A few days later, Pei Shen's injuries had healed somewhat, and he began to attend court as before.
Nanxing would go over almost every night, but she wouldn't allow him to do anything shameless.
Pei Shen felt that the injuries he suffered from this were the most serious, far more severe than the burns.
Early that morning, Nanxing quietly got up, but Pei Shen grabbed her arm.
"Lie with me a little longer, there's no rush."
"No." Nanxing wasn't talking to him in a consultative tone. "There will be many officials going to court later, and I don't want to get caught on my way back."
"Nothing will happen," Pei Shen said confidently. "Don't worry, I'm here."
He refused to let go.
This scene has been playing out almost every day for the past few days.
Nanxing compromised and lay down again. "Fifteen minutes."
Pei Shen tucked her in and looked at her sideways. "Is my bed warm enough?"
When a man becomes shameless, there's no limit to how low he can go.
Nanxing: "Do you still want to go back to business? Or can I exchange the goods?"
Pei Shen: "... You sharp-tongued Little Birdie, you've gone astray."
Unlike you, who's always been bad.
Pei Shen was once again rendered speechless by the retort, and let out a muffled laugh.
This seems to have become the norm for their interactions.
Five or six years have passed, and they have all changed, becoming better versions of themselves.
This is the future he envisions.
Little Birdie, how wonderful.
After lingering in bed with Nanxing in his arms for a while, Pei Shen heard Mo Ting urging him to get up from outside. He began to understand the meaning of "from now on, the emperor will not hold court in the morning."
Being with the one you love makes you happy even without doing anything.
"Sleep a little longer," Pei Shen said, placing a light kiss on Nanxing's forehead. "I'm going to court. When you leave, take my carriage; no one will dare stop you."
The Golden Scale Guard stopped them last time have already learned their lesson.
They wouldn't dare to harass us again unless they were absolutely certain of success.
Nanxing remained noncommittal, then yawned again, turned her back to him, revealing a tooth mark on her shoulder.
Pei Shen reached out and gently touched the mark, a smile involuntarily curving his lips.
"Go on," Nanxing said impatiently, then couldn't help but yawn.
"You seem to be a bit sleepy lately," Pei Shen teased him as he dressed. "Is it because my skills have improved?"
"Roll!"
Pei Shen washed and dressed neatly before going out.
Nanxing stared at the wall with her eyes wide open, her gaze resolute, showing no trace of sleepiness.
Once Pei Shen's footsteps had completely disappeared, Nanxing sat up.
Some things can't be delayed any longer.
Pei Shen left the carriage with Nanxing —even though he knew she most likely wouldn't ride in it—and rode to court on horseback.
The winter wind was biting, and everyone couldn't help but wrap their clothes tighter and shrink their necks; Pei Shen, however, let the cold wind blow, and even so, it could not extinguish the fire in his heart.
Just as he was about to enter the palace, he saw two rows of eunuchs holding lanterns. Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came, followed by Mo Ting's voice.
"My lord, something terrible has happened! The lady is fighting with them!"
When Pei Shen left, he deliberately left Mo Ting behind, just in case something went wrong.
Unexpectedly, things still went wrong.
Everyone turned to look.
The words were spoken so cryptically that everyone was taken aback.
Even the Marquis Champion hasn't gotten married!
Could it be that a favored concubine has presumptuously called herself "Madam"?
But who did he fight with?
Such a fierce shrew! Apart from Madam Yan, one of the Four Great Wicked Women, I've never heard of anyone else being like her!
Is the Four Great Wicked Women" lineup about to expand?
Pei Shen's heart sank. He reined in his horse, turned around, and galloped back without looking back, even skipping court.
The Emperor's nephew is indeed remarkable.
When Pei Shen arrived, Nanxing had already been fighting the Golden Scale Guard for a long time.
The Golden Scale Guard were numerous and powerful, Nanxing was already showing signs of weakness, but they were still stubbornly resisting.
"Stop it, all of you!" Pei Shen shouted angrily.
By the light of the torch, he could clearly see that Nanxing's left arm was injured.
If Mo Ting hadn't been holding onto his horse so tightly, he probably would have already charged in, even though he had no martial arts skills whatsoever.
The Golden Scale Guard were not about to let this go so easily.
After so long capturing this wanted criminal, we're finally about to succeed.
Moreover, Pei Shen had previously bullied them with his power, and without any evidence against him, they dared not act rashly, but they were all harboring resentment; now that they finally had an opportunity, how could they possibly listen to Pei Shen?
Pei Shen sneered, "I'm making this clear today: anyone who dares to harm her in the slightest, even if there are ten thousand people present today, I will spend the rest of my life dragging them out one by one to settle accounts. I will show no mercy, and I will show no leniency!"
The Golden Scale Guard finally stopped.
They were indeed relying on their numbers and weren't afraid of retaliation.
But Pei Shen had a keen eye for people's hearts and quickly dismantled them.
Nanxing leaned against the wall, supporting himself with his longsword, his body slightly hunched, his hands protecting his lower abdomen.
Pei Shen jumped off his horse and stepped forward, "Are you injured?"
"It's just a minor injury." Nanxing bit her lip, her face as pale as paper, and she became increasingly unsteady on her feet, yet she didn't ask for help, and was about to fall to the ground.
Pei Shen grabbed her right arm.
"Don't touch me." Nanxing's breathing became heavy, and he actually sat down on the ground against the wall, panting heavily.
"Little Birdie!" Pei Shen panicked. "Tell me, tell me quickly, where are you hurt?"
"I," Nanxing bit her lip in pain, "I think I..."
"Speak! Just say it, I'm here!"
At this hour, how could Pei Shen not be anxious?
"My period's here," Nanxing whispered.
But Pei Shen's expression changed instantly.
Is this what a normal day is like, with this much pain?
It doesn't seem like that; it's more like... a miscarriage.
Pei Shen scooped her up in his arms and ran wildly towards the Prince's mansion.
They weren't far from the Prince's mansion, and he couldn't wait to take her to find Tang Zhuyun.
"No, don't disturb Her Majesty..."
Pei Shen was probably skeptical of what the Empress said.
Pei Shen carried Nanxing to the clinic.
The doctor was called out, and seeing Pei Shen's cold face, he nervously took Nanxing's pulse.
However, the moment the doctor placed his hand on Nanxing's pulse, his expression changed.
This... this is clearly a miscarriage.
Looking at the bloodstains on Nanxing's pants, what wouldn't this knowledgeable doctor understand?
"How is Madam?" Pei Shen asked with some difficulty.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, Madam... Madam has likely miscarried..."
And there was more, but the doctor didn't dare say.
--Given the woman's physical condition, I don't know how she got pregnant.
But you were lucky once; you probably won't be so lucky again.
Forget it, since the important person didn't ask, he shouldn't bother himself.
Pei Shen's expression hardened inch by inch, and he clenched his fists at his sides.
Nanxing said calmly, "It's alright, you can go now."
She looked at Pei Shen again. "I've taken a lot of medication, so I can't get pregnant. Even without today's accident, even if I did get pregnant, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to keep it."
She had already discussed these things with Pei Shen from the beginning.
Pei Shen said he didn't care; he only wanted her.
He had been very good to her before, and even if those memories might have been fake, they were still fond ones that would touch Nanxing's heart.
A mix of truth and deception, this situation today seems tailor-made for Pei Shen.
Nanxing herself can no longer distinguish between what is real and what is acting.