Chapter 227 -

Chapter 227: Chapter

By the time their carriage rolled back through the high gates of the Xi estate, the sun was already setting, painting the sky in deep shades of orange and purple.

Wenzhe remained completely silent the entire way. His mind was in absolute chaos, replaying Yueqing’s inner thoughts over and over again. Xiao Chen’s mother... soul... last mission... None of it made any logical sense to a man who lived by the blade, yet he could not ignore the raw truth he had heard directly from her heart.

The moment the carriage stopped, Yueqing didn’t even wait for Wenzhe to help her down. She quickly gathered her skirts and scurried off toward her own courtyard like a guilty rabbit, eager to escape his intense, searching gaze.

Wenzhe watched her small figure disappear around the corridor before turning and walking slowly toward his own study.

Dong Li, his loyal personal guard, noticed his master’s unusually distant look as he followed him into the room. "General, are you alright? You seem lost in thought."

"I am fine," Wenzhe replied quietly, sitting down at his wooden desk. "Just busy."

Before Dong Li could ask anything else, the door opened and tiny footsteps hurried into the room. Little Anran ran straight toward Wenzhe, her small face pouting and her eyes puffy and red from crying.

Wenzhe’s expression softened slightly as he looked down at his youngest sister. "Anran? What are you doing here at this hour?"

Anran rubbed her swollen eyes with her tiny fists, her voice small and sad. "Sister Lanyin and Gu Yue went with Grandmother to the temple today... but Qianqian didn’t go because she had a small banquet with her friends from etiquette class. But... but she hasn’t come back yet!"

Wenzhe reached out, gently patting her small head to comfort her. "Don’t worry, Anran. She will be back soon. The streets are safe."

"But I want her back now!" Anran whined softly, pulling on his sleeve. "I am bored and I have no one to play with!"

Wenzhe looked at his teary-eyed sister, a sudden thought crossing his mind. "If you are bored, go to your sister-in-law’s courtyard. Go meet Yueqing. She will be very happy to see you. The two of you can even go visit Mingyu in his room."

Hearing that, Anran’s eyes lit up instantly. The sadness vanished from her little face, replaced by a bright, cheerful smile. She nodded eagerly, gave Wenzhe a quick bow, and turned around, running out of the room as fast as her short legs could carry her.

Once her cheerful laughter faded down the hallway, Wenzhe’s face turned serious again. He looked up at Dong Li standing by the door.

"If Qianqian is still not back by now, go and pick her up yourself," Wenzhe ordered in a firm voice. "Make sure she returns safely."

Dong Li bowed deeply. "Yes, General." He turned on his heel and left the room immediately.

Dong Li kicked his horse into a fast gallop, rushing through the bustling streets of the capital toward the pavilion venue where the banquet was being held.

When he arrived, he tied his horse outside and walked into the grand, three-story building. But as he stepped deeper inside, his brows furrowed into a tight, suspicious frown. The place was filled with loud, chaotic music, heavy perfume, and shadowy corridors.

Who in their right mind throws a ladies’ etiquette banquet in a pavilion like this? Dong Li thought to himself, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword.

He bypassed several rowdy halls and made his way up to the quiet private section where the head maid had said the gathering was located. As he reached the far end of the hall, he stopped right in front of the heavy wooden door.

Just as his fingers touched the door handle, the loud, wicked laughter of several young noble ladies echoed from inside, making him freeze in his tracks.

"That Xi Qianqian bitch..." a sharp, arrogant voice mocked inside. "She thinks she can debut at the upcoming royal banquet so easily? I’ll make sure her reputation is completely ruined before she even gets the chance! Just because her brother is the great General Xi and she comes from a dukedom, she thinks she is better than all of us! Just wait until that strong drug fully kicks in... she will regret the day she ever crossed my path!"

The other ladies inside burst into cruel, nasty giggles.

Outside the door, Dong Li’s eyes widened in pure shock and horror.

