After Rebirth, I Married my Archenemy - Chapter 59

In the blink of an eye, the day of the autumn hunt arrived.

Emperor Chen Ming was in high spirits. With the Crown Prince and two kings present in court, it was one of the rare occasions when he felt like enjoying himself. He led over a hundred palace attendants and dozens of carriages to Xianyou Temple for a hunting excursion.

Inside an official carriage, Qun Qing sat opposite Zheng Zhiyi and Li Xuan.

Though winter had yet to arrive, Li Xuan was already wrapped in a thick fox fur coat, his eyes closed as he rested.

Meanwhile, Zheng Zhiyi was lively, repeatedly lifting the painted curtains of the carriage to peer outside. Ahead of them were the carriages carrying the emperor and his concubines. The weather was clear, with the dark blue shadows of mountains rising and falling under the bright sky. Golden light shimmered on the green wheat seedlings, and the breeze carried a refreshing chill. As it blew through the strands of her hair, she seemed visibly more relaxed.

After lifting the curtains for the fifth time, Zheng Zhiyi noticed Qun Qing’s pale complexion. Concerned, she asked,

“Why do you look so unwell?”

Li Xuan opened his eyes at her words, glancing over. Qun Qing replied softly,

“It’s nothing. Perhaps I’m just a bit bored.”

Though the carriage was spacious, equipped with soft cushions, footrests, and a faint scent of incense, Qun Qing felt uneasy. As a child, she seldom traveled, and long rides in bumpy carriages or boats often left her feeling nauseated.

Seeing her discomfort, Zheng Zhiyi quickly instructed a eunuch to roll up the curtains and hold them in place.

“Lady Qing doesn’t look like someone who can ride a horse,” she remarked.

After a brief pause, Qun Qing admitted, “This servant doesn’t know how to ride.”

“That’s a shame! You won’t be able to participate in the hunt. Riding a horse is actually quite fun. Why don’t I take you along and let you try it?”

Li Xuan interjected with a wry tone,

“The Crown Princess seems to enjoy herself just fine. Does she really need someone to accompany her for horseback riding?”

Zheng Zhiyi shot him a glance, then muttered to herself,

“I love riding horses the most. You wouldn’t understand. After being cooped up in the palace for over a year, I’ve been waiting eagerly for this trip. If not for my father’s kindness, I would have been bored to death by now.”

Li Xuan, seeing no opening for further comments, closed his eyes and remained silent.

As Qun Qing watched Zheng Zhiyi’s cheerful demeanor, unease crept into her heart. Zheng Zhiyi, as Crown Princess, was destined to become the future Queen of Dachen. Rarely granted permission to leave the palace, her excitement was understandable. Yet Qun Qing couldn’t help but wonder if her past interventions had altered Zheng Zhiyi’s fate.

The carriage jolted twice as it passed through a dense forest. Feeling increasingly nauseated, Qun Qing clutched her chest and paled further.

“Crown Princess, please go on ahead. I need to get out and walk for a while.”

Alarmed, Zheng Zhiyi quickly ordered the carriage to stop.

Li Xuan leaned over briefly, but seeing Zheng Zhiyi grasping Qun Qing’s wrist, he sighed and leaned back indifferently, watching as Qun Qing disembarked.

Outside, Qun Qing leaned against a large pine tree and retched, her chest tightness gradually subsiding. After wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, she reached into a tree hollow and retrieved a wax ball.

Her discomfort had been real, but so was her mission. The wax ball carried an urgent message from An Lin, signaling significant movements from Southern Chu. As Qun Qing examined the contents, she realized it was similar to their actions from her previous life.

The “Heaven” Master selected two hundred elite soldiers and dispatched them through remote mountain paths, preparing to infiltrate Chang’an.

It appears that Lin Yujia’s actions are in sync with Southern Chu’s strategy. If they manage to severely harm Emperor Chenming and the Crown Prince during the ceremony to welcome the Buddha’s relics, these forces could exploit the ensuing chaos to infiltrate the palace and stage a coup.

In her previous life, her rank was too low, and she had been unable to attend the autumn hunt. She only knew that the mission had been uncovered but was unaware of the specifics of its failure.

However, based on Qun Qing’s understanding of the Heaven Master, it was certain that Lin Yujia wasn’t the only one tasked with the mission. Over the past few days, other spies must have also taken action.

Amid the sounds of creaking wheels, jingling silver bells, and the playful laughter of palace maids, Qun Qing couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Emperor Chen Ming.

Finally, a rare moment to relax, yet how could he have foreseen Southern Chu plotting in secret?

But this wasn’t something she needed to worry about. Since she had anticipated it, her only task was to conceal herself and take advantage of the ensuing chaos when necessary.

While Qun Qing was lost in thought, someone tapped her on the right shoulder.

