Chapter 95 My Heart Aches "Gu Xi, I'm in a lot of pain."
The north wind, carrying frost and snow, howled and whistled against the vermilion walls of the Qianqing Palace.
Inside the hall, the eunuchs knelt on the ground, their heads bowed low, holding their breath, their bodies trembling slightly.
Dressed in a black dragon robe, Xiao Heng exuded a fierce aura. He had just slammed Xiao Che to the ground. At this moment, the veins on his neck were bulging, and his eyes were like a frozen pool.
Xiao Che struggled to prop himself up, his elbows braced against the cold gold bricks. His blue python robe was torn askew, a gash appeared on his lips, from which bright red blood seeped, and his forehead was also scraped. He looked utterly disheveled.
He hastily wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with his sleeve. The pain from the fabric brushing against his wound made him furrow his brow. When he looked up at Xiao Heng, his eyes were filled with arrogance and resentment.
Xiao Heng looked down at him, his dragon robe collar slightly disheveled, his face without a single wound, only his knuckles stained with a little blood.
His eyes were like ice, and his fierce voice was forced out from between his teeth: "If you dare to be disrespectful in front of me again, I will cripple you!"
If it weren't for some lingering brotherly affection, he would have made sure he never left the Qianqing Palace today!
Xiao Che, however, remained unfazed and continued to provoke, "Am I wrong, Your Majesty? You were the one who came later. If you hadn't used any means to steal her away, she would have been my wife. When did it become your turn?!"
Upon hearing this, the eunuchs who were kneeling on the ground trembled even more violently, their heads pressed straight against the floor, almost ready to kowtow and beg for forgiveness.
Zhao Fuquan, who was also kneeling on the ground trembling with fear, prayed in his heart: Sixth Prince, please shut up!
Xiao Che's words struck Xiao Heng squarely at his sore spot, like adding fuel to the fire of anger that was already burning in his heart.
Those deep eyes instantly flashed with a sinister and brutal light, like a lurking beast eyeing its prey, ready to tear the person before it to shreds at any moment.
In the instant his anger surged, before Xiao Che could react, Xiao Heng had already bent down and grabbed his collar, the movement so fast that it brought with it a sharp, cold wind.
He grabbed Xiao Che by the collar with one hand and lifted him up sharply, while his other hand was already clenched into a fist, swinging with tremendous force towards Xiao Che's face—
"stop!"
A hurried female voice suddenly came from outside the hall, with a few gasps and a slight tremor.
Xiao Heng's waving fist stopped in mid-air. When he looked up at the person who had come, the sinister look in his eyes instantly disappeared.
Zhao Fuquan breathed a sigh of relief; the Empress had finally arrived!
Gu Xi stepped over the threshold, lifted her skirt, and ran quickly toward the two of them. The hairpin in her hair was slightly crooked because she was running too fast, and there were still some snowflakes stuck to her temples.
The two men in the hall were on the verge of drawing their swords. She first glanced at Xiao Heng, who had a fierce look on his face, and finally fixed her gaze on Xiao Che, who was lying on the ground in a sorry state with his face covered in wounds.
She stopped in front of the two of them, slightly out of breath, and without saying a word, pulled Xiao Heng's hand down from Xiao Che's collar. She frowned and looked at Xiao Heng, asking angrily, "What are you doing?"
Upon hearing the news, she instructed Zhuyin and Huayue to take good care of the child before rushing over immediately.
If she had arrived any later, who knows what kind of beating Xiao Che would have received!
The murderous aura surrounding Xiao Heng vanished instantly. His hands fell to his sides, and he began to explain, "Gu Xi, I..."
Gu Xi ignored him and turned to Xiao Che with concern, asking, "Brother Che, how are you?" She bent down and helped him up, her eyes full of worry.
With Gu Xi's help, Xiao Che slowly got up, his body still swaying unsteadily. He glanced at Xiao Heng casually and comforted him, "Xiao Xi, I'm fine. I offended my brother with my words. He was just angry for a moment. Don't blame him."
Gu Xi didn't say anything more, but took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, stood on tiptoe slightly, and wiped the bloodstains from Xiao Che's lips. Xiao Che lowered his head to cooperate. Her movements were already very gentle, but he still hissed in pain.
Seeing that he was seriously injured, Gu Xi quickly said, "Brother Che, let me go with you to the Imperial Hospital to get it treated."
"Alright." Xiao Che looked down at Gu Xi, his gaze softening. When he looked up at Xiao Heng, his face regained its cold expression: "Your Majesty, then I shall take my leave." His eyebrows were slightly raised, a hint of provocation in his expression.
