Chapter 96 The carriage of Prince Cheng's residence was carrying...

Chapter 96 The carriage of Prince Cheng's residence was carrying...

The carriage of Prince Cheng's residence, escorted by his personal guards, finally came to a slow stop in front of the mansion gate. The carriage door opened, and the crowd that had been anxiously waiting at the gate, having already received the news, immediately rushed forward to greet them.

Inside the car, Qin Ji's face was as pale as paper, and his tightly pursed lips and forehead covered in cold sweat clearly indicated that he was in very bad shape.

Two guards intended to help him down from the carriage, one on each side, but he stubbornly insisted on doing it himself, not only getting out of the carriage by himself but also maintaining his composure. However, the way he seemed to exhaust all his strength with every movement, and the bloodstains faintly visible through the thick robe of a prince on his back, all indicated that the twenty strokes of the cane were definitely not light, and his injuries were certainly not minor.

"Master!" Qin Xi's voice trembled when she saw her master in this state. She rushed forward to help Qin Ji after he got out of the car, but Qin Ji brushed her aside.

He even smiled and thanked the eunuchs and guards who escorted him back, perfectly demonstrating his ability to pretend nothing was wrong and maintain a peaceful facade.

Xiao Yan was a step slower than Qin Xi. Her face was also deathly pale, no better than Qin Ji's.

She had thought that... even if it was a caning, Qin Ji would have made some arrangements, but surprisingly... judging from Qin Ji's current appearance, his injuries were much more serious than she had expected.

Xiao Yan rushed over quickly, her face full of worry and urgency, and reached out to help him: "Slow down, be careful of your wound!"

Upon seeing that it was Xiao Yan Hui, Qin Ji did not resist at all. Instead, he naturally took her hand and even leaned slightly towards her.

The palace staff who escorted the person back witnessed the entire scene. Seeing that the person had been brought back, the group decided to return to report.

But at that moment, a sudden change occurred. Qin Ji's body swayed violently as if he could no longer support himself. He let out a very soft groan, then closed his eyes and collapsed.

"Qin Ji!"

"master!"

"Your Highness!"

In an instant, chaos erupted around him. The guards and eunuchs cried out and tried to help him up, while the servants were terrified and at a loss for what to do. Some wanted to step forward to help, some stood frozen in place, and some frantically shouted, "Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician, come quickly!"

Xiao Yan Hui was so frightened that her heart almost stopped. She was closest to him, half supporting him, her hands clasped together, when she suddenly felt a weight on her side that made her unable to support him for a moment. Then she saw Qin Ji faint and fall down without warning. His bloodless face and tightly closed eyes made her panic instantly, and all her composure vanished.

She desperately tried to catch his sliding body, her voice trembling with tears, but even so, she quickly gave orders: "Qin Ji, what's wrong? Everyone, clear the way! Qin Xi, go get a soft couch! Physician Zhang..."

Just then, she felt her hand being squeezed. The first squeeze was almost an illusion, but soon she felt it a second time.

Xiao Yan Hui suddenly realized that he was faking it.

The panic subsided like a receding tide, her heart still pounding, but she quickly reacted in another way: "Waaah, Physician Zhang, come quickly and see what's wrong with my prince, waaaah... Your Highness, please don't be hurt, waaaah..."

The tears that were already welling up in her eyes could no longer be held back, and they fell in large drops. Xiao Yan cried extremely miserably, as if she had completely lost her backbone and could only sob.

Realizing what had happened, the crowd hurriedly and carefully lifted the "unconscious" Qin Ji, placed him on a soft couch, and quickly carried him into the mansion. Xiao Yan followed closely by, only wiping away her tears.

Amidst the chaos and disarray at the Prince's mansion, no one noticed that in the shadows of the street corner outside the mansion and in inconspicuous spots inside, several figures were taking in everything before disappearing in different directions.

It will likely be very soon that news of Prince Cheng's severe injuries and punishment will spread far and wide. If the spies are observant enough, they might mention that the Prince and Princess are indeed very affectionate, or that the Princess is not up to the task.

Whether it was the argument between father and son in the palace or the fainting spell in front of Prince Cheng's mansion, both were like a stone thrown into a lake, instantly stirring up ripples in the already turbulent political situation in the capital.

Meanwhile, the culprit was being carefully placed on a soft bed, where the imperial physician, who had been waiting, was carefully treating the wound, bandaging it, and applying medicine.

When Xiao Yan returned with the brewed medicine and entered the inner room, the air was filled with a faint scent of wound medicine.

Qin Ji lay on the bed, her face pale from blood loss and pain. Her eyes were half-closed, but when she heard Xiao Yan's footsteps, she opened them and turned her head slightly to look at her. She didn't speak, but her eyes held a pitiful look, like a pitiful and tired big cat.

"You may all leave now." Xiao Yan gave the order after glancing at Qin Xi, who was attending to Qin Xi by the bedside, and Wei Sa, who was standing guard in the corner with his sword.

The two glanced at their master in unison, then retreated silently in unison.

"Although they can't tell from her expression, they're certain that the princess is angry, very angry. At a time like this, they shouldn't stay and try to make their presence felt, or they'll easily become cannon fodder."

