Chapter 84 Cold Blooded

Early the next morning, Jun Jingxing kicked open the door with hot water.

"My Lord, are you awake?"

He placed the water on the shelf, walked to the inner room, hung the overlapping bed curtains on the hooks, and said to Sui Yan in the quilt: "How do you feel now?"

Sui Yan was extremely tired yesterday. He was given several injections and took some medicine. He slept for a whole night and finally woke up naturally.

He fluttered in the quilt for a few times, then struggled to stick his head out. His face was still a little pale, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I still feel a little uncomfortable."

Jun Jingxing heard his voice change, frowned, sat down, touched his head, and asked, "When did you go to bed last night?"

Sui Yan was confused: "Hey... you told me to sleep and I slept. What time was it? Don't you remember?"

Jun Jingxing: "But the prince..."

Sui Yan, sleepily, propped himself up with his hands and sat up, but before he could stand up, he fell back again, almost knocking himself dizzy.

Jun Jingxing hurriedly supported him.

"You're still having a fever, so don't get up. I'll ask someone to boil some medicine for you."

Sui Yan would fall seriously ill every winter, and this year it came early. Jun Jingxing frowned and pushed him back into the quilt, thinking that since Sui Yan was ill, the Marquis' Mansion might not be able to celebrate the New Year well.

Sui Yan was dizzy from the fever and lay under the quilt trying to sleep, but he could hear a faint ringing in his ears, as if countless people were whispering in his ears, so noisy that he raised his hands to cover his ears.

"Yue Jian, it's so noisy."

Jun Jingxing had just told Haitang to boil the medicine when he came back to see Sui Yan's face was pale and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

Sui Yan: "Don't let him talk, it's so noisy!"

Jun Jingxing stepped forward and gently rubbed his temple, saying, "Who is talking? What did you hear?"

Sui Yan was a little confused. He stared at him with his eyes closed, trying desperately to hear the sound beside his ear clearly, but he could hear nothing.

He frowned and said, "I don't know. Stop him from talking. I want to sleep..."

【Why did you kiss me? 】

Sui Yan suddenly screamed: "Ah!"

Jun Jingxing was startled by him and hurriedly held his shoulders for fear that he would go crazy: "What's wrong? Don't be afraid, no one is talking. You are just delirious with fever. It will be fine after a while - Haitang, give the medicine as soon as possible!"

Haitang's voice came from outside: "Hey! Good!"

Sui Yan listened to the voice that seemed to come from deep in his memory. He opened his eyes wide in shock, tremblingly grasped Jun Jingxing's hand, and trembled as if he had seen a ghost, "Were you talking just now?"

Jun Jingxing was puzzled: "I asked Haitang to boil the medicine..."

Sui Yan: "No, no! You asked me 'why I kissed you'."

Jun Jingxing: “…”

Jun Jingxing looked at him expressionlessly.

Sui Yan covered his head, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

[I like you, so of course I want to kiss you. ]

The candlelight shone in, illuminating the faces of the two people. Duan Mingchong blushed and said hesitantly, "You like... me?"

Sui Yan lay on top of him, tilted his head to the left, then turned it back after a long moment, looking silly.

His eyes were full of light, and when illuminated by the candlelight, they flashed like sparks, which was extremely dazzling.

"So do you like me?"

Duan Mingchong could obviously force the person away, but when Sui Yan's hot body pressed against him, he felt as if the slightest touch would burn his hand, so he drew back fearfully.

Sui Yan asked vaguely, "Do you like me?", while rubbing against Duan Mingchong without knowing the consequences.

Duan Mingchong complained bitterly, and hurriedly hugged Sui Yan's back and gently turned over, pressing Sui Yan on the couch, and whispered: "Stop making trouble, you still have a fever."

Sui Yan rested his head on the soft pillow obediently, with his hands hanging on Duan Mingchong's neck, and said dazedly: "Then we will make trouble again after I recover from my illness."

Duan Mingchong: “…”

Duan Mingchong had no choice but to coax him: "Okay, let's talk about it after you recover from your illness."

Sui Yan was delirious from the fever and was very easy to coax. He nodded, patted the quilt beside him, and said, "Sleep here, don't leave."

Duan Mingchong hesitated for a moment, and was about to speak when he saw Sui Yan's hand gently drop down onto the brocade quilt, making his skin look sickly pale.

Sui Yan probably ran out of energy, and tiredly closed his eyes and fell asleep again.

Duan Mingchong stared at his sleeping face for a long time before he sighed softly.

The moon set and the stars dimmed before Duan Mingchong got up and left Sui Yan's room.

Jun Jingxing said coldly: "What did you and the prince do yesterday? Would he take advantage of you..."

Sui Yan: “Ah!”

