Chapter 52: Chapter Fifty-Two He Wants to See Which Heavenly Beauty Dares to Steal His Lover…

Chapter 52

He wanted to see just which heavenly beauty dared to steal his man!

In the wooden cabin in the forest, sticky blood seeped through the cracks in the floorboards, filling the air with a pungent smell. A weak, bleating cry echoed faintly.

Before long, the noises inside ceased, and Ruan Xingji emerged, shaking his arm, which was nearly dislocated from restraining the struggling sheep.

The heavy smell of blood clung to him, and even though he had cleaned up, Wei San, extremely sensitive to smells during pregnancy, still detected it.

Wei San covered his nose with a handkerchief, hesitated for a moment, then approached.

He asked, "Any success?"

Ruan Xingji shook his head. "Still not working."

Though "cutting open the belly and removing the child" sounded simple, ensuring the mother's survival after such a procedure was anything but easy.

Ruan Xingji had been working day and night, experimenting on animals to research the procedure, but the results were not very effective.

The first animal died from an overdose of anesthesia just as the incision was made. The second, given too little anesthetic, woke up midway through the surgery, thrashing in agony. It took immense effort to restrain it, but it eventually bled to death.

Nearly kicked in the waist during the struggle, Ruan Xingji couldn’t help but complain, "For your sake, my old bones are being shaken apart."

Though Ruan Xingji appeared to be in his thirties, he was actually in his sixties, knowing the will of heaven. Fortunately, he kept himself fit through regular exercise, or he might not have been able to hold down that sheep.

Wei San had no response, lowering his head guiltily and murmuring, "...Sorry for causing you so much trouble."

Ruan Xingji sighed and spoke earnestly, "Why not keep the child? This whole affair feels somewhat damaging to one's virtue."

"I..."

Wei San wanted to firmly declare that he wouldn’t keep it, but the words stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.

Noticing his hesitation, Ruan Xingji pressed on, "Performing the procedure at this stage is far too dangerous for you. It would be better to wait awhile, give me more time to study and practice. By then, I should have a better chance of saving both you and the child."

Wei San pressed his lips together, silent, his expression calm but his trembling fingertips betraying his inner turmoil.

He simply didn’t have much time to stay here waiting until the child reached full term. Even if he did, what would he do with the child once it was born?

As if reading his mind, Ruan Xingji patted his shoulder and said, "If raising the child seems like too much trouble, you could always give it away to another family to care for after it’s born."

Wei San clenched his fists. This was his and his master’s child—how could he bear to hand it over to strangers? Yet keeping the child by his side was equally unrealistic.

How could he explain disappearing for half a year and returning with an infant? If the child resembled him, he might pass it off as the result of a fleeting affair. But if it looked like his master… there would be no excuse.

So, not keeping it was the best way to solve the problem permanently.

Wei San thought of himself as a cold-blooded assassin, yet sentencing the child in his womb to death left him with an unreasonably sad feeling.

The weight of that sorrow, guilt, and anxiety felt almost suffocating.

"Hey, hey, hey! We were just talking—why are you crying?"

Wei San stared blankly as Ruan Xingji flusteredly handed him a handkerchief, only then realizing tears were hanging on the corner of his eye.

He took the handkerchief somewhat awkwardly, turning away as he mumbled in a muffled voice, "Let’s not discuss this further. My mind is made up. I’ll continue to trouble you with this, Doctor Ruan."

Ruan Xingji sighed, knowing further persuasion was futile, and let the matter drop.

Up in the treetops, the hidden guards crouched on branches, their hands flying in rapid gestures.

"That guy patted Wei San’s shoulder—do people in normal relationships pat each other like that?"

An Yi’s expression was stiff, his gestures equally intense. An San chimed in, "Who knows what he said to Wei San? He actually made him cry! And Wei San took his handkerchief!"

An Er narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Talking is one thing, but standing so close—practically glued together—there’s definitely something fishy going on."

In reality, Wei San and Ruan Xingji were standing two arm’s lengths apart, but from the hidden guards’ angle, it looked as though they were embracing.

Convinced by what they saw, the hidden guards unanimously agreed: "No one would believe there’s nothing between them."

An Yi’s vision darkened as if he’d already seen a tall, bright green hat placed upon his master’s head. He immediately decided to write a letter and send it post-haste to the capital.

He was going to expose Wei San’s promiscuous behavior!

Three days later, at the Virtuous Prince’s residence in the capital.

The hidden guard returning from Yangzhou went straight into Wei Zheng’s study, reporting in detail everything Wei Er and Wei San had experienced in Yangzhou. He also submitted intelligence gathered by other hidden guards dispatched to investigate the Crown Prince of Huainan’s whereabouts.

As suspected, the Crown Prince of Huainan had secretly traveled to the border and, using the tiger tally, mobilized nearly 100,000 soldiers. The general leading the army was none other than the fifth prince’s maternal uncle, Wang Xi.

"Just as I thought. Wei Yan only has these kinds of tricks up his sleeve."

Wei Zheng folded the secret missive into a strip and held it over a candle flame. The fire quickly devoured the paper, turning it to ash.

"Wang Xi is colluding with the Crown Prince of Huainan to stage a military rebellion. I will immediately spread the news," Duan Lin said, ready to instruct the hidden guards.

But Wei Zheng stopped him. Calm and composed, Wei Zheng remarked, "The Emperor is old, but not yet foolish with age. What role do you think he is playing in all this?"

"You mean we should continue to hold our position and not act?" Duan Lin was puzzled. Since his master had stopped feigning foolishness, they had taken no action. Now that the fifth prince was digging his own grave, shouldn’t they seize the opportunity to strike?

"Who said we aren’t acting?" Wei Zheng chuckled. "Tomorrow, I will meet with Lord Wang. Make the arrangements."

Lord Wang, the Minister of War, would be crucial to their plans moving forward.

A smile spread across Duan Lin’s face. "I will see to it at once."

The next day, Lord Wang’s carriage arrived at the gates of the Virtuous Prince’s residence. Lord Wang brought gifts to visit the convalescing Virtuous Prince and stayed for less than an hour before leaving—no different from any other official paying a visit.

Upon returning to his residence, Lord Wang’s first order of business was to have his subordinates retrieve the patrol routes and defense maps of the capital’s guards.

Back at the Virtuous Prince’s residence, Wei Zheng had just seen the Minister of War off when he received another secret missive.

It was from Yangzhou. His heart leaped with joy, thinking Wei San had finally remembered to send him a letter. But when he opened it, his face darkened instantly.

"Duan Lin! Prepare my horse at once!"

Wei Zheng’s fury spiked as he read the missive. Unable to control his strength, he crushed the armrest of his chair.

So this was why Wei San had been so insistent on going to Yangzhou! No wonder he hadn’t sent a single letter—his loyal assassin had been behind his back, getting cozy with another man, too happy to remember his master back in the capital!

Wei Zheng clenched the missive tightly, his fierce gaze as if he were envisioning the lover, wishing he could grind his bones to ash.

He wanted to see just what kind of heavenly beauty dared to steal his man!