Chapter 407 Ayina
A chilling frost covered Huo Lin's handsome face, and worry was almost overflowing between his brows.
He had already heard from his servants about the perilous situation in the capital today, and his heart nearly stopped pounding.
Upon hearing that Jiang Huan was in He Ling's palace, he immediately rushed over.
The moment He Ling met Huo Lin's gaze, she wisely buried her head under the covers.
Without a word, he bent down, picked Jiang Huan up horizontally, and held her tightly in his arms.
"Having just survived an assassination attempt, you're already showing off again. If you exhaust yourself and something bad happens to you, you expect me to..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Huan interrupted him.
Jiang Huan buried her face deeply in Huo Lin's firm and warm chest, and all the strength she had been holding back was instantly drained away.
"Huo Lin...I'm so tired..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Huan's vision went black, she was completely exhausted, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Huo Lin carried the unconscious Jiang Huan, walking briskly, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
The palace servants along the way knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe.
He carefully placed Jiang Huan on the bed in the Weiyang Palace and immediately summoned the imperial physician.
After taking the pulse with trepidation, the imperial physician reported, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, the Imperial Noble Consort is merely unconscious from exhaustion. The Crown Prince's pulse is stable, and there is nothing seriously wrong. He will recover with proper rest."
Huo Lin's tense expression eased slightly, and he waved for the imperial physician to go and prescribe a calming and energy-boosting formula.
He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Jiang Huan's still slightly furrowed brows as she slept, and tenderly reached out to smooth her brows.
[It's also my fault. I'm always so unprincipled, letting her run wild. Now she doesn't even care about her own health.]
[Once she's fully recovered, see how I... Sigh, never mind, I can't bear to part with her.]
Sleep well, have a good night's sleep.
He carefully tucked Jiang Huan in and instructed the palace servants to take good care of her before getting up to deal with the assassins, but his heart remained with Weiyang Palace.
Meanwhile, the carriages escorting Princess Ayina by the northern desert delegation had successfully arrived in the capital and settled in the palace.
Although Ayina was travel-worn, she didn't have time to rest and immediately instructed her attendants to take stock of the gifts she had brought, most of which were specially prepared for Jiang Huan.
Beside her stood a woman dressed as a maid from the northern desert, her head bowed in quiet repose; her name was Tana.
She resembled Ayina in appearance, but appeared more delicate.
This woman was the illegitimate daughter of the Khan of the Northern Desert, and Ayina's nominal maidservant. She was forced into the Khan's marriage procession under the guise of serving him, but in reality, she was there to monitor him.
Ayina was fully aware of this, and it bothered her greatly.
After the palace servants carried the gifts away, only Ayina and Tana remained in the hall.
Ayina dismissed her attendants, walked up to Tana, snorted coldly, and warned, "Tana, listen to me carefully. I don't care what Father sent you here for, this is not a place for you to play tricks. You'd better behave yourself. If you dare to have any improper thoughts..."
Her fingers lightly traced the scabbard of the dagger at her waist, her tone chilling: "Don't blame me for being impolite when the time comes."
Upon hearing this, Tana trembled slightly, but a flash of resentment quickly crossed her eyes: "Yes, Princess, I understand. I would never dare to have any unrealistic ambitions and will certainly abide by my duty."
Ayina snorted coldly and stopped looking at her.
On the other side, Jiang Huan slept for a long time, only waking up slowly the next afternoon.
"Your Majesty, you're finally awake!"
Xiao Zhao, who had been watching over the bed, was overjoyed to see this and immediately went over to help Jiang Huan sit up. She then turned around, poured a cup of warm tea, and handed it to her.
"You've been asleep for almost a day and a night, and I was so worried about you."
Jiang Huan took the warm teacup and sipped it slowly. The warm liquid slid down her throat, bringing a touch of warmth, and her pale face gradually regained some color.
"Did I sleep for that long..." Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up. She subconsciously touched her swollen belly and felt the little one moving peacefully inside, which reassured her a little.
It's alright, it's good that I'm exercising regularly.
As the saying goes, those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune; my two little rascals will live healthy lives from now on!
"That's right!" Xiao Zhao said, seeing that her complexion had improved, and she became more talkative.
As she deftly tidied the bed, she said, "Oh, right, there's something else I need to tell Your Highness. Princess Ayina has arrived and moved into the palace yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huan's eyes, which had previously held a hint of weariness, instantly lit up, as if they had been infused with light.
"Has Ayina arrived?"
Her tone was clearly joyful as she immediately instructed, "Quickly, Xiao Zhao, help me wash and change. Keep it simple. Also, prepare some refreshing tea and snacks. Hmm... pack a few plates of the freshly made snow cakes from the kitchen. I'm going to check on her."
Seeing that she was about to move around as soon as she woke up, Xiao Zhao quickly dissuaded her, "Your Highness, you've only just recovered, why don't you rest a bit longer? Or perhaps you could invite the Princess over for a chat?"
"No, thank you," Jiang Huan shook her head and smiled, "She has come from afar. I am the host and she is the guest, so it is natural for me to go see her. Besides, lying down for too long is boring, so it's good to move around."
After washing up, Jiang Huan felt her strength returning, so she took Xiao Zhao and several palace maids, carrying food boxes, and went to Ayina's place.
Upon hearing that Jiang Huan had arrived, Ayina immediately came out to greet her.
Today she changed into a gorgeous palace dress in the style of the northern desert, the colors of which made her eyebrows and eyes even more deep and bright, like the most dazzling sun on the grassland.
"Oh, you're awake? I thought you were going to sleep until noon."
She spoke jokingly, but subconsciously reached out to support Jiang Huan, saying, "Look at your face, it's as white as paper. Why aren't you resting in the palace? What are you doing out here in the wind?"
Jiang Huan found it both amusing and heartwarming to see her stubbornness despite her obvious concern.
"If the princess doesn't welcome me, then I'll be leaving. It's alright if I leave, but the delicious tea and snacks will come with me."
As soon as Ayina heard that the delicious food in her mouth was about to run away, she quickly grabbed her, saying, "You're already here, you can't run away even if you want to!"
The two entered the hall and sat down, where palace servants served them tea and snacks.
Jiang Huan opened the food box she had brought, revealing golden and crispy snow cakes inside: "Here, try these. I just made them recently. They're called snow cakes. See if they suit your taste."
Ayina curiously picked up a piece, put it in her mouth, and took a gentle bite. The crispy texture instantly burst between her teeth, accompanied by a perfect balance of salty and slightly sweet flavors, which made her eyes light up.
However, she quickly composed herself and gave a nonchalant evaluation: "Hmm... it's alright, so-so, not quite as good as our Mobei milk curds."
As he spoke, he unconsciously reached out and took the second piece.
Jiang Huan couldn't help but chuckle, but didn't expose her.
At this moment, Ayina seemed to remember something and gestured to the maid beside her.
The maid brought out several exquisite gift boxes, which Ayina took, then awkwardly pushed them in front of Jiang Huan, her eyes drifting to the side.
"I just brought them along, please keep them and don't overthink it!"
Looking at the carefully selected and valuable gifts in her arms, and then at Ayina's awkward expression, Jiang Huan felt a warm glow in her heart.
This must be what it feels like to be kept by a rich woman!
"I just keep thinking about how you're so good to me, so considerate, and so generous~"
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