Chapter 72

Yiling vented her frustrations at length, yet Xie Hengzhi gave no definitive response. Instead, he asked irrelevant and trivial questions.

Looking at him now, Yiling noticed a rare despondency in his eyes.

She had never seen such an expression on his face before, and her imagination ran wild.

“Could it be…” Yiling leaned in slightly and whispered, “You’re uncertain about this as well?”

Raising his eyes, Xie Hengzhi met Yiling’s worried gaze.

It was clear that beyond her anger at the First Prince, she was also terrified he might harm her again once he was freed.

In a sudden realization, Xie Hengzhi noticed how often he saw this worry in Yiling’s eyes.

He had always thought it was simply her nature.

But reflecting now, she was a pampered young lady of noble birth, someone who should have lived a carefree life. Why, then, was she so fearful, as if constantly on edge?

Xie Hengzhi’s gaze froze, though his heart ached as if cut by a dull knife, the pain slow and unrelenting.

After a long pause, he suddenly took a breath and said, “Don’t worry. I won’t let him be released.”

Though his expression remained off, his tone was resolute enough to reassure her.

Yiling finally felt a sense of relief.

It made sense, after all. Since when had the nobility been held to the same standards as commoners? Whether the First Prince would be released depended solely on the emperor’s will.

And in the current court, no one influenced the emperor more than Xie Hengzhi.

If he wanted to keep the First Prince detained, it wouldn’t be difficult.

That being the case, why had he appeared so dejected just moments ago, as though he’d suffered some great blow?

“What’s wrong with you?” Yiling tilted her head, studying his expression. “Is there something else troubling you?”

“No.”

Xie Hengzhi’s voice was slightly strained. “I’m just tired.”

“…Oh.”

As the words left her mouth, Yiling realized her hand was still in his grasp.

She immediately pulled it back, unsure of where to look, and stood up with an awkward cough. 

“You should get some rest, then.”

Seeing her rise to leave, Xie Hengzhi blurted out, “Where are you going?”

Normally, when Xie Hengzhi asked such questions, his tone was slow and carried an oppressive weight, making it impossible to conceal anything.

But now, his voice seemed to be tinged with panic.

Yet by the time Yiling turned around in confusion, his expression had returned to normal.

She assumed she must have misheard and hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I—I’m going to the east wing.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Hengzhi showed none of the reaction she had anticipated.

He merely said in a low voice, “There’s no need.”

Yiling stood frozen, unsure of what to do. He added, “We’ll do as we used to.”

Looking at her, he said, “You sleep on the bed; I’ll take the couch.”

Understanding her lingering fear, he sighed and continued, “Don’t worry.”

Both knew exactly what he meant without needing further explanation.

With that, Xie Hengzhi stood and headed toward the bath.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back. “By the way, you’ll need to accompany me to the palace tomorrow.”

Since escorting Zhang Xianling and his accomplices back to the capital, they had confessed everything in detail and were due to be executed in a few days. The Crown Prince, who had returned from his ceremonial duties, also brought back a natural tiger-shaped stone, which greatly pleased the emperor. As a result, a banquet was to be held in the palace the following day to reward those involved.

Yiling wasn’t sure what Xie Hengzhi had said to the emperor, but when she heard that she, too, was to receive a reward, her heart filled with reluctance.

Aside from Shen Shufang, Yiling wanted nothing to do with the imperial family. She always felt that even the slightest misstep could cost her her life.

Nevertheless, by the following evening, she appeared in full dress at the palace’s Guanxia Palace.

The hall wasn’t particularly large and served as the usual venue for banquets, so its decor wasn’t overly extravagant.

Yiling and Xie Hengzhi were the first to arrive, but with palace attendants present, Yiling didn’t dare show the slightest hint of unwillingness. Every move she made was cautious and deliberate.

Although Xie Hengzhi didn’t look at her, he could sense her unease and said, “The emperor will leave by the fourth quarter of the hour. You only need to accept the reward and express your thanks. Don’t worry about anything else.”

His words did much to calm her nerves. She murmured an acknowledgment and, glancing at him sideways, secretly observed him.

When his face was calm, he seemed composed, even as he awaited the most powerful figures in the Great Liang Dynasty.

But Yiling couldn’t shake the feeling that his eyes carried a hint of melancholy.

Since their return to the capital that night, Yiling had been forced into a heated argument with Xie Hengzhi, during which he’d reacted exactly as she’d expected.

Whether it was his anger that night or his subsequent indifference, it was all perfectly reasonable.

Afterward, she assumed he would continue to act coldly, truly “returning to how things used to be.”

So she couldn’t understand his sudden change.

He wasn’t angry, nor could his demeanor be called indifferent. Instead, he seemed lost, like still water incapable of rippling with any emotion.

Could it be that he faced setbacks in DPRK?

Yiling gazed at the palace in front of her and quietly dismissed this thought.

Never mind.

Who knows what happened; maybe he just took the wrong medicine.

Before long, the crown prince and his wife, along with the Emperor, the queen, and the queen mother, all arrived one after another.

The grandiosity of the ceremony was overwhelming, and Yiling was exhausted from performing the formalities.

After taking her seat, she looked up and just so happened to meet Shen Shufang’s gaze.

It seemed that Shen Shufang also noticed that Xie Hengzhi was in low spirits and threw a glance at Yiling: What’s wrong with him?

Yiling only raised an eyebrow: Who knows?

The two exchanged glances for a moment, until the Crown Prince cleared his throat beside them, and they both looked away.