She turned around to see a young man wearing a purple cloud crown and a round-collared robe, with features as delicate as a woman’s. Upon seeing her attire, the man paused briefly in surprise. Qun Qing greeted him,

“Your Highness, Prince Zhao.”

“You recognize me.” Li Pan took a few steps forward, though he walked with a limp. “I thought you were someone’s concubine. Since when did the palace have such a high-ranking maid? Are you one of the Empress’s attendants? If you’re feeling unwell, come rest in my carriage.”

Li Pan smiled deeply, his tone soft, but his gaze carried a certain cruelty that made Qun Qing uneasy.

The second prince, Li Pan, was born with a limp—a defect that had dashed any hope of becoming the heir. Aware of this since childhood, he indulged in all sorts of debauchery, from wearing women’s clothing to consorting with renowned actors, assaulting others, and keeping numerous concubines.

While the Crown Prince and Prince Yan each had only one concubine, Li Pan already had four, and his indulgence in lust had reached the point of lawlessness. He even dared to bring prostitutes into the military camp during a critical war.

“I am a maidservant of the Crown Princess,” Qun Qing replied. “When you were campaigning in Xifan, I served the Crown Prince for a while.”

Li Pan’s expression changed instantly.

Compared to the Crown Prince in literature and Prince Yan in martial prowess, Li Pan fell short. His only recourse was to align himself closely with his elder brother, Li Xuan. By chance, Li Xuan’s poor health provided Li Pan an opportunity to compensate with his skills in riding and shooting.

Though determined not to offend the Crown Prince, Li Pan was momentarily caught off guard by a mere palace servant using this to intimidate him. He curled his lips and said,

“The imperial carriage has already gone ahead. If he truly cared about you, he would have stopped and waited. Remember, you’re just a servant. Don’t overstep because of a master’s fleeting favor.”

“There are still four or five miles to go. If you won’t ride in my carriage, then walk there on your own.”

Just then, a faint sound of silver bells rang out, and the carriage of Prince Yan passed by. Something flew out from between the curtains and struck Li Pan on the back of the head. Startled, he covered his head. Qun Qing clearly saw what had fallen to the ground—an orange.

Looking ahead, she noticed that Prince Yan’s carriage had already moved on, faint laughter echoing from the young men inside.

On the other side, a white and spacious seven-fragrance carriage came to a halt, its curtain pulled back to reveal a delicate and serene face. It was Han Wanyi.

“Why is Lady Qing standing by the roadside?” Han Wanyi asked.

Li Pan, recognizing her as Emperor Chen Ming’s favorite concubine, didn’t dare show any disrespect.

“Mother.”

Unexpectedly, Han Wanyi ignored him, smiling warmly at Qun Qing instead.

“The prince’s carriage was a bit bumpy, but since I’m pregnant, the emperor instructed us to proceed slowly and steadily. Lady Qing, why not join me? You shouldn’t strain yourself.”

Li Pan hadn’t expected Qun Qing to warrant such favor, and he watched as Han Wanyi’s maid helped her into the carriage. Still bewildered, he saw Qun Qing pick up the orange from the ground, wipe it off, and step inside.

“Erlang,” Han Wanyi said pointedly, “you failed to hold the front line at Xifan, and the emperor remains displeased. You’re a grown man now. Learn to control your temper.”

Li Pan forced a smile. “Yes, Mother. Thank you for your guidance.”

–

Inside Prince Yan’s carriage, Xian Su muttered, “You only brought one orange? Even a stone would’ve been more effective than an orange.”

Lu Huating was focused on wrapping his bow, the taut glue stretching between his fingers as he wound it around the bow’s arm, producing faint creaking sounds.

Li Huan chuckled, “What, should we have thrown a stone to scare him off? But honestly, Erlang is quite ridiculous—can’t even stay out of trouble for a few days.”

Lu Huating’s mind wandered to the glance Qun Qing had given him earlier. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyelashes damp as if she were unwell, yet her eyes remained calm and sharp.

Even when wielding a cold blade, her spirit never wavered. Yet after sitting in the carriage for a while, she looked utterly uncomfortable. It was somewhat amusing, but as he thought about how this game was nearing its end, his amusement slowly faded, leaving him oddly uninterested.

Xian Su interjected, “But isn’t it the same for you, Your Highness? Aren’t you also infatuated with Princess Bao’an?”

Seeing Lu Huating pause, Li Huan quickly signaled Xian Su to stop, then said,

“I’m nothing like Erlang. I’m a man in my prime—what’s shameful about liking women? Not liking any women would be the strange thing. Since ancient times, men have conquered kingdoms to make the world bow before them, to pluck the flower from the mountain peak and place it beside their pillow.”

Lu Huating set the bow aside and looked at him for a long moment before smiling faintly.

“That’s not affection—it’s a dog staring at a piece of meat.”

