Emperor Jiang came to visit, and King Chu grabbed the corner of his clothes, crying bitterly and pleading with Emperor Jiang to back him up.
Emperor Jiang said coldly, “It’s just one leg, you should be happy.”
King Chu was taken aback.
Emperor Jiang mercilessly said, “I only knew you were stupid, but I didn’t know you were that stupid.”
“Collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, you have signed a confession letter, yet you are still trying to make Zhen protect you.”
King Chu paled greatly, showing an extremely frightened expression. He couldn’t even care about the pain of his broken leg and struggled to get to the ground, holding onto Emperor Jiang’s thigh and pleading, “Emperor Father is wise! That was all framed by Jiang Yun, he forced Erchen to write it! If Erchen didn’t write it, he would kill mother and the Shen family. Emperor Father, please don’t believe him. Erchen definitely didn’t betray Emperor Father! Nor the Jiang Empire!”
“Emperor Father.”
The mournful cries of King Chu echoed in the palace.
Emperor Jiang drew out his legs and instructed the palace attendants, “Help King Chu up.”
The palace attendants immediately pulled Jiang Lang away and lifted him onto the bed.
Jiang Lang was still calling out to his Emperor Father in a mournful voice, and Emperor Jiang said, “Giving birth to a fool like you is a stain on Zhen’s life. However, rest assured that Zhen will not kill you. Not only will Zhen not kill you, but Zhen will also reward you heavily.”
“Liu Jiu.”
Emperor Jiang called out.
Liu Gong quickly bent forward.
Emperor Jiang said, “Spread Zhen’s decree. King Chu has made contributions to the peace negotiations and is bestowed with the title of King Xian.”
Liu Gong was taken aback for a moment. It was the highest rank title among all the kings, second only to the Crown Prince, and also the title that Jiang Lang had been longing for a long time.
Jiang Lang’s crying suddenly came to an end, and he looked at the Emperor in disbelief.
Emperor Jiang didn’t look at him anymore and left with his sleeve down.
Returning to the palace, Emperor Jiang’s eyes were gloomy and his mood was inexplicably irritable.
He has rarely been so irritable.
“Go and call Meng Hui over.”
He suddenly ordered.
Liu Gong dared not rebel and quickly sent a palace attendant to invite Meng Hui.
Meng Hui quickly came over and saluted. He heard Emperor Jiang ask, “How is the Crown Prince’s injury?”
Meng Hui was taken aback for a moment. He had been busy developing ointments for the past two days, thinking that Emperor Jiang was inquiring about the Crown Prince’s old injuries. He said, “The humble physician has just developed a new prescription that is very effective in curing bone injuries. Although His Highness’s physical condition is weaker, as long as he calms down and cultivates himself, it will not be a big deal.”
“Zhen’s question is…”
Half way through, Emperor Jiang pursed the corners of his mouth and asked Meng Hui to retreat.
Meng Hui was confused but he could only bow and leave again.
Emperor Jiang sat silently in the darkness.
Liu Gong observed his words and expressions carefully and said, “How about the servant personally go and send some ice packs to His Highness?”
Emperor Jiang looked cold and said he’s not allowed to go.
“Zhen can’t indulge him too much. A few days of pain will teach him a lesson about what it means to be a ruler and a father.”
In a short moment, he was back to the cold and unfeeling emperor.
Liu Gong didn’t dare say anything more. He poured a cup of tea on the side and placed it on the small table next to the chessboard. He heard Emperor Jiang slowly speak again: “When he was young, he was so well-behaved and obedient. Beautiful as jade snow, like a porcelain doll. He never looked at Zhen with that kind of eyes, nor dared to say such things to Zhen.”
“Zhen knows that he still blame Zhen for that.”
When Fan Zhou reported to Jiang Yun about the peace negotiation, he also mentioned the matter of King Chu being granted the title of King Xian.
