Chapter 48 I won't let anything happen to you

Northern Garrison Command.

Judge Lin was ordered to treat an official who was being tortured to death in the imperial prison, and afterwards he also examined Yan Xuecui's eyes.

From the day he bid farewell to the Spring Festival, he finally said goodbye to the darkness and was able to perceive ordinary light and shadow and recognize basic colors. Although his vision was still chaotic and unclear, and the sense of uncontrollable confusion would intensify his anxiety, it was still a great improvement compared to before.

When Judge Lin heard him describe the changes in his vision, he breathed a sigh of relief. The two years of painstaking treatment had finally paid off. "Restoring your sight will take time. As the remaining toxins are gradually cleared, Your Highness's vision will become clearer and clearer. In less than six months, you will definitely be fully recovered."

Yan Xuecui knew that haste makes waste, so she calmly nodded and said, "Don't make a fuss about this for now."

Lin, the Imperial Physician, hurriedly assured him, "Unless Your Highness gives the order, I would never dare to divulge even a single detail without permission."

...

In late April, Yan Xuecui became increasingly busy with official duties, only returning to the mansion each night to spend the night with her. During the day, he was almost never seen. Chi Ying took this opportunity to go to Liu Mian Lane.

Lian Yun and Feng Yue accompanied her to protect her safety, but unlike before, they were not inflexible and stayed by her side every step of the way. They obeyed Chi Ying's orders to buy whatever she asked.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Chi Ying hurriedly went inside to visit Aunt Xue.

The two maids in the courtyard were quick and efficient, keeping everything inside and out neat and tidy.

When Chi Ying arrived today, the two women, upon hearing that she was the master who had bought them, quickly put down their work and came forward to pay their respects.

Chi Ying entered the room and saw Aunt Xue leaning against the headboard with a pillow, dozing off with her eyes half-closed. She slowly stepped forward and softly called out, "Mother."

Aunt Xue was momentarily confused, thinking she had misheard. She opened her eyes and was overjoyed to see that it was indeed her daughter.

Chi Ying sat down on the edge of the bed. "Mother, how are you feeling? Are you getting used to living in this courtyard?"

Aunt Xue nodded with a smile: "Everything is fine."

Away from the Yin family and the Chi family's wicked servants, with no one bullying or making things difficult for them every few days, they could stay quietly in this small courtyard. How could they not be comfortable?

She felt much better these past few days, but she was still worried about her daughter's situation.

Chi Ying noticed that her complexion was good, and felt a little relieved: "Mother, I can't stay any longer, I have to go back soon. You can rest here and recuperate. Just tell them what you want to eat or use."

Aunt Xue asked her anxiously, "Which prince are you marrying in place of the second young lady? Is there any danger? Madam Yin said you..."

Chi Ying pursed her lips and said, "The prince treats me very well. Yin Shi is just trying to intimidate me because she sees that I am doing well."

Aunt Xue asked with a hint of doubt, "Is that really true?"

However, she saw that her daughter had a radiant complexion and was more beautiful than a flower, looking remarkably healthy and energetic, which was indeed much better than her previous thin and weak appearance.

Chi Ying showed her the gold hairpin in her hair and the tourmaline beads on her wrist, and said softly, "Not to mention that he is a prince, handsome and noble, whenever he gets a treasure, he sends it to my room every day. He even took me out of the mansion to stroll around the lake for the Spring Festival. He treats me so well... it makes me feel ashamed."

Aunt Xue sighed softly: "I know you're not greedy for wealth and status. You've always been one to only report good news and never bad. No matter how good he is to you, he's still a member of the royal family. As the saying goes, serving a king is like serving a tiger, not to mention you were a substitute bride..."

Chi Ying lowered her head and said, "Mother, I understand. I will not lose myself in wealth and favor. I only ask for a peaceful life and for everything to be well done."

Aunt Xue nodded: "Nothing usually happens here, so there's no need to risk coming over all the time. Just be careful."

Chi Ying nodded in agreement.

Time was short, so she left some silver for Aunt Xue and carefully instructed the two maids that if she was unable to come, they should go to Ruyi Zhai every ten days. She would also instruct Xiangqin to buy some snacks every ten days so that Aunt Xue would be informed of any situation there.

