Чистое сердце в нефритовом сосуде

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Could Shen Haoyu possibly command the Imperial Guards? I sneered inwardly, wondering whose orders were being given.

Seeing that they had reached the door but could not go in, Yin Yan was anxious and didn't know what to do. I could only continue, "Since it is the young prince's order, why don't you ask the guard to go in and announce that we were sent by Prince Qing from Qiufeng Garden to take care of the young prince's injuries?"

The guard gave me a cold look, remaining motionless, still standing there like a statue. I took out the waist token that Shen Haoyu had given me and handed it over: "Why don't you take this in? The young prince will definitely recognize it."

The guard took the waist token and examined it carefully before going inside. Yin Yan paced anxiously back and forth, while Gan Lin leisurely surveyed the security of the villa. A short while later, hurried footsteps sounded from inside. I looked up, and a figure rushed to my side, cautiously calling out, "Sister!"

I pulled Zi Nuo, who looked visibly tired, over to her head and asked, "Are you alright?"

Zi Nuo shook her head: "No." Then, with a delighted look, she said, "Sister, what brings you here at this hour?"

I patted his shoulder and laughed, "Weren't you eager to come see me? Come on in." Zinuo then led me and Yinyan inside. When he saw Ganlin following us in, he gave me a puzzled look.

I looked at Gan Lin, troubled. If what Gan Lin said was true, he had saved us many times on the road, although I had never felt it. Even if he really did save us on the road, who could guarantee that it wasn't a scheme to get close to us? If I led him into the villa this time, so close to Shen Haoyu, wouldn't that be like inviting a wolf into the house? But if he was sincere towards us, wouldn't it be a huge hurt to leave him outside?

It's really a difficult situation.

In the time it took to sigh, she finally made a decision, smiling as she said, "This is a guy I met on the road who had no money for food. After I paid for his meal, he's been following us around, eating and drinking for free. His name is Gan Lin." That's not entirely wrong, is it? Gan Lin has never paid for his own meals; he always hangs around me and Yin Yan. If only he really was following us because he had no money.

Hearing me say that, Gan Lin glared at me angrily. I raised my eyebrows and challenged her: Am I lying? You've clearly been freeloading all along.

The three of us followed Zinuo into the villa. Yinyan was in a hurry to go see Shen Haoyu, so we had no choice but to go with her. Before entering Shen Haoyu's room, I left Ganlin outside and said, "After I report to the young prince, I'll ask him if he wants to see you."

To everyone's surprise, Gan Lin snorted coldly: "Why should I see him? I'm only repaying your kindness, not him. Go in by yourself, I'll wait for you outside."

With a bright smile, I followed Zinuo and the others into the room. The room reeked of medicine, mixed with a faint trace of blood, causing me to frown slightly. Yinyan had already flung aside the heavy curtains and rushed to the window. Glancing around the room, seeing the doors and windows tightly shut, I went to the bedside and opened one to let the air circulate a little.

Yinyan squatted by the bed asking all sorts of questions. I pulled Zinuo aside and whispered, "What exactly happened? The young prince was injured, but you were unharmed. The prince seems a little dissatisfied?" I definitely didn't want Zinuo to get hurt too; I just found it a bit strange.

Zi Nuo glanced at me, her eyes holding a strange depth and a hint of nervousness: "The young prince was injured while saving me. Originally, as soon as we set off from Jinque Kingdom, the young prince and one of his retainers, disguised as a guard, switched identities. The retainer impersonated the young prince, while the young prince himself walked in the procession disguised as a guard. Before we even left Jinque Kingdom, we were attacked. This latest ambush, which severely weakened us, comes after more than forty attacks, large and small. In this last one, the assassin wounded the retainer impersonating the young prince, and the young prince was also injured while saving me; he's still very weak."

Was Shen Haoyu injured while saving Zinuo? Didn't he know his own noble status? I really never thought that Shen Haoyu would be injured while saving Zinuo. No wonder Prince Qing reacted that way and said nothing. How could he believe that the high and mighty Prince would risk his life to save a mere guard?

"Seeing the heavy losses, the young prince told us to go directly to Marquis Qiyun, saying that the only safe place under the sun right now is Marquis Qiyun's gate. So everyone is recuperating here."

