Chapter 121: Bit Her

Chapter 121: A Bite

Jiang Shuning had never seen Xiao Lingchuan like this before.

In her memories of her past life, he had always maintained an aloof and indifferent demeanor, keeping others at a distance. Aside from the occasional moments of madness between the sheets, he had always been cold and distant toward her.

Now, over nothing more than an injured arm, he had become so fragile—almost childlike.

In her past life, witnessing such uncharacteristic vulnerability would have made her heart ache for him. She would have given everything, offering the world’s most precious treasures just to see him smile.

But now, all she felt was deep-seated worry.

If he were this fragile, how could he possibly contend with Xiao Xiuzhan in the future?

How could he avenge her blood feud?

She tugged gently at the sleeve he held, her tone calm and unruffled—like a deep, unfathomable ancient well. “Then this humble subject will go prepare food for Your Highness. Please let go.”

Xiao Lingchuan sensed the indifference in her voice, and those dewy peach-blossom eyes instantly dimmed.

He should have let go—but for some reason, a surge of stubborn refusal rose abruptly from the depths of his heart.

His long, bony fingers suddenly clamped around her wrist, pulling her hand over and biting the back of it.

It wasn’t a hard bite—but it left a distinct red tooth mark.

A flicker of panic crossed Jiang Shuning’s eyes, and she nearly withdrew her hand on instinct.

The back of her hand burned as if branded by hot iron—painful, searing. Her entire face flushed crimson.

“Does it hurt?” He looked at her, gaze inscrutable. “I feel the same.”

He spoke of his heart—but she understood it as his hand.

“This humble subject understands. I will prepare a meal for Your Highness immediately!” Jiang Shuning said, turning to leave in flustered haste.

Watching her retreating figure, an inexplicable sense of loss welled up in Xiao Lingchuan’s chest.

He recalled her past life—how deeply she had cared for him. There had even been a time when he was poisoned, and she’d declared: *“If you die, your concubine will not live either.”*

A bitter smile surfaced on his lips. So, her profound affection and love for him had already been squandered—by him—in his past life.

Jiang Shuning went to the kitchen and began preparing ingredients.

The odd sensation on the back of her hand hadn’t yet faded—stirring up those sealed, unwanted memories.

In those passionate, entangled nights of her past life, Xiao Lingchuan had especially enjoyed leaving marks on her body—love bites, bite marks, bruises… too many to count—each imprint revealing his hidden, twisted predilections.

Jiang Shuning’s cheeks burned—shame and anger warring within her.

He knew perfectly well she had no intention of rekindling any romance with him—yet he repeatedly provoked and tested her. It was utterly infuriating!

The chefs in the kitchen held great respect for this future “Consort of the Fourth Prince.” After all, in the entire prince’s manor, only Jiang Shuning’s meals ever elicited a satisfied expression from the notoriously picky Fourth Prince.

Thus, every time Jiang Shuning came to cook, they eagerly assisted, secretly learning a few tricks along the way.

While Jiang Shuning was intently handling a fresh fish, several chefs huddled together, lowering their voices to gossip stealthily.

“Miss Jiang comes every time to prepare food for His Highness. She’s practically the model of a virtuous wife and loving mother. When do you think she’ll become our Fourth Prince’s Consort? With her here, we could learn a few more of His Highness’s favorite dishes.”

These words reached Xiao Lingchuan, who had followed her to the kitchen. He stood at the entrance, a faint smile gracing his handsome face—like warm sunlight breaking through winter clouds.

But immediately afterward, another chef’s voice poured down like a bucket of ice water:

“Ah, you don’t know? Miss Jiang has quite a few admirers among the princes. His Highness the Fourth Prince has many rivals! The Third Prince even sought to marry her back then. She refused—so the Third Prince simply married a woman who looked very much like her as a concubine, keeping her hidden in his Lin Ge Palace, treasuring her immensely.”

“Really? Then in the future, when Miss Jiang enters the palace, will anyone be able to tell her apart from the Third Prince’s concubine?” Another chef covered his mouth to stifle a laugh, his tone teasing.

Xiao Lingchuan’s face instantly darkened—so grim it seemed water might drip from it. He strode into the kitchen, voice cold as a blade: “If you wag your tongues like that again, I’ll pull them out, fry them, and feed them to the dogs!”

A chilling coldness erupted from those peach-blossom eyes—frightening the chefs into kneeling in unison, kowtowing with loud thuds. “Your Highness, spare us! Your Highness, spare us!”

When Jiang Shuning emerged from the kitchen, she happened to witness this scene.

How could she have thought Xiao Lingchuan was fragile just moments ago?

Wasn’t he always cold, ruthless, sinister, and vicious?

Seeing her come out, Xiao Lingchuan was inexplicably reminded of how Jiang Yaozhen had repeatedly told him that Jiang Shuning liked gentle, refined men like Xiao Huaijin.

He forcibly suppressed his full fury. Coldly addressing the kneeling chefs, he said, “All of you—rise. If I catch you gossiping behind people’s backs again, you will not be spared lightly!”

