Chapter 055
Chapter 55: Since When Did the Princess Become So Polite?
“And that useless elder cousin from the He branch is still a name in the capital,” the Princess pouted, then straightened with a sigh as she added: “He did not act in the open, only stirred petty trouble in the dark. Since there is no great crime, Young Master Xie cannot punish him in public. But judging from his eyes, he will not let it pass.”
She looked a little deflated, her fingers drumming her knee as she said with a rueful smile: “Who would have thought that before I could lift a hand, the matter would tie itself into a neat bow. A’Yao, I feel so unfulfilled.”
Yun Wan Yao kept her tone warm: “Princess, you did wonderfully. If you had not arrived when you did, A’Tang would have been tricked back by that maid. Even if she was not fooled, the Xie servants would have blocked her at the gate. She would never have seen Young Master Xie, much less learned the truth. The credit is yours.”
Mo Zhao Zhao’s chin tipped up at once as she glowed: “Well, I suppose I did help after all.”
“Yes, yes, your merit is clear,” Yun Wan Yao agreed, then paused with a slight frown as she asked: “There is one thing I cannot figure out. If the maid knew she might be exposed, why did she not run the moment A’Tang went to the Xie manor? Why wait until A’Tang returned with Young Master Xie to be caught?”
“Oh, that,” the Princess waved lightly and smiled: “I did not think it worth a mention, but you asked. She did try to flee. When I caught up with Elder Cousin, I sent a shadow guard to watch the maid. The girl had already packed jewelry, silver, and trinkets, and was slipping for the back door. The shadow guard tied her up before she could get away.”
She curled her lip, half amused and half disgusted as she said: “You would not believe how shameless she was. She left nothing behind, not even the hairpins and coin pouches. As if a lone woman could guard such treasure on the road. Even if she got away, she would only be carrying a death sentence.”
The afternoon sun slid west. Outside Duke Ning’s gates, the Princess lifted her skirt and stepped into her carriage. She lifted the curtain to wave goodbye to Yun Wan Yao, then let it fall. The wheels creaked. The axles groaned. The gentle sway made her drowsy. She leaned into the cushions and let her eyes drift.
A sharp cry split the air like a cold pail tossed over her head. A guard shouted from outside: “Assassins. Protect the Princess.”
Assassins. In broad daylight. In the heart of the capital. Her eyes flew open. Panic scratched at her ribs.
Steel rang on steel, clear and hard. The sound came closer. She pressed a hand to her chest, lifted the curtain with two fingers, and peered through a slit.
A flash of cold light rushed at her as if it had eyes. The blade slit the curtain and flew for her heart. She threw herself back by instinct. The tip shaved her by inches.
Before she could breathe, arrows hammered the carriage from all sides. The wood shuddered and split. She rolled toward the door in the nick of time. Feathers hissed past. The curtain licked into flame. Fire-tipped shafts shot through and bit the floorboards. The sharp stink of singed hair curled under her nose. The ends of her hair smoked.
“Ah,” she cried as she bolted for the opening.
A dark-gold figure landed on the roof with a single clean leap. A blade hissed as it cleared its sheath. A broad back filled the doorway as a clear voice said: “Do not be afraid, Princess. You are safe now.”
“Look out,” she blurted.
A cluster of flaming arrows hissed toward them. The youth’s wrist turned. His three-foot sword spun a bright circle, neat as a fan. Each arrow snapped midair and fell in twin halves.
Below, in a narrow lane, Princess Manor guards and shadow guards fought black-clad men in a blur of blades. The Princess’s men were losing ground. Bodies fell. Blood spread dark on the stones.
Yun Wan Ye’s face hardened. He did not look back as he called: “Cang Xuan, send the distress flare.”
“Yes.”
A black spark shot up and burst into a leaf against the pale sky.
“Not good. Second Young Master is in danger,” Shen Tu and Lu Wu cried as they wheeled their horses and drove hard for the signal.
The assassins saw the leaf and chose at once to break away. They vanished like fish slipping into reeds.
Yun Wan Ye’s gaze cooled to ice. He flicked his arm. The soft sword in his hand hissed and flew like a silver snake. It struck between the shoulders of a man vaulting a roofline. The body dropped like a stone and hit the street with a heavy bang. Blood splashed. The man did not rise.
Silence fell in tatters. The Princess’s guards and shadows knelt by the wrecked carriage and bowed their heads as they said: “We failed to protect the Princess. We await punishment.”
“Stand for now,” the Princess said, voice thin with shock: “We will speak of this at the manor.”
Cang Xuan fired a second signal. Crisis resolved. Shen Tu, Lu Wu, and the others saw the sign from afar, pulled their reins with black faces, and turned back the way they came.
Mo Zhao Zhao steadied her breath and lifted her head. Her gaze was clear and sincere as she looked at the youth before her and said: “Yun Wan Ye, thank you for earlier.”
