Chapter Ninety-Six: At Others' Mercy

Inside the Twilight Pavilion...

Huangfu Chen carried Weishao Qianyu to the top-floor attic. He sprinkled medicinal powder onto the wound on her chest, took a deep breath, and decisively pulled out the dagger. Lu Yanran watched, dumbfounded, catching only a fleeting flicker of pain across Weishao Qianyu’s brows.

The Prince of War’s mansion was once again surrounded by the Imperial City Guards. The people of Yuedu found the state of affairs absurd. In less than half a month, the residence of the God of War had been besieged by the royal forces twice. The authorities claimed the God of War of the Liyue Kingdom had colluded with an assassin organization, but the people of Yuedu reacted with the sentiment: "If one is determined to condemn, one can always find a pretext."

However, the Prince of War’s mansion remained deathly silent; both the Prince and the Princess of War had vanished. Fortunately, Yun Shuo did not treat the household too harshly. Within a few days, peace returned to Yuedu. Everything seemed serene and pleasant, as if the Liyue Kingdom were still under the protection of the Prince of War. The only difference, perhaps, was the mansion itself.

Rui’er became the sole master of the Prince of War’s mansion. Chu Jiu sighed every day, while Dong Nuan and Qing Xia kept watch at the Zhiyu Building, waiting daily for Weishao Qianyu’s return. Xue Chun would rest her chin on her hand by the window of Wanlai Xue, watching the bustling streets. She always felt that at any moment, just like when her mistress first married into the mansion and ran away from home, a gentle and graceful figure would walk through the door. Yet, after many days of waiting, Xue Chun never saw a trace of her.

Xue Chun sighed and lowered her head to get up and close the door, when a pair of black long boots entered her field of vision. She looked up in surprise to see Ye Eleven standing directly before her. Xue Chun’s eyes instantly turned red, and she asked urgently, "Where is my mistress?"

Ye Eleven pressed his lips together; his heart was entirely focused on his own mistress. Seeing Ye Eleven remain silent, Xue Chun was so anxious she was on the verge of tears.

"The Princess was taken away by Young Master Huangfu..." Ye Eleven dared not say that the person Huangfu Chen had taken was the corpse of Weishao Qianyu.

Given her concern for Weishao Qianyu, Xue Chun immediately interpreted his words to mean that Weishao Qianyu had been taken away and was no longer with the Prince. Xue Chun shook her head. "Impossible! My mistress would only cling to the Prince; she would never leave with Young Master Huangfu!"

Ye Eleven was speechless. Xue Chun, growing desperate, realized something terrible must have happened. She stamped her feet in agitation. Ye Eleven grabbed her wrist and, disregarding everything else, said solemnly, "Xue Chun, come with me!"

Xue Chun could not grasp the meaning of his words and stared at him blankly. Seeing no reaction, Ye Eleven explained, "Now that the Young Prince Yun is gone, your marriage engagement to him is no longer valid. Do you remember Qu Jun, the younger brother of the Qu family’s second legitimate son, Qu Kun, who once came to the mansion to propose? He wants to marry you! He has made contributions this time; if he petitions for an imperial decree to marry you, you will have no way to escape!"

Without the Prince or the Princess, they were all at the mercy of others. Xue Chun was stubborn by nature; how could she leave without waiting for Weishao Qianyu?

"I am not leaving! I must wait for my mistress to come back!"

Ye Eleven had no choice but to say, "The Princess is not coming back!"

Xue Chun, in a fit of rage, lifted her leg and kicked Ye Eleven in the knee. Caught off guard, he dropped to one knee.

Xue Chun didn't care at all, cursing, "That serves you right for spouting nonsense!"

Ye Eleven stood up, looked at his knee, and before he could brush off the dust, he was dragged out of Wanlai Xue by Xue Chun. Behind him came the loud "bang" of the door being slammed shut. Ye Eleven turned and pounded on the door, but Xue Chun ignored him entirely and went upstairs to tidy up.

Since the fire, Wanlai Xue had been rebuilt. The layout remained the same, preserving the small attic that Weishao Qianyu loved. Opening the window, one could still see the seat in the Mingke Pavilion across the street where the Prince of War often sat. The only thing missing was the figure of Weishao Qianyu by the window. Every day, Xue Chun would go up to the attic to clean, always thinking that perhaps one day, her mistress would suddenly appear.

Downstairs at Wanlai Xue, Ye Eleven was at his wit's end and could only lean against the door and wait.

Inside the Zhiyu Building of the Prince of War’s mansion, Qing Xia was heartbroken. Rui’er would run over from time to time to ask, "Sister Xia, when will Mother and Auntie return?"

"Little Master, didn't your mother tell you she would be out for a while and asked you to stay here and play with Sister Xia?" Qing Xia’s heart was full of worry, yet she still tried every means to coax Rui’er daily.

"But Auntie isn't here, and Uncle isn't here either!" Rui’er, having heard Qing Xia’s excuses too often, felt aggrieved and was about to cry.

Dong Nuan sighed from a tree, jumped down, and snatched Rui’er up into the branches. As soon as he was lifted, Rui’er giggled.

"Does Rui’er want to be like Sister Dong’er and be able to jump into a tree in one go?" Dong Nuan coaxed. Rui’er nodded vigorously.

