Chapter 70 Taking Care of the Illness

Chapter 70 Taking Care of the Illness

"The fierce wind is gone. From now on, your father will teach you!"

Xie Yan thought that they needed to spend more time together in order for the child to change his opinion of him.

He looked at the small face that was almost identical to his own and felt a strange sensation in his heart.

This is his child; he bears his shadow in him.

At that moment, he even fantasized about what he would look like when he grew up.

"The fierce wind is gone, so you don't need to worry about it. I will teach you."

Shen Nanzi came from behind and stood protectively beside Xie Chengze, her eyes seeming to see through all his thoughts.

Then, he took Cheng'er's little hand and left.

Before Xie Yan could say anything more, Shen Nanzi glared at him, her eyes warning him not to offer help for no reason.

Xie Yan silently got up and watched them enter the room, the door slamming shut behind them.

The door frame shook violently. Xie Yan stared at the tightly closed doors and windows, remembering the day she first married him.

She bit her lip shyly, peeking at him through the window with a bashful smile.

At that time, he felt that Shen Nanzi's smile was too hypocritical, and he was so angry that he closed the window and wouldn't let her see it.

He heard her ask her great-aunt, "Why is he angry?"

The voice sounded utterly innocent.

Her great-aunt comforted her, saying, "Prince Jing's mother has just passed away, so he is probably not in a good mood."

She added, "I see, it was my oversight."

"Auntie, how should I get along with him?"

The aunt said, "I have never understood the way of husband and wife in my life, so I cannot teach you, Your Highness."

“Then I will treat him with all my heart.” Her voice was full of determination.

He mocked them from the outside.

That night, he did not return to his room, but went to the pear orchard to rest.

The next day, he returned and, seeing the red decorations throughout the mansion, ordered his servants to tear them down.

She came to him dressed in her new clothes.

He saw her obviously red and swollen eyes. On their wedding night, he left her behind, and he felt a great sense of satisfaction.

For the first time, he tasted the joy of revenge.

"Your Highness, were you busy with official duties last night?" she asked, raising her beautiful eyes.

Her eyes shone with doubt and a hint of embarrassment.

He realized that in front of all the servants in the mansion, she definitely wanted him to give her a reason so that she wouldn't lose face and would have an explanation.

They will have a place to stand in the Third Prince's residence in the future.

He couldn't grant her wish, staring at her beautiful face. "No."

He saw a sudden panic in her eyes, along with a suppressed sob, and her fingers unconsciously rubbing her sleeve. "Alright, Your Highness, would you like to go back to your room to rest?"

"I will serve you." She spoke cautiously, as if she were extremely fearful and uneasy.

“I slept very well last night and need no more sleep.” He then said to her, “What? Are you in such a hurry to consummate our marriage in front of the servants?”

Seeing the shock and sadness in her eyes, he escalated the situation, deliberately humiliating her, "You really have no shame!"

Being a young girl, her face turned pale instantly, her eyes filled with tears, and she ran into the house in shame and indignation.

He heard her crying inside, and an indescribable sense of pleasure welled up inside him.

Looking at the stripped-off red, it's as if she doesn't truly accept this marriage.

He refused to be bound for life to a woman who was ambitious, opportunistic, and scheming.

Since he wants to marry her, he must bear the consequences of marrying her.

He's not a very good person.

That night he went to the pear orchard again.

The next day, upon returning to his residence, he heard that she had secretly sent people to search for him.

He became even more displeased and went to her room, where he saw that she looked haggard.

"If you ever secretly follow me again, I will never forgive you."

He looked at her terrified eyes, then slammed the door and left.

His aunt followed him out and explained from behind, "The princess was not following you; she was waiting for you to return to your parents' home on the third day."

He turned a deaf ear and returned home three days later. What business was it of his?

He left Luoyang City less than two days later and did not return for several months.

When I saw her again, her smile still held a hint of shyness, but it also concealed a scrutinizing and probing quality.

Then, they had their first major argument...

Xie Yan tightened his grip on his fingers, looked around at the garden full of flowers, and left dejectedly.

As his aunt watched his retreating figure, she released her grip on his hands and sighed, "Why didn't you do this sooner!"

"Now the whole city of Luoyang is laughing at our Princess Jing."

"Who would believe that I did these things!"

＊

Xie Yan returned to his courtyard, and Shi Tou immediately brought him a bowl of medicine.

"Your Highness, please drink your medicine."

Xie Yan took the medicine bowl, smelled the bitter medicine, frowned, and drank it down in one gulp.

Stone carried the bowl out of the house, while Shadow stared at the empty bowl.

"Your Highness's arm has recovered, so why are you still taking medicine?"

Shi Tou glanced into the room and said in a low voice, "This is for conditioning the body."

