Chapter 7
An unreadable mixture of feelings flashed through Qi Yuchen’s eyes.
He took the sachet, stroked it twice, then looked up. “Did she send any message?”
I shook my head.
He gave a light snort. “I see. His Majesty is waiting outside. Go now—and Xiaocao, don’t forget what I told you.”
When I came out, Xie Heng was in the garden.
Qi Yuxian stood before him, looking up and saying something.
I paused, then walked over, just in time to hear her coy voice. “I’ve read the books. I know the ancient story of Ehuang and Nüying…”
He listened without speaking, his eyes tranquil and his expression faintly absent. But when he saw me, he smiled.
He was so handsome when he smiled that I stared for a moment. Then a warm hand closed around mine, and he spoke. “Miss Qi may wish to be Ehuang, but I have no wish to be Emperor Shun.”
Qi Yuxian’s face filled with humiliation. She forced a bow, turned, and left without looking back.
Holding my hand, Xie Heng asked with a smile, “Finished talking to your brother?”
I opened my mouth. “…He isn’t my brother.”
“It doesn’t matter. He isn’t important anyway.” Xie Heng nodded unconcernedly. “If you’re finished, let’s go.”
He held my hand tightly all the way, and we passed side by side through the gardens and corridors.
Those paths had once made me tense and awkward. Walking them with Xie Heng, I felt only comfort and peace.
At the entrance, the chancellor brought his people out to see us off.
But just as Xie Heng stopped at the gate, an arrow flew in from the side. It grazed his cheek and buried itself deep in the gatepost.
“Xie Heng!”
Terror overwhelmed me. I cried his name without thinking and turned toward him.
A thin line of blood was slowly welling from his pale cheek.
Panicking, I reached to wipe it away. He caught my hand and gently shook his head.
Then he turned and stared coldly at the household until their expressions grew uglier.
The chancellor seized Qi Yuchen’s hand and abruptly fell to his knees.
“Forgive us, Your Majesty!” Qi Yuchen said urgently. “Guards, search every inch around the residence. Find that assassin!”
The guards were about to obey when Xie Heng stopped them. “Never mind.”
“They’re long gone.” His voice was cold as he held my hand. “Someone who fires one arrow and leaves is hardly an assassin. I suspect it was a warning.”
Qi Yuchen knelt, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. “Your Majesty, we have no connection with this person. Let me investigate. I will apprehend the assassin within five days!”
Xie Heng laughed softly. “You had better.”
Then he took me into the carriage.
Before we left, I glanced back and met Qi Yuchen’s gaze.
Amid its fear and confusion was a trace of murderous intent.
As we drove away, I anxiously tried to examine Xie Heng’s wound. He pressed down my hand and shook his head. “It’s all right, Sangsang. Just a scratch.”
“How dare Qi Yuchen!” I bit my lip. “I already followed his orders and poisoned you. Why send another assassin? Is he that impatient?”
In broad daylight, outside his own house.
How dared he?
Xie Heng smiled and stroked my head. “Don’t worry. They want me dead, but they don’t want my death linked to them. They didn’t arrange today’s attack.”
He tapped the carriage wall. “Eleven.”
A figure immediately slipped through the window with remarkable agility.
Startled, I instinctively drew closer to Xie Heng. He chuckled and held me more tightly.
He always… made me feel safe.
The gray-clad figure called Eleven raised his head. His was a boyish face, still touched with youth.
Seeing the wound, he lowered his head. “I injured Your Majesty. I deserve death.”
My eyes widened. “It was you?!”
“All right. You may go.”
Eleven answered, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Xie Heng kissed the top of my head and spoke quietly. “Eleven is my hidden guard. I ordered that shot to throw the chancellor’s household into confusion.”
I only half understood.
Twining a lock of my hair around his finger, he patiently explained.
“For now, the Qi family still appear to be loyal ministers. No one knows their treacherous ambitions. I must expose them, so that when I punish them later, the other officials cannot force my hand.”
I leaned against him and thought hard. Gradually, I began to understand. “So they sent me as the nonexistent Qi Yuwan to poison you, but didn’t kill my family. If you really died, they could deny any connection with me. Is that it?”
He smiled. “Yes. My little Fusang is very clever.
“If you’d been taught to read as a child, your learning would be no less than any man at court.”
I blushed at the praise and buried my face against him. After a moment, I lifted it again.
At that very instant, he happened to lower his head.
His warm, soft lips brushed my forehead, leaving the faintest lingering touch.
My face grew hotter, but I tried to sound calm. “Xie Heng, I want to see my parents and brother.”
His hand stopped beside my ear. “Mm? Why?”
“I want to… make sure of something.”