Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

138. Xiao ShengNian Left

Translator: Flying Lines

“Something went wrong?” Seeing Zhui Xing, Xiao ShengNian frowned. He knew that Zhui Xing was trust-worthy and could handle most matters alone who would never come to State YanLing to find him unless something important happened.

Su Jie knew that he was not suitable to stay here anymore, so he said, “I’ll take Lian Cang to arrange the guards of the palace. You two can have some private talk.”

With that, Su Jie left with Lian Cang.

“What’s the matter?” Xiao ShengNian wanted to ask Su Jie to stay, but then thinking of Su Jie’s identity as the Crown Prince of State YanLing, and gave up the idea. There were things that couldn’t be shared now.

“Your highness, the Prince Qin Mansion has made a move targeted at His Majesty, but I haven’t found anything unusual yet.”

“Didn’t father notice it?” Xiao ShengNian’s eyes sharpened.

In State YanHui, not every one of the emperor’s sons could be bestowed with a title. Xiao LuoXuan had been living out of the palace for years, yet he was given the title as soon as he came back, which itself was suspicious. When Xiao LuoXuan was given the tile Prince Qin, there had been a lot of objections from the courtiers, but his father willfully and arbitrarily took Xiao LuoXuan as a Prince Qin and granted him a mansion.

Xiao ShengNian had long thought that Prince Qin and the Guqin Master were up to something. Now hearing that they had done something to the emperor, Xiao ShengNian got a sinking feeling.

Xiao ShengNian didn’t know much about the Guqin Master, but after knowing Su Jie, Xiao ShengNian knew that the Guqin Master excelled in Gu poison and was extremely cruel and merciless.

The Guqin Master wanted to kill the emperor so that Prince Qin would take over?

“Did father feel any discomfort?”

“Before I left State YanHui, His Majesty sent for imperial doctors, but they didn’t find anything abnormal,” Zhui Xing said.

Xiao ShengNian looked serious. If the Guqin Master planted some Gu poison in his father, there was a high chance the imperial doctors couldn’t find anything.

“Wait a few more days. When Elder Zhou comes back, I will return.” Although Xiao ShengNian wanted to go back now, he was worried about Su Jie and planned to wait until Su Jie was healed.

Zhui Xing had intended to persuade Xiao ShengNian to leave now, but he knew that Xiao ShengNian would never change his mind. Perhaps… he could ask Su Jie to persuade him?

Zhui Xing was getting anxious. After all, this was a crucial matter that couldn’t tolerate the slightest delay or negligence. Everything here was settled and Su Jie would be ascending the throne in just a few days, so His Highness couldn’t help much if he stayed. It was better to go back to State YanHui to deal with more significant and urgent matters.

*

In the afternoon, Su Jie’s right leg suddenly began to twitch. Leg getting powerless, he almost fell down and only managed to steady himself by holding Xiao ShengNian beside him.

“How is it?” Xiao ShengNian asked.

The sharp pain like something was pulling his nerve made Su Jie’s breathing pause a little. He shook his head and said in a low voice. “I’m fine.”

“Come and have a rest in this palace.” Xiao ShengNian said, his brows knitted as his heart ached for his little slave. Although he wanted to carry Su Jie in his arms, he gave up the idea when seeing the patrolling soldiers walking around the palace. Su Jie was now the crown prince and had to keep a noble image.

“No need. I’ll be fine in a while.” After he finished, Su Jie pursed his lips and straightened. His right leg was trembling slightly, but because of the cover of his robes, no one could see anything unusual.

When the guards saw Su Jie, they would stop and call him “Your Highness” before they left.

And every time, Su Jie’s lips would arch slightly into a light smile as he gave a slight nod, trying not to let the soldiers notice anything.

Xiao ShengNian also maintained a gentle and elegant look as he stood beside Su Jie, but his heart was not calm. While enduring the pain, little slave still had to face the guards with a smile, which made Xiao ShengNian feel indescribably distressed. If he was powerful enough, he would just help little slave to finish off that Lan Buhui and then his little slave wouldn’t have to suffer so much.

The world only knew the crown prince of State YanLing, under the guidance of the immortal, won the country easily, but who knew how much he paid for it?

