Chapter 46 A single knife is enough to cut away flesh and heal a wound! ...
Ji Chengnin was already impatient with this old eunuch's fake smile, and when he heard him mention the Crown Prince, his stomach churned, and he almost vomited, nearly letting out a cold laugh.
However, the next moment, Qin Min sighed, "Young Marquis, you don't know yet, but His Highness has been ill since that night, with a high fever that has not subsided for days. He only got better last night."
The suspicion and inquiry in Ji Chengnin's eyes vanished instantly.
Ji Chengnin suddenly sat up straight. "Why didn't anyone tell me!"
Qin Min was startled and involuntarily shrank back.
Those listening from behind the wall also felt their eyes darken at Ji Chengnin's anxious reaction.
Zhou Yu and the Crown Prince indeed had a deep and affectionate relationship.
Cui Yao casually brushed the flower branch beside her.
"Click."
A faint cracking sound reached my ears.
On the other side, Qin Min's mind raced, and he sighed, "Young Marquis, His Highness knows you are troubled. Given His Highness's deep affection for you, how could he bear to tell you and add to your worries?"
All the words that were about to come out stopped, and Ji Chengnin looked somewhat dazed.
Yes, His Highness has been frail since childhood and is often sick. He is also a very sensitive person and is afraid of worrying himself, so he often pretends to be sick and asks for coaxing after he recovers.
Only once, when he was critically ill, Zhou Yu had a high fever for several days and nights. He was so feverish that he almost fainted. When he regained some consciousness, the first thing he said was that he only wanted Ji Chengning to enter the palace.
They had known each other for nearly ten years, but it was only that time that Ji Chengning realized how terrifying Zhou Yu's illness was.
Silence reigned in the Eastern Palace. Ji Chengning held Zhou Yu's hand tightly, wanting to say something to comfort the patient, but before he could speak, tears streamed down his face.
Drop by drop, it was sprinkled onto Zhou Yu's wrist.
So the Crown Prince opened his eyes with difficulty, saw Ji Chengnin, and first showed a very surprised and happy smile.
He said, "Xiao Ning, am I going to die?"
It felt as if a sharp blade was stuck in my throat, and every movement was excruciatingly painful.
Ji Chengnin shook his head desperately. "Your Highness," he knelt by the bedside, his head bowed, almost embracing Zhou Yu's entire arm, "You are a prince, destined to live a thousand years without worry. Your Highness, this is just a minor illness. Tomorrow," his voice was so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable, "you will be fine tomorrow."
Zhou Yu slowly shook his head.
A hint of the fear of a dying boy finally surfaced in his eyes, which were blurred by the burning sensation. "I saw my mother. She said the world... cough cough cough!"
Ji Chengning supported his trembling back.
His hands were covered in diseased bones, which made his whole body tremble.
A glistening tear escaped from her eyelashes. Zhou Yu seemed to have forgotten what she was about to say, and simply said, "It's just flattery. Who can live to be ten thousand years old, let alone someone like me..."
"Ayu," Ji Chengnin pressed his face against Zhou Yu's burning hot hand, his usually eloquent tongue now stiff with fear. He blurted out in a panic, "Ayu, Master Zhong Du, the one who told the fortunes of the Grand Princess and Prince Yong'an, whose fortune-telling was incredibly accurate, almost divine, he told my fortune. He said I would live to be a hundred years old, and he also said he could borrow life. Your Highness, you won't die."
Zhou Yu's gaze gradually focused, and he forced a smile, "You'll give me fifty years?"
"I'll give it all to Your Highness." Ji Chengning raised his hand to wipe away his tears.
The latter trembled, overwhelmed by a surge of immense joy and sorrow. His heart pounded, and he seemed even more alive than before. He murmured, "I don't want to."
I don't want you; I'd rather you die before me.
His Xiao Ning deserves all the perfect things in the world. If there is anyone who can live for thousands of years without disaster or worry, then it should be Xiao Ning.
That's right, Xiao Ning.
That one time was enough to leave an indelible mark on Ji Chengnin's heart, one he would never forget.