“The subordinate doesn’t know what His Majesty was thinking. King Chu is a man who is narrow-minded and ambitious, and what does the word ‘virtuous’ have anything to do with him? In today’s peace negotiation, King Chu has made countless jokes. If it weren’t for Your Highness’s handwritten letter, this matter would have been ruined long ago. This credit, in any case, could not be credited to King Chu.”
Jiang Yun said calmly, “It doesn’t matter. Whether it’s King Chu or King Xian, as far as Gu concerned, there’s no difference.”
“Thanks for Master’s hard work today. Master, go back and rest first.”
Through the curtain, Fan Zhou couldn’t see Jiang Yun’s expression, but the indifference in the young Crown Prince’s words stunned Fan Zhou.
Fan Zhou has learned from Yun Huai about the conflict between Jiang Yun and Emperor Jiang today, but as a subordinate, he can’t inquire about or intervene in such matters lightly.
Fan Zhou remembered something and took out a purple bouquet from his sleeve, saying, “This is a gift that the Crown Prince of Sui asked this subordinate to hand over to Your Highness.”
Fan Zhou looked at the unknown purple wildflower with mixed emotions.
It is said that this was picked by the Crown Prince of Sui during a horse race with King Chu.
“Gu thinks this flower is fresh and lovely. It’s a perfect match for your Highness Rongyu. Take it back and give it to him on behalf of Gu.”
In public, in front of the generals and advisors of the Sui army and the Jiang Empire, Sui Heng placed the flowers in Fan Zhou’s hands and instructed him to keep them properly and not damage them.
For this kind of reckless behavior, if it weren’t for the concern for the peace negotiation between the two countries, Fan Zhou would have wished to throw the flowers back to the other party on the spot already.
This Crown Prince of Sui used to promote His Highness’s ugly and hypocritical appearance everywhere. But from the moment he saw His Highness’s true appearance at the Muyun Pass, he began to show his true face and his attitude changed greatly. He has repeatedly shown kindness to His Highness in public, even more ostentatious than the peacocks on the street.
Fan Zhou was very worried that His Highness, who had no experience in things like emotions, would be deceived by the other party’s shameless discipline.
Fan Zhou added, “It’s just an ordinary wildflower with nothing special. If Your Highness doesn’t like it, the subordinate will have someone throw it away.”
Jiang Yun said it’s not necessary and asked Gongsun Yang to bring it in.
Fan Zhou had no choice but to hand over the flowers to Gongsun Yang.
Jiang Yun sat on the couch, playing with the bundle of purple wildflowers with his fingers, and with a flick of his mouth, he said, “Gu really likes it. Let’s keep it.”
Fan Zhou: “……”
Fan Zhou held back what he wanted to say, but before bowing and leaving, he added, “Today’s peace negotiations, the subordinate has solemnly declared that the Sui Empire should return Xiao Huangsun as soon as possible. Your Highness, there is no need to compromise with the Crown Prince of Sui because of Xiao Huangsun’s situation.”
“Also, the subordinate has heard that the Crown Prince of Sui was once infatuated with a concubine, and because of that concubine, he swore to never marry in his life. He also adopted his own nephew as his heir. Later, that concubine drowned, and his body was sealed in an ice coffin in the back office of Dali Court with the Crown Prince of Sui’s order… Your Highness, don’t be fooled by him.”
Jiang Yun was taken aback.
After a moment, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened, and he said, “Gu understands, thanks Master.”
Fan Zhou thought that he had already talked to this point, and with His Highness’s intelligence, he would definitely understand his worries, so he bowed and left with a peace of mind.
Jiang Yun played with the bouquet of wildflowers for a quarter of hour and instructed Gongsun Yang, “Tonight, the guards outside Gu’s palace must be very careful, not even a single fly can be let in.”
Although Gongsun Yang couldn’t understand why His Highness suddenly wanted to strengthen the guard, compared to His Highness’s sudden order to remove most of the guards a few days ago, this order was obviously more reasonable and easier to understand.
Gongsun Yang responded yes with a straight face.
