By June, after a few more days of rest, Xia Tingfeng could finally get out of bed. After all, he was a man; once the wounds scabbed over, his life was out of danger. The Imperial Physician had prepared all sorts of tonics—Ginseng, Lingzhi, bird’s nests, red dates, and whatnot—pampering him with a variety of supplements. In just over ten days, his complexion had improved significantly. He could walk, talk, and laugh, just like before. However, the Imperial Physician issued a strict order: no horseback riding and no martial arts. The wounds were too deep and would tear and bleed with any strain. Xia Tingfeng felt somewhat helpless but complied nonetheless.
「...」
Upon hearing that he could walk, Zhao Junyao summoned him to the palace without delay.
In the Imperial Study Room, seeing the very much alive Xia Tingfeng appear before him, Zhao Junyao’s heart was flooded with mixed emotions. It took him a while before he managed to force out a light-hearted comment.
"You’re a tough one, kid!"
Xia Tingfeng bowed.
"This subordinate thanks the Emperor for saving my life!"
Zhao Junyao glared at him and waved his hand. "Rise. You’re too weak to be bowing!"
Xia Tingfeng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Your Majesty, I am much recovered!"
After so many days of rest, why did everyone still treat him as if he were made of paper?
Zhao Junyao continued, "The one who found you was not someone I sent, but Miss Ni of the Ni Family!"
Xia Tingfeng bowed again. "Yes, I have been informed!"
His tone was calm, but his eyes revealed deep emotion. What kind of courage must a young lady possess to face societal pressures and seek him out? That forest was dense and often frequented by wild animals. How on earth did she make it there?
Zhao Junyao then teased him, "Good that you know. You’d better pick an auspicious day to marry her and bring her into your family! That would duly honor the young lady’s devotion!"
Xia Tingfeng looked a little uncomfortable, his pale cheeks flushing slightly. "Yes!"
In truth, even if the Emperor hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t let her down. After all, they were supposed to get engaged; there was no question about it. With their mutual affection, they were bound to become a couple.
Seeing Xia Tingfeng blushing, Zhao Junyao didn’t press the matter.
Returning to the main subject, they discussed the details of the recent bandit suppression.
"What exactly happened that day?" Zhao Junyao asked. "You went under to plug the hole in the boat. Did you ever come back up?"
Xia Tingfeng thought for a moment before recounting everything that happened after he went under the boat.
It turned out their boat had been sabotaged from below. The Southern Barbarians were like eels, slipping through the river water. He had spotted several figures darting below as soon as he went under. Without a second thought, he gave chase! The enemies were excellent swimmers, capable of holding their breath underwater for a long time without needing to surface. Unlike him, who needed to come up for air after swimming only a short distance, he couldn’t catch up.
But Xia Tingfeng didn’t want to let them escape, so he used himself as bait, deliberately revealing that he was alone. They took the bait, just as he expected. Xia Tingfeng lured them to the woods on the riverbank. Once ashore, a fierce battle ensued. Fortunately, he won in the end, though he sustained serious injuries.
Zhao Junyao was shocked. "You killed them all by yourself?"
Xia Tingfeng noticed the Emperor’s raised tone and began to wonder. Is the Emperor upset? We had agreed to capture them alive. Yes, that must be it.
With that thought, he knelt on one knee, clasping his fists. "I deserve death. The situation was urgent, and I might have been a bit too heavy-handed... I killed them all."
Zhao Junyao was completely stunned. This guy killed several bandit experts by himself, and I’m shocked. But why... why did he kneel?! Looking at Xia Tingfeng’s face, full of remorse and seeming innocence, Zhao Junyao thought, What does this mean? Could he be regretting not taking any prisoners alive? Xia Tingfeng, is he out of his mind?! Would I really care about prisoners at a time like this?
Zhao Junyao’s mouth twitched. He took several deep breaths to calm himself before finally speaking. "No harm done. We captured about a dozen alive, and they’ve been handed over to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation!"
Xia Tingfeng let out a sigh of relief. "That’s good..."
Zhao Junyao was speechless. Truly cut from the same cloth as his sister. When they act ’stupid,’ there’s simply nothing one can do!
「...」
Zhao Junyao did not invite him to stay for a meal and had someone send him back to rest before the midday sun became too harsh. Accompanying him were rewards and an imperial edict.
The rewards included gold, silver, pearls, gemstones, and other valuables, all from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, some even being imperial tributes. Additionally, a residence was bestowed; the Emperor’s intentions were clear.
As for the imperial edict, it proclaimed to the world that Xia Tingfeng, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Forest Army, having led five hundred soldiers to eliminate bandits and achieved great merit, was specially granted the title of Third-rank Marquis Zhongyong.
With the rewards delivered and the imperial edict issued, the Capital City was in an uproar. Once the people learned the truth, public opinion overwhelmingly supported Xia Tingfeng. In reality, most people harbored no ill will; it was just that, all too often, they couldn’t see the truth and thus inadvertently caused harm.