He wanted to let him know that many people coveted her, and even though they were together now, he couldn't let her suffer even the slightest grievance, otherwise he would take her away at any time.
He also wanted to avenge the harm she had suffered, even if the person who did it was his own brother.
Gu Xi's mood became anxious due to worry. She lowered her head and pondered, unaware of the undercurrent between the two. She turned around and left Qianqing Palace with Xiao Che.
She was still thinking that she should let Yun Ke handle it later, since she was a woman and her movements would be gentler.
Xiao Heng stared at the two figures disappearing around the corner, frozen in place. His heart felt as if it had been stung by something, a sharp, persistent pain spreading through him.
His knuckles were slightly curled, and he was shrouded in an aura of dejection, looking as if he were broken.
The eunuchs inside the hall remained kneeling, not daring to make a sound. Having been immersed in the palace for many years, they could keenly sense their master's emotions without even glancing at him.
Zhao Fuquan inwardly groaned, wishing he hadn't summoned the Empress!
Suddenly, a dark figure appeared, breaking the silence.
Lu Xiao, who had been hiding on the roof beam witnessing everything, leaped down and landed beside Xiao Heng. He shook his head, looking at him with a disappointed expression: "My lord, are you just going to let the young mistress go like that?" He still habitually called Gu Xi that. He earnestly advised, "My lord, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but sometimes a man needs to show weakness... The Sixth Prince's actions just now were clearly intentional!"
Xiao Heng glanced at him, his face regaining its sharp expression: "You talk too much," he said, turning around and glancing at the palace servants on the ground. "Get up, all of you."
He sat back down at his desk, pondered for a moment, and then picked up his pen to begin dealing with the day's state affairs.
Seeing that he was bleeding from his chest but still not moving, Lu Xiao quickly walked to his side and threatened, "Fine! Don't blame me for not reminding you. If the young mistress is taken away, don't take it out on us!"
Xiao Heng paused in his movements, and his aura turned cold.
Whether Lu Xiao didn't notice or was doing it on purpose, he continued to ramble on and on, trying to provoke Xiao Heng.
Zhao Fuquan swallowed hard, glanced quickly at Lu Xiao, and sometimes he admired the kid for his audacity and fearlessness.
However, what he said was not without reason. When the emperor and empress quarrel, it is ultimately they who suffer.
But he also knew in his heart that it wasn't that the emperor didn't want to leave, but after experiencing the loss of the empress, he was afraid that if he displeased her in the slightest, she would leave him again.
Lu Xiao spoke with increasing enthusiasm, while Xiao Heng's face grew extremely ugly. Finally, he ordered in a deep voice, "Throw him out! Give him thirty strokes of the cane!"
Outside the Qianqing Palace, the board fell on Lu Xiao's body again and again. Every blow was especially painful in the dead of winter. Lu Xiao lay on the bench, screaming and yelling.
"Young mistress, help me!"
"Our lord is utterly disregarding human life!"
"Honest advice is hard to hear!"
The more he shouted, the harder the blows came, and Lu Xiao's heart-wrenching screams echoed throughout the Qianqing Palace.
Since that day, Xiao Che has come to the Imperial Hospital every day, ostensibly to change his medicine, and each time he finds various excuses to get Yun Ke to call Gu Xi over as well.
Mu Yunke clearly saw through Xiao Che's intentions, but she simply cooperated silently without exposing them.
Xiao Che was of noble status, and the Imperial Hospital arranged a special quiet room for him. When the medicine was being applied, only a few people were there, and no one else disturbed him.
Every time he entered the palace, he would bring Gu Xi some novelties from outside the palace, or tell her interesting stories to make her happy. In order not to make her think too much, he would also give her some baby items, saying that it was a little something from his royal uncle.
Gu Xi always returned from the Imperial Hospital with a smile on her face, looking like she was in a great mood. Xiao Heng's face, however, became increasingly gloomy, especially after learning from Lu Xiao about how the two had spent time together at the Imperial Hospital.
About half a month later, Xiao Che's facial injuries had completely healed, leaving no trace.
On this day, in the imperial court.
The ministers presented their memorials in turn, each expressing their own opinions.
General Gu, now the emperor's brother-in-law, still treats the emperor with the same coldness as always, and always finds an opportunity to retort to the emperor. Even the emperor's father-in-law can't control him.
The emperor always listened with a dark face, but never punished him.
