Chapter 16: “You agree, right? Hmm? Brother-in-law?”…

Chapter 16: "Don't you agree, hmm? Right, brother-in-law?"...

Huo Shiming was already in a state of just recovering from a serious illness, and now, having taken in too much information in such a short time, he felt even dizzier and more disoriented.

Before he completely fell into unconsciousness, and right after he woke from it, his greatest worry wasn't for himself, but whether He Tai would target his family.

Fang Shi was kind and dutiful, devoted to her husband, but she couldn't handle much pressure. Managing the household was within her capabilities, but supporting the faltering Huo family would likely overwhelm her with fear in just a few days.

A Ze took after him, with decent talent, but sheltered by his parents and with a capable elder sister, he was carefree, playful, and energetic.

After his accident, A Ze would inevitably grow up fast, willingly or not. But... alas, he was still too young to shoulder the family's burdens.

And then there was A Ling—resilient and intelligent, the one he least needed to worry about—except for her exceptional beauty... and He Tai, who happened to be a man who would stop at nothing to satisfy his lust.

Just thinking about his family's situation weighed heavily on Huo Shiming, making it impossible to let go.

What he hadn't expected was that in the Huo family's time of crisis, it was this daughter who stepped forward. She braved danger to come to Changle County and, in such a short time, managed to turn things around.

Huo Shiming had thought he valued Huo Ling highly enough—letting her manage shop affairs at a young age, advising Fang Shi to heed her opinions. Which other daughter received such regard?

But now, Huo Shiming had to admit he still hadn’t appreciated her enough.

A Ling's abilities far exceeded his imagination.

His broad, calloused palm covered Huo Ling's hand and gave it two gentle pats. Huo Shiming offered her a complicated smile.

The smile carried both heartache and reassurance, as well as deep pride and satisfaction.

"A Ling, you've suffered."

Huo Ling's nose stung with emotion.

She instinctively wanted to reply, "It was nothing," but the words stuck in her throat.

In truth, it had been hard.

From the moment she learned of her father's severe injury and coma, she hadn't had a single moment of true relaxation. Even in sleep, her mind stayed on edge.

Anger and resentment drove her to keep scheming. She wasn't afraid of death—only the whims of fate.

Of course, she could have stopped to rest. But if she did, what would become of them?

Huo Ling's voice was hoarse: "The day I arrived in Changle County and saw Father lying in bed, unconscious and lifeless, I also thought Father had suffered."

Huo Shiming felt a pang in his heart too.

Father and daughter sat together at the table. Though Huo Ling was taller than most girls her age, she was still a head shorter than Huo Shiming when seated beside him.

Huo Shiming reached out and hesitantly patted her head. "These days, it's all thanks to you. Without you, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Huo Ling stiffened slightly before relaxing again, quietly savoring this fleeting moment of fatherly warmth.

"Does Father still feel unwell anywhere?"

Huo Shiming moved his arm. "Everything else is fine, just overall fatigue."

Huo Ling reassured him: "After all, you cheated death. Just waking up is a miracle."

"I consulted Royal Physician Xiang. He said the remaining toxins in Father's body have been completely cleared. As long as you recuperate properly, there won't be any lasting effects. He's already prepared a prescription for your recovery—I'll have someone get the medicine soon."

Even so, Huo Ling still felt uneasy and planned to send Wu Mo to call for a doctor.

Wu Mo naturally had no objections but asked, "Why not summon Royal Physician Xiang?"

These past few days, Royal Physician Xiang had personally attended to Huo Shiming. Moreover, he was at the government office, making it easy for him to come.

Huo Ling replied, "If I asked you to summon Royal Physician Xiang, even without Prince Duan’s order, he would still come."

"But that wouldn’t be because my influence is great—it would be because Royal Physician Xiang is doing me this favor out of deference to Prince Duan."

Wu Mo didn’t fully understand and wanted to ask about the distinction, but after glancing at the sky, she held back her questions.

Once Wu Mo left, Huo Ling returned to Huo Shiming’s side. "I’ve been talking with you for so long, Father. You're probably tired. Would you like to rest in bed until the doctor arrives?"

Huo Shiming did feel weary and weak, but after lying down for half a month, his bones had grown stiff.