Jiang Yun changed his sleeping clothes, placed the bouquet of wild flowers by his pillow, sat by the bedside reading for a while, then laid down on the pillow and fell asleep peacefully.
According to Jiang Yun’s plan, this should have been a peaceful night.
But in the middle of the night, there was a faint sound of fighting outside the palace. Although there were only a few faint sounds, but with Jiang Yun’s vigilance, which he had developed since childhood, he caught it as soon as it started.
Jiang Yun opened his eyes, and a dark shadow had already leapt into the curtain with agility. In the next moment, he rushed into the bed, pressed down on his waist, and snorted coldly in his ears.
“Jiang Rongyu, you want to murder your husband, don’t you?”
“Your Highness!” Gongsun Yang’s anxious voice immediately sounded outside.
Jiang Yun reached out and touched the handsome and profound eyes in the darkness, unable to help but burst out laughing.
Sui Heng gritted his teeth. “You still dare to laugh?”
“What do you mean by leaving so many guards outside knowing that Gu will come today?”
“Your Highness?”
Seeing that there was no response from the inside, Gongsun Yang became increasingly worried and was ready to directly lead the guards to break in.
At this moment, a voice finally came from inside the hall: “Gu is fine, just a little wild dog barged in, all retreat.”
A little wild dog?
Everyone looked at each other in confusion.
When has there been a wild dog in this pass?
But His Highness’s voice remained as usual, even with a slightly pleasant tone, indicating that he was not under threat. Gongsun Yang could only retreat with suspicion with the crowd.
Inside the bed curtains, Sui Heng had a dark face.
“Who are you calling a wild dog?”
Jiang Yun chuckled again.
“You still dare laughing.”
“Gu must teach you a good lesson today.”
Sui Heng raised his eyebrows and wanted to tickle him. Jiang Yun was afraid of making too much noise and startled the guards outside. He quickly whispered, “I know I was wrong. Your Highness, just spare me this time, alright?”
This soft and mischievous tone, with a hint of coquettishness, reminded Sui Heng of the days they spent together in the private courtyard before.
His heart had softened to the point where he couldn’t bear to punish him anymore, but he still strongly spoke. “Gu was almost shot to death by your guards. You want to get away with just one light sentence, it’s not that easy.”
Jiang Yun then asked, “Then what does Your Highness want?”
“Shouldn’t that be something you think about by yourself? And you even have the nerve to ask Gu?”
Jiang Yun wrapped his arms around his neck, raised his head, and kissed him gently.
“Is this fine?”
If he were to follow the usual routine, Sui Heng would definitely not be able to say that he has made progress, but he didn’t know what came to his mind. He nodded generously and said, “Not bad, there has been progress.”
Sui Heng stood up.
Jiang Yun asked, “Where are you going?”
Sui Heng said, “Lit the light, it’s so dark that Gu can’t even see your face.”
He stood up to go down, only to be hugged by Jiang Yun.
“Don’t go.”
“Let’s just stay like this, is it alright?”
“Not alright.” Sui Heng said. “Gu has been thinking about you for a whole day. Even if we stay like this, Gu will have to look at you.”
Jiang Yun doesn’t let go.
He said, “I’ve learned a new thing, would Your Highness like to try it?”
Sui Heng was curious and then smiled, “What did you learn?”
Jiang Yun remained silent, and his hand was already touching his waist.
Sui Heng’s adam apple rolled. Although his excitement had already been aroused, his eyes narrowed, and he was still lost in thought. The moment the jade belt on his waist was about to be untied, he suddenly reached out and held down the hands that were on his waist.
Jiang Yun was taken aback.
Sui Heng got up and got out of bed, lighting the candles at the bedside.
The bed immediately lit up.
Jiang Yun wanted to lie face down but was pulled over by Sui Heng.
Sui Heng stared at his face with a heavy gaze for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, “Jiang Rongyu, you have becoming more and more bold. You dare to deceive Gu like this?”
