Chapter 80 -
Chapter 80: Chapter
Dong Li slipped out of the quiet medical pavilion, closing the wooden door softly behind him. He let out a long breath, his mind still spinning with the suspicious details of the ambush.
But as he turned to walk down the stone steps, he bumped straight into a petite figure standing in the shadows.
"Ah!"
Dong Li instinctively reached out, catching her by the elbows to steady her. When the moonlight hit her face, his eyes went wide with shock. "Second Miss?"
Xi Qianqian stood before him, her cheeks instantly flushing a bright, rosy pink in the cool night air. She quickly pulled her arms back, smoothing down her elegant robes as she tried to look completely natural.
"What are you doing here so late at night, Second Miss?" Dong Li asked, his voice respectful but thoroughly confused. "The estate is under high alert. It is not safe for you to be wandering around the outer pavilions."
Qianqian cleared her throat, looking everywhere but at his face. "I... I came to check on my elder brother, of course!" she lied quickly, gesturing vaguely to the small lacquered basket in her hands. "I brought some light snacks and soothing tea from the kitchen for him. I thought he might be hungry after... everything."
Dong Li looked at the basket, then back at her. "The Young Master is currently resting and discussing official matters. I can deliver the basket to him for you." He bowed politely. "You should head back to your room, Second Miss. It is already past midnight."
Qianqian’s face fell slightly, but she quickly took a step closer to him, looking up with wide, pleading eyes. "Well... if I must go back, then... you should escort me."
Dong Li blinked. "Pardon?"
"I am scared to go back alone!" she insisted, clutching the basket tightly against her chest. "The path to my courtyard is so dark, and with all these terrible things happening..."
"Second Miss," Dong Li interrupted, his voice dropping into its usual calm, professional, and slightly cold tone. "The Xi estate is currently protected by hundreds of highly trained guards. Every corner of this property is heavily patrolled tonight. No one will hurt you. Furthermore, you walked all the way here by yourself. You can certainly walk back by yourself."
Qianqian gasped, her jaw dropping at his blunt refusal. "What about earlier today?!" she argued, her voice rising in frustration. "My brother was attacked on our own lands! My sister-in-law was almost shot! Nowhere is safe in this estate anymore! What if an assassin is hiding in the bamboo grove right now, waiting for a helpless maiden like me to walk past?"
Dong Li’s expression didn’t change at all. He didn’t let her win the argument. Instead, he simply turned his head and spotted a sentry standing by the garden archway.
"Guard," Dong Li called out firmly.
A heavily armored soldier immediately jogged over, saluting deeply. "Yes, Lieutenant!"
"Escort the Second Miss back to her courtyard safely," Dong Li ordered smoothly. "Make sure she reaches her door without any... assassin encounters."
"Yes, sir!" the guard replied, stepping aside to make way for her. "This way, Second Miss."
Qianqian stared at Dong Li, her eyes practically shooting sparks of pure anger and embarrassment. She let out a loud, frustrated huff, stomping her foot hard against the stone path.
"You are a heartless block of wood, Dong Li!" she pouted angrily, turning on her heel and marching away, her silk skirts swishing dramatically as the confused guard quickly scrambled to keep up with her angry strides.
Dong Li watched her go for a brief second, shaking his head with a sigh, before turning back to his duties.
....
Back inside the medical pavilion, the only sound was the quiet crackle of a small charcoal brazier in the corner.
A low, painful groan broke the silence.
On the bed, the blankets rustled. Li Mei’s eyelashes fluttered weakly before her eyes slowly blinked open. She winced, her face twisting in pain as she instinctively tried to move her injured shoulder.
"Ah..." she whimpered, her voice incredibly faint and dry. "It... it hurts..."
Wenzhe turned around slowly. His face was entirely unreadable as he walked over to the side of the bed. He didn’t rush to her side with frantic worry this time; instead, he stood over her, his hands clasped behind his back, watching her with a calm, observant gaze.
"Do not move," Wenzhe said, his voice level and steady. "The physician managed to pull the arrow out and draw the poison, but the wound on your shoulder is deep. If you thrash around, it will start bleeding again."
Hearing his deep voice, Li Mei’s eyes locked onto him. Tears immediately pooled in her eyes, spilling over her pale cheeks as she looked up at him with a mixture of fear and adoration.
"Young... Young Master..." she breathed, her hand trembling as she reached out weakly toward his sleeve. "You are safe... Thank goodness you are safe. When I saw that arrow flying toward the Young Madame, my heart stopped... I couldn’t bear the thought of you losing your wife, or being hurt yourself..."
She let out a soft, fragile sob, looking like a delicate flower crushed by the rain.
Normally, Wenzhe’s heart would have softened at the sight of her tears. But now, with Dong Li’s warnings and Su Yueqing’s sharp inner voice still fresh in his mind, he felt a strange, cold detachment.
He didn’t take her hand. He simply looked down at her.
"I am fine, Li Mei," Wenzhe said quietly. "But you have a lot of explaining to do."
Li Mei’s hand froze mid-air, her fingers trembling slightly before she slowly let them drop back onto the silk sheets. The tearful, weak smile on her face faltered for a fraction of a second, replaced by a flash of genuine panic.
"E-Explaining, Young Master?" she whispered, her voice cracking as she looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I... I do not understand. I only wanted to protect the Young Madame... I didn’t think..."
"I ordered your release from the woodshed earlier today," Wenzhe interrupted calmly, his dark eyes boring into hers. He pulled a wooden chair over and sat down, leaning forward slightly with his hands clasped. "You were free to return to your quarters. But instead, you ended up deep in the restricted forest, near the horse fields, at the exact moment of an assassin ambush."