Chapter 43

"Xue Lingyu, he's dead!"

As night fell, Jiang Wanyi's bad premonition grew stronger, and she barely ate a few bites of food.

Seeing his condition, the servant asked worriedly, "My lord, are you feeling unwell? Should we call Physician Yang to take a look?"

If Jiang Wanyi felt even slightly unwell, everyone in Chaohui Palace would be on edge, fearing that the Emperor would blame her.

Worried about what might happen to the baby in her womb, Jiang Wanyi held her forehead and nodded.

The servant accepted the order and went to the Imperial Hospital.

Jiang Wanyi still felt uneasy and called out to the servant, "Wait, send someone to check on the Fifth Prince again, to see if he is staying obediently in the palace."

Jiang Wanyi touched her protruding belly, her eyes filled with worry.

The imperial physician was summoned to the Chaohui Palace, who said that Jiang Wanyi was unwell again. This alarmed the Emperor, who was reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study. She arrived at the palace only one step later than the imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital.

The imperial physician who came to Chaohui Palace was not Physician Yang, the attendant explained:

"After Physician Yang finished taking the nobleman's pulse, he left the palace, saying that there was a sudden matter at home and he had to rush back to deal with it."

Jiang Wan was surprised to see an elderly man with white hair, whom she seemed to have never seen before, and couldn't help but cast a questioning glance at him.

The old man put down his medicine box and greeted Jiang Wanyi: "Ji Weinian, head of the Imperial Medical Academy, pays his respects to Your Excellency."

Physician Yang was already among the top physicians in the Imperial Medical Academy, while this old man was actually the long-absent head of the Imperial Medical Academy. It was said that his medical skills were the best in the entire court, and he had served three emperors. Even the current emperor had to show him some respect.

Knowing Ji Weinian's identity, Jiang Wanyi had no choice but to straighten up and politely said, "Please rise, Physician Ji. Thank you for making this trip."

Ji Weinian nodded, bent down and took out a handkerchief from the medicine box, and began to take Jiang Wanyi's pulse.

When Emperor Wei arrived, Ji Weinian had just finished taking Jiang Wanyi's pulse.

Seeing that Ji Weinian had personally come out of seclusion, Emperor Wei was so frightened that his face changed color, fearing that something had happened to Jiang Wanyi and the child in her womb.

"Elder Ji, is there something wrong with my plans this evening?"

"Your Excellency has been pondering something, and coupled with the symptoms of pregnancy, that's why you look so haggard. As for your persistent anxiety, if Your Excellency has any concerns, you might as well speak directly to His Majesty. Perhaps that will help you resolve your worries." Ji Weinian's last words were directed at Jiang Wanyi, and her words were loaded with meaning, which Jiang Wanyi understood perfectly.

Emperor Wei had great respect for Ji Weinian, and given her exceptional medical skills, he trusted her completely.

Emperor Wei held Jiang Wanyi's hand and said with concern, "Elder Ji is right. If you have any worries, you must tell me."

Jiang Wanyi responded with a calm smile, then looked at Ji Weinian, who remained unmoved, and asked while clenching her hands, "May I ask Physician Ji a question? Are you aware of Physician Yang's departure from the palace?"

Ji Weinian lowered his head and said, "She is my disciple, and I informed her in advance about her leaving the palace."

Jiang Wanyi then understood why Ji Weinian had come in her place when Physician Yang was not there; it turned out they had a master-disciple relationship.

After Ji Weinian left, Jiang Wanyi said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I would like to change the imperial physician who is taking care of me."

Before the emperor could react, Jiang Wanyi added, "And I hope you will immediately send someone to arrest Physician Yang."

Jiang Wanyi felt that his intuition was correct. Someone around him was in trouble. If Ji Weinian hadn't come today and an ordinary imperial physician had come instead, he wouldn't have suspected anything. But Ji Weinian came in place of Physician Yang, which confirmed that Physician Yang was up to no good.

