After watching Xie Chang'an leave, Ye Jingchen then asked Fangfei to leave as well.
"Your Highness, is your throat injured?" When only the two of them remained in the bedchamber, Imperial Physician Zhang immediately asked, as he could tell from the moment he arrived that His Highness's voice sounded off.
Ye Jingchen pulled his collar down a little and raised his head to show his neck to Physician Zhang.
When Physician Zhang saw the obvious bruises on Ye Jingchen's neck, his expression changed instantly.
"Your Highness, these are pinch marks. Who dared to assassinate the Crown Prince?"
"Ahem... It wasn't a pinch mark, it was just that I accidentally went too far with the Crown Princess, do you understand what I mean?" Ye Jingchen coughed and said somewhat embarrassedly.
The old doctor's expression became incredibly complex, and he hesitated to speak.
Ye Jingchen pretended not to see anything and simply asked with a smile, "Could you check if I have any internal injuries?"
If he weren't worried about a fractured laryngeal cartilage or damage to blood vessels in his neck, he would have covered the pinch mark with ointment long ago and wouldn't have let anyone else know.
Physician Zhang approached and examined the wound carefully. Fortunately, although the marks looked horrifying, they were only bruises on the surface of the skin and had not damaged the inside.
Mr. Li's ointment was more effective in treating these wounds. After Physician Zhang left, Ye Jingchen applied the ointment himself in front of the bronze mirror.
As a result, Ye Jingchen didn't eat anything else for lunch and dinner that day, only drinking some soup and a throat-soothing medicinal meal prepared by Physician Zhang.
Fangfei and the others were unaware that Ye Jingchen had injured his neck. They assumed that his poor appetite was due to Xie Chang'an's absence and remarked on the deep affection between the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.
After leaving the sleeping quarters, Xie Jia led Xie Chang'an to the stables and brought out Hei Mo.
Heimer was overjoyed to see its master and affectionately nuzzled Xie Chang'an's hand with its head.
Xie Chang'an took a great liking to Hei Mo as soon as he saw him and mounted his horse. As he did so, many fragments of memories flashed through his mind.
But those memories were fleeting, and Xie Chang'an was preoccupied with returning to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, so he didn't pay them any attention.
At the Donghua Gate, all the Imperial Guards bowed and addressed her as "Crown Princess."
Xie Chang'an found it all absurd.
He knew Emperor Shengping better than anyone. He had always doted on the Crown Prince and placed high hopes on him. How could he possibly agree to let him marry a man as a concubine, especially a man from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!
And his family members, weren't they already dead?
He could have asked the guards, but Xie Jia's actions made him lose trust in the guards around him.
After leaving Donghua Gate, he spurred his horse and galloped towards the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was not far from the palace gate, and the horse ran fast, so he soon arrived at the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The mansion was exactly the same as he remembered, but the stone lions in front of the gate and the plaque were spotless, without a speck of dust, and even the lintel looked brand new.
This is a well-maintained mansion that clearly has been inhabited.
The vermilion gate was wide open, with guards standing watch at the entrance.
Xie Chang'an dismounted from his horse, led it, and strode towards the door.
"Greetings, Crown Princess!"
Upon seeing him, the guards at the gate quickly saluted, and someone even came over to take the reins from his hands.
Xie Chang'an's expression twisted.
It's one thing to be called the Crown Princess in the palace, but why do the guards at home also call her the Crown Princess when she returns home?
He walked into the mansion with a cold face.
The layout of the mansion was exactly the same as he remembered; it was clean and vibrant everywhere, with servants and guards visible in all directions.
However, what bothered Xie Chang'an was that everyone who met him called him Crown Princess.
At first, he walked, but as he walked, he started running.
He first went to his mother's courtyard, but when he entered, he only saw a somewhat familiar maid; otherwise, it was completely silent.
When the maid saw him, she also came forward to greet him, addressing him as the Crown Princess.
"Where is Mother?" he asked with some difficulty.
"The Crown Prince's wife has gone to the northern frontier? Has the Crown Princess forgotten?" the maid asked in surprise.
"Is Mother in the Northern Frontier?" Xie Chang'an breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon hearing this, then asked expectantly, "And Father?"
"The Crown Prince has been in the Northern Frontier all along. Why are you asking such strange questions today, Your Highness?"
"Father didn't die in battle? That's wonderful!" Xie Chang'an felt like he had come back to life, and even wanted to laugh out loud.
"Died in battle? Since you and His Highness the Crown Prince drove out the Northern Barbarians, there has been no war in the Northern Frontier for several years. Where did you hear such nonsense?" the maid asked suspiciously.
Xie Chang'an had no intention of answering the maid's question, and instead asked, "What about the old matriarch? What about my grandparents, uncles, and aunts?"
This time, the maid did not answer his question, but looked at him suspiciously.
"Are they alright?" Xie Chang'an's smile gradually faded as he saw that she didn't speak.
The maid sized him up for a while before speaking, "The masters are all well. Crown Princess, please come with me."
As she spoke, she led him out of the courtyard and headed towards a certain place.
As they walked, Xie Chang'an realized that the maid was not leading him to the courtyard where his ancestor and grandmother lived, but rather to the courtyard where servants were housed.
Realizing something was wrong, Xie Chang'an stopped and asked her, "Where are you taking me?"
"I am just a servant responsible for sweeping in the Crown Prince's wife's courtyard. I am not qualified to see the Old Madam, the Duke, and the Duchess. So I will take you to see Uncle Xie first," the maid said cautiously.
Xie Chang'an was speechless for a moment.
He never expected that his mere return to his residence and contact with one person would arouse the other's suspicion.
It can only be said that the other party is indeed worthy of being a maidservant by her mother's side; her alertness and ability to adapt to changing circumstances far exceed those of ordinary people.
He didn't know who Xie Bo was, but he figured he must be the steward of the mansion.
Although he saw through the maid's intentions, he did not expose her, but instead planned to cooperate with her.
Knowing that his family was safe and sound, his restless heart calmed down.
The Xie Bo mentioned by the maid is the steward of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and also a familiar face to Xie Chang'an.
He still remembered the scene when the old man was shot in a vital spot by a hidden arrow while trying to save him, and collapsed in front of him.
Now, although the old man looks somewhat hunched over, with a frail face and graying temples due to his advanced age, at least he is still alive.
Upon seeing the old man, Xie Chang'an realized that everything here was different from his memory.
After the maid brought him here, she invited Uncle Xie aside to talk, and kept looking at him as she spoke.
Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, Xie Chang'an could guess.
This is where the role of the secret guards becomes apparent.
"Xie Jia—"
He called out Xie Jia's name and then tossed him two words.
"explain."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