Wu Ying was puzzled, "Your Highness has always been in good health, why do you need to take care of yourself?"

Stone: "This is a medicinal juice to make one able to smell flowers and herbs. Doesn't our prince not like the fragrance of flowers?"

Wu Ying, remembering how His Highness would sneeze every time he visited Princess Jing's courtyard, stared in shock inside. His Highness actually…

＊

The next day, two carriages departed from Prince Jing's residence, one after the other.

Shen Nanzi sat in the carriage; she had already received a message from her brother.

The Emperor is indeed unwell, and the nature of his illness is unknown. The court officials are all worried about the appointment of the Crown Prince.

Several factions are now secretly vying for power in the court, all vying for that supreme position.

Both in terms of popularity and opposition, Xie Yan still has the highest support. The other princes are evenly matched and none of them are a match for Xie Yan.

This is the most detrimental impact on them.

Shen Nanzi twisted her handkerchief, her eyes solemn. If Xie Yan were to be made crown prince, she and her brother would truly be entering the final days of their lives.

She couldn't help but recall Xie Yan's words: anyone could be the crown prince, but he was the only one who couldn't.

Shen Nanzi kept thinking about the meaning of that sentence.

Because of this statement, she investigated Xie Yan's past.

Although his mother was not of high status, she had a clean background. Her maternal relatives were investigated multiple times and there were no factors that could interfere with his rise to power.

Xie Yan's only two flaws were that after marrying her, he frequented brothels.

Then there's the recent sordid affair with the Second Princess.

She had thoroughly investigated his past and found that his past was so clean that it perfectly matched his previous reputation.

A refined gentleman, untainted by corruption.

The bright moon shines, but human desires are but a dream.

This made it difficult for Shen Nanzi to take action, because those two flaws were not enough to bring him down.

In her anxiety, the carriage stopped outside the palace.

As she lifted the carriage curtain, she saw that the Xue family's carriage had also stopped, with Xue Yubai waiting in front of Xie Yan's carriage.

Wherever Xue Yubai is, it's hard not to see Xue Qingning.

Shen Nanzi lowered the carriage curtain and, not seeing Xie Yan emerge from the carriage, glanced at his carriage first.

This brief glance was seen by Xue Qingning, who was behind Xue Yubai.

She looked sadly at Xie Yan, but when their eyes met, she quietly looked away, reverting to her cold expression.

"Your Highness Prince Jing, let's go in together!" Xue Yubai, as always, showed favoritism towards Xie Yan.

His expression was casual, yet it carried a strong sense of familiarity.

Xie Yan followed him tacitly towards the palace. After passing a row of carriages, they looked again at Shen Nanzi, who had already disappeared.

Xie Yan's fingers curled up; she was no longer willing to pretend with him, and she didn't want to be with him at all.

"Yu Bai, you go in first, I left something behind."

Xie Yan urged them to go in first, while he turned back.

Sure enough, Shen Nanzi was seen getting off the carriage late.

He walked silently to her side.

Shen Nanzi didn't want to travel with them, so she deliberately lingered in the carriage for a while.

But as soon as he stepped off the carriage, he looked up and saw the tall and elegant Xie Yan.

He was wearing his favorite crimson robe, his hands behind his back, looking calm, as if he had just stepped off the carriage.

"Didn't you leave with Xue Yubai and the others?"

"Something was left behind, come back to get it."

Shen Nanzi rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. There was no escaping him.

"Don't follow me for a while, go find your Xue... Yu Bai."

Hearing her dismiss him, Xie Yan felt a pang of guilt and his face turned apologetic.

"Today, Prince Jing and Princess Jing are entering the palace to attend to the sick, so they should go together."

Shen Nanzi snorted, "We can meet at Yongxi Palace later! Why do we have to go together?"

She still needs to go find her brother!

"What kind of talk is it if Prince Jing and Princess Jing don't walk together?"

Shen Nanzi found his words amusing. How had he responded when she had said the same thing to him?

"Don't touch me! Aren't you annoying?"

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with annoyance, and said what he had said back then.

Xie Yan felt a dull ache in his chest, knowing that this boomerang had pierced his brow.

"Shen Nanzi, how could you hold such a grudge!"

“I’ve always been petty and vindictive.” There was a hint of mockery in her eyes. “You’ve known me for a while now, so why are you surprised?”

When she laughs insincerely, she always seems arrogant, with an unfriendly look in her eyes, making her seem very nasty.

Even now, she is the best at disguising herself!

Xie Yan gazed ahead, his eyes growing deep. "Do you know how to treat an illness?"

"I've never served her before, how would I know?" She thought of her mother, who was probably keeping her company.

If her companionship could grant the emperor immortality, she would be willing.

"Watch what I do, and you can just do as I say!"

