Chapter 9 — The Heir to the Throne with the Wicked Face

The Wound Has Not Healed

After the break-in into the Queen Mother's warehouse, the atmosphere in the royal court became much more tense. Cận Bá Tuyên increased patrols throughout the capital, paying special attention to markets, boat wharfs and places that could be meeting places for underground forces. Trường Phong, as General Vũ Lâm Trung Lang, was assigned to lead one of those patrols, making meeting Nhược Hi much more difficult and dangerous than before.

One rainy night, while returning from secretly checking a communication station of the Night Shadow Pavilion near the boat wharf east of the capital, Nhược Hi was suddenly ambushed by a group of unknown assassins. They wore no royal uniforms and were neither Imperial Guards nor Vũ Lâm soldiers, but hired gangsters acting ruthlessly and without hesitation.

She fought back fiercely in the dark, her three years of hard training took effect, defeating three of the assassins in succession, but the opponent was crowded, and someone was holding a poisoned weapon. A cut grazed her left bicep, causing the poison to quickly spread into her blood, making each movement heavier.

Right at the most critical moment, a figure rushed in like a whirlwind, his long sword swung in a flash, defeating the two remaining assassins in succession who were trying to corner Nhược Hi. It was Trường Phong, who happened to pass by while on patrol and recognized the familiar figure of the Demon Faced Witch in danger.

"She's injured!" He was startled when he saw her staggering, her face unusually pale under the dim moonlight. "Have you been poisoned?"

"It's okay..." Nhược Hi tried to stand still, but her legs began to tremble and her vision gradually blurred. "I just need to... get back to Thông Bảo Trang..."

Before she finished speaking, she collapsed, fortunately Trường Phong promptly caught her. He didn't have time to think too much, picked her up, flew across the dark rooftops of the capital, avoiding all prying eyes, and took her straight to the secret house where the two of them often met to discuss business.

Throughout the night, Trường Phong personally took care of her wound, using some medical knowledge he learned from Tang Dịch Phong to absorb the toxins and apply medicine to stop the bleeding. He never took his eyes off her face for even a moment, his heart heavy with worry when he saw the fever caused by poisoning making Nhược Hi unconscious, occasionally muttering incomprehensible words in her fitful sleep.

"Father... Mother... I'm sorry..." she whispered in delirium, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Eunuch Khấu... I will avenge you..."

Trường Phong held her hand tightly, his heart aching as he witnessed the burden that a nineteen year old girl had to carry on her shoulders for the past three years. He suddenly realized that behind the cold, decisive, calculating appearance that Nhược Hi always showed in front of others, there was still a girl filled with emotional wounds that had never truly been healed.

At one point, in a delirium, Nhược Hi suddenly clutched the hem of Trường Phong's shirt, muttering his mother's name, causing him to sit close and gently pat her hand as if comforting a child having a nightmare. He remembered what Tang Dịch Phong had told him about the night of the incident, about a sixteen-year-old girl who had to witness her parents being murdered and then run away alone in the middle of the rainy night, and his heart ached again with grief.

He looked around the simple little room, where every item bore the mark of a wary, secluded life—a map of the capital curled up in the corner, a few disguises hanging behind the curtain, an old wooden chest that held the fateful mask. This was all that remained of a Queen who once lived in luxury and was cherished and pampered by the entire palace. Yet over the past three years, she had learned to survive amid endless dangers, never once complaining or giving up.

Near morning, when her fever reached its peak, Trường Phong even planned to send someone to find Master Tịnh Nghi from Lam Phong mountain to help, but fortunately, just as he was about to take action, the fever began to subside, and Nhược Hi's breathing also became more regular. He sat quietly beside the bed, his hand still not leaving hers, silently praying to heaven and earth that she would recover soon.

By morning, the fever began to subside. Nhược Hi woke up in a dreamy state, realizing she was lying on a simple bed, Trường Phong sitting next to her, his face haggard from staying up all night taking care of her.

"Aren't you... not going back to the barracks?" She asked, her voice still weak.

