Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Fortunately, I hadn’t brought many servants on this outing.

I dodged and wove through the temple grounds, eventually escaping to the West Gate.

Suddenly, I spotted a young gentleman standing beneath a plum tree in the distance.

He was peerlessly handsome, draped in a greatcoat of silver fox fur that only enhanced his cold, noble aura.

“Marquis?”

Yuan Heng turned at the sound of my voice. When he saw me, he froze. “Qing Qiu, why are you here?”

Ignoring all sense of etiquette and decorum, I gathered my skirts and sprinted toward him. I threw my arms around him and sobbed uncontrollably.

Yuan Heng gently stroked my back, his voice soft and comforting. “Don’t cry. Tell me, who has wronged you?”

I was on the verge of telling him that the Empress Dowager had sent a bowl of drugged soup to kill me.

But here I was, perfectly fine. If those wicked servants had realized the Marquis was here, they would have surely disposed of the soup by now.

If I tried too hard to explain, the Marquis would likely think I was being audaciously bold, slandering his own aunt.

Survival had to come first.

“It’s nothing. I just had a nightmare.”

I looked up at him, my eyes shimmering with tears. “By the way, why are you here?”

Yuan Heng smiled. “His Majesty sent an urgent summons for me to return to the capital. When I arrived, the people at the manor told me you had come to the temple to pray for my well-being. After my audience with the Emperor, I rushed straight here. I was just picking some plum blossoms for you when you appeared.”

So that was it.

I nestled into his embrace. “Will you be heading back to the Southwest?”

Yuan Heng hummed in affirmation. “I set out tomorrow.”

I gazed at him through my tears. “Can you take me with you?”

Yuan Heng gave a tender smile. “The road to the Southwest is bumpy and difficult. You are pregnant; stay at the manor and focus on a peaceful pregnancy.”

“But…”

I was about to speak when I saw Hongyu running toward us in a frantic hurry.

“Madam, why have you run off to this place!”

Hongyu’s tone was quite sharp, but she fell silent the moment she saw Yuan Heng.

Yuan Heng’s expression darkened. “Presumptuous! How dare you speak to your mistress in such a manner!”

Hongyu knelt and kowtowed, her eyes darting nervously. “The-the palace sent an envoy. The Empress Dowager has bestowed a restorative tonic upon Madam to nourish her body.”

My body trembled.

Yuan Heng noticed and pulled me closer. “What is it, Qing Qiu?”

I whispered, “That soup is very bitter. I don’t want to drink it.”

“Then you won’t drink it.”

Yuan Heng led me back toward the temple, coldly instructing Hongyu, “Bring a bowl of hot ginger soup instead.”

All along the way, I racked my brain for a strategy to convince Yuan Heng to take me to the Southwest.

This was my only chance to escape the Empress Dowager’s assassination attempts.

As soon as we returned to the guest wing, a maid brought in a steaming bowl of ginger soup.

Yuan Heng held me as we sat on the edge of the bed.

He scooped up a spoonful of the soup, carefully blew on it to cool it, and fed it to me. “Look how cold your hands are. Drink some to warm your body. I’ve heard ginger soup can help with morning sickness.”

A warmth spread through my heart. I felt a surge of grievances I wanted to pour out to him.

“Marquis, this concubine has something…”

“Shh-”

Yuan Heng coaxed me gently. “Be good. Drink it all before we talk.”

I hummed softly and took sip after sip.

A moment later.

Yuan Heng set the empty bowl down and used a silk handkerchief to gently wipe my lips.

He stared at me silently, unmoving.

For some reason, I began to feel uneasy. “Why are you staring at me?”

The corners of Yuan Heng’s lips curled into a smile. His fingers lightly grazed my cheek. “Because you are truly beautiful, Madam. It makes one… like you more than words can say.”

My heart skipped a beat.

Since the day we met, he had always been dignified and reserved. He had never spoken such blunt, romantic words.

I felt something was wrong, but my instinct for survival left me no time to overthink it. I hurried to say, “Marquis, this concubine has something…”

Yuan Heng interrupted me. “Tell me in a moment. I must go change my clothes first.”

I nodded, mentally calculating how I would persuade him once he returned.

But after waiting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there was still no sign of Yuan Heng.

Unable to wait any longer, I stood up to find him.

Suddenly, my head spun. A familiar sense of dread welled up within me. My vision went black…

…

I was woken by the choking smell of smoke.

My limbs were pinned to the bed with iron spikes. My face throbbed with a heart-wrenching, agonizing pain. Fire had already spread across the bed, and my clothes were soaked in oil.

The excruciating pain brought a moment of clarity, and the truth finally laid itself bare before me.

It wasn’t the Empress Dowager who wanted me dead.

It was my husband-Yuan Heng!