Everyone knows that the Emperor and the Emperor's brother-in-law are at odds, but when it comes to discussing new policies that concern the foundation of the country, the Emperor's brother-in-law always sides with the Emperor.
All the officials in the court could see clearly that although the two were at odds in the court, they were actually of one mind and one heart.
For this reason, people who wanted to ask for favors or offer advice to the emperor practically wore down the Gu family's doorstep, but Gu Xiao coldly rejected them all.
But today, no matter what General Gu said, the Emperor's expression did not seem to change much.
Xiao Heng sat on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed in thought, his gaze occasionally drifting to Xiao Che's face. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the armrests of the throne, as if he were pondering something.
Gu Xiao stood in the hall, having finished reporting on the allocation of grain supplies in the southern border region. He was bowing and waiting for Xiao Heng's decision, but there was no response for a long time.
At this moment, the Golden Palace was completely silent.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Zhao Fuquan called out several times, whispering in his ear, "Your Majesty, General Gu has finished his report."
Xiao Heng composed himself and said, "Let's do it this way."
After the court assembly, Xiao Heng summoned Xiao Che to the Qianqing Palace.
Not long after, Gu Xi, who was preparing to have breakfast in Kunning Palace, received another report from a palace attendant.
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! The Emperor and the Sixth Prince are fighting again!"
Inside the Qianqing Palace, Xiao Heng stood motionless, his jaw taking a solid punch from Xiao Che, yet not even his eyelashes trembled.
He pressed the tip of his tongue against the wound on the inside of his mouth and tasted a metallic sweetness, as bright red blood beads spilled from the corner of his mouth.
Xiao Che was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected Xiao Heng to not dodge at all.
He looked at his clenched fist, and just as he was about to throw another punch in disbelief, that voice, which was extremely familiar to both of them, suddenly rang out.
"Stop!" Gu Xi shouted in alarm.
She lifted her skirt with both hands and rushed between the two like a gust of wind, spreading her arms to protect Xiao Heng behind her. Her eyes met Xiao Che's with a firm look, as if to say that no one was allowed to harm the person behind her.
"Xiao Xi, I..." Xiao Che tried to explain in a panic, but Gu Xi couldn't hear anything. At this moment, her mind was filled with the injury on Xiao Heng's face and the bright red blood at the corner of his mouth. She suddenly turned around urgently to face Xiao Heng.
She stood on tiptoe, cupped his reddened chin in her palm, gently wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips with her thumb, and asked with reddened eyes, "Does it hurt?"
Xiao Che suddenly realized that Xiao Heng was doing it on purpose!
Gu Xi stood between the two men, glaring at Xiao Heng through gritted teeth. Just as he was about to berate him for being despicable and shameless, Lu Xiao and Wei Ran appeared beside him, covered his mouth, and carried him out of the Qianqing Palace.
Gu Xi was preoccupied with Xiao Heng at the moment and was completely unaware of what was happening behind her.
Xiao Heng watched the group disappear before the palace gates, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Gu Xi's wrist. He lowered his head, rubbed his cheek against her palm, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "It hurts."
Gu Xi's eyes reddened even more upon hearing this.
Xiao Heng suddenly released her hand, wrapped his arms around her, bent down slightly and rested his chin on her shoulder, his voice slightly hoarse: "Gu Xi, I'm in a lot of pain."
She returned to his side, but she was no longer the same as before, her heart and eyes were full of him, and he was in great pain.
When she smiled sweetly at other men, when she cared for other men, he felt pain too.
She still loved him, but there seemed to be a layer between them, and his heart ached uncontrollably.
Gu Xi tightened her grip on his clothes, then broke free from his embrace after a moment, took his hand, and walked out of the Qianqing Palace.
Xiao Heng looked down at their clasped hands, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and then gripped her hand tightly in his own.
This seemed to be the first time she had taken his hand since their reunion.
The two quickly arrived at Kunning Palace. Xiao Heng sat on the couch, and Gu Xi took out a medicine box from the cabinet and stood in front of him to apply medicine.
She lowered her head and carefully cleaned his wound, her expression focused, her eyes only on him.
As she was about to apply the ointment to the wound on his lip, Xiao Heng suddenly leaned over and hugged her.
His arms tightened around her, and he buried his head in the crook of her neck, his warm breath brushing against her skin.
After letting him hug her for a while, Gu Xi pushed him away with both hands, muttering, "If you're disfigured, I won't like you anymore..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng's heart tightened, and he straightened his body to cooperate with the application of the medicine.
