The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Proposal

When Xiao Jinyu looked up, she happened to meet Gao Changgong’s eyes gazing at her.

His eyes were full of worry, concern, and… relief!

“Are you alright?”

Xiao Jinyu smiled and shook her head.

Just now, she could have killed those men in black with her hidden arrow, but doing so would have left evidence that she was Xie Zhen.

She couldn’t take that risk.

“Chase! She’s over there!”

A flicker of anger flashed across his eyes, Gao Changgong gripped her hand tightly, and abruptly shot out a short blade. A scream rang out from ahead.

As the two emerged from the corner, they saw the screaming leader of the men in black rolling on the ground, clutching his head and howling.

It turned out that the short blade had, by chance, hit the man right in the eye.

With their leader down, the other men in black were too frightened to advance. After a moment of hesitation, they fled.

But they didn’t get far before they were apprehended by the Imperial Guards who had arrived, alerted by the commotion.

“Who are you? How dare you commit violence here?”

The leader was Fan Yi, General of the Left Guard.

Fan Yi came from a military family and had practiced martial arts and archery since childhood, developing great courage and strategic prowess. During the Hou Jing Rebellion, he had followed Wang Sengbian to fight against Xiao Yu. After the establishment of the Chen Dynasty, he was recruited by Hou Tian, the Grand Commandant, and had remained loyal to the Chen Dynasty ever since, earning the trust and respect of Emperor Chen Xu.

At his command, several Imperial Guards had already pulled off the black cloths covering the faces of the attackers, revealing them to be eunuchs from the palace.

One of them hurriedly pleaded for mercy: “General Fan, please spare us! We only wanted to invite this Young Lady to Jade Purity Palace. We had no intention of harming her!”

“Jade Purity Palace? Does Noble Consort Peng want to see this Young Lady? If it was an invitation, why did you come dressed like this?”

The eunuchs stammered, too frightened to answer.

Fan Yi walked up to Gao Changgong and bowed. “My apologies, Prince of Lanling, for causing you alarm again. Fortunately, His Majesty ordered me to come and investigate, with instructions to ensure your safety within the Chen territory.”

After Chen Xu had summoned Gao Changgong to the Grand Ultimate Hall, the two first played a game of chess. Then, Chen Xu presented Gao Changgong with evidence that the Ministry of Justice had recently gathered regarding the assassination attempt at Tiantai Temple.

The evidence wasn’t of much use to him; it merely revealed Hui Wei’s identity and background, and how he had used the guise of a high monk to commit corrupt and immoral acts.

There was mention of the Northern Zhou envoy, but not enough evidence to prove that the assassins were sent by him.

Chen Xu’s words, both implicit and explicit, were all about seeking peace. He didn’t want to be enemies with either the Qi or the Zhou.

He was asking Lanling Wang to give up on the investigation.

Gao Changgong hadn’t expected the Chen Emperor to truly seek justice for him and find the mastermind behind the assassination. Since Chen Xu had said so, he let the matter drop and promised not to pursue it further.

Hearing Fan Yi’s words now, Gao Changgong laughed inwardly and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty of Chen. However, this matter has nothing to do with me. Young Lady Xiao was summoned to the palace by the Empress, and was attacked on her way out. I’m afraid this matter cannot be simply overlooked, can it?”

Fan Yi’s expression changed slightly. “Of course not!” he replied.

He then turned to Xiao Jinyu. “Please rest assured, Young Lady. I will report this matter to His Majesty, and I believe he will make a fair judgment!”

Xiao Jinyu nodded silently, but Noble Consort Peng’s face, along with Liu Jingyan’s words, flashed through her mind.

Chen Xu… had actually found so many people who resembled her appearance in her past life… just because he believed in “the spirit does not perish” and reincarnation?

How ridiculous!

…

After Fan Yi left with the eunuchs, Xiao Jinyu and Lanling Wang exited Tai City. Along the way, Lanling Wang sensed that Xiao Jinyu was preoccupied and unhappy, so he asked, “What happened today that made you so worried and sad?”

Xiao Jinyu smiled bitterly.

“I just find it ridiculous. It’s ridiculous that there are people in this world who, despite doing wrong, can justify their actions with high-sounding reasons. They are executioners, yet they put on a facade of deep affection.

They cannot make the strong submit, so they prey on the weak.

