Volume One, Chapter 16: Riding Together on One Horse

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“If nothing is wrong, then go back.”

There was no doubt that the people who had attacked them today were from the Northern Tribes. But with the city under such strict control, how had they managed to get inside?

Their intention to assassinate Xiao Yuanyi was equally obvious. Lou Hejing had originally planned to interrogate the prisoners at once, but now he could only escort her home first.

Not knowing that her monthly cycle had begun would have been one thing. But now that Xiao Yuanyi saw the bloodstains on her clothes, she immediately became acutely uncomfortable.

Lou Hejing was wearing armor and could not lend her anything to cover herself with.

“Doctor, do you have any clothes I could wear?”

“Please wait a moment, miss.”

The physician went to the back and brought out a cloak belonging to his daughter.

Xiao Yuanyi thanked him, but she knew she could not simply take someone else’s belongings. Unfortunately, she had not brought any money with her.

She accepted the cloak and glanced cautiously at Lou Hejing.

Lou Hejing muttered inwardly that she was trouble, then turned and walked out without a backward glance. Xiao Yuanyi hurriedly set down the cloak and followed him.

Unexpectedly, Lou Hejing turned back, and she nearly collided with him.

He glanced at Xiao Yuanyi, then handed the physician a string of unmistakably exotic gemstone bracelets.

“A great many wounded civilians will be brought here shortly. I’ll trouble you to care for them, Doctor Liu.”

“General, what are you saying? The things you gave me before are already more than enough.” The physician repeatedly tried to refuse.

Lou Hejing simply set the bracelets down, then casually picked up the cloak and tossed it to Xiao Yuanyi.

Somewhat at a loss, Xiao Yuanyi draped it over herself. She resolved to repay him once they returned.

By the time she emerged, Lou Hejing had already mounted his horse. Earlier, he had carried her only because he thought she was seriously wounded. Now, naturally, she had no face to ask to ride with him.

So she sensibly followed behind.

Lou Hejing impatiently held out a hand toward her. “Come here.”

Without hesitation, Xiao Yuanyi placed her hand in his. She had learned to ride before, and with the strength of his pull, she smoothly settled onto the horse—

behind him.

She adjusted her position slightly. Two large bundles hanging from the saddle were digging painfully into her, and they contained all manner of strange objects. Judging by their appearance, they were spoils he had acquired during this campaign.

Lou Hejing stared for a moment at the empty space before him, thinking she had deliberately avoided touching him. Hah. As if he wanted to hold her.

She was already another man’s wife. The least she could do was act the part.

When he suddenly urged the horse forward, Xiao Yuanyi was not seated securely and nearly tumbled off. Forgetting all about Lou Hejing’s feelings, she clutched at his armor.

She worried on the one hand that he would dislike her touching him, and on the other that her blood would stain the horse’s back. Her emotions were hopelessly tangled.

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She clearly failed to realize how comical it looked for the two of them, one tall and one short, to share a horse—as though she were the one driving it from behind.

At last they returned to the Lou residence. Xiao Yuanyi saw that there were indeed bloodstains on the horse’s back and felt terribly embarrassed. Before she could utter an apology, Lou Hejing rode away.

She was left choking on a mouthful of dust.

“Those Northern Tribesmen are truly despicable. They actually came into the city to cause trouble. If they had not repeatedly harassed the border and broken their word, our Southern Xiao would never have lost so many sons in battle.”

After returning to Qinyuan, Xiao Yuanyi washed herself and changed her clothes, then curled up wearily beneath the covers. Afraid that Longyu would worry, she did not tell her that she had nearly been killed.

“But today is a happy day as well. If the Princess Consort hears about it, she will certainly be delighted.”

The previous year, the Princess Consort of Nanan had already begun preparing for Xiao Yuanyi’s first cycle, and Longyu, as her maid, had naturally kept the necessary supplies ready at all times.

She placed a hot-water bottle against Xiao Yuanyi’s lower abdomen, then suddenly realized that Yunjin and Xiaguang had not returned with them.

Concern welled up inside Xiao Yuanyi. But Shen Suyun was not someone who slaughtered innocents indiscriminately. Even when she had captured Yunjin last time, she had done nothing to her. Surely she would be safe.

