Saving My Life By Simping For My Empress - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Is It That Qin Ji Is Unwilling to Have Him Back?

Wei Yu had fainted. Naturally, the two hidden guards could not leave him be, so they had no choice but to take him to see a physician.

Fortunately, there was a medical clinic not far from the small courtyard. The two guards brought Wei Yu there.

The physician took one look at the newcomers and judged them to be bad news—they reeked of killing intent, and the patient they brought was coughing up blood.

“Out, out! A physician cannot be disturbed while diagnosing!” The physician, with his goatee twitching, chased the two hidden guards out and slammed the door.

As soon as they were gone, Wei Yu struggled to wake up: “Physician, they are assassins… find someone…”

Wei Yu didn’t dare let the two guards outside hear him; his voice was kept very low: “Please, believe me…”

The physician: “Lie down first!”

The physician wasn’t alone in the clinic. He sent his apprentice to find the Imperial Guard while he personally checked Wei Yu’s pulse.

“You suffered from exposure to cold before. Today, the chill entered your body and triggered an old ailment. Added to that was extreme emotional distress, which caused you to cough up blood.” The physician patted Wei Yu’s shoulder. “Child, rest well. Do not be afraid. This old man will not let those two villains take you away.”

Tears rolled down Wei Yu’s face: “Thank you… thank you.”

Even a stranger was willing to be kind to him. Imperial Brother, why must you insist on driving me to my death?

Wei Yu was heartbroken; his chest tightened with a twisting pain.

He knew that with the Emperor’s orders, those two hidden guards would surely take him back to Wei. Even if he were unwilling, they would knock him out and stuff him in a sack to carry him off.

Things he had ignored in the past were now being laid out before him, one by one.

For the sake of the Kingdom of Wei, he had refused to cede those three cities to Qin and came here as a hostage instead. At that time, it was the tyrant on the throne, not Qin Ji. In truth, everyone knew that his journey was likely a one-way trip.

Even so, they should have allowed him to bring enough luggage—at the very least, winter clothes to ward off the cold and silver to bribe the subordinates.

He had brought nothing from the Kingdom of Wei.

The departure had been rushed. Wei Qiong was in a great hurry to get him out of Wei, and even more desperate to ensure he never returned.

By birthright, he was the eldest legitimate son. The Grand Tutor had once said that, compared to Wei Qiong, he was better suited to be an Emperor.

It was likely because of that one sentence that Wei Qiong wanted him dead. He wanted anyone who could threaten his throne to never appear before him again.

How meaningless. Truly meaningless.

Wei Yu was drowsy but didn’t dare let himself truly fall asleep. He felt for the amulet Qin Ji had bought him today.

He clutched the amulet tightly.

Qin Ji, please protect me.

…

When he woke again, it was to the sound of a commotion. The Imperial Guard had entered the clinic and captured the two hidden guards.

The two assassins were bound with thick hemp ropes, their mouths stuffed with rags. One of them glared at him, likely realizing it was Wei Yu who had intentionally summoned the guards.

“Your Highness Wei Yu.” Chen Xuanwu (the captain of the guards) held his sword and gave a cupped-fist salute.

Wei Yu nodded: “Thank you, General.”

Chen Xuanwu: “It is my duty, Your Highness.”

Wei Yu bit his lip. Seeing that Chen Xuanwu had no immediate intention of sending him back to the palace, he took the initiative to ask: “General, may I return to the palace now?”

Chen Xuanwu seemed to pause for a moment before saying: “Your Highness, the palace gates are already locked for the night.”

This meant that unless the Emperor personally summoned someone, no one could pass.

Wei Yu’s face grew a few shades paler.

Is it that Qin Ji is unwilling to have me back?

“Your Highness, why not come to my residence to stay for the night?” Chen Xuanwu couldn’t guess Qin Ji’s thoughts and didn’t dare knock on the palace gates late at night, but he couldn’t just leave Wei Yu out in the open.

“I… I will go to the palace gates and wait. They will open eventually,” Wei Yu said, walking out of the clinic as if possessed.

The morning court session would begin tomorrow, and the ministers would enter the palace early. If he just waited until then, he could ask someone to notify Qin Ji.

Qin Ji had mentioned going to a temple to get him a blessed amulet; surely he wouldn’t just abandon him like this.

Chen Xuanwu chased after him: “Your Highness, the wind is strong at night. Please, get in the carriage.”

Wei Yu: “Thank you…”

Until he was helped into the carriage, Wei Yu remained in a daze. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought he could walk to the palace gates on his own. Setting aside the distance, he didn’t even know the way. How could he possibly have gotten there?

