Chapter 302 Why, treat her so specially?
In the palace.
Wei Si stumbled and ran to the White Marble Square alone.
In the center of the square, Xie Xuchi was lying on the ground, his life or death unknown. Everyone was busy dealing with Xie Guanlan's affairs, and not a single servant came to take care of him.
Wei Si held her knees and gasped, gazing at the young man with complicated feelings.
She walked slowly forward and knelt down beside Xie Xuchi.
She wanted to pick him up, but she didn't know how to start.
The young man's body was covered with scrapes. His brand new brocade robe, which had been scented with incense, was torn and rotten, and had long been soaked with bright red blood. His messy long hair covered most of his face, and even his cheeks were vaguely visible with shocking scars.
As if sensing her approach, Xie Xuchi opened his eyes weakly.
Through the gaps in her hair, he looked at Wei Si calmly, his voice hoarse and trembling, "I'm invited by Madam Wei to attend the banquet..."
Wei Si was stunned for a moment, then her eyes turned red, "I'm sorry..."
Xie Xuchi trembled as he pulled out a brocade box from his sleeve and slowly handed it to Wei Si. "This is my first time attending Madam Wei's banquet. I didn't know what Madam Wei liked, so I specially brought a pair of peony earrings."
Wei Si stared at his hands blankly.
Those were a pair of bloody hands. Due to the friction from being dragged all the way, the skin and flesh were damaged and the white bones were almost visible.
A complex and bitter emotion filled her chest. Wei Si took the brocade box and asked in confusion, "Why?"
Why would you be nice to her?
She was clearly not his mother, and she had clearly only met him a few times.
Why, treat her so specially?
Xie Xuchi didn't answer, but just looked at her and smiled.
After a long while, he seemed to have gathered some strength and whispered, "Madam Wei is desperately trying to threaten my father. Besides letting Xie Guanlan go, is she also thinking about my life?"
Wei Si looked at him and admitted, "Yes."
Although Xie Xuchi was not well-behaved when he was young, for some reason, she liked this child who was always cautious in front of her. Although he was far less important than Ningning, Wei Si wanted to save his life if conditions permitted.
She brushed aside his messy hair and gently wiped the blood off his cheek with a handkerchief. "Your Highness, please take good care of yourself. I will write to you."
Xie Xuchi got the answer he wanted, tears rolling down his cheeks. He choked out a smile and said, "I love communicating with Madam Wei the most. Besides...if Madam Wei needs me, she can always use me."
Wei Si's heart trembled.
Before she could say anything, someone suddenly strode towards her.
Xie Zhexuan's black dragon robe fluttered in the wind. He grabbed Wei Si's neck and almost lifted her off the ground. "Bitch!"
He cursed angrily and threw the woman to the ground.
The resentment for letting Xie Guanlan go completely overwhelmed him. He picked up the whip handed to him by Sun Zuosi and whipped Wei Si hard without saying a word.
Wei Si subconsciously turned her face away, but the pain she imagined did not fall on her body.
When she opened her eyes, Xie Xuchi actually rushed in front of her and blocked the whip for her.
She couldn't believe it, her voice trembling, "Your Highness?"
Xie Xuchi dragged his broken body and knelt before Xie Zhe, "I beg you, Father, to spare Madam Wei. I am willing to accept any punishment on Madam Wei's behalf!"
Xie Zhe roared, "Do you think I'll let you go?! You useless piece of shit! You're my offspring, yet you're no match for a mere prince from a remote borderland! What's the point of me raising you!"
The whip came down one after another.
Xie Xuchi's body was trembling, but he gritted his teeth and stood firmly in front of Wei Si, refusing to move away even a little.
Wei Si covered her mouth in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. "Crown Prince... Your Highness..."
She didn't understand why Xie Xuchi had such deep feelings for her.
She clearly had never had a deep connection with him...
In a rage, Xie Zhe broke the horsewhip alive.
Xie Xuchi looked almost as if he had been fished out of water of blood. He lay unconscious on the white marble floor tiles, even his fingertips were twitching.
Xie Zhe kicked him away and was about to hit Wei Si, but someone grabbed the hem of his robe from behind.
He turned around, and Xie Xuchi slowly raised his eyes blurred by blood.
He was trembling all over, and his throat was no longer able to utter a complete sound. The broken tone seemed to be muffled from his trachea, "I won't allow you... I won't allow you to hit her..."
Xie Zhe narrowed his eyes dangerously.
It was dusk and the palace lanterns were lit one after another.
The emperor, entering his twilight years, suddenly revealed a meaningful smile, "You know, don't you?"
Xie Xuchi seemed to have lost consciousness, and was just clutching the hem of his robe with his mind.
He was unable to answer Xie Zhe's question and kept repeating the same words, "I don't allow you... to hit her... No... No..."
Xie Zhe pulled his hand away and slowly stood up.
He stared down at Xie Xuchi, then looked at Wei Si who was carefully hugging Xie Xuchi.
After a long while, he suddenly laughed softly as if he had seen something interesting.
He played with his broken whip and said slowly, "Pass on my decree. Wei Si's title is stripped, she is demoted to a concubine, and imprisoned in the Pearl Palace. No one is allowed to visit her without my permission."
Wei Si looked up at him and said, "I have invited Xie Guanlan to Mingzhu Palace as you wished. You should also fulfill your promise and release Ningning."
Xie Zhe did not comment.
Just as he was about to leave, he paused and suddenly pointed his whip at Xie Xuchi, "You are responsible for taking care of the prince until he recovers from his injuries."
Not long after Wei Si and Xie Xuchi were sent back to Mingzhu Palace, Wen Xingluo was released.
"mother!"
She threw herself into Wei Si's arms, sniffed her mother's scent, and then raised her sparkling, round, almond-shaped eyes. "On the way back, I heard Cuicui say that mother helped Ziheng leave the palace. Did that old scoundrel Xie Zhe do anything to mother?"
Wei Si shook her head, "I'm fine, it's just..."
She turned and looked at the bed.
Only then did Wen Xingluo notice that there was another person lying in the bedroom.
She was surprised, "Prince?"
"He arranged for me to take care of the Crown Prince and recover from his injuries." Wei Si sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the unconscious young man with a complicated expression. "The Crown Prince was injured because of me, and I am willing to take care of him."
Wen Xingluo was a little unhappy.
However, when she heard that Xie Xuchi had protected her mother, she reluctantly suppressed her negative emotions.
The girl leaned coquettishly against her mother's side. "I also heard from Cuicui that he ordered that mother be imprisoned in the Pearl Palace, and no one is allowed to visit. Will he not come to disturb mother for a while?"
Seeing Wei Si nod, the girl curved her round almond-shaped eyes and happily hugged Wei Si's neck, "I can sleep with my mother again!"
The mother and daughter were talking when Wen Yueyin suddenly rushed in.
She covered her handkerchief and cried, "Mother, why did you offend the Emperor? Now you've been demoted to a concubine, and the palace maids look down on me too! I've lost all my dignity, how can I restore my country?"
She was stamping her feet and crying when Wen Ruyun and Wen Rulei came in.
Because Wei Si let Xie Guanlan go, both of them were dismissed from their posts by Xie Zhe and imprisoned in Mingzhu Palace.
Wen Rulei roared, "Mother, what on earth are you doing?! You actually offended His Majesty for an outsider like Xie Guanlan! Do you know that you missed out on the love of an emperor?!"
Wen Ruyun also frowned. "My eldest brother sent a letter saying he'll be back soon. He could have been promoted, but now I'm afraid he'll be implicated by mother! I've never seen a mother hold her children back like you do!"
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