"I told someone I had a cold and asked for a day off." Trường Phong smiled slightly, although his eyes were still filled with worry that had not yet disappeared. "You scared me so much that I almost forgot to stay calm."

Nhược Hi was silent for a moment, her eyes looking at him, a strange warm feeling rising in her heart that she had not allowed herself to feel for a long time. "Thank you. If it weren't for you last night..."

"Don't say such polite words," he interrupted, his voice low. "I swore to always be by your side, not just to talk."

There was a long silence between the two, with only the sound of rain falling outside the window. Nhược Hi asked softly, her voice lowered: "Do you ever regret getting involved in my affairs? If you hadn't met me, perhaps you could have lived a much more peaceful life, even though you had to be anonymous."

Trường Phong shook his head, his eyes determined. "Being at peace while having to watch your father's murderer leisurely sit on the throne is never truly at peace. Since the day I met you, I have found a reason to continue fighting, not only out of hatred for my family, but also because I believe that one day, Đại Hạ will have a wise man truly worthy of sitting on the throne."

"Do you believe I will be such a wise man?" Nhược Hi asked, her voice a bit surprised.

"I believe," he replied without hesitation. "I have seen how you have treated the poor over the past three years, seen how you consider each decision to avoid harming innocent people, and seen the extraordinary patience you have forged despite holding so much hatred in your heart. A person like that, deserves to sit on the throne more than anyone else in this royal family."

Nhược Hi felt a sting in her nose and had to turn her face away to hide the tears that were about to flow. It had been a long time since that fateful night of events that she had heard such sincere words of encouragement, not from duty or ritual, but from the bottom of one's heart.

"Tell me more about your father?" She asked softly, wanting to learn more about the man sitting next to her. "You never told me the details of his last days."

Trường Phong pondered for a long time, his distant eyes as if recalling a painful memory. "My father was a strict but fair general, always treating the soldiers under his command like his own children. The night before his execution, he called me in and gave me only one sentence: don't let hatred cloud your reason, but also never forget the justice that a gentleman must pursue to the end."

"He must be an honorable man," Nhược Hi said softly.

"That's right." Trường Phong nodded, his voice choked. "And I believe that, if he were still alive, he would be very proud to see his son standing side by side with a Đại Hạ lady who dared to confront injustice and seek justice for the whole country, not just for her family."

Outside, the rain had gradually stopped, the first rays of sunlight began to creep through the window, shining on two figures sitting next to each other, silent but warmer than any words could describe. Nhược Hi gently held Trường Phong's hand, a small gesture but filled with so much trust and affection that had silently grown over the years.

"Thank you, for always being there," she whispered.

"I will always be there," he responded, squeezing her hand. "Until the day she gets back everything that's rightfully hers, and even after that." That afternoon, when her health had recovered somewhat, Nhược Hi insisted on returning to Thông Bảo Trang, fearing that her prolonged absence would make Tang Dịch Phong and the others in the Night Shadow Pavilion worried. Trường Phong had to comply with her wishes, but still insisted on personally escorting her, disguising himself as an ordinary porter, helping her walk through the crowded streets at noon.

On the way, they passed by a small market, where a few poor children were gathering around a street vendor selling hot dumplings, their eyes longingly watching the rising smoke but not daring to step closer because they didn't have a single coin in their pockets. Nhược Hi stopped and silently asked Trường Phong to buy all the remaining cakes and share them with the children without revealing her identity.

"She's always been like that." Trường Phong smiled slightly when he saw the children's radiant eyes. "No matter how much hatred you carry on your shoulders, don't forget to pay attention to the little things around you."

"Maybe because I understand better than anyone else what it feels like to be hungry, thirsty and helpless," Nhược Hi replied softly, her eyes following the children happily sharing each cake. "If one day I really sit on the throne, I will never let any child in Đại Hạ suffer such hunger again."

Trường Phong looked at her, his heart filled with a stronger belief than ever that the path they were on, even though it still had many thorns, would eventually lead to a worthy future for the entire Đại Hạ country.