Coincidentally, the Fifth Prince also sent someone out of the palace today.

The Empress was somewhat puzzled. In her eyes, Jiang Wanyi had always used Physician Yang and was used to using him.

"Why the sudden arrest of Physician Yang? Was it because she didn't serve him well enough?"

Jiang Wanyi didn't want to explain too much to Emperor Wei for the time being, so he lowered his eyelashes, rubbed Emperor Wei's palm, and made a wronged gesture.

"Does His Majesty not even grant me this small request?"

Emperor Wei was indeed somewhat hesitant at first, since Physician Yang was Ji Weinian's apprentice and he had some consideration for him. However, Jiang Wanyi's appearance captivated him.

"Yes, yes, I'll agree to anything as long as you're happy."

It was almost dark when the few stewards finally finished dealing with the tasks assigned by the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince knew that if people found out that Xue Lingyu had died in front of him, even if he hadn't done it, they would definitely accuse him of killing Xue Lingyu.

So they decided to go all the way and disposed of the body first, making Xue Lingyu disappear completely.

Even if Jiang He comes knocking on our door afterward, we can't do anything to him without evidence.

"As Your Highness instructed, the body has been disposed of in the mass grave, wrapped in cloth so that its appearance is unrecognizable. With so many unidentified corpses in the mass grave every day, no one will recognize it." These caretakers have certainly weathered some storms, first delivering a baby that resulted in two deaths, and now dealing with corpses. The Fifth Prince has trained them to shoulder a heavy burden.

You Wengong couldn't help but sigh, "Look at that young man, so handsome, with a rosy complexion, yet he has no pulse or breath. It's such a pity."

The Fifth Prince glared at him. "This is none of your business."

The Duke lowered his head in fear.

“There has been a death in that house, so it is inconvenient for me to go in. You can go back and clean up the mess. Be quick about it.”

Recalling the horrific scene of Yangtao's childbirth, the Fifth Prince felt lingering fear just from hearing the sounds. "Ultimately, it was his own bad luck. If the child had survived, I could have promised his child a lifetime of wealth and honor."

Perhaps his conscience hadn't completely vanished, for he also instructed, "Have someone perform a Buddhist ceremony for them, father and daughter, to help them pass on to the afterlife."

He had heard that the deceased pregnant man was extremely malevolent, and he didn't want to dream of Yang Tao demanding his life again at midnight.

The Fifth Prince felt an unpleasant smell of blood on his body. He covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief in disgust and planned to find an inn to take a bath.

His personal attendant suddenly ran over, looking flustered, and said, "Your Highness, Attendant Jiang sent someone to look for you, but they found you were not in the palace. You should return to the palace immediately!"

The Fifth Prince said angrily, "It's Jiang Wanyi again. She really has a problem with me."

The Fifth Prince looked down on Jiang Wanyi's background from the very beginning. Later, when he was willing to lower himself to marry into the Jiang family, Jiang Wanyi still acted as if she looked down on him. How could he not be angry?

However, even if Jiang Wanyi is pregnant with twins, she cannot compare to him, who is the true royal bloodline. No matter what, the Emperor will not really have the heart to punish him.

The Fifth Prince was overconfident and acted as if he didn't care at all when facing his personal attendant.

"No rush. Even if I go back now, I'll just get caught red-handed. I might as well find a place to rest first."

At most, he left the palace without permission; His Majesty would not be so harsh on him.

The servant wanted to persuade him, but he couldn't change the Fifth Prince's mind, so he had to give up.

Everyone could see how much His Majesty doted on Jiang Wanyi; even the Fifth Prince couldn't quite compare.

Will His Majesty really not punish the Fifth Prince? This humble servant is not sure either.

The imperial guards could only hold off Ji Xue, but they couldn't stop him from leaving. Even if several of them worked together, they could only injure him.

When Ji Xue finally returned to the Jiang residence, wounded, it was already completely dark. Jiang He's face was frighteningly gloomy, and her first question to Ji Xue was, "Where is he?"

