What’s going on?
How did this happen?
Weren’t they supposed to tend to her injuries? Why does it look like she was ambushed and murdered instead?
“…We don’t know, we don’t know…”
Inside the room, two attendants, their expressions nearly deranged, kowtowed repeatedly, their heads thumping against the floor as they mumbled the same words over and over.
Master Gu and Eunuch Jing, who had followed them inside, were stunned – first by the scene before them, and second by the reactions of the two attendants.
These two attendants had fought their way in from outside the city alongside them. They had not only witnessed bloodshed but had remained unflinching even when facing dozens of opponents in fierce combat.
So why were they now acting as if they had suffered a tremendous shock, their spirits utterly shattered?
Could it be that there were truly other ambushes within the palace, waiting for the chance to strike and assassinate the Princess Consort?
“I should have said it earlier – we should have sent more people with them,” Eunuch Jing remarked.
“At a time like this, they shouldn’t have been wandering around either,” Master Gu added, frowning.
“But this wasn’t an ambush,” Eunuch Jing said, pointing to Zhou Fu lying on the other side.
Zhou Fu’s body was also stained with blood, his clothes disheveled and in disarray.
Eunuch Jing hurried over to him.
“Your Highness, Young Master Zhou is fine,” he said, his expression animated with excitement. “Look, just look – his wounds have actually healed.”
He reached out and pulled aside Zhou Fu’s clothes, revealing his chest to everyone.
There were several distinct knife wounds on his chest, but the fatal arrow that had pierced his heart was gone. In fact, there wasn’t even a trace left of the arrow injury.
“By the time he was brought in, his body had already gone cold.”
“Your Highness, feel for yourself – Young Master Zhou’s body is warm now.”
Duke Jin’an pressed his hands against the ground and slowly rose to his feet, but his gaze never once turned toward Zhou Fu.
Who cared how he was? Whether he was cold or warm no longer mattered.
Staggering slightly, he moved closer to Cheng Jiao-niang.
Eunuch Jing fell silent and averted his eyes.
As a man who had taken lives before, he could tell at a glance whether someone was alive or dead.
The girl lying before them in a pool of blood was clearly devoid of life.
Duke Jin’an reached out a trembling hand, yet dared not touch the person before him.
“Injuries everywhere…”
Doctor Li crawled closer, his voice choked with emotion.
“Injuries… everywhere.”
Injuries everywhere – every inch of her – lying on the ground like a torn ragdoll, ready to fall apart at the slightest touch.
Liar!
Liar!
“Fang Bocong, I want us to live well together, so I must do certain things.”
“You have your responsibilities, and I have mine. I’m not acting recklessly – nor do I disregard myself, or you. It’s not that I don’t trust you. Some things only I can do, and I only act when I’m fairly certain.”
Liar!
Didn’t you say you only acted when you were certain? Weren’t you certain?
I trusted you. I trusted you, that’s why I let you go. Look what you’ve done!
Duke Jin’an stared at his own hands – having barely touched her, they were now stained with blood, so much blood.
Look what you’ve done.
You deceived me. You deceived me!
I trusted you so completely, yet you lied to me. You couldn’t do it after all.
He bent over, burying his head against the bloody ground, choking back sobs until silence swallowed him whole.
…
The sky had brightened fully, and squads of soldiers patrolled the streets. The capital’s avenues, usually bustling and lively, were now devoid of their former vitality, carrying instead the severe chill of late autumn.
Qin An walked among them, familiar with these soldiers. They belonged to the Prefect’s command. While the imperial palace and the city’s defense were controlled by the garrison army, the urban areas had been handed over to the prefectural troops.
This, of course, was not due to any great trust in the Prefect. As expected, the Prefect who had entered the imperial palace last night was now unable to leave. Someone new had already taken over his duties.
And this was only the beginning.
Qin An stepped into the prison. It was overcrowded, filled with the sounds of moaning, weeping, and wailing.
After the chaotic skirmish last night, the corpses on the streets had been cleared away. Those who were injured or captured had been locked up in the nearest government prison, awaiting execution or conscription into exile.
“Shi’san!”
Qin An searched along the way, guided by several attendants until he finally spotted the person he was looking for.
In the cell, over a dozen people sat or lay scattered, with Qin Hu sitting among them, standing out prominently.
