Chapter 68 Chapter 68
After finishing the meal, Jiang Huai looked at Xiao Jingzhao, not knowing what to say.
He had said before that he could accept Xiao Jingzhao’s identity, but this acceptance did not include accepting Xiao Jingzhao as the prince.
Not only because Xiao Jingzhao became the crown prince, Jiang Huai's future life would undergo earth-shaking changes, but also because he and Xiao Jingzhao depended on each other on the road of exile, and the future was revealed. Even if it was under the excuse of the ancestor's dream, it made Jiang Huai less cautious when in front of Xiao Jingzhao.
If Xiao Jingzhao's identity was ordinary, even if he was the son of a noble family or a member of the royal family, it would be fine, but the other party happened to be the prince. Wouldn't the other party be able to analyze anything from the information he had revealed before?
Jiang Huai never underestimates the wisdom of the ancients. It is said that people who grew up in the palace are even more meticulous. Jiang Huai feels that he should be a transparent person in front of Xiao Jingzhao, but his understanding of Xiao Jingzhao is all based on falsehood.
Jiang Huai didn't think that the personality Xiao Jingzhao showed in front of him was a disguise, but his true nature probably didn't account for much of it. If his personality had changed, did he really love Xiao Jingzhao?
And the most important point is that Xiao Jingzhao sees him so clearly, so what is the relationship between them?
The more Jiang Huai thought about it, the more he regretted letting Xiao Jingzhao come over. Facing Xiao Jingzhao, he didn't know what to say.
"Huai'er..." Seeing Jiang Huai's eyes becoming more and more calm, Xiao Jingzhao became even more flustered. He held Jiang Huai's hand tightly and called out in a low voice.
"Let's all calm down first." Jiang Huai pulled out his right hand that was being held, rubbed his swollen eyebrows, and spoke in a low voice.
"...Okay." Xiao Jingzhao's palms felt empty, and his heart felt empty too. Although he didn't want to leave just like that, Jiang Huai's attitude was very clear. If he continued to stay, it would only make Jiang Huai disgusted, so he could only respond in a low voice.
Xiao Jingzhao walked very slowly, but the courtyard was so small that no matter how long he dawdled, he disappeared from Jiang Huai's sight and could only faintly hear some footsteps.
The footsteps gradually faded away until they disappeared completely. Jiang Huai sighed and heard a pair of very light footsteps approaching. It was a servant bringing tea.
Jiang Huai took a sip of tea and waved his hand to signal his servants to leave. He wanted to be alone and calm for a while.
The servant retreated quietly, his footsteps were so light that they could no longer be heard once he reached the courtyard.
"Wait a minute..." A thought flashed through Jiang Huai's mind, and he suddenly spoke out. The servant stopped and waited for Jiang Huai's instructions.
Jiang Huai stood up and walked a few steps, then asked, "Did you hear my footsteps?"
"I heard it." The servant didn't understand, but still answered honestly.
"How about this?" Jiang Huai moved a little further away and took a few more steps.
The servant shook his head: "You can't hear it this way."
"Come here." Jiang Huai gestured to the servant to stand inside the house, and then walked out step by step. After taking a few steps, he would ask the other party if he could hear the footsteps.
After such experiments, the result is that unless the footsteps are deliberately made louder, the footsteps will be so quiet that they cannot be heard in the courtyard. However, in order to hear them outside the courtyard, the person who is listening must have good hearing and the person who is walking must deliberately make footsteps.
Jiang Huai remembered that when he was in Anyuan Mansion, he was familiar with Xiao Jingzhao's footsteps because he could always hear the sound from a distance, and he became more and more familiar with it. However, Xiao Jingzhao had practiced martial arts, so his footsteps should not be heavy. The sound was so obvious, obviously because he deliberately made the sound.
Jiang Huai remembered that at the beginning, Xiao Jingzhao didn't seem to be like this. What caused the change?
"You walk without making any sound, it's a bit scary."
"When I was little, I loved reading casual books, but my grandfather... ahem, my grandfather didn't really like me reading. So I read secretly, and when I heard his footsteps coming, I quickly hid the book. I was almost discovered several times."
"Do you miss grandpa? I do, but I just haven't had the chance... Oh yes, there will still be a chance to meet him later."
It seemed that from then on, Jiang Huai became more and more familiar with Xiao Jingzhao's footsteps.
"Young Master?" The servant waited for a while, but before receiving Jiang Huai's next instruction, he hesitated for a long time before speaking.
"Go down." Jiang Huai closed his eyes.
"Yes." The servant responded and retreated quietly.
People's expressions can be deceiving, and so can their words, but this habit, which was deliberately developed and is of no benefit to Xiao Jingzhao, makes it hard for Jiang Huai to believe that there is no emotion involved, because even if someone wants to deceive him, there is no need to change himself in such details.
This change will make Xiao Jingzhao feel even more uncomfortable, but if Jiang Huai hadn't just realized it, he might never have noticed the effect in his life.
Jiang Huai clenched his fists tightly, a surge of anger surged in his heart for no reason, and he couldn't help but kick the wall a few times.
"How could it be the prince? How could it be the prince?"
Jiang Huai frowned, his eyes felt a little sore. He wiped his eyes hard. Although he hadn't cried yet, his eyes were already a little red.
…
Early in the morning, Wei Xuan entered the palace to discuss matters and saw someone winking at him.
Wei Xuan was confused. When he looked up and saw Xiao Jingzhao, his hair stood on end and an unprecedented sense of crisis filled his heart. It was as if his sixth sense was sending him a crisis warning.
