Chapter 41 (2/2)

“Little Second, ah…you’ve been clean and honest for so long. Why did you copy Little Third at the crucial moment and add poison?”

He rolled his eyes, sitting next to me and squeezing out Little Sixth. Holding up the bowl, he fed me a big spoonful of porridge. “I did learn all my poison knowledge from you. But after you enter the palace, I won’t have a chance to take care of you anymore, so I added lots of antidotes to this porridge. It’ll give you immunity against temptation drugs, mosquito bites…”

I began to tremble. “These are all antidotes. It’s not like I’m poisoned, and they’ll lose effect after half a day anyways. You…”

“It’s still fine if it’s effective for half a day, Master…there are people as ferocious as wolves and tigers in the imperial court who have designs against all and any emperors. Come…have another spoonful.”

From the side, someone coughed. That high-leveled expert couldn’t take it anymore, and his face was starting to twitch…

“It’s getting late. Stop feeding her and just let her go.” First stood up with a long face, and fished out a package from his robes, tossing it into my lap. “These are all essential items we’ve prepared like clothing and daily articles. Don’t play around for too long and remember to come home once in a while.”

Come home…

There was a certain charm to those two words that made me treasure them…especially since his voice sounded so much like Fang Hua’s. I gave a start as someone next pressed on my sleeves and looked up to see Little Fourth’s face.

“I’ve divined an inauspicious omen but I think you can handle it, so I won’t dissuade you.” Even as he spoke, the mole at the corner of his eye trembled, making him especially cute. “These are a few of the charms I draw on a daily basis, they might come in handy in an emergency.”

I took a glance and saw a thick stack of papers. Did he really draw this many on a daily basis? Why did some of the ink look half-wet, as if he’d drawn them recently?

“Then, I’m going.” Yet I couldn’t move. Someone was clutching at my robes.

Fifth, who had been silent all this time, held onto me with his head bowed, the broken flute still dangling by his waist. It seemed like he was about to cry. I lightly drew him into my arms and patted him, as if I was comforting a child.

“When I return, I’ll definitely heal your face.”

“It’s fine if you don’t, you…just have to come back.” The voice was extremely stiff.

I grinned.

“Only these blasted servants would be so ill-behaved. It’s easy to get hungry and nauseous on a b.u.mpy, tilting carriage like that, so I’ve prepared some pastries and porridge. I’ve put them in this bamboo steamer so Master can eat them on the road.” Still the worrywart, Little Second had packed away the antidote-laced breakfast. I raised my arm and personally accepted the package.

With a bow, I left my life in this house behind, and stepped towards the carriage. After just one step, someone grabbed my collar and hauled me inside, nearly making me fall on my face. What the heck…

Who else was in here?

I carefully guarded my basket of food that had nearly spilled over as I staggered to my feet. Someone actually grabbed the back of my collar, and a grip tightened around my waist before I was pulled back to sit on something warm. I s.h.i.+fted around a bit…

Actually, it felt pretty comfortable.

There was a light laugh, and a voice spoke intimately by my ear. “Don’t move around…I’m hungry, you know.”

I clutched the person’s robes as I twisted my neck to see a face wearing a wholly respectable expression. In the dim morning light, his pupils glittered like stars, and that mouth was curved in a smile full of profound meaning. Stunned, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. “You didn’t sleep in my room last night? What did you go do?”

Han Zichuan laughed, leaning against my ear as he hugged me, a hand reaching into my bamboo steamer basket to feel around. “What kind of food do you have here…”

There was plenty to eat. “Sweet jujube cakes, scallion rolls, mantou with candied dates, millet porridge…”

Wait, why was I telling him all this?

Without a hint of manners, he picked up a piece of meat wrapped in sticky rice and started chewing, every movement as graceful as an aristocrat. When he was finished, he even had the gall to add, “It doesn’t taste any worse than the palace food, though the flavor is a bit strange.”

Of course it was, there were things added in. You’d compare this with the palace in the same breath?

A whiff of this scent was enough to tell me it was a drug designed to eliminate and reduce the desires. I s.h.i.+fted in my seat again. “Move over, you’re crowding me.” Glancing at him, I carefully got off to sit by his side. Though his eyebrows furrowed, he didn’t say a word. Little Second had really thought things through. This drug was very clever.

“It’s a long trip from the palace here. You’re just running off and ignoring things back at court?”

“There’s not much happening at court. Taking you back is more important.”

Well, thank you. He actually considered me important. Now that I thought of it, something didn’t feel right.

“You’re in such a rush to bring me back to the palace this time. Don’t tell me something’s wrong with that person?”

“That person?” Han Zichuan’s lips curved into a disdainful smile. “You’re still worrying over him.” The air around us abruptly turned cold. He suddenly leaned over to speak in my ear, raising his voice.

“What is this?”

There was an open bundle before me, filled with a thick stack of glistening yellow charm papers and two or three pitch-black pills. Fourth had prepared the charms, but as for the pills…

Han Zichuan frowned. Reluctant to touch them with his hands, he wrapped the pills in a silk cloth and hid it in his robes. He cast me a suspicious glance as he spoke in a calm voice. “Zhen will hold these for you.”

He probably thought it was some type of nefarious poison. Truthfully speaking, I’d forgotten most of the formulas for my most terrifying ones. Besides, who would put poison into such large, unwieldy pills? It’d be too hard to dissolve them in water, and it wasn’t like you could feed your victims directly without them resisting. I smiled wryly and leaned against the window, my face turned away as I huddled up against the cus.h.i.+ons.

…who knew what Little Fourth saw in his divinations? He probably snuck in the pills here because he worried too much. It’d be best if I never had to use them.