“Shi’san,” Qin An called out, rushing inside. “Where are you hurt? Were you injured anywhere?”
But Qin Hu remained motionless, head bowed, as Qin An questioned him and inspected him.
There were no external wounds from blades or swords, but judging by the wear on his clothes, there were likely bruises and injuries to his bones or muscles.
According to the attendants, they had been scattered in the streets. When the garrison army gained the upper hand, the prefectural soldiers simply gave up resisting.
No one had expected the garrison army to enter the city, and with their crossbows raining arrows down, the prefectural soldiers – accustomed only to catching thieves, fighting fires, and maintaining order – had never witnessed such a scene before. They quickly broke and fled.
While he hadn’t suffered any life-threatening physical injuries, the emotional wound was likely severe.
In the end, their plans had still failed. Man proposes, but heaven disposes.
“Shi’san, it’s alright,” Qin An said softly, patting his shoulder. “Let’s go home.”
Qin Hu remained motionless.
“Shi’san, what’s wrong?” Qin An asked, frowning.
Qin Hu finally raised his head.
“I can’t make sense of it,” he said slowly.
Could he not understand why they had lost?
Could he not understand why, at the final moment, the garrison army had suddenly sided with Duke Jin’an?
Indeed, it was truly bewildering.
Yet, in truth, there was nothing inexplicable about it. They had underestimated him. His influence ran deeper than they had ever realized. Perhaps it had all begun from the moment he stayed in the capital as the “Child-Giver.”
But this was not the place for such discussions. Qin An patted his son’s shoulder again.
“I just can’t make sense of it,” Qin Hu repeated.
Qin An frowned, sensing something amiss with his son. A nearby attendant leaned in and whispered a few words.
Zhou Fu…
So that was it.
“Qin Hu,” Qin An frowned, gripping his son’s shoulders and forcing him to meet his gaze. “If you truly don’t understand, then I am deeply disappointed. How can you not grasp it?”
Don’t you understand that those who walk different paths cannot work together?
Don’t you understand that you bear the surname Qin, while he bears the surname Zhou?
This is a struggle of factions, of court politics – a matter of life and death. How can you not understand what you’re doing?
Qin Hu leaned back against the wall and let out a bitter laugh.
“Father,” he said, “it’s precisely because I understand too well that I don’t understand at all.”
“I don’t understand why his arrow missed me.”
“And I don’t understand why my arrow struck him.”
“I truly intended what was best for them. I truly wanted to help them. So why… why did it end like this?”
Qin An felt both helpless and frustrated.
“It’s because he didn’t understand,” he said quietly, unwilling to say more in this place. He gestured to the attendants. “Take him back.”
Qin Hu was pulled to his feet.
“He didn’t understand?” he murmured again, dazed.
Before Qin Hu’s eyes appeared the figure falling in the night.
“I used a flat-tipped arrow designed specifically for shooting people. This type of arrow isn’t meant to pierce armor or pass through – it’s made purely for killing.”
He raised his hand and pressed it against his own chest.
“When such an arrow enters the human body, it wreaks havoc all the way – tearing through skin, flesh, blood, tendons, and bones. Whatever it touches, it wounds, puncturing, drilling, and tearing apart…”
It was an arrow crafted specifically to kill.
He didn’t understand. He didn’t know.
Why didn’t he dodge it?
So many times, he refused to deliberately lose to me. Why did he choose to deliberately lose this time, of all times?
Why did it have to be this time!
He didn’t understand what he was doing, nor did he understand what I intended. He only understood that he couldn’t let his arrow strike me.
That was all he grasped – that one thing, and nothing more.
Zhou Fu! You ruthless soul! So ruthless!
…
The sound of crying reached his ears.
No – it didn’t quite sound like crying. It was too grating. More like choking sobs, as if trying to weep but unable to.
What was there to cry about? He despised hearing others cry the most.
Wasn’t it just an arrow wound? Hit, then hit. Dead, then dead. What was the big deal?
Zhou Fu strained to open his eyes. Harsh light stabbed at them, forcing him to shut them again immediately.
What was going on?
Was it already dawn?
Had that much time really passed?
Zhou Fu opened his eyes once more, seeing the figures standing beside him.
That’s right – it was still Master Gu and Eunuch Jing. So… were they still outside the city gates?
