Chapter 34 Fate Pushed Her Toward Him

Chapter 34: Fate Thrust Her Toward Him

In Jinghe Palace, the Seventh Prince, Xiao Qiyu, sat by the bedside, his gaze fixed intently on the person lying there.

Xiao Lingchuan's face was as pale as paper, his eyes tightly shut, his chest rising and falling weakly, as if he might dissolve into the dim light at any moment.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes.

The Seventh Prince let out a long sigh of relief, his heart still pounding with fear. "Fourth Brother, you're finally awake! You really scared me this time! You had the antidote, so why did you wait so many days to take it? Weren't you afraid the poison would seep into your marrow and you might come to harm?"

"Those who achieve great things cannot fear a little pain. If I hadn't let the poison penetrate deeply, how could I have deceived the eyes of those imperial physicians?" Xiao Lingchuan paused, his gaze sweeping over the Seventh Prince, his tone shifting. "During the days I was unconscious, did anything happen?"

The Seventh Prince's expression faltered. After a long silence, he said in a low voice, "Father issued an edict, betrothing Third Brother and Second Miss Jiang... Also, the eldest son of the Jiang family, Jiang Tianen... he... is dead."

Xiao Lingchuan's brow twitched. "Jiang Tianen? How did he die?"

The Seventh Prince sighed. "It's said he instigated Second Miss Jiang to deliver wine to Third Brother late at night, causing Third Brother to lose his composure after drinking and defile her. Chancellor Jiang meted out the family punishment, but Third Brother was still unsatisfied. He ordered his guards to give Jiang Tianen a severe beating with clubs, and then... he died."

"Utterly absurd!" Xiao Lingchuan's face darkened abruptly, a storm seeming to churn in his eyes. "Drugging Xiao Xiuzhan was clearly Jiang Yaozhen's scheme to secure the position of Third Prince's Consort. What does it have to do with Jiang Tianen? No matter how foolish Jiang Tianen was, he would never do such a thing!"

"I suppose Second Miss Jiang, afraid the truth would come out, deliberately made her elder brother the scapegoat. She probably never expected Third Brother would actually kill Jiang Tianen." The Seventh Prince's tone was heavy, tinged with regret. "Poor Miss Jiang lost her own brother. Ling Wu says she hasn't been eating or drinking these past days, weeping her eyes out, and has wasted away."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingchuan's heart clenched violently. His fingers unconsciously dug into the edge of the bed, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

Suppressing his emotions, he changed the subject, asking in a low voice, "What about the shadow guard and the eunuch? How did you handle them?"

"Fourth Brother, rest assured. The eunuch is detained in my residence, and the shadow guard was handed over to Father. It's said he couldn't endure the severe torture and confessed everything, revealing all the secrets about how the General of State Stabilization had been secretly training them over the years. Fourth Brother, the arrow was tipped with poison from Nanyue. The General of State Stabilization can't escape involvement. Do you think Father will charge the Wang family with treason and execute the entire clan?"

Xiao Lingchuan gave a cold laugh. "Consort Xi is currently in great favor, and the Wang family is a century-old aristocratic clan. Father will only deal with this lightly. However, he's been looking for a reason to strip the General of State Stabilization of his military power, so this actually suits his purpose."

A flicker of disappointment passed through the Seventh Prince's eyes. He murmured, "Third Brother, relying on Consort Xi and his maternal clan's power, has been arrogant for a long time. He not only bullies the families of court officials but also forces us princes to swallow our pride in front of him. Now he's beaten Chancellor Jiang's eldest son to death. Will it really be swept under the rug so easily?"

"Don't be impatient. Nothing in this world is achieved overnight. Everything requires patience and a slow and steady plan." Xiao Lingchuan's voice was low, a dark turbulence in his eyes. "Go and summon Imperial Physician Liu. Attribute the credit for the antidote to him. Father should know I'm awake now."

"I'll go inform Father immediately!" The Seventh Prince turned to leave but suddenly stopped, lowering his voice again. "Fourth Brother, about Miss Jiang... don't you want to go see her? Ling Wu said she cried again last night. She must be suffering terribly in her heart. It's truly pitiful."

Xiao Lingchuan's eyes flickered, a hint of softness seeming to flash through, but his face quickly turned cold again. "What does her business have to do with me?"

Having lived this life again, he understood better than anyone that her greatest wish in this lifetime was to stay far away from him.

The Seventh Prince pursed his lips, said no more, and quickly left.

Upon learning Xiao Lingchuan had awakened, the Emperor made a personal visit to Jinghe Palace to see him.

"Chuan, how are you feeling?" the Emperor asked with concern.

Xiao Lingchuan had never heard his father address him like this before. Usually, he called him "Lao Si." This sudden intimacy made him somewhat uncomfortable.

He struggled to sit up and bow. "Thank you for your concern, Father. Your son is already much better."

