Chapter Seventy-Three: Mentality
The attempted assassination of Hua Xi Wan caused huge waves to go through Jing. Yi’an Marquis Fu sent several groups of people to deliver objects. Even though the Hua Family knew that Xian Wang Fu did not lack in anything, this did not stop their actions.
Even Yao shi of Third Master Hua’s family who was a bit of a cheapskate sent some replenishing items. According to her, no matter how much of an eyesore she found Hua Xi Wan, she did not want the other to die needlessly. At most, Yao shi just wanted to see her in an unfortunate situation or to not live as well as her own daughter. However, she did not want the other to lose her life.
The Hua Family sent things to the wang fu, and the other members of the Imperial Family also did the same. Prestigious families that could find a connection to Xian Wang Fu or that were close to the Hua Family also mimicked those people and sent things over. No matter how insincere they were, at least they expressed the regret they felt about the attempted assassination of Hua Xi Wan.
After this matter was publicized, the atmosphere of Jing became even tenser. It was not that these people were afraid they would also be assassinated, but they guessed the even more terrifying truth—someone wanted to get rid of Xian Wang.
Everyone knew that Xian Wang had great love for Xian Wang Fei. If he did not have any matters, he never wandered outside the wang fu, and if he had free time, he liked to return to the fu to keep his wang fei company. The day when someone attempted to assassinate Xian Wang Fei, he had been delayed by the officials at the palace gates. The assassin had clearly not predicted that Xian Wang who usually returned at a regular time would not appear on that day, and then decided to act against Xian Wang Fei instead to affect Xian Wang’s emotions. This would cause him to lose his mind and intelligence when he competed for the throne.
It was the greatest fortune that Xian Wang Fei had two servant girls who protected her with their lives, and that the guard of Xian Wang Fu had been patrolling nearby. If any of these circumstances were lacking, Xian Wang Fei would have undoubtedly died.
No one guessed that this matter had been one which Xian Wang Fei had directed and acted in herself. This was because many people in the wang fu had heard the ruckus that came from the main yard, and the screams. The spies whom certain people had inserted into the fu had heard them. Also, Xian Wang Fei had been wounded in the arm. The rumor was that it was a serious wound and it would leave behind a scar.
Xian Wang Fei was such a beautiful and delicate woman. Could she cut such an ugly scar on her own arm? Also, Xian Wang and Xian Wang Fei were not people who liked to pursue power. What was the aim if they were faking this?
They disliked having too much blood in their bodies, and decided to cut open a wound to play?
Even more people leaned towards believing that someone wanted to attack Xian Wang while the Emperor was not in a good mood in order to eliminate this hidden opponent.
If it was related to the matter of succession, then it would never be a simple matter. When they thought of the presently chaotic state of affairs, they couldn’t help but sigh. The next while in Jing would probably not be peaceful.
Ever since the effects of the laudanum had passed, Hua Xi Wan experienced the feeling of pain. She didn’t even dare to move her arm freely, and she had to take care with what she consumed. This was what was most painful to her.
The two most important things in life were eating and sleeping, and now she could not do either of them well. When she slept at night, she did not dare to flip over, and she could only eat some dishes that were beneficial for wound recovery. It was difficult to bear.
In the last two days, Yan Jin Qiu had requested a vacation and spent almost the entire time around Hua Xi Wan. He told her interesting news, or humorous things about certain officials. This was all to divert her attention so that she would be less sensitive to the pain
This was something the grand doctors had said to him. It seemed far-fetched, but when he saw Hua Xi Wan absorbed while listening to the interesting news of the officials of Jing, he, a wang ye who was never interested in the gossip of other families, had servants search for humorous and interesting news. He tried to have Hua Xi Wan maintain her interest.
“What do you think this Baron Jing Ping is thinking?” Hua Xi Wan sighed. “He raised the son of his first wife to be timid and without abilities, and the son of his second wife to be arrogant and domineering. I heard that the other is also a wastrel.”
“He only made a gamble and lost.” Yan Jin Qiu sighed and said, “Otherwise, he would not have immediately married his second wife just after she came out of her first marriage, right after his first wife died.”