Seeing Ji Chengnin's eyes tremble, Qin Min hurriedly said, "Young Marquis, this concerns His Highness the Crown Prince. How could this old servant dare to lie? If you don't believe me, just ask any palace servant in the Eastern Palace, and you'll know the truth."
Ji Chengning abruptly snapped out of his reverie, and upon hearing Qin Min's voice, his gaze swept sharply across Qin Min's face.
The latter suppressed the urge to shrink back, "Now, the country is in a time of great turmoil, and the affairs of state are complicated. A eunuch like me dares not comment on politics. However, I have seen His Majesty working diligently day and night. Young Marquis, even I am worried about His Majesty's health, let alone His Highness the Crown Prince?"
The fish-shaped tally was almost within reach, its brilliance dazzling.
The golden light flashed arrogantly, so bright that it hurt Ji Chengnin's eyes.
His head was throbbing with pain.
Zhou Yu's pale face kept overlapping with the face of the old lady who had fainted inside the Dazhao Temple.
"There have been quite a few leaks of exam questions in the past two years. Didn't they even kill the chief examiner last time?"
"When things are unfair, people will cry out..."
"The exam questions have been leaked, and the rankings have already been determined. The prince's grandson is at the top of the list!"
Countless voices clashed in his mind, each one like a sharp awl piercing his skull. Ji Chengnin's fingers trembled spasmodically, and then, as if to calm the trembling, he reached out and grabbed the fish talisman.
Both the gold and jade were icy cold, weighing heavily in my hand.
It weighs more than a thousand gold pieces.
Qin Min was in grave danger, tears streaming down his face.
Persuading this young marquis was a thousand times more difficult than he had imagined, but fortunately, Ji Chengning accepted the fish tally.
Regardless of Ji Chengnin's reasons for doing this, the result is what he wanted, and even more so what His Majesty wanted, and that is enough!
"This old servant will return the jade intact to Zhao," Qin Min bowed deeply, "and will now return to the palace to report."
Ji Chengning, seemingly lost in thought, gave a perfunctory reply, "I'll see Eunuch Qin off."
Qin Min hurriedly said, "Young Marquis, please wait, please wait."
After speaking, he resolutely refused any escort and left with profuse thanks.
Ji Chengnin sat there in a daze for a moment.
Only when he heard footsteps did he slowly raise his head.
"Ah," Luo only managed to utter a faint whisper before Ji Chengning looked at Cui Yao in a daze, "Ah Yao?"
He then gave a dazed smile, "Why don't you go back and rest?"
Cui Yao did not answer, but stood quietly behind Ji Chengnin and gently pushed the wheelchair.
A faint, muffled laugh escaped Ji Chengnin's throat. "Where are you taking me?"
“A snake's den,” Cui Yao said.
Ji Chengning chuckled. "With A Yao's looks and aura, she should be a demon immortal at least." He tilted his head, his peach-petal-like eyes shimmering with tears. "Please, immortal sir," he reached out and gently tugged at Cui Yao's sleeve, "save my life."
He said he was asking for help, but Cui Yao knew very well that his character was unshakable.
But he still knelt down, asking, "How can we save the prince?"
Cui Yao silently took in his warm breath.
For a moment, he suddenly wondered if Zhou Yu had ever been this close to the Crown Prince.
Did the Crown Prince ever plead with him for help in such a pitiful state?
Cui Yao's gaze suddenly turned cold, but when she looked up at Ji Chengning, she remained gentle and graceful.
Ji Chengnin's complex expression remained unchanged. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "I beg the gods to tell me, when my father was assisting the emperor, was he as restless and fickle as I am now?"
This is a difficult question to answer.
To say so would be to slander one's ancestors, especially since this ancestor was the Marquis of Yongning, a man of great military achievements and far-reaching fame.
When he was about the same age as Ji Chengning, he had already fought on the battlefield and won merits and rewards. Later, when the late emperor died and people were in turmoil, he controlled the entire capital region army and had the merit of besieging Luoyang.
