47 Unsolved Case

At the sound of Hua Yan Ting's voice, Wei Tian Ao jerked and twisted his body sideways towards his call. At that moment, he felt something pierce his chest. Slowly, dreading what he would find, Tian Ao looked down...to see an arrow embedded in his chest. It was only then, watching the blood stream down from the entry point, that he felt the pain of it. He began to sway on his horse.

"No... Not good! If I fall off my horse, the arrow..." At worst, the arrow might be pushed deeper into him or twisted if he fell on top of it. This was a scenario that he desperately wished to avoid. In this frenzied state, he was only vaguely aware of Hua Yan Ting and Yi Qiang Li rushing up to him, helping him down from the horse.

"Call for a carriage, quickly!! We must make haste to find a doctor!" Hua Yan Ting bellowed at a nearby servant who immediately ran off. Wei Tian Ao could not possibly stay here in this state. Hua Yan Ting looked up to where he'd first seen the glint of the arrowhead, but the assailant had already disappeared into the brush. Cursing inside, he had Wei Tian Ao whisked back to the camp. There was no time to chase down the would-be assassin.

"Did... Did I hit the fox, at least...?" Wei Tian Ao weakly asked. As he lost his consciousness, he felt only a deep regret. Who knew if his one arrow during this hunt had even hit its mark? Hua Yan Ting silently sent a servant over to search for the fox while the rest of the group went back.

Doctors had been brought along in case of accidents, so there was one to attend to Wei Tian Ao as soon as he was brought back to the main camp.

"How is he?" Yi Qiang Li questioned worriedly. An arrow to the chest was no laughing matter!

The doctor was patching Wei Tian Ao up after carefully pulling the arrow from his chest. Then, he examined the Prince Rui-shizi's wound carefully, lightly poking around the arrow's entry point. Finally, the old man let out a relieved sigh. "The heavens are on his side. Somehow, the arrow avoided the major organs. He is breathing normally, so I don't believe that his lungs have been affected. However, the tip may have grazed his heart or diaphragm. He needs rest and the utmost attention and care."

Yi Qiang Li nodded and handed over a pouch of money to reward the doctor. "Is the carriage here yet?"

"It should be ready. I had a very steady one prepared for him. The last thing he needs now is a bumpy, rocky ride back to Yinchuan." Hua Yan Ting said, his tone serious.

Yi Qiang Li completely agreed. "I'll go back with him to the capital. I'm worried about my brother and mother, too. It's lucky we were here. I don't think whoever planned this was expecting that Wei Tian Ao would have people around after my brother could not be here with him. If you hadn't called out to him when you did..." Yi Qiang Li remembered how, upon Hua Yan Ting yelling out his name, Wei Tian Ao had twisted his body. That had most probably saved his life this time around.

Wei Tian Ao was unlikely to have many enemies at this early juncture, but Prince Rui... It was an obvious strategy to eliminate Prince Rui's heir in order to weaken his position.

* * *

Though he awoke for moments at a time at random intervals, it was only a few days later, the night before the Qingming Festival, that Wei Tian Ao finally was able to fully awaken and rise. A servant instantly pressed some water to his lips, which he guzzled down with fervor. He felt a dull ache in his chest and was disoriented from lack of food and water. Princess Rui herself came to nurse him, helping him to drink down bone broth and more water.

He slept again for a short while before waking to find Prince Rui sitting at his bedside. Princess Rui was standing at the foot of his bed in a protective stance, her facial expression unreadable.

"Tian Ao. Tell me what happened," came Prince Rui's deep, rumbly voice. It was the tone of someone who would brook no dissenting behavior.

"..." Tian Ao slightly turned his head. He didn't intend to completely rebuff Prince Rui, but he needed to think. At least from the looks of things, it wasn't Prince Rui who had tried to assassinate him. When he thought about it, he realized how absurd an idea that was. Prince Rui had nothing to gain from his death...and he knew by now that his birth father was one who was always thinking of how best to make gains.

Before he could say anything, Prince Rui spoke once more. "Whatever else you two might think of me, I'm always thinking of what's best for you and this family."

"You two?" Wei Tian Ao thought to himself before glancing at Princess Rui. Her lips were now pressed into a discontented line. Could she, too, be dissatisfied with Prince Rui's conduct? The two were well-known in the capital for having a harmonious relationship. "Then again..." he thought, "If they were really so in love, could Wei Hong Sheng possibly exist?"

Tian Ao let out a sigh. "There isn't much to tell. I was hunting and then an arrow was shot in my direction. Luckily, I was with others and because the second son of Duke Yi's household got my attention, I was able to move my body enough to avoid further harm to myself." There was no way for him to know whether it had been an accidental or intentional shot, but his belief was that it was the latter. Still, there was no telling why, either, if that truly was the case. Hesitantly, he added, "It could have been an accident. Did anyone come forward?"

"No. Though even if it was an accident, it's possible the culprit was too embarrassed to come forward," Prince Rui rose from his chair and paced around the room slowly. "I have spoken to both Hua Yan Ting and the second prince consort about what happened. They didn't have anything else to add to what you've already said. The arrow is also of generic make. There is no way to tell whose it is." His brows furrowed. "I'm afraid this will become an unsolved case. Even if I take it up with the judicial office, at best they will merely find a scapegoat to appease us. That will not do."

"I will be more careful next time... Father." The word "father" felt foreign and wrong in his mouth.

"If I may suggest something..." Princess Rui paused, waiting for her husband's approval. Once he nodded at her, she continued, "More martial arts training will be necessary. It's terrifying to think of what might have happened had your companions not been there."

"This son will do as Mother bids. I agree that more lessons will be necessary. I am embarrassed at my shortcomings in that area."

"You need not be embarrassed, Ao. You were not raised in an environment that required martial arts. It is already good if you are willing to learn now." Princess Rui's smile was congenial. Prince Rui couldn't help but scoff. His wife only seemed soft and kind in moments like this.

After exchanging some pleasantries with their son and making sure that he was fine, the couple left the room. They barely spoke to each other the entire time. Once they were gone, Wei Tian Ao rose out of bed to do some light stretching, avoiding stretches that tugged at his wound. His body felt heavy after so long in bed and he was eager to shake off this feeling.

He then noticed a white fur pelt hanging over the back of a chair. Tian Ao's eyes widened as he walked up to the chair, lightly caressing the fur with the back of his hand. Fox fur. Had his arrow hit its mark, after all, or was this Hua Yan Ting being kind? Tian Ao smiled wryly before calling a servant over. "Have this made into a muffler."

"Of course, young master. Dare I ask...is this for yourself or is it a gift?"

Wei Tian Ao froze. He coughed slightly before replying, "It's a gift for my future wife. Make the arrangements."

"Y-yes, right away!" The servant's shoes clacking against the wood floors as he ran down the hall echoed in the now-silent bedroom.

He thought back to the promise that he had made to Yan Qiu Yue's father Duke Ning and then thought about the near-death experience he'd just had. He couldn't bear to drag Yan Qiu Yue into the problems of Prince Rui estate. Yet he couldn't help his attraction towards her and despite everything, he wanted to treat her well. They would be married soon. Just how would he reconcile these feelings by then, he wondered?