Jiang Yun has actually been using ice packs on himself for a long time, and most of the swelling has gone down already, only individual places still left a little mark.
If one doesn’t look closely, they can’t really tell.
But Jiang Yun knew that Sui Heng would definitely be able to see it, so he specifically asked Gongsun Yang to strengthen his guard, hoping that Sui Heng would know the difficulty and retreat. Jiang Yun did not expect that Sui Heng would rather risk exposing his identity and insisted on breaking in forcefully.
It was just a slap, from childhood to adulthood, this didn’t really hurt him at all. At most for two days, it will completely disappear without any visible traces.
Under normal circumstances, he will not let his embarrassed side be exposed in front of others.
But when facing Sui Heng, he wouldn’t feel embarrassed, he just didn’t want him to worry.
There’s nothing to hide right now.
Jiang Yun whispered, “I’m fine.”
“Don’t be mad, alright?”
Sui Heng’s eyes remained calm and silent. He extended his finger and slowly stroked the two marks near his lower jaw, asking, “Is it still painful?”
These three short words left Jiang Yun stunned for a long time.
Some memories that have been shrouded in dust for a long time suddenly surge up.
After a while, Jiang Yun shook his head.
“I’m really fine now.”
“You don’t have to worry.”
Sui Heng’s expression was not at all relaxed. His eyes were as deep and heavy as ink, and he asked, “He hit you?”
“Does he hit you often?”
As soon as this question was raised, Sui Heng’s heart began to ache.
He had a mischievous temperament when he was young, and it’s not that he hasn’t been beaten before.
But that was him.
Jiang Yun has such a good temper. If he were placed in an ordinary family, they would probably want to keep him in the palm of their hands and protect him with tenderness and affection. Who would be willing to hit him?
Except for this Emperor Jiang, whose brain was kicked by a donkey.
Sui Heng was now very regretful that he only broke one of Jiang Lang’s legs.
“No.”
Jiang Yun looked at him and opened his mouth.
“Over the years, it’s been rare for him to make a move on me.”
“Today I rebelled against him, with his temperament, this is already a great tolerance.”
Sui Heng didn’t speak.
Jiang Yun was worried about his silence.
Jiang Yun said, “Our relationship is a bit complicated, not as you might think. Strictly speaking, I provoked him first about today’s matter.”
“Because of that matter?”
Sui Heng suddenly spoke coldly and boldly.
Jiang Yun was taken aback and didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “Let me show you the dowry I prepared for you, alright?”
Sui Heng remained silent.
Jiang Yun got up and got out of bed, went to the drawer under the table, and took out a large blueprint.
Jiang Yun unfolded the blueprint, placed it in the middle of the bed, and moved the candle closer. His eyes curled, and he said, “It’s still only half drawn, so we’ll have to wait a while before we can see the full one.”
Sui Heng looked down, and when he saw the city buildings drawn on the paper, he was slightly stunned.
“This is…”
“It will be the future new capital of the Jiang Empire. In the future, it will become an important hub for the north-south communication and the busiest capital between the north and south. Perhaps in the future, it will become the capital of the entire world.”
Sui Heng’s mood was complex.
“Is it because of this thing today?”
Building a new capital was not an easy task and requires Emperor Jiang’s approval.
The old capital was still here, and Emperor Jiang cannot agree to build another capital without reason. There must be some important transactions involved.
Jiang Yun nodded.
“How is this dowry? Does Your Highness like it?”
He looked up, his eyes slightly raised, and his eyelashes stained with a golden glow under the candlelight. He held the candle in one hand and propped his chin in the other, looking at him like a cunning little fox.
Sui Heng suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable as he saw him like this.
He picked the person up and held him tightly in his arms for a long time, saying, “What were you afraid that Gu will find out? Why don’t you dare to answer Gu’s question directly?”
“Don’t you want to know why Gu broke Jiang Lang’s leg?”
Jiang Yun fell silent for a moment and asked, “What does Your Highness knows?”
“Gu already knows what Gu needs to know. Jiang Lang, that idiot, just a few words of intimidation, and he just explained everything.”
“When you were eleven years old, you followed your Emperor Father to the mountains for hunting and suddenly encountered assassins on the way…”
Jiang Yun slowly stood up and looked at Sui Heng, the two of them staring at each other under the dim light.
Jiang Yun took a deep breath and said, “Doggy Sui, stop talking, alright?”
“Would those things not have happened, those injuries not have been inflicted, if Gu didn’t speak?”
“Gu doesn’t wish you to keep all the grievances and resentment hidden in your heart and bear it alone.”
“That year when you were eleven years old…”
Sui Heng cruelly spoke again.
“You went hunting in the mountains with King Chu, Jiang Lang, but encountered assassins on the way. Emperor Jiang sent all his troops to save King Chu, but did not save you. That’s why you were kidnapped by the assassins and exiled to Qingque Terrace, right?”
Jiang Yun finally trembled.
Sui Heng said, “Rongyu, do you know? It’s not that Gu can’t defeat this city. It’s all because of you that Gu was willing to give in.”
“If there were no Jiang Rongyu in this world, there would be no Jiang Empire and no Jiang Capital.”
“Gu suddenly doesn’t want to make peace anymore.”
Jiang Yun trembled lightly for a long time before looking up and saying, “It’s not.”