"The sun looks nice outside. A Ling, help me go out and get some sun."

Sitting under the lazy sun, Huo Shiming sighed contentedly and soon began to doze off with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, he remembered something. "Where’s Uncle Sun?"

He had been awake for quite some time, yet Sun Yucheng had not appeared once.

Huo Ling, noticing Huo Shiming seemed about to fall asleep, had gone inside to fetch him a cloak.

She draped it over his shoulders. "Uncle Sun and Cousin Jian Bai were both sent to help General Zhou. They probably won’t return until the assassination matter is settled."

Not only did Huo Shiming not mind, but he added, "Uncle Sun had been taking care of you all along—thanks to him, you recovered so quickly. It was only after I saw you were stable and thought the opportunity rare that I persuaded him to go."

"You did right. Uncle Sun and I have a life-and-death bond. In the past, it was my lack of opportunity that held him back as well."

Moreover, he could tell that this good opportunity had arisen all because of Huo Ling’s connections.

Not only could she strategize for the family’s benefit, but she also knew how to promote trusted friends—everything she did made him proud and admire her.

Yet it wasn’t as if he had no concerns at all.

A Ling had chosen Prince Duan, and that child Jian Bai would surely be heartbroken.

After all, he had watched the boy grow up.

The Huo family had few children, and in the years before Huo Ze came of age, Huo Shiming had put much effort into training Fang Jianbai, teaching him the art of war in hopes that he and Huo Ze could support each other in the future.

One could say that while they lacked the official master-disciple title, their relationship was just that. Otherwise, Huo Shiming would never have thought to betroth Huo Ling to Fang Jianbai in the first place.

Aside from Fang Shi and Fang Jianbai’s own wishes, Huo Shiming’s high opinion of him had been a key factor.

But now…

Ah, never mind. Romantic matters were best left to the young to sort out themselves.

Whom A Ling chose was not something he should meddle in.

As soon as Prince Duan had calmed his quartermaster, he called for a Royal Guard to ask about Huo Ling's whereabouts.

***

Back at the county office, the royal guard replied, "I haven't seen Miss Huo since we returned. However, when I went to the stables, I heard that she had her horse taken ahead."

She must have gone to rest, and Prince Duan felt relieved.

The royal guard then remembered something else and quickly reported, "Miss Huo's maid called for a doctor about half an hour ago."

Prince Duan had had a rough day too, especially handling the quartermaster—what a time-sucking hassle.

He hiked up his robe, about to sit and rest, but froze at that.

"A doctor? What about Royal Physician Xiang? Why didn’t he go?"

The royal guard said carefully, "It seems Miss Huo had no intention of inviting Royal Physician Xiang."

Prince Duan’s frown deepened, and he forgot about resting, heading out to find Huo Ling.

By the time he reached the western courtyard, the last light of dusk had been swallowed by darkness.

Huo Ling was holding up a lantern, just about to escort the doctor out. Spotting Prince Duan out of the corner of her eye, she instructed Wu Mo to see the doctor off while she approached Prince Duan with the lantern, raising her wrist slightly so the warm yellow glow bathed them both.

"Your Highness must be exhausted. Did you need me for something?"

Prince Duan had once scoffed at the saying that a beauty under moonlight grows more enchanting with each glance, but now he had to admit there was some truth to it.

Bathed in the soft glow of moonlight and lantern light, the young woman before him seemed to gather all the world's grace into herself.

"I heard you sent for a doctor. Are you unwell?"

Huo Ling didn’t invite Prince Duan inside, instead conversing with him at the courtyard gate. "No injuries, no illness."

Prince Duan disagreed. "This must be your first time facing an assassination attempt—and your first time killing someone."

"How did Your Highness notice?" Huo Ling instinctively touched her face. "I thought I seemed perfectly calm."

Prince Duan smiled faintly, moved to touch her face.

And so he did, his rough fingers grazing lightly over her skin.

"Didn’t I say it earlier? You were perfect today. So I didn’t deduce it from your demeanor—I guessed based on your past experiences."

Huo Ling caught his index finger, stopping him from continuing. "The doctor was for my father."

Prince Duan had been too worried to think straight earlier, but now that he saw Huo Ling unharmed, he understood the reason.