He had worked out the attacking plan until late at night while in the daytime he had to stand on the chariot as the spiritual pillar of the soldiers, avoiding assassination and checking on the wounded. This Crown Prince was not an easy position to hold. They only saw the glory, the victory he had won , but they didn’t know that the young man was shouldering all the heavy responsibilities placed on his thin shoulder and finally came to the time when State YanLing united.

“Shengnian, you should go back to State YanHui early tomorrow morning. Zhui Xing must have something urgent that needs you to deal with. Don’t delay your matters because of me.” When the pain on his leg lessened, Su Jie suddenly said.

Xiao ShengNian said, “Only when your poison is removed can I leave at ease.”

“Don’t worry about me. With Elder Zhou here, I will be fine.” Su Jie chuckled. The situation on his side had stabilized and the rest would be handled by the right people. When he saw Zhui Xing, Su Jie knew that Xiao ShengNian was going to leave.

After a moment of silence, Xiao ShengNian said, “Okay. Then I’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning.”

Xiao ShengNian trusted Zhou ZaiYue’s healing skills very much, so there shouldn’t be any problems with Su Jie. And the matter in State YanHui was indeed a little tricky. If the Guqin Master attacked the Emperor with Gu poison, he might need Zhou ZaiYue’s help.

Although Xiao ShengNian was proficient in healing, he was not good at dealing with Gu poison. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally agreed to leave.

That night, Xiao ShengNian and Su Jie were sleeping in the same room. Because of the poison in Su Jie’s body, Xiao ShengNian did not do anything. Before dawn, Xiao ShengNian kissed Su Jie on the lips and whispered by his ears, “I am willing to entrust my life to you and you alone my whole life.”

Su Jie, who had just woken up, blinked and stared at Xiao ShengNian for a while, as if he wanted to engrave him in his mind forever. After hearing Xiao ShengNian’s words, he showed a smile on his face, and his charming eyes seemed to have encapsulated the stars in them, bright and dazzling.

“Xiao ShengNian, I’m willing to make a promise for you. I will have no concubines in my palace.” The young man’s voice still carried the laziness upon waking up in the morning. His voice was like morning dew falling off a leaf, which made Xiao ShengNian soft.

The smile hanging by Xiao ShengNian’s corner became wider, and he said, “We shall meet again.”

“Remember to apply the medicine on time.” Su Jie pointed at his shoulder.

“Okay.”

Xiao ShengNian said goodbye and went on the journey with Zhui Xing.

When Xiao ShengNian left, Su Jie shrunk on the bed in pain. He felt a piercing and twisting pain in his belly, and his right leg was painful and itchy. Su Jie had been holding back not to groan as cold sweats wetted his robe. After a long time, the pain was relieved. Su Jie panted tiredly and his eyes were a little blank without focus.

“The Heartbroken is as torturous as the Death Gu. It causes such pain in just three days.”

With a sigh, Su Jie got out of bed. He put on his clothes and sent for Zhu Ce.

Zhu Ce was a handsome young man in his twenties, with the elegance of a charming scholar, and also the coldness of a soldier in the battlefield. He was a military advisor of Ju Liandao, a well-educated scholar, an excellent strategist who knew arts of war and excelled in defeating enemies by surprise. Thus Ju Liandao spoke very highly of him.

Su Jie handed over all the matters he needed to deal with this day to Zhu Ce along with a token that he found from the Golden Dragon Palace where the deceased Emperor once lived. He found a secret room in the Golden Dragon Palace, equipped with only a simple set of chairs and a table, plus such a golden token that symbolized the imperial status carved with a letter: Su.

“Take this token and arrange the matters I’ve just mentioned,” Su Jie said.

“Yes, Your Highness, Zhu Ce will not let your down.” Zhu Ce took the token in all seriousness and left, closing the door for Su Jie.

As a scholar who had ambitions, Zhu Ce hoped for a chance to perform. He wanted to use his skills to benefit people. Now that Su Jie trusted him so much, Zhu Ce felt grateful.

“Finally, I can have some spare time.” Su Jie went back to bed. Ever since he came back to State YanLing, he had been busy dealing with all sorts of matters. Now he had no way to get busy. The poison Heartbroken was torturing him every second. During the short conversation with Zhu Ce, Su Jie’s head was already covered with cold sweats.