Chapter 196: Feed Me!

Feed Me!

Crown Prince Yin Fenghan had been severely injured by Yin Fengzhan. After treatment by the imperial physicians, he was secretly sent back to the Crown Prince's residence.

The matter was considered settled. Since Emperor Shuncheng had ordered everyone to keep quiet, no one dared to say another word.

Night, silent and still.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple on the east side of the palace was even more desolate.

Just then, two dark shadows emerged from the darkness in the distance. The two guards at the gate were startled and exchanged a silent look. Moments later, the two shadows reached them.

"This is the Imperial Ancestral Temple. What are you doing here so late?"

One of the guards spoke first. The shadow in front reached up and removed the hood, revealing a round, youthful face.

"Sirs, the Noble Consort sent me to bring a guest into the temple. I ask you two brothers to accommodate us."

"The Noble Consort?"

The guard was taken aback. The other guard, who had been silent, frowned and leaned in to whisper to his companion.

"From Yongxin Palace? The boss seemed to say earlier that someone would be coming tonight..."

"Really?"

"Yes."

The two guards whispered to each other. The first guard looked at the young maid again and said in a low voice,

"Fine, go in quickly. And come back quickly."

"Thank you, sirs~!"

Responding obediently, the maid took two red envelopes from her bosom and slipped them into the guards' hands, then turned and handed the food box she was carrying to the person behind her.

The person nodded slightly and hurried inside with the food box.

Moving quickly, the person reached the entrance of the temple and pushed open the doors. Moonlight poured in, and by its cold light, they saw a straight, resolute figure kneeling in the vast hall.

The moonlight fell on his back, casting a long shadow. The person sighed slightly, stepped over the threshold, and walked until they were beside him, then crouched down.

"Honestly, I told you not to hit him, but you went and dealt such a heavy blow... Are you happy now?"

The person pouted, sounding dissatisfied. As they spoke, they removed their hood, and in the cold moonlight filtering through the door, a beautiful, exquisite face was revealed—who else but Nie Jinxuan!

Nie Jinxuan had come.

Hearing her voice, Yin Fengzhan, who was kneeling on the ground, turned to look at her and said in a low voice,

"Why are you here?"

"I came to see you. The Noble Consort helped arrange it."

Speaking softly, Nie Jinxuan looked at him and continued,

"You must be hungry. Eat something."

She moved the food box in front of Yin Fengzhan, opened it, and took out the beautifully prepared dishes.

"It's still hot. Eat quickly."

Nie Jinxuan didn't waste words and placed the chopsticks into Yin Fengzhan's hand. Yin Fengzhan watched her the entire time, and after a long while, he looked at the food and suddenly said,

"Feed me!"

"You should eat more... What?"

"Feed me!"

Nie Jinxuan had intended for Yin Fengzhan to eat more, but she never imagined that this man would ask her to feed him!

Nie Jinxuan's eyes widened in disbelief, her usually sharp mind stalling for a moment. After a long while, she finally regained her senses and couldn't help but exclaim,

"You... Yin Fengzhan, do you not have hands? Why on earth are you asking me to feed you?"

"My hands hurt!"

"Huh?"

"From hitting him."

"You..."

Listening to Yin Fengzhan and looking at his calm, unruffled face, Nie Jinxuan felt a lump in her throat—she couldn't swallow it, and she couldn't spit it out! But she wasn't a fool, so she glared at him.

"Are you trying to lie to a ghost?! Your hands hurt?! Yin Fenghan was beaten to the point where he can barely take care of himself, and you're complaining that your hands hurt?"

"..."

"You..."

"..."

Nie Jinxuan was too angry to speak. Yin Fengzhan, on the other hand, simply went silent. But the meaning was clear: if you don't feed me, I won't eat!

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan felt her anger rising and pursed her lips.

"Yin Fengzhan, are you acting like a rascal in broad daylight?"

"..."

Yin Fengzhan remained silent. Nie Jinxuan closed her eyes, took several deep breaths to calm herself, picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of jade shrimp, and held it out to Yin Fengzhan.

"Open your mouth!"

In the end, Nie Jinxuan surrendered. Truth be told, she wasn't truly angry; she just felt Yin Fengzhan was being unreasonable. After all, for someone who appeared so cold and aloof to act like a childish rascal in private was something Nie Jinxuan found hard to handle!

So, while she pouted on the surface, looking dissatisfied, she was actually very attentive. As she fed him bite by bite, Yin Fengzhan just watched her quietly, without blinking.

As she fed him, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but mutter in a low voice,

"Today's matter was too risky. And you, Yin Fenghan is a bastard, but you shouldn't have beaten him to death!"

"He deserved it!"

"Nonsense! Of course I know he deserved it. But you shouldn't have done it! And if you were going to do it, you shouldn't have been so heavy-handed..."

"Not killing him was letting him off easy!"

