She subconsciously took the tray and said softly, "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."
"Censor Wen, you and Censor Su can rest easy for the next few days. The culprits have been dealt with; there is no need to worry."
After delivering the message, Yun Xi nodded slightly and turned to leave. He had taken only two steps when he happened to see his Prince, Shen Heting, approaching with long strides.
He bowed slightly, thinking the Prince had come to find him because he was impatient. "Your Highness, I have finished the delivery. I can depart immediately."
Shen Heting’s gaze, however, passed right through him and settled on Wen Shiqing behind him.
With a casual wave of his hand, Yun Xi stepped aside and fell in behind the Prince.
Wen Shiqing immediately cupped her hands in a salute, instinctively straightening her back as her heart hammered against her ribs. "This humble official greets your Highness."
She lowered her head and kept her eyes downcast, catching a glimpse of Shen Heting approaching step by step. As the distance closed, the heavy scent of blood wafted toward her.
"Look up." Shen Heting stopped in front of Wen Shiqing. His voice was low, clipped, and brooks no argument.
Hearing this, Wen Shiqing slowly raised her head and met Shen Heting’s gaze.
Only then did she realize the blood on his face had been wiped clean, though his clothes were still stained with quite a bit of it.
She could sense his cold gaze sweeping across her neck, and Wen Shiqing subconsciously swallowed hard.
Her hands clenched into fists, and she couldn't help but worry about her fake Adam’s apple.
The wound, clearly wiped clean, was no longer bleeding; a thin, long red line stood out starkly against her pale skin.
Wen Shiqing’s throat felt dry. She wasn't sure what such a look meant.
Was he warning her for having seen something she shouldn't have? Or punishing her for having said something she shouldn't have?
Just as she was lost in a spiral of wild guesses, Shen Heting tossed a medicine bottle through the air without warning.
The bottle traced an arc in the air, glimmering in the dim light.
Wen Shiqing instinctively reached out and caught it, her movements flustered and somewhat awkward.
"Keep it." Shen Heting spoke, his voice remaining low. He then shifted his gaze from Wen Shiqing’s neck to her ankles and added, "It’s for the sprain."
Wen Shiqing was startled. She instinctively looked at her own ankle and hurriedly thanked him. "I am touched by your concern, Your Highness, but these are mere trifles. It is nothing."
"Censor Wen, do not push yourself."
Those words again.
Even though Shen Heting’s eyes were cold enough to freeze and his tone was as flat as water, devoid of any ripples, for some reason, these words carried an inexplicable warmth.
Wen Shiqing found it increasingly difficult to fathom this Prince.
Having said that, he turned and left with Yun Xi.
"Your Highness, are we riding through the night to return?" Yun Xi’s voice drifted from a distance, faint and indistinct.
He was just leaving?
He didn't threaten her? He didn't warn her? And... he didn't even thank her for the stone she’d thrown so well?
Tsk.
Wen Shiqing spent the whole night in a daze, unsure if she had actually fallen asleep at all.
When she woke the next day, her ankle felt better after the application of the medicine.
However, apart from her ankle, her whole body felt as if it were falling apart, with aches and pains in her joints and bones.
She rubbed her sore shoulders; perhaps it was because of the intense activity yesterday—she had overexerted herself.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Wen Shiqing had just finished applying medicine to her neck and was carefully wrapping it with bandages when a knock sounded at the door. "Lord Wen?"
She replied, tidied her clothes, and went to open the door.
She saw Su Jingyi standing at the entrance, carrying a bag of sesame cakes. Steam was rising in curls from the bag. "Look, I brought you..."
Halfway through his sentence, Su Jingyi’s gaze landed on the white bandage around Wen Shiqing’s neck. The gentle smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a grave, worried expression. "What happened here?"
Wen Shiqing invited him in and briefly explained what had happened the previous night. "It’s nothing, just a minor wound. It’s already healed."
