Chapter 241 -

Chapter 241: Chapter

Wenzhe raised his head, his dark eyes filled with raw emotion as he held her hand tightly. He squeezed her fingers, his voice raspy and broken in the quiet room.

"Never do that again, Yueqing," Wenzhe said, his voice trembling. "Do you hear me? Never throw yourself in front of a blade or an arrow for me ever again."

Yueqing looked into his bloodshot eyes, her heart aching at how fragile the strong general looked right now. "Wenzhe—"

"I mean it!" he interrupted, leaning closer and resting his forehead gently against hers. "You think you were saving me, but if anything happens to you, I die anyway. Losing you is like removing a piece of my own soul. I can’t live in a world where you don’t wake up."

Yueqing felt a lump form in her throat. She closed her eyes, letting his warm breath wash over her skin. Hearing him say those words hurt even more now, knowing she only had ninety days left to stay by his side.

[This idiot... how am I supposed to leave you in three months if you say things like that?] she thought bitterly to herself, trying to hold back the prickling tears behind her eyes.

Wenzhe heard her inner voice clear as day. His eyes widened slightly, his heart dropping like a stone into a frozen lake.

Three months? What does she mean, three months?

He stared deeply into her face, searching her pale features for an answer, but he forced himself to stay quiet. He couldn’t let her know he heard her thoughts.

"Wenzhe," Yueqing whispered softly, opening her eyes and offering him a gentle smile. "I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere right now. What happened with the assassins in the dungeon?"

Wenzhe swallowed hard, forcing his dark expression to settle into a cold, focused mask. He stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"One of them talked before his heart stopped from the poison," Wenzhe explained in a low tone. "The attack was ordered directly by the Empress’s chief commander. They wanted to kill my mother and Qianqian to throw the Xi family into total chaos while the Third Prince was present."

Yueqing’s eyes narrowed with sharp anger. "She’s getting desperate. The Empress knows my father agreed to support Xiao Chen, so she wants to crush your family before the court meeting next month."

"Let her try," Wenzhe said, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper. "She touched my family, and she almost took you from me. I won’t wait for her next move. We strike back first."

Yueqing nodded slowly, her fingers tightening around his. "We have to act fast, Wenzhe. We don’t have time to waste."

Especially not me, she added silently in her mind. I have ninety days to tear the Empress down and make sure you and your family are safe forever.

Wenzhe pulled his hand away slowly and stood up from the bed. He pressed one last soft kiss on Yueqing’s forehead before turning to step out of the room, leaving Nine to watch over her.

He walked down the stone stairs into the cold, damp dungeon below the estate. The smell of fresh blood and metallic rust filled the dark hallway.

Inside the interrogation cell, one surviving assassin was chained tightly to the stone wall, covered in cuts and bruises. Duke Xi stood in front of the man, his hands folded behind his back like a wall of iron. Dong Li stood right beside him, wiping dark blood off his own dagger with a white cloth.

"Does he have anything else to say?" Wenzhe asked as he stepped into the torchlit cell.

Dong Li shook his head, his face stone cold. "Nothing useful, General. He keeps repeating that the Shadow Pavilion takes no orders from anyone, but the seal we found in his pouch proves otherwise."

Duke Xi turned his head, his sharp eyes looking over his son. "How is Yueqing?"

"She’s awake," Wenzhe replied, his voice low. "The medical physicians fixed the wound, but she is still weak."

Wenzhe stepped closer to the Duke. "Father, I need to talk to you in private about—"

"No need," Duke Xi cut him off, raising a hand. His deep voice carried a cold authority that left no room for argument. "I already know what you want to say, Wenzhe."

Wenzhe frowned slightly, but before he could speak again, Duke Xi turned and walked toward the dungeon exit.

"Stay here and clean up this mess," the Duke ordered over his shoulder. "I have something to handle myself."

Wenzhe followed him up to the courtyard just in time to see Duke Xi leap onto his heavy warhorse. Without waiting for a full squad of guards, the old Duke signaled just two of his trusted men, slapped the reins, and galloped out through the main gates into the dark night.

Wenzhe stood by the gate, watching the dust settle under the moonlight as he let out a long, heavy sigh. He didn’t need to ask where his father was going. Duke Xi was heading straight for the imperial palace to confront the Empress face-to-face.

Duke Xi rode through the silent palace gates at midnight. Even with his high general rank, he could not enter the Empress’s room without an invite.