Blood stained his sleeve, but in the slant of light he seemed bright as carved jade. His lashes lowered over a small smile as he murmured: “Oh? Since when did the Princess become so polite.”
Her answer died as his eyes narrowed. He had seen the dark scorch along her cheek.
Unusually, she did not spit back. She glanced at the wreckage, and fear rose again like a late tide.
His fingers brushed her face. A shock ran through her. She flinched and stepped back on instinct. Her knee gave. A hand caught her wrist, steadied her, and let go at once as he asked in a cool voice: “Does it hurt, Princess? Your face is burned.”
“Hiss,” she breathed. The word made the pain blossom. It was sharp and searing, as if a coal pressed her skin. She reached up to touch it.
“Do not touch,” he stopped her at once.
She looked up with wide eyes. He answered calm and sure: “A burn like this must not be handled, or it will scar. When you return, have the imperial physician treat it and apply proper salve.”
At the word scar, the beauty-loving Princess froze and drew her hand back at once. The pain gnawed on. Her eyes reddened despite herself. She looked small and pitiful.
Softness crossed Yun Wan Ye’s eyes. He hesitated, then said lightly: “I can help the Princess ease the pain. But the Princess must not blame me after.”
“Truly? How will you stop it,” she asked, quick and eager.
“Promise me first,” he said.
“Fine. I promise. Hurry.”
“Then forgive my offense,” he smiled.
His fingers tapped a neat point at her neck. Numbness washed her face from cheek to brow. Her lips tingled. Her words dragged as she sputtered: “You, what did you do to me?”
“Nothing much. I sealed the nerves in your face for a time,” he said, tone mild: “Better now. The pain is gone, is it not?”
She nodded stiffly. It was. Her whole head felt like cotton. She could not feel pain through the haze. The method was strange, but it worked.
Her carriage lay in ruins. There was nothing for it. Yun Wan Ye offered to take her back on horseback. The guards stayed to clean the scene and search the dead man for clues.
A white horse with a gold saddle drew eyes. To avoid gossip about a Princess riding with a man, she took off her hair ornaments and tied a veil over her face. It worked. No one guessed her identity all the way to the Princess Manor.
At the gate, Yun Wan Ye swung down and said in a level voice as he offered his hand: “Princess, we have arrived.”
She glanced at the fair palm and felt a small twinge of guilt. She turned her head and slipped down the other side by herself as she said: “Thank you. I can manage.”
His hand fell back. A dim line crossed his eyes, there and gone.
“Well then, I will take my leave,” she said with a formal nod: “Another day I will pay a call to thank Second Young Master for saving my life.”
Yun Wan Ye’s mouth crooked as he thought with dry humor: [Heh.]
He spoke aloud with lazy bite: “The Princess’s art of burning bridges is as polished as ever.”
Color rose in her cheeks. Guilt pricked. She lifted her chin and muttered: “I said I would thank you. How is that burning bridges?”
“I am your savior,” he said, calm as a winter pond: “Is this how the Princess treats a rescuer? Not even a cup of tea before sending him away. If not burning bridges, what would you call it.”
“I am tired and fear I cannot host you well,” she tried.
“No need for hosting,” he replied as he tied his horse to a roadside tree and walked straight toward the gate.
She stared, speechless. She had not even invited him in. He strode through as if he owned the stones. He did not need permission. He was only inspecting his future home.
Back at Duke Ning’s manor, Yun Wan Yao returned to Peace Keeping Courtyard. Yun Wan Ning’s eyes shone up at her as her heart voice chimed: [Oh, Big Sister is here. That means the Princess left. I just calculated her fate. On the road she will meet a small blood calamity. It will be an ambush or a mishap, but a savior will come, so it will not be grave. Strange though. In the original plot this time of her life was smooth, pampered, and safe. There was no danger like this. Why does the story keep collapsing. Ever since I came to this world, the plot grows more and more odd.]
The words punched a cold hole in Yun Wan Yao’s chest. Her hands clenched. Even if Little Sister said the Princess would be safe, she could not rest until she saw her with her own eyes.
[Huh? Big Sister’s face changed so fast. It is like the sky fell. That is strange. She looked fine when she walked in. Why the sudden shift. Big Sister, tell me what happened.]
Yun Wan Yao forced her breath to even, sat by the little milk bun, and told light stories from the capital to soothe her. Her mind never left the road to the Princess Manor.
Half an hour later, the wet nurse came to feed Yun Wan Ning. The little one waved her soft hand and hummed in her heart: [Big Sister, your stories were fun. I must drink milk now. Come tell me more later, all right. I love listening. Also, bye bye, Big Sister.]
Yun Wan Yao smiled at the tiny wave, then her face darkened as soon as the nurse carried the child away. No more waiting. She had to go to the Princess Manor. Now.
“Little Tao, tell Mother I am going to the Princess Manor. I will not be back for dinner,” she said, already moving. She stepped into the carriage and told the driver in a steady voice: “To the Princess Manor. At once.”