When she first came to serve Zhang Yu, she found the sword tassel she had woven placed on the bedside table while tidying the bed, but she could only pretend she didn't know anything about it. Now that Zhang Yu said this... A-Hao was slightly taken aback.
Seeing her lost in thought, Zhang Yu was only playing with a strand of her dark hair by her cheek, seemingly preoccupied with something. After a while, he placed a kiss on the top of A-Hao's head, pinched her cheek, and said, "It's the thought that counts, nothing else. I'll accept whatever you give me."
Ah Hao smiled and said, "Then this servant really needs to think about it carefully."
·
The next day, Prince Ning went to the Imperial Hospital again to have Ling Xiao change his dressing. Ling Xiao looked behind him for a long time but didn't see him with anyone else. She waited for another half day but received nothing. She glanced at Prince Ning, seeing his serious expression, and couldn't help but ask, "Has Your Highness considered my suggestion yesterday?"
"Yes." Prince Ning nodded, giving Ling Xiao an unusually affirmative answer.
After considering it… he didn’t agree with her? Ling Xiao couldn’t understand. Wasn’t her suggestion perfect?! She got what she wanted, and his injury wouldn’t be exposed. It was a perfect deal, with neither of them owing the other anything.
She had already planned everything out. Once his injuries had almost healed, she would suddenly stop. As long as the rumor spread that "His Highness Prince Ning was pursuing the young female physician from the Imperial Hospital, but the young female physician felt unworthy of Prince Ning and did not want to be his concubine, so she painfully cut her hair to sever their relationship," and people would pity her for a couple of days, the matter would naturally pass.
People would be moved by his deep affection and then despise her for her ungratefulness. Ling Xiao thought that Prince Ning would have no worries at all and would also gain an excellent reputation. She didn't care about her reputation, she just wanted some money—what a perfect solution!
“I’ve thought about it for a long time, and I still think…” Before Ling Xiao could speak again, Prince Ning spoke up. Ling Xiao looked at him, listening intently to find out what was wrong with him. Prince Ning looked back at Ling Xiao, and suddenly a faint smile appeared on his lips. He said, word by word, “Although you’re quite ugly, you have quite the imagination.”
Ling Xiao: "..." Will be thrown into jail for beating up someone who is a prince?
Taking a deep breath to suppress the urge to curse and hit someone, Ling Xiao smiled at Prince Ning and said, "Since Your Highness says so, then let's leave it at that. This servant will go and fetch the medicine box to change your dressing."
Prince Ning smiled and nodded as Ling Xiao walked away. A short while later, he saw her return carrying a medicine box, and he found Ling Xiao's sullen expression incredibly endearing. When Ling Xiao changed his dressing, Prince Ning wanted nothing more than to punch himself awake from his momentary reverie of finding her cute.
"The medicine you used today... is a bit strong..." Despite the waves of intense pain from his wounds, Prince Ning gritted his teeth and said to Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao flashed a standard eight-tooth smile and nodded innocently, "Your Highness Prince Ning is quite knowledgeable. This medicine is the most effective today, and it's also very troublesome to prepare. If it weren't for Your Highness Prince Ning, this servant really wouldn't have been willing to use it."
It hurt, but the medicine was indeed very effective; Ling Xiao wasn't lying about that. Besides, she made it herself, which took her a lot of effort. If he hadn't provoked her, he wouldn't have needed such good medicine!
Hmph! Let's see if you dare come again tomorrow!
Ling Xiao, feeling incredibly happy, smiled at Prince Ning, smiled, and smiled again.
·
Two days later, Nie Zhiyuan, who had received orders to lead men to annihilate Zhao Jian and the traitorous minister, sent a messenger to Lin'an with great speed. Although the traitorous ministers had all been killed, Zhao Jian had managed to escape back to his fiefdom. Now that Zhao Jian was back in his fiefdom, he held military power, making it much more difficult to capture or eliminate him.
The letter couldn't provide too much detail about the situation, but Nie Zhiyuan mentioned that they had initially surrounded Zhao Jian's group, and Zhao Jian only allowed others to shield him from arrows in order to survive. Later, the army from their fiefdom arrived just in time, forcing them to retreat.