They returned soon enough. Yunjin had been kicked in the chest by one of the bandits while protecting her, but fortunately the physician said that none of her organs had been injured.

Xiao Yuanyi ordered the servants to take good care of her and provided medicine as well as nourishing herbs.

Just as she was about to return to her room, two people walked in.

“You... weren’t you injured?” Lou Xianyue blinked, equally astonished beside her, while Lou Jiaan stared in surprise.

After learning what had happened, Lou Xianyue’s expression became complicated.

She was still a young girl who understood little of the world—one year younger than Jiajia—and yet today she had dared to face so many civilians denouncing her.

If she put herself in Xiao Yuanyi’s place, she was not sure she could have done any better.

“Then rest well. If you need anything, just send someone to tell me. Since you have already married Seventh Brother, you may call me Sixth Sister.”

That was all Lou Xianyue could say. She could do no more.

She and Lou Jiaan left.

When Longyu learned the truth from Xiaguang, her heart ached terribly. Xiao Yuanyi did not want to listen to her crying, so she simply hid in her room and went to sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already deep into the night. The room was empty and utterly silent.

The weather was bitterly cold, and Xiao Yuanyi did not want to trouble the servants, so she climbed out of bed to get some water.

Unexpectedly, footsteps sounded behind her. She turned around and saw Lou Hejing emerging from the bathing room, bare-chested and disheveled. His strong, well-built upper body was covered in a chaotic network of scars. Rather than making him look ugly, they only added to his masculine bearing.

It was the first time Xiao Yuanyi had ever seen a man’s body. Her face felt as though it were on fire, and she immediately looked away. How had she slept so deeply? Had even the servants coming and going failed to wake her?

Lou Hejing acted as though she did not exist. He fetched the medicine chest and began applying ointment to himself.

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Xiao Yuanyi stole a glance and only then noticed that his shoulder had split open and was still bleeding.

She was hesitating over whether to step forward and help when he had already bandaged it deftly.

Xiao Yuanyi returned to the bed and felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles.

He was injured. It did not seem right for him to sleep on the floor again, but she did not want to sleep on the soft couch either.

“General, my monthly cycle has begun. You should sleep somewhere else.”

It was an entirely reasonable excuse.

Lou Hejing paused while dressing. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but he seemed to glare at her.

Without hesitation, he picked up his outer robe, threw it over his shoulders, and strode out.

The tremendous slam of the door echoed in her ears. Was he angry?

“Seventh Brother?”

In the dim candlelight beneath the corridor, Lou Siyuan recognized Lou Hejing’s face. Seeing him clean and fully dressed, he could not understand why his brother had come out instead of sleeping.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you not to leave the house?” Lou Hejing asked, his brows tightly drawn together.

Lou Siyuan waved both hands frantically. “I didn’t leave. I just came from Sixth Sister’s place.”

He had heard everything that had happened during the day. He had wanted to go help their Second Aunt, but she had driven him away, so he went to find Lou Xianyue instead.

He gave a couple of snorts. “That little girl is something else. Before, she was pointing at Second Aunt’s nose and cursing her, but now she was willing to kneel before so many people. Then the Northern Tribesmen happened to stir up trouble, and now who remembers all the wicked things her brother did?”

“She knelt?”

“Of course. Didn’t you see it, Seventh Brother? Though I suppose it was what she deserved. After all, she is—”

“If you truly have nothing better to do, why don’t you go to Yongzhou and handle a matter for me?”

Lou Siyuan’s entire body radiated refusal. He was still waiting for his wounds to heal so that he could return to the battlefield.

“Seventh Brother, go to bed early. Good night, Seventh Brother.”

Lou Hejing went to another courtyard, but the image of Xiao Yuanyi lying in his arms, terrified out of her wits, suddenly surfaced in his mind.

If she truly were the spoiled and overbearing woman people claimed her to be, would she really have been willing to kneel before so many people? Not only had she apologized for something she had never done, but even after all that, she had still found the heart to worry about the Lou family.

What kind of person was she, really?

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