Fengyu suppressed her regrets and sorrow, making sure Xie Xun didn’t catch any trace of them. Having not seen each other for months, Xie Xun wasn’t willing to appear so disheveled and miserable before Fengyu. Deep down, he still carried a touch of heroism, instinctively striving to present his strongest, best side to her—like how beasts maintain their most powerful posture during courtship. Yet he couldn’t avoid this injury; the stab had been too deep. The wound in Fengyu’s body hurt him more than the one in his own. "Don’t cry, sweetheart. Seeing you cry makes my wound hurt even more," Xie Xun said with a weak voice, still struggling to speak. Fengyu held him in a mix of surprise and sadness, carefully avoiding his wound. What should have been a blissful moment of holding a tender beauty in his arms now felt frustrating because it was his own body. When Xie Xun lifted his arms to embrace her, his heart overflowed with affection but also a faint resentment. From Ayu’s perspective, holding him felt entirely uncomfortable, even laborious. Instinctively, he wanted to touch Fengyu’s earlobe—a familiar gesture between the two of them. Whenever Fengyu was sad or missed Feng Shu and her grandmother, Xie Xun would like to hold her, gently stroke her earlobe in a tender, intimate way that calmed her and eased her longing. But now those ears were his! Xie Xun thought to himself that body swapping was truly an awful situation. He could only lightly embrace her and pat her back gently to comfort her. That night, Fengyu’s emotions overwhelmed her in waves, leading to uncontrollable sobbing. Her tears soaked his shoulder, and her heartbreaking cries left Xie Xun increasingly anxious—was he truly dying? For origınal chapters go to 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽 "Sweetheart, it’s okay now," Xie Xun comforted her gently. His heart ached tremendously, feeling as though his chest was swimming with tenderness, entirely unable to resolve it as Fengyu cried, tearing his soul apart. Fengyu wept for a full quarter of an hour, her eyes swollen from crying. She had never cried so bitterly in front of Xie Xun before, and after her bout of tears, she found herself feeling somewhat shy and restrained. Xie Xun smiled helplessly, gazing almost fondly into her eyes. It was as if he were looking through his own face and seeing her very soul. After all, as long as it was Fengyu, no matter whose face was before him, he loved her all the same. "Doctor Zhang said you wouldn’t make it through the night..." "Don’t listen to that quack. Look, I’m still here, fine enough," Xie Xun forced himself to keep up appearances, unwilling to let Fengyu see through his weakness. "I’ll recover after some rest." Xie Xun knew Ningzhou had won the battle against the Beiman forces. Now his Second Brother and Fang Chuning were stationed on the Jiangnan battlefield, but he hadn’t expected Fengyu to come to the Capital City, and seeing Feiying earlier had surprised him greatly. His little girl had been captured by the Jinyi Guards from West State, jumped off a cliff and sustained serious injuries, returning to the Capital through a grueling journey from Liuzhou, her body battered and scarred, surviving one life-or-death moment after another. Just thinking about Fengyu traveling alone across far-flung terrains made Xie Xun furious enough to want to kill Chen Mo. She had been abducted as a child, and those traumatic shadows hadn’t faded over the years, only to go through another ordeal of imprisonment and escape—each experience graver than the last. And now, she even had to face the dangers of the Capital inside his body. "Ayu, trust me, I’ll recover soon," Xie Xun reassured her. Fengyu got up and went to call for Doctor Zhang. At this late hour, Doctor Zhang was taking a short rest. When he heard Fengyu wake, his feelings were a mix of relief and hesitation. Zhang Lingzheng couldn’t tell if he was happy or regretful. He was happy for Xie Xun, thinking how fortunate it was that his beloved had managed to endure once again. Zhang Lingzheng couldn’t say how many times Fengyu had faced such mortal danger, nor how often she had narrowly escaped death. Chen Mo had captured her with the Jinyi Guards in West State, but she had managed to escape during the journey. Zhang Lingzheng truly admired Fengyu, knowing how rare it was for anyone in Yanyang to slip away from Chen Mo’s grasp. She had jumped from such a high cliff, clinging to life by a thread, yet still crossed mountains and rivers to make her way back to the Capital, without anywhere to rest or any reliance on others to save her. In this, Zhang Lingzheng truly respected Fengyu. The princess of Prince Qin’s Manor ought to be such a courageous and resourceful woman. But it was unfortunate—the frail body Fengyu inhabited wasn’t suited to be an ideal match for Xie Xun. Zhang Lingzheng couldn’t help but wonder that if she couldn’t survive the night, he wouldn’t need to expend all his effort trying to save her. Perhaps it would be better to let things run their course. Xie Xun would grieve, would remember her fondly. Yet as someone destined to rule the world, there would be an endless stream of women in his Three Palaces and Six Courtyards. Time would gradually diminish the intense passion of this youthful emperor and empress. As a friend, he wanted Xie Xun to be happy. But as a strategist for the Prince Manor, he couldn’t deny that Fengyu’s passing would make things simpler. Now that she had survived again, Zhang Lingzheng felt genuine regret. Two doses of medicine worked quickly, and by dawn, Xie Xun’s face had regained some color. Zhang Lingzheng muttered, "Third