Zhang Yu read the message but did not send Nie Zhiyuan back to Lin'an. Instead, he ordered him to go to Ningyao County to borrow troops from Prince Rong. He also instructed Zhang Yu to write a letter and send it to Ningyao immediately. Zhao Jian, back in his fiefdom, had no choice but to raise an army; otherwise, even if he didn't, he would be doomed. To minimize losses, Zhao Jian's path had to be blocked, and even if Zhao Jian guessed what he was going to do, it would be useless.
Lu Yuan and Lu Chuan received their orders and went to carry them out. Zhang Yu sat behind his desk, thinking it over again, and ultimately decided he should make two plans. If Zhao Jian escaped again this time, then where was he most likely to flee to…
Just as Zhang Yu was deep in thought, a palace servant suddenly entered to report that Bixiao Palace had caught fire. The person residing in the Wushuang Hall of Bixiao Palace was none other than Xie Lanyan. During this time, Zhang Yu had been completely focused on taking the life of Prince Anping and hadn't paid much attention to her movements.
If it weren't for this strange fire, Zhang Yu probably wouldn't have thought of dealing with this person for a while. But then the palace servants said that Xie Lanyan wasn't among those who escaped. Instantly realizing that Prince Anping had fallen, and that Xie Lanyan was probably trying to escape the palace to save her own life, Zhang Yu abruptly got up and went to Bixiao Palace to check the situation.
On the way, Zhang Yu ordered all palace gates to be sealed off, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving. Upon arriving at Bixiao Palace, the fire had been extinguished. Wushuang Hall showed signs of having been burned, but not severely. Xie Lanyan, who should have been inside, was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter 69 Update
Xie Lanyan seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace. Even though Zhang Yu blocked her escape route from the palace almost immediately, he still couldn't stop her. [Phoenix/Phoenix/ Fast updates, please search] By the time Nie Zhiyuan sent back the message, it was already dark, and quite late.
After giving the order that not a single word of the message should be leaked, Zhang Yu returned to Xuanzhi Hall, stayed alone for a while to think, and then called Lü Chuan in. He first instructed Lü Chuan to keep a close watch on the Xie family and the people entering and leaving the city gate, and then instructed Xia Mingzhe to take people to Jingyun Nunnery to keep watch.
Regardless of how Xie Lanyan escaped the palace, she must have had her own plans. Seeking refuge with Inspector Zhao? Zhang Yu thought this was unlikely. Inspector Zhao's power was waning; seeking refuge with him would be a death sentence. Given Xie Lanyan's personality, she had probably already given up on Inspector Zhao, believing he was no longer of any help to her. If she didn't have many plans and was merely escaping, she needed a place to stay.
Zhang Yu thought of Jingyun Nunnery because he remembered her telling Zhao Jian that she was the one who saved Zhao Jian's life years ago. When Xie Lanyan saved Zhao Jian back then, she must have recognized his identity. Her deliberate concealment might be because her presence in that place had ulterior motives.
If Xie Lanyan's time at Jingyun Nunnery wasn't widely known, and those who knew deliberately suppressed the news, then some inconsistencies would become plausible. If this is truly what he thought, then at least for Xie Lanyan, Jingyun Nunnery should have been a place she could temporarily seek refuge in while making other plans.
I hadn't taken her seriously until recently, when Xiao Shi saw her true colors. I thought it wouldn't hurt to spare her life for a couple more days. After killing Prince Anping and dealing with his cronies, Xie Lanyan was indeed next. I didn't expect her to have already started making other plans. If Xie Lanyan neither returned to the Xie family nor went to Jingyun Nunnery... it's enough to show that she had already planned where she would go after escaping from the palace.
If Xie Lanyan's rescue of Prosecutor Zhao is true, then Song Shuhao will inevitably be implicated in the affair. Although he doesn't take Xie Lanyan seriously, he is determined to take her life. No matter where she flees to, no matter where she hides, he will not let her go easily.
After careful consideration, Zhang Yu simply waited for news and didn't dwell on the matter. A short while later, Song Shuhao brought the medicine into the hall. Zhang Yu watched her enter, then thoughtfully rose. Seeing this, Song Shuhao had no choice but to turn around and follow Zhang Yu through the crystal beaded curtain to the inner room.
Ah Hao placed the tray on the small table, only to see Zhang Yu standing by the window with his hands behind his back. He turned around and looked at her, seemingly scrutinizing her expression. She sensed that Xie Zhaoyi might be in trouble, but she didn't care too much; it wouldn't affect her mood.