Without wasting a single second, Dong Li spun around and began frantically kicking open the doors of every private room down the long hallway. He barged into one awkward room after another, stumbling upon startled young lords and scandalized courtesans who shouted at him in anger, but Dong Li ignored them all.

Finally, he slammed open a door at the very end of the dark corridor.

Inside the dim, quiet room, a small figure sat slumped on the cold wooden floor. She was dressed in a soft yellow hanfu, her pale face hidden as her head rested heavily against her drawn-up knees.

Dong Li’s gaze dropped to her delicate wrist, instantly recognizing the familiar jade bracelet she always wore. It was Qianqian.

He rushed over and dropped to his knees beside her. "Lady Qianqian!"

Qianqian slowly raised her heavy eyelids, her eyes blurry and unfocused from the burning heat flushing through her body. Upon seeing Dong Li’s face kneeling in front of her, a faint, dazed smile touched her trembling lips.

"Are you... are you the one they sent to me?" Qianqian whispered softly, her voice weak and breathless as she reached out a shaking hand toward him.

Dong Li immediately knelt beside her, his fingers reaching out to press against her trembling wrist to check her pulse. Her skin was burning hot, her heartbeat fast and irregular.

Qianqian suddenly pulled her hand back, her blurred eyes searching his face with weak anger. "Why... why are you here?" she asked, her breathing ragged. "Didn’t you say you didn’t like me? What do you want from me?"

Dong Li’s jaw tightened, a surge of frustration and fear rising in his chest. "Why didn’t you run?!" he demanded, his voice laced with harsh worry. "The moment you noticed you were drugged, why didn’t you flee this place?!"

Qianqian looked up at him, a tear slipping down her flushed cheek. "I can’t move..." she whispered, her voice cracking. "If I take even a single step... I will collapse."

Dong Li frowned deeply, his heart sinking. He reached out to scoop her into his arms and carry her out of the room, but Qianqian weakly pushed against his broad chest, stopping him.

"Stop doing this!" Qianqian cried out softly, her fingers trembling against his dark guardsman uniform. "You said you don’t like me! So why are you helping me like this?! I hate hypocrites... If you are only doing this because I am the General’s sister, then just leave me alone!"

"Lady Qianqian, this is not the time for this!" Dong Li snapped, trying to lift her again.

"Answer me!" Qianqian insisted, her trembling hands reaching up to grab him tightly by his collar. Tears streamed freely down her pale, heated cheeks as she forced him to look straight at her. "What is it about me that you don’t like?! Am I not pretty enough?! Is it because I am a spoiled brat like everyone says, or because I am General Xi’s sister?! Why do you push me away?!"

Dong Li froze. The anger in his eyes faded, replaced by a sudden, heavy pain. He looked into her tear-filled eyes, his breath hitching in his throat. He hesitated for a long, agonizing second before he finally spoke, his voice low and raspy.

"It is not you who is unworthy of me," Dong Li said softly, his chest rising and falling heavily. "It is me who is unworthy of you. I cannot give you the life you deserve, Lady Qianqian. I am a man born and raised on the bloody battlefield. I have sworn my entire life and loyalty to the General. I could die at any moment on the front lines."

He gently reached up, covering her small, cold hands that were still clutching his collar.

"I do not know how to love or properly care for a delicate woman like you," Dong Li admitted, his dark eyes filled with raw honesty. "You need a gentle nobleman who will always be by your side... someone who can stay with you for the rest of your life. Not a ruthless soldier like me."

Qianqian listened, the hot tears overflowing from her eyes and dropping onto his hands. She tightened her weak grip on his collar, pulling him just an inch closer as she looked at him with desperate, fierce eyes.

"Then swear your life unto me instead!" Qianqian sobbed softly, her voice full of helpless love. "I don’t care about the battlefield! I don’t care about a peaceful life! Just swear yourself to me... and I will teach you how to love. Please, Dong Li..."