The two of them stood quietly in the midst of the scenic snow. Their surroundings remained quiet. Ling Chuxi's ebony hair looked as dark as ink against the white snow and her fresh, bright face was tranquil. Huangfu Qingjue's eyes contained a hint of a smile as he looked at Ling Chuxi quietly. It was as though there were only the two of them in the whole wide world. It made for such a beautiful scene, it looked like a painting. Everything surrounding them seemed to fade into the background. It made anyone watching unable to bear destroying such a beautiful picture. “Thank you for saving me last time.” Ling Chuxi finally opened her mouth gently to speak in a soft voice as she looked at Huangfu Qingjue.
“Saving my own woman is my responsibility, isn't it? So, is there really a need to thank me?” asked Huangfu Qingjue as his lips curled into a gentle smile. “I'll definitely appear at the first instance you need me whenever you are in danger.”
Ling Chuxi was stunned. She looked straight at Huangfu Qingjue's peerless face which was smiling gently before her. Right now, her heart felt somewhat in a mess.
The snow stopped slowly. Everything surrounding them was already covered in a layer of white.
“Go back early. Make sure not to catch a cold,” said Huangfu Qingjue as he put the umbrella away and tucked Ling Chuxi's hair behind her ear.
“Are you—” Ling Chuxi was about to ask if he was about to leave, but she was surprised at her own question and felt like she was doing something wrong by asking it. So, she swallowed the words that were at the tip of her tongue.
“I'll definitely appear when you need me,” said Huangfu Qingjue. He seemed to know what Ling Chuxi was going to say and replied in a serious manner with a smile. It was a simple sentence, but it was said with the heft of an oath. Huangfu Qingjue reached out his hand to gently caress Ling Chuxi's face. Ling Chuxi closed her eyes and savored the warmth of his touch. When her eyes fluttered open again, he was no longer there.
Huangfu Qingjue had just left silently, just like that.
'Who exactly is he?'
Ling Chuxi stared at the snow-white ground before her as she muttered the thought to herself in her heart. Yet, no matter how hard she thought about it, she wasn't able to obtain an answer.
“Master, master! Oh, master…” The fifth princess' wailing could be heard from afar.
“Can't you call me normally? You sound like you're wailing at a funeral!” interrupted Ling Chuxi rudely.
“Oh, master!” The moment the fifth princess saw Ling Chuxi, she immediately bounded over to her.
“What's the matter?” asked Ling Chuxi curtly.
“Let's go, master. It's time to eat,” said the fifth princess as she happily ran over. “Ling Yichen and the hateful person have gone ahead to the canteen. They'll buy food for us first. I want to have a chicken drumstick.”
Once the fifth princess had finished speaking, they saw two figures approaching from afar at high speed. Ling Chuxi could clearly see they were Wei Dan and Wei Xin.
“Your Highness. His Majesty has suffered an a.s.sa.s.sination attempt. Please return to the palace with us immediately,” said Wei Dan and Wei Xin urgently as they ran before them. They hurriedly bowed before continuing, “This matter is not to be made public, which is why we are delivering this message to you personally, so it remains secret.” The matter of an emperor suffering an a.s.sa.s.sination attempt wasn't good news by any means. If this was made known, it would affect the morale of the citizens. However, both these guards spoke of the matter in front of Ling Chuxi. This very action demonstrated the trust they had towards her.
“What? Imperial Father has suffered an a.s.sa.s.sination attempt?!” exclaimed the fifth princess as her expression rapidly changed. “How is he? Is he greatly hurt?”
“The emperor should be in a stable condition, but in the message we received via a messenger pigeon earlier, His Highness has requested to see you,” said Wei Dan with an anxious frown.
“Consort Li also misses you dearly. The fast horses have already been prepared, Your Highness,” added Wei Xin anxiously.
“Let's immediately depart to return to the capital then!” said the fifth princess at once. She was so anxious that her face had turned red. She ran two steps ahead and then suddenly stopped as she thought of something and turned around to address Ling Chuxi. “Master, I will take my leave first. Once Imperial Father is fine, I shall return to look for you. You can't abandon me.”
