Chapter 1540: Regent Prince Dotes on Me Too Much, What Should I Do 09

Jin Chen really fainted once midway.

His body simply couldn't tolerate the stimulation from his lightness skill, and he fainted hard into Xie Zhiwei's arms.

When he woke up again, Jin Chen had returned to the emperor's bedchamber, and saw Xie Zhiwei standing before the curtain's sheer gauze.

He didn't miss the worry in Xie Zhiwei's eyes, but merely forced himself to sit up, trying to stay tucked in the blankets and refusing to come out.

"Where's the Lion..."

His hoarse voice tinged with weakness, Jin Chen asked the guard beside him, Liu Feng, "My... that lion..."

Liu Feng hurriedly brought over the little lion, but Xie Zhiwei raised a hand to stop him.

Xie Zhiwei stepped forward, bent down and gently brushed Jin Chen's forehead hair, so gentle it was unlike him, "Your Majesty just woke up, it's a time of weakness; that little brat would bump into you."

"No..."

Jin Chen shook his head, dodged Xie Zhiwei's fingers, then shifted to the other side, "Young royal uncle... Your Majesty... I, I have something to ask you."

He even stopped using the lofty self‑referral, his gaze at Xie Zhiwei lacking the previous days' reliance and joy, only fear remained.

It seemed to have returned to long ago, yet also different; at least when he had previously been looked at with such despairing eyes, Xie Zhiwei had never felt this awful.

"Your Majesty, please speak; I'm listening."

"Have I... done something wrong?" Jin Chen asked in a trembling voice; tears welled up, helplessness tracing his cheeks and dripping onto the soft pillow, "I've only lived long in the palace, not yet deaf or mute; those assassins... does Royal Uncle think I'm too bothersome and want to give me a lesson?"

"No... Your Majesty hasn't done anything wrong." Xie Zhiwei felt a sudden sourness spreading from his heart.

He cupped Jin Chen's face, rubbing it, and said, "Your Majesty has simply changed a lot."

As his words fell, the phoenix‑eyed gaze grew gloomy, "Therefore, I merely wish to ascertain the cause of Your Majesty's transformation, so I can make plans early."

Jin Chen tried to turn his head away, but his jaw was firmly pinched.

"Chen'er." Xie Zhiwei suddenly called his childhood nickname, indulgence and danger intertwined, "Do not defy me."

Jin Chen: "..."

His fickle mood is so annoying.

Even the bitter‑meat stratagem didn't work.

"Sorry." Jin Chen lowered his eyes, answering in a soft voice tinged with grievance.

He was still so obedient, exactly what Xie Zhiwei most wanted to see.

The danger emanating from Xie Zhiwei vanished in an instant; he lightly stroked Jin Chen's neck, his thin lips curling.

【Villain Heartthrob Value +10, total 25!】

"I want to go see my older cousin."

Jin Chen finally sat up from the bedding, seeming resolved to temporarily leave here, "My older cousin was injured and fainted on the spot while saving me; I want to go see him."

As he rose to his feet, he completely shook off Xie Zhiwei's hand, his motion slow yet without hesitation.

Xie Zhiwei's smile froze on his face; the surrounding palace attendants instantly knelt, only the rustle of fabric as the senior palace maid adjusted Jin Chen's clothing could be heard.

"Chen'er."

"Regent Prince, do not interfere with my travels; it's not yet mid‑month."

Having changed into bright yellow regular attire, Jin Chen turned to face Xie Zhiwei, hands behind his back, already bearing a hint of imperial aura.

Xie Zhiwei thus silently watched Jin Chen depart, until his silhouette vanished from the hall.

"Your Highness, should we send dark guards to follow His Majesty out of the palace?" De Quan asked, steeling himself.

Xie Zhiwei said nothing; De Quan understood this as tacit consent.

No matter what, His Majesty must not be harmed.

"Jin Chen has been by my side for several years now." Xie Zhiwei suddenly asked.

"Reporting to Your Highness, six years."

