Chapter 108 Chapter 108 "As for whether to admit it or not." ...
The prince's funeral was over, but a sense of sadness still lingered inside and outside Chang'an City.
It was late at night and everyone was asleep. Only the white lanterns under the eaves were swaying in the wind, casting desolate shadows all over the ground.
Xie Zhiyan returned to Yunyu Hall in the moonlight, his body chilled by the night dew.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
The curtain was lifted by a white jade-like hand, and the man who had not been seen for a whole month strode forward.
"Yeah." Sheng Puzhu raised his head upon hearing the voice, with surprise in his eyes, but he was still very tired.
She looked not very well, leaning bonelessly on the couch by the window, with a thin blanket covering her body. She was reading some book under the dim light of a candle beside the table.
"I can't sleep." Sheng Puzhu turned around and yawned lazily.
Ever since returning from Yumen Pass, Sheng Puzhu seems to no longer like to pretend.
He looks listless, but he is much more casual than before. He still rarely acts like a spoiled child, but the emotions in his eyes always tell him clearly.
Xie Zhiyan loved her free and easy look. As for etiquette, he didn't care about it at all now.
Sheng Puzhu put the book in her hand on the soft couch, her calm brows concealing a hint of worry. The soft light shadow outlined the delicate contours of her profile. Her cheeks, which had finally regained a little bit of health and vitality some time ago, were becoming thinner again, and her chin was pointed, making her look even more fragile.
"I'm holding you."
"Just coax her into falling asleep, okay?"
Xie Zhiyan leaned over, put his arms through the soft and sensitive knees, and with a little force, he picked the person up sideways.
In late autumn, September, the nights are deep and the dew is heavy.
Sheng Puzhu was only wearing a plain white dress and was held in Xie Zhiyan's arms. She could clearly feel the cold body temperature coming from under his clothes, and even a trace of moisture that had not dissipated.
"My dear, have you taken a cold shower?" Sheng Puzhu put her cheek close to his neck and sniffed gently. The refreshing scent of bath beans mixed with the cold fragrance of cypress nuts. Her eyes were half-closed and her fingertips were red from the cold.
"Yeah." Xie Zhiyan replied softly, his calm eyes revealing a weariness that was difficult to conceal. "Taking a bath in the study can help me stay clear-headed and calm."
From the moment the crown prince passed away, Xie Zhiyan had been dealing with various matters in the palace and the court for nearly a month, which had almost exhausted all his energy and he would not allow himself to relax at all.
Bathing in late autumn, only the freezing well water could keep him alert.
"My dear, you have lost weight." Sheng Puzhu did not loosen her hand around Xie Zhiyan's neck. Her soft fingertips gently stroked his slightly tense jaw and caressed the newly emerged, prickly blue-gray stubble.
Under the candlelight, the red bloodshot in Xie Zhiyan's eyes was clearly visible. It was obvious that he had not slept a full night during the period of the prince's funeral.
"Are you still feeling bad?" Sheng Puzhu's voice softened, and her brows slightly furrowed, obviously caring about him.
Xie Zhiyan didn't answer immediately, but simply looked at her deeply for a long moment before carefully placing her on the inner side of the bed. He lowered his head, his cool forehead resting gently against Sheng Puzhu's brows. After a long pause, he uttered a very soft "hmm."
"Actually, I'm not completely unprepared for Jiulang's physical condition."
"As long as I can remember, he was often seriously ill, and only in recent years has he become much healthier."
Xie Zhiyan raised his hand and hugged the soft and boneless body tighter in his arms, as if this would make him feel better.
"He was born with deficiencies and a weak foundation, but even so, he lived more seriously than anyone else. I just didn't expect..."
Xie Zhiyan didn't finish his words, but gave Sheng Puju a look that seemed to want to say something but hesitated. In an instant, he understood his unspoken meaning.
Compared to dying of a chronic illness that was ineffective despite medical treatment, it was far more humiliating for Crown Prince Xiao Changsui, the heir to the throne, to die in a carefully planned poisoning.
After a long silence, Sheng Puzhu moved, curled up in Xie Zhiyan's arms, and asked in a muffled voice, "Then... Princess Changning is in the palace, is she okay?"
Xie Zhiyan was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "In a place like the palace, there are countless ways to torture people. Moreover, Princess Changning has been pampered since she was a child. Even if the Empress Dowager is soft-hearted and my mother can look after her in the palace, her situation will definitely not be easy."