After staying for a while, Wei Xuan was sure that his feeling was correct. In fact, Xiao Jingzhao's expression was not very scary. He was as unusually indifferent as usual. But even if his expression was the same, his aura would change.
Wei Xuan remembered that he had seen Jiang Huai return to the palace yesterday. In addition to looking forward to Jiang Huai's visit, Xiao Jingzhao exuded a sense of joy and anticipation. Even though his expression did not change, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Xiao Jingzhao was in a good mood.
But now, the coldness from Xiao Jingzhao seemed to be able to freeze people to death, and his words were extremely sharp and cold. Although the speed of handling state affairs became faster, people would rather not have this speed.
Moreover, Wei Xuan remembered that Xiao Jingzhao should have gone to see Jiang Huai yesterday. Logically, he should be happier. Why is he like this?
Unless, something goes wrong when they meet!
After some court affairs were discussed, other officials left. Before Wei Xuan could stand up, he was stopped by Xiao Jingzhao. Other officials used to envy Wei Xuan for being valued by Xiao Jingzhao, but now, feeling the atmosphere in the palace, some officials were glad that they didn't have to stay, otherwise staying any longer would really shorten their lives.
Wei Xuan knew that he couldn't avoid it. If it was about the relationship between Jiang Huai and Xiao Jingzhao, Xiao Jingzhao had no one to tell.
But Wei Xuan didn't really want to get involved in this matter. Emotions were too fickle. Moreover, with Xiao Jingzhao's current status, it was not appropriate for him to say anything. After all, the more he said, the more mistakes he would make. What was the emperor's attitude back then, and what was the fate of the Wei family later? Wei Xuan could clearly feel the coldness of imperial power.
Now Xiao Jingzhao seems to have not changed much, but no one can tell what will happen in the future.
"Uncle." Xiao Jingzhao's voice was a little soft and a little fragile.
When Wei Xuan heard the address, his heart couldn't harden. Although he had warned himself after coming to Beijing that they could no longer get along as before after Xiao Jingzhao restored his identity, and he had tried his best to stick to this principle these days, the feelings they had for so many years, especially the past five years, were not fake.
"Huai'er knows my identity."
Wei Xuan suddenly looked up. What happened? He had kept it a secret yesterday, how could it be exposed so quickly?
Although Wei Xuan had already had some guesses before Xiao Jingzhao spoke, after all, Jiang Huai and Xiao Jingzhao had a good relationship, and if there was any hidden danger in their relationship, identity would be the biggest one, but he did not expect that this hidden danger would break out so quickly.
"When I returned home yesterday, I met Xiao Zeyang, and he revealed my identity." Xiao Jingzhao explained.
"What about Jiang Huai..." Wei Xuan hesitated. Although he knew from Xiao Jingzhao's attitude that Jiang Huai's reaction would be huge, he still needed to analyze how big it would be. What if it was just because Xiao Jingzhao cared too much about Jiang Huai and he couldn't accept any reaction from Jiang Huai?
"He..." Xiao Jingzhao still didn't dare to recall Jiang Huai's every move. He thought he wouldn't remember it clearly, but when Wei Xuan asked, Jiang Huai's astonishment, confusion, and shock when he first heard the news, the strangeness and rejection in his eyes, and the boredom that made him go back to calm down all emerged before his eyes.
Xiao Jingzhao coughed violently, and a fishy and sweet taste came out of his mouth.
For military generals, the smell of blood is an extremely familiar smell. Wei Xuan didn't expect that just asking would cause Xiao Jingzhao to react like this. His scalp tingled and he was ready to call the imperial physician.
"Uncle, it's okay." Xiao Jingzhao stopped Wei Xuan. He knew the condition of his body well. He was injured when he was assassinated by the emperor five years ago. In the past five years, although he was recuperating, he had to go to the battlefield at the same time, which would leave some hidden injuries. Especially recently, he was busy with the war and had to deal with state affairs. He was somewhat tired, so it was normal for him to feel a little unwell.
Now it was just because of Jiang Huai's matter that he couldn't hold himself back anymore.
"You're still okay even after vomiting blood?" Wei Xuan didn't understand.
"If Huai'er finds out about calling the imperial physician so loudly, and he doesn't know the specifics, he might get worried," Xiao Jingzhao said. "Not to mention, he might misunderstand me as using a self-torture tactic."
What a coincidence. He was fine yesterday, but today he vomited blood and called for the imperial physician. If it were Xiao Jingzhao, he would also be suspicious of such a coincidence, especially since he has a criminal record.
"Let's check it out later when we take Ping An's pulse." Xiao Jingzhao added.
Wei Xuan was silent, feeling very complicated. Every time he thought he understood Xiao Jingzhao's feelings for Jiang Huai well enough, Xiao Jingzhao's actions would exceed his expectations.
Seeing Xiao Jingzhao like this, Wei Xuan couldn't help but think of his previous thoughts. Every time he wanted to treat Xiao Jingzhao as the emperor, Xiao Jingzhao's actions made him change his mind.
"If you want to be with Jiang Huai, you must take good care of yourself. Since ancient times, the emperor has favored someone who has never fallen out of favor. When the emperor is around, the person will be safe and happy. But if the emperor is not around..." Wei Xuan could only persuade her like this. Only when Xiao Jingzhao is in good health can his relationship with Jiang Huai be guaranteed.
"Don't worry, uncle. I know." Xiao Jingzhao responded.
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