CH 17

On Strength, Shadow Guards are the Strongest

Upon Ming Qin’s arrival, she detected a pungent scent and observed Murong Yan lying on the bed, perspiring heavily and appearing uneasy. Ming Qin promptly felt the woman’s forehead and noticed a feverish temperature. She then proceeded to transfer her to the bed, fetched a towel and some cold water, and carefully dabbed her forehead.

As Ming Qin witnessed Murong Yan shivering uncontrollably with an abnormal flush on her cheeks, she regretted not arriving sooner. Ming Qin glanced outside and realized it was already late, causing her to become anxious. She set down the towel and intended to search for medicine.

“Ah Qin… Ah Qin.” The frail woman on the bed weakly called out.

Ming Qin swiftly approached and replied, “I’m here, I’m right here.”

“Don’t leave, Ah Qin,” Murong Yan weakly grasped Ming Qin’s sleeve.

“But…the medicine?” Ming Qin hesitated as the woman clung to her hand.

Struggling to open her eyes, Murong Yan’s eye sockets appeared slightly reddened. “Please stay with me, Ah Qin.”

The woman before her was so tender and charming that Ming Qin couldn’t bear to depart. She assented slightly and removed the woman’s prosthetic limb before tucking her into bed.

Recognizing Murong Yan’s meticulous nature, Ming Qin promptly tidied the room and opened the window to enhance ventilation. She also refreshed the cold towel on her forehead at intervals.

After roughly four hours, Murong Yan gradually ceased perspiring and gradually awakened.

Ming Qin delicately lifted Murong Yan’s neck and patiently administered water to her.

The water trickled from the woman’s mouth and streamed onto her clothing, covering her collarbone.

Ming Qin used her thumb to erase the water droplets and anxiously inquired Murong Yan, who had regained consciousness, “What happened? Weren’t you feeling well yesterday?”

Murong Yan seemed composed, but her tone revealed a hint of revulsion as she replied dispassionately, “I came across a repugnant snake.”

Observing her surroundings cautiously, Ming Qin puckered her lips and reassured her, “Don’t worry, the snake is no longer here.”

Upon saying this, Ming Qin felt relieved and gazed at Murong Yan with a candid expression, declaring, “If another snake appears in the future, just let me know, and I’ll help you get rid of it.” It was as if she were talking about something incredibly effortless.

Upon hearing this, Murong Yan, who had been morose all day, couldn’t resist chuckling. She felt a sense of warmth inside and inquired curiously, “Ah Qin, how formidable is your martial arts prowess in this city?”

Although she had no doubts regarding Ming Qin’s ability to effortlessly scale the Hidden Moon Tower, she didn’t know how she compared to other individuals in the city.

“It’s very formidable,” Ming Qin replied without hesitation and then pondered for a moment before appending, “In terms of martial strength, I am the most powerful among the shadow guards.”

Despite her master having reprimanded her previously for being as straightforward as a dullard and labeling her intellect as minuscule as chicken droppings in regards to learning military strategy, these were solely words spoken on the battlefield.

During martial arts sparring matches, her master always described her as a natural hunter with an acute sense of danger akin to a wild wolf and a fearless, brutal nature similar to a grizzly bear.

If she became excessively engrossed in the activity, she would often inadvertently thrash her comrades until they yelped in agony.

In the camp, unfamiliar junior brothers and sisters would still avoid walking near her.

“If they are all skilled in the capital,” Ming Qin pondered, then cautiously said, “they are probably on par with Crown Prince’s Guard Xiao He and Imperial Army Commander Luo Junyan.”

She had seen the two of them from afar when accompanying her master into the palace, and with her beastly intuition, Ming Qin rarely felt a sense of horror from the bottom of her heart. This feeling made her very excited.

If she had the opportunity to fully learn from the two of them, it would probably be a life-and-death battle. Thinking about this, Ming Qin couldn’t help but feel a little excited.

Murong Yan listened to these words with a hint of surprise on her face.

Putting aside Imperial Army Commander Luo Junyan, she knew very well how powerful Crown Prince’s lapdog, Xiao He, was. It was truly astonishing that Ming Qin, so young, could have combat strength comparable to him.

“However, if we’re only talking about lightness and agility,” Ming Qin showed off her childish smile, “in the entire capital, Ming Qin is number one.”

Murong Yan couldn’t help but chuckle at her face, which made Ming Qin a little anxious. “It’s true! My lightness and agility are recognized as the strongest by my senior brothers and sisters!” Not everyone could come and go freely in the slippery and elusive Hidden Moon Tower with a food box.

“Okay, okay, I know that Ah Qin is very strong.” Murong Yan half-consoled and half-laughed.

