Chapter 79 -
Chapter 79: Chapter
The medical pavilion was quiet, save for the soft, rhythmic breathing of the unconscious girl on the bed.
Wenzhe sat in a wooden chair by the bedside, a clean white bandage now wrapped tightly around his upper arm where the arrow had sliced him. The physician had cleaned the wound and confirmed the poison was gone, but the dull throb in his muscle remained. His dark eyes were fixed on Li Mei’s pale face, but his mind was entirely elsewhere.
Standing a few feet away near the door, his trusted lieutenant, Dong Li, stood with his arms crossed, speaking in a low, hushed tone.
"We have begun the interrogation of the two captured assassins, Young Master," Dong Li reported quietly. "They are highly trained mercenaries. So far, they have refused to speak, but my men are applying more... persuasive methods. It is only a matter of time before they break."
Wenzhe nodded slowly, his expression grim. He stared at the floor, his fingers tapping against the armrest of his chair. He hesitated for a long moment, his chest tightening slightly before he finally cleared his throat and asked, "And... Yueqing? Is she back in her courtyard?"
"Yes, Young Master," Dong Li replied, a slight, amused twitch at the corner of his lips. "I asked the head maids just a moment ago. They said the Young Madame took a warm bath, drank her tea, and went straight to bed. She is already fast asleep."
Wenzhe froze, his head snapping up as he stared at his lieutenant in absolute disbelief.
"She is asleep?" Wenzhe demanded, his voice a mix of shock and utter bewilderment. "She almost got killed by an arrow, she was dragged into a chaotic ambush, and she just... went to sleep? Without even a moment of worry or rest? She is acting as if she has lived on a battlefield her entire life!"
Dong Li let out a soft huff, rubbing the back of his neck. "The Young Madame is indeed... a very strange person. But," he added thoughtfully, "despite her sharp tongue, she does not seem to be a bad person."
Before Wenzhe could process that, a soft whimper came from the bed.
Li Mei shifted weakly in her sleep, her brow furrowing in pain as she clutched the heavy blankets. Both men instantly turned their heads to look at her.
As they stared at the injured maid, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Dong Li’s expression darkened slightly, a shadow of deep doubt crossing his face. He quickly looked away, keeping his mouth pressed into a tight, quiet line.
Wenzhe, highly observant as always, noticed the sudden change in his lieutenant’s demeanor. He narrowed his eyes.
"What is it, Dong Li?" Wenzhe asked, his voice low and serious. "You have been quiet since we returned. What is on your mind? Speak freely."
Dong Li hesitated, looking at the door, then back at Wenzhe. Finally, he took a deep breath and stepped closer.
"Young Master... I still find this entire situation highly suspicious," Dong Li said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "The Young Madame’s words in the courtyard... she was not wrong. How did Li Mei go free? I know she was released from the woodshed earlier today according to your own orders, but how did she know you were at the horse fields? How did she know about the attack, and how did she manage to step in at the exact right second?"
Dong Li paused, looking down at the unconscious girl on the bed with a troubled frown.
"And most importantly," Dong Li continued, "why would she throw her own body in front of an arrow to save the Young Madame? Li Mei loves you, Young Master. By all accounts, she should hate the Young Madame for marrying the man she loves. It simply does not make sense for her to risk her life for her rival. There is something very wrong here."
Wenzhe remained silent, Dong Li’s words hanging heavily in the quiet room. He looked down at his bandaged arm, then back at Li Mei’s pale face.
Every word his lieutenant said was a direct echo of Su Yueqing’s frantic, suspicious thoughts from earlier. Wenzhe wanted to believe in Li Mei’s innocence.. he wanted to believe that the girl he had cared for was still the pure, gentle soul he remembered but the cold, hard logic of the situation was impossible to ignore.
"You think she planned this?" Wenzhe asked, his voice barely a whisper. "You think she coordinated with the assassins?"
"I do not know, Young Master," Dong Li admitted honestly, his face grim. "But the timing is too perfect. If she wanted to regain your trust and make the family forget about the theft accusations, what better way than to shed blood to ’save’ the Young Madame? It positions her as a saint, and makes anyone who questions her look like a heartless monster."
Wenzhe closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the chair.
’If she is skilled enough to pick a lock, dodge guards, track us into a dense forest, and perfectly calculate the trajectory of an arrow... she isn’t a helpless maid.’
Su Yueqing’s mental rant echoed clearly in his memory. At the time, he had fought her on it. He had defended Li Mei out of a sense of duty and lingering affection. But now, in the quiet of the night, away from the heat of the argument, the glaring holes in the story were impossible to ignore.
"Double the guards on this pavilion," Wenzhe ordered quietly, opening his eyes. His gaze was cold, the warmth completely gone from his expression. "And do not let her leave this room once she wakes. We will treat her injuries, but she is not to be left unattended."
"Understood, Young Master," Dong Li bowed.
"And Dong Li?" Wenzhe added, his voice dropping an octave. "Investigate who opened the woodshed door. I want to know exactly who she spoke to before she ran into that forest."
"I will handle it personally," Dong Li promised, turning on his heel and quietly slipping out of the room, leaving Wenzhe alone with his thoughts.
Wenzhe stood up from his chair, his arm throbbing painfully. He walked over to the window, looking out across the dark courtyard toward the eastern wing of the estate.. where Su Yueqing was currently snoring away, completely unbothered by the attempt on her life.
He let out a dry, breathless chuckle, shaking his head.
She almost gets killed, worries more about a horse, falls asleep instantly, and yet... she is the only one who saw through the theater perfectly.
For the first time since their arranged marriage, Wenzhe felt a strange, budding curiosity about his eccentric, haughty wife. She was a mystery he couldn’t quite solve and her loud, chaotic mind was quickly becoming the only thing he could trust in a manor full of secrets.