Chapter 91 "Was it Xiao Che who seduced you, wasn't it...?"
Three days later, the heavy rain subsided, and Xiao Che and his entourage finally embarked on their journey back to the capital.
As soon as Yan Jiarou returned to the palace, she heard that Xiao Jue had gotten into trouble.
While practicing archery on the training ground, the horse suddenly went berserk and threw him off its back. Because he couldn't dodge in time, he was trampled heavily by the horse's hooves.
I heard that the injuries were extremely serious, and there was blood everywhere. After he was carried into the East Palace, the attending eunuchs rushed to summon the imperial physicians. The physicians treated him for a whole day, and his life was no longer in danger. However, for some reason, when they came out, they all had worried faces and were sighing deeply.
Some even heard the Crown Prince angrily smash cups and rebuke the imperial physicians for being useless, telling them to get out.
After that, the crown prince became increasingly prone to smashing cups and bowls, and his temperament changed drastically.
The entire Eastern Palace was shrouded in gloom and despair, with everyone feeling insecure.
Rumors quickly spread throughout the palace, claiming that someone had witnessed the horse's hoof stomping heavily on the crown prince's groin, and that the prince's injury was likely a serious one.
Yan Jiarou became increasingly alarmed as she listened. She didn't know how to face Xiao Jue after having been intimate with Xiao Che, but now, out of concern for him, she couldn't care less and went to the East Palace immediately.
——
As soon as Yan Jiarou stepped into the East Palace, the smell of medicine mixed with the aroma of alcohol hit her.
The figure deep within the curtains stirred, and the white jade wine pot rolled to Yan Jiarou's feet.
Yan Jiarou paused for a moment, glanced down at the wine pot resting at her feet, frowned, and stammered, "Crown Prince..."
The person inside the curtain paused, then quickly lifted it. The moment they saw Yan Jiarou, they were overjoyed, their eyes lighting up: "Jiarou!"
Upon seeing this, Yan Jiarou quickly walked over and sat down beside him: "Crown Prince, I'm back. As soon as I returned, I heard you were injured..."
Xiao Jue's eyes welled up with tears, and his trembling hand touched her cheek. He gazed at the beautiful face he had longed for day and night for a long time, then suddenly lowered his head and hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his body and never be separated from her: "Jiarou, you're finally back. Do you know how much I've missed you?"
Yan Jiarou hesitated for a moment before hugging him back: "Crown Prince, I missed you too..."
Xiao Jue burst into tears of joy: "You're back, it's so good that you're back... I knew you would come back to me..." But then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he paused, and his joyful tone was strangely interrupted. He slowly pulled himself out of the joy of reuniting with Yan Jiarou.
He gripped her shoulders and slowly pulled her away.
As the sun set, the fading sunlight, like blood, crept in through the cracks in the carved window lattice, leaving dark red patterns on Xiao Jue's white nightgown.
Half of his face was shrouded in shadow, his eyes filled with an inscrutable expression. He asked only, "Jiarou, where have you been all this time?"
"I..." Yan Jiarou lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers: "Didn't Grandmother tell you that I went out of the palace to relax..."
"Going out of the palace to relax?" Xiao Jue sneered. "What a coincidence, the moment Xiao Che leaves the palace, you also want to go out of the palace to relax?"
"I..." Yan Jiarou stammered, "I just..."
She was in a state of utter confusion. She had not prepared herself to face Xiao Jue, but rushed over after hearing the news of his injury. Now, faced with Xiao Jue's questioning, she really didn't know how to speak.
But then she thought again, she had already promised Xiao Che, and she would have to make things clear with Xiao Jue sooner or later. If she continued to hesitate like this, she would only hurt both of them at the same time.
Thinking of this, she closed her eyes, looked up to meet Xiao Jue's gaze, and clenched her fists.
Her fingernails dug into her palm little by little, and the sharp pain was like a signal that forced her to make a quick decision. After all, it was better to suffer a short pain than a long one, and she would have to face this situation sooner or later: "Brother Crown Prince, there is something I want to tell you."
As if sensing something, Xiao Jue looked up at her in a flustered and helpless manner. He felt a sharp dryness in his throat, and his hand resting on the edge of the table twitched slightly. He heard his own voice ring out lifelessly, like a withered leaf falling in winter: "You say it."
She said, "During this time... I have indeed been with Xiao Che, and I don't want to make excuses anymore. I... I can't separate from him anymore."
As if the sharp sword that had been hanging over his head for so long had finally fallen, Xiao Jue felt a moment of emptiness.
Even though he had long anticipated that this day would come sooner or later, he was still caught off guard when it finally arrived.
It felt as if a sharp, barbed dagger had been plunged into my heart, constantly churning and tearing out pieces of bloody flesh, a fate worse than being slowly sliced to death.
He stared intently at her, his gaze shattering bit by bit: "And what about me? What am I?"