Zhou Fu pushed himself up with effort.
“What’s the situation now? Have reinforcements still not arrived?” he asked.
As soon as his words fell, Master Gu and Eunuch Jing both jumped up.
“You!” Eunuch Jing cried out sharply, his expression shocked as if he’d seen a ghost.
“How… how can you be up?” Master Gu exclaimed at the same time.
If I don’t get up, should I just lie there?
Zhou Fu frowned. He wasn’t familiar with Duke Jin’an’s people, and these two seemed odd. Ignoring them, he looked down at himself and immediately froze in shock.
His hands were covered in blood, and so was his body.
Was his injury that severe?
He quickly pressed a hand to his chest, which was exposed, revealing several knife wounds. Pressure sent a stab of pain.
But this was nothing serious – he’d had plenty of flesh wounds like these back in the northwest.
Before he could examine further, someone lunged at him, nearly shoving him back to the ground.
“You’re healed? You’re healed? How are you completely fine?” Doctor Li cried out hoarsely, his hands frantically patting and pressing over Zhou Fu’s body.
Zhou Fu kicked him away.
“What are you doing?” he snapped irritably.
Sitting up again, he saw Master Gu and Eunuch Jing staring at him with even greater astonishment than before.
“You… you really are healed?” Eunuch Jing said slowly. “And you even have the strength to kick someone away…”
No one else knew, but he remembered clearly – when Zhou Fu was struck by the arrow, he was the one who pulled him back. Out of habit, he had checked for signs of life, feeling for his heart from front and back. That alone told him enough.
He wouldn’t have made it through the night. He wouldn’t have seen the sun rise today.
But… but… what was happening now?
Could it be…
He whipped his head around to look in that direction, toward the girl lying motionless on the ground in such an eerie state.
Zhou Fu followed his gaze, and his entire being went numb.
A sharp cry suddenly tore through the room.
“Young Master Zhou, Young Master Zhou!”
Master Gu and Eunuch Jing immediately rushed over from both sides to hold Zhou Fu back.
“Don’t go over, don’t go over.”
Going over wasn’t the issue, but if he hurt the Duke in his agitated state, things would turn dire.
“What’s wrong with her? What’s wrong with her?” Zhou Fu yelled, struggling fiercely as he spoke.
“That’s something you should tell us,” Master Gu shouted back. “How exactly did Her Highness tend to your injuries? How come you’re fine now, but she’s… dead?”
She’s dead?
Zhou Fu’s figure froze for a moment, then he abruptly surged with strength, shaking off Master Gu and Eunuch Jing with sheer force. He lunged forward, dropping to his knees before Cheng Jiao-niang, gathering her into his arms without a second thought.
“Nonsense! Nonsense!” he roared. “She wouldn’t die! She would never die!”
How dare these fools say she’s dead! How dare they say she’s dead!
How could she die? She wouldn’t die.
He reached out a trembling hand, clumsily stroking Cheng Jiao-niang’s face. As soon as his fingers brushed her pale skin, he broke into a frantic smile.
“She’s not dead!” he cried. “See, I told you she wouldn’t die. She’s still alive!”
With that, he shook her gently.
“Jiao-niang, Jiao-niang.”
Her body swayed weakly with his movements, her hand hanging limply as if it might slip away at any moment.
Duke Jin’an felt his mind explode with a deafening roar.
“Get away!” he shouted, lunging forward.
At the same time, Master Gu and Eunuch Jing also rushed over, pulling Zhou Fu away and pinning him down firmly.
“She’s not dead yet. She’s still breathing,” Zhou Fu yelled.
Duke Jin’an, who had just gently cradled Cheng Jiao-niang in his arms, froze.
Breathing?
Trembling, he reached out his hand, but someone else moved faster.
A faint, warm breath lingered against their fingertips.
“She really is breathing!” Doctor Li exclaimed, his face a mask of shock.
Duke Jin’an felt as if his own breath had stopped.
“Then why did you say she was dead!” Eunuch Jing roared. Do you have any idea how terrified His Highness was just now?
“But…” Doctor Li suddenly reached out again, pressing one hand against Cheng Jiao-niang’s chest and the other against her wrist. He looked up, his expression ghostly pale, “But… she has no heartbeat or pulse.”
