Chapter 63: Does Prince Jing Like Cheng Xi?

Baohua's Dharma Robe was made very beautifully; Li Zhi'an had indeed found her a pair of Black Flood Dragon eyeballs to use as eyes. Cheng Xi was currently using the materials Li Zhi'an had given her to repair her body, unaware that Fang Xun had come to the Tongtian Division to pay a visit.

She finished repairing Baohua, and Baohua hopped and skipped off to play with Qin Yu. Qin Yu, whose worldview had been shattered by the Thunder Tribulation, was squatting in the newly tidied-up instrument room, watching Chi Laicheng clumsily draw a Spirit Gathering Array.

Although Baohua had eyes, she still lacked eyebrows, a nose, and a mouth. Chi Laicheng found it unbearable to look at her, so he stopped drawing the Array and rummaged through boxes and cabinets to bring out his own treasured goods.

He used the hair from a Jade Qilin Horse's tail to craft her eyebrows, and used the best Demon Bone in his possession to make her nose bridge and teeth.

Baohua changed drastically, and Cheng Xi pressed a hand to her forehead.

Baohua was already vain by nature, and now her tail was practically wagging in the sky.

When Li Zhi'an came over, he was quite surprised to see Baohua, but he still nodded and said, "More presentable than before."

Cheng Xi didn't speak. Having received praise, Baohua spun around and ran off happily, not knowing where she went to show off again.

"Fang Xun wants to see you. Will you see him?"

Cheng Xi shook her head. She knew Fang Xun; back then, it was Cheng Fenglan who had asked him to help reattach Jiang Weiran's arm.

"Fang Xun is the one who brought back the news that the Four Great Academies will be recruiting students early."

Cheng Xi's body was much better now, and she was not as desperate as before to enter an Academy to obtain resources to repair her body.

Therefore, she was not very keen on the matter of the school term starting.

Seeing her shake her head, Li Zhi'an had his attendant pass a message to Fang Xun, and Fang Xun left looking somewhat disappointed.

However, high-level experts all had somewhat eccentric temperaments, so it was not surprising that he didn't see him.

The people in Jindu were all inquiring about the cause of the Thunder Tribulation, but the Tongtian Division kept its mouth shut, and Fang Xun was naturally not a talkative person either.

What's more, Fang Xun truly did not know who it was, only that the person was in the Tongtian Division.

But soon, no one paid attention to this matter anymore, because the news of the Four Great Academies recruiting students early caused a huge uproar.

Yan Shengyu came to find her, wanting to go with her to apply for the Qinghe Academy. Cheng Xi did not agree directly but did not refuse either, only saying she needed to think about it.

After the start of the dog days, the weather gradually became hot and dry, but fortunately, a light, drizzling rain began early this morning, making people feel a bit refreshed.

Jiang Boyu carefully held an umbrella for Li Zhi'an. "Chief, watch your step."

Li Zhi'an looked up toward the horizon. There had been an extraordinary amount of rain this year; since the beginning of summer, it had been raining almost half the time.

Seeing Li Zhi'an's displeased expression, Jiang Boyu couldn't help but ask, "Chief, for what matter did the Emperor summon you?"

Li Zhi'an recalled the Little Emperor's words; he wanted him to help him seize back supreme power and shake off the Empress Dowager's control.

If it were before, Li Zhi'an might have had some interest, but now he had not the slightest bit.

The struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Little Emperor annoyed him. If Cheng Xi intended to go to an Academy, he actually felt an urge to leave Jindu as well.

Before they had walked many steps, someone suddenly walked out from a corner. The two sides walked into each other, and the person was immediately startled. Upon looking up and seeing it was Li Zhi'an, their face turned slightly pale.

"Prince." Li Zhi'an nodded lightly toward the person.

Facing the imposing Li Zhi'an, the Prince was at a loss for what to do for a moment. Remembering his stiff relationship with the Empress Dowager, he squeezed out a smile and then spoke, "Chief Li."