—

Leaves and branches flitted past the carriage window, a little distracting. The interior of the carriage wasn’t very s.p.a.cious, and I could hear someone paging through sheets of paper. Turning, I saw that Han Zichuan had let down the bamboo blinds to block out the light. Shadows fell across his upper robes, which were embroidered with layers of clouds and falling flowers. He was sitting cross-legged with his chest wide open, the contours and shape of his body an alluring sight. One hand propped up his head while the other flipped lazily through the stack of yellow charms. I lost interest and gave a yawn, and he smiled at me.

“Looking at you now, I can’t tell how you made such a mysterious name for yourself in the jianghu for the past five years.”

There’s plenty of things you can’t tell with a look…such as being blind to how much Fang Hua likes you while always thinking of me instead. I’m letting you do as you want, not because I fear you, but because of Fang Hua.

As the carriage rattled across the roads, Han Zichuan held onto the side of the carriage for balance and raised his eyebrows. His tone was remarkably sovereign-like as he spoke in annoyance. “Little Lin, slow down. Don’t fool around and jolt this carriage so much.”

“Sire, please hold onto your seat. “I’m afraid there’s an unexpected surprise up front.”

Han Zichuan gave a sound of ridicule and reached forward to open the curtains. “Looks like it’s another ambush. Just focus on charging through and defending this carriage, you don’t need to pay them any mind.”

Astonished, I looked as he lowered the bamboo blinds, the movement quick and graceful. There was a glimpse of the driver’s back, dressed in ordinary, coa.r.s.e clothing as he sat at the reins to whip the horse. The guards that had been riding ahead of the carriage had all vanished, but there were sounds of combat coming from the woods.

Strange…

Who had the gall to ambush the emperor’s carriage? Did they want to die? Han Zichuan smiled at me, sitting calmly by my side. He stroked my hand and gave it a pat. “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Before he’d even finished speaking, there was a tearing noise. I squinted and grabbed Han Zichuan’s sleeve, pressing him against the seat. Something ripped, and an object burst through the bamboo blinds. Cold air rushed inside in the wake of an arrow that lodged itself into the woodwork.

So close…

A second later, and the arrow would’ve pierced through Han Zichuan’s back.

“Sire, are you all right?” the driver anxiously turned his head.

“Uninjured. We have to shake them off,” Han Zichuan’s face was ghastly pale as the carriage rattled even more severely. I prepared to go out but was dragged back to the seat and into his lap. Sounds of fighting rang out around us as I looked at his expression, still handsome and resolute. The eyebrows were imposing, and a fierce strand of killing intent shone in his eyes.

He…

Was he trying to protect me? I turned my face away, suddenly finding the situation rather funny.

“Who dares to rob this carriage?” Our ride gave an obvious jolt as his heavy voice spoke. Amidst the sounds of fighting, the carriage shook heavily as it raced forward. Blood suddenly splashed against the bamboo blinds, staining a large section red.

“Die!”

A man covered in wounds barged inside, body leaning against the walls. In his hands he held a sword, thrusting at us with a desperate air. Han Zichuan reacted swiftly and avoided the blow, catching the attacker’s sword arm as he blocked me from sight. His gaze was icy as he grit his teeth, as if having trouble holding him in place.

I took the chance to strike the attacker with my palm, causing him to stagger. He gave me a venomous glance and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, seemingly unhurt. Shocked, I looked at my hand. I’d used all of my force in that last attack. If this was the past, the force of the blow would’ve stunned him even if I missed. But now…not only was he unharmed, but the backlash had hit my internal energy, sending my body into chaos…

Couldn’t I even use the third tier of internal energy now?

“Shao’er, watch out!”

Han Zichuan’s shout brought me to my senses, just in time to see a sword headed my way. Curses, if I realized I’d lost my skills earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered showing off and getting involved. This guy could’ve stabbed whoever he wanted. I dodged left, then right, my agile movements constrained within the cramped s.p.a.ce. A moment of inattention had me b.u.mping against the edge of the seat, sending a wave of pain through my body. Ow. My hand groped around until it found a certain bundle.

In a moment of desperation, I pinched the bundle of charms between my fingers and waved it before my face. I didn’t even bother to look at it before chanting a fire incantation. The attacker raised his sword…

And I smiled calmly as I raised my sleeves, revealing the blazing charms. All of them shot towards his forehead as blazing streams of fire, the force strong enough to blast his body out of the carriage. The remnants of the flames formed a gigantic fire dragon that soared into the skies.

Lowering my head, I dusted off my robes. It looked like I had used too many charms. I held onto the carriage walls for support as I helped up a dumbfounded Han Zichuan, a.s.sisting him to his seat. Copying his pose from earlier, I patted his shoulders and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

He looked at me in surprise, and I smiled.

Zichuan…

Did you really think I pa.s.sed my days ignorantly these past few years? With so many Princes, of course I’d picked up a few of their tricks. After learning from Little Fourth, I didn’t need to collect firewood anymore. A single charm gave me enough fire to roast my sweet potatoes. It was also much more convenient. This time…since I used them all at once, there was no doubt the a.s.sa.s.sin was dead.

The wind blew in from the broken blinds as we rushed along, leaving the sounds of fighting far behind us in the woods. I sat thinking with my brows knitted. My technique had been effective, but it’d startled the horse…

Han Zichuan sat calmly on the seat, silent for a while before he looked over and spoke flatly, “Have you realized? Our driver Little Lin already died from falling off the horse.”

-o- Orginal and most updated translations are from volaretranslations.

[1] family law (家法) －jiafa, rules and punishments dealt out to family members by the head of a household, using involved corporal punishment like caning or flogging. Also a popular method for first wives and mother-in-laws to use against their new husband’s wife/daughter-in-law.