Chi Ying left Liu Mian Lane and returned to the Zhao Prince's Mansion, only to find a magnificent brocade carriage parked outside the gate. Two noble ladies in brocade robes alighted from it, and upon closer inspection, one of them turned out to be Princess Yu Xi.

Princess Yu Xi was surprised to see her at the gate of the mansion and waved to her happily, "Seventh Sister-in-law!"

Chi Ying hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, "Princess, what brings you here today?"

Princess Yu Xi said, "I rarely leave the palace. I just went to Linlang Pavilion to pick out a birthday gift for Rouyi, and I stopped by to see you and Consort Zhuang."

He then pointed to the woman beside him, who was wearing a lake-blue dress with silver floral patterns, and said, "This is my study companion, Ning Zizhi, the daughter of General Zhaowu."

Ning Zizhi also bowed gracefully to her.

With Princess Rouyi's birthday banquet approaching, the two spent a long time in the palace looking for toys for the children, but were not very satisfied with any of them. Ning Zizhi then suggested going out of the palace for a stroll.

Princess Yu Xi then went to the Linlang Pavilion, a place frequented by noble ladies in the capital, and picked out a six-sided exquisite treasure box. Each side, when opened, revealed a delicate little piece of jewelry, which children loved most.

With the gifts prepared, Princess Yuxi made a detour to Prince Zhao's residence to visit Chi Ying and Consort Zhuang.

This was also the Empress's intention.

Knowing that she was leaving the palace today, the Empress specially obtained some top-quality tonics from the Imperial Household Department to nourish the heart, calm the mind, regulate qi, and relieve depression, and instructed her to bring them over.

Just as Chi Ying was about to lead them into the mansion, Ning Zizhi stopped and said to Princess Yu Xi with a somewhat unnatural expression, "I won't go in. The gifts have been prepared, so I'll return to the mansion now."

Chi Ying then realized that she was also a member of the Ning family, that the Prince Rong who killed Prince Ding was her cousin, that Princess Yu Xi was the Empress's daughter, and that Consort Zhuang's hysteria was caused by the Buddhist beads given to her by the Empress...

Although the sins of the children should not be borne by the children, Chi Ying still felt a lingering resentment when she thought about the suffering that Consort Zhuang had endured over the years.

Princess Yu Xi also realized that Ning Zizhi was Prince Rong's cousin, and she was afraid that Ning Zizhi would feel uncomfortable in the mansion and that it would upset Consort Zhuang. So she waved her hand and sent the person away first.

Looking at Princess Yu Xi's innocent smile, Chi Ying thought to herself that she was just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, how could she know the dangers of the palace?

She composed herself and invited the person into the mansion. Upon arriving at Shouchun Hall, Qionglin also warmly welcomed the person inside.

Consort Zhuang was overjoyed to see Princess Yu Xi after not seeing her for many years. She ordered her servants to serve tea and snacks. Princess Yu Xi, being a lively and clever girl, told Consort Zhuang amusing stories about palace life.

Princess Yuxi stayed for half a day. Before returning to the palace, she held Chi Ying's hand and said, "It's Rouyi's birthday on the fourth. Seventh Sister-in-law, you must come. We'll play cards with the other sisters-in-law."

Chi Ying smiled and agreed.

After returning to the palace, Princess Yuxi went to see the Empress and stayed in Kunning Palace for dinner that evening.

Knowing that she had just returned from Prince Zhao's residence, the Empress inquired about Consort Zhuang's recent situation.

Yu Xi truthfully replied, "When I went there, Consort Zhuang was in relatively good spirits. Although she looked worried, she could still laugh and talk with me. She seemed to be much better than before."

The Empress seemed thoughtful. "Does she still frequently worship Buddha and chant scriptures?"

Yu Xi thought for a moment and said, "I haven't asked about that, but there seems to be incense in the room. She should be chanting sutras and praying for Prince Ding and Prince Zhao."

The Empress did not ask any further questions.

...

After returning to the manor, Yan Xuecui already knew that Yu Xi had come today, and that the medicinal herbs she brought had been tested and confirmed to be of the highest quality from the palace, with no problems whatsoever.