His face drained of color, and in a trembling voice, he almost pleaded, "Jiarou, don't you like me anymore?"
"I...of course I like you, but my feelings for you are just those of a brother and sister..."
Xiao Jue's face twisted instantly, and a fierce aura suddenly surfaced: "So, for Xiao Che, it's just romantic love?"
Yan Jiarou nodded with a forced smile: "Yes, I promised him I would marry him. Crown Prince, I'm sorry, I know these words might be cruel to you, and I don't want to hurt you, but I have to make a choice. Dragging it out any longer will only cause us all pain... We all have to face this situation sooner or later..."
Right now, Xiao Jue wouldn't listen to anything. He didn't know what to do to win her back. He had never felt so desperate before. All he could do was hold her shoulders and ask her again and again, "Why? Why are you doing this to me? Is there something I did wrong?"
"No, Crown Prince, there's nothing wrong with you. It's just that I'm not good enough. I... I promised Xiao Che, so Crown Prince, I'm sorry..."
"You said you promised him you would marry him, but didn't you promise me?! Jia Rou, have you forgotten what you told me before? You said you only loved me, you said you would definitely marry me someday, have you forgotten all of that? You only remember your promise to Xiao Che, do you still remember your promise to me?!"
"Have you forgotten all those vows you made to me? A person's worth lies in keeping their word. You made those promises to me first, so how can you betray your vows to me and go to be with someone else?"
"Have you forgotten your father's teachings from your childhood? A person must be faithful to one's husband and never be fickle, otherwise, one will surely suffer retribution. Jiarou, I know you are not such a promiscuous person, you wouldn't do this to me, would you?"
"I'm sorry, Crown Prince, I am such a bad person..." She slowly lowered her head, her eyes reddening, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her voice trembled with tears. Clearly, his words had moved her to tears, yet despite this, she remained firm in her stance:
"Call me fickle or promiscuous, I... I accept it all... I was ignorant before and easily said those things to you... In short, I have indeed let you down. If you resent me or hate me, then I deserve it. But if you ask me to leave Xiao Che, I'm sorry, Crown Prince, I can't do it. I promised him that I would marry him, and I can't betray him."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue slumped back, letting out a short laugh. He looked at her in disbelief, realizing that this time things really seemed different.
People from Lanling are naturally skilled at seduction and manipulating people's hearts. Yan Jiarou had long been bewitched by Xiao Che, even earlier than she herself realized. He always knew that those involved were often blinded by their own perspective, while bystanders saw things more clearly.
He knew Yan Jiarou too well. She had never been particularly bright since childhood, and after falling into the water, she became even more foolish. Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept mistaking her savior for him and been tricked into giving herself to him.
Moreover, she was a very thin-skinned person. Although she was a girl, because of her title of princess, she had also attended classes with the princes. From a young age, she was instilled with the way of a gentleman, and the discipline she received was to "keep her promises and remain faithful to one's husband." Once she felt that her words and actions violated the discipline, she would be interrogated and feel ashamed.
Xiao Jue knew this, so whenever he sensed that Yan Jiarou's resolve was wavering, he would use these principles to discipline her and force her back to the "right path".
As long as Yan Jiarou has any sense of shame and dignity, and refuses to admit that she has changed her mind or to be accused of "being fickle and indecisive," she will never have the courage to leave him and choose Xiao Che.
But he never imagined that as his love grew, this method would one day become ineffective.
For a moment, he felt a tightness in his throat and had difficulty breathing.
A profound despair enveloped him.
Yan Jiarou's heart has drifted further and further away from him, but he doesn't know how to keep her here again.
Will stolen love eventually be lost?
His father disliked him, and his mother was only using him to consolidate her own position. Although he had the honor of being the crown prince, he was mediocre and did not win the emperor's favor. Every day he lived in fear of being deposed, trembling with fear and never daring to make a mistake.
As a result, his personality became increasingly twisted and dark.
Yan Jiarou was his only salvation in his bleak life.
Over the years, he has carefully and cautiously guarded this pitiful glimmer of light. Although it was stolen from the beginning, he has possessed it for so many years that he has long regarded it as his own. He will never allow anyone to take it away from him!
Besides, Xiao Che didn't even try to repay the favor. So why should Yan Jiarou be willing to marry him?
And what about him? What is he? He meticulously plotted to claim a life-saving favor, guarding this secret alone for so many years. What is he then? Was he merely a stumbling block on Xiao Che and Yan Jiarou's path to love, causing them so many obstacles? Now that they have confessed their feelings, is he no longer of any use and deserves to be kicked aside?
Xiao Che, on the other hand, did nothing at all. He didn't even bother to tell Yan Jiarou the secret he had been hiding for so many years. Yet he easily won Yan Jiarou's love. What made him so special?
No, how could he accept that? He absolutely could not accept it!
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