Chapter 49

The sovereign of Changlu had been attacked outside the palace — but fortunately, treatment had been prompt, and there was no lasting harm.

The moon hung high. Ye Shu walked out of the prison and looked up at the night sky.

He hadn't yet changed out of his blood-stained fox fur. It looked like plum blossoms on winter snow — startling to look at against all that white.

Ye Shu drew a long breath before the waves of nausea in his abdomen finally settled.

After accompanying Jin Wang back to the palace and waiting for the physician to tend to the arrow wound, Ye Shu had taken the command token Jin Wang had given him and gone to the prison.

Some of the assassins who had been lying in ambush at the Ye estate had been killed on the spot by the guards, and some had taken their own lives when caught. Only a scant handful had been brought into custody.

But that was enough.

Ye Shu was escorted back to Yangxin Hall by the guards. The moment he stepped through the door, he found Jin Wang reclining lazily on the small couch, a memorial in hand.

Apart from still being somewhat pale in complexion, he looked to be in reasonable spirits.

He showed no sign of being someone who had nearly lost his life half a day ago.

The man's ability to recover was genuinely astonishing.

"You're back, come over here——hiss——" Seeing Ye Shu return, Jin Wang tried to sit up and inadvertently pulled at his wound. The pain wiped the color from his face.

Several attendants crowded around him, frightened into rushing forward to help.

Ye Shu walked over quickly, brow creased. "Why aren't you lying in bed?"

"Waiting for you to eat." Jin Wang had cushions propped behind him and forced himself upright, smiling at Ye Shu. "You must be tired — sit down and rest."

Ye Shu hesitated and said: "I'll go and bathe first."

He had just come from the prison — a place that saw no sunlight year-round, damp and cold, with a heavy persistent smell of blood. Ye Shu had been inside for several hours, and what he smelled like right now was difficult to put into words.

Ye Shu went to bathe and change. When he returned, several attendants were laying out the food on the table.

Gaojin was ladling soup for Jin Wang.

Jin Wang's wound was in his shoulder, and for the duration of healing, the entire arm couldn't be raised.

But as sovereign, there was no shortage of people to attend to his food and daily needs.

Ye Shu took the soup bowl from Gaojin's hands and sat down beside Jin Wang. "Everyone go out."

The two of them had never needed attendants serving them at meals, but today's circumstances were rather different. Gaojin glanced at His Majesty's expression, saw no objection, and only then dismissed the servants and withdrew from Yangxin Hall.

Ye Shu fed Jin Wang the soup spoonful by spoonful.

He suddenly remembered that he used to dislike attending to this person quite a lot.

In this era of absolute imperial supremacy, the man in front of him was the sovereign — Ye Shu's position had inherently required him to submit, to serve.

Ye Shu had never gotten used to it, had never liked this unequal relationship.

But now he no longer felt that way.

His movements were careful and attentive. Jin Wang couldn't help but smile. "Just eat your own meal — I'm not as weak as you're imagining."

Ye Shu ignored him, scooped another spoonful of soup, blew on it, and held it to Jin Wang's lips.

He wasn't about to trust anything this person said.

He had seen Jin Wang looking genuinely weak for the first time today.

When the carriage returned to the palace, Jin Wang had been covered in blood, his face paler than the snow on the eaves, without a drop of color left.

Every time Ye Shu thought that this was because of him, his chest ached so sharply he could barely breathe.

Jin Wang asked: "How did the interrogation go?"

Ye Shu's hand stilled. He lowered his eyes. "Didn't the imperial guards report back?"

"They did." Jin Wang gave a quiet laugh. "They said you were remarkably effective — a brief round of questioning and those men told you everything."

"That's an exaggeration." Ye Shu shook his head. "I've confirmed that those people were not remnants of the Left Chancellor's faction."

Ye Shu was, after all, still nominally the Left Chancellor.

Establishing the full background of those people might not have been straightforward for others — but testing whether they were connected to the original host was not difficult.

He had simply asked a few questions, and the inconsistencies in the men's answers had accumulated quickly. They had admitted to merely invoking the Chancellor's name in order to deflect suspicion from their true employer.

Who the true employer was remained, for now, unknown.

