Fortunately, her tenth brother had mentioned countless times that Ling Xiao was about to return, so Zhang Xin didn't immediately doubt her ears when she heard the name. Knowing she was pregnant and dared not act rashly, she slowly walked towards the main hall.
Standing outside the main hall, Zhang Xin already saw Ling Xiao's thin figure. Thinking of all the suffering she had endured, tears welled up in her eyes. Ling Xiao heard the commotion and quickly noticed Zhang Xin. Seeing that she was heavily pregnant, he hurried over to her.
The two held hands, their eyes blurry with tears, looking at each other as if they wanted to embrace and cry their hearts out. Seeing how thin Ling Xiao had become, Zhang Xin finally shed tears. Just as she was grieving, she heard Ling Xiao say, "Your Highness, the Little Princess..." sounding somewhat moved.
Choking back a sob, Zhang Xin heard Ling Xiao say again, "How come you..." She hesitated, as if unable to bear it, and his tone was extremely sorrowful, "You've gained so much weight?!"
Zhang Wei: "..."
I have absolutely no desire to be friends with this person anymore.
Is it too late to kick her out now?
Instead of the expected tearful reunion and overwhelming emotions, Ling Xiao immediately stabbed her in the back... Zhang Xin, who was in a daze and hadn't even had time to change the excitement on her face into anger, had already released her and then grabbed her wrist to take her pulse.
So, Zhang Xin swallowed the accusations she wanted to utter and stood there quietly. After a moment, Ling Xiao finally let go and congratulated her with a smile. The two sat down, and Zhang Xin ordered tea and many fruits and snacks to be served. She pulled Ling Xiao aside and wanted to chat for three days and three nights.
Ling Xiao, who had ulterior motives, could barely get a word in edgewise amidst Zhang Xin's relentless barrage of concern and care. He could only seize any opportunity to reveal his purpose when Zhang Xin paused to catch her breath.
"Your Majesty and A-Hao's whereabouts, what they saw and heard at the border, and what happened in Dayuan—we can talk about these things later. Right now, I have something urgent to ask of you, and there's no other way to do it."
Zhang Xinyi suppressed her curiosity and asked Ling Xiao, "What is it?" She then assured him, "If it's within my power, I will definitely help you."
“I returned early, but the army hasn’t reached Lin’an yet, so I can’t go back to the Imperial Hospital. I have nowhere to rest right now. Could you…”
"cannot."
"Or perhaps a separate courtyard or something..."
"No."
"Or perhaps..."
"It's impossible."
"..." Before he could even finish speaking, he was rejected. Ling Xiao angrily accused the person in front of him who had gone back on his word, "You said you would help me?!"
Zhang Xin grasped Ling Xiao's hand and said with a smile, "My tenth brother ordered people to prepare a room at the Ning Prince's Mansion several months ago, just waiting for you to come back. You can move in anytime. How could there be no place to rest?"
“…I have another question to ask,” Ling Xiao said, immediately alerted by Zhang Xin’s words. After she nodded, he asked, “You wouldn’t have… already sent someone to inform your tenth brother that I’m here, would you?”
Zhang Xin reached out and patted Ling Xiao's head, praising him with a smile, "My tenth sister-in-law is so smart!"
Who is your tenth sister-in-law?!
I never imagined you were such a princess!
She had thought she could persuade Zhang Xin to help her, since Ning Wang's men were with her and she couldn't avoid them even if she wanted to. Who knew that Zhang Xin would completely disregard their revolutionary friendship from fighting together at Qingfeng Pavilion and stand on Ning Wang's side without any principles.
Ling Xiao was furious again, "You really won't help me? You just want to watch me jump into a fire pit?!"
"I really am helping you, aren't I? From now on, you'll embark on a happy and prosperous life, won't you?" Zhang Xin said earnestly, recalling the blessing Ling Xiao had given her when she got married.
Ling Xiao's eyes welled up with tears. He pulled Zhang Xin's hand off his head and held it back, sobbing as he said, "If you keep doing this, you'll probably lose me soon..." He tried his best to look pitiful, struggling to gain some sympathy.