When Ji Chengnin thought of the Marquis of Yongning, and then considered his own current predicament and hesitant state, the sense of defeat in his heart was unimaginable.
To say that there is none would be detrimental to Ji Chengnin's current state of mind.
So Cui Yao reached out and gently covered Ji Chengning's eyes.
His long eyelashes brushed against his palm, tickling him so much that his fingertips trembled.
To Ji Chengning's surprise, Cui Yao's palm was actually warm.
He exhaled slowly, and then he smelled a faint charcoal scent emanating from the latter's palm.
With most of the light blocked, Ji Chengnin inexplicably felt a sense of peace in the darkness.
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures,” Cui Yao replied softly.
The voice whispers in your ear, gently enticing you to believe and become immersed in it.
Ji Chengning gripped the fish tally tightly.
...
Half an hour later, in the Imperial Study.
Qin Min relayed his conversation with the young Marquis Ji to the Emperor without any concealment. Among the revelations was, of course, that "the young Marquis was deeply moved and lost his composure upon hearing of His Highness's illness, and then accepted the fish tally. The young Marquis is indeed a man of deep feeling."
The emperor paused for a moment, holding the black pieces.
Upon hearing Qin Min say that Ji Chengnin had accepted the fish tally, most of the smugness he had shown, as if he had everything under control, vanished. He merely gave a lukewarm "Oh," and said, "He only accepted the fish tally because he heard that the Crown Prince was seriously ill?"
Qin Min's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, hurriedly saying, "Your Majesty, the young marquis heard that Your Majesty not only works hard on state affairs but also has to be distracted by your own, and felt extremely ashamed and grateful, which is why he accepted the fish tally."
The emperor smiled enigmatically.
"You don't need to make up lies to please me. I know his temperament better than you do."
Qin Min kowtowed as if in a great panic, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy in not punishing me."
The emperor's eyes were dark and unfathomable.
"He and the Crown Prince have known each other for many years and their relationship is closer than that of siblings. Therefore, he has not failed the Crown Prince's kindness towards him."
"Just like how I treated the Marquis of Yongning."
He made his move.
"Click".
...
The next day, Ji Chengnin got up very early, intending to sneak to the government office.
Unexpectedly, Ji Lin caught him red-handed on his way to court.
Meeting his second uncle's gaze, Ji Chengnin scratched his head sheepishly.
After all, he was the one who cried and shouted that he didn't want to do it anymore in Ji Lin's arms a few days ago, and now he's the one who's eagerly going to the government office. Even someone as thick-skinned as Young Master Ji is quite embarrassed.
Fortunately, Ji Lin only glanced at him for a few seconds before calmly looking away.
Perhaps his bones were itching again, Ji Chengnin eagerly moved closer, "Second Uncle, don't you have any instructions for your nephew?"
Ji Lin said, "Don't stand for too long."
Ji Chengnin: "..."
The next second, Ji Lin felt a weight on his sleeve. His most promising nephew in the world was clinging to his arm, crying loudly, "Second Uncle, when I become a high-ranking official, I will definitely ask you to be granted the title of Grand Tutor!"
Ji Lin's temples throbbed with anger, and she barely suppressed the urge to kick him. "Get out of here!"
Ji Chengnin happily rolled away.
Seeing him heading towards the carriage, Cui Yao lowered the curtain and quietly sat back down in her original seat.
Ji Chengnin got into the car with a smile.
Cui Yao gazed at his smiling face and smiled as well, "What good news has made the Crown Prince so happy?"
Ji Chengning flicked the scabbard at his waist, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth with a smile. "The thought of dealing with this earth-shattering case later fills me with immense joy."
The exam questions were leaked beforehand, and the rankings were already determined. Such a significant matter could not possibly involve just a minor examiner.
The killing of the chief examiner was merely to quell public opinion.
He wanted to see just how deep this boil was buried.
But no matter how deep, Ji Chengning pressed his hand firmly against the scabbard, a bloody smile that even he himself didn't notice appeared on his face. A knife was enough to cut flesh and heal wounds!
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Author's note: Young Marquis: I'll smear you scoundrels with red bean paste.
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