Chapter 48: Marriage Alliance

Wei Qian was well-trained in martial arts. Qi Chen, however, was no match for the professional assassins. Just when he was going to be hit by a single-edge sword, Nan Guyue tackled him without thinking.

In that split second, Jun Huang poisoned the attacker to stop him, but she wasn’t fast enough. Fortunately Wei Qian hit the sword with a stone. Nan Guyue was still hit in the back, but only by the back of the blade.

She winced and fell into Qi Chen’s arms, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Her lungs and spleen had been damaged. Jun Huang took out a few silver needles and threw them at the remaining assassins. They widened their eyes in shock and fell to the ground.

Qi Chen held onto Nan Guyue, his clothes soaked with cold sweat. He looked at her with nervous eyes. “Princess?”

Jun Huang walked up to them with a frown and took Nan Guyue’s wrist to feel her pulse. She let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry, Your Royal Highness. The princess will be fine. She just lost consciousness from the blow. She’ll soon recover.”

Qi Chen felt tension drain out of his body. He was so close to dying. And he was so close to losing his pawn.

Wei Qian came up to them and showed them a jade pendant. It was found on the leader of the assassins. She handed it to Qi Chen respectfully. Qi Chen widened his eyes. A whirlwind of emotions flashed through his face.

“Is something wrong?” Jun Huang could tell this was no simple matter by Qi Chen’s reaction. She was worried Qi Yun may have sent out the men without fully grasping the situation.

“This belongs to the empress,” Qi Chen said coldly and scoffed. He ordered Wei Qian to escort Jun Huang back to the manor. He himself carried Nan Guyue into the coach and left for the palace.

Without asking, Jun Huang understood what he was going to do. She sighed. The empress was pitiful, and those who were pitiful were often hateful as well. The fact that she was suffering only attracted more scorn.

Once in the palace, Qi Chen carried Nan Guyue to the emperor’s bedroom and dropped down to his knees in front of the door. His expression was frosty to the point that it hurt to look at him. None of the eunuchs dared to ask him what happened, but the unconscious Nan Guyue in his arms was a clear enough indication that something was wrong. One of the eunuchs hurried inside to notify the emperor.

“Your Majesty, the crown prince would like to see you,” the eunuch said carefully.

The emperor looked up from the reports he was approving. It had been a while since the last time Qi Chen visited. He wondered what his son was here for this time. For a moment he didn’t say anything.

The eunuch saw the change in the emperor’s expression. He took a deep breath. “Princess Nan Guyue was here as well.”

The emperor put down the report. “Hurry and let them in.”

The emperor was shocked when Qi Chen carried Nan Guyue inside. He immediately sent for the royal doctor and helped Qi Chen settle Nan Guyue on an empress chair by the wall. “What happened?”

“This son invited the princess to go out of the city and enjoyed the scenery, butHe couldn’t be more satisfied.

“It’s all thanks to brother Feng’s plan. Otherwise, Nan Guyue would not have agreed to a marriage.”

Jun Huang met his eyes. “If Your Royal Highness is willing to put your trust in me, this gentleman would like to be your wedding planner this time.”

Qi Chen hesitated. He was the crown prince now. His wedding should be held by the Ministry of Rites. Jun Huang, however, had earned his genuine affection. He nodded after some consideration. “Then I’ll leave it in your capable hands. I know you won’t disappoint me.”

Qi Chen let Jun Huang take full charge of the wedding. And he announced that if anyone defied Jun Huang, he would take it as a personal offense to him. With that, no one dared to say no to her.

Jun Huang went to visit Rou’er and, without ceremony, she said, “I’m sure the fourth prince has told you about the plan. Now that I’m in charge of the wedding, you can go take care of recruiting the right people. I’ll need them tomorrow.”

Rou’er dropped her guise as a frail woman. Her expression turned so cold it made her look like a completely different person. She put a lamp outside when no one was watching.

One of Qi Yun’s people had been waiting outside the manor. He saw the signal and went off to make preparations.

The next day, Jun Huang left the manor early in the morning and went to the place that sold servants. Indeed, Qi Yun’s people were there. They were all highly skilled fighters, but they looked just like any ordinary citizen within the city.

Wei Qian, however, was observant. She stopped one of the men Jun Huang picked and hit him.

She certainly didn’t pull her punches. The man with strong shoulders and arms was knock off to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood. All around them people were staring and muttering.

“What are you doing, Wei Qian?” Jun Huang snarled. “Don’t forget what the crown prince said. Are you questioning my decision?”

Wei Qian lowered her eyes. “I have made a mistake. I ask for the gentleman to punish me.”

Jun Huang huffed and helped the man up. Then she left with the people she picked, ignoring Wei Qian completely. Wei Qian stood there for a long time with a bitter smile. She couldn’t express how helpless she was feeling.