Chapter 49 "I want you".
Emperor Yongcheng has been tossing and turning, unable to sleep for the past few nights.
Unexpectedly, the Prince Rong, who was imprisoned in the Crane Pavilion, harbored ambitions to usurp the throne and replace his father, the emperor!
Although Prince Zhao had reported the matter, the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards had deployed defenses inside and outside the palace in advance, and the three major battalions of the capital army were ready to send troops at any time, a coup would inevitably involve a fierce battle. No matter how many guards there were, they could not guarantee his safety.
In his opinion, capturing and interrogating Prince Rong directly would save him from living in constant fear and sleepless nights. However, doing so would make it difficult to eliminate all those ambitious and treacherous courtiers.
Therefore, he could only follow King Zhao's plan, observe the situation, and lure the snake out of its hole.
That night, he awoke from a nightmare again, drenched in sweat and trembling. He immediately ordered the Imperial Preceptor, Dongyangzi, to come to the palace for an audience so that he could have his fortune told again.
To everyone's surprise, Dongyangzi, who had always put his mind at ease, frowned tonight.
Emperor Yongcheng hurriedly asked, "Is there an ominous sign?"
After a moment of deduction, Dongyangzi said thoughtfully, "In midsummer of May, the yang energy is at its peak, and evil spirits are rampant. The Dragon Boat Festival falls on an inauspicious month and day, the first of the nine poisonous days. The Book of Rites says, 'When yin and yang contend, life and death are separated,' and it is said that having children is unfavorable to one's parents."
Emperor Yongcheng was greatly alarmed. He had never mentioned to the Imperial Advisor that Prince Rong intended to rebel, yet the Advisor had come true.
Seeing the emperor's pale face, Dongyangzi comforted him, saying, "Although the divination indicates a bloody disaster, Your Majesty's dragon energy is abundant, and ordinary evil spirits cannot harm Your Majesty's body. Your Majesty only needs to pay attention to warding off evil spirits and poisons around the Dragon Boat Festival, conserve your energy, fast, abstain from sensual pleasures, avoid excessive indulgence, and stay away from water. After the inauspicious period has passed, you will be able to turn danger into safety."
Emperor Yongcheng secretly kept these words in mind. The next morning at court, he directly issued an edict to cancel the long-planned Dragon Boat Race. To avoid the inauspicious period of the Dragon Boat Festival, the court sessions were changed from once every three days to once every five days. He also decided not to set foot in the inner palace that month.
This has inevitably sparked much discussion both within and outside the government.
When the news reached Hetingyuan, Prince Rong became even more convinced of the rumors of the Emperor's ill health and finally made up his mind to take a gamble.
...
In early May, bandits suddenly broke out in the suburbs of Beijing, granaries inexplicably flooded, and the palace tower collapsed. One accident after another occurred, and the Beijing garrison had no choice but to send troops to investigate. The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Guard were also forced to deploy troops to investigate and suppress the incidents.
Even Yan Xuecui and several commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were assassinated and injured outside the Northern Garrison.
The man was rescued and taken back to Prince Zhao's residence. When Chi Ying arrived at Yan Gui Lou, she was terrified to see him covered in blood.
Yan Xuecui grasped her sweaty palm, and vaguely saw that he had stained her body with several spots of crimson. He couldn't help but smile, a hint of teasing in his eyes. "What, are you afraid I'll die?"
Chi Ying felt a sharp pain in her eyes from the large patch of blood, her hands and feet turned cold, and her breathing became trembling.
Yan Xuecui lay on the bed and sighed softly, her voice weak: "Once I die, you will also be free."
Chi Ying hadn't thought that much about it, but when he mentioned it, her heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, making it hard to breathe.
At first, she thought he meant that once he died, no one would bother her every night, but she belatedly realized that she might have another kind of relief.
With King Zhao dead, her status as a queen was effectively over. She and Chi Yingyue returned to their respective places, no longer needing to live in constant fear, even having to sneak around to see her mother...
But deep down, she really didn't want to see this situation, and was even afraid of it. She was afraid of dying and of her identity being exposed, but she never thought of anything happening to him.
Despite the dull pain and spasms in her chest, Chi Ying gripped his hand tightly: "Your Highness, don't talk nonsense, everything will be alright..."