As the carriage moved slowly toward the palace, Chen Xuanwu sighed. Fine. If His Majesty wants to hold me accountable, so be it. Tonight, I will go and knock on the palace gates for Wei Yu.

…

Qin Ji hadn’t slept. He was staring blankly at the chessboard Wei Yu had left half-finished.

When Wei Yu played against himself, he was always so focused, his left and right hands battling back and forth.

But that brilliant man was not here now.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Gao De came running into the bedchamber shouting.

“Gao De, my ears aren’t deaf yet. Speak softly, I can hear you.” Qin Ji wondered how someone as steady as Gao De could become so frantic.

“Your Majesty, His Highness Wei Yu… he is at the palace gates!” Gao De gasped for breath.

Qin Ji stood up abruptly: “What did you say?”

“His Highness did not leave! He is at the gates! General Chen Xuanwu personally escorted him back!”

Qin Ji didn’t give another look at the chessboard; he ran faster than a rabbit.

“Your Majesty, wait for me!” Gao De panted as he chased after him. He was an old man and couldn’t keep up.

Qin Ji nearly ran to the gates on foot, but Gao De stopped him, pointing out that he couldn’t make Wei Yu walk back to the Ziji Palace with him. Only then did Qin Ji hurry into a carriage.

The carriage was driven furiously toward the gates. In the silent palace city, only the thunder of hooves could be heard.

At the gates, Qin Ji couldn’t wait to jump out: “Chen Xuanwu, where is he?”

Chen Xuanwu bowed and moved aside to reveal the carriage behind him.

Qin Ji stepped inside, lifted the curtain, and saw a deeply sleeping Wei Yu.

“Wei Yu.” Qin Ji shook him gently. “Let’s go back to the Ziji Palace to sleep, okay?”

Wei Yu startled awake. Seeing that the person before him was not an assassin trying to drag him back to Wei to die, but Qin Ji, tears instantly flooded his eyes.

“Qin Ji, please don’t cast me out.” Wei Yu clutched Qin Ji’s clothes tightly. “I don’t want to go back to the Kingdom of Wei to die.”

Qin Ji pulled him into his arms and coaxed him gently: “You’re not going back to Wei. I’m taking you back to the Ziji Palace.”

Wei Yu couldn’t stop crying, refusing to let go of Qin Ji’s robes.

Qin Ji picked Wei Yu up in a bridal carry, jumped down from the carriage, and carried him onto his own imperial carriage.

Gao De was terrified: “Your Majesty! Your injury!”

Qin Ji completely ignored him.

What could Gao De do? He could only hurry the group back to the Ziji Palace and summon the imperial physician.

This carriage was warmer and steadier than the one Chen Xuanwu had used, and it had a small lamp.

As Qin Ji used the light to wipe away Wei Yu’s tears, he saw a patch of blood.

Wei Yu had vomited blood.

“Gao De,” Qin Ji called out in a low voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty, I am here.” Gao De also lowered his voice.

“Tell Chen Xuanwen to bring those two assassins who took Wei Yu into the palace. I want to see them.” He wanted to find out exactly why Wei Yu had vomited blood.

Weren’t they there to take him back to Wei? Why did they leave him in such a pathetic state?

Back at the Ziji Palace, Qin Ji ignored the pain in his right arm and carried Wei Yu all the way to the bedchamber. He didn’t place Wei Yu on the separate bed they had set up, but instead laid him directly on his own Dragon Bed.

The imperial physician arrived even earlier than Qin Ji. Because of the assassination attempt on Qin Ji earlier that day, the physicians were on high alert, waiting for a summons at any moment.

“Physician, check him quickly.” Qin Ji placed Wei Yu on the bed and ordered someone to fetch clean sleeping robes.

The physician acknowledged the order while wondering to himself: Why are His Majesty and this one more battered than the other today?

After checking the pulse, the physician reported: “Your Majesty, His Highness’s internal organs were strained by intense running, and he suffered from a sudden rush of extreme anger. I will prescribe a formula to be decocted for him. With proper rest, he will recover quickly.”

The robes were brought. Qin Ji didn’t even look at the physician: “You may go.”

He sent everyone out and personally helped Wei Yu change.

With the lamps lit in the room, the bloodstains on Wei Yu’s clothes became more obvious, making Qin Ji’s eyes ache.

“Wei Yu, I shouldn’t have let you choose for yourself. From now on, you stay by my side. You aren’t allowed to go anywhere. I will protect you.” Qin Ji mumbled to himself as he changed Wei Yu’s clothes and tucked him into the quilt.

Wei Yu had been chilled and his body was cold. Gao De, being perceptive, brought hot water bottles, which Qin Ji tucked into the blankets to warm him up.