Jun Jingxing: “…”

Jun Jingxing's ears were hurt by his yelling, and he said impatiently: "Speak properly!"

Sui Yan murmured, "Did the prince really come yesterday? I... I also forcefully kissed him? I also..."

Jun Jingxing's face suddenly turned pale: "Alright, alright, I don't want to know anymore, shut up."

Sui Yan still couldn't accept the fact that he had forced Duan Mingchong onto the couch and kissed him forcefully yesterday, and had even been acting coquettishly for a long time. His face was already pale, and after being frightened like this, he became even more pale.

Jun Jingxing was afraid that he would get scared, so he patted his chest and swallowed back the words, "It was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who wiped your body with hot wine yesterday."

It was clearly his doing, but he ended up scaring himself quite a bit.

After Sui Xun came back from the morning, he went straight to the side yard to see Sui Yan.

Sui Yan had already taken the medicine and fell asleep again, his face looked even uglier than yesterday.

Sui Xun frowned: "Is Wang Gui still having a fever?"

Jun Jingxing said: "Yes, it should have gotten up again this morning. It's no problem. Just drink the medicine and suppress it."

Sui Xun said dissatisfiedly: "He has been burning for so long, how can it be said that it is not a problem?"

Jun Jingxing explained, "The Marquis is weak to begin with, and he gets seriously ill every winter. As long as he gets through it, nothing serious will happen."

Sui Xun was stunned: "Is it like this every winter?"

Jun Jingxing nodded.

Sui Xun had been at the border for the past few years, and had been there for three years. Except for sending people to bring letters back from home on August 15th and the end of the year, he was busy with military affairs the rest of the time.

Sui Xun suddenly felt a little embarrassed, there were only two of them in the Sui family, and he had ignored Sui Yan all these years because of something that happened when they were young.

Even the letters he sent home every year were always full of random complaints and scoldings. When she thought about it carefully, she realized that he had never asked Sui Yan a single question out of concern.

Sui Xun took a deep breath and felt like even her breathing was causing her to tremble with pain.

"This is all my fault." Sui Xun thought to himself, "I never asked why he was so weak, and I never asked how he was doing all these years."

How was Sui Yan doing in this capital city full of villains? Was he bullied during these years? Was he sick or injured? After thinking carefully, Sui Xun realized that he had no idea.

Sui Xun thought sadly that perhaps it was because of her indifference that Sui Yan might have gone astray and fallen in love with a man...

Jun Jingxing saw that Sui Xun looked a little unhappy, and thought for a long time about what he had said wrong.

Sui Xun took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly: "When did he start to be like this?"

Jun Jingxing was afraid that if he spoke more, it would cause trouble for Sui Yan, so he had to think carefully and said, "Three or four years ago, it was quite a long time ago."

Sui Xun murmured, "Three or four years ago..."

He had only been back once three years ago. At that time, Sui Yan's health seemed to be not very good. He was bedridden for several days before the New Year. At that time, he thought it was just a minor illness and did not pay any attention to it.

Sui Xun tried to remain calm and walked to Sui Yan's bed. He lowered his eyes to look at Sui Yan's sleeping face, and said after a long while: "It's my fault."

In the palace.

Duan Mingchong was rarely seen wearing a moon-white brocade robe and a cloak embroidered with white cranes on his shoulders. He walked expressionlessly with two palace maids through the palace that was already overgrown with dead grass.

Ever since Duan Xichen was exposed by Duan Ruwang for plotting to murder the crown prince, he was sent to a deserted courtyard by the furious emperor.

This place is very far away from the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and even the lowest-level palace servants rarely come here.

Duan Mingchong walked calmly through the layers of dead leaves and falling snow into the dilapidated palace, his eyes full of coldness and indifference.

Before entering the deserted bedroom, Duan Mingchong smelled a pungent medicinal fragrance.

This medicinal fragrance had caused Sui Yan a lot of trouble in the past few years, so Duan Mingchong naturally remembered it clearly. He frowned, pushed open the carved door with most of the red paint peeled off, and walked in.

The door creaked, and light poured onto the empty bluestone slab, casting a shadow of Duan Mingchong.

Duan Mingchong walked in, walked around the ink-stained screen, and finally saw Duan Xichen, who was in a miserable state.

In such a cold day, Duan Xichen was actually wearing only a single piece of clothing with his collar open to reveal half of his pale chest. He was leaning against an incense burner with disheveled hair, looking up at the beams with a dazed look in his eyes.

There was already wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner, enveloping his entire body.

Duan Mingchong's pupils shrank slightly, and he felt extremely disgusted when he saw Duan Xichen.

Whenever he thought about the fact that this man had once coveted Sui Yan and had openly attacked Sui Yan at the Lantern Festival a few years ago, Duan Mingchong wanted to chop off his hands that had touched Sui Yan.

