Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The Ninth Prince's lips brushed Gao Zhen's palm, and both felt a searing heat. Gao Zhen quickly tried to pull his hand away, but the Ninth Prince seized it firmly.

“Is A Zhen willing?”

The Ninth Prince was unusually insistent on this question. He wasn't about to let Gao Zhen evade it.

With his hand clasped by the Ninth Prince and his face under the prince's intense gaze, Gao Zhen had nowhere to flee. He could only frantically avert his eyes, refusing to meet the Ninth Prince's.

Gao Zhen’s heart pounded wildly. He couldn't control it now; his only fear was that a single glance might betray him, revealing the joy in his heart that he could no longer conceal. After all, he had just realized his feelings for the Ninth Prince, only to be thrust into a proposal scene—it left him utterly bewildered. He had never imagined the Ninth Prince would propose; he had merely intended to subtly gauge the prince's feelings for him.

It was too sudden.

Flustered, Gao Zhen stammered, “Then… can I think about it?”

He planned to start thinking right then, to process the fact that the Ninth Prince had proposed to him.

The Ninth Prince nodded. Gao Zhen's lack of outright refusal meant there was still hope, and he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Yunning was far more pragmatic than Gao Zhen. Perhaps because he had been disfigured at birth and exiled to the Cold Palace at the age of ten, he had known from a young age that, given his appearance and circumstances, the only way to live a life free of hardship was to abandon any hope for romantic love.

But A Zhen was too special—so special that Zhou Yunning was willing to risk everything to win him.

He liked him too much, liked him so very much…

At that moment, before Gao Zhen, the Ninth Prince buried his emotions deep within. Seeing Gao Zhen's flustered and helpless expression, he yearned to pull him into an embrace and offer comfort. Yet, fearing Gao Zhen might feel disrespected, he lowered his raised hand, clenched it into a fist, and forcefully restrained himself.

Gao Zhen sensed that the Ninth Prince's gaze today was different from before—less gentle, carrying a subtle edge. Yet, this sharpness was expertly controlled, never threatening to wound him.

Gao Zhen felt that the Ninth Prince had much he wanted to say, but at that moment, they both remained silently in a shared understanding.

Their eyes met, and Gao Zhen gently withdrew his hand. This time, the Ninth Prince didn't hold on tightly. He knew Gao Zhen needed time. After all, fully accepting someone like him wasn't easy—it meant sharing many heavy burdens together.

The thought of these heavy burdens made Zhou Yunning frown.

He told Gao Zhen, “You should rest first,” then turned and walked out.

Gao Zhen stood motionless at the door, watching the Ninth Prince’s retreating figure as he silently walked to the main gate. The door opened, then closed, and his figure disappeared. At that moment, Gao Zhen felt as if the strength in his body had been drained away. Covering his face, he collapsed to the ground and sat there.

……

Consort Ning was counting the days and realized it had been about ten days since she last saw her son. She wondered what he had been busy with lately and missed him a little. Still, recently, she had been eating well, dressing warmly, and spending her idle time resting her eyes and basking in the sun. Her son’s absence didn't affect her ample provisions, so she wasn't overly concerned.

While Consort Ning was strolling in the courtyard, three distinct knocks sounded at the gate.

The unique rhythm immediately told her it was Zhou Yunning.

Consort Ning hurried over and asked through the door, “What brings you here?”

“Mother.” Zhou Yunning bowed with proper etiquette as usual, but after the greeting, he said, “I can agree to what you mentioned before, but I have one condition.”

Consort Ning raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What?” She hadn't expected Zhou Yunning to negotiate terms with her—it was both surprising and somewhat amusing.

“My marriage will not be used as a bargaining chip.”

After Zhou Yunning spoke, an eerie silence fell both inside and outside the door.

After a long pause, Consort Ning scoffed. “You can't possibly mean you actually plan to marry that Gao family boy?”