Miss, your life is truly resilient! I’ve treated countless patients, but I’ve never seen someone as tough as you." Can’t you speak decently? Just shut up! If he weren’t trapped in Fengyu’s body, he’d definitely want to tell Zhang Lingzheng off. Zhang Lingzheng left at dawn, leaving behind various medicinal supplies and advising Fengyu and Xie Xun not to leave the premises over the coming days. Since her severe injury, the Capital was under heightened scrutiny. Major pharmacies, Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, and Feng Family strongholds were all heavily monitored, with Jinyi Guards’ claws extending across the entire city. They had to remain inside the courtyard and focus on recovering. After Zhang Lingzheng departed, Xie Xun and Fengyu finally gathered time to research the Soul Suppressing Pearl. Perfectly intact on Xie Xun’s wrist, the Pearl hadn’t fallen off. Yet strangely—despite their efforts—they couldn’t switch back. "Why?" Fengyu asked in confusion. "I don’t know either. I went to Xiangguo Temple to consult the abbot, but he couldn’t offer any explanation. The Pearl isn’t damaged, and the abbot simply told me ’the right timing hasn’t come,’ rambling on with things I couldn’t even understand. If you ask me, that bald monk doesn’t know the reason either—he just wanted to brush me off," Xie Xun said, his frustration mounting, feeling utterly powerless. "Without switching back, what should we do?" Fengyu asked anxiously. They were in a Capital full of dangers, and it would obviously be more convenient for Xie Xun to work if he returned to his own body. Fengyu attempted to remove the Soul Suppressing Pearl, but even that failed to switch them back—it didn’t produce any sensation whatsoever. Xie Xun’s concern matched hers. "Ayu, don’t worry. Once I’ve healed, we’ll think of a solution," Xie Xun reassured her. Fengyu stared at the Soul Suppressing Pearl in deep thought. Left with no choice, she decided to wait and see. After drinking his congee, Xie Xun’s vitality improved further. Fengyu handed him the correspondence exchanged between Yuwen Jing and the Beiman King, as well as Dugu Jing. Xie Xun and Xie Jue had long suspected Yuwen Jing’s collusion with Dugu Jing, but what stunned them were the series of frequent exchanges between Yuwen Jing and the Beiman King before his death. Yuwen Jing’s conspiracy had started even earlier than they had imagined. "What an absolute scoundrel!" Xie Xun roared furiously, his anger causing dizziness. An emperor, enjoying the offerings of all under heaven, revered by his people, yet for his selfish desires, he would willingly hand over crucial military strongholds at the border—this was sheer lunacy! If Beiman forces occupied Ningzhou, the northern strategic towns would fall into their hands sooner or later, leaving Yanyang’s entire domain with only Zhongzhou as a final defensive barrier. From there, the twelve states would inevitably collapse under Beiman control, tearing apart half of the nation’s vast rivers and mountains to gift to their enemy. "Feiying, duplicate the letters and deliver them to every official in the Cabinet," Xie Xun ordered, veins bulging across his neck in fury. Fengyu worried his extreme anger might worsen his condition, gently embracing him to soothe his emotions. Xie Xun declared in a grim tone, "Yuwen Jing must die, Ayu—I will kill him." "I know!" Fengyu stated firmly, thoroughly convinced. "Once the Jiangnan war is resolved, his death is inevitable. That’s why he ordered Chen Mo to abduct me, to try and use me as leverage against you." This was already his most desperate gambit! "Ayu, I’ll do everything possible to help your parents and grandmother escape the city," Xie Xun frowned intently. "I’ve been working on this for some time. After you jumped off the cliff, Chen Mo searched for you up north but didn’t find anything. To mislead us, he deliberately spread rumors of your death. Perhaps he assumed if you survived, you’d surely return to the Capital, so he stationed spies to monitor the Feng Family. Your grandmother, upon hearing the news of your supposed death, fell gravely ill..." "Grandmother..." Fengyu asked, her eyes reddened with worry. "How is she now?" "Ayu, I disguised myself as a servant to infiltrate the mansion and check on her. The doctor said her constitution remains relatively sound, but the excessive grief has left her weak and in need of rest. Now that she knows you’re alive, her condition has stabilized somewhat. I’ve also been in contact with Marquis An Yuan—we’re both working on a plan to get them safely out of the city," Xie Xun admitted with a tinge of lingering fear. "Luckily, I’d left prior arrangements in place. Chen Mo’s forces in West State continue pretending to search for you, spreading tales that you vanished without a trace. Considering how high that cliff was, it’s likely that both Chen Mo and Yuwen Jing believe you’re truly dead, so for the time being, your family remains untouched. As long as they’re not dragged into the palace, I’ll find a way to get them out safely—just give me a bit more time." Once these pieces of correspondence were exposed publicly, the Cabinet would inevitably turn against Yuwen Jing. He’d be too overwhelmed to target the Feng Family for now, presenting a prime opportunity for Xie Xun to evacuate them from the city. "What about my elder sister? She’s still inside the palace," Fengyu asked urgently, deeply troubled. While her grandmother and parents were outside the palace’s reach, her sister’s situation was far more dire. Entrapped within the Imperial Palace Inner Court, saving her elder sister felt like an impossible feat.