Lu Yan's husband Chen Hai was the first one to emerge from the pavilion.
He ran over, ignoring his uncle calling to him from behind.
Kneeling on Lu Yan's other side, he looked at her with eyes wide from panic, and asked shakily, "Is it very serious?"
Han ignored him.
Chen Yuan and Jiang Xin were right behind Chen Hai. As were Lu Yan's parents and brothers. Everyone crowded in a circle around them.
Finally, an imperial doctor appeared, running awkwardly while carrying his medical kit.
He too kneeled beside Lu Yan. He bowed, then gently nudged Han aside.
Han took his hands off the wound, and the doctor immediately put a thick clean cloth in place. The cloth was soaked within moments.
Ji Jing appeared at the edges of the circle.
As Han remained frozen there, staring down at his blood stained hands, Ji Jing brusquely ordered, "General Han. You're in charge of investigation. Capture them alive."
Han jolted back to life.
He took one last look at Lu Yan's pale face twisted in pain.
Grabbing his sword with his bloody hands, he rushed back into the fray.
Chen Yuan thoughtfully watched him go.
The doctor was talking softly to no one in particular, "Thankfully, it didn't nick anything vital. But we really need to stop this bleeding."
Ji Jing looked down at the unconscious Lu Yan expressionlessly.
Shortly, he said, "It's chaotic out here. Best take it inside."
Without a backwards glance, he walked back to the pavilion.
---
When Han got back from all the fighting, killing, and capturing, he went to see her.
Chen Yuan was blocking the door.
"General Han," he greeted with a polite smile.
"Chen Yuan," Han said shortly.
Chen Yuan dropped his smile.
Usually, people avoided looking directly into Han's eyes.
Even the most powerful men in the nation, the senior ministers surrounding the regent, were like this. His nickname, The Butcher, wasn't lightly earned.
But this nameless scholar was quite fearless. Not only did he dare to look, but he was also proud beneath that thin veneer of politeness.
Han looked back at him with interest.
Chen Yuan asked directly, "Are you here to see my sister-in-law?"
Han stared at him with a blank face, but his eyes were burning.
Chen Yuan bowed, "The Chen family is really indebted to General for the life-saving grace. But at this point, the danger has passed. There's no need to bother the General with these trivial matters."
Han ignored the bow.
Without a word, he shouldered past Chen Yuan.
Inside, the doctor had finished working on her wounds and had already left.
Most of her family was gathered there.
Chen Hai was sitting beside her on the bed holding her hand.
She saw Han.
And she must have been dopey on pain-killing medicine, because she actually smiled at him.
Inside his sleeve, Han clenched his fist.
He hadn't seen her smile at him since he'd arrived back from the border. She'd always treated him coldly, either frowning or staring at him blankly, as if she were looking at a stranger.
He didn't approach her.
Her father stood up to thank him for coming to her rescue.
He nodded in silent acknowledgement.
Her mother watched him warily.
"Asan, report," he ordered.
Asan saluted, "The doctor stopped the bleeding. With plenty of rest and medications, Lady Lu will be alright."
At the mention of Lady Lu, Chen Yuan's expression twitched.
Han didn't notice.
He looked at Lu Yan ravenously.
But even though she twitched a hand towards him, he didn't step deeper into the room.
Instead, he turned around and left.
Asan followed him outside.
Outside, the darkness was all-encompassing. Han looked at the crescent moon that curved just like her mouth.
Closing his exhausted eyes briefly, he ordered, "Go back and keep watch over her. If anything happens, send a message."
He left without a backward glance.
Behind him Chen Yuan watched with cold eyes.
Han didn't care.
---
Over the next several days, Han was busy interrogating the captured assassins, reporting to the regent, and investigating the master mind behind the scenes.
On this day, he had spent the whole day tracking down the headquarters of the assassins.
It was late at night when he returned after hunting down the remnants.
He galloped ahead, leaving the prisoners to his men to arrange.
Arriving at the imperial lodge, he slowed down. His horse walked slowly into the lodge after he flashed his token to the imperial guards at the gate.
Inside, everything was quiet.
He looked towards the path leading to the backyard. Lu Yan was somewhere there. With her current injuries, she couldn't move much.
He looked up at the sky and wondered if she was in a lot of pain.
Asan sent reports everyday. He knew what she ate, drank, and how long she slept. But he didn't know if she was in pain.
Clamping down on his emotions, he took a deep breath to center himself, and went to report to the regent.
Ji Jing was still awake. He was sitting in front of a go board, holding a cup of tea and gazing thoughtfully into nothing.
"What? Can't sleep?" Han mocked. "Is it your guilty conscience keeping you up?"
Ji Jing looked up with lazy eyes, but didn't respond. Instead, he poured Han a cup of tea, and asked, "What did you find?"
Han sat with a sigh, leaning his head back. He was so tired.
"It was definitely someone from Prince Rui's faction. I don't know who yet."
"I can't believe they actually managed to make it into the lodge and almost to the pavilion before the alarm was raised."
"They do have some talents." Han said. After a pause, he added, "Lu Yan raising the alarm is too coincidental. She must know something."
"How is she?" Ji Jing asked.
Han scoffed, "Are you trying to pretend your people are not around her?"
"She hasn't sent any message for months now. If I hadn't seen her around the lodge, I'd be worried something was wrong with her."
"Asan says she'll be fine with rest and care."
Ji Jing drained his cup, "Keep looking. There's likely a new talent under Prince Rui."
---
Han was looking forward to retiring to his quarters.
He really needed to wash the day's filth and exhaustion off.
Entering the door, he undid his topknot, feeling a sense of relief as his hair fell free to his shoulders.
Undoing the armor on his forearms, he threw it off to a side.
He was holding the knot on the armor of his other forearm in his mouth, trying to undo it, when he saw Lu Yan sitting in his room.
Han froze.