Chapter Nine: How Did I Suddenly Become the Favored One?

The assassin immediately understood, and a flash of deadly intent passed through his eyes. The hidden dagger shot forth, and with a sudden exertion, he shook off the two men restraining him. In a swift motion, he turned his head, the dagger raised high in his hand, ready to plunge it toward Huarong.

Huarong was utterly terrified, too scared to even breathe, frozen in place as the thought flashed through her mind: “Is this really how my life in the harem ends? Am I to die so pitifully?”

This was nowhere in her calculations.

But in that very instant, Jun Yeli suddenly stepped forward, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her close. Dizzy and disoriented, Huarong felt her feet leave the ground as she spun twice, something heavy yet inexplicably reassuring enveloping her completely.

“What’s happening?” she wondered, still trying to make sense of it, when a muffled groan sounded in her ear.

“Your Majesty!” Huarong suddenly realized what had happened and cried out in shock, her eyes wide. Looking over Jun Yeli’s shoulder, she saw the assassin’s dagger had struck him directly in the left shoulder.

Even the assassin seemed bewildered and blurted out in confusion, “What just happened?”

There was no time for further thought. Jun Yeli turned his head and delivered a vicious kick to the assassin’s chest, then glared furiously at the surrounding guards who had stood motionless. “What are you standing there for? Seize him!”

The guards apprehended the assassin on the spot, while Huarong was still pale with fright. She realized that the hand she had instinctively wrapped around him was now slick and sticky. Her fingers twitched uneasily, something felt terribly wrong. “Why is it wet…”

She pulled her hand back and, in the moonlight, saw the crimson streaks that were both shocking and horrifying.

“Blood! Your Majesty, you’re hurt!” Huarong could never have imagined that Jun Yeli would shield her with his own body.

He was the emperor, after all!

This incident caused a ripple of shock throughout the hall; all those who had seemed detached now snapped to attention.

Lady Wan’s lips trembled, a wave of panic stirring within her. “It’s over. How did that fool end up attacking the emperor? That’s regicide!”

If the assassin could not withstand interrogation and revealed her involvement, she would be implicated as an accomplice in regicide. Not only would she lose the emperor’s favor, but she might also doom her entire family.

Everyone crowded around the emperor, except Lady Wan, who stood frozen in place, unsure what to do.

Though Huarong was still shaken, her eyes caught Lady Wan’s anxious and bewildered expression, taking in every detail. Yet, for the moment, she couldn’t quite figure it out.

“Why is she so nervous?” Huarong wondered. Unlike the other concubines, who seized the chance to express concern and curry favor, Lady Wan stood there, dazed and absent-minded—completely out of character.

As she pondered, a cry of alarm rose around her. “The emperor has fainted! Someone fetch the imperial physician at once!”

Chaos erupted as everyone scrambled about. Huarong, still gripped by fear, was left to the side, forgotten; no one had the mind to interrogate the assassin any further.

Inside the Hall of Nine Dragons, the dim candlelight flickered. Whether guard or concubine, every gaze was fixed upon Jun Yeli, their expressions a mix of worry and complicated emotions.

Time slipped by until the imperial physician returned with good news. “There’s no need for concern. His Majesty suffered only a superficial wound. The blade was clean. He will be fine once he regains consciousness.”

Huarong let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, everything’s fine.” Had something happened, would she not be held gravely responsible?

Yet, no sooner had she relaxed than the attention shifted to her. “Though His Majesty is out of danger, the true culprit sits here without a care. Where does such audacity come from?”

“Indeed! The emperor has always favored Lady Rong, and now he risked his life for her. Yet she remains indifferent and ungrateful—how heartless!”

The voices rose in a tangled chorus, but their meaning was clear and unified: Huarong was to blame for the emperor’s misfortune.

Huarong was utterly confused. “Wait, when did His Majesty ever show me special favor?” She had done everything in her power to keep her distance from Jun Yeli, yet these women insisted on turning their ire toward her. Something was amiss.

No sooner had she finished than someone sneered, “See? So ungrateful!”

Huarong was speechless, but what surprised her most was that Lady Wan, who usually never missed a chance to challenge her, was uncharacteristically quiet and distracted, as if tormented by her own thoughts.

“How strange,” Huarong mused. “What’s gotten into her? Guilty conscience, perhaps?”

As she puzzled over this, a cough sounded from the bedside, and everyone’s face lit up with delight.

Huarong turned her head, about to step forward, when someone—who clearly bore her no goodwill—pulled her sleeve and mocked her, “Step aside. The emperor gets a headache just looking at you. Why must you insist on being a nuisance?”

She stumbled and fell against a pillar, truly at a loss. “What have I done?”

She reflected: the assassination was unexpected, and the emperor taking the blow for her was even more so. These women’s concern seemed more like schadenfreude, as if they were eager to kick her while she was down.

“Fine! I won’t argue with you. If any of you earn His Majesty’s favor, I’ll light incense in your honor.”

After all, in the imperial harem, the more deeply a woman was loved, the sooner she met her end—a truth Huarong knew all too well. She only wished she could retreat as far as possible.

If they were so eager to rush to their doom, she would not stand in their way.

Feeling drowsy, Huarong raised a hand to stifle a yawn, hoping to ease her exhaustion, when suddenly the room fell silent.

“What now…” In a place filled with women, such sudden quiet was never a good sign.

Sure enough, Lady Jia, who had muscled her way to the front, suddenly announced, “Lady Rong, the emperor requests your presence.”

From her tone, it sounded almost gleeful, as if she couldn’t wait to see Huarong in trouble.

Huarong’s body tensed. “It’s over—could he be looking to settle accounts with me?”

Heaven and earth could bear witness: it was Jun Yeli himself who had chosen to sacrifice himself. Surely he wouldn’t blame her for this.