"Yan Hui," Qin Ji called out, but no one paid him any attention. The only response Xiao Yan Hui gave him was the sound of a spoon scraping against the bottom of a bowl.

The rhythmic, circular movements, though clearly intended to cool the body and administer medication, sounded to Qin Ji like the sound of a knife being sharpened.

Sure enough, she was very angry!

"Yan Hui'er, I'm in some pain." This time, not only were her eyes pitiful, but her voice also sounded weak.

"You... Qin Ji, you deserve to be in so much pain. Didn't you ask for this beating?" Xiao Yan finally turned to look at her, but her pupils contracted sharply when her gaze fell on the patch of blood on the corner of the bed, which was now turning brownish.

Her hands, which were holding the medicine, trembled slightly, and her already red and swollen eyes welled up with tears again.

"You... did you really have to pull this stunt? Our situation isn't that dire right now. To endure twenty lashes like this, you really have the heart to be so cruel to yourself." Her tone was a mix of reproach and resentment.

Qin Ji turned his head and saw her reddened eyes and tightly pursed lips. He chuckled softly, his voice muffled from the position he was lying down: "As expected, Yan Hui understands me the most."

"What do you know? I know you act impulsively, I know you're eager for quick success, I know you're reckless!" With a snap, she smashed the spoon on the ground in anger, and shoved the spoon in her hand directly in front of Qin Ji: "Drink it yourself."

Qin Ji lowered his eyes, his handsome face belying the pitiful demeanor of a young wife: "This medicine smells so bitter."

"You deserve it. If you don't give me a reasonable explanation, I'll give you a dose of Coptis chinensis soup tomorrow and see if you dare to mess around again."

Despite his harsh words, seeing the person's face contort in bitterness after swallowing the medicine, he still stuffed a piece of candied fruit into the person's mouth.

After that bitter and foul smell of medicine, being given this sweet and slightly sour candied fruit immediately eased Qin Ji's expression. Sure enough, Yan Hui still cared about him.

Despite the pain in his buttocks, Qin Ji reached out and pulled someone to sit beside him before saying, "Given the current situation, a swift resolution is the best way to break the deadlock."

His tone was calm, yet tinged with a hint of sarcasm: "The emperor is eager to elevate me, but it's only because the second and fifth princes are fighting each other so fiercely that he's losing control. His health has been declining since the year before last, and the infighting between the two sides is simultaneously putting pressure on him. Now, the calls for a crown prince in the court are growing stronger."

He needed to create another target between his second and fifth sons, someone who could muddy the waters, act as a shield for him, and also help balance the situation. The position of prince was already a hot potato, and he added fuel to the fire by bringing in several candidates for princesses with powerful backgrounds.

Is this some kind of expendable resource, just cannon fodder?

"Since he had already decided to push you out as cannon fodder, why did he beat you up today?" Xiao Yan was a little confused.

"Because your husband is loyal and righteous, and his filial piety is commendable!" Qin Ji raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a smug smile.

He spoke in such a teasing tone that it sounded like a lie, but Xiao Yan knew it was the truth. However, when asked what he had said during his audience with the emperor, he deliberately refused to answer.

"It's all just empty flattery and sycophancy, but the emperor might fall for it. From today onwards, in his eyes I've probably gone from being a temporary cannon fodder shield to a pawn that he can cultivate a little."

Moreover, today's beating also made it clear to those who have been watching me that although I had temporarily gained the Emperor's favor, I didn't have much backing. Favor is like a rootless duckweed; if they really wanted to be ruthless, I would be easy to deal with. Their real enemy is each other.

Xiao Yan sighed as she listened, "I understand the reasoning, but... seeing you injured, I... feel terrible." She lowered her head, her hand tightly gripping Qin Ji's, revealing genuine heartache.

When Qin Ji saw her like this, his pupils contracted, and he tensed up for a moment before stammering, "It's just some flesh wounds. It looks scary, but it doesn't break any bones. The people who carry out the executions in the palace know their limits."

"If you had any sense of proportion, you wouldn't have gotten beaten like this! When I first heard the eunuch come to deliver the message, I thought you had something planned before you were beaten, but I didn't expect that some idiot would really take it so hard." Xiao Yan muttered in dissatisfaction.

“We’re going to resort to a self-inflicted injury ruse. If we don’t act a little dramatic, how can we gain credibility? Their influence in the palace is far greater than mine. If we fail to pull off a fake in such a place, we could lose everything.” Qin Ji’s tone remained relaxed, but Xiao Yan Hui sensed the immense pressure he had been secretly enduring these past few days beneath his relaxed demeanor.

At this moment, a thought arose in Xiao Yan's mind. She knew the plot. Although many things had gone astray and many details were different since she came to this world, she still had a general idea of ​​the future direction of this world.

For the first time, she felt such intense hesitation: Should she tell him?

Tell him that the emperor's suspicions will deepen. Tell him that the second prince is the ultimate winner, but his victory was hard-won, as there were still many loopholes he could exploit. Tell him about a few key moments that you know about.

But the moment that thought arose, she quickly rejected it herself.