“What?”
Jiang Yun said, “It’s true that I was kidnapped by assassins that year, however…”
“However, I actually managed to escape from the assassin’s hands halfway through.”
Sui Heng was taken aback.
“Then why…”
Jiang Yun’s face was snow-white, and his pupils were pitch black. He leaned over him and looked at the overlapping shadows of the two of them on the bed, saying, “I was young at the time and felt aggrieved in my heart. I didn’t want to return to the Jiang Empire. I just want… I just wanted to go to the Qi Kingdom to find my mother.”
“Mother?”
“En.”
Water gradually flowed out of Jiang Yun’s dark eyes.
“At that time, I accidentally overheard news that my mother might not have died but had fled to the Qi Kingdom. I just wanted to find him.”
“I actually wanted to find him a long time ago, but I never had the chance. After escaping from the assassins’ hands, I infiltrated a group of refugees, followed them, crossed the border, illegally crossed the Yellow River, walked a long and far way, and finally entered the Qi capital.”
“The Qi capital was very big and bustling, not inferior to the Jiang capital. I don’t know where to find him, so I spend my days wandering around the streets of the Qi capital with a group of beggars, looking at people and looking for him.”
“Finally one day, I saw him in a carriage.”
“But besides him, there was another child sitting in the carriage, and I only found out that he had a new family and had a child with his beloved. My mother was forcibly taken into the palace by my Emperor Father, and he didn’t like my Emperor Father at all. Giving birth to me was not his wish. I actually knew these things vaguely, but at that time, there was still a hint of unrealistic thoughts in my heart, thinking that he might still remember me and be willing to take me in.”
“I studied hard and practiced the songs he often plays. I hope to see him again, and he will like me. It wasn’t until I saw that child that I knew our mother-son bond had long been cut off. I shouldn’t have come to see him and disturb his life.”
“I was a bit disheartened at the time. I didn’t want to return to the Jiang Empire, and I knew I couldn’t stay in the Qi Kingdom anymore, but I didn’t know where to go. Later, I fell ill and had bad luck. I was targeted by Qingque from Qingque Terrace.”
“I stayed at Qingque Terrace for three years, and when I escaped, I saw him again on the street.”
“He was taking that very beautiful Young Master to give congee to the refugees on the street in the congee shed. The refugees were very grateful to him, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing. He takes the Young Master’s hand and smiles at the refugees, it was the first time that I have seen him smile.”
“I also went to line up to beg for a bowl of congee. After drinking it, I left the Qi capital and returned to the Jiang Empire. My Emperor Father, who felt guilty about the assassination, not only didn’t blame me, but the moment he heard the news of my return, he personally went to the palace gate, hugged me, and gave me many rewards. Then he began to let go of the imperial court and let me develop my own power.”
Jiang Yun looked up at Sui Heng and said, “So, Doggy Sui, Qingque Terrace’s incident was not his fault. After I was abducted by the assassin, he actually sent people to rescue me as soon as possible. It was me who deliberately shook off those rescuers and escaped his sight.”
“No one is to blame for this matter.”
“The North-South peace negotiation was the result of our hard work. Don’t break this hard-earned peace situation just because of me, alright?”
Sui Heng silently hugged him.
After a while, he said, “They don’t want you, but Gu wants you. Gu is younger than them, stronger than them, and Gu will live longer than all of them.”
“From now on, Gu won’t let you suffer any more grievances.”
“In this world, no one can give you any more grievances.”
“Don’t worry, Gu won’t act impulsively.”
Jiang Yun felt the tremor in his chest and said with unease, “You have agreed, don’t go back on your word.”
Sui Heng nodded.
He asked: “Is there any more ice?”
Jiang Yun carefully observed every change in his expression and confirmed that he had no unusual emotions. He nodded and pointed in the direction of the bookcase.
Sui Heng got up and walked over to the bookcase. On the table, he saw a green lotus-patterned porcelain bowl holding ice cubes. Sui Heng clamped a piece of ice with silver pliers, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and then returned to the bed. He reached out to the pillow and applied it to Jiang Yun’s cheek.
Jiang Yun looked at him with some embarrassment and said, “I can do it myself.”
He reached out to pick up the ice handkerchief, but was blocked by Sui Heng.
“Don’t move.”
“Gu was not lacking with one of your hands.”
This person was always so domineering.
Jiang Yun stopped moving and enjoyed his care with a peace of mind.
The subtle coolness seeped through the silk handkerchief on his face, making him very comfortable. The burning pain on his cheeks also eased a lot. Jiang Yun had been accustomed to staying in the dark since childhood, silently licking his wounds. No matter how much he was injured, he would not let the palace attendants approach. Gradually, the palace attendants became aware of the Crown Prince’s habits and would consciously stay away from him when he was injured. This was Jiang Yun’s first time experiencing the feeling of being punished and taken care of, and his nerves couldn’t help but relax.
Sui Heng, who was a warrior, was unexpectedly considerate and patient in doing these things.
He’ll be the first to notice when the ice melts a little inside the handkerchief, he noticed it even earlier than Jiang Yun and immediately replaced it with a new one.
Jiang Yun gradually felt sleepy and said, “I’m much better now. You take a break too, alright?”
Sui Heng said, “It’s fine, you sleep first, Gu will watch you.”
