Chapter 27.2

The Emperor and Empress’s faces changed drastically at once.

“Unfilial wretch!”

This was practically cursing him outright!

Xie Yan carried Su Jiao and walked out.

“Today’s Goddess of Rebirth was broken by this one. If the assassin can’t be caught, that’s the fault of your Imperial Guards. Whoever slanders my Prince’s Consort again had better mind their head carefully.”

The black-clad figure strode away boldly into the night, leaving Emperor Jia standing there alone, his expression ugly to behold.

Carrying Su Jiao, feeling the icy chill of her thin body, Xie Yan’s anger surged up once more.

He carried Su Jiao all the way back to Yongning Hall; by the time they arrived, she had nearly lost consciousness.

“Summon the Imperial Physician at once.”

He gave the order to Chang Lin while at the same time speaking to Chang Yi.

“Hidden in the bushes outside Empress Mother’s palace was Father Emperor’s close personal hidden guard—that was today’s assassin. Go…

I want his life.”

Chang Yi looked up in stunned surprise, but seeing that Xie Yan was in no mood for joking, he nodded at once and left.

Xie Yan sat at the edge of the bed, his expression grim.

From the moment the lights went out in the hall, and then seeing the assassin, he had known at once that today had been a setup.

Emperor Jia had used the pretext of letting Su Jiao pay respects to his mother, then used the Goddess of Rebirth statue and the assassin as bait, to test… how much he cared about Su Jiao.

It was the same trick used time and again three years ago…

And now, it seemed, it was being used on him as well.

Xie Yan’s blood surged with anger, his expression darker than the pitch-black night.

After the chaos in the palace, Emperor Jia had swept off in a rage, leaving the Empress to clean up the remaining mess.

The moment she entered the room, a clattering crash rang out—Emperor Jia had grabbed a porcelain vase and smashed it to the ground.

“Where is he?”

His anger unabated, he asked the eunuch attending him nearby.

The eunuch spoke, trembling with fear.

“Just as he was about to come report… he… he was gone.”

Gone?

“How dare he!”

Emperor Jia, enraged, smashed another porcelain vase. He had never imagined that Xie Yan’s regard for this Prince’s Consort would actually go this far.

He had deliberately had someone smash the new Goddess of Rebirth statue, and on top of that had the assassin abduct her, wanting to see whether what the Empress had said was true—that Xie Yan had repeatedly broken precedent for the sake of this Prince’s Consort, even having people search the imperial mausoleum for her on multiple occasions.

But he hadn’t expected…

That his regard for this Prince’s Consort wasn’t merely care anymore—he had even dared to leap into the lake for her.

“How dare he…”

After his fury, Emperor Jia instead grew calm, his expression all the more indifferent in the darkness of night.

“That Su woman cannot be allowed to live.”

His son—the son he and the former Empress had conceived together—was destined to be an outstanding Crown Prince and Emperor.

He absolutely could not allow him to have feelings.

Whether it was brotherly affection, or… this hollow thing called love.

It had taken so much for him to finally be willing to step ruthlessly out of Yongning Hall—this current situation was absolutely not what Emperor Jia wanted to see.

Three years ago he had been able to put one son to death; now, one daughter-in-law would be no great loss either.

Emperor Jia closed his eyes.

“Wants to go to the imperial mausoleum, does she?

Then let Zhen see. Just who exactly is at that mausoleum.”

…

The Imperial Physician bustled about, finally finishing brewing the medicine near midnight.

Su Jiao’s body had already begun running a fever, drifting in and out of consciousness. Xie Yan personally held the medicine and fed it to her, keeping watch through the entire night.

Wrapped entirely in the quilt, her small, palm-sized face hidden beneath her hair, Xie Yan held her hand, and feeling the scorching heat that hadn’t yet receded, his heart clenched.

After the anger came nothing but heartache and guilt. Her hand was held within his palm, and Xie Yan repeatedly cupped it, trying to pass some of his own warmth through to her.

Chang Lin seemed about to speak, then held back.

“Since you already knew, why must you…”

The First Prince three years ago had been a precedent—one had already died; why must His Highness display such regard for the Prince’s Consort at a time like this?

Xie Yan’s movements paused.

“Because this isn’t three years ago.”

And Su Jiao wasn’t his elder brother, Xie He.

Chang Lin looked at his gloomy brow and sighed inwardly.

The First Prince had been born to a palace maidservant, of humble birth, yet by great fortune had been cared for by both the Emperor and former Empress, and later had studied alongside His Highness.

The two brothers had gotten along extremely well. The First Prince excelled at policy essays and the Four Books, and though His Highness had studied well too, he preferred martial arts. His temperament was easygoing and kind-hearted; aside from his status as the legitimate son, in the past he’d never seemed anything like a future Crown Prince or Emperor.

The Great Zhao dynasty had always held to the principle of choosing the worthy or the eldest, and though the First Prince was indeed of humble birth, the Third Prince was the former Empress’s legitimate son, and Emperor Jia doted on him without limit. At a time when everyone believed the Third Prince would surely become Crown Prince, he himself had wholeheartedly supported his elder brother instead.

The First Prince, well aware of the court’s leanings, had also always said he harbored no ambitions of his own, and the relationship between the two brothers was, within this imperial family, a rare and genuinely good one.

No one could have imagined that it would later be called treason.

Even more unexpected was that the Third Prince, fighting tooth and nail for this elder brother and demanding the Emperor overturn the verdict, had instead been cast aside by the Emperor into Yongning Hall for it.