The night was very cold. The freezing wind blew through the open yard, but Duke Xi stood right in the middle of the courtyard, standing tall and still like a rock.

Palace guards, maids, and servants passed by in the dark. They all stared in shock at the old, grey-haired Duke standing outside in the freezing cold without moving.

Inside her warm room, the Empress sat by a fire, drinking hot tea. When her maid told her the Duke was outside, she smiled coldly.

"Tell him I am busy with my prayers," the Empress said. "I will call him when I am done."

One hour passed. Then two hours. Then three hours.

Duke Xi still stood outside in the cold night, refusing to leave or sit down. Cold frost covered his dark clothes, but his back stayed straight. Everyone in the palace knew the Empress was doing this on purpose to punish him and teach him a lesson.

Finally, after three long hours, the front door opened.

The head court lady stepped out and bowed slightly. "Duke Xi, the Empress has finished her prayers. She will see you now."

Duke Xi didn’t say a word. He brushed the cold frost off his clothes and walked inside with big, heavy steps.

.....

Duke Xi walked deep into the grand hall. The room was warm, filled with the heavy scent of burning sweet incense.

He stopped a few paces away from a large wooden frame. A thick, silk hanging screen blocked his view. Behind the thin fabric, the shadow of the Empress sat comfortably on a raised wooden seat, softly clicking her jade prayer beads together.

She did not invite him to sit. She did not even offer him a hot cup of tea after he had stood outside in the freezing wind for three hours.

The room was completely quiet except for the slow click, click, click of her prayer beads.

"I heard about the assassins that attacked your daughter’s banquet," the Empress spoke first. Her voice was smooth, soft, and completely calm. "How sad. I hope no one died or got injured."

Duke Xi stood tall, his hands held firmly behind his back. His face was like a stone, showing no anger, no fear, and no weakness.

"Her Imperial Majesty is very kind to care," Duke Xi replied, his deep voice ringing clearly through the big room. "The attackers were caught and killed by my men. My family is safe, though my eldest daughter-in-law was struck by an iron arrow meant for my son."

Behind the silk screen, the slow clicking of the jade beads paused for a brief second, then started again.

"Is that so?" the Empress said, her tone full of fake pity. "Lady Su was shot? What a shame. A gentle young lady getting dragged into such violence. Have you found out who sent those terrible killers to your estate?"

"We did," Duke Xi said directly, taking one single step forward. "We captured two of the assassins alive before they could swallow their poison. In their possession, we found dark steel daggers stamped with the official mark of the Shadow Pavilion."

Silence fell over the room again.

The Shadow Pavilion was well known among high officials as the Empress’s private group of secret killers. Everyone knew it, but no one ever dared to say it out loud in front of her.

The Empress let out a cold, light laugh from behind the screen.

"Duke Xi, you seem to have forgotten your place," the Empress said, her voice dropping into a sharp, arrogant tone. "You would not be where you are right now if not for everything I have done for you. I am the reason you were made a Marquis! You were nothing but a poor warrior in the dust, and now you are known as Duke Xi. How dare you bite the hand that fed you?"

Duke Xi’s fists clenched tightly behind his back. He raised his chin, staring straight at her shadow through the thin fabric.

"I have served Your Majesty properly my entire life!" Duke Xi’s voice boomed with deep, heavy authority. "I betrayed my own principles and bent to every single command you ever gave me! Yet, after everything I did for you, you still decided to hurt my family!"

The Empress let out a soft, amused laugh that rang through the hall.

"I only sent a message," she said, her voice full of icy mockery. "If I truly wanted your family dead, Duke Xi, I would not need a bunch of clumsy assassins to get it done."

With a soft rustle of silk, the Empress stood up from her seat. She stepped out from behind the hanging screen and walked into the open hall.

The moment she appeared, Duke Xi quickly lowered his eyes, staring firmly down at the stone floor.

The Empress was wearing only a thin, translucent silk robe. The soft candlelight behind her showed her silhouette clearly, revealing every curve of her body beneath the light fabric.

She walked toward Duke Xi slowly, her bare feet making no sound against the polished floor. She stopped right in front of the tall, gray-haired general.

Reaching out her hand, her long, manicured fingers lightly traced the edge of his jaw, moving up to his weathered face.

"Look at you..." the Empress whispered softly, her eyes glittering with dangerous charm. "Standing here acting like a noble, righteous hero. You belong to me, Duke Xi. Never forget who truly owns your title, your army, and your life."