“Thank you, Your Highness!” The chefs felt as if granted amnesty—scrambling to their feet and fleeing back into the kitchen, too terrified to emerge again.

Jiang Shuning took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in her heart, and said softly, “Your Highness, the meal is ready.”

The two sat facing each other—the atmosphere slightly heavy.

Jiang Shuning kept her head lowered, eating silently, lost in thought.

Seeing that she showed no intention of feeding him, Xiao Lingchuan felt a twinge of disappointment. Pouting, he used his left hand to pick up food.

He thought viciously to himself that he should have bitten her harder earlier.

Since he couldn’t leave a mark on her heart—then one on her body would have to suffice.

After a moment, Jiang Shuning finally looked up, breaking the silence. “Your Highness, this humble subject has a matter she wishes to discuss with you.”

“Speak.” Xiao Lingchuan tossed his chopsticks onto the table with a soft *clack*, his expression turning gloomy.

He had long suspected her visit today wasn’t solely to cook for him.

In her past life, she cooked for him simply to make him happy. Now, she cooked for him to extract valuable information.

The thought that her closeness to him was purposeful, utilitarian exploitation made his left atrium ache faintly.

“Recently, Nanyue has repeatedly invaded the borders of our Daye. What are Your Highness’s thoughts on this?” Jiang Shuning got straight to the point.

In her past life, although Nanyue harbored ambitions toward Daye, it had been deterred by Daye’s national strength—and never dared act rashly.

It wasn’t until the emperor fell gravely ill, with various factions within the court locked in incessant struggle and the Daye palace plunged into chaos, that Nanyue seized the opportunity to lead troops in invasion—capturing several Daye cities in one fell swoop.

Now, the emperor was in good health, and the Daye court remained stable—yet Nanyue was acting abnormally, proactively provoking conflict. There must be something unusual behind it.

Hearing this, a barely perceptible shadow flickered in the depths of Xiao Lingchuan’s eyes.

“Nanyue has always harbored wolfish ambitions. Such actions are not entirely unexpected.”

"Now that Nanyue's army is massing at our borders, with their sights set squarely on Daye, His Majesty will likely soon issue an edict ordering someone to lead troops into battle. Do you have a strategy to make the Third Prince volunteer to lead the army and fight Nanyue?"

In her previous life, when Nanyue invaded, it coincided with the emperor's grave illness. Xiao Xiuzhan, in a desperate bid to win more support from court officials, recklessly volunteered to lead the expedition.

Unexpectedly, he underestimated Nanyue's military strength and was nearly surrounded and wiped out by their forces in Licheng, almost losing his life.

If not for A Meng, born with immense natural strength, who risked his life to protect him, shielding him with his own body against the tide of enemy soldiers, he might not have made it back to the capital alive.

In this life, however, A Meng is no longer by Xiao Xiuzhan's side. This is the perfect chance to send him to hell and eliminate the threat once and for all!

"Absolutely not! Our Daye is currently at the peak of its national power, with a powerful army. No matter who leads the expedition, there's a ninety percent chance of repelling Nanyue. If we let Xiao Xiuzhan volunteer, wouldn't that simply hand him an opportunity to earn glory and advance his standing?

Even if Nanyue's forces were truly formidable enough to destroy our Daye's troops, allowing a contemptible villain like Xiao Xiuzhan to die easily on the battlefield would be letting him off too lightly!" Xiao Lingchuan's expression darkened. "This war must be led by me personally!"

Jiang Shuning was startled and blurted out without thinking, "But Your Highness's mother is, after all, a Nanyue person..."

"So what? I am ultimately a prince of Daye!" Xiao Lingchuan said coldly.

Jiang Shuning immediately fell silent. She had underestimated Xiao Lingchuan's ambition and his cold, unyielding nature.

He had always been obsessed with power. To gain the emperor's recognition and consolidate his own position, it wouldn't be surprising for him to attack his own maternal clan.

Both harbored their own thoughts, and neither spoke up again.

After finishing the meal, Jiang Shuning stood up to take her leave but suddenly paused. Her clear, cool eyes fixed directly on Xiao Lingchuan as she tentatively asked, "Your Highness, the timing of Nanyue's invasion in this life is much earlier than in the previous one. Could it be that Your Highness had a hand in this?"

Xiao Lingchuan slowly closed in on her, leaning slightly forward. His deep gaze intertwined with hers, carrying a hint of heart-stopping intensity.

"As an ally, I naturally cannot easily disclose military secrets to you." He paused briefly, his voice suddenly dropping low, tinged with a hypnotic allure. "But if you are willing to become my wife, I will hold nothing back and reveal everything to you."

Jiang Shuning's heart trembled. Almost instinctively, she bowed gracefully toward him, her tone respectful yet distant. "I have spoken out of turn! I take my leave!"

With that, she hurriedly bowed once more, then turned and left without looking back, her steps hurried.

Xiao Lingchuan stood rooted to the spot, watching her slightly flustered retreating figure, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Was he some kind of monstrous beast?

To have frightened her into such a state.