Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When Pei Heng returned to the capital, he was carried back.

Rumors swirled throughout the city that Pei Heng had been ambushed by assassins, leaving him disfigured, stabbed, and poisoned. It was said he would never walk again and had lost his ability to father children.

Waves of Imperial Physicians rushed to Prince Rui’s Mansion.

And wave after wave of them emerged, shaking their heads in despair.

The Emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation.

My parents told me to go visit Pei Heng; after all, I was still his fiancée.

I didn’t want to go, but under the weight of moral obligation, I went anyway.

Once my parents had finished their condolences, only Pei Heng and I were left in the room.

His face was covered in red blotches, looking quite terrifying.

He was gaunt, sitting in a wheelchair with one leg wrapped in bandages. His brow was lowered, and his entire being seemed desolate.

I was a bit surprised.

“How did you end up in such a pathetic state?”

“After you left, another wave of assassins arrived.”

Pei Heng gave me a resentful look.

Because I had taken both the carriage and the horse, he was slow on foot and had been hunted down.

That was a bit tragic!

“So, are you really disfigured and… unable to produce heirs?” I asked, feeling a bit shy and finding it hard to broach the subject.

Pei Heng glared at me.

“Don’t get your hopes up. There is a type of poison that, once ingested, causes sores on the face and leaves the body limp, similar to paralysis. The Imperial Physicians can’t diagnose it, but it’s easily cured as long as one takes the antidote. You are still going to be my wife.”

I felt a pang of disappointment.

“Then you’d better hide that antidote well. It would be a shame if you lost it.”

Pei Heng sneered.

“Don’t worry, I will never let you find it.”

I stood up, hands on my hips, and glared back at him.

“If there’s not even this much trust between us, why bother becoming husband and wife! If I wanted to harm you, it would be too easy. I’d just give you another type of poison. I don’t believe that mixing two poisons won’t cause a reaction. When that happens, you won’t be able to cure yourself even with the antidote in hand.”

Pei Heng was struck with terror. He immediately summoned his steward and gave strict instructions to ensure no one could take advantage of his vulnerability.

He also ordered a doctor to stay in his room and check his medicine every time before he drank it.

Furthermore, he called for guards to surround his living quarters so tightly that even a fly trying to leave would be hacked into eight pieces.

After all that bustle, he said to me sincerely, “Thank you. I knew you cared about me.”

Me: “…”

A miscalculation!

Next time, I should just keep my mouth shut.

I left in a huff.

Pei Heng called out from behind me:

“Song Yuhui, I’ve thought carefully about what you said. You might have a point.”

“I am not a woman, so I cannot understand your fears.”

“I am also healthy, so I cannot truly empathize with Brother Crown Prince.”

“But I am by no means an ungrateful person. If someone truly makes great sacrifices for me, I will never turn a blind eye or betray their sincerity.”

I turned back to look at him, my eyes filled with disdain.

“Wrong answer. A truly good person cannot bear to see others live a hard life, nor would they wish for others to sacrifice themselves for them. Pei Heng, you’d best look out for yourself.”

Pei Heng was stunned.

I let out a cold snort and walked away proudly.

I felt like my silhouette was tall and magnificent.

When it came to his way of thinking, Pei Heng couldn’t even hope to catch up to me.