Chapter 321 Fate Unknown
“Of course, your son would not dare to disobey his mother.” Xiao Xuanyou casually turned the jade thumb ring with his fingertips, only realizing later that he had already given it to Jiang Zhi.
So he simply rubbed his fingertips, his voice devoid of any warmth:
"Doesn't Mother like that little nephew from her maternal family very much? A man's ambition lies in all directions. What can he accomplish if he stays in the capital? I will have my maternal grandfather send him to join the army. Let's go to the southwest. There are battles there, so he can gain some experience."
The Empress's expression changed. "The Southwest is full of miasma. He's only seven years old, your own flesh and blood. How can you be so heartless?"
Xiao Xuanyou gave a cold, dismissive smile. "Mother, I'm doing this for his own good. He's been spoiled rotten at home, behaving recklessly at such a young age. If I don't send him to the battlefield to temper his character, he'll only bring endless trouble to the Song family in the future. Isn't this how you raised me?"
"Oh, and there's that talented young man that Mother is arranging a marriage for her niece. Why don't I give him another beauty? He could have two women on either side, enjoying the bliss of having two wives. Even I can't have my own happiness, so why should they be able to have a happy ending?"
"You've gone mad! Xiao Xuanyou, you've really gone mad!" The Empress slammed the teacup on the table to the ground, her face filled with disbelief, completely losing her composure.
How could you act so emotionally?!
"Isn't it Mother Empress who's acting on emotion?" Xiao Xuanyou sneered. "Now that you've entered the royal family, how can you still care about your maternal family? Everything the Song family has should be used to contribute to the imperial power. Only in this way can you live up to Mother Empress's strict teachings."
The Empress slumped into her chair, her expression darkening, and remained silent for a long time.
“I never expected that I would give birth to such a fine son,” she suddenly laughed. “In the end, it’s all for Princess Qinghe.”
"Fine, the Crown Prince has grown too powerful. You'd better watch yourself. I can't control you anymore."
He waved his hand impatiently and was about to leave.
Xiao Xuanyou's voice rang out from behind, "Your nephew is definitely going to the Southwest this time. Please ask Mother to let him make preparations as soon as possible."
The Empress's fingers, supported by the palace maid, slowly clenched.
This is her biological son, a warning and retaliation against her for attacking Jiang Zhi today.
She didn't speak again, and her back seemed to be bent, unlike the straight and imposing figure she had when she arrived.
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After Xiao Xuanyou left, Jiang Zhi fell asleep due to exhaustion.
When she woke up, it was already dark. She opened her eyes and found that Xiao Xuanyou had been watching over her by the bed.
"Awake? Get up and have your meal."
He ordered a palace maid to bring in the meal. Jiang Zhi was indeed starving and tried to get up, but Xiao Xuanyou simply picked her up and carried her horizontally.
"Your knee is injured and you shouldn't move. Let me help you."
So Jiang Zhi sat on Xiao Xuanyou's lap with her feet off the ground, and he fed her dinner and medicine while holding her.
"It's so bitter." Jiang Zhi couldn't help but click her tongue and reached for the candied fruit on the table.
Xiao Xuanyou chuckled, "Pretentious, is it really that bitter?"
"Of course, you'll know if you try it." Jiang Zhi handed him the bowl with the dregs of medicine still inside. Just as she was about to put the candied fruit in her mouth, Xiao Xuanyou grabbed her chin and turned her to him.
"good."
He ran his fingertips over her slightly parted lower lip, then lowered his head, the scent of ambergris sealing her lips with a sense of oppression.
He pried open her trembling teeth with his tongue, and swept away all the bitterness left in Jiang Zhi's mouth with his gentle yet desperately tender movements.
Her back tensed, her fingertips gripped his clothes, and a fine shiver ran through her body.
"Not bitter, sweet." He chuckled softly, his breath hot against her flushed earlobe.
"You..." Jiang Zhi had barely opened her mouth when Xiao Xuanyou stuffed a candied fruit into her mouth.