Lin Yuanpan rushed over from the Imperial Hospital, intending to examine Prince Zhao's injuries. However, the man who had just been on the verge of death and too weak to speak had already sat up calmly.
Chi Ying stared blankly as he slowly removed his blood-soaked outer robe, revealing a three-inch-long knife wound on his chest.
After carefully examining the wound, Judge Lin breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "The wound is not deep and does not need to be stitched. Just apply the wound medicine for a few days and it will heal quickly."
He looked again at the blood-stained robe, his brow twitching: "This bloodstains are..."
Cheng Huai looked at the princess, whose eyes were red, and forced himself to explain, "It's all the blood of assassins."
Otherwise, how could we make Prince Rong and the Ning family lower their guard?
Cheng Huai couldn't understand why His Highness had pretended to be seriously injured when he could have explained, which frightened the Princess Consort to death.
Chi Ying was stunned for a long time before she realized that she had been deceived.
It was as if the hand that had been gripping her throat had slowly loosened, but the suffocating pain in her throat had not lessened. Suppressing her emotions, she stood up and said in a low voice, "Since Your Highness is unharmed, I will return to Shuyu Zhai."
After saying that, she turned to leave, but Yan Xuecui called out to her from behind: "Aying."
Chi Ying pursed her lips and didn't respond, secretly clenching her fists and turning her head away from him.
Yan Xuecui had no choice but to soften her tone: "Come here."
Chi Ying bit her lip tightly and stood still. Yan Xue dismissed everyone and then stepped forward, taking her hand. "Were you worried about me just now?"
Chi Ying replied firmly, "No."
Yan Xuecui stroked her fingertips, touching the sticky bloodstains, then pulled her close, dampened a handkerchief with warm water, and, relying on the faint light, carefully wiped her palms and between her fingers.
Seeing that she was still sulking, Yan Xue urged, "Getting injured is just a normal part of my life. Didn't you know that when you first married into the family? I just didn't expect you to worry about me like this."
Chi Ying didn't quite understand, but the impulse in her heart still made her blurt out, "Your Highness could hide your blindness for two whole years to avoid upsetting your mother, so why do you have to..."
Is it because she's easy to fool?
Or is she someone who can be manipulated without regard for feelings?
But she regretted it halfway through her sentence.
Why bring up Consort Zhuang at this time? What is her status? She is not even a real princess, and she doesn't even have the right to worry about him. How dare she question him about these things?
She bit her lower lip, forcing back tears, and said, "I was just talking nonsense, Your Highness, you don't need to..."
“Ah Ying,” Yan Xuecui hadn’t expected her to say this, and after a moment of silence, she said, “I didn’t tell my mother because I am her only son, and she would definitely worry about me. But I don’t know your feelings, and I don’t know if you would also worry about me or feel sorry for me.”
Chi Ying was stunned as he turned around, forcing her to look directly at his face.
Yan Xuecui noticed that her eyes seemed to be reddening, so she raised her hand and touched the corner of her eye, and sure enough, she felt a tear stain spreading across her face.
His fingertips seemed to be burned, and he finally lowered his voice and said, "Now I understand."
Chi Ying asked in a muffled voice, "What does Your Highness know?"
Yan Xuecui smiled and handed her the wound medicine: "Help me apply the medicine."
Chi Ying wanted to refuse: "Let me let Eunuch Yuande in."
She didn't know why she had such a temper, daring to give a prince a hard time and say no.
Yan Xuecui, however, persisted: "I want you."
Chi Ying couldn't persuade him otherwise, and seeing that his wound was still bleeding, she really couldn't delay any longer. So she suppressed the inexplicable frustration in her heart and helped him stop the bleeding and apply medicine.
Perhaps she pressed too hard, because as soon as she pressed the gauze on, she heard him hiss softly, and there were faint blue veins bulging on his forehead.
Her heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "Does Your Highness feel pain?"
Yan Xuecui laughed and said, "It hurts, but I'm more than happy that you're treating my wound. Even though it hurts, I'm very happy about it."
Chi Ying thought to herself, "He always says these ambiguous things, leaving people feeling uneasy."
After applying the medicine, Chi Ying bandaged his wound with gauze while asking, "Who attempted to assassinate Your Highness?"
Seeing that he did not answer immediately, she guessed, "Is it the Prince Xuan?"
Yan Xuecui had always disliked her mentioning Prince Xuan, but hearing it now put him in a good mood, which showed that in her heart, Prince Xuan was the number one threat.
