章 27: What happened that night?

On their way back, Long Dahai and Luo Li contemplated the situation.

They realized that their knowledge of Han Aeng's only scratched the surface. Alas, if only they knew the extent of her value and the number of people seeking to harm her, it would aid them in creating a comprehensive list—a long list, indeed, but a list that could lead them closer to the truth.

Gu Yunzhi came running from behind, jumping on Long Dahai.

"Don't hold back. You can brag all you want," Gu Yunzhi teased, pulling his face away from Long Dahai to show his reluctance to listen.

Long Dahai raised a brow at his best friend. "About?"

"You know. The chickens you're growing." Gu Yunzhi threw his hands in the air, growing restless as he spoke, "There's only one thing you can brag about in front of me, and that's your wife. Tell me how she is. How she looks. Is she more of a shy beauty, a quiet beauty or a beauty-beauty?"

"What does beauty-beauty even-" Long Dahai sighed, running his hand across his temple. He found it hard to focus on light-hearted conversations while their situation was tense. "She has a very polite smile. A very… nice girl."

Gu Yunzhi forcefully blinked, staring blankly at Long Dahai. "If I didn't know you were talking about your wife, I would have thought it was some cute animal you saw on the streets. Hey, Luo Li, are you hearing this?"

Luo Li nodded without continuing the conversation further. So Gu Yunzhi only cozied up to him, throwing his arms over Luo Li's shoulder. "You tell me, how is the new bride?"

"Nice." Luo Li replied simply.

Gu Yunzhi's eyes began to twitch with frustration. Burning with curiosity and growing exasperated with the two men, he exclaimed, "You stupid pair of idiots! How is it that you don't know how to compliment a woman? No wonder why you're still single!"

"Physician Gu is also single." Luo Li stated calmly, his reply lacking any animosity. However, it only made Gu Yunzhi frenetic.

"LUO LI, YOU JERK, THAT IS NOT FAIR!"

Amidst the commotion, Long Dahai chuckled at Gu Yunzhi's outburst, momentarily relieving some of the tension in the air. Thinking about it now, he didn't remember how she looked. In all honesty, he had only had a proper look at her when he had brought her back last night. After that, they barely exchanged glances and spoke only a few sentences to each other. To top it off, he had been hesitant to look at her after he'd unintentionally and essentially watched her change.

"You look guilty of something," Gu Yunzhi poked at Long Dahai's flushed face.

Long Dahai tried to avoid Gu Yunzhi's scrutinizing gaze, but the guilt was etched on his features. The more he dwelled on his actions, the hotter his face burned.

Gu Yunzhi's face suddenly brightened up, hugging Long Dahai. "My little boy has become a man!"

"Wangfei is coming over. Physician Gu can see for yourself."

Like an excited puppy, Gu Yunzhi's eyes trailed to see Noble Consort Rong and Han Aeng approaching them.

"Noble consort Rong?" His face dropped in an instant. "Oh no. Now that you're married, she'll nag about my wedding. Tell sister-in-law I'll see her later."

Gu Yunzhi wasted no time and ran off like his tail was on fire.

As Gu Yunzhi ran off in a panic, Long Dahai found himself alone with his thoughts. He realized how shocking and overwhelming everything must have been for his new bride.

Moving away from home was one thing; getting married and kidnapped on the same night was another. She didn't even get to process anything before the tea ceremony and had even less time to rest before drinking tea with his mother. She had been busy from the moment she arrived, and it had been less than a day. Long Dahai couldn't help but be intrigued by her calmness; her resilience seemed unwavering.

"Noble consort Rong, Li Wangfei." Luo Li greeted respectfully.

"Thank you for handling the ceremony's formality, Mufei. I was worried about the white-"

Rong Shuman's eyes flashed with panic, and she cut in, "Right! Luo Li came to tell me yesterday." She took Han Aeng's hand in hers. "I was so distracted talking to you I completely forgot to ask, are you okay?"

Han Aeng's lips perked up, finding Rong Shuman's absentmindedness endearing. Clearly, her mother-in-law lived in her own little world and did and said as she pleased. It was rather adorable.

"Thanks to his highness finding chenqie on time, chenqie is well." Han Aeng's eyes unknowingly trailed to Long Dahai, only to see him staring at her.

"What happened?" Long Dahai didn't mean to say those words aloud, but it bugged him.

Han Aeng was more curious than anyone else. She didn't think someone would dare attack her in the safety of Shangwei's palace. Still, she owed them an explanation.

Glancing between Long Dahai and Luo Li, she explained, "After the ceremony, chenqie walked with two servants to the nuptial chamber. They mentioned something about it being auspicious to walk the original path because the sun hadn't set and led me another way."

As they continued their conversation, Han Aeng couldn't help but notice Luo Li observing her intently. She could feel his eyes on her, filled with concern and a hint of guilt. It made her unsure of how to interpret his gaze.

"At first, chenqie didn't think much of it since they were talking to me. However, they suddenly disappeared when we passed a particular building with no lights. Chenqie only left a prick before she lost consciousness. When chenqie woke up, His Highness had rescued me."

Long Dahai and Luo Li exchanged a knowing glance.

"Accomplices?" Long Dahai questioned, his mind working to piece the puzzle together.

If he understood correctly, the two wedding servants were the assassins they had captured. One was meant to take Han Aeng's place as the bride, while the other was responsible for kidnapping her. Which meant someone of authority inside the palace had affiliations with their master, granting them access to a royal bride.

Han Aeng darted her eyes towards Luo Li. "You've caught them?"

Luo Li shifted his gaze away from her and lowered his head. "Yes, Wangfei. However, one of them has committed suicide."

"Oh my! How frightening!" Nobel Consort Rong quickly took Han Aeng by the shoulders, her concern evident in the earnest advice. "Don't go where they are. In fact, don't go anywhere near them."

Han Aeng's brows formed into a worried frown, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight. "Chenqie is scared to even be in the same area as them."