"That's good, that's good." The Emperor patted his hand with relief. "During the days you were unconscious, I couldn't eat or sleep in peace. Now that you're awake, I can rest easy."

"Making Father worry is this son's unfilialness." Xiao Lingchuan pretended to mention casually, "The physicians said the poison I was struck with is extremely rare. If we could trace its source, perhaps we could uncover the mastermind behind it."

The Emperor's face stiffened, a barely perceptible shadow flashing in his eyes.

"The physicians are helpless against this poison. It's likely a secret formula from the martial world, difficult to trace. You just focus on recuperating. This time, you were injured protecting me. Your loyalty and filial piety are etched in my heart. From now on, I will certainly compensate you for the grievances you've suffered all these years."

"Thank you for your grace, Father!" Xiao Lingchuan lowered his eyelids, his long lashes concealing the cold turbulence in his eyes.

As expected, Father was still unwilling to touch Consort Xi's maternal clan, the Wang family, in the slightest.

Whether one was favored or not truly made a world of difference.

Father and son, whose relationship had been distant for years, now faced each other, finding themselves somewhat at a loss for words.

The Emperor cleared his throat lightly and stood up. "State affairs are pressing. I shall return to the palace now. Rest well and don't overexert yourself."

"Respectfully seeing Father off." Xiao Lingchuan responded in a low voice, watching the figure in bright yellow disappear beyond the palace doors.

Silence returned to the hall. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, yet his eyes seemed frozen with frost.

Jiang Shuning dreamed of Jiang Tianen again last night.

She dreamed of when they were children. Once, while playing with Jiang Yaozhen and the Young Duke in the back hills, she accidentally fell into a deep pit.

Jiang Yaozhen and the Young Duke were at a loss, but her elder brother, Jiang Tianen, without hesitation, leaped into the pit. He carried her on his back, his fingers gripping the pit wall tightly, climbing up bit by bit with great difficulty.

By the time they escaped the pit, his fingers were already mangled and bloody.

Yet he paid it no mind, asking urgently, "Ning, are you alright?"

Jiang Shuning looked at his blood-stained fingers, tears welling up in her eyes. She choked out, "Elder Brother, your hand..."

Jiang Tianen laughed heartily. "As long as Ning is unharmed, what does a little blood matter?"

When she woke from the dream, Jiang Shuning's pillow was damp with tears, her heart feeling as if sliced by a knife.

Ling Wu approached softly and whispered, "My Lady, the Fourth Prince has awakened."

Jiang Shuning wiped away her tear stains, her eyes turning cold and sharp. "Help me dress. I must enter the palace to see him."

She could not let her elder brother die so unjustly, his death meaningless.

She wanted Third Prince Xiao Xiuzhan to pay with his life!

As Jiang Shuning entered Jinghe Palace, she saw the hall had been completely refurbished. The glazed tiles shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight, adding an extra layer of dignified opulence compared to before.

The rewards for the merit of saving the Emperor were indeed extraordinary, transforming this once somewhat desolate palace into such splendor in such a short time.

She lightly touched the gold token at her waist, bestowed by the Empress Dowager. Originally intended to facilitate her entry into the palace, it had now become her frequent pass to visit Xiao Lingchuan.

She gave a low, bitter laugh, feeling she had truly failed the Empress Dowager's great favor.

But thinking of the gloom of the mourning period at home, she felt that not paying a visit to the Empress Dowager might not be a bad thing.

Given the Empress Dowager's benevolence, she probably would not blame her.

Entering the inner chamber, the air was thick with the pungent smell of medicine.

Xiao Lingchuan was half-reclining on the couch, a brocade robe loosely draped over his shoulders, revealing a pale expanse of skin on his chest.

Though his complexion still bore a sickly pallor, it couldn't hide the profound sharpness in his eyes.

Jiang Shuning's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, her heart stirring slightly. In the past, she had feared this inscrutable demeanor of his. But now, she felt that only this kind of cunning and calculation could one day become the sharp blade that slit Xiao Xiuzhan's throat.

"Miss Jiang, what brings you here?" Xiao Lingchuan's lips curved into a faint, ambiguous smile. "I thought you had resolved to draw a clear line between us for a lifetime."

Jiang Shuning's heart tightened. She understood he still harbored resentment over the words she had spoken that night at the hunting camp.

She had indeed thought about severing all ties with him in this life, each going their own way, never disturbing each other again.

However, the torrent of fate had once again thrust her towards him.

Jiang Shuning clenched her hands, her nails almost digging into her palms.

She took a deep breath and suddenly knelt, her voice trembling yet each word clear: "Your subject's elder brother, Jiang Tianen, was murdered by the Third Prince! I beg Your Highness, the Fourth Prince, to seek justice for your subject! Your subject is willing to pay any price, only hoping that one day I can avenge my elder brother and clear his name!"