Ning Yin wanted to continue threatening Shen Yun with the chopsticks, but Shen Yun suddenly stood up and grabbed the back of her neck with one hand.
"Ayin, I will not touch you tonight, but you should not test my patience. Eat well, take a bath, and rest. Tomorrow I will take you to the palace to meet the King of Chu."
Shen Yun spoke through gritted teeth, his mind constantly replaying the beautiful images of Ning Yin and Xiao Xuan.
His pleading now is useless, and forcibly bringing her to Chu seems pointless. It would be better to take her to the palace tomorrow.
Let Ningyin see how much the King of Chu values him; perhaps then the woman will think more highly of him.
She must feel that her status is not as noble as Xiao Xuan's, which is why she rejected him like this. As long as he destroys the Great Qi in one fell swoop, Ning Yin will definitely be willing to follow him.
Thinking it over, Shen Yun forcefully pulled the chopsticks out of Ning Yin's hand and put them back on the table. "Eat!"
"The consequences of not eating properly are not something you want to know."
Shen Yun's threat was undoubtedly effective. Based on the principle that a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle, Ning Yin glanced at him and then picked up her chopsticks to eat.
Chu Han had a sumptuous dinner prepared by his servants. Shen Yun sat beside Ning Yin, peeling shrimp shells and removing fish bones, showing great care.
“Ayin, from now on I will eat with you. I will take care of these things myself.”
As he spoke, Shen Yun placed a shrimp into Ning Yin's bowl. He had never peeled a shrimp for any woman before; this was the first time, and Ning Yin would surely be very touched.
For a general of his stature to go to such lengths for Ning Yin is more than enough.
Ning Yin didn't say anything, just coldly ate the food in her bowl, not even deigning to give him a glance, while Shen Yun was enjoying himself.
After the two had dinner, Shen Yun went to the next room to rest. Ning Yin locked the door before she dared to start bathing and changing.
At night, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
Recalling Shen Yun's words that he would take her to meet the King of Chu tomorrow, she realized that the King of Chu probably didn't know she was Xiao Xuan's wife. Otherwise, he would definitely use her to blackmail Xiao Xuan. Therefore, she must not reveal anything.
Right now, the only thing she can do is to keep Shen Yun calm and then take the opportunity to escape.
...
The Great Qi Dynasty, the Eastern Palace.
More than ten hours have passed since Xiao Xuan was rescued by the Qingyu Guards. Chen Yuanpan carefully examined him and found that the arrow wound on his back had been properly treated and there was no sign of suppuration or ulceration. He only needs to rest for a few days to recover.
The first thing Xiao Xuan did upon waking was to look for Ning Yin. His memory was vaguely of Ning Yin treating his wounds. When he woke up again, he was already lying on the large bed in Changxin Palace.
The emperor and empress dowager stayed by his side for several hours, but because of his advanced age, he could no longer endure it and went back to rest.
Upon receiving news of Xiao Xuan's assassination attempt, Li Chengyan and Chong Ning led their troops to eliminate the followers of Marquis Wuding and Shen Yun.
"A-Ning, A-Ning, where are you!"
Xiao Xuan propped himself up and sat up in bed. Qingying and Chen Dechang, who were outside the door, heard the noise and quickly pushed the door open and came in.
"Your Highness, you've finally woken up..."
Chen Dechang looked pleased and quickly took the medicine from his apprentice. Qingying went over and helped Xiao Xuan lean against her.
"Where is A-Ning? Where is my A-Ning?"
Xiao Xuan looked around anxiously, but apart from Qingying and Chen Dechang, he couldn't see a single woman in the hall.
Qingying and Chen Dechang exchanged a troubled glance, opened their mouths but remained silent.
Xiao Xuan's face instantly darkened. He threw off the covers and tried to get out of bed to find Ning Yin, but Qing Ying held him tightly.
"Your Highness, I deserve to die. I failed to protect you and the Crown Princess. Now, now..."
Qingying stammered, and Chen Dechang kept giving him meaningful glances, telling him not to reveal the Crown Princess's disappearance, lest it upset Xiao Xuan.
But Xiao Xuan was not so easily fooled. One sharp look from him made Chen Dechang's legs go weak, and he knelt down.
"Chen Dechang, you've really grown bold, daring to wink and try to fool me in front of me. If you don't talk now, you two can forget about having your heads!"
Xiao Xuan glared angrily at Chen Dechang on the ground, flung aside Qingying behind him, and pushed the man off the bed.
"Get out!"
Qingying was pushed off the bed, quickly turned around, knelt on one knee, and clasped her hands in a fist salute to Xiao Xuan, replying, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess... she was taken to the Chu Kingdom by Shen Yun... Your subordinate is incompetent, please punish me!"
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Xuan had already thrown off the covers, drawn a long sword from Qingying's waist, and pressed it against Qingying's neck.
"Tell me again, where did A-Ning go?"
"Your Highness, Her Majesty is currently in the State of Chu..."
Sweat beaded on Qingying's forehead, his heart pounding. It wasn't that he was afraid of Xiao Xuan punishing him, but seeing his own crown prince in such pain, Qingying felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and wished he could end his own life.
He was utterly useless. If he hadn't failed to hold off Marquis Wuding and the others, His Highness and the Empress wouldn't have been in danger. If he had arrived at the scene sooner, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
Xiao Xuan's eyes were filled with a chilling aura, his body radiating a murderous intent, and his face was etched with disbelief.
That day, he watched Shen Yun fall off such a high cliff with his own eyes. How could Shen Yun possibly still be alive?
That's not all. While he was unconscious, Shen Yun actually took A Ning away.
With someone as despicable as Shen Yun, who knows what might happen to Ning Yin after he kidnapped her?
Upon thinking of this, Xiao Xuan could no longer sit still, and the murderous intent in his eyes grew stronger.
"Chen Dechang, quickly fetch my armor! I am going to personally lead an expedition against the Chu Kingdom and annihilate that rabble!"
"Your Highness, you are not fully recovered yet, you mustn't do this. Princess Chongning and other generals will handle the attack on Chu."
Chen Dechang lay on the ground, desperately trying to persuade him, but Xiao Xuan kicked him away.
"Your Highness, I will immediately gather the three armies to prepare for the attack on the State of Chu!"
This time, the traitors from Chu, together with Marquis Wuding and Shen Yun, caused their own prince to be seriously injured, and even the Crown Princess was kidnapped by them. Qingying was also feeling very uncomfortable.
Now that His Highness wants to personally lead the expedition, he will risk his life to protect His Highness and bring the Empress back for His Highness.
He had long disliked those bastards from Chu, who were arrogant and domineering. Now that they dared to openly assassinate the Crown Prince, why should he remain in hiding?
He refused to believe that the iron cavalry of his Great Qi could not trample this tiny land.
Just as Qingying was about to fetch Xiao Xuan's armor, the palace door was pushed open from the outside, and Chu Mo and Qing'er stepped into the palace at the same time.
Xiao Xuan looked up at the two of them, his expression dark, showing no intention of paying them any attention.
"Your Highness, we must not be too hasty in attacking the Chu Kingdom. I have a plan!"
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