When Gu Xi's fingertips touched the corner of his lips, he suddenly remembered what Lu Xiao had said and deliberately flinched, saying, "Be gentle." His voice was intentionally hoarse.
Gu Xi's heart softened upon hearing this, and her tone was gentle yet coaxing: "Just bear with it, it won't hurt in a while." Her movements were very light, as if she were handling something fragile, and her eyes were full of concern and heartache: "Does it still hurt?"
Xiao Heng was captivated by the tenderness in her eyes. After a while, he turned his head to the side, his lips pressed tightly together, his voice hoarse: "It hurts." His tone was stiff, and the movement of turning his head to avoid her was too much and seemed too deliberate.
Gu Xi looked at him suspiciously, recalling when he was stabbed when he first entered the palace. He was so badly injured but he didn't cry out in pain. Is the injury on his face really that painful?
She avoided the wound, placing her fingertips elsewhere, and asked, suppressing a laugh, "How about this? Does it hurt too?"
Xiao Heng groaned, his voice stiff: "It hurts."
Looking at his tense and deliberate expression, Gu Xi finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Why is this person acting all cute and coquettish?
Xiao Heng was slightly taken aback, suspecting that Gu Xi had seen through his thoughts. His eyes flickered, and his expression began to become unnatural.
Gu Xi didn't expose him. She quickly suppressed her smile and suddenly realized that he might have deliberately hurt her.
She carefully applied the medicine to his face, then cupped his face in her hands, tilted her head, and gently placed her lips on the other side of his uninjured lip, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Xiao Heng was stunned for a moment, then, after realizing what was happening, he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked at her intently.
Gu Xi pursed her lips and looked at him for a while, then poked his chest with her finger and said angrily, "You're not allowed to fight with Brother Che anymore!"
These two aren't children anymore, so why do they resort to fists and kicks at each other all the time?
And someone always gets hurt!
"Okay," Xiao Heng replied, his gaze tender and affectionate.
For the rest of the day, Xiao Heng kept pestering Gu Xi, even bringing memorials to Kunning Palace to review. Every half hour he dealt with state affairs, he would reward himself with an hour of intimacy with Gu Xi. Gu Xi, unusually, did not chase him away, but repeatedly told him not to fight with Xiao Che again.
Xiao Heng readily agreed, but a few days later, he and Xiao Che started fighting again.
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! The Emperor and the Sixth Prince are fighting again!" A palace attendant rushed in to report.
Gu Xi's heart tightened, and she hurriedly rushed to the Qianqing Palace.
She shouted, "Stop it, both of you!" Xiao Heng and Xiao Che stopped swinging their fists in the air.
She jogged over to the two of them, panting as she looked around. This time, both of them were injured, and more seriously than the previous two times. Gu Xi frowned as she looked at them, her eyes filled with both anger and worry.
"Who started it!" Gu Xi said angrily.
The two men swallowed hard, neither daring to reply.
Gu Xi was furious; it seemed neither of them was innocent!
She glanced at them helplessly and said to Zhao Fuquan, who was kneeling on the ground, "Steward Zhao, please go and call Yun Ke over." After thinking for a moment, she added, "Also, go to Kunning Palace and have Zhuyin bring over that bottle of skin-regenerating ointment."
"Yes," Zhao Fuquan replied.
Zhao Fuquan quickly brought Yun Ke and Zhu Yin there.
Gu Xi had a servant bring over two chairs. Xiao Heng and Xiao Che were now sitting side by side on the chairs, while she and Yun Ke stood in front of them, cleaning their wounds.
Gu Xi had already applied the wound-regenerating ointment to Xiao Heng's wound and was about to hand the medicine bottle to Mu Yunke when Xiao Heng grabbed her hand and stopped her, saying, "Gu Xi, this medicine is for you, it cannot be used on other men."
Gu Xi looked confused. Wasn't this her father's gift? But she quickly realized what it meant, and her heart skipped a beat.
Before she could answer, Xiao Che said, "Xiao Xi, since my brother doesn't agree, I won't use it. My injury is nothing serious, so don't make things difficult for me."
Xiao Heng's sharp gaze swept over Xiao Che, and he said through gritted teeth, "Let him use it!"
Mu Yunke thought to herself, "This Sixth Prince is quite cunning. The Emperor probably can't beat him. But none of that matters. What's most important is who the Empress's heart is with."
She took the medicine bottle from Gu Xi and had just applied it to Xiao Che when she heard him let out an exaggerated "hiss" and look pained. She couldn't help but say, "Sixth Prince, I've already been very gentle."
