Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I heard the sound of hooves outside, followed by the clatter of military boots on the stone pavement.

I wasn’t the only one who heard it. The old woman, who had already gone to bed, was startled awake and hurried to the door, draping a cloak over her shoulders.

“Officers, what is the matter?”

“Move aside. We are pursuing a high-profile fugitive and must conduct a search.”

The old woman tried to stop them, looking troubled.

“Officers, you cannot…”

Ignoring her completely, the lead commander kicked open the door to my room. Panicking, the old woman tried to shield the entrance with her body, attempting to explain.

“Officers…”

“Nanny, let them in.”

I sat up, carrying the lingering drowsiness of one startled from sleep. The bed was veiled by a layer of gauze curtains, which cast a faint, blurry silhouette of my figure.

To the commander, the scene likely resembled a scholar encountering a female ghost in an ancient temple; I heard his footsteps come to a sudden halt.

I unfastened the medallion from my waist and tossed it out. The words ‘Eastern Palace’ were clearly engraved upon it.

“I am a Crown Prince’s Secondary Consort. I have been sent here to reflect on my mistakes after offending the Crown Princess.”

“But regardless of the circumstances, my body has been touched by the Crown Prince. If I were to be seen by other men…”

I gave a soft laugh. “I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince would be furious if he found out?”

The commander paused.

“Please forgive my intrusion, Your Highness.”

He made no further attempt to enter, standing formally at the doorway as he asked, “May I ask if the Secondary Consort has seen any suspicious individuals?”

“Suspicious individuals? Do you mean men?”

I let out a scoff.

“I am already being punished. If I were to fool around with some wild man from outside, no matter how cheap my life is, I wouldn’t dare play such a reckless game.”

“My apologies for the disturbance.”

The commander retreated, and the sound of hooves gradually faded into the distance.

“Nanny,” I said softly to the woman outside, “I am feeling unwell and need some herbs. Could you buy them for me?”

I passed a prescription out the door, along with a high-quality jade thumb ring.

A short while later, the medicine was brought back.

I lifted the gauze curtains. The man in black was lying on the bed. I didn’t remove his face mask, so I couldn’t see his features, but the eyes he revealed were remarkably beautiful. At this moment, they were staring at me quietly.

“Was what you said true?” he asked. “Are you a Secondary Consort of the Southern Chen Crown Prince?”

“I was just bluffing them.” I put the herbs into my mouth and began to chew.

“It sounded true to me.”

“Are you quite finished?”

I furrowed my brows impatiently.

“I am the one saving you right now. Why do you have so many questions? Do you see me wasting time asking who you are?” I reached for the man’s belt, but the knot was tied too tightly. Being ill, I lacked strength in my hands, so I tilted my chin at him.

“Undo it.”

“Tsk. I had always heard that the women of Southern Chen were very conservative.”

Despite his words, he unfastened his clothes.

I spat the chewed herbs onto his wound.

“These should have been ground up, but there are no tools here, so don’t be picky,” I said. “The arrow was poisoned. I don’t have an antidote, but these herbs can suppress it for a few hours. You need to find an antidote as soon as possible.”

“You could ask me,” he said suddenly, watching me apply the medicine.

“What?” I didn’t catch his meaning.

“I mean, you could ask me who I am.”

Having finished applying the herbs, I tore a strip of cloth from my skirt to wrap the wound.

“There is no need,” I said calmly. “I know who you are.”

He gave an imperceptible flinch, causing my bandage to go crooked.

“Who am I?”

“A Northern Qiang Prince. Di-something. I’ve heard your name before, but I didn’t memorize it.”

I unhurriedly adjusted the position of the bandage.

“They say you are the King of Scouts. While your brother is on the front lines, you penetrate deep into enemy territory.”

Finally finished with the bandaging, I let out a long breath.

“Infiltrating the capital only to be hunted by the army-that must be you.”

The man in black lay motionless on the bed. He looked at me with eyes much deeper than those of the Southern Chen people, like two pools of water under the night sky.

“If you know who I am… why save me?” His voice was somewhat raspy. “Shouldn’t you turn me over to the army?”

“Then you would have snapped my neck before I could make a sound,” I said with absolute certainty.

He remained silent, which was as good as an admission.

“Besides, I am a healer. When I see someone injured or ill, my first instinct is to save them.”

So why did Shen Chengyun have to use pregnancy-stabilizing medicine to slander me? Medicine is meant to save people, never to poison them.

“The herbs I applied will only last a few hours. Find an antidote quickly.”

In the courtyard, under the moonlight, I watched the man leap onto the roof ridge. He turned back, looking at me one last time.

“Han.”

“What?”

“Di Han. That is my name.”

He flashed a smile at me.

“Next time we meet, don’t forget it again.”

I smiled as well. Though I knew there wouldn’t be a next time, I still gave a small wave.

“I’ll remember.”