Sheng Puzhu felt sad. Although she was certain that Princess Changning was definitely not the one who poisoned her, she had Prince Ning and Prince An behind her. Now she was afraid that she could not even fully trust Princess Duanyang.
Xie Zhiyan reached out and stroked her furrowed brows, lowering his voice even more: "The person who poisoned her was very skilled. The Saint is furious and needs to give an explanation to the world."
"If the true culprit is never found, then Princess Changning, who personally delivered the mooncakes to the Eastern Palace, will only become a scapegoat for the Saint to vent his hatred."
Xie Zhiyan looked calm, but Sheng Puzhu felt a chill on his back. His soft body slowly curled up into a ball and he hugged him tighter.
Xie Zhiyan lowered his head and found those plump lips. He kissed them gently, not with lust, but in a comforting way.
Rare gentleness and restraint, intertwined with indescribable tenderness.
After the kiss, Xie Zhiyan didn't leave. He hooked his index finger into Sheng Puzhu's palm, his chest heaving: "Fortunately, you're okay."
These five short words contained such deep emotions. When the news of the prince's poisoning came, his first reaction was to check the pulse of his wife who was sleeping soundly.
The fear that almost tore him apart, his sanity was crumbling.
Xie Zhiyan didn't even dare to imagine what kind of crazy thing he would do.
Sheng Puzhu understood, and his heart softened. He raised his head and lifted his chin. It wasn't a very skillful move, but it was a rare initiative.
It was a comfort, but also a silent message to him.
She's fine.
The kiss became increasingly heavier, with irresistible force, gradually pressing her slender back against the cold rosewood bedpost, but her jaw was gently pinched by Xie Zhiyan's cold fingers, making her unable to move.
Sheng Puzhu tilted her fair neck back, enduring the attack as his deft tongue pried open her unguarded teeth, driving straight in and entangling her wantonly, completely depriving her of her breath.
When the kiss ended, both of them were breathing heavily.
"That day, the Crown Princess asked me who I thought was the person who poisoned me."
Sheng Puzhu licked her lips, and a light sweat appeared on her body. She pressed her dizzy cheek against Xie Zhiyan's heart. The steady and strong heartbeat seemed to give her infinite courage.
"I don't know why, but I thought of Prince Ning."
“But it also seems ridiculous.”
After a pause, Sheng Puzhu subconsciously bit her swollen lower lip. "Princess Changning is Prince Ning's only child. Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs. Even if he really had that intention, could he really be so cruel as to let his only child bear the wrath of a saint?"
Xie Zhiyan looked at her and scraped Sheng Puzhu's lower lip with his rough fingertips: "Let go, or you'll bleed if you bite again."
"Even if it's not Prince Ning, he must be related to it."
"The Dali Temple has found some evidence."
Sheng Puzhu was slightly stunned: "Is it related to Prince Ning?"
Xie Zhiyan lowered his gaze and said calmly, "No, this evidence is related to Prince An."
"I believe there will be a result tomorrow."
"As for Prince Ning," Xie Zhiyan suddenly sneered, "sometimes, not everyone is worthy of being called 'father'."
Sheng Puzhu's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and his palm-sized face looked up.
She pursed her slightly swollen lips. In the end, she didn't ask any further questions, but changed the question to: "Mother, when can you come back from the palace?"
"In a few days, when everything is settled, I will find a way to bring my mother back home."
Xie Zhiyan's eyes flashed with a fierce look: "Puzhu, if it is not necessary, do not leave the house these days."
"Even if it's Aunt Duan Yang, stay away for now and don't get too close."
After hearing this, Sheng Puzhu nodded without hesitation: "Okay."
Late at night, the two of them lost all desire to sleep because of the heavy topic.
They hugged each other tightly, and Xie Zhiyan's palms firmly grasped the slender waist that was not thick enough to be held in one hand. The strength was so great that the palms of his hands, which were still cold even through the thin inner clothes, made the skin on her waist feel as if it was burned by fire.
Her slender shoulders trembled uncontrollably, not out of resistance, but out of the same desire.
Fortunately, the two of them still had their sanity. Whether it was a national mourning or mourning, any behavior that exceeded etiquette was not appropriate at the moment.
Hugging and kissing became the only outlet. In the fierce and almost fierce kiss, the breath was weak and all further progress was stopped between the lips and teeth.
After a long time, Sheng Puzhu collapsed in Xie Zhiyan's arms, her eyelashes wet.
She struggled to find her voice, which was hoarse from the emotion.
"The Eastern Palace is currently vacant, and court officials have submitted petitions requesting the selection of a virtuous royal family member as successor."