Su Jingyi’s brows knit tightly together. "I came to find you last night. I wanted to see how your foot was, but the lights in your room were out. I called out a few times and heard no response, so I assumed you were asleep."
"Are you injured anywhere else?" Su Jingyi’s tone held a trace of urgency. He placed the sesame cakes on the table and reached out as if to touch Wen Shiqing.
Wen Shiqing subconsciously stepped back, her movements flustered and hurried. She shook her head. "I really am fine. The Prince even gave me medicine, and it’s all better."
Su Jingyi stared at her, his gaze probing, as if trying to see right through her.
After a moment of silence, his expression grew complex. He let out a sigh of exasperation and scoffed, "You really do treat me like a stranger."
"Brother Su, we are both grown men."
Wen Shiqing puffed out her chest, gave it a pat, and laughed heartily, not seeming to care at all. "Aren't these just trivial matters? How can you say I treat you like a stranger?"
"Trivial?" Su Jingyi arched a brow. His gaze fell back on the white bandage on Wen Shiqing’s neck. He took a deep breath to suppress his inner agitation. "If being slashed in the neck by an assassin is a trivial matter, then what would you consider a major one?"
"It’s not even a wound anymore; it’s already scabbed over. Come on, let’s go. Don't we have many places to visit today?"
Wen Shiqing picked up the sesame cakes from the table and, grabbing Su Jingyi’s sleeve, started to pull him toward the door.
But Su Jingyi stood rooted to the spot, looking at her with dark, heavy eyes, not moving an inch.
Wen Shiqing tugged a few times, and seeing he didn't react, she said helplessly, "It’s really nothing, Brother Su. Let’s go."
After a moment of silence, Su Jingyi finally spoke, his voice low. "You stay and rest. Lin and I will handle the rest."
"Huh?" The surprise was so sudden that Wen Shiqing doubted she had heard him correctly.
"Your foot is injured, and your neck is wounded. I'm not so desperate that I can't manage without you." Su Jingyi sighed and turned his head away.
*Geez, Lord Su, that sounded rather ambiguous.*
*Clearly, he meant he wasn't desperate enough to take me along.*
Still, not having to work was incredibly comfortable.
"This... is this really okay? If I step away, what if..." As she spoke, she glanced at Su Jingyi cautiously.
"What could possibly be wrong with it?" Su Jingyi turned back, his gaze settling on Wen Shiqing again. "Just do as I say."
Very well. She had just gained a few days of paid vacation.
Su Jingyi waited for quite a while before Lin Yuxuan arrived. After both of them expressed their concern for Wen Shiqing, they hurried off.
Wen Shiqing remained at the relay station, and they even thoughtfully left a servant behind to look after her.
After resting for a few days, her foot had stopped hurting entirely, and her neck was well on the mend.
Once their inspection was concluded, the three of them returned from the outskirts of the capital back to the city.
However, as soon as she arrived back at the Wen Residence, Hanlu ran toward her, lifting her skirt, her expression filled with anxiety. "My Lord, you’ve finally returned."
"What’s wrong?" Wen Shiqing’s heart tightened.
Hanlu said worriedly, "Yesterday, the old mistress wanted to go to the prison to see the Third Young Master, but for some reason, she wasn't allowed to see him."
"Today, the old mistress has been shouting in her room about a headache."
Wen Shiqing’s brows locked together. "Has a doctor been called?"
Hanlu nodded. "The mistress has already seen her, but she only said it was caused by excessive worry and repressed grief. She prescribed some calming medicine, but the old mistress still seems listless."
"The old mistress keeps shouting, saying that they promised he would be released in two or three days, so why, after five days, has he not been released, and why won't they let her visit him? 'My son, oh my son'... that’s more or less what she’s been saying."
"..." She did a good impression. She shouldn't do it again next time.
Wen Shiqing knew it was still because of her third uncle.
"Are Miss Lu and her mother doing well?"