He gently stroked her hair, not saying anything directly, but simply saying, "I'll tell everyone I'm seriously injured and shouldn't show my face now. Tomorrow is Rouyi's birthday banquet. Are you sure you can manage on your own?"
Chi Ying knew in advance that tomorrow might not be peaceful, and she was actually a little uneasy. But since he said he would send people to protect her, she could only suppress her fear and nod reluctantly.
Seeing a guard loitering outside, she guessed that he had important matters to discuss with his subordinates, so she simply got up and took her leave: "Your Highness, please rest and recover here. My clothes are dirty, so I will go back and change them. I will not disturb Your Highness's rest today."
Yan Xuecui replied, "I'll have someone bring you a change of clothes."
Chi Ying: "..."
Yan Xuecui: "If you're not used to being here, I'll go with you to Shuyu Zhai."
Chi Ying sighed, ultimately unable to leave.
...
The next morning, Aunt Fangchun and Xiangqin came with exquisite and elaborate headdresses and dresses to dress her up in her finest attire.
With a heavy heart, Chi Ying boarded the carriage bound for Prince Qing's residence.
The Prince Qing's mansion had not heard any rumors, and the entire mansion was filled with a joyful and harmonious atmosphere.
A month ago, the manor began preparing for the little princess's birthday banquet. Soft carpets were laid on the manor roads, and swings were tied to the garden. Everything was arranged according to the little girl's preferences.
Most of the people in the mansion were familiar faces from the banquet, and there were also a few noblewomen whom she had done her homework on beforehand and had seen in portraits. With Princess Yu Xi mediating the atmosphere, Chi Ying gradually relaxed.
The two-year-old princess, dressed in a peach-colored floral dress with two little pigtails on her head, was being escorted by several maids as she rode a rocking horse. Before long, she lost interest and ran off to the grass to chase after a ball.
The little girl wasn't shy at all; she didn't cry no matter who held her. When she saw Chi Ying, she even swung her chubby arms, wanting Chi Ying to hold her.
Chi Ying had never held a child before, especially not this precious little princess, so she was afraid of hurting her if she held her in the wrong position.
Princess Qing, however, was not worried. While teaching her how to hold the baby, she said with a smile, "Sister-in-law and Seventh Brother have been married for a few months now. If you hurry up, you'll be able to hold a baby by this time next year."
Chi Ying blushed deeply, but dared not hope for anything. The future was uncertain, and she didn't know where she would be at this time next year. She could only take it one step at a time.
She presented the birthday gifts she had brought to Princess Qing, and then went with Princess Yu Xi to sit in the waterside pavilion for a while.
The princes all seemed to be on official business today, and Princess Rui did not come. Only Consort Lan, the mother of Prince Qingyang, Princess Chunyi, Princess Huizhen, and Princess Xuan were present.
When Chi Ying saw Princess Hyejeong, she pretended to be familiar with her and gave her a bow, but she did not see the two noble ladies who had been with her last time. Instead, Princess Hyejeong gave her a meaningful look.
Yu Xi pulled her aside and whispered, "Xu Wan's father, the Vice Minister of Works, was investigated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard last month, and Peng Jinxin's father, General Zhaoyi, had his home raided a few days ago for embezzling military funds..."
Chi Ying was secretly alarmed. What a coincidence! Both families had run into trouble after the banquet for beauties...
Princess Xuan greeted her and asked with concern, "I heard that Prince Zhao was assassinated yesterday. I wonder how serious his injuries are?"
The women in the pavilion were mostly relatives of the imperial family and didn't care much about the affairs of the court and the public. It was only then that they learned that King Zhao had been injured, and they all rushed over to ask him about it.
Chi Ying could only vaguely say, as Yan Xuecui had publicly stated, "Your Highness lost too much blood yesterday and is seriously injured, but his life is not in danger. The imperial physician instructed that he needs to rest well for some time, so he cannot come in person today."
He was trying his best to hide his guilty conscience when he said this, because this person not only did not rest, but also made a scene until the middle of the night yesterday.
It wasn't just that he lost too much blood; his wounds reopened several times, and what wasn't originally a serious injury was ruined by him.
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Author's Note: I'm here! Thank you all for the nutrient solution, my darlings! 50 random red envelopes are in the comments section [shy]
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