Chapter 60: Rescue

“Sir, we’ve checked the main building, but there’s no sign of Gongsun Zhu.”

“Sir, we’ve also searched the banquet hall. He’s not there.”

“Sir, we’ve checked several side courtyards—no one.”

…

One subordinate after another came to report, but none brought good news. Wei Meng clenched his teeth and punched a nearby tree. “Damn it! Where the hell did that old bastard go?!”

He glanced at the fire. Although the blaze was fierce, there were many imperial guards in the residence—along with palace staff, at least two hundred people in total. The fire was quickly being brought under control. They didn’t have much time left.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. Wei Meng remembered a place that had been overlooked: “In the southwest corner of the rear courtyard, there’s a plum grove—has anyone checked it? Go look there!”

…

Bao Ning, worried about being discovered by the two people ahead, crouched on the ground with her mouth covered. Her heart was pounding wildly.

Lu Yun. Bao Ning had heard the name from Pei Yuan. According to his deduction, Lu Yun used to be Pei Xiao’s concubine. Later, she was sent to Zhou Jiangcheng as a camp prostitute to deceive him into handing over the tiger tally. Lu Yun had loved Pei Xiao and hoped that once things succeeded, she would be given a place in his household. But Pei Xiao turned around and married Ji Jiaying instead. Feeling wronged, Lu Yun wrote hundreds of hate-filled characters in blood and buried them under a pagoda tree as a curse.

Pei Yuan had said that Lu Yun would likely come back to target Ji Jiaying.

Judging from the current situation and the conversation she had just overheard, Bao Ning was now sure of her suspicions.

Lu Yun had seduced Gongsun Zhu, repaying him with her body in exchange for a way to kill Ji Jiaying.

She had caught them in the act!

Bao Ning turned to flee. But before she could stand, she suddenly remembered—Pei Yuan was looking for this man, and Gongsun Zhu might hold the antidote to the red cinnabar poison in Pei Yuan’s body.

She glanced back. The two were still entwined under the tree. Bao Ning averted her gaze, her cheeks burning. But she couldn’t bear to leave. Pei Yuan and the others hadn’t found Gongsun Zhu yet. If she left now and he escaped, all their efforts over the past days would have been in vain.

Bao Ning plucked some leaves and held them in her palm. She decided to stay and wait for Pei Yuan.

She waited nervously, lost in thought, not noticing the small green snake slithering from behind her. The little snake, about two fingers wide and as long as a forearm, flicked its tongue and slowly crawled over her foot.

Bao Ning felt a tickling sensation. At first, she ignored it, but it grew more intense. She looked down—and locked eyes with the snake’s glowing stare.

“Ah!” Bao Ning screamed, jumping up and flinging the snake away.

“Who’s there?!” Gongsun Zhu immediately turned around. His old eyes flashed maliciously.

He was completely naked but quickly tied a coat around his waist out of shame.

Lu Yun was startled as well. She quickly dressed and, spotting Bao Ning’s location, shouted and lunged forward.

But Gongsun Zhu was faster. He leapt over the trees and reached out to grab Bao Ning’s arm. Bao Ning meant to throw a lime pouch at him, but in her panic, she grabbed the wrong thing and tossed a handful of leaves instead. Gongsun Zhu had anticipated this and dodged with a sneer. “Little girl, who sent you? What did you hear…?”

Before he could finish, Bao Ning stood firm. This time she aimed carefully at his face, opened the pouch of quicklime, and flung it straight into his eyes.

Gongsun Zhu hadn’t expected a second attack. He couldn’t dodge in time and got hit squarely. Having just finished his illicit act, his face and body were covered in sweat. The lime, when mixed with moisture, burned his skin immediately.

His eyes felt like they were exploding, and his face seared with pain.

He screamed and stumbled back, wildly slapping his face. “I can’t see! I’m blind!”

