Chapter 35 (1/2)

Chapter 35: Truth

In that split second Jun Huang could only watched as the stick came closer and closer. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the pain, but it never came. Instead, she was pulled into a warm embrace. There was a quiet gasp of pain.

When she opened her eyes, what she saw was Nan Xun's handsome face, his eyes closed and his lips pursed. The vein on his forehead throbbed. He had s.h.i.+elded Jun Huang with his own body, getting hit right in the back. Before the attacker could react, Qi Yun hit his neck with the fan, and the man collapsed onto the ground.

Qi Yun rushed to their side. ”Are you hurt?”

Jun Huang shook her head, her face pale. Her heart ached as she helped Nan Xun up. ”I'm fine, but Nan Xun got hit. I don't know if he is alright.”

In her anxiety she even forgot that she knew medicine. When she remembered, Qi Yun had already taken care of everyone, and Nan Xun seemed a lot better.

He coughed and spit out a mouthful of blood, and Jun Huang was barely keeping herself together. With trembling hand, she took his pulse. Only after making sure that all was well did her heart settle.

She helped Nan Xun back to their booth on the second floor. Qi Yun followed behind them. He looked at Nan Xun and asked, ”You alright?”

Nan Xun nodded. ”I'm fine.”

Qi Yun took his word for it. Jun Huang, on the other hand, was still worried. Qi Yun couldn't help give her an eyeroll and sighed. ”Baiyu, people trained in martial arts know their own bodies. Besides, that man didn't hit him that hard. No need to worry so much.”

Jun Huang scratched her head awkwardly and let go of Nan Xun's arm, looking away with a blush. For a moment, none of them talked.

They stayed at the tavern to give Nan Xun time to rest. When they left, Nan Xun felt his back had just about recovered. Jun Huang, however, babbled endlessly about what he had to be aware of with his injury. Nan Xun nodded at the right moment, trying to relax her.

A woman jogged up to them – it was the sonstress Jun Huang saved. She looked at Jun Huang shyly and couldn't say a word. She ended up scurrying away after shoving a handkerchief into Jun Huang's arms.

”Baiyu is indeed popular,” Qi Yun teased. Jun Huang pursed her lips and put away the handkerchief. It was a sincere gift from a young woman after all.

”Be at ease. The fourth prince and I have reached an agreement. We will cooperate when needed. You don't have to worry. Just be careful when you're with Qi Chen.” Nan Xun sighed, watching Jun Huang. He was worried for her safety.

Jun Huang humored him with a smile. ”I know. Nothing will happen to me. Qi Chen still needs me to make plans for him.” She gave Nan Xun and Qi Yun a worried look and said seriously, ”You two, on the other hand, are in a volatile imperial court. A wrong move may get you killed. You have to be careful.”

Qi Yun told her to not be too concerned before taking his leave back to his manor. Nan Xun couldn't walk Jun Huang back to Prince Chen Manor, so he told the shadow guard to follow her discreetly before leaving.

When Qi Yun returned to his manor, the man he sent out happened to be back as well. He asked everyone except for the man to leave.

”Did you find anything?” Qi Yun asked with a frown.

The man hesitated. It was difficult for him to tell Qi Yun what he found. Under Qi Yun's insistence, he finally answered, ”Halfway through my investigation, I got to a dead end. So I diverted some of my people to look into Consort Yu's living days. I heard…”

”What?”

”That her death was not a natural one.”

Qi Yun lowered his eyes and looked away. His mother's death was suspicious. Of course he knew someone was behind it. He, however, had no real clue. After years of investigation, he still couldn't find anything useful.

The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. In his rage, he swept the teacups off the table and they shattered on the floor.

His fingers couldn't help but tremble, and his chest felt tight. Silently, he promised to himself that one day, he would find the truth and made whoever got his mother killed pay.

He was more and more determined to get to the bottom of her death. On the other hand, Jun Huang was meeting different officials for Qi Yun, trying to gain more allies in the court for him.

When she saw Qi Yun again, he had lost weight, and his face was an unhealthy color. In order to investigate his mother's death, he hadn't been sleeping very much. Now he even took the risk to visit her late at night.

”What happened? Did you encounter a problem?” Jun Huang frowned worriedly at Qi Yun.