Still...

"Why not call Royal Physician Xiang?"

Wu Mo had asked the same question.

At the time, Huo Ling had answered honestly. Now, facing Prince Duan, she spoke gently, "My father and I have put Royal Physician Xiang through enough. There was no need to bother him with such a minor matter."

The fire at the granary looked bad, but it was merely a diversion orchestrated by Zhou Jiamu.

***

The Qiang Rong assassins who had infiltrated the logistics department to set the granary ablaze had been caught right away.

For this operation, the Qiang Rong had dispatched two hundred elite warriors.

The two hundred assassins dispersed and infiltrated Changle County under the leadership of a Qiang Rong commander. After retrieving weapons hidden at the border trade market, they set up an ambush along Prince Duan's planned route.

The Qiang Rong were not naive enough to believe that these two hundred men alone could cause chaos in Changle County. Thus, apart from them, several influential Qiang families secretly collaborated in the operation.

They provided the assassins with shelter, detailed intelligence, and even additional manpower...

Had the Qiang Rong succeeded in assassinating Prince Duan, they would have seized the opportunity to launch a massacre in the county left leaderless, completely destroying its order.

Changle County and Xingtang Pass had always relied on each other. If Changle fell into chaos, Xingtang Pass, cut off from reinforcements, would stand alone and vulnerable. The Qiang Rong army stationed dozens of miles away would immediately march and attack Xingtang Pass again.

In truth, what seemed like a simple assassination attempt was, if successful, just the first move in the Qiang Rong's larger scheme to swiftly destabilize the region.

By then, the situation would be beyond remedy.

Thus, while the fire at the granary and the attack on Prince Duan appeared to be over, the turmoil had only just begun.

The assassins had either been executed or were being interrogated.

Especially the Assassin Leader—Great Yan hoped to extract more intelligence about the Qiang Rong from him.

The officials bribed by the Qiang Rong, along with the Qiang families who aided them, were imprisoned that very night.

By noon the next day, over a thousand heads rolled at the Caishikou execution ground (commonly known as the public execution site), turning it red.

This merciless display severely intimidated those Qiang people who were of two minds, wavering between the Qiang Rong and Great Yan.

The failure of the Qiang Rong’s operation also made more Qiang people realize the gap between the Qiang Rong and Great Yan.

The decades of peace the Qiang Rong enjoyed were not due to their own strength, but Great Yan's benevolence!

When Great Yan decided to act against the Qiang Rong, it didn’t even need to deploy troops—merely closing the border trade market could deal them a heavy blow to their economic vitality.

Yet intimidation alone was insufficient.

A few days later, Prince Duan issued proclamations across the fourteen western cities of Yan. Besides announcing a three-year tax reduction, he also implemented several policies favorable to the Qiang people.

With this "carrot-and-stick" approach, public sentiment in the fourteen western cities was pacified.

Now, Prince Duan could finally turn his attention to dealing with He Tai.

Upon hearing that Zhou Jiamu had uncovered substantial evidence of He Tai’s crimes, Huo Ling grew intrigued. She changed her clothes and went to see Prince Duan.

However, upon arriving at the courtyard gate, she noticed that the Prince already had another visitor.

The visitor was dust-covered, holding a thick leather envelope.

He noticed Huo Ling as well. At first, he paid her little mind, but when his gaze caught her distinctive features, he began pondering her identity and purpose.

"Miss Huo, you're here."

The personal guard (royal retainer) who had gone to announce her spotted Huo Ling standing beside the visitor.

Given the prince’s attitude toward Miss Huo, normally wouldn't require announcement to let her in.

But this courier from the capital had been sent by the Princess Consort of Duan...

If he dared to usher both inside at once, the prince would surely think him tactless. *Damn*, why did these two have to cross paths now?

Huo Ling tactfully offered: "Since the Prince has a guest, I’ll return later."

The courier followed the Royal Guard inside, unable to resist glancing back at Huo Ling a few more times.

Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, the courier slipped a silver note into the Royal Guard's hand: "Friend, may I ask who that young lady is?"

The Royal Guard chuckled evasively: "That young lady is the daughter of Commander Huo. A few days ago, Commander Huo was ambushed by villains. The Prince, valuing talent, sent Royal Physician Xiang to treat him."