Duan Mingchong looked at him coldly and asked, "How is Fifth Brother doing these days?"

Duan Xichen was immersed in his own world, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.

Duan Xichen withdrew his gaze and fixed it on Duan Mingchong.

He was emaciated and his eyes were filled with despair.

Duan Xichen looked at him for a long time before he smiled softly, looking a little weird: "Your Highness, my brother is doing well."

As he spoke, he suddenly laughed strangely, "Hahaha, I'm fine... I'm finer than anyone else..."

Duan Mingchong looked at him coldly.

Duan Xichen stood up shakily, holding the incense burner. He looked at the palace maids behind Duan Mingchong and laughed. Like a drunk man, he staggered a few steps towards Duan Mingchong, with a hint of madness on his face.

"Are you here to see me off for the last time?"

The palace maid behind Duan Mingchong held a white silk in one hand, and the other person stepped forward to protect Duan Mingchong.

Duan Mingchong waved his hand gently, motioning him to go down, and said calmly: "Yes."

Duan Xichen laughed loudly: "Did the emperor give the order?"

Duan Mingchong had just been watching with a cold and expressionless look on his face, but when he heard this, he unexpectedly laughed.

When his eyes were curved, they were so gentle that one could wish to drown in them.

Duan Mingchong said softly, "It was my order."

The smile on Duan Xichen's face disappeared in an instant, and he said grimly: "Prince, stop it. You want to kill a prince without an imperial order or a verbal instruction. Aren't you afraid of being blamed by your father and scolded by the ministers? You are still just the crown prince. Be careful not to be so arrogant and bring disaster upon yourself."

Duan Mingchong looked at him with a smile.

Duan Xichen may have used too much medicinal incense, and his whole body was a little dazed. He laughed crazily and swore angrily at times, just like a madman in the market.

Duan Mingchong thought coldly: "Perhaps the blood of the royal family is cold and crazy."

Duan Xichen is a crazy lunatic, while Duan Ruwang is a scary yet calm lunatic.

Duan Mingchong said: "I didn't mean to kill you, it's just that the Fifth Prince was imprisoned in the Qianji Palace and became insane, and he accidentally strangled himself with the bed curtain."

Duan Xichen looked at him fiercely.

Duan Mingchong said softly without blinking, "Fifth Brother, you are too careless."

Duan Xichen laughed in anger, and tried to rush over with a sneer to tear his throat, but was restrained by the palace maid who followed him.

Duan Mingchong didn't say anything more to him, but just looked at him quietly, moving his hand slightly.

The palace maid behind him immediately stepped forward and spread out the white silk in his hand.

A madman is either as strong as an ox when he is crazy, or he is in a daze and allows others to manipulate him.

Duan Xichen had been using medicinal incense for so many years that his physical foundation had long been hollowed out. Although he knew clearly in his mind that Duan Mingchong wanted to kill him, he did not have the slightest strength to struggle and escape. He could only watch the white silk getting closer and closer to him.

Duan Mingchong watched coldly, his jade-like eyes fixated on everything in front of him, until the light in his eyes was tinged with a hint of blood, he gently lowered his eyes and casually straightened the cloak on his shoulders.

The palace maid rolled the blood-stained white silk into a ball and presented it to Duan Mingchong.

The thin white silk broke into a thin line and sank deeply into the person's soft neck, tightening the blood vessels to the point of cutting them off, and the blood slowly flowed to the ground.

Duan Mingchong took a look at it and said softly, "Put it in a box and have someone send it to Doctor Jun at Sui'an Marquis's mansion."

The palace ladies nodded in agreement.

Duan Mingchong glanced again at Duan Xichen, who was leaning against the incense burner with a bloody mark on his neck caused by the thin white silk. His eyes were ruthless and emotionless. He turned around and left, stepping on the blood under his feet.

The blood from the soles of his feet fell on the snow, leaving a bloody footprint with every step.

Duan Mingchong didn't even look at it and walked slowly towards Qianlu Palace.

The snowstorm started again at some point, and snowflakes fell on Duan Mingchong's black hair, making his face even paler.

Duan Mingchong walked out of the Qianjue Palace, raised his head slightly in the heavy snow, and looked at the falling snow fluttering in the sky, with some relief and sadness in his eyes.

Duan Mingchong murmured, "The blood of the royal family is indeed cold."

In Sui Anhou's mansion, Sui Yan took a nap and opened his eyes dazedly.

Jun Jingxing stood in front of the window frame and was about to close the half-open window that was letting in the sick air, but Sui Yan said, "Wait a minute."

Jun Jingxing asked: "What?"

Sui Yan was stunned for a long time before he said softly, "I want to see the snow."

The heavy snow breaks the branches, and they fall like white plum blossoms.