She was feeling a little happy now and felt that her body was much better.

At this time, the sky gradually turned pale. Ming Qin stirred her fingers guiltily and said, “I have to go now. The eleventh prince must be waiting for me.”

“I know, go ahead.” Murong Yan patted Ming Qin’s leg to reassure her, and her eyes indicated that her body was fine now.

“I’ll come back later.” Ming Qin still had some worries after speaking, but seeing the sky, she had to grit her teeth and leave quickly.

After Ming Qin left, Murong Yan breathed a sigh of relief and called someone to help her bathe and change.

Her sweat had soaked through her clothes, and the cold, sticky feeling made her extremely uncomfortable.

Soaking in the bathtub, Murong Yan looked at the flower petals floating on the water’s surface.

She didn’t know if Ah Qin had just smelled her sweat, and she looked at the steam rising from the water, feeling distressed.

“You’re late.” The eleventh prince, standing at the corner gate of Guozi Jian, crossed his arms and questioned Ming Qin.

“I’m sorry.” Ming Qin looked at the boy who was shorter than her but had an old-fashioned look on his face. She obediently bowed and apologized.

“You won’t be getting lunch today.” Murong Wan turned his head, secretly watching the woman’s reaction.

As if struck by lightning, Ming Qin lowered her head, revealing a pitiful pair of eyes.

Murong Wan spoke slowly, “Unless…”

Ming Qin hadn’t eaten breakfast today and didn’t have time to buy lunch. When she heard that there was a way out, she immediately asked, “Unless what?”

Murong Han coughed a few times, “Unless…you accompany me to the palace to meet with Father.”

Seeing the confusion on Ming Qin’s face, he quickly added, “Of course, I will go in alone, but can you wait for me outside? This is the first time Father has summoned me alone…”

Murong Wan nervously grabbed his sleeve.

“Okay!” Ming Qin readily agreed when she realized it wasn’t a difficult task.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief and said, “It’s settled then!”

After school that afternoon, Ming Qin followed Murong Wan back to the palace. As Murong Wan entered the study, she boredly waited on the roof outside.

As she pondered whether the clouds in the sky looked like roast duck or roast goose, she suddenly heard a faint rustling sound.

“…what are they doing…”

“…the Crown Prince will blame them…”

Two men in the distance were speaking in hushed tones.

Ming Qin paused and quietly followed them, holding her breath to listen carefully.

“How am I supposed to explain this to the Crown Prince?” said a guard wearing armor anxiously.

The eunuch beside him nervously wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and explained, “The imperial guards never leave the Emperor’s side, so it’s difficult to make any moves inside the palace.”

“All the money the Crown Prince gave you was for nothing. You’re all useless,” the guard spoke with a slightly irritated tone.

“Why is the Crown Prince so anxious all of a sudden?” the eunuch was puzzled. “The Emperor’s health is getting worse every day… it’s only a matter of time before he ascends to the throne.”

“Shh! Lower your voice,” the guard raised his index finger to his lips and looked around cautiously, afraid that someone might hear their disrespectful conversation. Then he whispered, “The Crown Prince flew into a rage at his attendants yesterday and was fixated on the progress in the palace.” He then pointed to a bruise on his own face.

The eunuch said sympathetically, “It must be hard to follow the Crown Prince, who is so capricious.”

“Yeah, yesterday he was like a monster, but today he suddenly became happy and started picking out birthday gifts,” the guard said helplessly.

“Who’s birthday is it? It’s worth the Crown Prince’s attention,” the eunuch asked curiously.

“You only entered the palace three years ago, so you wouldn’t know,” the guard said matter-of-factly. “The Crown Prince is naturally most concerned about Princess Chongwen.”

As soon as the two men parted ways, Ming Qin turned and walked towards the study.

She had heard their conversation clearly, and wasn’t surprised that the Crown Prince was meddling in the palace.

With her foster mother and other shadow guards taking turns watching over her, Ming Qin wasn’t too worried.

It was the other thing the two men had mentioned that caught her attention.

“Ming Qin!” Murong Wan came out of the study and ran over to her, interrupting her thoughts.

“What did the Emperor say to you, eleventh prince?” Ming Qin asked with concern.

“Father asked about my performance in school and praised me,” Murong Han said with a straight face, but his tone betrayed his pride.

“That’s great! The Emperor must be proud of you,” Ming Qin smiled and patted the boy’s shoulder.

Murong Wan avoided Ming Qin’s hand as if he was disgusted, and ran a few steps ahead. “Of course,” he said as if it were only natural.

But as he turned his back to the woman behind him, the petite boy didn’t let her see his slightly red eyes.