Not long after breakfast, Shen Lingzhen heard that Zhao Xun was preparing to return to the capital. Yu Wanjiang invited him to stay for lunch, but he declined, citing pressing affairs in Bianjing and the need to depart immediately.
Shen Lingzhen couldn’t help but marvel. Huo Liuxing had predicted this exact excuse with uncanny precision.
With a noble guest departing, the Huo family naturally gathered at the gates to see him off, as etiquette required.
Outside the Huo residence, the entire household assembled. Huo Liuxing exchanged polite formalities with Yu Wanjiang, while Shen Lingzhen did her best to play along, offering Zhao Xun well-wishes for a safe journey. Yet inwardly, she was troubled. Her cousin had used this wedding escort as a pretext to thoroughly investigate both Qingzhou and the Huo estate. She worried what consequences that might bring once he returned to court.
If only communication were more secure, she would’ve sent word to the Duke’s estate, asking her family to keep an eye on political developments in the capital.
Zhao Xun’s departure seemed sudden and unceremonious. His entourage was modest, barely consisting of a dozen attendants. In response, Huo Liuxing offered to send a squad of guards to escort him.
Seeing this, Huo Shuyi volunteered herself, saying that since her brother’s legs were unwell, she could lead the escort in his stead.
Shen Lingzhen knew Huo Shuyi still mistakenly believed Zhao Xun to be the Huo family’s benefactor. Worried he might use this opportunity to manipulate her, Shen Lingzhen discreetly poked Huo Liuxing in the waist from behind.
Huo Liuxing acted as though he hadn’t noticed. He cupped his hands to Zhao Xun and said, “In that case, I’ll entrust my younger sister to escort Your Highness to the city gates. Forgive me for not accompanying you myself.” Then, out of sight, he gently squeezed Shen Lingzhen’s fingers, which was his way of telling her not to worry.
Zhao Xun smiled and waved it off, then turned and left the Huo residence.
Huo Shuyi, dressed in simple riding gear and disguised as a young man, mounted her horse with ease and rode off in a cloud of dust. At the city gates, she dismounted and bowed to bid Zhao Xun in farewell.
Zhao Xun sat tall on his horse, looked down at her. “Miss Huo, your riding skills are truly exceptional. Even we men feel humbled. Such martial prowess was surely inherited from General Shu?”
Huo Shuyi’s given name was “Shuyi.” The “General Shu” Zhao Xun referred to was her and Huo Miaoling’s father, Yu Wanjiang’s late first husband.
When her long-deceased father was mentioned, Huo Shuyi couldn’t help but feel downcast. She lowered her eyes and nodded. “Shuyi did indeed train in martial arts under Father from a young age.”
“General Shu once fought side by side with Commander Huo on the battlefield,” Zhao Xun said. “They shared deep camaraderie and loyalty, he truly deserved to be called a hero. It’s a pity that ten years ago, while rescuing my Cousin’s husband from the war camp, he was tragically killed in Western Qiang…”
At this, Zhao Xun let out a quiet sigh.
Huo Shuyi nodded again, her smile turning slightly strained.
Zhao Xun shook his head wistfully, as if unwilling to dwell on such sorrowful memories. He changed the subject. “Qingyang isn’t exactly peaceful. Your dedication to martial arts is commendable, should danger arise, you’ll at least be able to defend yourself. Just don’t end up like my Cousin, so frail she was easily abducted.”
Huo Shuyi froze and looked up. “Abducted? What do you mean?”
After seeing off the formidable Zhao Xun, Huo Liuxing instructed Jingmo and Kongqing to hide every item in the study bearing his handwriting.
He had two styles of writing, one for public display, and one reserved for secret correspondence.
The latter was always burned after use. The former posed no threat, so many books in the study still bore his handwritten notes.
Regarding the silk handkerchief incident, he had told Shen Lingzhen a lie he wasn’t sure would hold. To avoid being exposed if things didn’t go as he expected, he needed to eliminate any risk.
Given Shen Lingzhen’s rule-abiding nature, she rarely examined even the items openly placed on his desk, let alone rummage through his cabinets. So there was no need to burn the books, this precaution would suffice.
While Jingmo and Kongqing were busy tidying up, Huo Shuyi returned to the estate. True to her usual impulsive self, she rushed into Huo Liuxing’s courtyard and knocked on the study door.
Huo Liuxing told the two to pause their work, then said, “Come in.”
Huo Shuyi entered, glanced at Jingmo and Kongqing, and frowned. “Second Brother, I need to speak with you alone.”
The two looked to Huo Liuxing for instruction. He nodded, and they withdrew.
Seated by the window, Huo Liuxing smiled faintly. “So urgent. Did you hear something from Fourth Prince?”
Huo Shuyi was taken aback. “How did you know, Second Brother?”
“I don’t just know about that,” Huo Liuxing said calmly. “I also know that he likely gossiped about your Sister-in-law, then pretended to let something slip in front of you, asking you to keep it to yourself, especially not to tell me, your Second Brother.”