“Your Majesty, Commander Chen has brought the two assassins into the palace and they are currently held in the dungeon,” Gao De reported.

At the mention of the assassins, Qin Ji’s anger flared: “I shall go and see just how ‘extraordinary’ they think they are.”

The dungeon of the Qin Palace had not been used for a long time. It was built underground and was now thick with dust.

The two assassins were tied to wooden posts. They had just been brought in, and the torture had not yet begun.

“Your Majesty.” Chen Xuanwen bowed and stepped aside.

“Were you sent by Wei Qiong to kill Wei Yu?” Since transmigrating, this was the first time Qin Ji had been this furious.

“We were the Second Prince’s hidden guards back in Wei! What is wrong with wanting to take him back because we couldn’t stand seeing him humiliated by a tyrant like you in Qin?” one of them shouted defiantly.

Qin Ji tilted his head, and after a long silence, he let out a mocking sneer.

“If you’re going to lie, you should have written it down and memorized it beforehand. Of all things to lie about, you claim to be Wei Yu’s guards.” Qin Ji stepped forward, his oppressive aura flooding the room.

If these two were truly Wei Yu’s guards, they would have followed him to protect him the moment he came to Qin to ensure he wasn’t mistreated. Yet the tyrant had bullied Wei Yu to such an extent, and these two never appeared. Now they show up, claiming to be his guards.

“Chen Xuanwen, don’t you think their story is full of holes?” Qin Ji raised his hand and gave a signal. “However they caused Wei Yu to be injured, return it to them in kind. An eye for an eye.”

Chen Xuanwen held a coarse short whip: “I obey the decree.”

Qin Ji had no time to watch these two villains. He left the dungeon and hurried back to the Ziji Palace to look after Wei Yu.

After Qin Ji left, Chen Xuanwen personally gave each of the assassins fifty lashes.

Idiots.

If they were truly Wei Yu’s guards, they wouldn’t refer to him as “The Second Prince”; they would call him “His Highness.” To use such a formal, distant term—did they think he was a fool?

“The plum blossom tattoos on your wrists have already exposed your identity,” Chen Xuanwen said after the whipping. “Tell me, if the Emperor of Wei sends his own guards to assassinate the Emperor of Qin, does that mean our two countries are going to war again?”

The two assassins gritted their teeth and said nothing.

“The last time you went to war with Qin, Wei paid 100,000 taels of silver and three cities. Of course, your Emperor is shameless; he traded Wei Yu for those three cities. This time, three cities will not be enough.”

Chen Xuanwen sighed: “You clearly don’t have parents, wives, or daughters. Otherwise, how would you dare risk your life to do such a thing?”

To show his “benevolence,” Wei Qiong did not require his hidden guards to be celibate or single, nor did he only train orphans. Consequently, many of his guards carried the lives of their entire families on their shoulders.

“We were indeed sent by the Emperor to take the Second Prince back to Wei. However, the Emperor said it did not matter if he was brought back dead or alive,” said the guard who had turned his dagger away at the last second when Wei Yu told him to stop.

His companion’s eyes widened: “Are you mad? We are hidden guards!”

The man ignored him and continued: “The Second Prince fell ill because we moved too fast and the cold air entered his stomach, and he drank cold water.”

After finishing, he looked at Chen Xuanwen: “Please, leave my name out of it. I beg you.”

His companion began to curse madly, spitting out every foul word imaginable.

“Very well,” Chen Xuanwen agreed.

“I don’t know if your family will be held accountable for your failure, but at least in the information I send out, it will have nothing to do with you,” Chen Xuanwen said.

But that didn’t mean Chen Xuanwen was letting him off the hook.

The Emperor had ordered: An eye for an eye.

“Get some ice, crush it, and put it in strong liquor,” Chen Xuanwen said to a nearby guard.

The Emperor was actually a bit too merciful; “an eye for an eye” was too light.

Chen Xuanwen was different. His hands were already stained with blood and lives. Two more wouldn’t make a difference.

He didn’t give the ice-cold liquor to the assassins to drink. Instead, after they had been beaten until their skin was shredded, he poured it over them from the top of their heads.

The strong liquor mixed with ice was so cold it made their very souls tremble.

…

When Qin Ji returned to the bedchamber, Gao De reported: “Your Majesty, His Highness is awake, but he refuses to drink his medicine.”

“Is he not just being difficult?” Qin Ji frowned and quickened his pace.

“Why won’t you take your medicine?” Qin Ji leaned in and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for the bowl.

To his surprise, Wei Yu grabbed Qin Ji’s hand. His cold fingers were slender and pale.

“Qin Ji, will you drive me back to the Kingdom of Wei?”