Hearing Zinuo's words, I went to the bedside to check on Shen Haoyu. Shen Haoyu was lying on his side, and Yinyan was weeping as she re-bandaged his wounds. The wounds were on his back, two sword wounds, one of which pierced his chest, leaving a gash that hadn't healed after more than twenty days, with blood still seeping out. The three sword scars weren't large, but they were more shocking than any other gruesome wound. How dangerous those two sword wounds were! Shen Haoyu had actually survived.

Shen Haoyu's skin was very firm and smooth, but these three scars looked quite out of place. This was probably the first time he had been injured, and so badly at that.

My eyes felt sore and swollen from something. I looked up at Shen Haoyu again. Although his face was pale, he was looking at me quietly with a faint smile on his lips: "I promised you that Zinuo would come back safely."

I only managed to whisper, "Young Prince!" before I could say nothing more.

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 65

Chapter word count: 3662 Update time: 09-08-17 15:08

Shen Haoyu took his medicine and fell asleep again. Yin Yan stubbornly stayed by his side and refused to leave, so I didn't try to persuade her any further. Zinuo and I retreated to the outer room and hurriedly asked, "What happened to the young prince's wound? It hasn't healed after so long." "The sword was poisoned. Mr. Qi cleaned it, but the wound just won't heal."

Upon hearing "Mr. Qi," I couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Is Mr. Qi here too?" But I hadn't seen Mr. Qi for a long time, and I didn't know where Prince Qing had sent him. To suddenly hear that he was here was truly astonishing.

Zi Nuo nodded and said, "The young prince had just been injured when Mr. Qi arrived. It's fortunate that Mr. Qi arrived in time, otherwise..." Zi Nuo paused and didn't finish her sentence, but instead said, "Mr. Qi has probably been secretly following the young prince all along."

I nodded in agreement. Many faces from the Prince Qing's mansion haven't been seen in recent years; they've probably all slowly moved into the shadows. Thinking of the dangerous location of Shen Haoyu's back wound, I was still a little worried and asked, "The external wound hasn't healed; what's the condition inside?" As I spoke, I pointed to my own chest.

Zi Nuo's expression was grave: "That sword piercing his chest was extremely dangerous. Had it been even slightly off, the young prince probably wouldn't have survived on the spot. Now, just like outside, he can only wait for the wound to heal." These words weighed heavily on my heart. If Shen Haoyu hadn't gone to save Zi Nuo, he probably wouldn't have been injured. But if Shen Haoyu hadn't saved him, would Zi Nuo still be standing safely before me? But… to exchange Shen Haoyu's life for Zi Nuo's, could I truly be at peace with myself?

The fact that Shen Haoyu risked his life to save Zinuo was a huge shock to me, and I was extremely conflicted after thinking about it. Tracing back to the beginning, I asked Zinuo in a deep voice, "Zinuo, can you tell me now why you insisted on going to Jinque Kingdom with us?" If Zinuo hadn't come here, even if Shen Haoyu and the others would still have suffered all sorts of attacks, I wouldn't be in such an awkward situation now, suddenly owing Shen Haoyu such a huge favor.

Zi Nuo smiled bitterly, "I just wanted to go to the Golden Sparrow Kingdom because I saw that the opportunity was rare." Then she added, "Sister, the young prince saved my life. I owe him a debt of gratitude, and I will repay it myself. It has nothing to do with you, sister. Don't think too much about it."

Listening to Zinuo's words, I looked at him deeply, not knowing what to say. I sighed and finally said, "No matter what, the best thing is that everyone is alive. Your life is just as important. Don't do anything foolish, understand?"

Seeing Zinuo nod slightly, I then walked out of the room.

Outside the door, Gan Lin was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed. When he saw me come out, he smiled and showed his teeth. Seeing Gan Lin, the decision I had just made came back to mind.

Zi Nuo walked over and said, "Sister, you must be tired from your journey. Let me take you to your room to rest."

I shook my head and said, "Just leave a room for Yin Yan. Gan Lin and I will go outside. With so many people in this villa, I'm afraid Marquis Qi Yun won't be able to handle them."

Upon hearing this, Zi Nuo couldn't help but laugh and said, "Several hundred people have been living here for almost a month. I'm afraid Marquis Qi Yun really can't hold on any longer." She then glanced at Gan Lin and said knowingly, "Sister, be careful."

