Chapter 431 If the Emperor wants to punish someone, then punish me.
"Brother Baoyu said..." Li Suining was trembling all over, his face was pale, and his voice was intermittent, "He... he is very happy to be able to help you."
Almost as soon as the last word came out of his mouth, the little guy couldn't hold on any longer, his head tilted and he fainted.
"Li Suining! Li Suining!" Yuan Xiaonian shouted anxiously several times, but got no response at all.
At this time, the people from the East Palace and Yonghua Palace who had been prepared long ago had arrived. They fed the two little guys with cold-repelling medicine and then took them away to their respective palaces.
Only Yuan Xiaonian was left standing there in a daze, with a complicated expression on his face.
He could have stopped all this and told them that he had a way to leave the cold palace, but he didn't.
For his own purposes, he watched two children jump into the icy lake for him. He... deserved to die!
"Second brother!" Yuan Huaihong came at some point.
Yuan Xiaonian turned around, his anger finally finding an outlet. He strode forward and grabbed Yuan Huaihong by the collar, "Are you crazy? What on earth do you want to do?"
He didn't think that Yuan Huaihong was such a kind fool. All this was definitely not just to rescue him from the Eastern Palace. There must be other purposes.
Sure enough, Yuan Huaihong's expression was very calm, and he was not angry because of Yuan Xiaonian's questioning.
His voice sounded calmly, "It's simple. Help you and help them."
Yuan Xiaonian's mind was in a mess, and he looked at Yuan Huaihong in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Help you escape from the cold palace." Yuan Huaihong pulled back his collar and continued, "Help them... become your benefactors when you were unknown."
Yuan Xiaonian shook his body and looked at Yuan Huaihong in disbelief. He felt that those eyes, which were as gentle as water, now looked particularly sharp.
He had no doubt that Yuan Huaihong knew what he was thinking and what he had been planning for all these years.
However, Yuan Huaihong obviously didn't care.
"I will leave." Yuan Huaihong said calmly, "After I leave, I hope you can take good care of them and protect them."
Yuan Xiaonian frowned in disbelief, "Leave?"
"I hate this place, I hate everything about it." Yuan Huaihong stood in the snow, looking around at everything that was familiar yet disgusting. After a long pause, he added, "Even if... it means death."
Yuan Xiaonian was even more surprised.
"So," Yuan Huaihong didn't explain too much, and directly extended his hand to Yuan Xiaonian, "For the rest of our lives, at least while I'm still in the harem, let's walk together as brothers!"
Yuan Xiaonian looked at Yuan Huaihong's hand and was obviously struggling.
After so many years, he has long been accustomed to being alone.
Yuan Huaihong did not give up and continued in a cold voice, "Isn't the smell of blood in this harem strong enough?"
Yuan Xiaonian knew that if he joined forces with Yuan Huaihong, things would be simpler, there would be fewer casualties, and the road ahead would be easier.
But he...can he really trust him?
"You can think about it again." Yuan Huaihong did not force him. "Letting you leave the cold palace is my sincerity. After the matter is settled, you can decide."
He nodded slightly to Yuan Xiaonian, turned and left.
Yuan Xiaonian stood alone by the lake for a while. The lake was particularly calm in winter, just like the harem for so many years. But what kind of danger was hidden beneath this calmness? Only those who were in it knew.
He soon returned to the cold palace.
"Mother, do you think... the prince can be trusted?" Yuan Xiaonian couldn't help but ask Concubine Jing for her opinion.
Concubine Jing was still knitting gloves. Yuan Xiaonian's gloves had entered the final stage and would be finished soon.
"That child..." she said slowly, "maybe one day she will surprise Shangguan Jinglan."
Concubine Jing remembered it very clearly. At that time, Yuan Huaihong was probably only four or five years old. Shangguan Jinglan gave him an article to read, but he turned around and burned it.
Later, the maidservant around Yuan Huaihong complained to Shangguan Jinglan, but when Shangguan Jinglan came again to question him, Yuan Huaihong actually recited it word for word.
This child was extremely disdainful of what Shangguan Jinglan asked him to do. He resisted, and the result was self-evident.
Concubine Jing couldn't even remember when it started. The Emperor of Jin and Shangguan Jinglan all had only satisfaction in their evaluation of Yuan Huaihong, but that was just satisfaction, and there would not be any praise beyond satisfaction.
She felt that this was also what was so scary about this child.
How can a tiger that has retracted its teeth and claws really turn into a docile cat?
So she always believed that as long as she survived, she would see the day when the tiger would show its power.
Yuan Xiaonian didn't ask any more questions, but said in a deep voice, "It should be within a few days before we can leave the cold palace. It was done by... Yuan Huaihong, Yuan Baoyu, and Li Suining together."
"Sui Ning is indeed a good child." Thinking of the little girl, Jing Fei's eyes became more gentle. "If Le Ping were alive... he would probably be as cute as her."
——
The news of Yuan Baoyu and Li Suining falling into the water quickly spread throughout the harem. Yuan Tianchen and Shangguan Jinglan rushed to Yonghua Palace as soon as they heard the news.
"What happened?" Yuan Tianchen asked coldly when he saw Concubine Yi. "How do the people in your palace view people? Why did they let Baoyu fall into the lake?"
A group of maids and eunuchs were already kneeling on the ground.
"Your Majesty, please spare me. It was Princess Suining who accidentally fell into the lake. The situation was a bit chaotic at the time, and no one expected that His Royal Highness the Fifth Prince would jump in as well."
Chunxiang answered timidly.
Shangguan Jinglan's face instantly turned cold upon hearing this. "Is it Li Suining? I've already said that this girl is a jinx and can no longer stay in the palace."
"No, no..." Yuan Baoyu, who was lying in Concubine Yi's arms, suddenly shouted, "Don't chase Li Suining away!"
"You kid..." Shangguan Jinglan gritted her teeth in hatred, "You almost lost your life..."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," Imperial Concubine Yi said through tears, "It was I who failed to take good care of Baoyu. If you want to punish someone... punish me."
"Okay, no one wants to blame you. What happened to Baoyu? What did the imperial physician say?"
Yuan Tianchen took a few steps forward, took Yuan Baoyu from Concubine Yi's arms, and looked at his youngest son with a face full of heartache.
"After Baoyu returned, I immediately prepared some cold-dispelling medicine for him to drink. He's doing okay now," Noble Concubine Yi said, wiping away tears. "The imperial physician said it's a blessing the child was rescued in time, otherwise... the consequences would be disastrous."
Yuan Tianchen nodded in understanding, "Indeed, who was it that rescued Baoyu? I will reward you handsomely!"
"Your Majesty," Chunxiang replied cautiously, "The place where His Royal Highness the Fifth Prince fell into the water was closest to the Cold Palace. It was His Royal Highness the Second Prince who heard our cries for help, rushed out, and jumped into the lake to save His Royal Highness the Fifth Prince and Princess Suining."
Yuan Tianchen frowned, "Who?"
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