The warm spring sunlight slanted through the window, casting the silhouette of a tall, rugged figure on the screen behind it. Xiao Yan sat on the long four-legged couch with his outer robe loosely draped, revealing his waist, which had already been dyed a deep red with blood.
Qin Niangzi's expression was grim. "Who did this? The blade missed a vital spot by barely half an inch! And yet, you still had the nerve to ride back on horseback? Have you lost all regard for your life?!"
"Just tend to the wound and stop nagging." Xiao Yan frowned as he noticed the edge of a green-embroidered skirt swaying by the screen. "I'm fine."
"Fine?"
Qin Niangzi, though accustomed to his cold demeanor, was still irritated by his stubbornness. She let out a cold laugh and, as she wrapped the white cloth around his waist, she applied extra pressure. Xiao Yan's breath hitched and then quickened sharply, the muscles in his back and shoulders tensed from the pain, and cold sweat beaded on his pale forehead as the blood drained from his lips.
Outside, Song Tangning couldn't see what was happening behind the screen, but when she heard Xiao Yan's sudden, rapid breathing, her eyes turned red with worry. "Sister Qin, what's happening to Brother?"
"He won't die," Qin Niangzi replied mockingly.
Song Tangning couldn't see Xiao Yan's injuries and didn’t know how serious they were, but her brother never showed his emotions. If he was in this much pain, it couldn’t be anything minor. She still had blood on her hands from when she helped him earlier, and thinking of the blood-soaked patch on his waist, she anxiously stepped forward, intent on rushing inside. However, before she could pass the screen, a voice stopped her.
"Don't come in."
"Brother..."
"I'm fine," Xiao Yan replied, suppressing his pain. "Qin Niangzi's just trying to scare you."
The white cloth was soaked in blood, and the wound on his waist was gruesome. In such a disheveled state, he couldn’t let a child see him, especially with the gory sight of his wound. He lightly grasped his side to ease the pain and glanced at the person beside him. "Stop teasing her and focus on treating the wound."
Qin Niangzi rolled her eyes. When she had found Xiao Yan years ago, he had been on the verge of death, drenched in blood. Even though his bones and blood had been almost entirely replaced, he had survived.
Listening to the young girl outside, her voice trembling with tears, pacing back and forth anxiously, Qin Niangzi finally stopped tormenting Xiao Yan and efficiently finished dressing his wound. When she was done, she said with little patience, "You only have one life, Commander. Be careful, or you’ll lose everything if you die."
"With you around, there's no need to worry," Xiao Yan replied.
Qin Niangzi snapped, "I'm just a doctor, not a deity!"
Xiao Yan leaned on Jingyun for support as he put on a clean undergarment, exhaling softly through his pale lips. "To me, you're as good as a deity. There's no one else like you in the entire empire, Qin Miao-shou."
Qin Niangzi was left speechless.
That flattery lodged in her chest like a blocked breath—she couldn’t tell whether to be angry or amused.
Xiao Yan fastened his belt and, with Jingyun’s assistance, walked to the side and sat back down. Only then did Song Tangning get permission to enter.
The young girl practically ran to his side, her skirt wrinkled from being clenched in her hands, eyes red with tears streaming down her face.
Xiao Yan sighed softly. "Didn’t I tell you I was fine? Why are you crying?"
"You really enjoy making Song Xiaoniangzi worry about you," Qin Niangzi teased as she washed her hands. "He’s seriously injured, you know. The cut on his waist was just half an inch from his vital organs. He’ll need a long time to recover properly. Even though the weather's not too hot, you’ll have to change his bandages frequently, or it might fester and become infected."
She flicked the water from her hands, annoyed.
"His body was already weakened from an old injury, and after years of inconsistent treatments, it’s never fully healed. He never listens to me when I tell him to take better care of himself. If I didn’t owe him a favor, I wouldn’t even bother treating someone as reckless as him."
She could care less if he lived or died!
Song Tangning, misunderstanding Qin Niangzi’s words, thought she was referring to the fact that Xiao Yan had suffered castration and was no longer like other men. Her heart tightened in distress. "Sister Qin, give me the medicine. I’ll make sure Brother takes care of himself."
Qin Niangzi snorted. "He’s used to paying lip service. You think you can keep him in check?"
Xiao Yan shot a glare at Qin Niangzi but before he could retort, he felt a tug on his sleeve.
Looking down at the girl’s tear-filled eyes and the way her lashes were still wet, her face on the verge of tears, he exhaled slowly, his expression softening. Filled with helplessness, he gave in. "Alright, I’ll let you take care of me."
"Do you promise?"
"I promise."
The shimmering tears in Tangning’s eyes brightened, and still clutching his sleeve, she turned to Qin Niangzi. "Sister Qin, I’ll make sure Brother rests well. Please tell me everything I need to know about his injury."
Qin Niangzi was surprised. It was the first time she’d seen Xiao Yan give in to someone. This little girl truly had him wrapped around her finger.
Despite her grumblings, Qin Niangzi didn’t really want to see Xiao Yan suffer. She knew more than anyone what he had been through, which made her all the more exasperated with him. But now that someone could keep him in line, she wasn’t about to miss the opportunity.
Pulling Song Tangning aside, she started explaining in detail the care Xiao Yan would need, and the young girl listened intently, imprinting every word in her mind.
Watching her serious expression, as if she were receiving some top-secret instructions, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated at being treated like some fragile porcelain doll. He rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "She’s really making the most of this, who knows how much Qin Niangzi’s told her."
Jingyun chuckled. "Qin Niangzi is just worried about you, Commander. Your injury is quite severe. Perhaps you should stay home and recover for the next few days."
"The Privy Council is overflowing with matters, and the palace requires my attention. There’s no time for rest."
Xiao Yan barely finished speaking when he saw Song Tangning glance over at him. His tone changed immediately. "But staying home a few extra days wouldn’t be a bad idea…"
He was truly afraid of her tears. Worse comes to worst, he could always attend to matters after the little housekeeper went to bed.
Seeing him relent so easily, Jingyun suppressed a laugh.
Xiao Yan coughed lightly and shot him a glare before returning to the serious topic at hand. "How’s the interrogation of those people we caught outside the city today?"
Jingyun’s smile faded. "They’re all death warriors. Impossible to make them talk."
Two of them had already died on the way back, and although the other two were still alive, their tongues had been cut out, making it nearly impossible to get any information from them.
Xiao Yan had expected as much. Anyone sent to take action outside the capital wouldn’t leave any loose ends. He wasn’t surprised, only letting out a cold chuckle. "Old Lu Chongyuan is getting desperate."
Jingyun was shocked. "Are you saying today’s assassination attempt was ordered by the Lu family?"
Xiao Yan’s face darkened. "It’s almost certain."
The recent corruption scandal involving canal grain had dealt a severe blow to the noble families. Lu Chongyuan and others had been forced to sever ties and cut their losses, and the Lu family alone had lost nearly sixty percent of their business in the southern provinces.
The money was one thing, but the key issue was that the family’s long-standing enterprises had been compromised. Even the Lu family could only take so much.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 200 here
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