The emperor seemed to have grown overnight, eager to fill out his wings and escape his shackles.

Yet Xie Zhiwei realized his own murky thoughts were not apprehension, but a reluctance to let Jin Chen slip from his control—he knew all too well how perilous the court was.

"Never mind."

Xie Zhiwei abruptly rose, lightly smoothing his sleeve; the hall's candlelight, shifting between light and dark, illuminated his jade‑like handsome face, like a specter yet truly excessively gorgeous.

"Since Your Majesty wishes to reclaim actual authority, I will pave the way for him."

Those restless elements in the court shall all become road‑paving ghosts.

"Your Highness means well, but why don't you explain those assassins clearly to His Majesty?"

"It will be used when needed."

——

The emperor personally visited the commandery prince's mansion; the newly awakened Mu Zhengzheng, overwhelmed by favor, could only hate being unable to get out of bed to pay his respects.

Jin Chen glanced at the obviously shared‑bed bedding, inwardly surprised that at this point the protagonists had already developed feelings for each other.

However, Han Zhou's loyalty remained clearly unchanged.

"Thanks to my older cousin, I managed to keep this life." Jin Chen sat on the bedside, holding a teacup, after taking a sip he let out a soft sigh, "It's a pity I lack real authority; I can't even bestow a title on my older cousin."

Mu Zhengzheng's heart jumped, "Your Majesty, that statement is mistaken; when Master passed away, he expressly instructed me to assist you well; these years I have dared not forget even a moment, but... I am simply incapable, unable to relieve Your Majesty's worries."

"Yes... the young royal uncle is too formidable." Jin Chen timely expressed something Mu Zhengzheng wanted to hear, anxious and uneasy, "Moreover, perhaps in a few years I will have to go keep company with my father emperor."

"What?!" Mu Zhengzheng was startled by his words; it wasn't about caring or not for this young emperor's life, but astonishment that the Regent Prince wouldn't even keep the last imperial blood relative.

"Your Majesty, why say such a thing?" Mu Zhengzheng couldn't help asking, "But isn't it that you must close... each month mid‑month?"

The sound of jade shattering outside the door interrupted Mu Zhengzheng's question.

Han Zhou entered, his complexion slightly grim, lowering his head to say, "Master, a few crows flew outside the prince's mansion."

Outside the prince's mansion there are Dark Dragon Army dark guards!

Mu Zhengzheng's already pale face lost all color.

Yes, yes, he was getting anxious—this sort of question shouldn't be asked now, or it would bring disaster upon himself.

Han Zhou hesitated, glanced at Jin Chen, then still walked in and poured a cup of hot tea for Mu Zhengzheng.

Jin Chen merely lowered his eyes and drank tea, pretending not to notice anything.

Han Zhou's recent action, both as Mu Zhengzheng's lover and personal attendant, helped him avoid the danger of inviting disaster; and also as Xie Zhiwei's spy, prevented the secret from being known to any outsider.

Regardless of whether the Dark Dragon Army's dark guards heard it, Han Zhou did nothing wrong.

"Cousin, I should leave." Jin Chen set down his teacup, then showed Mu Zhengzheng a smile full of worry, and said softly: "If cousin wishes to speak with me another day, he can wait at the Long Moon Pavilion."

The Long Moon Pavilion is a pavilion in the rear of the Imperial Garden, near the Rear Palace, and is one of Jin Chen's few "secret bases".

"I will go to meet you."

"Yes, forgive me, I cannot see you off, Your Majesty."

After Jin Chen left, Han Zhou went out again, and when he returned his expression was visibly relaxed.

"Master, those crows have left."

Mu Zhengzheng's chest wound still throbbed faintly; he waved at Han Zhou, and when the person came near, he pulled them into his embrace, feeling somewhat emotional.

"It's fine; although this trip was dangerous, at least it let the emperor let down his guard completely."

Han Zhou's gaze lingered on his wound for a long time before he looked away, nodding silently.