Chapter 4

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Jingzhen cast a sidelong glance at the delicate young lady but said nothing. Instead, she grasped the girl's arm and examined the scars there. “Miss, how did your arm get hurt as well?”

“Has Huai Lang sent any message?”

“I’ll go tend to your wounds!” Jingzhen quickly changed the subject and turned to leave.

Jiang Yunchan’s eyelids twitched. She grasped Jingzhen’s hand tightly, her knuckles whitening. “Has something happened to Huai Lang?”

Normally, Jingzhen loved to tease the two of them, but today, when Jiang Yunchan asked about Huai Lang, Jingzhen avoided the topic.

Something was wrong!

Her heart pounded fiercely as she fixed her gaze on Jingzhen.

Unable to evade her questioning, Jingzhen stammered, “Azhou... he heard that your hometown has the tradition of escorting the bride with an umbrella. So he went to the outskirts of the capital to learn umbrella making from a craftsman, but then...”

Jiang Yunchan’s grip grew tighter. Jingzhen bit her lip and said, “On his way back, Azhou was ambushed by bandits on horseback. He was seriously injured and bedridden. The household is trying everything to treat him. He didn’t tell you because he didn’t want you to worry.”

“Seriously injured?!” Jiang Yunchan’s pupils contracted sharply.

How could a scholar endure such rough treatment from bandits? She didn’t even know where he was hurt.

The women of the Marquis’s residence were hardly allowed out, let alone visit the fiancé’s household just before their wedding.

Jiang Yunchan’s eyes reddened as tears welled up.

Jingzhen hurried to console her, “Miss, don’t be too worried. From what I saw, his condition is stable. With some fine medicinal herbs and careful nursing, he will recover.”

“Surviving such a calamity means there will be blessings ahead!” Jingzhen’s words eased Jiang Yunchan’s heart somewhat. She removed her hairpin and earrings, pressing them into Jingzhen’s hand. “Take these and exchange them for silver to buy medicine and reward the servants. Please take good care of things, absolutely!”

“How can I accept this?” Jingzhen declined repeatedly.

Jiang Yunchan knew that Gu Huai Zhou was the only son of his family. He had just taken office, and all the servants were newly hired, with no established authority.

Now that he was in trouble, with few close attendants, it was necessary to spend more silver for attentive care.

Resolute, Jiang Yunchan forced the hairpins into Jingzhen’s hands. “Take these for now! Huai Lang’s health is the most important!”

Jingzhen could no longer refuse and thanked her profusely.

Jiang Yunchan then remembered something critical. “By the way, has the residence reported this to the authorities? Has the bandits’ identity been discovered?”

Hearing that the Crown Prince of Southern Qi was about to arrive in the capital, security was tight everywhere. Who would dare let bandits act now?

Besides, Huai Lang served at the Court of Justice. These bandits were outrageously brazen!

It was simply baffling.

The more Jiang Yunchan thought, the more suspicious she became. She asked doubtfully, “Did the officials at the Court of Justice get attacked? Didn’t His Majesty send imperial physicians to examine him?”

“This... this...” Jingzhen stumbled over the questions, her eyes flickering as she turned away.

But Jiang Yunchan caught the emptiness in her gaze and felt a chill in her heart. “Sister, are you hiding something from me?”

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“I... I...”

“Just tell me! Hurry!”

Jiang Yunchan waited a long time but received no reply. Panic overtook her, and she rose from the couch. “I’ll find out myself!”

He was the top scorer in the current imperial examination. From the emperor to commoners in Shengjing City, everyone was watching him. There had to be some news!

The maids and elder servants in the Marquis’s residence would surely know something!

Jiang Yunchan hurried out.

“I’ll be honest with you!” Jingzhen quickly stepped forward to block her, breathing somewhat heavier. “Actually, I don’t really know what happened to Azhou either...”

Knock knock—

At that moment, a faint knocking came from the door.

Jingzhen shivered in fright, her face turning pale.

The room fell silent again, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Dappled shadows of trees flickered on the paper windows, swaying like phantoms.

“Reverend Sister, Master has drowned. He sent a string of prayer beads for you to bless and ensure safety,” the little nun said, bowing and holding a tray by the window.

The two exchanged a glance.