It wasn't that I was truly worried about Marquis Qiyun being unable to support us, but having Gan Lin, whose origins were unclear, with me was a bit uneasy. Leaving him alone outside felt wrong, so I decided to go to the inn with him. I don't know if Gan Lin guessed my intentions, but when Zinuo led us to the hall to rest, he smiled at me again, a smile that I instinctively felt was somewhat enigmatic…

In the hall, I inquired about the other members of the group from Zinuo. Zinuo said that the injured had almost recovered, but Shen Haoyu's injury was slow to heal, so they dared not leave rashly. Hearing Shen Haoyu's injury mentioned again made me feel uneasy.

After having dinner with Zinuo, I went to Shen Haoyu's room to check on him again, only to find him still fast asleep. Yinyan, exhausted from her journey, was also asleep by the bedside. I looked at Yinyan with some concern, and Zinuo said, "Mr. Qi will be here later. Mr. Qi and I have been taking turns watching over the young prince these past few days, so Sister Yinyan can go and rest then."

I found an inn closest to the villa and watched as Gan Lin went into his room. I then slipped out and took a walk around the villa's exterior. The guards seemed different from during the day; their numbers had clearly increased. I suppose it's safer during the day. I brought Gan Lin outside, not entirely out of concern for him, but also because if someone attacked at night, we could find help quickly outside. As for help, naturally, it would be the owner of this place, Marquis Qi Yun.

Back at the inn, Gan Lin wasn't in his room. A sense of unease crept in. Instead of returning to my own room, I stood waiting outside Gan Lin's door. Although it was already dark, it was still early enough that anything could happen. If Gan Lin wanted to make a move, it shouldn't be this quick…

I was pacing anxiously outside his room when I saw a man in flowing white robes slowly walking towards me. Upon closer inspection, I recognized his features. The man in white stopped beside me, narrowed his dark eyes, and looked at me with a smile. I pointed at him, speechless for a moment.

"Why can't you recognize me?" The man in white frowned slightly, a hint of annoyance in his expression.

Hearing the familiar voice, I realized: "Gan Lin?"

Gan Lin snorted, ignoring me completely, and pushed the door open, slamming it shut behind him. Seeing Gan Lin like this, I was practically bursting with laughter. He really did go and change into white clothes to imitate Ximen Chuixue! But I had to suppress my laughter and said in a feigned anxious voice, "Gan Lin, don't be angry, you were just so incredibly charming, absolutely stunning, unparalleled in the world! You can't blame me for not recognizing you for a moment." It wasn't entirely flattery; I was genuinely amazed just now, but I only found it funny after recognizing Gan Lin.

I stood at the doorway, not moving, for a while before Gan Lin's slightly annoyed voice came from inside: "I'm going to sleep." I looked up at the sky. It was still early, yet she was asleep so soon. She was probably still angry with me. Sigh... Wasn't Ximen Chuixue always so cold and aloof? There's a saying that you can't look right no matter what you wear, and that's actually quite true. I'll never tell him to be like Ximen Chuixue again...

He shook his head, returned to his room, checked his belongings, and then lay down to sleep.

The next morning, after having breakfast at the inn, I went to the annex. Having learned from yesterday's experience, the guards at the gate didn't stop me. Looking at Gan Lin following behind me, I couldn't help but shake my head and sigh. I had planned to leave him at the inn and come alone, afraid that I wouldn't be able to take care of him here and would neglect him. But he insisted on coming along, still using the same excuse of wanting to protect me, but this time his tone was no longer cheerful; it had suddenly become cold and distant, which made me very uncomfortable. It's been a whole night, and this guy's anger still hasn't subsided…

When I went to see Shen Haoyu again, he was wearing a loose white undergarment, and his complexion seemed a little better than yesterday. Yinyan said that Mr. Qi had prescribed new medicine for Shen Haoyu yesterday. Oh, I see. Looking at Yinyan, she looked even more haggard than yesterday, with dark circles under her eyes. "Didn't you rest yesterday?" I asked, a little annoyed. Although I knew she was worried about Shen Haoyu's injury, it wasn't like no one was taking care of him. If she continued like this, Shen Haoyu wouldn't recover before she collapsed herself.