Seeing Huo Shuyi stunned into silence, Huo Liuxing chuckled and shook his head. “If he hadn’t added that warning, you might’ve gone home and discussed it with Mother first, then decided whether to tell me. But because he said it, you couldn’t hold back, you came straight to me. Am I wrong?”
Huo Shuyi nervously licked her lips and nodded.
“That’s exactly what I thought.”
“So Second Brother already knew that Miss Shen had been abducted before your marriage?”
“I knew.”
Huo Shuyi bit her lip. “Then why weren’t you angry? His Majesty and the Princess went to great lengths to hide it. Wasn’t it because they feared the marriage would fall apart? Miss Shen may no longer be… pure. How could they expect you to marry someone so tainted—”
“Huo Shuyi!” Huo Liuxing’s face darkened. “Is that the kind of thing a young woman, a junior, should be saying?”
Huo Shuyi clenched her fists and fell silent.
“I know exactly what kind of person your Sister-in-law is. But others, trying to sabotage this marriage, have used your mouth to do it. Can you see their intentions clearly? Shuyi, if you don’t learn to think before you speak, you’ll suffer for it sooner or later.”
Huo Shuyi froze. “Second Brother… are you saying that Fourth Prince…”
“You said last time that your Sister-in-law was meddling and foolish. But you didn’t know, if not for her help, I wouldn’t have escaped so easily that night. I’m telling you now: whatever you feel in your heart, from this day forward, if you show her any disrespect or act out again, the Huo family will not tolerate it.”
Huo Shuyi stood there, stunned. She opened her mouth several times to speak, but swallowed her words each time. Finally, she nodded and ran back to her courtyard, eyes red with tears.
Huo Miaoling saw her sister return, sobbing and gasping for breath. Thinking she’d encountered some villain on the road, she rushed to call their mother.
Yu Wanjiang, having learned the full story from Huo Liuxing, stormed into the room with a whip in hand. She dragged Huo Shuyi off the bed. “Kneel!”
After crying her heart out, Huo Shuyi calmed down. Expressionless, she knelt and endured ten lashes from Yu Wanjiang without making a sound.
When the whipping was done, Yu Wanjiang lifted her daughter’s shirt and looked at the shocking welts across her back. She closed her eyes briefly, then called for someone to apply medicine.
Huo Shuyi let out a cold laugh. “Why didn’t you just beat me to death, Mother?”
Yu Wanjiang gritted her teeth. “You dare speak of death to me? Do you know what’s kept you alive all these years? If it weren’t for Commander Huo’s gratitude toward your father, and his kindness in taking us in, you’d have been wolf food at the border long ago! You don’t cherish your life, you speak of death so casually, and you keep stirring up trouble with Young Madam. How is that honoring your father?”
Huo Shuyi lowered her eyes. “It’s precisely because I remember Father that I can’t accept her. Ten years ago, how did Father die? How did Second Brother lose his legs? How did our family become refugees? How were the people of Hexi trampled by foreign invaders? Have you forgotten all that, Mother? The Zhao and Shen families caused all this, why should I treat Shen Lingzhen kindly?”
Yu Wanjiang shook her head. “Ask yourself this: both are of imperial blood, why do you show such respect to Fourth Prince, yet treat Shen Lingzhen like a thorn in your side? Is it truly all about righteousness, with no personal bias?”
“That’s because Second Brother told me that Fourth Prince is a good man.”
“And didn’t he just tell you today that his wife once helped him too? If you trust his word about Fourth Prince, why won’t you accept Shen Lingzhen?”
Huo Shuyi was speechless.
Yu Wanjiang sighed. “Shuyi, do you know why, when Commander Huo brought us into the Huo estate, he immediately entered your name into the family registry? From the very beginning, the Huo family never intended to let you harbor any ambitions beyond your station. Even without Shen Lingzhen, what you hope for could never come true. Your Second Brother has his own path to walk, romantic entanglements mean nothing to him.”
Huo Shuyi frowned.
“There are things we kept from you before, not wanting you to bear the burden with us. But if you keep acting out, you’ll ruin everything. So now I must tell you, and you must remember every word.”
“Twenty-seven years ago, the current Emperor rose in rebellion and forced the last Emperor of the previous dynasty, of the Meng clan, to abdicate. The previous Emperor refused and died fighting in the capital alongside his sons and grandsons. But one prince survived, he was the son of the Emperor and Commander Huo’s sister, making him your Second Brother’s maternal cousin. That child was born the same night as your Second Brother, in the midst of war. He is now twenty-seven.”
Huo Shuyi’s eyes widened. “Where is that prince now?”
“In Bianjing, right under the nose of the court. After the current Emperor took the throne, he ordered the Huo family to deliver the surviving prince to Bianjing. The Huo family refused and tried to pass off your Second Brother as the prince. But the plan failed, they couldn’t pull off the deception.”
“The previous dynasty fell because the Huo army withdrew from the capital. From that day on, the Huo family has owed them a debt. So long as that prince lives in Bianjing, the Huo family cannot lay down its burden. Shuyi, your Second Brother’s path is not one you can follow. If you truly care for him, broaden your vision, look farther ahead, and do what a sister ought to do, stand behind him.”
Author’s Note: When you start to panic, just remember- I write absurd comedies.