Jiang Yunchan, wary of spies, quickly slipped into the bed curtain.

Jingzhen smoothed her garments and opened the door.

A string of Buddhist beads was presented before her. Beneath the red cloth cushion lay an uneven surface, revealing a tiny silver bell the size of a fingernail.

Jingzhen’s eyelid twitched as she lifted the cloth.

It was a child’s longevity lock, stained with several drops of blood.

She picked up the lock, tracing the bloodstains, frozen where she stood.

After a long pause, her voice hoarse, she asked, “He... Master is safe, isn’t he?”

The little nun remained silent, her eyes scanning the bed curtains meaningfully, then glancing toward the bamboo grove. “Master’s men are still waiting for your reply, Reverend Sister. Please do not make another mistake that displeases him.”

“All right, all right!” Jingzhen nodded repeatedly and hurried away.

Only after stepping outside did she remember there was a guest inside, so she sent the little nun a bit further to wait.

Closing the door, Jingzhen leaned against it, taking a few deep breaths. Lost in thought, she paced toward the canopy.

Jiang Yunchan, anxious, lifted the curtain and asked, “Sister, what did you just say happened to Huai Lang?”

Her worried gaze burned into Jingzhen.

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Jingzhen hesitated a moment, unwilling to speak further. She forced a smile. “Azhou is indeed seriously ill and bedridden! If you don’t believe me, ask around outside. Everyone in the capital knows. As for your questions about the Court of Justice’s investigation, the bandits’ identity, or whether imperial physicians have examined him, I live in the convent inside the Marquis’s residence. Though separate in daily life, my movements are somewhat restricted. I can’t find out those details easily.”

The Compassionate Heart Convent, after all, was within the Marquis’s estate, and despite its separation, Jingzhen’s mobility was limited.

Her predicament was understandable.

Jiang Yunchan looked crestfallen but nodded. “Then please pass a message to him from me: three days from now, whether he is sick or injured, if he cannot get out of bed, I will come for him in a small sedan chair. I am willing to marry him and take care of him.”

“Miss, your heart is so kind!” Jingzhen was deeply moved.

But outside, a master waited for a reply. Jingzhen dared not delay and nodded, then went to meet him.

The little nun led Jingzhen through the bamboo grove, turning a corner into a bamboo pavilion set apart from the rest.

“Isn’t this the heir’s meditation room?” Jingzhen stopped, puzzled. “Did the heir send for me?”

The nun shook her head. “You’ll know once you go in.”

The heir seldom interacted with the convent’s nuns. Whenever he came to the meditation room, he would lock himself in all day, speaking briefly only to his cousin.

Why was he seeking out an obscure nun like Jingzhen this time?

The drops of blood flashed through Jingzhen’s mind, a pang of sorrow stirring within her. She bowed and stepped inside.

It was dusk. No lights were lit, and the room was dim.

Only a shaft of daylight streamed through the bamboo window, illuminating the desk.

Beside the desk stood a gilded incense burner shaped like a crane, wisps of fragrant smoke curling upward.

Xie Yan stood before the desk, bathed in golden light, surrounded by drifting smoke, like an exiled immortal.

In his arms was a child of six or seven, bent over as Xie Yan patiently taught the child to write, hand guiding hand.

The heir’s gentle smile and patient teaching gave a glimpse of how kind and gentle a father he might be in the future.

Such a serene scene sent cold sweat down Jingzhen’s spine. She wanted to step forward and pull the child away but also wished to hide in a crack in the floor.

“Mother! Why did you come so late?” The child spotted Jingzhen first and waved. “The heir is teaching me to write!”

Jingzhen quickly silenced the child with a finger to her lips, but it was too late.

Excitedly, the child grabbed a honeyed fruit from the desk and stuffed it into his mouth. “The heir even gave me fruit! It’s delicious!”

He reached for a delicate brocade box filled with candied fruit.

“No, not this,” Xie Yan pushed the candied fruit aside and rubbed the child’s head. “Fucang, go bring some other fruit for Shitou.”

“Why not this one?” Shitou eyed the exquisite candied fruit like a glutton, swallowing hard. “These fruits are fresh, obviously made by our Suzhou master craftsman. Could it be that the heir specially made these for his own wife?”