Chapter 36 But have you ever thought about what this young master wants?
"ah?"
Su Xiaoyu was stunned and hadn't reacted yet.
Xiao Jingheng slowly opened his eyes, his phoenix eyes as deep as a cold pool, staring straight at her with a hint of anger.
"Lin Wan'er specifically asked me to compose a poem, and you seem quite eager for it?"
Su Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat; he had indeed noticed!
Su Xiaoyu felt a chill run down her spine and quickly put on a harmless smile, trying to ingratiate herself:
"No, no! Your Highness, you misunderstand. This servant... this servant just thought the scene was quite lively, hehe, hehe."
She gave a dry laugh, trying to get away with it.
Xiao Jingheng was clearly not buying it. He leaned forward slightly, and the oppressive aura instantly washed over him.
"Is that so? But I feel that you want me to accept that poem even more than Lin Wan'er does?"
Su Xiaoyu was sweating profusely, her eyes darting around, and she stammered:
"This servant...this servant just thinks that Miss Lin is exceptionally talented and comes from a good family, making her a perfect match for Your Highness, uh..."
She dared not say anything more, because she noticed that Xiao Jingheng's expression was becoming increasingly unpleasant.
"A good match in terms of social standing?" Xiao Jingheng repeated the words, a slight smile curving his lips, but it was devoid of warmth.
"So, in your opinion, my marriage only needs to consider family background and talent?"
"No...no...you and Miss Lin are a couple..."
wrong!
Su Xiaoyu abruptly stopped talking, almost biting her tongue.
The original plot has been completely ruined! Not only was the prince unmoved, but he also publicly rejected Lin Wan'er. Now, saying "a couple" is just asking for trouble, isn't it?
Where exactly is the problem?
"What is it anyway?" Xiao Jingheng leaned forward, the oppressive feeling descending once more, determined to get to the bottom of it.
Su Xiaoyu made up her mind, feeling that it was necessary to let the prince see Lin Wan'er's good qualities.
"What I mean is, Miss Lin, she is such a good person! Not only is she talented, but she is also gentle and polite, and kind and generous!"
He racked his brains to list evidence: "Just like today, when Miss Du was making things difficult for Miss Second, Miss Lin even took the initiative to stand up for Miss Second. Although... her method might not have been quite right, her intention was good!"
She paused, then remembered the bracelet and quickly added, "Also, she thought we got along well and wanted to give me a very valuable jade bracelet as a gift, but I remembered the rules and didn't accept it!"
However, Su Xiaoyu didn't notice that she didn't say a single kind word about Lin Wan'er. Xiao Jingheng's gaze grew even colder.
In his view, giving him the fish bracelet was nothing more than an attempt to bribe those around him, and their intentions were despicable!
Speaking up for Lingxi is merely a way for her sister-in-law to protect her future after weighing the pros and cons.
This silly girl not only couldn't see through these schemes, but she also genuinely thought he was a good person, and even praised other women in front of him!
A surge of anger instantly welled up inside him, accompanied by a strong sense of possessiveness.
"Are you done talking?"
His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a calm that preceded danger.
Su Xiaoyu looked up and noticed that his expression was off.
"Your Highness... Ah!"
Her words came to an abrupt halt.
Because Xiao Jingheng suddenly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"You think she's perfect in every way, and a worthy match for me, so you're hoping I'll accept that poem and we'll have a 'beautiful story' together?"
"But have you ever considered what I, the young master, truly desire?"
Su Xiaoyu was stunned by his sudden action, and her cheeks instantly turned bright red.
She could clearly feel the warmth of Xiao Jingheng's fingertips and his gaze so close to hers.
The coldness in his gaze was gone; instead, it carried a burning intensity that she couldn't understand, as if he wanted to see right through her.
"What are your true intentions in going to such lengths to push me, the young master, away?"
His gaze was sharp and complex, filled with emotions Su Xiaoyu couldn't decipher. As he spoke, his face drew even closer, his thin lips almost touching hers…
Su Xiaoyu was so frightened that her mind went completely blank.
It’s over!
They've gone too far!
The young master seems so angry he's about to kiss me?!
No! That look is like he wants to devour her!
Fortunately, at the crucial moment, the sound of a strong wind came from outside.
"Your Highness, we've arrived!"
To Su Xiaoyu at that moment, the voice sounded like heavenly music.
She hurriedly retreated, step by step dismounting from the carriage and escaping the suffocating interior.
However, just as Su Xiaoyu was about to get off the carriage, everything went black without warning, and her body instantly went limp and collapsed...
"Little fish!"
Xiao Jingheng's expression changed drastically. The usually composed man almost instantly reached out and grabbed her, lifting her up in his arms.
"Quickly! Return to the manor! Summon the imperial physician immediately!"
The sound was one of panic that even the speaker himself was unaware of.
Changfeng was also startled by this sudden change, and quickly mounted a fast horse and headed straight for the palace!
Xiao Jingheng carried Su Xiaoyu and strode quickly towards his Linfeng Garden. His face was so dark it could drip ink.
Before several servants on the road could even get a good look at Su Xiaoyu's face, their young master swept past like a gust of wind.
After the figure disappeared, the servants rubbed their eyes, somewhat unable to believe what they had seen.
"Was the person the young master was holding in his arms just now... a woman?"
"Nonsense! Or is it a man?"
"But did you see the girl's face clearly?"
The other person shook their head, indicating that they hadn't seen it clearly.
Back at Linfeng Garden, Xiao Jingheng first settled Su Xiaoyu in a guest room, and then sent someone to call Xiao Lingxi back.
The servants quickly withdrew, and not long after, Changfeng led an old doctor into the room in a hurry.
The old doctor had walked in such a hurry that he hadn't even caught his breath yet. When he saw Xiao Jingheng standing in the hall looking perfectly fine, he was slightly taken aback.
"Your Highness, what is this...?"
"Thank you for your trouble, Imperial Physician. The patient is inside." Xiao Jingheng gestured for the other party to dispense with formalities and explained that the sick person was someone else.
Soon, the imperial physician carefully examined Su Xiaoyu's pulse, looked at her eyelids, and inquired about her condition, but his brows furrowed more and more tightly.
He examined Xiao Jingheng several times, finally stood up, bowed to him with a troubled expression, and said:
"Your Highness, this girl's pulse... is truly peculiar."
"What's the strange thing?" Xiao Jingheng's heart sank.
"The young lady's pulse is steady, and although her breathing is slightly weak, there is nothing seriously wrong with her. She also shows no signs of poisoning, injury, or acute illness."
The imperial physician carefully chose his words, "Logically speaking, she shouldn't be unconscious like this. This...this seems more like..."
"Like what?"
"In my decades of medical practice, I have only seen similar records in ancient medical books. This symptom is not like an ordinary illness, but rather resembles... a soul separation symptom."
"A condition of soul separation?" Xiao Jingheng frowned.
"That's right." The imperial physician nodded.
"Ancient books say that a person has three souls and seven spirits. If one suffers great fright, or... or is interfered with by some unknown force, causing the soul and spirit to become unstable, or even partially leave the body, this will manifest as a state of unconsciousness without any abnormal pulse."
"However, there is an even more mysterious explanation, which is called 'fate backlash'!"
The imperial physician continued, "It means that a predetermined trajectory was forcibly altered, and the person was punished by some unseen rule. Of course, this explanation is too mystical and is mostly folklore. There is no clear record of it in medical books, and I am merely making this up."
Little did he know, these words caused Xiao Jingheng's expression to change drastically!
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