Having served beside the prince for years, he knew there had been something hidden behind that affair—the Emperor seemed to despise the Third Prince’s depth of feeling more than anything, which was why he’d been thrown into Yongning Hall.

The Emperor was a heartless man; the only softness he had ever shown had gone to the former Empress and the Third Prince, but most of the time, he was nothing but a cold, ruthless emperor.

Chang Lin seemed about to say more, but Xie Yan had already fallen silent.

Su Jiao slept for nearly a full day. When she finally woke, sunlight streamed in through the window onto the bed before her, and the moment she moved her fingers, she seemed to sense something and looked up.

Xie Yan was asleep at the edge of her bed, his brow slightly furrowed.

The events of the previous night flooded back into her mind like a tide.

She moved her fingers again, and Xie Yan startled awake from his sleep.

“Jiaojiao.”

He tightened his grip, drawing her hand into his palm, and the moment his eyes found hers, he settled somewhat.

“How do you feel?”

Su Jiao shook her head lightly—the high fever in her body had already broken; aside from a slight heaviness in her head, there was nothing else uncomfortable.

It was thanks to how quickly Xie Yan had jumped in after her the night before.

Under Xie Yan’s increasingly anxious gaze, she shook her head.

“I’m fine.”

Xie Yan helped her sit up.

“The Imperial Physician brewed medicine—I’ll have it brought over.”

Su Jiao leaned against him and sat upright.

“Last night…”

She had known something was wrong the instant she felt that statue of the Goddess of Rebirth fall to the ground. As for the assassin who’d come in to abduct her afterward—she generally held no grudges against anyone in the palace, so who would dare such audacity, to take her hostage and then throw her into the water in full view of everyone?

But then, that exchange between Xie Yan and Emperor Jia afterward had made her sense something.

Xie Yan brought over the medicine broth, scooping up a spoonful to her lips.

“Drink the medicine first.”

Su Jiao swallowed the medicine down; the bitter broth made her cough twice, her already pale face turning even more translucent.

Once the bowl of medicine was finished, Xie Yan set the bowl down on the table, one hand brushing over her face.

“Was the assassin caught?”

He shook his head, then nodded.

“I’ve already dealt with it.”

Su Jiao pressed her lips together.

“Does this matter… have something to do with His Majesty?”

Though phrased as a question, her tone was already quite certain.

Xie Yan fell silent again.

Silence was as good as confirmation. Su Jiao’s heart suddenly began racing.

“Why?”

This marriage with the Su family had been arranged by him personally; when she’d first entered the palace, he had even warned her to stay close by Xie Yan’s side. So why would he now want her life?

Su Jiao’s body trembled, an icy chill spreading through her entire being.

Xie Yan drew her into his embrace.

“It has nothing to do with you. It’s my problem.”

This sentence only confused Su Jiao further.

In her previous life, she had always believed Emperor Jia held some genuine affection for this son; after being reborn, the coldness she’d witnessed on the night of his high fever had dispelled that notion. And now, after what Xie Yan had done and said the night before, it had become unmistakably clear to her.

He did have feelings for him, after all.

If he had genuine feelings, why would he harm him and the people around him this way?

“You…”

Su Jiao opened her mouth, about to ask further, when Chang Lin hurried in outside the door and knocked.

His expression complicated, he reported.

“His Majesty has issued an order—tomorrow we depart for the Western Hills for the hunt, and along the way… to pay respects at the imperial mausoleum to the late Empress.”

“What?”

Su Jiao immediately let go of Xie Yan’s hand, her entire attention seized by this single sentence.

Going to the imperial mausoleum?

Xie Yan’s expression abruptly darkened further.

“Is this confirmed?”

“The imperial edict has already been issued.”

“Xie Yan, I—”

Su Jiao had only just moved when Xie Yan pressed her back down.

“Lie still.”

He looked at the expression on Su Jiao’s face, his thoughts churning within.

“I know this chance doesn’t come often, and you’re certain to want to go…”

Xie Yan’s voice paused for a moment.

“I’ll go with you, and we’ll search the areas outside the mausoleum again. This time we’re bound to find your mother, but you must listen to me on one thing.”

Su Jiao looked up at him.

“No matter what happens, stay by my side—don’t stray even a single step away from me.”

Su Jiao’s smile gradually faded.

“Have you sensed something?”

Last night Xie Yan had said he’d merely been caught up in it by association, but then why speak this way about today’s trip to the mausoleum?

Xie Yan’s lips moved.

“It’s a long story—let me explain it to you slowly later.

But tomorrow, once we go, you must absolutely stay by my side, and not go off alone anywhere.”

He cupped her face in his hands.

“Jiaojiao, trust me.”

The earnestness in his words stirred something in her heart; instinctively, she avoided his intent gaze and nodded.

The only person she could trust now was Xie Yan, after all.

For some reason, after hearing his words, the happiness in her dissipated, and a faint unease coiled in her heart instead.

“Will it be very dangerous?”

No matter how dangerous, she was bound to go.

But she couldn’t help feeling that this imperial decree of Emperor Jia’s had come far too suddenly.

Xie Yan wrapped one arm around the small of her back to steady her, his face pressing close against her neck.

It was a gesture both of nestling close and of protecting her.

Perhaps sensing her unease, he smiled faintly, his tone light.

“It won’t be.

Jiaojiao, as long as I’m alive, I can protect your life for one more day.”