Chapter 57: Saving the Aloof Crown Prince 08

Defu hurriedly knelt down to reply.

Replying to Your Highness, this servant took Ying Jiu to sleep in the East Three Wing Chambers last night, got up at the fourth watch this morning, and has been practicing martial arts in the garden before the hall.

Xiao Su grunted, then went to the outer room where breakfast had been set.

Li You was waiting there.

Upon seeing Xiao Su, he first busily laid out the dishes, and only after they began eating did he start to reply.

Your Highness, something happened at the training field after you left yesterday.

The Eldest Prince was selecting dark guards when he suddenly encountered an assassin,

Xiao Su became interested, raising his eyebrows slightly.

How so?

Li You continued: "They say it was a sleeve dart that couldn't be seen, which didn't injure him, only shattering the Jade Pendant the Eldest Prince carried."

The Eldest Prince was furious, ordering the guards to find the culprit at all costs.

Who would have thought that today, not even a trace of the assailant could be seen.

Xiao Su set down his chopsticks.

After having eaten the meal Jin Chen prepared yesterday, then eating the food from the small kitchen, he found it increasingly tasteless.

Over the course of a meal, his palate had become so picky.

Upon hearing Li You say that the Eldest Prince's Jade Pendant had been shattered, a flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Su's eyes.

He naturally knew the story behind that Jade Pendant.

With so much poison having entered his own body, how could he not remember that medical girl?

But why the assassin only shattered the Jade Pendant without attacking him remains a question.

Logically, someone the Imperial Palace guards couldn't find ought to be highly skilled in martial arts; could it really just have been a mistake?

If it was intentional, who else knowing about Xiao Yunye's Jade Pendant could it be?

Right now there are too many questions.

Xiao Su suddenly realized that he hadn't even made a move yet, while Xiao Yunye's development had already diverged greatly from that of his previous life.

He took a sip of tea and prepared to rise.

Li You was startled and couldn't help but advise.

"Your Highness, you've been eating less and less lately; autumn makes it easy for cold to invade the body, you should eat more to strengthen yourself."

"It's fine; I'm not hungry."

When Xiao Su left the hall, Jin Chen had changed his clothes and was already waiting outside the carriage.

Simply for the sake of concealment, he was still dressed in dark colors, wearing a mask that hid his appearance.

Jin Chen helped Xiao Su into the carriage.

When their arms touched, he noticed the chill on Xiao Su's body.

After a brief thought, he followed him into the carriage cabin.

Li You: "……"

In broad daylight...

He sat beside the driver, silently shaking his head in sigh.

He also wondered whether he should ask Ying Jiu to persuade Your Highness to eat a bit more.

Inside the carriage.

Xiao Su was no longer surprised by Jin Chen's behavior of sitting in.

He glanced at Jin Chen's mask, his expression cold.

Jin Chen immediately understood, taking off his mask and placing it on the table.

He then sat beside Xiao Su, taking the blanket from the seat and draping it over him.

"Your body is quite cold."

As he said this, he already reached out and embraced Xiao Su's shoulders.

Feeling the warmth from Jin Chen's embrace transfer to his body.

Xiao Su comfortably narrowed his phoenix eyes, then leaned his whole body against him, responding lazily.

"I am naturally cold-bodied."

His cold, clear voice flowed like a mountain spring from within, bright and pleasant to hear.

Jin Chen held him tighter, asking, "Then let me warm you, my lord?"

His words sounded strange.

Xiao Su glanced sideways, puzzled and uncomprehending.

Jin Chen turned his body, placing one hand on Xiao Su's chest, circulating Spiritual Power to slowly transmit it.

Yet he said aloud,

"By transmitting internal energy to you, my lord, I will warm you."

The warmth from his chest spread, gradually reaching his limbs.

Xiao Su had not felt such warmth for a long time.

Even though each night under the quilt was icy cold.

Not to mention when the poison inside him flared up.

He let out a comfortable soft hum, his body grew warm, and drowsiness naturally followed.