In the past, having cleared himself of suspicion over the assassination attempt, Ye Shu should have been relieved. Yet today he felt a vague undercurrent of disappointment.

Another lead about the original host had slipped away.

Jin Wang naturally understood his thoughts and didn't raise the matter, changing the subject instead. "Those assassins were highly trained — most likely professional killers who trade in this work. Such people would never easily sell out their employer. Finding their weak points is simple enough, but getting them to talk is going to be much harder."

"…Actually, it may not be that hard." Ye Shu said quietly.

He looked up at Jin Wang. "Give me three more days. I'll find out the truth."

Jin Wang: "A Shu — you don't have to——"

Ye Shu cut him off. "You already gave me your token. Whether you agree or not, I'm doing it. I will investigate."

"…"

Jin Wang was quiet for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "You fool — I've said it already: today's events aren't your fault."

Ye Shu blinked faintly and pressed his lips together.

Jin Wang raised his uninjured hand and touched the side of Ye Shu's face. "I was hurt for your sake, and you feel terrible, so you want to find out the truth for me — isn't that so?"

"But from where I stand, none of that matters nearly as much as you do." Jin Wang said. "A Shu — in my heart, nothing outweighs your safety."

He was moved enough to want to straighten up and hold the person in front of him, but pulling at his wound froze his expression instantly.

The carefully cultivated atmosphere evaporated entirely.

"I'm not pushing myself." Ye Shu hadn't noticed his movement at all and said earnestly: "Trust me. Three days is enough."

"…" Jin Wang gave up fighting with his wound and settled back against the cushions. "Then promise me — no overexerting yourself, no putting yourself in danger, nothing that could harm your body."

"Mm — I promise."

"And after three days, regardless of the outcome, you don't go any further with this."

"Agreed."

Jin Wang thought for a moment. "One more thing…"

"What?"

Jin Wang gritted his teeth and said in irritation: "Come closer — I can't reach you."

"…"

Ye Shu's ears warmed a little. He set down the soup bowl and shifted over toward Jin Wang. Then after a moment's reflection, he simply bowed his head and leaned against Jin Wang's chest.

He was careful with how much pressure he applied, trying not to brush the wound, resting his head gently against Jin Wang's shoulder.

"Is this… alright?"

Jin Wang's uninjured arm lifted and came around Ye Shu's waist.

Ye Shu had just bathed and still carried a faint trace of steam and clean soap scent. Jin Wang breathed it in lightly and said deliberately: "This is all?"

Ye Shu looked up at him.

Jin Wang averted his gaze and said vaguely: "The wound hurts — it hurts so much I can barely eat——"

Ye Shu leaned in and pressed a light kiss to the corner of his lips.

It was brief and immediately withdrawn. Ye Shu was a little self-conscious and looked aside. "This is what you wanted."

The touch had been so fleeting it barely registered. Jin Wang looked at him helplessly. "You little fool."

Ye Shu was displeased. "I was clearly coaxing you. What's foolish about that?"

"That's no way to coax someone." Jin Wang looked down at him, his voice gentle. "Lower your head — let me show you."

Ye Shu was as good as his word. He didn't even wait out the three-day limit — by the afternoon of the second day, he had had every official involved in the conspiracy arrested and placed in custody.

This might have taken others considerable time, but not Ye Shu. Once he had confirmed those assassins had no connection to the Left Chancellor, who their true employer was became self-evident.

Which people, how to obtain evidence, and how to make the arrests — the novel had written all of it clearly.

With the sovereign injured, no one had imagined he would hand the investigation to the consort. And no one had expected the consort to move with such speed. The faction of officials plotting treason hadn't even had time to react before they were uprooted entirely.

The entire court was stunned.

A suspicion that no one had ever entertained before surfaced in their minds.

This way of operating… was exactly like the late Chancellor Ye.

Whatever the court was saying about it, Ye Shu didn't particularly care.

What he wanted to do extended far beyond this.

On the final day of the three-day limit, Ye Shu presented Jin Wang with a list.

"…This is a list of every official in court with treasonous inclinations. Most of them can be substantiated right now. If Your Majesty doesn't trust it, you can verify it yourself once you've recovered." Ye Shu said.

Jin Wang only scanned the names on the list and laughed. "Isn't this cheating?"