"You... what is wrong with you?! Did you really want to beat him to death?! Besides, if you were bitten by a mad dog, would you bite it back?"

"Hmph! He dared to bite me?! I should have chopped him up!"

"You..."

Almost choked by his words, Nie Jinxuan picked up a piece of chicken and shoved it into his mouth!

"Just eat! You only say things that make people angry!"

As she finished, she didn't forget to glare at him. Yin Fengzhan, his mouth full of chicken, chewed twice, but his expression remained as stubborn as ever! He was like a mischievous, obstinate child!

Seeing him like this, Nie Jinxuan couldn't stay angry. She put down the chopsticks and used a silk handkerchief to wipe the grease from his mouth.

"In any case, you escaped this time, but you won't be so lucky next time. Besides, you've beaten Yin Fenghan to such a state, so this grudge is set. You should be careful in the future and not let your temper get the better of you..."

Nie Jinxuan felt like an old mother. She hadn't wanted to say these things, but they just spilled out. Listening to her and watching her focused expression, Yin Fengzhan said in a low voice,

"Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you. If it weren't for you today..."

She responded naturally, but upon meeting Yin Fengzhan's eyes, Nie Jinxuan froze. It was only then that she realized how ambiguous her action of wiping his mouth was!

Yes, they had no relationship anymore! Just two days ago, she had resolutely said she might not love him, but now, after only a day... Thinking of this, Nie Jinxuan reflexively pulled her hand back, but Yin Fengzhan grabbed it.

For a time, neither spoke. The vast, empty hall was deathly silent!

The night remained deep, yet it slowly revealed an indescribable sense of confusion and ambiguity...

After an unknown amount of time, Nie Jinxuan finally regained her senses, pulled her hand back, and looked away.

"I... I should go..."

Nie Jinxuan's voice trembled slightly. She turned to pack up the things, closed the food box, and made to stand up... But just as she was about to turn and leave, Yin Fengzhan reached out and grabbed her again.

"Will you come back?"

"... I... I don't know... I can't keep entering the palace..."

Nie Jinxuan was not royalty, and she was no longer the Princess Consort of Prince Chen. Entering the palace again and again was indeed inappropriate. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan frowned but said nothing.

Yin Fengzhan was silent again. Feeling his gaze, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips, glanced at him, and immediately turned away.

"I... I will try..."

Saying this, Nie Jinxuan didn't wait for Yin Fengzhan to respond; she pulled her hand away and walked out with long strides. Watching her hurried back, Yin Fengzhan's usually cold and deep eyes filled with a touch of tenderness, which then transformed into a persistent, resolute gaze that lingered for a long time...

Nie Jinxuan went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple in the dead of night and then quickly returned to Yongxin Palace.

Everything was arranged properly, but Nie Jinxuan did not know that as she returned to Yongxin Palace, a dark shadow flashed behind her, not far away, and then vanished without a trace.

Moments later, in the Imperial Study, Gao Caiyong quietly walked in and approached the dragon desk.

"Your Majesty, she has returned."

Gao Caiyong spoke in a low voice. Emperor Shuncheng turned a page of the book in his hand and said quietly,

"And?"

"Your Majesty's wisdom is great; everything is as you expected. Nie Jinxuan indeed went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

Gao Caiyong spoke slowly and looked up at the Emperor. Emperor Shuncheng let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, I knew that girl would go! But never mind, if she hadn't gone, I would have found it strange!"

"Yes, this old servant feels the same. After all, Prince Chen saved her today, and that Miss Nie seems to be a person of sentiment, so naturally, she would go to see him..."

"Sentiment?! Hmph, you servant, how much did Nie Jinxuan bribe you that you speak for her so much?!"

Emperor Shuncheng said this seemingly casually, looking at Gao Caiyong. Gao Caiyong was startled and hurriedly explained,

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This old servant has never received a single benefit from her. This old servant just feels..."

"Enough! I know you haven't received any benefits!"

Having been by his side for so many years, Emperor Shuncheng trusted Gao Caiyong deeply. He pursed his lips and continued,

"Nie Jinxuan didn't go out of sentiment. Anyone with eyes can see that she and the Fourth Prince haven't broken things off yet... Hmph, I'm curious what kind of act they were putting on back then! Or were they deliberately acting for me to see?"

"Uh... this... this old servant doesn't think so... after all, this concerns a woman's reputation..."

"Reputation?! Have you ever seen that Nie girl care about such things? If she cared, she wouldn't have stood out to plead for the Fourth Prince today!"

"Uh... so, Your Majesty, you knew..."

"Of course I know that Nie girl's thoughts! And not just hers, I know the Empress's thoughts too... I just didn't want to point them out!"

Emperor Shuncheng's gaze turned cold, and he closed the book and threw it aside.