Even if a man loves beauty, he can't spend a whole day picking things out. She noticed something was wrong in the afternoon and sent people out to look for them, but there was no news. Now it seems that something must have happened.

Having fought for a long time and already looking disheveled, Xue endured the pain and said, "Miss... the handsome brother has been taken away by the Fifth Prince..."

Jiang He waited for him to continue, but Ji Xue fainted on the steps due to exhaustion.

Jiang He's heart skipped a beat. The fact that the other party could injure Xue Lingyu proved that he was no ordinary person. It seemed that the Fifth Prince had finally lost his patience and seized this opportunity to make a move against Xue Lingyu.

Jiang He was in a state of confusion and panic because she didn't know what the Fifth Prince, that madman, might do to Xue Lingyu.

She walked outside without looking back.

"Go to the Jingzhao government office."

Yuan Ge quickly helped the seriously injured Ji Xue inside. When she turned around and saw Jiang He's back, she couldn't help but pray that Young Master Xue would be safe and sound.

If anything were to happen to Young Master Xue, she feared that her mistress might really lose her temper and take action.

Su Yawan was eating when Jiang He lifted her up, nearly sending the bowl flying from her hand.

"What happened?" Su Yawan asked, her mouth full of rice, her words muffled.

Jiang He said with red eyes, "The Fifth Prince took Xue Lingyu away."

Su Yawan finally managed to swallow the rice, then exclaimed in surprise, "What?"

She snapped out of her daze and, before Jiang He could even speak, immediately instructed her subordinates: "Dispatch manpower immediately to search the entire city for the whereabouts of the Fifth Prince."

Su Yawan put on her coat, didn't even eat, and walked out. But after taking only two steps, she found that Jiang He was still standing there. She looked like she had lost her soul, without any spirit, and her eyes were lifeless.

Su Yawan pulled Jiang He away, saying, "Hurry up and go. Instead of worrying, you should find Xue Lingyu quickly. He might be counting on you to save him."

Su Yawan sighed: "Now, in this capital city, only you have the ability to save him."

The Fifth Prince, still under house arrest, secretly slipped out of the palace, disregarding palace rules. When Jiang Wanyi reported this to the Emperor, the Emperor immediately flew into a rage.

Her younger brother had been spoiled since childhood, and she originally thought it was fine for boys to be a little arrogant, but she never expected him to become so lawless.

"Immediately dispatch the Imperial Guards to bring this good-for-nothing back to the palace!" The Emperor no longer addressed the Fifth Prince by his given name, which showed just how angry he was.

This younger brother has disappointed her time and time again; he's beyond saving.

Jiang Wanyi added fuel to the fire at the right moment, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Perhaps the Fifth Prince has some unspeakable reasons, or perhaps he went to see a friend he hasn't seen in a long time."

The Fifth Prince's reputation was already bad. If he really went out of the palace to meet someone in secret, wouldn't he be disgracing the royal family? Because of Jiang Wanyi, the Emperor was afraid of disturbing the child in his womb, so he temporarily suppressed his anger, but he was already utterly disappointed in the Fifth Prince.

While comforting the emperor, Jiang Wanyi gave her personal attendant a look.

The Fifth Prince's secret departure from the palace would inevitably involve careful concealment of his whereabouts. After a thorough search by Su Yawan's men, no useful clues were found. Jiang He looked at the time and grew increasingly anxious.

She suddenly felt a pang of regret. If she hadn't gotten drunk yesterday and had gone out with Xue Lingyu today, would the Fifth Prince have had no opportunity to take advantage of her?

Jiang He's heart ached more and more, as if something was constantly tugging at her.

Su Yawan also felt it was a bit tricky. The capital was so big, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. When they would be able to find Xue Lingyu was still unknown.

A man dressed as a palace servant suddenly called out to Jiang He, "Miss," and Jiang He looked in the direction of the voice.