However, Yan Xuecui could also foresee that since he was blind and had no chance of becoming the crown prince, the empress would not have any designs on him, and naturally would not go after his mother.

Chi Ying did not mention leaving the mansion during the day, but only told him that Princess Yu Xi had come to visit Consort Zhuang today and invited her to the Prince Qing's mansion on the fourth day of the month to celebrate Princess Rouyi's birthday.

Yan Xue Cui frowned slightly. "She specifically invited you to go with her?"

Chi Ying: "Yes."

Yan Xuecui asked, "Did Ning Heng's daughter also come today?"

Chi Ying paused for a moment before realizing, "Is it Ning Zizhi, the daughter of General Zhaowu, and the princess's companion?"

Yan Xuecui: "Mm."

Chi Ying: "She came with the princess, but she didn't enter the palace."

General Ning Heng, also known as Zhaowu General, was the maternal uncle of Prince Rong. His son, Ning Su, was the deputy commander of the Tiger Guard, and was a key figure in orchestrating Prince Rong's coup attempt.

According to Zhao Qu's sources, Prince Rong has made numerous contacts, but the exact timing of the uprising is still under observation.

Prince Rong would not entrust his life, fortune, and future entirely to Zhao Qu alone, and he also had other trusted confidants secretly making arrangements to ensure that nothing went wrong.

If Ning Zizhi was sent by Ning Su to encourage Yu Xi and A Ying to go together, then it is highly likely that Prince Rong will besiege Prince Qing's mansion on the day of the coup. At that time, many members of the royal family and the families of court officials will be present. This will not only allow them to control the princes in the mansion to prevent them from making any rash moves, but also restrain the fathers, brothers and husbands behind the women, forcing them to obey orders.

Therefore, it is highly likely that Prince Rong will force the emperor to abdicate on the fourth day of the fifth lunar month.

A chilling glint flashed in Yan Xuecui's eyes.

Chi Ying rarely saw him with such a solemn expression, and couldn't help but feel nervous: "Is there a problem? Should we still go to the princess's birthday banquet?"

Yan Xue stroked the top of her head, pondered for a moment, and said, "There might be danger."

Chi Ying's face turned pale: "Huh?"

But I still have to go.

Although I am not a direct threat to the throne from the Prince of Rong's coup, I have a deep-seated hatred for him, and he also controls the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I will definitely lead troops to surround the Prince of Zhao's residence and threaten him with my mother's safety to force him to submit.

It's one thing for the mother to have lived a secluded life for many years, but if A-Ying also avoids going, it might alert the enemy and make Prince Rong think that he has secretly received information, so he asked his wife to avoid the risks of this trip.

In this way, there are only two possible outcomes: either the Prince Zhao's mansion will face an even stronger military siege, or the Prince Rong will continue to be hesitant and inactive.

Neither outcome was what he wanted. Since he was determined to lure the snake out of its hole, he had to get himself involved. Once he took this step, both the Prince Zhao's mansion and the Prince Qing's mansion would inevitably fall into the trap set by Prince Rong. It wouldn't matter much where A-Ying was.

The most urgent task is to make advance, secret arrangements to ensure that she and her mother are safe and sound.

However, Prince Rong was hesitant and indecisive, so to get him to completely let go of his concerns and take a gamble, we still needed to add fuel to the fire.

Yan Xuecui quickly came up with an idea.

After much deliberation, he realized that the person in his arms was still waiting for his answer. "Your Highness?"

Yan Xuecui lowered his head and kissed her forehead, whispering, "Just treat it as an ordinary banquet. Don't say anything, and don't stand out. Just stay with the crowd. I will send people to set up defenses at the Prince Qing's residence. No matter what happens, don't be afraid. There will be secret guards to protect you. I will not let anything happen to you."

Upon hearing this, Chi Ying became even more nervous, her face turning pale, but she still nodded hesitantly.

He said all this to prepare her, but it unexpectedly frightened her, so much so that she remained tense all night, causing him to bulge his veins, sweat profusely, and almost ejaculate prematurely.

Helpless, he could only slow down his movements, gently kissing her cheeks and patiently comforting her again and again until she relaxed a little.

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Author's Note: Prince Rong: Do you, my family watching this, think I can succeed? [Sunglasses]

Family members: hetui [melted]