Consort Xie saved Zhang Yu's life, so it's only natural that he cares about her. Besides, with so many concubines in the harem, why should she be jealous of this one or that one? She didn't want to put on a show, and felt that putting on a show at this time would only cause trouble. Ahao thought she was still very self-aware and reasonable.
Little did Zhang Yu know that he had no intention of expecting her to be so sensible. He scrutinized Song Shuhao for a long time but couldn't detect any dislike in her, nor did he know if she was indifferent or simply good at suppressing her feelings. In short, Zhang Yu didn't see anything to be happy about in Song Shuhao's complete indifference.
These days, he's been reflecting on something... something he hadn't really thought about before, but during his time with Song Shuhao, he's found himself thinking about it at times. Many things he hadn't considered before... like how she would view the fact that he'd had so many women, and had so many women in his harem. He'd even thought about finding Song Shuhao a good family to marry into. Now, just imagining that possibility drives him crazy.
Meeting Zhang Yu's eyes, she couldn't decipher his emotions, yet they seemed to hold a deep, unspoken affection. Seeing him lost in thought and unresponsive to her calls, A-Hao stood awkwardly for a moment. When she called him again, Zhang Yu finally reacted, and A-Hao said, "It's time to take your medicine." Zhang Yu didn't reply, paused, and then walked towards A-Hao.
When Zhang Yu cornered her against the wall, with nowhere to retreat, Ahao was somewhat confused, but she felt that the person in front of her now had a terrifying look in their eyes. That naked, murderous look appeared suddenly and inexplicably.
However, Zhang Yu did not harm her. Perhaps sensing Ah Hao's fear, Zhang Yu closed his eyes, gently pressed his forehead against Ah Hao's, and remained silent for a long time, making it even more difficult to understand his thoughts.
Ah Hao's back was pressed tightly against the wall, which wasn't exactly comfortable. She suspected Zhang Yu's unusual behavior was related to Xie Lanyan, and wondered if she should comfort him. But then, remembering the look in Zhang Yu's eyes a moment ago, Ah Hao suddenly realized she was bound to say the wrong thing.
To break the silence between them, Ah Hao tentatively asked, "What's wrong, Your Majesty?" She tried to make her voice gentle. Zhang Yu suddenly opened his eyes, raised his head slightly, and did not continue to maintain the intimate posture with Song Shuhao. He quickly lowered his head again.
The moment her mouth was covered, Ah Hao was even more confused, but when she thought about how Zhang Yu treated her this way, or perhaps because of another woman, she felt a sense of disgust that she herself was almost unaware of. Her lips and tongue were being brutally and domineeringly invaded and plundered, and Ah Hao just wanted to push the person in front of her away, but her wrist was easily grabbed, stopping her movement.
Zhang Yu stopped, his eyes filled with lust, yet he remained unsatisfied, still caressing her soft lips. In this state, Zhang Yu finally spoke to Ahao, "She didn't save my life, I don't care where she wants to go, but I can't let someone who betrayed me escape so easily."
Was he explaining...? But why was he explaining to her? She remembered that she thought his unusual behavior was because of that person, and then she felt that these words weren't entirely useless. As Ahao was thinking, Zhang Yu leaned in again, capturing her lips in one bite, and said in a muffled voice, "I don't want to see you being so sensible..." He then started biting and nibbling, even kissing her ears and neck repeatedly.
Feeling like he was being nudged around by a puppy, and no longer restrained, Ah Hao reached out and cupped Zhang Yu's face. Staring into Song Shuhao's bright eyes, it felt as if the whole world had turned to him alone. Unconsciously, a smile appeared in Zhang Yu's eyes, but then he heard her ask, "Isn't it good to be sensible?"
"Hmm...you're too sensible. I feel like I haven't done enough." Zhang Yu thought again, and he probably really hadn't done enough. Her indifference and nonchalance were indeed... But he had never imagined that he would have such a day.
He's already in such a state, she can barely bear it, how could she ask for more? She doesn't understand why Xie Lanyan's accident happened, yet Zhang Yu has become like this because of her. Ahao stared at the person so close to her for a long time, thought for a moment, then leaned in to kiss him, and as she withdrew her hand, she said with a smile, "Your Majesty has already done very well."