The man beckoned to her. “Miss, I am Juqi from the Consort’s side. The Consort asked me to tell you that the Fifth Prince was discovered by His Majesty for leaving the palace without permission. His Majesty’s Imperial Guards found his trail on Jinghua Street. The Consort also said that the Fifth Prince may have other purposes for leaving the palace, so please be careful.”

Juqi was somewhat surprised. He had originally headed towards the Jiang residence, but unexpectedly encountered Jiang He on the way.

Jiang He's eyes darkened. "Jinghua Street?"

It really came without any effort. Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang He rode his horse towards Jinghua Street.

Su Yawan was afraid that she would do something foolish, so she quickly followed her.

The Fifth Prince did not expect the Emperor to send the Imperial Guards to find him, but this also proved his importance in the Emperor's heart.

The Imperial Guard Commander was a cold-faced, unsmiling woman. She had never had a good impression of arrogant men like the Fifth Prince, so she spoke in an official manner.

"Fifth Prince, His Majesty has sent us to escort you back to the palace. Please do not make things difficult for us."

The Fifth Prince chuckled, completely oblivious to the impending danger, and even had the mood to throw a tantrum. "Let's go back then. Commander Wu, there's no need to put on such an attitude, as if I've done something wrong."

Commander Wu frowned, glanced at the Fifth Prince with disgust, and had no intention of paying him any more attention. He then ordered his men to take the Fifth Prince back.

When Jiang He arrived at Jinghua Street, she happened to see the Imperial Guards and immediately recognized the Fifth Prince among them.

As night deepened, the Imperial Guards, clad in silver armor and gripping their sword sheaths, exuded an aura of unassailable majesty.

Jiang He reined in his horse and looked at the woman walking at the front, his dark eyes growing even deeper.

"Commander Wu, it's been a long time."

Wu Yueling looked at Jiang He sitting on horseback, her eyes seemingly calm, but she still replied, "Jiang He, I am currently busy with official duties. If you wish to catch up, we should do so another day."

When Jiang He was a playboy, he had a good relationship with Wu Yueling, who came from a noble family. The two could talk to each other. Wu Yueling was one of the few people in the noble family who did not care about family background when making friends. He was also an upright and honest person.

“I’m not here to catch up with you,” Jiang He said, looking at the Fifth Prince who was being protected by the Imperial Guards. “I’m here to see His Highness the Fifth Prince.”

The Fifth Prince was surprised that Jiang He had come to him so quickly. It was undoubtedly about Xue Lingyu's whereabouts. He suddenly regretted inviting Xue Lingyu in public.

Wu Yueling glanced at the Fifth Prince, who looked guilty, and asked, "Oh? What business do you have with His Highness the Fifth Prince?"

Jiang He stared intently at the Fifth Prince's face and asked, word by word, "Where is Xue Lingyu?"

Her hands were clenched so tightly they were red, for fear that she might lose control and do something impulsive.

She was already trying hard to stay sober.

The Fifth Prince dared not look at Jiang He's face, swallowed hard, and said, "How would I know where Xue Lingyu is? Isn't he your concubine? Why are you asking me for him?"

Seeing that the Fifth Prince refused to reveal anything, Jiang He's anger flared up instantly. Her eyes were bloodshot as she looked at the Fifth Prince, and there was even a hint of murderous intent in them.

Wu Yueling stopped Jiang He from stepping forward and warned in a deep voice, "Jiang He, I am here on His Majesty's orders to bring the Fifth Prince back to the palace. If you obstruct me, you will be disobeying the imperial decree."

Finally, she whispered to Jiang He, "The Fifth Prince has done something wrong, and His Majesty will deal with it. You are just a commoner now. Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your family and the nobles in the palace."

Jiang He was stopped. She tried her best to control her impulse. She understood Wu Yueling's advice, but in the end, she choked up and said in a hoarse voice, "Sister Yueling, you should know how important Xue Lingyu is to me."