Xian Su’s expression shifted, and Li Huan coughed awkwardly. Fortunately, Lu Huating always spoke freel.

“Are you asking for a beating? Wait until you’ve taken a wife before coming to debate with me over who’s a dog.”

“A wandering spirit in the night, coming to the human world to claim lives—are you planning to marry a ghost bride?” Lu Huating smirked faintly and nocked an arrow onto his bow to test it.

Li Huan, noticing how pale he still looked, couldn’t help but steady the arrow for him. “Your health is poor, yet you train tirelessly. I’ve tried teaching you other things, but you refuse to learn anything except archery. You spend half of the day sleeping. Oh, but you do have other talents.”

Xian Su and Kuang Su listened intently. Li Huan remarked with a grin,

“Spearing fish—every strike is a sure hit.”

Amid their laughter, Lu Huating joined in with a faint chuckle.

“You already know my health isn’t good,” Lu Huating stated as a matter of course. “Other martial arts drain too much energy. Practicing just three arrows ensures I can achieve maximum results with minimal effort.”

As he finished speaking, an arrow shot through the gap in the carriage curtain, piercing through the forest and embedding itself in a tree trunk.

The vibration caused leaves to rain down, blanketing the figures hidden in the underbrush below. Among them, over a dozen spies from Southern Chu broke into a cold sweat, their faces revealing their fear.

In the carriage, Qun Qing peeled an orange but didn’t eat it, placing it neatly on the table instead.

Since childhood, she had known the peculiar benefits of oranges. It seemed coincidental, yet deliberate, that Lu Huating had chosen to toss one. While the sour and pungent aroma could be overwhelming, it was excellent for suppressing nausea.

Han Wanyi’s carriage was remarkably spacious, with room for a table laden with various cleaned fruits—cherries, and even lychees.

“My stomach is sensitive. Help yourself, Lady Qing,” Han Wanyi said while fanning herself lightly. “Shouxi came earlier to remind me, so naturally, I owe His Highness a favor. Even if he hadn’t reminded me, I would still help you—we’re on the same side, after all.”

Qun Qing’s gaze drifted to Han Wanyi’s abdomen. Unable to hold back, she gently reminded,

“Your Highness, your belly is too large—it doesn’t match the timeline.”

Han Wanyi’s expression stiffened as she awkwardly pulled her stomach in.

“Don’t forget our wager. If I lose, you won’t come out unscathed either.”

Qun Qing picked up a few lychees and, without a word, handed them to Zhi Yi to try. “Understood.”

“To secure my place on this autumn hunt, I exhausted all my tricks to convince the Empress,” Han Wanyi said. “Are you really that confident?”

Qun Qing wasn’t confident, but she couldn’t let Han Wanyi see through her. So, she simply ate a lychee in response.

She sat upright in the carriage, as serene as a wisp of blue smoke, yet the vivid red of her lips against the white lychee skin gave her an air of quiet intimidation.

Han Wanyi reclined on her couch, observing her for a long time. Unwilling to act rashly, she even felt a faint sense of awe.

“I have always been known for my talent in my family, but I didn’t expect that I would have to rely on your help in the palace. Tell me, Lady Qing, what is it you seek in the palace?”

Qun Qing, pale-faced, replied, “To live— for affection.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Where is love in the palace? A young woman like you, adept at scheming, speaking such naive words—you think I’d believe it?”

“In the palace, I live for power,” Han Wanyi said with a smirk. “Power is the reason you’re sitting in this fragrant carriage and eating lychees in winter. Did you see Consort Chen earlier? Her Fourth Prince is gone, and now her carriage is dilapidated, leaking, and neglected. Meanwhile, Noble Consort Yan enjoys unrivaled favor, and her brother is fawned upon by all. If you leave the palace, you will be like a weed. The world is in turmoil and you won’t even have the strength to protect yourself.”

“No matter where I am, I want to live for affection. That’s simply who I am,” Qun Qing said, her clear eyes fixed on Han Wanyi. “If someone betrays you, it’s because they don’t deserve it. The sword should be pointed outward, not inward. If I can’t even protect myself, then that’s my incompetence.”

Her resolve was as firm as stone, leaving Han Wanyi momentarily speechless, yet she felt touched somehow.

–

Though Xianyou Temple was a royal residence, it was modest compared to the grand palace. With its abundance of meditation rooms, it provided basic accommodations. After settling in, Qun Qing hadn’t even slept a full night before the commotion outside startled her awake.

She quickly got up, and a young eunuch outside reassured her,

“Southern Chu spies attempted an ambush, but rest assured, the men of Prince Yan’s manor have already captured them.”

So quickly? She hadn’t even set her plans regarding Han Wanyi into motion.

Unable to sleep any longer, Qun Qing dressed and stepped outside. She needed to confirm whether Southern Chu had further schemes.