Sunset painted the sky in hues of blood and bruised purple as the hunting party returned to the main camp.
The atmosphere was heavy. The celebratory mood had evaporated, replaced by a suffocating tension.
Xie Lanzhou was carried into the camp on a stretcher (a prop prepared beforehand), looking as pale as a corpse, his white robes stained with "blood" (actually chicken blood he had smeared on himself). Ji Wanyin walked beside him, looking disheveled and traumatized, holding a bloody bundle in her hands.
On the other side, the Third Prince, Xie Yun, was being supported by two guards. His face was swollen beyond recognition—his left eye was shut tight, his nose was twice its normal size, and his lips looked like two sausages. He looked less like a Prince and more like a melted candle.
"Father! You must seek justice for this son!" Xie Yun cried out the moment he saw the Emperor, his voice muffled due to his swollen lips. "There were assassins! Someone tried to murder me in the forest!"
The Emperor sat on his throne, his face dark as a thundercloud. "Assassins? In the Royal Hunting Grounds? Who dares?!"
"It was Seventh Brother!" Xie Yun pointed a shaking finger at the stretcher. "He conspired with outsiders to ambush me! He even unleashed a white tiger and poisonous bees to kill me!"
The officials gasped. Fratricide was a grave taboo.
Xie Lanzhou coughed weakly from the stretcher. "Third Brother... cough... why would you say such things? I... I barely escaped with my life..."
"Liar!" Xie Yun roared. "You were the one who—"
"Silence!" The Emperor slammed his hand on the armrest. "Yun'er, look at yourself. You are covered in mud and stings. Lanzhou is lying there half-dead. You claim he tried to kill you? With what? His cough?"
"He has hidden guards! And that woman..." Xie Yun glared at Ji Wanyin. "She is a witch! She controls the bees!"
"Your Majesty," Ji Wanyin stepped forward, kneeling gracefully. Her face was tear-stained, but her voice was steady. "The Third Prince is clearly delirious from the bee venom. We did not bring any assassins. However... we did encounter a group of black-clad men in the Black Crow Valley."
She slowly unwrapped the bloody bundle in her hands.
Inside was a severed head (the assassin leader) and a dark metal token.
"These men tried to kill His Highness," Ji Wanyin said, her voice trembling with righteous fear. "They fought fiercely, but luckily, His Highness's guards sacrificed their lives to protect us. We found this token on their leader's body."
She held up the Cold Iron Token.
The Emperor signaled the Chief Eunuch to bring it to him.
As soon as the Emperor saw the hawk insignia carved on the black metal, his pupils constricted.
He knew this token. Every official in the court knew this token.
It was the insignia of the "Iron Hawk Guard"—the private army of the Third Prince.
The Emperor slowly looked up at Xie Yun. His gaze was terrifyingly cold.
"Yun'er," the Emperor said softly, a tone that sent shivers down everyone's spine. "Do you recognize this token?"
Xie Yun squinted at the object. His face drained of color (what little color was left under the swelling).
"F-Father... that... that was stolen! Someone stole my token to frame me!"
"Stolen?" The Emperor threw the heavy metal token at Xie Yun's face. It hit his forehead with a dull thud. "You possess the only mold for these tokens! Are you telling me someone stole your mold, forged a token, hired assassins, and sent them to kill your brother, all while you were busy playing with bees?!"
"I..." Xie Yun was speechless. The evidence was irrefutable.
The Emperor closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
He knew Xie Yun wanted to kill Xie Lanzhou. He had always turned a blind eye to their squabbles. But to do it so openly? During the Autumn Hunt? And to fail so miserably that he left evidence behind?
It was not the cruelty that angered the Emperor. It was the stupidity.
"Third Prince Xie Yun," the Emperor announced, his voice echoing through the silent camp. "You have been negligent in managing your subordinates, allowing your token to be 'stolen' by assassins. You have disturbed the peace of the Royal Hunt and falsely accused your brother."
"Father!"
"Silence! Strip him of his command over the Northern Camp! Go back to your manor and reflect on your mistakes for three months. You are fined three years of salary."
It was a heavy punishment. Losing the Northern Camp meant losing military power.
"And..." The Emperor looked at Ji Qingqing, who was hiding behind the crowd, face covered in a veil. "The Second Miss of the Ji family caused a disturbance with her chaotic behavior. Banned from entering the Palace for one year."
Ji Qingqing fainted on the spot.
Finally, the Emperor turned to Xie Lanzhou. His expression softened, though his eyes remained calculating.
"Lanzhou, you have suffered. We will send the best physicians to treat you."
"Thank you, Father," Xie Lanzhou whispered.
"And for the reward..." The Emperor paused. "Although no one caught the White Tiger, the Seventh Princess Consort showed bravery in bringing back evidence of the assassins. State your wish."
Ji Wanyin looked at the Emperor. She could ask for gold, for land, or for the execution of the assassins' families.
But she knew better. Greed would make the Emperor suspicious.
"Your Majesty," Ji Wanyin bowed low. "This daughter-in-law dares not ask for rewards. We only wish for... safety. The assassins today were terrifying. We only ask that Father allows His Highness to expand his personal guards by fifty men, for self-protection."
The Emperor was surprised.
Just fifty guards?
That was a humble request. It showed fear, not ambition.
"Granted," the Emperor nodded, pleased with her 'sensibility'. "I allow him one hundred guards. And I bestow upon you the 'Golden Silk Armor' to protect your life."
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
Later that night, in the Seventh Prince's tent.
Xie Lanzhou sat up on the bed, wiping the fake blood off his face with a wet towel. He looked refreshed and incredibly happy.
"One hundred guards," he grinned at Ji Wanyin, who was polishing the new Golden Silk Armor. "Do you know what that means? It means I can legally bring one hundred of my elite 'Spider Web' killers into the light. You just legitimized my shadow army."
"You are welcome," Ji Wanyin said dryly. "And the Third Prince lost the Northern Camp. The balance of power has shifted."
"He will be furious," Xie Lanzhou chuckled. "But with his face swollen like a pig's head, he won't be seeing anyone for weeks."
He stood up and walked over to her. He took the armor from her hands and set it aside.
"Wanyin."
"Yes?"
"Today, you protected my back. You drank poison for me. You humiliated my enemies for me."
He reached out, his long fingers gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was warm, lingering a little longer than necessary.
"In this lifetime," he whispered, his voice losing its usual mocking tone, "I, Xie Lanzhou, have never trusted anyone. But today... I think I can trust you."
Ji Wanyin looked up at him. The candle light flickered in his dark eyes, reflecting her own face.
"Trust is dangerous, Your Highness," she warned softly.
"I know," he leaned down, his forehead resting against hers. "But living without danger... is so boring, isn't it?"
For a moment, in the quiet tent, surrounded by the smell of medicine and victory, the distance between them vanished. They were two monsters who had found their sanctuary in each other.
"Rest well, Husband," she whispered, pulling back slightly. "Tomorrow, the real war begins. The Empress won't take this lying down."
"Let her come," Xie Lanzhou smiled, a demon's smile. "We are ready."