“Yes.” Zhou Yunning didn’t hesitate in the slightest and made it explicitly clear to Consort Ning: “I intend to marry him as my wife.”

“You—” If the door could be opened, Consort Ning would have rushed out to strike him. “Are you out of your mind? What help can he offer you? How can you accomplish great deeds if you’re entangled in sentimental attachments? He will become your obstacle. I should have killed him sooner!”

“If he dies, I would not go on living.” This was Zhou Yunning’s purpose in visiting Consort Ning today. The moment he decided to marry Gao Zhen, he had resolved to make his stance clear to her.

He knew well that Consort Ning’s dislike for Gao Zhen stemmed from misunderstandings. He had originally planned to bring Gao Zhen to meet his mother more often, believing that with more interaction, she would come to see A Zhen’s virtues. But now, he didn’t want to wait. He needed to take a firm stance to secure the safest possible future for Gao Zhen.

“Fine, fine, fine!”

As expected, Consort Ning repeated “fine” three times but found herself powerless to change his mind.

She had no choice but to confirm once more, “Is that truly what you think?”

“Yes. I’ve thought it through very clearly.” Zhou Yunning spoke slowly, enunciating each word.

“Alright…” Consort Ning suppressed her anger, taking two deep breaths before adding, “This matter will be as you wish. But everything else must be arranged by me. Don’t go back on your word then, my son?”

“I leave it all to Mother’s arrangements.”

“Good.” Consort Ning’s temper eased slightly, and she asked further, “How is Mu Zhong’s recovery coming along?”

“He was able to get out of bed and walk today.” Zhou Yunning replied, “Once he recovers a bit more, I plan to send him out of the palace.”

“I’ll handle that.” Consort Ning said, “Tell him to come see me here three days from now, in the evening.”

“Alright. I’ll follow Mother’s arrangements.”

……

After the marriage proposal scene with the Ninth Prince, Gao Zhen did not go to the western courtyard for three consecutive days.

The Ninth Prince, understanding tacitly, did not come either. It seemed he knew that what Gao Zhen needed most at this time was space alone.

Thus, the two only saw each other briefly during breakfast. Every time their eyes met, the Ninth Prince would see Gao Zhen’s face quickly flush red. His evasive expression was also quite endearing. The Ninth Prince would silently watch, quietly etching every subtle change in Gao Zhen’s expression into the softest part of his heart.

Gao Zhen found it strange. Even though he and the Ninth Prince were separated by a table and not speaking, just a meeting of their eyes made their auras instantly intertwine. The Ninth Prince’s presence was overwhelmingly strong, making Gao Zhen feel as if he were a little white rabbit that had strayed into a dragon’s territory, tightly bound by the dragon’s breath closing in from all sides. He didn’t know how to position his hands and feet, his body stiffening inexplicably. He could only finish his meal quickly and flee back to the northern room under the pretext of feeling unwell.

This went on for several days, and even Little Chen noticed something was off, let alone He Shurong.

Several times, He Shurong stared intently at Gao Zhen’s face, captivated. He had to admit it was the first time he had seen Gao Zhen like this. Although Gao Zhen had occasionally shown shyness in front of him before, it had never been as coy as now—a clear sign of budding affection. As for the Ninth Prince, the adoration in his eyes when he looked at Gao Zhen was overflowing. The two of them were truly thick as thieves.

He Shurong suddenly felt a toothache, a pang of jealousy, thinking he wouldn’t need vinegar for dumplings anymore.

Despite the envy, He Shurong still had the Ninth Prince’s prescription on his mind. He had to keep up appearances when necessary. Seeing that the Ninth Prince was in a good mood today, he thought it might be a chance to show his worth and tentatively asked, “Would Your Highness like a pulse diagnosis today?” implying, ‘Shall I share some inside information?’

The Ninth Prince nodded and said, “Very well.”

