Married To The Cruel Crown Prince

Xiao Zhan gained consciousness and looked around. "General Xiao is awake," a soldier whispered and quickly walked out of the room to inform the First Prince.

Xiao Zhan sat up and put his feet down on the chilling floor. "What happened? I got unconscious and—" he felt the pain in his back head and he squeezed his eyes tightly.

One soldier explained to Xiao Zhan, who opened his eyes after finding out that Sheng Li got severely wounded by an arrow. He wore the shoes and stood up when Jian Guozhi entered.

Xiao Zhan bowed before him. "Forgive me, for being so careless, Your Highness," he apologized. He felt guilty for not protecting the Emperor well. "How is his majesty?" he asked concernedly.

"The Emperor is unconscious. He will wake up soon," Jian Guozhi assured him.

"Find out about the origin of this arrow. Commander Yang is outside to take control over the situation in Changying," Jian Guozhi said and forwarded the arrow from which Sheng Li was shot.

Xiao Zhan grasped it and keenly looked at it. "This arrow I have seen in the Palace. The Empress Dowager's house had once sent arrows for Prince Nianzu on his 17th birthday. He even practiced with us when I asked him about such special arrows," Xiao Zhan immediately said. "But why was his highness curious to know about it?" Xiao Zhan knitted his brows and saw the blood on the pointed tip.

Jian Guozhi confirmed that Mingze was not lying. But he was confused thinking about why Empress Dowager did this. Deng Hui was forgiven once, but the second time, the punishment would be severe.

"Did the Emperor get a hit with this arrow?" Xiao Zhan arched his brow in bewilderment.

"Yes, General Xiao," Jian Guozhi answered and took the arrow from him.

"How could the Empress Dowager send an assassin to kill the Emperor?" Xiao Zhan chuckled and said, "what if she harms the Empress too. I will send a message to General Wang regarding this, Your Highness."

"Mention in the message that the attack on the Emperor must not be disclosed to the Empress," Jian Guozhi ordered him.

"Yes, Your Highness," Xiao Zhan said and went towards the desk. A soldier came forward to grind the ink stick on the inkstone. Xiao Zhan picked the brush and wrote a small message for Wang Hao.

"General Xiao, tell General Wang to spy on the Empress Dowager and the Fourth Prince," Jian Guozhi stated.

"Is his highness doubting the Fourth Prince? But he will never think of harming the Emperor," Xiao Zhan showed his faith in Nianzu.

"Yongzheng betrayed us," Jian Guozhi stated. "I cannot take the risk. So, make sure to tell Wang Hao to spy on them," he affirmed. Xiao Zhan acknowledged the command of the First Prince.

Jian Guozhi left the room to check on Sheng Li's condition. The soldiers opened the door for him and he walked in. He sat on the wooden stool and looked at his wound. The arrow had hit beside the brownish scar that his mother gave Sheng Li a long time ago.

He recalled the day when Sheng Li mistakenly broke his favorite. However, instead of hiding it, told his mother, who had pierced a dagger in the middle of Sheng Li's chest. Jian Guozhi curled his fingers and lowered his head.

"Why did you ever forgive my crimes? I hurt you a lot. Today, I was unable to prevent you from getting shot. Why am I such an irresponsible brother?" Jian Guozhi muttered and sighed.

He turned to look when someone knocked on the door. The physician walked in. "Your Highness, I need to change the bandage before the wound gets infected," he informed Jian Guozhi, who stood up and allowed him to do so.

"When will the Emperor wake up?" Jian Guozhi asked again despite knowing the answer.

"His Majesty shall gain consciousness till the morning," the physician replied. Jian Guozhi hummed and watched him apply the newly prepared herbal ointment to the wound. "His Majesty is lucky that the arrow did not hit his heart, else it would have been difficult to save him," the physician said.

After he was done dressing the wound, he stood up, bowed, and left the room.

~~~~~

The next morning, in Luoyang, Ying Lili was checked by the Royal Physician first. Last night's incident had scared Court Lady Xu, so she decided to have one more check-up for the Empress in the morning.

After the Royal Physician's affirmation about the sound health of both the mother and the twins, Court Lady Xu felt relieved.

"Court Lady Xu is no lesser than my mother," Ying Lili said with a smile.

"I cannot be compared to Her Majesty's late mother," Court Lady Xu said. "Her Majesty still acts like a naive child even in her pregnancy, so I need to be careful," she said.

"Court Lady Xu is indeed like my mother. For her, I will always be a naive child," Ying Lili stated.

"Did Sheng Li send any message for me? I waited for his letter," Ying Lili said and looked at Eunuch Xing-Fu, who immediately lowered his head and shook it.

"There is no news from Changying till now, Your Majesty," Xing-Fu replied.

"Tell General Wang that I want to see him," Ying Lili ordered him. She stood up as it was her walking time. A maidservant came inside to inform Ying Lili about the arrival of Empress Dowager.

Everyone got alerted. The servants lowered their heads when Deng Hui walked in, followed by her chief servants. Ying Lili greeted her and told her to take a seat.

Deng Hui came to her and made Ying Lili sit first on the chaise. "I have prepared special meals for the Empress and Princess Chuntao today. After I will feed you this special meal, I will leave for Princess Chuntao's chamber," Deng Hui said.

"Thank you for using your precious time to cook for me and Sister Chun, Empress Dowager," Ying Lili expressed her gratitude and was ready to eat it when Court Lady Xu came near Ying Lili.

She whispered in her ear. "The Emperor has told Her Majesty not to eat anything from the Empress Dowager's hands." She stood straight and went behind the chaise.

Deng Hui looked at them and said, "I am extremely happy with the arrival of the grandchildren. After the death of my dear husband, I was unable to focus on anything. However, I understand that my family needs me."

"I am glad that the Empress Dowager is now out of the mourning phase. It was indeed tough for all of us," Ying Lili said and looked down.

"Indeed," Deng Hui agreed with Ying Lili and looked at the servant, who was holding the tray. She stood up and removed the red silk cloth which had covered the dishes.

"I have prepared the sweets for the Empress. It is healthy since the ingredients used are plant extracts," Deng Hui said, picking the platter from the tray. She brought it to Ying Lili and handed it to her.

Ying Lili smiled and picked the sweet when a servant informed them about Prince Nianzu's presence.

"Why does the Prince come at this hour?" Deng Hui asked the servant.

"Let the Fourth Prince inside," Ying Lili ordered. She put the sweet on the platter and told Deng Hui to take her seat.

Nianzu halted upon seeing them and greeted both of them. He had a scroll in his hand when he saw sweets on a platter, which Ying Lili had held.

"Did the Mother make them?" He asked with excitement when Ying Lili offered him one.

"Your Majesty, it's specially made for a pregnant woman. I can make more sweets for Prince Nianzu," Deng Hui asserted.

"But I do not see any special thing in these sweets. Mother used to make them when I and the other Princes were kids," Nianzu said. "I am craving to taste it," he said and went near the servant, who was holding the tray. He picked one sweet and before Deng Hui could stop him, he ate it.

~~~~~

Hello Dear Readers,Â

Hope you all are doing well.Â

I am back with Mass release event. I will give 5 chapters mass release😊. I am trying to wrap up the book, but I am also keeping in mind not to ruin it. That's why it is taking more time than usual to finish it. Hopefully, you'll understand.Â

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