Chapter 4: So Fragile
Zhu Wenqin hesitated for a long time, but finally gritted her teeth, pinched her nose, and drank the bowl of medicine with difficulty.
After drinking it, he felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He quickly picked up the water beside him and repeatedly rinsed his mouth with his cheeks puffed up. Finally, he grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth...
Jing Siye saw this series of actions, and a smile appeared on his originally stern face:
This little guy is really delicate.
He raised his head slightly, thinking that he had failed to protect Li Xiao, causing him to be unjustly imprisoned.
Now his nephew has also been implicated. Since he is by his side, he should protect him well. If he cannot redress his wrongdoing, then that should be a small compensation.
After thinking for a moment, he looked at Zhu Wenqin with his narrow eyes and said slowly:
"From now on, you will stay in the main hall and serve as my personal bodyguard."
Zhu Wenqin: [Really? This means I have more chances to get closer to the big villain. 】
Jing Siye: I let you get close to me on purpose.
However, Zhu Wenqin quickly came to his senses, a trace of embarrassment appeared on his face, and he murmured in a low voice:
"But, Your Majesty, I am fine as a servant, but if I were to be a guard, I don't know any martial arts."
His voice became smaller and smaller, and he would glance at Jing Siye from time to time, as if he was afraid that the other party would change his mind.
"There are many people with strong martial arts around me, so you just need to take care of my daily life and clean the bedroom."
Zhu Wenqin's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great, I will do my best, thank you, Your Highness."
[Thank you, big devil.] 】
Jing Siye: ...
——
The next morning, the palace was busy as usual. What was different from usual was that Li Han, the servant of the prince, was missing.
The young guard Zhu Wenqin who replaced Li Han dragged his weak body to his feet. Today was his first day on duty with the prince, and he had to perform well no matter what, or he would be kicked out of the palace by the prince.
But when he got up, he found that he was still wearing the same white robe he had worn last night.
Could it be that the prince has changed his mind? Why doesn’t he let me wear a guard’s uniform?
As he was thinking, he heard footsteps outside the hall. Zhu Wenqin ran out without caring about the bandage on his head and wearing the loose white robe he wore last night. He saw Qi Feng and Xue Nian coming in with breakfast.
Jing Siye had already dressed and was sitting at the table.
Zhu Wenqin's heart suddenly tightened, and she knelt on the ground with a thump, and said with a trembling voice:
"Your Highness...I got up late. Please forgive me."
Jing Siye: "You're lazy on your first day on duty. According to the rules of the mansion, you should be punished with thirty strokes of the cane."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Wenqin's face turned pale instantly, and he quickly begged for mercy:
"Your Highness, please forgive me. Qin'er didn't mean to do that. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to wake up this morning, so I didn't dare to sleep. Later, I couldn't bear it anymore and fell asleep without realizing it. I even overslept."
Zhu Wenqin was not cut out to be a servant. He knelt down and begged for mercy while grabbing Jing Siye's sleeve. His hand raised weakly and the loose sleeve slipped down, revealing his arm, which was as white as lotus root but completely bloodless.
Jing Siye's throat rolled unconsciously, his eyes stayed on Zhu Wenqin's pale face for a moment, and his tone softened a little:
"Considering that you caught a cold earlier and haven't recovered yet, I'll be lenient this time and give you twenty strokes of the cane."
Zhu Wenqin slumped on the ground:
[Twenty blows would also kill Qin Er]
[Big devil, you did it on purpose. I was wondering why you were so kind to keep me by your side.]
[You obviously just want to make fun of me.] 】
Zhu Wenqin's eyes were filled with tears.
Jing Siye signaled Qi Feng to take action.
Qi Feng: "Guard Zhu, the prince has shown mercy and pardoned ten strokes of the cane. Hurry up and thank him."
Zhu Wenqin knew that there was no room for negotiation on the matter, and as she bowed her head to express her gratitude, tears welled up in her eyes.
Then, Qi Feng and Xue Nian each grabbed his arm and walked out of the hall.
Zhu Wenqin turned around and looked at Jing Siye with tears in her eyes, murmuring in her heart:
[Big devil, big bad guy,]
[I really tried my best today. I didn’t sleep much all night]
Jing Siye looked at the aggrieved little rabbit and felt an inexplicable pain in his heart. He tightened his fingers quietly: I do this to protect you.
——
"What? Li Han was kicked out of the palace by the prince!"
In the side courtyard, Wang Zhiyan's eyebrows were raised and her eyes were wide open.
She was forced upon Jing Siye by the present emperor. She is the daughter of the current Shangshu Wang and the most beautiful woman in the capital. To say that it was forced upon Jing Siye was only to say so. To Wang Zhiyan herself, it was something she wished for the most.
She had admired Jing Siye for a long time and had repeatedly asked her father to hint at the emperor's intentions before she received the emperor's order to enter Prince Zhaonan's palace.
However, the emperor did not force Jing Siye to make her a concubine. After all, given Jing Siye's personality, using force against him would only backfire.
What's more, Wang Zhiyan was full of confidence at the time, saying that with her charm, King Zhaonan would definitely be willing to make her the queen.
But later on, facts slapped her in the face. Not only had Jing Siye never touched her, he had also always kept her in the side yard.
The maid Mei Xue quickly knelt down and saluted, and replied timidly:
"My dear, it is absolutely true. I heard that he was beaten with thirty sticks."
Wang Zhiyan gnashed her teeth and said, "Humph, this useless dog slave, I finally managed to place him by the prince's side, and now he has ended up like this, he deserves it even if I beat him to death."
After saying this, she paced back and forth in the room, as if thinking of a strategy.
After a while, she stopped, looked sideways at Mei Xue, and asked:
"Who is serving the prince now?"
Mei Xue lowered her head slightly and replied softly:
"I heard that he was just a new guard. The prince said that he would no longer need any servants around him. They were all guards appointed by him, but..."
"But what? Tell me now!"
Wang Zhiyan interrupted her impatiently.
Mei Xue: "That little guard got up late on his first day on duty and was beaten with 20 sticks by the prince. He was half dead."
Xiao Zhiyan's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and she said proudly: "That's pretty good. A newcomer can be the prince's personal guard. I thought the prince had some other thoughts about him."
Mei Xue: "Young lady is both talented and beautiful, and no one in the capital can rival her. The prince will always see the good in young lady."
Wang Zhiyan raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a smug smile, and said proudly:
"Of course. Who else in the capital can be compared with me?"
As she spoke, she gently raised her hand and elegantly tidied her hair, her eyes revealing full confidence.
"Meixue, please pay more attention to the movements over there. If there are any people who want to seduce the prince, come and report to me immediately. Don't make any mistakes."
Mei Xue heard this and responded hurriedly:
"Yes, Miss, I will do my best."
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