"Saint, will you agree?"
In fact, this is what Sheng Puju is really worried about, and it is the problem that has kept her tossing and turning in bed for the past month.
I should have asked at the beginning, but there were too many facts weighing on my mind. Moreover, among the Xiao royal family, the only one who could be considered to be related by blood was probably Xiao Xuan'an, the son of Prince An.
Xie Zhiyan's eyes were as dark as thick ink that could not be dissolved. He was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly and quietly, "Whether the Saint agrees or not."
He held her hand, his narrow eyes narrowed slightly: "The Xie family and the Sheng family will never agree."
While Sheng Puzhu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, she subconsciously asked, "Besides Xiao Xuan, does the Xiao family have any other male heirs?"
Xie Zhiyan shook his head: "No, they are all dead."
"The rumors in the palace say that none of the princes who were raised so cautiously and kept out of the wind survived."
As Sheng Puzhu felt incredible, she heard Xie Zhiyan suddenly lower his voice: "Before Jiulang left... he stuffed something into my hand."
"What is it?"
Xie Zhiyan smiled and said, "It's a letter. In it... he asked me for one last favor."
Sheng Puzhu didn't say anything, just looked at him quietly.
Xie Zhiyan's eyes became sharp, with a coldness that made people dare not look directly at him: "Xiao Heyin has secretly set off to return to Chang'an."
"No recall to Chang'an?" Sheng Puzhu's throat was very dry and his raised eyelashes trembled.
Xiao Heyin is the saint's only daughter and the prince's sister. She was sent to Yumen Pass since she was young. In addition, she has military power and her fiefdom is far away in Shanzhou. She is not allowed to return to Chang'an without an imperial edict. This is an iron rule.
Because of this, she did not even return home for the prince's funeral.
"My dear, what do you mean...?" Sheng Puzhu took a deep breath. She didn't dare to think about it, but her chest seemed to be burning with fire.
Xie Zhiyan's lips curled up slightly: "I don't care who is sitting on the dragon throne..."
"But it definitely can't be Prince An's son—Xiao Xuan."
He pronounced the name with an undisguised cold fear and rejection.
Sheng Puzhu seemed to understand, but also seemed not to understand.
From the day the crown prince passed away, she had understood Xie Juyuan's intention of marrying his second daughter to Xiao Xuan'an. The sage had no male heir, and there was no one else in the Xiao royal family to choose from except Xiao Xuan'an.
It seems like an unbreakable deadlock, but no one could have imagined it.
The Duke Jingguo's Mansion was willing to take a desperate measure and chose Xiao Heyin, who was the most unsuitable but also the most legitimate choice.
This was by no means an impulsive move, but a risky one that was carefully considered, and it might even be... the result of the Crown Prince's dying instruction!
Sheng Puzhu's heart was beating like a drum, and she clutched Xie Zhiyan's clothes tightly. As an independent woman, she didn't think it was absurd, but she had never thought of this possibility. Once she thought of it, she couldn't stop the surging emotion in her heart: "Does the Saint know?"
"Saint..." Xie Zhiyan raised his hand to extinguish the candle in the inner room. He did not answer immediately, but gently touched the top of her soft head. "He doesn't need to know."
"Now we just have to wait for the Crown Princess's unborn child to be born safely. That is Jiulang's only bloodline left in the world."
"If it's a boy, he'll be the legitimate continuation of the bloodline and help stabilize the government. If it's a princess," Xie Zhiyan said calmly in the darkness, his eyes filled with stars. "It's fine for a princess, too."
Sheng Puzhu gently kissed his slightly raised Adam's apple with her lips. A chill ran down his spine. She asked uncertainly, "Do you think the world would approve?"
Xie Zhiyan lay still, one hand caressing the soft cheek: "Compared to the suffering of all living things, what people want is nothing more than peace and prosperity."
"As for whether you recognize it or not."
He suddenly sneered: "Xiao Heyin said that since Jiulang is not here, then all the descendants of the Xiao royal family will be killed."
"Kill them all."
"Then it can only be her."
Sheng Puzhu's tense body relaxed instantly. This was indeed something Xiao Heyin could do. Her heartbeat was rapid and her eyes blinked. "Does my family and my grandfather know about my husband's plan?"
"Um."
"Don't worry."
"I am responsible for everything in the family."
Xie Zhiyan's eyes were fixed on her in the darkness, his tone firm.
Rather than comforting, it is more of a hidden greed and possession. When the emotions accumulate to a certain level, he tears off the disguise of calmness and wants to be simple and straightforward.
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