Xiao Su pressed his cheek against Jin Chen's shoulder, fully nestling into his embrace, with none of yesterday's carriage aversion.

Yet he made no further move.

Jin Chen wasn't in a hurry either, contentedly serving as a human backrest, occasionally lightly stroking Xiao Su's spine, letting him sleep even more peacefully.

But the Eastern Palace is not far from the Imperial Study.

Normally, taking a sedan chair gets you there in half an hour; moreover, they are riding in a carriage.

Xiao Su had just dozed off for a moment when he heard Li You call softly.

"Your Highness, the Imperial Study is almost here; you should get out of the carriage and go inside."

"……."

Xiao Su opened his phoenix eyes, and for the first time found Li You's voice annoying.

Those people outside are even more annoying.

It was rare to see his expression show emotion, so Xiao Su lowered his voice to coax him gently.

"If you're still tired, my lord, after we finish paying respects, I'll stay with you to rest properly."

Xiao Su gave a restrained nod of his chin, but inside he began to anticipate.

But he simply wasn't good with words and couldn't say to let Jin Chen accompany him to rest.

Only after Jin Chen tidied his clothes did he lightly tug at Jin Chen's sleeve.

That counted as agreement.

Then he lifted the curtain and had Li You help him down from the carriage.

Jin Chen paused a few seconds, then understood his meaning.

He couldn't help but let out a light laugh.

He couldn't openly follow Xiao Su, so he hid in the shadows, using his lightness skill to avoid the other covert guards patrolling the palace, and made his way to the Imperial Study.

The first day of each month is the day for princes and princesses to pay respects.

All legitimate consorts must come to the Imperial Study to pay respects to Emperor Yongshun in turn.

Emperor Yongshun has many princesses—five in total.

But among those of legitimate birth, only the Grand Princess Xiao Mo and the Eldest Prince, who share the same mother, were born of the current empress.

And the Second Princess Xiao Ting'er, born of Consort Shun.

Thus, only three princes and two princesses need to pay respects.

"Crown Prince brother."

Xiao Ting'er, deeply instructed by Consort Shun, is graceful and proper, lovable, and respectful toward her elder brother.

Xiao Su has a good impression of her, smiling and nodding.

"Ting'er, you're becoming ever more beautiful."

"Hmph, birds of a feather flock together."

Xiao Mo mocked in a coquettish voice.

She followed behind Xiao Yunye, her gaze toward the two of Xiao Su practically written with contempt.

Xiao Su was not angry.

He even felt sympathy for this beloved Grand Princess.

After all, in his previous life, when the enemy state invaded, no one in the court could resist.

When the emperor heard that the enemy leader had designs on Xiao Mo, he without hesitation conferred the title of Princess of the First Rank upon her and immediately sent her to the enemy state as a marriage alliance.

Xiao Ting'er is also used to hearing her veiled and open mockery.

At the moment she also had no reaction.

Xiao Su: "It seems not only the Eldest Prince has forgotten propriety, but the imperial sister as well."

His expression was cold, his words even more like icy frost.

Xiao Mo, spoiled rotten, has always been impatient.

She immediately shouted a rebuttal.

"It's just an empty title; brother, you're far more favored than I—how dare you?"

"No matter how empty the title, I am still the crown prince personally appointed by the emperor, the crown prince of the entire Great Yun."

Xiao Su's tone was icy: "Imperial sister, are you dissatisfied with the father emperor's decision?"

"You!"

Xiao Mo was furious, yet she still understood some propriety: if she went along with his words and admitted it, she would be defying an imperial decree.

She bit her lip, not understanding why this sickly fellow was so articulate today.

Xiao Yunye, however, didn't understand all these roundabout ways.

He only knew that Xiao Su was unfavored, so naturally anything he did was wrong.

"Even if you are the crown prince, what qualifications do you have to be it? Relying on that sickly body of yours?"

His words were heard clearly by Chief Eunuch Zhao De, who had come out to greet them.

Naturally, the words were transmitted to inside the Imperial Study.