Gu Xi turned her head and saw Xiao Che grimacing in pain. Filled with worry, she wanted to go over and see how badly he was hurt.
Xiao Heng immediately pulled her back, suddenly stood up, took her hand, and walked quickly towards the Qianqing Palace. She stumbled after him, and when she turned to look at Xiao Che, Zhao Fuquan happened to block her view.
Zhao Fuquan watched Xiao Heng's back, then silently turned to look at Xiao Che, shaking his head inwardly. It was already a loss of decorum for the emperor and the prince to fight each other, and now they were fighting over a girl. Where was his usual dignity?
It must have been really tough on their Empress.
Lu Xiao, who was hiding on the roof beam, was quite relieved. This time, his master finally got the hint and didn't let the young mistress be taken away by the Sixth Prince.
As soon as Xiao Heng and Gu Xi disappeared from the front hall, he jumped down and, together with Wei Ran and Wei Lin who appeared out of nowhere, forcibly took Xiao Che away from the Qianqing Palace.
Inside the Qianqing Palace's sleeping quarters, Xiao Heng sat on the edge of the bed, with Gu Xi sitting on his lap. Gu Xi frowned and asked, "Didn't you promise me you wouldn't fight with him?"
Xiao Heng did not answer her question, but instead asked, "Gu Xi, if I don't come looking for you, will you not come looking for me?"
After returning to the palace, she never took the initiative to look for him. Even if he didn't go to Kunning Palace for a whole day, she wouldn't come looking for him for even a moment.
An invisible chasm separated them, and this chasm became increasingly apparent after they returned to the palace.
Gu Xi lowered her eyes, staring blankly at a certain spot, and said in a flat tone, "I'm here now, aren't I?"
Xiao Heng looked straight into her eyes. He wanted to ask, if he hadn't been fighting with Xiao Che, would she have come?
The two fell silent for a moment, the only sounds in the room being their breathing and the howling of the north wind outside the window.
Gu Xi composed herself, her cool fingertips gently tracing the edge of the wound on his face: "Please don't get hurt again, okay? It breaks my heart."
Xiao Heng grabbed her hand and pressed it against his face, savoring the taste: "And what about him? Would you feel sorry for him too?"
"Yes," Gu Xi nodded and explained earnestly, "He has been by my side since I was born. In my heart, he is like my brother, a very important family member to me."
Xiao Heng's expression softened somewhat, and he asked with bright eyes, "And what about me?"
Gu Xi stared at him for a while, whispering in her heart: You are the one I love. But she didn't say it aloud, instead burying her face in the crook of his shoulder.
Before long, Xiao Heng heard her soft breathing beside his ear. He pulled her into his arms, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips, and whispered in her ear, "Gu Xi, will I never be able to get your complete love again?"
Not long after that day, Xiao Heng and Xiao Che started fighting again for some unknown reason, and this would happen every now and then. Moreover, they would always try to get beaten up in order to win Gu Xi's attention.
Gu Xi went from being terrified at the beginning to gradually becoming numb.
She was completely helpless against the two of them. After realizing their intentions, she made up her mind and decided to ignore everyone who came to deliver messages from then on, and to remain indifferent to whoever was injured. Eventually, the two of them finally calmed down.
Whenever Gu Xi thinks about this, she feels utterly helpless.
As the days went by, the icicles on the eaves of Kunning Palace melted, and the snow in front of the steps completely disappeared.
Gu Xi gradually got used to life in the palace. Apart from handling state affairs, Xiao Heng spent the rest of his time by her side.
Every day, she fell asleep in his arms and woke up in his arms.
As she woke up, Gu Xi opened the window and felt the spring breeze on her face, carrying the fragrance of magnolias and green grass.
As all things revive, the Gu family also welcomes a joyous occasion.
Gu Xiao and Yu Xinyao have finally tied the knot and will be getting married next month.
Gu Xi was overjoyed, and even Xiao Heng was infected by her emotions, his lips always curving into a slight smile, making him look much more amiable.
Not long after, something happened to Gu Xi that made Xiao Heng's guard up and his heart turn cold.
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Author's Note: Haha, I feel like I can write a few more chapters! [laughing and crying emoji]
December 21, 2025: This chapter has 2000 new words, some additional plot details, and a little sweetness.
December 24, 2025: Revised again! The added plot points were originally planned to be moved to later chapters or side stories; putting them in this chapter felt a bit abrupt. [laughing emoji]
Which version do you guys think is better? [laughing emoji]
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