When Ye Shu had originally proposed investigating the truth, Jin Wang had been worried about him overexerting himself. And yet…

Knowing the future was certainly convenient.

"Without evidence, arresting them one by one for questioning… you really are something." Jin Wang leaned against the bed cushions and continued: "This list involves a large number of officials — pulling one thread could unravel the whole cloth."

"These people can't be touched right now. Which is why you should move quickly to replace key positions with trustworthy officials, and then find ways to remove them." Ye Shu said seriously. "The spring imperial examinations are in two months. That's an opportunity."

Jin Wang looked at him steadily.

Ye Shu grew a little uncomfortable under that gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Jin Wang looked down.

Ye Shu, like this, was even more like the person in his memory.

In his memory, this person had also cleared the path before him in exactly this way. That certainty and decisiveness in action — it was radiant enough to hold the gaze and not let it go.

Jin Wang said nothing more. He didn't even look carefully at the list — simply tossed it aside and opened his arms.

Ye Shu obediently leaned in and was pulled close.

Jin Wang asked: "Didn't sleep all last night?"

Ye Shu startled.

Jin Wang's voice cooled. "What did I tell you — no overexerting yourself. Did you forget?"

Ye Shu's voice was a little muffled. He said quietly: "…I didn't do it on purpose."

"I couldn't sleep."

While Jin Wang was resting in bed recovering, Ye Shu was no longer sleeping in the same bed, and returned to Yongshou Palace at night.

Back at Yongshou Palace, sleeping was even more impossible.

Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Jin Wang being pierced by that arrow, drenched in blood. Even when he did manage to fall asleep, it was nothing but nightmares — he woke in fright several times a night.

Jin Wang stroked his back gently. "It seems I had better recover quickly."

Ye Shu buried his face in Jin Wang's shoulder and said nothing.

Jin Wang suddenly asked: "Would you like to oversee this year's spring examinations?"

The spring examinations were held once every three years. The previous session had been overseen by Chancellor Ye.

Ye Shu paused.

He understood what this question meant.

He had wielded Jin Wang's command token and investigated the assassination on his behalf — no one could question that. But to preside over the spring examinations required the standing of a senior court official.

Jin Wang wanted to… restore his identity.

Jin Wang said: "Don't say you haven't thought of it. The way you've acted these past few days — the entire court saw it. How could you possibly hide?"

"I…" Ye Shu lowered his eyes.

He had naturally thought of this.

If he had been calmer, he wouldn't have chosen to handle everything in person. But for these past few days, all he had wanted was to bring in everyone who had hurt Jin Wang, and he had had no room in his head for anything else.

"What's wrong with being Chancellor again? You and I governing the realm together, supporting each other."

"But of course your decision is your own." Jin Wang said. "If you want to remain my consort, I am perfectly happy with that as well."

"You're testing me again." Ye Shu smiled. "If I said yes to that — wouldn't that mean staying in the capital forever?"

Jin Wang openly admitted: "That's right."

Ye Shu freed himself from Jin Wang's arms. "I need to think about it a little more."

Attendants brought the medicinal soup. Ye Shu fed it to Jin Wang, then helped him lie down.

The medicine had a sleep-inducing effect, and Jin Wang drifted off quickly.

Ye Shu tucked the blanket around him and sat at the bedside looking at him in a daze.

Jin Wang wanted to restore his identity.

Once his identity was restored, Ye Shu would no longer be a consort who existed only in dependence on the sovereign's favor — the relationship between them would be more equal and independent.

Governing the realm together. Supporting each other.

What a tempting thing to choose.

"You're the fool." Ye Shu draped himself over the edge of the bed and said quietly. "If I really am an impostor, you'd be getting the worse end of this bargain."

He traced a finger over Jin Wang's hand, turning it lightly in his own. "But I still want to know the answer."

"Whatever that answer turns out to be — I should face it myself."

He straightened up, leaned close to Jin Wang's sleeping face, and said softly: "Even if in the end I'm not the person you're hoping for, I…"

He left the rest unsaid. Ye Shu bowed his head and pressed a kiss to the corner of Jin Wang's lips, then rose and left the bedchamber.

The imperial palanquin was waiting outside the door. Ye Shu got in and gave the order: "To the cold palace."