"Hmph, none of them let me have any peace! But this matter ultimately comes down to the Crown Prince's problem! I've turned a blind eye to what he does in secret, but now he's actually done something like this! He doesn't think about what would happen if this spread—within half a day, half the civil and military officials would be submitting memorials to impeach him! Would he still be able to be Crown Prince then?!"

"And last time at Zuixiashanzhuang, he really thought I didn't know anything... It's true the second Nie daughter framed him, but if he weren't like that by nature, how could he have fallen for such a trick?! In the end, he even thought about marrying into the Nie family to win them over. What was he thinking? He didn't consider that although the second Nie daughter wasn't Nie Wenhao's biological daughter, she was still the second young lady of the Prime Minister's residence. He already has a primary wife and a concubine; where would he put her? As a minor concubine? Does he really think Nie Wenhao is a fool?"

"And now that the second Nie daughter is dead, he's set his sights on Nie Jinxuan... He doesn't think about the fact that no matter what happened before, Nie Jinxuan is still the Fourth Prince's wife. Never mind that his approach is crooked; even if it were straight, it wouldn't make sense! If he really married Nie Jinxuan, a discarded Princess Consort suddenly becoming the Crown Princess, and then becoming the Mother of the Nation... Hmph, that would truly be a laughingstock!"

The more he spoke, the angrier Emperor Shuncheng became, his expression turning gloomy.

"Hmph, what a pig-headed fool. He is so stupid that I now doubt whether he is truly capable of being Crown Prince. If I were to hand this empire over to him after I pass, what would it become!"

Emperor Shuncheng was not joking. Hearing this, Gao Caiyong's expression changed, but he dared not say another word.

For a time, the vast Imperial Study was silent. After a while, Emperor Shuncheng sighed.

"Forget it, have someone send some old mountain ginseng to the Crown Prince's residence tomorrow, and also send some things to the Deyang Palace, so that they don't hold a grudge."

"Yes, this old servant will arrange it, Your Majesty, please rest assured."

"Hmm, by the way, is there any progress on the Jin Qi case?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, several ministers have indeed revealed some news."

"Hmm, it seems they will be coming to see me in a day or two... Alright, you may go!"

"Yes."

Responding respectfully, Gao Caiyong quietly walked out...

It turned out that after discovering there were hidden circumstances in the Jin Qi case, Emperor Shuncheng had handed the case to several ministers! These ministers came from various departments and rarely interacted, and the Emperor had done this to ensure the fairness of the investigation!

Emperor Shuncheng's expectations were correct. The very next morning, after the morning court session, those ministers went to the Imperial Study together and reported the progress of the case! The progress was that Huang Boqi and Wang Tianhai, who were involved in the case, had finally confessed!

With things having reached this point, the case was half-solved. Four nights later, Nie Jinxuan came to the Imperial Ancestral Temple again!

Just like last time, Nie Jinxuan wore a hooded cloak, and only after walking inside did she remove the hood and open the food box.

But this time, Nie Jinxuan did not feed him. Yin Fengzhan did not insist; he took the chopsticks and began to eat. Nie Jinxuan didn't speak, just watched him quietly. When he was finished, she took out the teapot she had brought, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him.

"I came here this time to tell you something..."

"What is it?"

"There is progress on Magistrate Jin's case."

Looking at Yin Fengzhan, Nie Jinxuan spoke in a low voice. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan's hand holding the teacup paused, and he looked up at Nie Jinxuan.

"Who?"

"I don't know yet. After all, the Emperor has sent secret envoys to investigate this case, so it's not appropriate for me to interfere. But I heard that Huang Boqi and Wang Tianhai have confessed."

"They confessed?"

"Yes."

She nodded, but Yin Fengzhan put down the teacup and narrowed his eyes... Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips and said in a low voice,

"What? Do you find it strange?"

"It's hard to say."

"Then what do you intend to do?"

Nie Jinxuan didn't know what Yin Fengzhan was thinking. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan lowered his gaze and looked at Nie Jinxuan.

"And you?"

Yin Fengzhan answered with a question. Nie Jinxuan was stunned.

Yes! Ever since Nie Jinhui died, she had been concerned about the Jin Qi case. Yin Fengzhan had even told her to hand over the account book to avoid trouble, but she had been too stubborn, wanting to fulfill Nie Jinhui's last wish and clear the Jin family's name. So why was she asking him now?!

Thinking of this, Nie Jinxuan felt foolish and smiled slightly.

"What else can I do? Let's wait and see! After all, many things are still unclear. Tomorrow, I will ask Minister Zuo of the Ministry of Punishments to help me inquire~!"

As she spoke, Nie Jinxuan packed up her things and stood up.

"Alright, I'm leaving."

As she finished, Nie Jinxuan turned to leave, but Yin Fengzhan grabbed her hand.

"Be extremely careful these next few days!"

Two chapters merged, 5000 words, see you tomorrow. ===== CHAPTER 197 =====