Jiang He's eyes had never been so firm before. The pain of losing her beloved was clearly and vividly displayed. Wu Yueling was stunned for a moment, and then slowly let go of her.

Given the Emperor's favor towards Jiang Wanyi, even if Jiang He injured the Fifth Prince, it shouldn't cost her her life, Wu Yueling reassured herself. She believed that since Jiang He hadn't been a good protector, she would at most only receive a few lashes.

Unlike Jiang He, she hasn't thought about anyone for so many years.

But she knew that if she stopped Jiang He today, she might ruin Jiang He's life.

Seeing that even the Imperial Guards were no longer helping him, the Fifth Prince suddenly felt afraid.

Jiang He pulled out a sword from somewhere and pressed it against the Fifth Prince's chest, asking once more, "I'll ask you one more time, where is Xue Lingyu?"

The Fifth Prince stubbornly refused to speak, knowing full well that if he revealed Xue Lingyu's death, Jiang He would immediately kill him.

Jiang He pointed her sword at the Fifth Prince's chest, and the Fifth Prince could only retreat step by step until he had nowhere left to go. Suddenly, something fell from his body.

Jiang He recognized the object. She bent down to pick it up and laughed as if she had lost her mind, "This is the hairpin I gave him... and now it's in your hands. What did you do to him?"

Now that things had come to this, the Fifth Prince knew he couldn't escape responsibility. He only regretted that he still had a trace of affection for Jiang He in his heart, which was why he had kept the hairpin. If he had destroyed it earlier, he could have denied it no matter what Jiang He did.

“I didn’t do anything to him. I just told him that he wasn’t the only man you had, and took him to see the little servant who was carrying your child but whom you had driven away.” The Fifth Prince was also acting strangely. He looked at the exquisite red jade hairpin and burst into laughter.

"This hairpin was given to me by Xue Lingyu. He said he never wanted to see you again, and he didn't want to be your concubine."

He also said you'll never find him!

Perhaps feeling quite pleased with himself for saying this, and seeing that the Imperial Guards weren't on his side, the Fifth Prince decided to throw caution to the wind and do whatever he wanted.

Jiang He's hands were trembling. She gripped the hairpin and asked the Fifth Prince again in a stern voice, "Where is he?"

"Xue Lingyu!" The Fifth Prince exclaimed excitedly, his voice rising, "He's dead!"

Jiang He's eyes widened. She didn't believe the answer at all, but the Fifth Prince's smug expression clearly told her that the possibility was real.

Xue Lingyu is probably already dead, otherwise why would someone else have taken his red jade hairpin?

She gripped the sword, unable to hold back any longer; the agonizing emotions were tearing her apart, tugging at her body and nerves.

Wu Yueling suddenly realized what Jiang He was about to do, but it was too late to stop her; she was too far away from Jiang He.

At that moment, a voice suddenly came.

"He'er, stop!"

Wu Yueling turned around and found that it was Jiang Wanyi.

Jiang He was now heartbroken, but she listened to her brother and put down her sword.

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:36:38 on January 26, 2022 and 20:56:06 on January 27, 2022!

Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: jyxsxlyjh (2); giegie你好骚啊; 酸奶 (1);

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Deep Water Bomb 10 bottles; 53135937 2 bottles; jyxsxlyjh, 57028157 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

◎Latest Comments:

[Anticipatingly clicking the paw]

【Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!】

[Eyes sparkling. I'll water you more, and please grow strong, little sapling.]

[It breaks here!!!]

【

[More, more, more!!! Stay tuned for the next installment!]

【Why】

The evening is so gentle.

So few…

But I don't remember when they started steaming buns.

Is the exciting moment about to begin? Ahhh!

[Will Physician Yang be able to move Xue in time? And if that happens, will her brother be angry after Xue reconciles with Jiang He?]

[Keep it up, DaDa!!!]

Is he going to run away with the ball?! Looking forward to it!

-over-