"Now that Commander Huo has recovered, Miss Huo is probably here on her father’s behalf to express gratitude to His Highness."

As for whether the courier believed it or not, the Royal Guard didn’t care.

The courier entered the room and first bowed to Prince Duan. Only after Prince Duan spoke did he respectfully present the sturdy leather envelope.

Prince Duan used a dagger to slit open the leather and retrieved the letters inside.

This time, aside from the letter written by the Princess Consort of Duan, his son, Ji Yuanwan, had also written.

Prince Duan picked up Ji Yuanwan’s letter first.

Though only six years old, Ji Yuanwan had already learned many characters. His letter was neatly written, and his childish words drew a faint smile to Prince Duan’s face.

However, when he reached the final paragraph of the letter, the smile on Prince Duan’s lips faded.

At the end of the letter, Ji Yuanwan mentioned that he had behaved very well and obediently in the palace, though he missed his father dearly.

He also asked when Prince Duan would return home, adding that he had grown much taller and received praise and gifts from his imperial uncle, which he wanted to show his father.

Though childish in tone, this didn’t sound like something a child wouldn’t normally mention—children wouldn’t usually emphasize their imperial uncle’s praise and gifts.

Prince Duan put down Ji Yuanwan’s letter and opened the one from the Princess Consort of Duan.

The Princess Consort’s letter made no mention of whether he should return to the capital. Instead, she explained why Emperor Jingyuan had suddenly gifted Ji Yuanwan a jade pendant.

Prince Duan calmly closed the letter: "You’ve traveled far. Rest well for now. Tomorrow, I will give you my reply to take back to the capital."

After the courier left, the Royal Guard hurried in and reported what had happened at the courtyard gate.

He handed over the silver note the courier had given him.

Prince Duan gave a light chuckle as he looked at the hundred-tael note. The people around the Princess Consort were certainly generous—even a simple question was worth a hundred taels.

"Since it was given to you, keep it."

Prince Duan collected the letters from the table and went out to find Huo Ling.

Huo Ling hadn’t gone far. She was gazing at the bright plum blossoms under a nearby tree.

"What are you looking at?"

A familiar voice came from behind. Without turning, Huo Ling replied, "The plum blossoms in the county office are just as lovely as those behind Ciji Temple in Yong’an County."

Prince Duan followed her gaze: "Not just the ones here—even the plainest plum trees along the roads of Yanxi are more beautiful than the most renowned plum gardens in the capital."

Huo Ling asked curiously, "Really?"

Prince Duan said, "Truly. Go see for yourself—then you’ll know if I’m lying."

Huo Ling laughed so hard she had to grab a branch to keep her balance: "So that courier truly came from the Princess Consort of Duan. What, is she pressuring Your Highness to return to the capital?"

When Huo Ling confronted him directly, Prince Duan’s expression remained unchanged.

He'd never expected to keep it from her anyway.

Besides, Prince Duan had no intention of concealing anything.

With Yanxi's situation becoming clearer—He Tai's downfall and Zhou Jiamu taking over as the commander of Xingtang Pass—he couldn’t stay in Yanxi for much longer.

It was time to have a talk with Huo Ling about certain matters.

He wanted Huo Ling—he wanted to take her back to the capital. The Princess Consort of Duan was unavoidable.

"A Ling, I remember you once said the Huo family has always wished to return to the capital."

An icy wind whipped snow into their faces, and Huo Ling slowly wiped the smile off her face.

She lowered her head and lightly sniffed the plum blossoms before her. "I did say that. But, Your Highness, I also asked you—what would I be going back as?"

Prince Duan didn’t answer her question directly. "A Ling, before I met you, I was already married. I never hid this from you, and you knew that all along."

"I know. If we're being technical about it, I could even call Princess Consort of Duan my cousin, couldn’t I? Hmm... cousin-in-law?"

Prince Duan also steadied himself against the branch, his gaze burning through the branches at Huo Ling, his eyes blazing with desire. "Calling me cousin-in-law won’t change anything, A Ling. You know very well—I am hell-bent on having you."

"If Your Highness is so determined to have me, why must you be so roundabout and indirect? Why not just say it outright—all you can give me is second wife status?"