So, after Little Chen cleared the dishes and left, He Shurong began the diagnosis while speaking: “My father sent word from Chiyun Temple the day before yesterday, advising caution regarding the Southern Barbarians’ envoy. He also instructed me to return to the Imperial Hospital to prepare medicinal food. I can’t quite grasp the reason behind this, but I have a feeling it’s of great importance—otherwise, my father wouldn’t have specially relayed the message. What does Your Highness think?”

The Ninth Prince remained noncommittal, his expression neutral, betraying nothing, but he asked, “Are there any other movements at the temple?”

He Shurong thought for a moment and said, “I heard that the deposed empress, who was taken from the Cold Palace earlier, has been revived. Daoist Master Jinming is tracking the Gu miasma on her, trying to find the master manipulator hidden in the capital.”

The Ninth Prince nodded and asked again, “How is the Heavy Dragon Elixir coming along?”

“It will be completed in another ten days.” At this, He Shurong’s face broke into a smile. If this medicine could truly cure the emperor’s illness, his He family would surely become prosperous. He couldn’t help but bow to the Ninth Prince. “Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness in providing the medicine.”

“Hmm. Pay more attention to the interesting happenings in the capital these days. Come and share them for amusement when you’re free.” The Ninth Prince said indifferently.

He Shurong was eager to prove himself, so when the Ninth Prince brought it up, he immediately added, "Your Highness, do you still remember the incident where the Southern Barbarian envoy went to the Emperor to lodge a complaint?"

"What about it?"

"The Emperor ordered Minister of Justice Qi Jinxiang to personally investigate, and indeed, some interesting clues were uncovered. Your Highness probably wouldn’t expect that among the barbarians arrested by Feng Baoren, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was the nephew of Imperial Uncle Zhao’s steward. That fellow had been keeping silent all along, but last night he suddenly died in prison, and only then was his identity revealed—turns out he was someone from Imperial Uncle Zhao’s estate. That's curious."

"What does Imperial Uncle Zhao have to say about it?"

"Of course, he pleads ignorance." He Shurong shook his head, regretting that he couldn’t drag the cunning old fox into the mess.

"Hmm. That is indeed interesting." The Ninth Prince nodded, said this much, and didn’t comment further. He only told He Shurong, "You may go now. If there’s any new information, let me know."

"Yes."

After holding back his urge to talk for so many days, He Shurong finally felt relieved and refreshed; it was incredibly gratifying.

After He Shurong left, the Ninth Prince went directly to the West Courtyard. Mu Zhong was already awake, favoring one arm as he walked around the courtyard. Seeing the Ninth Prince arrive, he quickly bowed.

"Come with me." Zhou Yunning led him into the East Room, closed the doors and windows tightly, and then said, "Her Ladyship wants you to go to her courtyard after dark. She will arrange for you to leave the palace."

"Understood." Although Mu Zhong agreed, he hesitated for a moment and asked, "What task did Your Highness originally intend to assign me? Since I’m leaving the palace anyway, I might as well take care of it."

"No." The Ninth Prince said, "I have already agreed to Her Ladyship’s plan. We can't afford any complications."

"As Her Ladyship commands." Mu Zhong still couldn’t help adding, "But Your Highness and Her Ladyship are now trapped in the Cold Palace, facing constraints from all sides. The situation outside is changing rapidly—I fear there may not be enough time to coordinate."

Mu Zhong seemed to recall something, shook his head, and let out a long sigh, but ultimately kept his worries to himself.

Even though he didn’t say it, the Ninth Prince understood what he was thinking and reassured him, "The present is not like the past. Our previous defeat was only because the enemy was hidden while we were exposed. Now, it’s different. Although the Cold Palace seems insignificant, it may serve as a shield. Our forces remain hidden in the shadows, while the enemy is in the open. You should have more confidence."

"Your Highness speaks wisely. This old servant understands now."

The Ninth Prince looked at Mu Zhong for a moment and then added, "Regarding A Zhen, there's something I need to ask of you."