Lu Yun froze in shock. She quickly composed herself, tightened her clothes, and narrowed her eyes at Bao Ning.

Afraid Bao Ning had more tricks, Lu Yun didn’t charge immediately. She walked barefoot toward her, a sword in hand.

Bao Ning faced her and stepped back. Seeing there was no way out behind her, her palms grew sweaty. One more step back and she’d hit the courtyard wall. Lu Yun saw the opportunity—her eyes flared as she raised the sword and thrust.

Bao Ning dodged the first strike, but the blade tore her sleeve, revealing her pale skin.

Lu Yun prepared for a second stab. The sword gleamed, reflecting in Bao Ning’s eyes. Her pupils shrank—there was nowhere to run. Just then, a stone flew from the distance and struck Lu Yun’s wrist.

She cried out. The sword fell from her shaking hand. She looked up in rage—and saw Pei Xiao standing two zhang (about 7 meters) away, hands behind his back.

Lu Yun’s face turned pale. First she panicked, glancing at Bao Ning and then at the still-writhing Gongsun Zhu. She staggered back, knowing death was near.

“Your Highness… I didn’t mean to…” she stammered, her previous arrogance gone. She didn’t know how to explain and turned to flee.

Pei Xiao picked up the fallen sword and flung it—it pierced straight through her back.

Bao Ning watched it all happen. Lu Yun collapsed forward, blood splattering onto Bao Ning’s dress and face. She didn’t even scream. Her fingers clawed the ground, leaving deep grooves. Her throat rasped—and then she died.

Someone had died right in front of her.

Bao Ning’s heart clenched. Her limbs went limp, and she couldn’t stand.

Pei Xiao’s lips were tight. He squeezed out a word between clenched teeth: “Slut.” He yanked the sword from Lu Yun’s back and turned toward Gongsun Zhu. He wanted to kill him, but his fury faltered. Face twisted in rage, he instead slammed the sword to the ground.

With a loud clang, Bao Ning’s heart skipped again. She looked up as Pei Xiao turned to her.

He was walking toward her. He was truly furious—his illness flared, and he coughed, hand to his lips. Under the moonlight, his face looked deathly pale.

Bao Ning sat on the ground, breathing hard. Her makeup was a mess, her hair disheveled. She clutched her torn sleeve, lips drained of color.

Pei Xiao looked at her, and his expression softened slightly. He extended a hand toward her and said gently, “Don’t be afraid.”

Bao Ning shrank back, her lips trembling. The courage she had earlier was for survival. Now that it was over, fear surged in.

She recalled how ruthless Pei Xiao had been killing Lu Yun. There was still blood on his fingers—and on her, too. Shaolan’s, Lu Yun’s… the stench of blood overwhelmed her.

Nauseated, Bao Ning covered her mouth and dry-heaved.

Pei Xiao froze.

In that moment of hesitation, a sharp whistle cut through the air behind him. He turned in alarm, catching a shadow flashing past. When he looked back at Bao Ning—she was already in someone’s arms, her soft arms around the man’s neck, face pressed to his chest. Pei Xiao felt a stab in his eyes.

“Fourth Brother,” he said coldly, “what’s the meaning of breaking into my residence in the middle of the night?”

Pei Yuan looked back, a black mask covering his face, only his eyes visible—eyes filled with contempt. “Why don’t you first take care of your own woman?”

Pei Xiao was furious. He picked up the sword from the ground and shouted to summon the imperial guards, rushing forward to strike at Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan dodged twice but didn’t engage. He wanted to escape with Bao Ning. Pei Xiao was about to chase when a commotion rose behind them—Wei Meng had arrived with reinforcements. He carried Gongsun Zhu over his shoulder and had his men form a defensive line, surrounding Pei Xiao.

The imperial guards also arrived, their footsteps heavy.

Pei Yuan shouted, “Retreat!”

