner as a Ministry of Personnel official.
The Crown Prince came back in, clearly pleased with himself, his footsteps much lighter.
“Did I not say so?” He pulled back the golden bed curtains, a smile hanging on his lips. “My lady, just stay here peacefully. I can protect you completely, yes?”
I blinked.
His expression cooled slightly. “Why must you be so stubborn? I am doing this for your own good.”
He shook his head. “I originally directed my heart to the bright moon, but the moon only illuminates the gutter. A good bird chooses its nest; An Jin is not a worthy tree to rely on.”
He seemed to realize something. “Oh, I almost forgot, my lady cannot speak yet.”
I closed my eyes gratefully, almost moved to tears. He pulled out a sachet from somewhere and brought it to my nose. A strong, irritating smell entered my nostrils, making me choke and cough. After coughing, my throat gradually regained movement, and I could even move my hands and feet.
The Crown Prince watched me warily, as if I might run away the next moment.
I stiffly nodded my neck, eyes brimming with tears: “The Crown Prince is licentious and took a fancy to my looks, forcibly abducting me into the palace. I wash my face with tears daily, fortunately rescued by this brave hero…”
The masked man finally seemed unable to contain his indignation, covering his forehead and turning away, his shoulders trembling several times before calming down. “Since that’s the case, I shall act righteously today and rescue you from peril.”
I was overwhelmingly grateful.
He walked to my side, grabbed my waist and tucked me under his arm, preparing to leap. I tugged his sleeve: “Can we change positions?”
He thought for a moment, then hoisted me over his shoulder, head hanging down.
Tears streamed down my face. “Hero, isn’t there a more comfortable way to carry me? Like holding me with both hands…”
He coldly replied, “Do you think I could use lightness kung fu while holding you with both hands?”
I gritted my teeth. “In that case, let’s return to the previous position. Thank you, hero. When I return home, I’ll surely have my husband properly reward you…”
Before finishing my sentence, he flipped me and tucked me under his right arm, leaping out the window.
The sky was spinning, the ground sinking, my neck wailing, my intestines churning. The hero carried me over one, two, three… countless walls and rooftops covered in white snow, cold wind whistling down my neck. In this torment, I could only desperately divert my consciousness.
I painfully told him that Liusheng WeiJie’s delicate, scholarly appearance was the future male standard in Yan Feng City, and that brute strength and fighting were crude and inelegant, suitable only for supporting characters. He was discouraged, dragging his sword home dejectedly in the sunset, never mentioning martial arts again.
The hero before me, able to freely move in the heavily guarded Qifeng Palace while carrying a human-shaped rice bag, clearly possessed high martial skills.
A memorial arch was nearby, with hanging lanterns barely illuminating the surroundings, revealing we were on a willow-lined embankment. The hero stood by a willow tree, arms crossed, watching me.
“Are you okay?”
