The Beloved Imperial Consort

>How was it possible for her to go to the carriage at the back and stay in the same place as the two servant girls? She’d such a hard time to get a bit closer to his Highness.
Even if she was going to die she had to grasp firmly this opportunity, expose more her face and familiarise with him.

She moved a little forward and raised her hand to pour Zhong Zheng Lin a cup of hot tea, “Your Highness, weather is dry and hot.
Drink more water.”

Zhong Zheng Lin did not lift his head.
He took the teacup that was presented right under his eyes.
Just now, his hand made contact with lady Su’s fingertip.
Suddenly, a gleaming light rose in his eyes.
He swung his hand and threw teacup outside.

Su Lin Rou was scared witless by Zhong Zheng Lin’s sudden action.
When she came back to herself, Zhong Zheng Lin took her by the waist and they jumped out from the fast-running carriage.

“Ah!” The woman’s high-pitched and startled cry rang at his ear.
Zhong Zheng Lin frowned slightly.

“Shut up!”

Su Lin Rou was so frightened her face turned stark white.
Her whole body broke into a shudder.
She only managed to firmly hold onto Zhong Zheng Lin’s neck, coiling herself closely around his body.

Watching the shadows of trees fly speedily past her eyes and the arrow in the midair that has brushed past them, all of these almost made Su Lin Rou who has been raised in a lady’s boudoir faint.

As soon as Zhong Zheng Lin fell to the ground, he pulled Su Lin Rou down from his body.
He took the sword hanging on his waist, his whole body emitting a murderous aura.

“Come out!” The man yelled.
His three-foot long sword issued a faint buzzing sound.

Wei Zhen brought imperial bodyguards and shielded the sixth Highness and Su cefei in the middle.
He pricked up his ear to listen to the movements in the surrounding.

Inside the grove was still and silent.
Zhong Zheng Lin closed his eyes.
In a flash, swords were drawn out and cut high into the sky.

Realizing their spot was exposed, the men clad in black could only confront them head-on, “Strike!”

Su Lin Rou crouched on the ground, staring at Zhong Zheng Lin’s towering back.
Her hands kneaded her clothes until they became a messy ball.
Her fingertips were sunk into the soil while her tears fell down endlessly.

Twenty-something men clad in black dashed out, each of them extraordinary agile.
They have surrounded Zhong Zheng Lin and the party into a circle, willing to risk their lives to assassin the group of them.
One could tell they were death soldiers4 by a glace.

“Your Highness, take cefei and go first.” Understanding the gravity of the situation, Wei Zhen’s attacks became ruthless, his each strike lethal.
He cared not about sword wounds inflicted on his body.
His mind was set on opening up a bloody path for Zhong Zheng Lin.

“No need.” Through the corner of eyes, Zhong Zheng Lin saw Su’shi docilely stay in her place.
He left her behind thereupon.
Gathering the inner chi, he leaped and fight his way into the battleground.

Seeing the residence’s bodyguards successively sustain injuries, Zhong Zheng Lin increased the speed of his attacks.
Amid the flipping and shifting, the surrounding death soldiers, one by one, fell to the ground.
All of them had the spot between their eyebrows hit by the sword, killed by a single blow.

Their leader, recognizing that situation wasn’t in their favor, attempted to withdraw but was tenaciously pursued by Wei Zhen.
Once Zhong Zheng Lin got his hands free, he (the leader) knew his time of death has come.

He looked around.
Seeing his brethren all perished, he laughed sorrowfully, “People only knew his the Highness for being brave and adept in warfare.
However, they didn’t know the sixth Highness was actually the one hiding his light under a bushel.
This one will die utterly convinced by your Highness’s talents.” Once his words fell, he did not delay time but directly cut his neck with a sword.
The fresh blood instantly spurted out.

Su Lin Rou was already stupified by the scare.
At this time, as she directly faced the bloody scene, her vision blacked out and she passed out.

“Your Highness, these must be death soldiers from Shu province.”

Zhong Zheng Lin nodded.
He recognized them after hearing their accent.

“Clean them up.”

“Yes.”

—–

When Su Lin Rou regained consciousness, she was already lying inside the carriage.
All the clothes on her body were changed.

“Mistress, you’ve finally woken up.” Hong Xiu looked at her worriedly.
The rim of her eyes was very red.

Just now, they were left behind.
They’d only heard the clashes of swords and battle cries rising up in the front.
They were so scared they hid inside the carriage, overcome with a shiver.
When cefei was carried back by his Highness, she had already lost consciousness.
Her clothes were extremely dirty, her skirt was even stained by blood.

Looking at the personal maidservant in front of her, Su Lin Rou immediately came back to herself.
She stroke the place where her heart beat.
The terror still lingered in her.
When she called to mind the warm chest that protected her in a critical moment, Su Lin Rou abruptly sat up.

“Where is his Highness?”

Translation notes: 

[1] Yuquan is a district in inner Mongolia

[2] Friendship between Bo Ya and Zi Qi exemplifies the Chinese ideal of friendship – click for more info about their story here

[3] Rice weevil is an Internet slang used to describe people that idle their time away

[4] Death soldier is a soldier who is trained to fulfill missions without care about their lives.
It is also used by someone to call themselves to display their resolution