Chapter 246 Did the Crown Prince Damage His Brain?

"Is Your Highness feeling any better?" Xie Qi asked, forcing back the tears welling up in his eyes.

Xiao Xuanyou nodded in agreement, "Thanks to Miss Ji's meticulous care, her life is no longer in danger."

"That's good then," Lu Yuan said. "I happen to have some questions I'd like to ask His Highness the Crown Prince, I wonder..."

Before Lu Yuan could finish speaking, Xiao Xuanyou coughed, his face pale as he leaned against Jiang Zhi's chest, and pushed away the medicine Jiang Zhi was feeding him.

Jiang Zhi couldn't help but glance at Lu Yuan and Xie Qi. "His Highness the Crown Prince is still ill. Unless it's something extremely urgent, please wait until he recovers before we talk about it."

Lu Yuan lowered his eyes, the emptiness in his heart becoming more and more pronounced, tearing at him and making it hard for him to breathe.

"……good."

Jiang Zhi looked down at Xiao Xuanyou and saw that he looked tired and his phoenix eyes were half-closed, which meant that the medicine was taking effect.

She got up, intending to go out with Lu Yuan and Xie Qi, but her wrist was grabbed.

"Stay with me a little longer?" Xiao Xuanyou lowered his voice.

Jiang Zhi paused as she was about to get up, then sat back down. "I'll leave after the Crown Prince falls asleep."

Xie Qi looked at Jiang Zhi and then at Xiao Xuanyou as if he had seen a ghost.

"Could it be that the Crown Prince... damaged his brain in the fall?"

Xiao Xuanyou raised his eyelashes and gave him a cold look, his gaze deep and serious. "Xie Qi, if you can't speak properly, then get out."

Jiang Zhi explained, "The imperial physician said that the prince's head injury is still in the brain and he needs to rest. He must not have any emotional fluctuations or be stimulated in the slightest, otherwise he will suffer from headaches and forgetfulness in the future, which will be difficult to cure."

Xie Qi still couldn't understand.

Does a fall really change a person's personality drastically?

In the past, Xiao Xuanyou was majestic and naturally noble, with an innate arrogance. He would never bow his head or utter a single soft word, let alone speak softly.

But today, not only did he show weakness in front of Jiang Zhi, he also asked her to stay in a soft voice.

Is this still the Xiao Xuanyou he's known since childhood?

Lu Yuan was also full of suspicion, his gaze fixed on Xiao Xuanyou, as if trying to discern something from him.

He always suspected that the collapse of the altar was related to him, but he had no evidence.

Moreover, judging from his current attitude towards Jiang Zhi, he most likely already knows her identity.

But why was Jiang Zhi completely unaware?

Jiang Zhi waited until Xiao Xuanyou was completely asleep before tucking him in and leaving.

The room was quiet, with calming incense burning.

A figure in black knelt before the bed, bowing respectfully, "Master."

Xiao Xuanyou leaned against the bedside, his black hair falling over his shoulders, his lips so pale they were almost transparent.

But those long, narrow eyes showed no sign of weakness; their depths were frosty, and their pupils were as dark as ink. "Investigate the matter of the altar, but don't leave any trace."

Wen Quan immediately accepted the order.

"How is Old Xu?"

“He’s locked up in a cell, but he’s in relatively good spirits,” Wen Quan replied in a low voice. “However, the General’s Mansion has been filled with kneeling people these past few days, all pleading for Old Master Xu.”

Xiao Xuanyou said calmly, "Keep them locked up for a few more days."

"yes."

When Wen Quan saw that the gauze on his master's arm was bleeding again, his expression changed slightly. "I will go and find the imperial physician to treat it."

Xiao Xuanyou merely glanced at him sideways and said, "No need."

Wen Quan wanted to persuade him further, but suddenly realized something and stopped talking.

The master wants Miss Ji to feel sorry for him when she comes in later.

Sure enough, when Jiang Zhi came in in the afternoon, she saw that Xiao Xuanyou's body had started to bleed again, and her brows immediately furrowed.

"How could this happen after you were resting? Did you move around too much again?" she complained as she carefully unwrapped the gauze.

Sure enough, the wound had reopened.

"Excuse me, there was no one around just now. I was about to get up and get myself a glass of water."

He looked apologetic.

Jiang Zhi was a little unaccustomed to Xiao Xuanyou like this, and took a deep breath, "I'm not blaming you, it's just that there are servants guarding outside. As the Crown Prince, you can just order them around. Why do you have to do it yourself?"

“I’ve faced too many assassination attempts, and I don’t have many trustworthy people around me,” he said, his pupils dark. “I don’t trust anyone but you.”

Jiang Zhi opened her lips, but was completely speechless.

I could only take the medicine from the side and carefully apply it to him, then re-bandage him.

While she was doing all this, Xiao Xuanyou cooperated obediently, looking down at her.

He couldn't help but wonder how much of a jerk he had been in the past that made Chanyi so afraid of him and want to run away from him.

"I had Wenquan buy some fried sugar cakes and dried cheese. They're fresh out of the oven and still warm. Would you like to try some?"

"Wenquan hunted a snow fox. I asked him to have it made into a scarf. It will look very nice when you wear it back."

"The weather in Yaocheng is too dry and cold. I heard that the women of Yaocheng love to use Jade Complexion Cream. I have already sent someone to buy some and put it in your room."

He kept talking, but Jiang Zhi's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

“Your Highness,” she finally couldn’t help but speak, “I’ve taken care of you these past few days only because you were injured for my sake. I just wanted to repay your kindness. You don’t need to do anything else. Once you’ve recovered, we will have nothing to do with each other anymore.”

If these words had been spoken in the past, Xiao Xuanyou would have been furious and might have even punished Jiang Zhi severely so that she would never dare to say such things again.

Jiang Zhi understood his personality perfectly.

She was testing the waters.

Is it true that Xiao Xuanyou said he would never go against her wishes again?

She saw that Xiao Xuanyou's expression froze, his eyes darkened, his lips tightened, and his breathing became labored.

The air pressure in the room dropped.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly chuckled softly, "I know."

"These are just a small token of my gratitude for your recent care. If you don't like them, feel free to throw them away."

His voice was flat, as if he were discussing something insignificant.

Jiang Zhi was astonished.

Has Hsiao Hsuan-yu really changed his ways?

How come she's not angry at all for saying that?

“Wen Quan,” Xiao Xuanyou called out, “Miss Ji doesn’t like these, take them away and throw them away.”

Jiang Zhi stopped him, "Well, there's no need to be so wasteful."

She picked up a small piece of dried cheese and put it in her mouth. Sure enough, it was rich in milky aroma, with a slight caramelized sweetness, and was both smooth and chewy.

"Delicious, thank you, Your Highness."

Xiao Xuanyou couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Since you like it, I'll have Wen Quan buy more so that others can also try it."

He was right.

Cicada skin is the kind of person who responds better to gentle persuasion than force.

He was initially adamant and only wanted her to follow his orders, without considering her feelings, which led to her fierce resistance and her death twice in front of him.

He was genuinely scared.

Since I can't mold her temperament, I can only mold my own.

"Oh, right," he remembered something else, "I remember when Lord Lu was injured, you researched a lot of food for him. I wonder if I'll have the pleasure of eating such food?"