Wei Meng accepted the order and waved his hand. The dozen or so black-clad men scattered immediately. Carrying the unconscious Gongsun Zhu on his back, he quickly left as well. Pei Xiao remained standing alone, his sword still dripping blood, Lu Yun’s corpse at his feet. Overwhelmed with rage, he stabbed the sword into the ground to steady himself, took a few breaths, and suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood with a loud retch.

The close attendant eunuch, Chang Xi, rushed over and quickly held him up. “Your Highness! Your Highness…”

The imperial guards who arrived soon after took in the chaotic scene, exchanging bewildered looks with each other.

…

Pei Yuan carried Bao Ning straight back to their residence. She cried the whole way, face buried in his shoulder, sobbing. Pei Yuan’s heart ached terribly. He kicked the door open and gently laid her on the bed.

He knelt beside her, leaned over, and wiped her face with his hand, coaxing her softly, “Don’t be scared. You’re home now. I’m here with you.”

“I want to throw up.” Bao Ning curled up on the bed. Seeing the bloodstains on her skirt, she gagged again, pushed herself up on her arms, yanked off the skirt, and threw it to the floor. She sat in a daze for a moment, then threw herself into Pei Yuan’s arms again, crying,

“It was so disgusting. I feel awful.”

“Mhm, I know. I know everything.” Pei Yuan hugged her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

“Ningning was really amazing today—so, so brave.”

Pei Yuan covered her eyes gently. “Don’t think about it anymore. It’s over. You’ll never see anything like that again. I swear, I’ll never let you be exposed to things like this ever again.”

Bao Ning looked at him through tearful eyes.

Pei Yuan took her hand and gently bit her fingertip. “Are you hungry?”

“…No.”

“How about a bath and a nap?” He leaned close to her cheek. “I’ll watch over you while you sleep. When you wake up, everything will be behind you. I’ll be right here.”

Bao Ning said, “Actually, now I want to eat. I want pork and cabbage dumplings.”

Pei Yuan smiled. “I’ll make them for you. We’ll eat a little, take a bath, and go to sleep—how’s that sound?”

His voice was so gentle that the lingering fear in Bao Ning’s heart slowly faded. She sat cross-legged on the bed. Pei Yuan wrapped a blanket around her and brought his face close to hers, trying to make her smile.

“Kiss me.”

Bao Ning hesitated for a moment, but still leaned in and brushed her lips against the corner of his.

The familiar scent reached her nose, and the part of her soul that had been floating seemed to settle. She felt grounded again.

Pei Yuan cupped her face and lightly nibbled her lower lip. In a soft voice, he said, “Let me take down your hair first, okay? Just relax here. Ahuang will keep you company, and I’ll go make dumplings for you.”

Bao Ning nodded quietly. Pei Yuan started removing the hairpins from her hair.

Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Pei Yuan ran his hand through it gently. Bao Ning looked at him and gave a small smile.

But Pei Yuan noticed something odd about one of the hairpins.

It was about as thick as a pinky finger, made of wood, with fine patterns carved on it. But it felt oddly weightless in his hand. It seemed perfectly normal, yet the problem was—it was too light.

Instinctively, Pei Yuan flicked the pin with his finger. It echoed hollowly—it wasn’t solid wood. It was hollow inside.

Bao Ning was frugal, yes, but when it came to jewelry and clothing, she had always been generous. When did she ever buy such a cheap item?

Pei Yuan found it strange, but didn’t dwell on it.

Bao Ning kept her head lowered, her face still pale. She had been truly frightened. Ah Huang stood by the edge of the bed, paws up, trying to climb up.

Pei Yuan placed the pin casually on the small table beside the bed and reassured Bao Ning, “Be good. I’m leaving the lights on. I’ll be right back, okay?”

Bao Ning gave a soft reply. Pei Yuan felt somewhat relieved. He picked Ahuang up by the scruff and placed it next to Bao Ning’s pillow, then hurried off to the kitchen to fetch food.

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