That night, Lu Yan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Talking about those old memories seemed to have stirred up a whirlwind inside her.
She rose slowly, cradling her injured side.
The wound was starting to scab over. Moving still hurt, but if she kept herself stiff, she could walk without tearing it open.
Outside, the moon was almost full, and the dark night was bathed in dim silver light.
As she stood there, hand holding her stomach, Asan suddenly appeared from the darkness, "Is everything alright? Does the lady need anything?"
"You're still here?" Lu Yan asked softly.
"Young master said to watch over Lady Lu."
Lu Yan scoffed, "Leaving his right hand man by my side. Doesn't he have better things to do?"
"Aqi is by master's side." Asan said.
"I don't need you here." Lu Yan ordered him coldly. "If you're not gone by morning, I'll have you dragged to the guards as a thief."
Then she turned around and went back inside without another word.
---
When Asan relayed these words to Han, the General didn't look up from his writing.
Asan waited.
Han finished the report, then said, "Continue keeping watch. Stay hidden from now on."
When Asan left, he murmured to the air, "I worry about Chen Yuan. Don't blame me Ayan."
---
The next morning, the spring hunt formally ended.
Actually, the feast had been the formal end of the spring hunt. But due to the assassination attempt, everyone had to stay to allow for an investigation.
The nobles finally began moving back to the capital.
Lu Yan was in pain, but gritted her teeth through the carriage ride.
Chen Hai saw her pale sweating face. Feeling distressed for her, he had one of his maids brew pain relieving medicine.
He held the bowl up for her, "Drink some of this. Then you can sleep. Look, I've had the carriage lined with soft bedding. When you wake up, we'll be home."
Lu Yan shook her head.
"Why not?" he asked confused.
"I don't like how it tastes," she said stubbornly.
"But you drank the previous medicine for the wound, and that tasted much worse than this."
Lu Yan just shook her head again, "I don't want to."
Chen Hai watched her suffer in silence, "Sometimes I just can't understand you."
Lu Yan flashed a brief smile, and asked slyly, "Only sometimes?"
"Well, sometimes I understand you even less than I understand you most times."
Lu Yan had closed her eyes.
At his words, she curved up one corner of her mouth.
Chen Hai watched her silently. Her hands were white from gripping the seat, and turned whiter every time the carriage jolted.
"Like now," he said finally, unable to stand it, "Why do you insist on suffering? You don't need to."
Lu Yan kept her eyes closed, not answering.
Chen Hai waited for an answer.
But he waited in vain.
No answer came.
He fell into a moody silence, feeling agitated and unsettled but with nowhere to channel it.
When they finally reached home, Lu Yan was so exhausted, that she immediately fell into bed, and drifted into a deep sleep.
Chen Hai, who had helped her into the room, watched her sleeping face.
Even unconscious, she was frowning and clutching her stomach.
He drew the curtains around her and left the room silently.
---
His older brother was waiting when he returned to his own courtyard.
Chen Hai smiled.
"How's Lu Yan?" his brother asked.
Chen Hai's smile faded, "She just fell asleep. I'll call a doctor to check her wound once more when she wakes up."
"Hmm, the carriage ride must have been hard on her."
"It was," With a hint of petulance, Chen Hai added, "And she refused to take any medicine. I don't understand her at all!"
His brother didn't reply, but there was a peculiar smile on his face.
Chen Hai paused, "Do you know why brother?"
"Let me ask you a question in turn," Chen Yuan said, turning to him, "If you were sick, for what reason would you refuse medicine?"
"If it was too bitter."
"Has Lu Yan resisted bitter medicine before?"
Chen Hai thought for a moment, then shook his head.
Chen Yuan asked again, "What else?"
As Chen Hai remained silent, Chen Yuan patted his shoulder, and said, "Think carefully about it little brother."
---
A few days later, Lu Yan was summoned to present her testimony related to the assassination to the court.
She was not the only one. The officers on duty that day, the servants who had served, the imperial guards who had fought- everyone had been called.
Most people wrote their statements down, and left. Only a few were kept back to speak before the imperial court.
When it was Lu Yan's turn, the first question the magistrate from the Ministry of Justice asked was, "Why were you outside at the time the assassins were discovered?"
Lu Yan glanced at the man asking the question. He was tall, thin and severe.
"I went to change my clothes."
The magistrate didn't scoff, but his tone politely conveyed his disbelief, "Isn't that too coincidental Madam Chen? Out of the hundreds of people in the banquet, you were the only one who left to change clothes."
Lu Yan responded coolly, "I don't know about coincidence. But that's what happened."
"Right. That's what happened," the magistrate said affably, "And you also just happened to discover the assassins?"
"Yes. I was just about to enter the pavilion when I heard a sound, and turned around to see an assassin with a bow."
Skeptically, he asked, "You were able to raise the alarm before the assassin could shoot you?"
Without waiting for her response, he turned to one of the military officers present.
"Commander, who would be faster? A vigilant bowman who almost succeeded in carrying out an attack on the imperial court? Or an unguarded civilian woman who had no idea about this bowman targeting her?"
The commander responded promptly, "Except in very special circumstances, the bowman would always be faster, sir."
The magistrate directed a chilly stare at Lu Yan, but continued addressing the commander, "What would those circumstances be?"
"Either the woman was in collusion with the bowman. Or the woman was already on guard against the bowman."
His voice was sharp as he finally accused her, "Which one of these is it, Madam Chen? Did you collude with the assassins? Or did you already know the assassins were present?"
"The magistrate must be aware that I suffered a severe wound that day." Lu Yan lightly touched her side. "If I was in collusion with the assassins or knew about them beforehand, why would I be injured?"
Expressionlessly, the magistrate said, "Lady Chen is very calm under pressure. Surely you must know the flesh carving strategy."
Lu Yan opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment Chen Yuan stepped forward.
"Magistrate. Are you insinuating that my sister-in-law would intentionally hurt herself to deflect suspicion?"
He paused.
Lu Yan suddenly felt dread, like ice sliding down her spine.
Then Chen Yuan declared loudly, "Magistrate, this is absolutely impossible. You see, my sister-in-law is pregnant."