Did my mother deserve to be a victim of their political games?”

It was ridiculous that a single man could destroy a brilliant, intelligent, and kind woman!

As she seemed about to burst into tears, Lanling Wang suddenly cupped her face in his hands and gently pulled her head to rest against his chest.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Gao Changgong asked.

Feeling his familiar scent and strong heartbeat again, Xiao Jinyu was slightly startled. She looked up at Gao Changgong: Since when had she become willing to confide in him?

“No, no need. You are an envoy from the north. Getting involved in these matters will be detrimental to you!”

✿✿✿

With that, she looked at him and smiled faintly.

“Gao Changgong, you have already helped me enough. So, regardless of whether you help or not, I will always remember your kindness.”

“Thank you, Prince, for your help again today. I have something to attend to, so I’ll be going now!”

There were too many things waiting for her to resolve, so without further hesitation, she walked quickly towards a carriage parked not far from Tai City.

But just as she had taken a few steps, she suddenly heard Gao Changgong call out behind her:

“Xiao Jinyu!”

“What if what I want is not your remembrance, but you?”

Xiao Jinyu stopped and turned to look at him.

His expression was serious, not at all like he was joking. His clear eyes shone especially brightly in the sunlight.

“I want you to be my Princess Consort, my principal wife!”

He smiled slightly as he finished speaking, and the smile made his clear eyes even brighter.

“Is that alright?” he asked cautiously.

Xiao Jinyu was stunned for a moment. She probably hadn’t expected him to ask such a question, nor had she ever thought about answering it.

“You don’t have to answer me right away. I just wanted to let you know my feelings!”

Because he was afraid of missing out!

Born in such turbulent times, alliances between nations could be formed today and broken tomorrow. No one could guarantee how long they would live, or if they would even see tomorrow. Perhaps a single turn could mean never seeing each other again!

He didn’t want to keep this feeling hidden in his heart forever, eventually buried deep underground, unknown to anyone.

After a moment of anxious waiting, just as he thought Xiao Jinyu wouldn’t answer, he unexpectedly heard her say:

“Alright, I think, when the time is right, I will give you an answer!”

✿✿✿

In Jade Purity Palace, Noble Consort Peng knelt trembling before Chen Xu, weeping bitterly, her tears flowing like rain.

“Your Majesty, I had no ill intentions! It’s just that the Young Lady was too cold and stubborn. She said she had rules for treating illnesses and wouldn’t treat our son. I just wanted to invite her to my palace to discuss it further. Maybe she would agree to treat our son then?”

“Do you think she would still treat your son after you acted like this?”

Chen Xu’s counter-question made Noble Consort Peng’s face turn pale.

“Peng, don’t challenge my bottom line like your son. From now on, without my permission, you are not allowed to instigate the Empress to summon her to the palace again!”

“Yes, I understand!”

After Chen Xu finished speaking, he looked at Peng again. Seeing her face always filled him with endless guilt, but as he reached out to her, he suddenly thought of something and withdrew his hand.

“Don’t interfere with Shuling’s matters anymore. He did wrong and deserves to be punished!”

“Consider this his atonement for his past mistakes.”

With that, Chen Xu left Jade Purity Palace without looking back.

After he had gone, Peng raised her tear-filled eyes, the pitiful expression from before replaced entirely by resentment.

“Your Ladyship, let it go. This tactic of yours doesn’t work on His Majesty anymore!”

“Hmph, punishment? He’s no better himself! He actually said to let his own son accept the punishment?”

“Your Ladyship, we don’t necessarily have to beg that Young Lady. This servant heard that Eighth Young Master Xiao has already been cured. And when that Young Lady was confined in the residence by Princess Yunyin to treat Eighth Young Master Xiao, all the prescriptions went through the hands of the residence’s physician. Since we have the prescriptions, are we afraid we can’t treat him?”

Hearing this, Noble Consort Peng’s eyes lit up.

“That’s right, Princess Yunyin… I have some connections with her, and I also have something over her. Then let’s meet with this Princess Yunyin!”

“But she’s also under house arrest!”

“So what if she’s under house arrest? If she can’t come to see me, can’t my people go find her?”

Yesterday, I was very grateful for Yanzhihu1’s reward, thank you to Shanshui Sijie for the monthly pass, and to everyone for the recommendation votes. Thank you all for your support!