Shen Nanzi looked at him suspiciously, feeling that he wouldn't be so kind.

With Yongxi Palace right in front of them, they had no choice but to give up looking for their brother and take care of the sick first!

A large crowd had gathered outside Yongxi Palace.

Shen Nanzi glanced at them and saw that apart from the princes and princesses, the majority of the people present were their supporters.

Those people all had solemn expressions, and when they saw Xie Yan coming over, they consciously made way for him.

They all respectfully called out, "Prince Jing! Princess Jing!"

Shen Nanzi walked beside him, half a step away, and looked at everyone.

Feeling a little flustered, with so many people around, could it be that Xie Yan was lying, and the Emperor wasn't as he claimed, but just suffering from a minor ailment?

She looked around the crowd, but her brother wasn't there.

"Prince Jing, Princess Jing!"

Upon hearing Xue Yubai's voice, Shen Nanzi turned her gaze away and saw him standing beside Xue Qingning, both of them standing on the left side of Yongxi Palace.

On the same side were the fourth and fifth princes, whose wives were waiting outside the door.

The group exchanged polite greetings and a few perfunctory words, appearing courteous but actually just going through the motions, each with their own hidden agendas.

According to seniority, Xie Yan should stand at the front, but Shen Nanzi didn't want to stand next to him. After moving around a few times, she still ended up next to Xie Yan.

She felt that he did it on purpose. He had slowed down a few steps when he saw Xue Qingning standing in front, so that they could stand together.

She went to the left and stood opposite him, not a few steps away, which was not considered inappropriate.

Unexpectedly, he also stood on the left side, following her. Since the right side was now the place of honor, and he was the eldest among the princes, he had to stand opposite her.

Shen Nanzi glared at him and whispered a reminder: "Xie Yan, you're standing in the wrong place!"

Xie Yan stared straight ahead at the tightly closed gates of Yongxi Palace, as if she hadn't heard a word she said.

Such trivial matters were not worth mentioning, as long as no one minded.

As he looked up from his seat, he saw Xue Qingning gazing at him indifferently, her gaze sweeping over his face and Xie Yan's.

Just as she stood still, Xie Yu also rushed over, exchanged a few words with the other princes, and then stood beside her.

"Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law!"

Shen Nanzi's mood improved greatly upon seeing him, and her previously dull eyes brightened.

Due to the Emperor's illness, she only showed some subtle changes in her demeanor.

"Greetings, Sixth Brother!"

Her voice, though restrained in public, carried a hint of barely perceptible joy.

Little did she know that her subtle changes in expression could not escape the keen observation of Xie Yan.

Xie Yan frowned slightly, turned his head, and his gaze fell once again on the tightly closed door of Yongxi Palace.

About half an incense stick's time later, a commotion came from inside, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the gate.

The door opened, and Shen Minghan came out with several court officials.

Their solemn expressions made one worry about what was happening inside.

Shen Nanzi's heart clenched at the sight of her brother's expression; she had always kept her distance from matters of state.

Now that it concerns him personally, he couldn't help but scrutinize the messages conveyed in their expressions.

At present, it is obviously not a good thing.

Shen Minghan ignored Xie Yan, glanced at Shen Nanzi, and then his gaze lingered on Xie Yu for a moment before he left without saying a word, leading his group away.

Someone immediately went over to inquire about the situation.

"Grand Commandant Shen, how is the Emperor's health?"

"Grand Commandant Shen, has His Majesty given any instructions?"

"Grand Commandant Shen..."

Annoyed by the questions, Shen Minghan turned around and looked at the group of princes at the door.

"His Majesty is fine, everyone can rest assured."

"Everyone should take good care of the patient. As for who will win the prize, that will depend on their own abilities."

These words were clearly addressed to the princes, and his manner was rather presumptuous.

Just now, he skipped even the most basic etiquette when he went out, just like Shen Nanzi, he was somewhat arrogant.

This made the princes' expressions quite unpleasant.

Unfortunately, he was followed by many important officials in the court, and the emperor was powerless to help him.

The other princes were extremely envious. The fourth-rank official they once looked down on now wielded immense power and could command a large following.

Back then, Shen Nanzi's painting wasn't even qualified to be selected as the principal wife; it was just piled up among a bunch of ladies and concubines.

Unfortunately, that prince on the fringes was extremely lucky; he married Shen Nanzi and gained the favor of Grand Commandant Shen.

In addition, his past political achievements were so dazzling that none of the other princes could rival him.

This was a case of strengthening one's own power upon another, leaving the other princes to secretly gather their strength, thinking about how to bring Xie Yan down from his pedestal.

They now look at Xie Yan as if he were once an insignificant enemy who has grown stronger step by step until they can only look up to him.

Everyone feared and hated them.