"Then Sister Dong’er will teach you. Once you learn, wouldn't it be a great surprise for Mother and Auntie when they return?" Dong Nuan spoke with uncharacteristic gentleness. Rui’er nodded continuously.

At the Tingfeng Building, Chu Jiu was accustomed to squatting outside the study. He had just finished cleaning it; it was spotless, as if time had returned to the two years his master was away on campaign. But this time, the building was terrifyingly quiet. Chu Jiu even found himself missing the days when the Princess would run away, causing his master to rage and smash things, or the days when the Princess and the Prince would bicker and turn the mansion upside down. Chu Jiu sighed; anything was better than this total silence. He worried that if something happened to the Princess or the Prince, the other would not be able to carry on.

Inside the towering red walls, at the Changming Hall, Yun Shuo sat blankly on his high throne, ignoring the ministers arguing until their faces were red. With the Marquis of Xibo handling everything for him, he was clearly a puppet emperor. But when he thought of Feng Jinye not being dead, Yun Shuo clenched his teeth.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang out. Someone knelt before the hall and pleaded, "Your humble servant has a woman he admires; I beg Your Majesty to grant us a marriage."

Yun Shuo finally looked at the speaker. Seeing he resembled Qu Kun, he guessed it was Qu Jun. He recalled the ministers arguing about whether Qu Jun had earned merit and whether he should be rewarded. This man was clever; asking for a marriage by imperial decree was just a way to secure a reward with a single word from the Emperor. The ministers, who had been arguing fiercely, nodded in satisfaction. However, those with unmarried daughters of their own immediately became wary.

"Which family’s daughter does Commander Qu have his eye on?" Yun Shuo said carelessly, his demeanor uncannily like Yun Ming’s.

"It is the proprietress of Wanlai Xue, Miss Xue Chun," Qu Jun replied with trepidation, knowing full well she had once been promised to the Crown Prince.

Yun Shuo frowned, but then thought of the master-servant relationship between Xue Chun and Weishao Qianyu. Moreover, Weishao Qianyu seemed to have a grudge against the Marquis of Dingyuan’s estate; perhaps this could draw her out.

"Granted," Yun Shuo nodded, then added, "Since it is a joyous occasion, let the wedding date be set for three days from now, on the fifteenth!"

The ministers were stunned. Who held a wedding without at least half a year of preparation? The Emperor’s demand for a wedding in three days left them wondering if it was a reward or a punishment. After all, if a royal-granted wedding were poorly handled, it could lead to accusations of disrespecting the imperial authority. Qu Jun didn't think much of it; he excitedly accepted the decree and, after the morning court session, led the betrothal gifts and the decree directly toward Wanlai Xue.

Ye Eleven, waiting outside, saw the two long red processions approaching with gongs and drums, and his face darkened. Ignoring everything else, he kicked open the door to Wanlai Xue and rushed to the third floor.

Xue Chun was sleeping in the attic, just as she used to when keeping watch for Weishao Qianyu. Ye Eleven, in his urgency, ran over, scooped her up, leaped from the attic, and bolted for the city gates. Xue Chun, terrified, began kicking and punching him.

Ye Eleven explained, "The imperial decree for marriage has already arrived at the gates. Do you really want to marry into the Qu family?"

"Yes!" Xue Chun replied.

Ye Eleven stopped in his tracks. Xue Chun continued to struggle, shouting, "Even if I marry into the Qu family, I will still wait for my mistress to come back!"

Ye Eleven was frustrated. "You are so foolish! If you marry into the Qu family, they will have you dead in two days. Let's see how you wait for the Princess then!"

Xue Chun had never considered what would happen if she married into the Qu family. Hearing Ye Eleven say this, she suddenly felt all her hopes crumble. She burst into tears.

Ye Eleven had a headache. He couldn't stand the sight of her tears, so he raised his hand to wipe them away. "Stop crying, it's annoying!" he said impatiently, though he immediately regretted his words.

Xue Chun just kept crying, paying no attention to what he said. Ye Eleven had never seen anyone cry so much; even when that brat Rui’er was nearly thrown off the city walls, he didn't cry like this. Ye Eleven was at a loss, desperately trying to remember how his master used to coax the Princess whenever she cried. But he realized that usually, before the Princess could even cry, his master would already be fawning over her.

Suddenly thinking of something, Ye Eleven immediately admitted his fault. "Don't cry, I was wrong, I was wrong."

Xue Chun ignored him and continued to cry. Ye Eleven exhaled, stood up, and paced back and forth. Finally, he picked her up, went to a stream, fetched some water, and handed it to her. "Drink some water before crying, can you?"

Xue Chun took the water skin. Ye Eleven returned to the stream, tore a piece of black fabric from his clothing, washed it, wrung it out, and returned to wipe her face.

Xue Chun’s voice was becoming hoarse, and Ye Eleven felt a sudden surge of pity. He coaxed, "Don't cry, alright? You'll lose your voice if you keep crying..."

Xue Chun was still sobbing, shivering, when a touch of coolness hit her face. She looked up at Ye Eleven and realized he was wiping her face for her. Seeing that she hadn't touched the water skin, Ye Eleven opened it and handed it to her again. Only then did Xue Chun blankly hold the water skin and drink.