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, I'm not going to compete with Tenth Brother for you." Zhang Xin looked at Ling Xiao sincerely and responded calmly.
"...?!!"
What happened to the saying "pregnancy makes you stupid for three years"?!
Ignoring Ling Xiao's shift from grief to anger, Zhang Xinchong finally appeared outside the main hall. Ning Wang and Xia Mingzhe waved and greeted each other with smiles, saying, "Tenth Brother, remember what you promised me!" At the same time, she coquettishly said to Xia Mingzhe, "Husband, my back is sore from sitting for a while. Can you massage it for me later?" Zhang Xinchong stood up, and when Xia Mingzhe approached, she took his arm and left.
Lost in the grief and shock of being betrayed by Zhang Xin, Ling Xiao didn't have time to curse her in his heart for being cruel and abusive, but he didn't dare to turn around or look at the person standing not far away.
As Prince Ning drew closer, Ling Xiao felt conflicted. When Prince Ning's hand landed on her shoulder without hesitation, Ling Xiao, who had finally decided to go all out, turned around stiffly and quickly put on a smile, "Hehehe, Your Highness Prince Ning, what a coincidence."
Prince Ning looked down at her and replied indifferently, "It is quite a coincidence." He skillfully concealed the heartache that instantly welled up when he saw how thin she had become. Even after so much time had passed, the scores still needed to be settled.
It had been about a year since they last met, and the person before him seemed much more mature and composed. Ling Xiao looked away, not wanting to take a closer look… Well, it was just… cough, she slept with him on the Lantern Festival and then ran off the next day… As the Prince of Ning, how could he still be bothered by something like this almost a year later?!
Ling Xiao felt guilty and wished he could find a crack in the ground and bury himself inside.
Remembering the heartfelt letters Prince Ning wrote to her and sent to Tongcheng, which he never stopped sending even when she went to Dayuan with the army, Ling Xiao, who was used to being carefree, felt she couldn't face him anymore when she thought of his deep affection, which far exceeded her expectations.
So cowardly.
Ling Xiao couldn't keep up the act any longer, and Prince Ning remained silent as well, the two facing each other in silence. The shoulder he was holding was so thin it was a little uncomfortable. Seeing Ling Xiao with his head down, not daring to look at him, as if trying to reflect on his actions, Prince Ning pressed his lips together slightly, and then withdrew his grip after a moment.
"Had enough fun? You're finally willing to come back?" Prince Ning kept his eyes downcast, staring at Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao stole a glance at Prince Ning, their eyes accidentally meeting. She quickly looked away, hesitatingly nodding. She had provoked him; even if she fell into his hands, she had no choice but to accept it… what else could she do?
If you get the other person hooked but then run away after you've had your fun, or flirt with them and then deny everything, then you've truly become a piece of trash.
Finally defeated, Ling Xiao stole a glance while pulling Ning Wang's hand and gently shaking it. He turned into a coward, gritting his teeth and whispering, "I won't run away again..." He felt ashamed of himself after saying that, but he still couldn't help but blush and didn't dare to look at him even once more.
Prince Ning smiled slightly, patted Ling Xiao's head gently, and praised her, "Good girl."
·
He was taken back to the Prince Ning's residence and couldn't get out of bed for three days in a row. Ling Xiao had a feeling that this was really not a life for a human being. He covered his face and wept, but he couldn't get a single sympathy from the Prince Ning.
On the fourth day, even though he said he was just taking him somewhere, it was still better than being stuck in bed, so Ling Xiao agreed without thinking or asking any questions. They rode in the carriage all the way out of the city. Having not slept well for the past few days, Ling Xiao was groggily led off the carriage.
After stopping, Ling Xiao could see clearly where she was. She glanced at Prince Ning beside her, then looked around at the surroundings again, confirming that Jingyun Nunnery was not far away, and that what was in front of them was most likely the Buddhist temple that the emperor had planned to build back then.
Ling Xiao: "...Your Highness Prince Ning, have you ever heard of this saying?"