“Many men are greedy for beauty. Baron Jing Ping will not be the first man to do this, and will not be the last.”
Emperor Jing of the Han was so powerful that he could have Empress Dowager Wang, who had married previously and had a child, come into the palace, and then had Empress Dowager Wang’s son by him become the crown prince in the end. Then this son had succeeded the throne and became the famed Emperor Wu of Han.
Baron Jing Ping was only one of the lower-ranked barons, and it was nothing for him to marry a childless woman who had been previously married. However, this should have been based on the fact that he had not committed adultery with the second wife while the first wife was alive, and then hurriedly married the second wife just after the first wife died. In that case, she would not have such a lack of positive feelings about this Baron Jing Ping.
“I’m not the same as other men,” Yan Jin Qiu said as he bent down near her ear. “If I, Yan Jin Qiu, find a woman, then it is for the whole lifetime.”
Believing the sweet talk of men was akin to making oneself stupid. However, she would not be so stupid as to tear apart his sweet talk in front of him. She would slowly listen as though it was something interesting, and it was her own business whether she believed it or not.
However, Yan Jin Qiu seemed to be only speaking this for her to hear, and he did not try to force her to believe it. He looked worriedly at her arm and his brow creased slightly. “The Empress Dowager and the Empress have bestowed down some things today. You are recuperating, so I did not have you get up to receive the decree.”
In reality, both of them knew it wasn’t that Hua Xi Wan was so heavily wounded that she could not get out of bed. It was because she was unwilling as the warm blankets were too comfortable.
Because of her wound, Yan Jin Qiu had enabled her to become even more lazy. Even when eating, she only had to open her mouth and wait for people to place food in it. Most of the time, that person was Yan Jin Qiu.
“The Empress also sent some things?” Hua Xi Wan raised an eyebrow in slight shock. The Crown Prince had just died and the Empress had recovered so quickly?
“En, do you need to see the list? I will have someone bring it.” Yan Jin Qiu peeled a whole orange and handed a slice to her.
She tilted her head to bite into the orange slice. After eating it, she shook her head and said, “No need, I’m too lazy to look.”
The things that came from the palace, from the pearls and jade artefacts to the little playthings, all had auspicious names like Phoenixes Flying Double Flower Brocade, Hundred Layer Dress, or else it was the green jade hairpins that had good fortune clouds. It really tested one’s eyes and memory when the names were called out.
“Don’t look if you do not want to.” Yan Jin Qiu finished feeding her half of the orange and did not let Hua Xi Wan eat any more. He put down the other half and reached out with a hand to caress the soft hair loose on her back. “I have something today that I need to go out for. Remember to have your medicine at the set time.”
“All right.” Hua Xi Wan knew that in the eyes of other people, it was love if Yan Jin Qiu kept her company in the wang fu for two to three days, but if he stayed even longer, it would not be appropriate.
“Then rest well. Do not make me worry.”
After Yan Jin Qiu left, Hua Xi Wan lay on the bed and did not feel any drowsiness. She had Cheng Qiu hand her a book to read to waste the time.
Not long after Yan Jin Qiu came out of the wang fu on his horse, he encountered Yan Bo Yi who was also riding. Both were riding on tall horses and gave bows of equals to each other from atop their horses.
“How is Dimei’s wound?” Yan Bo Yi took out the horsewhip that was hanging from his waist and played with it. “Dimei is of a fragile constitution, and the culprit is evil to have her suffer such hardship.”
“That is true.” Yan Jin Qiu had a natural smile. “Tang Xiong, thanks for the concern. This younger brother will definitely manage the fu well, and not have something like this happen again.”
The two men locked gazes, one with an expressionless face, and one with a face covered in smiles but without any warmth in his eyes.
The people leading the horses for the two men shook simultaneously and then buried their heads.
After returning to the wang fu, Yan Jin Qiu did not immediately return to the main yard. He went to the study instead and then passed through the hidden tunnel. His feet stepped on the ground that was covered in water all year around. When his boots stepped on the dirty ground, they became covered in a layer of dirty water.