Li Zhi'an had no intention of making small talk with the Prince. The Prince had left little impression on him; after being acknowledged by the Empress Dowager, this one rarely went out.

Just like at this moment, even though he was clearly the Emperor's brother and the Empress Dowager's son, he dared not look Li Zhi'an in the eye, and his demeanor was one of subservience and extreme caution.

He didn't look like a royal Prince at all, but rather like one of Li Zhi'an's subordinates.

"This official still has official business to attend to, so I shall take my leave first. Your Highness, please forgive me." Li Zhi'an bowed slightly, and without waiting for the Prince to reply, he strode forward along the corridor.

Seeing Li Zhi'an leave, the Prince finally raised his head to look at his back. Seeing him walk with the speed of a shooting star and an imposing aura, the timid look on his face vanished, replaced by a layer of gloom.

He already knew that the person who had drawn down the Thunder Tribulation that day was Cheng Xi.

Cheng Xi had drawn down the Thunder Tribulation in the Tongtian Division, yet she was unwilling to enter the Demon Suppression Pavilion to serve the Empress Dowager.

The Prince went all the way to Shou'an Palace. Seeing the Prince from afar, the palace maids of Shou'an Palace hurried inside to report.

The Prince entered the hall and saw the Empress Dowager about to rise. He hurriedly stepped forward to support her with a sweet, obedient smile. "Mother, how is your health today? Yesterday I heard Zhao Chang say you were feeling unwell, but because it was too late, I didn't come to disturb your rest."

Hearing these words from the Prince, the Empress Dowager couldn't suppress the smile on her face. She laughed and said, "It is nothing, I am fine today. Sit down and talk."

The Prince took his seat. The Empress Dowager leaned against a soft pillow, with palace maids kneeling on both sides, gently fanning her. The Empress Dowager rested her chin on one hand, a look of drowsiness appearing on her face.

Seeing this, the Prince asked with concern, "Did Mother not sleep well last night? Was it because of your poor health?"

The Empress Dowager waved her hand. "I am getting old, and there are always these kinds of ailments. How have you been lately? Have you been reading what your teacher assigned you?"

"This son does his homework diligently every day and dares not be the slightest bit slack," the Prince said hurriedly.

The Empress Dowager nodded with satisfaction. "I am planning to arrange a marriage for your Imperial Brother recently, and your marriage is also approaching. Is there any young lady you like? If her family background and character are good, tell me about her."

For some reason, the Prince suddenly thought of Li Zhi'an. Thinking of Li Zhi'an, he couldn't help but think of that Thunder Tribulation at the Tongtian Division, and thinking of the Thunder Tribulation, he thought of Cheng Xi.

The Prince subconsciously clenched his hands, but his face carried a somewhat embarrassed expression. "This son is still young."

"You are not young anymore. If there is a suitable one, we can settle it first. If you don't want to marry so soon, it doesn't matter if we wait a year. Good girls are always hard to keep; we must secure them first."

The Empress Dowager truly wanted to make it up to her youngest son, so she wanted to find a noblewoman to be his Princess. She had already looked through the daughters of the noble families in Jindu twice, and there were indeed a few very good ones.

The Prince responded in a low voice, "Yes." He then looked up at the Empress Dowager, immediately withdrew his gaze, and wore a hesitant look.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager immediately said with a smile, "So you do have a girl you like? Which family is she from? Tell me."

The Prince pursed his lips and remained silent.

The Empress Dowager knew this son was thin-skinned and couldn't handle teasing, so she said with a smile, "If you don't tell me now, don't come crying to me when the girl you like is betrothed to someone else."

Hearing this, the Prince's eyes showed a hint of urgency, and he said in a low voice, "This son thinks Eldest Miss Cheng is quite good."

"Who?" The smile on the Empress Dowager's face faltered.

Cheng Xi?

Since when did the Prince take a fancy to Cheng Xi?