Only when the sweetness dispelled all the bitterness did she frown and speak, "What I let His Highness the Crown Prince taste was the dregs of the medicine."
"Oh, I misunderstood." He just stared at her with a smile.
Jiang Zhi knew he was doing it on purpose, and glared at him.
Xiao Xuanyou laughed, "Then shall I let you kiss me back?"
After saying that, he lowered his head again.
Jiang Zhi hurriedly pushed his chest, "Your Highness, my knees hurt terribly, let me go back to my bed."
"Okay." Xiao Xuanyou was just teasing her, and he carried her to lie down as instructed.
"The Crown Princess came to see you just now, but she left after seeing that you were alright," Xiao Xuanyou said.
"Yes, I'll go to express my gratitude once I can walk again." Jiang Zhi paused, then asked, "I wonder how Her Majesty the Empress is? Has she been angry with you?"
"I guarantee that she will not dare to make things difficult for you again," Xiao Xuanyou said solemnly.
Unless the Empress Dowager can tolerate him taking action against the Song family again.
Jiang Zhi advised, "Actually, Her Majesty the Empress has also helped us. After this incident, Xiao Yunheng must know that you and Her Majesty the Empress have also developed a rift..."
"Wait, Your Highness, what are you doing?"
Jiang Zhi was halfway through her sentence when she noticed that Xiao Xuanyou had started to roll up her trouser leg.
“It’s time to change your dressing. I’ll help you.” He spoke with complete naturalness, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Jiang Zhi shrank further into the couch, "It's fine to have a palace maid do it."
Xiao Xuanyou grabbed her ankle and pulled her back towards him.
"Let me see how the wound is." He moved gently, and soon the delicate lower leg was revealed under the dim candlelight.
Xiao Xuanyou's eyes flickered. He first removed the gauze wrapped around the wound, then used a bamboo stick to scoop out a spoonful of ointment and carefully applied it.
The ointment felt cool to the touch, and Jiang Zhi couldn't help but tremble when it was first applied. Xiao Xuanyou held her down, carefully applied the ointment, and then wrapped it back with clean gauze.
After doing all that, he lowered his head and kissed around her wound, then took out a prescription from inside his clothes.
"What is this?" Jiang Zhi didn't have time to think about it and looked at him with some curiosity.
"It was a gynecologist that the Empress Dowager found to prescribe the medicine for you," he said hesitantly. "I think it would be better to ask you first."
"The doctor said that as long as you follow his prescription for a year or two, your health will be fine. Do you want it?"
Xiao Xuanyou was also confused about his feelings at this moment.
He was afraid that she would get pregnant and repeat the same mistake, but he was also afraid that she would be unable to conceive and thus unable to be with him.
He didn't know what to do, so he came to ask Jiang Zhi before making a decision.
Jiang Zhi turned her gaze away, not even glancing at the prescription. "Your Highness can destroy it. I have no use for it, nor do I want to."
The refusal was swift and indifferent.
"Okay." Xiao Xuanyou then placed the prescription on the candle flame and burned it to ashes.
＊
Jiang Zhi's knee injury has been repaired, allowing her to walk again.
Calculating the time, Xiao Yunheng should be getting impatient and taking action soon.
To Jiang Zhi's surprise, before Xiao Yunheng could take any action, she received a shocking message.
That day, Jiang Zhi was taking a walk in the garden when a clumsy little palace maid rushed up and bumped into her.
Before Jiang Zhi could say anything, a note was shoved into her hand.
Her expression turned slightly stern.
But the little palace maid didn't even look at her; she just kept kneeling down and kowtowing to apologize.
Jiang Zhi suppressed her surprise and doubt, and waved her hand to let her leave.
When she returned to Qingfang Palace, she unfolded the note and her face immediately darkened.
The note contained only a few words: Lord Shen has been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison by Commander Lu, and his fate is unknown. We earnestly hope that you, Madam, will help him.
The only people in the Shen family who call her "Madam" are those who address her as such.
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