At that moment, the Emperor happened to look at Yiling.

As Xie Hengzhi had mentioned, the Emperor only asked Yiling a few questions about her experiences in Songyuan County and praised her for being bold and attentive.

Yiling humbly thanked the Emperor, and while she was thinking of how to express her modesty and mention how the local doctors had tirelessly treated the patients, she realized the Emperor had already enthusiastically started a conversation with the Crown Prince.

So Yiling obediently closed her mouth and listened to their conversation about the tiger stone.

“Tell me again, what was the scene like when the tiger stone was unearthed?”

The Emperor smiled, his eyes bright with interest.

He had already asked about this once the day before and had discussed it again yesterday, but now, in front of everyone, he asked again. The Crown Prince knew that the Emperor truly admired this tiger stone, so he patiently repeated the story for the third time.

There was nothing particularly special about it, really. They had reached Queming Mountain when the weather changed, and the sacrificial altar was continuously buffeted by wind, making it impossible to perform the ceremony properly.

So the Crown Prince immediately had people check the wind direction and move the sacrificial site to a more sheltered location.

During this adjustment, they found the stone shaped like a tiger.

After the Crown Prince finished speaking, the Emperor’s face was lit up with satisfaction, and everyone in the room could see it.

The queen then stood up with a cup of wine, saying many flattering words, claiming that the tiger stone was an omen of good fortune, signaling that the kingdom would enjoy good harvests in the future.

After finishing the drink, seeing that the Emperor was pleased with her words, she handed the conversation over to the Crown Prince.

“Go ask your father for a reward.”

The Emperor, unusually pleased, was happy, so the Crown Prince, following the queen’s suggestion, said he would be content with just a few paintings or calligraphy from the Emperor.

Yiling wasn’t interested in these matters. She sat quietly, her eyes observing with her mind focused on her own thoughts.

She thought to herself, Hurry up with the reward, then we can all go home.

She also raised her wine cup, preparing to congratulate the Crown Prince.

But to her surprise, the Emperor remained silent for a long time, only staring at the Crown Prince.

The queen beside him was nervous, unsure of what her husband was thinking.

Could it be that she had said something wrong and offended the capricious old man?

After a while.

“From today onward, the Imperial Guard will be under the Crown Prince’s command.”

The room fell into silence.

Even Yiling’s hand froze mid-air, unable to process what she had just heard.

Did she mishear?

Yiling immediately looked at Xie Hengzhi beside her, but he remained calm, as if he had expected this.

It was only the queen who quickly regained her composure, walking down the steps and exchanging a look with the Crown Prince and Shen Shufang, signaling them to kneel and thank the Emperor.

Meanwhile, Yiling, who was guided by Xie Hengzhi to rise and toast, couldn’t help but wonder.

How did a stone shaped like a tiger earn such a reward?!

She had never heard of the Emperor liking tigers.

Among everyone present, only Xie Hengzhi knew the real reason.

Just the day before, the Emperor had told him personally that the night before the Crown Prince returned to the capital, he had had a dream.

In the dream, the Emperor was standing in a desolate mountain with birds chirping around him and strong winds blowing. Just when he was about to lose his balance, the Crown Prince brought him a fierce tiger, and he rode it into the air.

Looking back, his son was leading the troops, bidding him farewell as he ascended to immortality.

The next day, the Crown Prince returned from Queming Mountain with the tiger stone.

What the Emperor thought in his heart was now clear to everyone.

Of course, the queen didn’t know about this dream and was caught up in her immense joy. 

Despite trying to hide it, the redness in her face was still visible.

Even Shen Shufang showed a rare expression of happiness.

Seeing this, Yiling stopped overthinking it.

After all, these matters weren’t for her to worry about. As long as the Crown Prince gained power and Shen Shufang was treated well, she felt happy too.

However, the next moment, as she was about to swallow her wine, she heard the queen mother say, “Since this is a heavenly omen, it must mean the heavens have forgiven the accident during the grand sacrificial ceremony.”

She gazed sympathetically at the Emperor. “Emperor, please release Prince Yetai.”

Seeing that the Emperor seemed moved, the queen mother continued, “During the coldest days, he wore only thin clothing and kneeled outside every day, repenting. Clearly, he has truly recognized his mistake. Though it’s already spring, if this continues, his health might not survive.”

Since Yiling had heard this news from Shen Shufang yesterday, she wasn’t surprised that the queen mother would make this request at this time.

But since Xie Hengzhi had said that Prince Yetai couldn’t come out…

Yiling once again glanced subtly at Xie Hengzhi, but he remained unaffected, calmly looking at the cup in front of him, as if he hadn’t heard what the queen mother was saying.

At this moment, the Emperor’s expression had already revealed his stance.

Knowing the matter was settled, the queen took the opportunity to support the queen mother, as the situation now didn’t make Prince Yetai a threat anymore.

“Indeed, Prince Yetai is the heir. Since he has sincerely repented, the Emperor should release him.”

Upon hearing this, Yiling quietly tugged at Xie Hengzhi’s sleeves.

Xie Hengzhi turned his head, meeting Yiling’s gaze.

Didn’t he say that he couldn’t come out? Looking at the current situation, it seems there’s no stopping it now!

But Xie Hengzhi still maintained that indifferent expression, simply staring into Yiling’s eyes, his gaze filled with unclear emotions.

This is bad.

It seems he is also powerless.

Yiling closed her eyes for a moment.

The next second, she indeed heard the Emperor say, “Then we’ll remove the people from his residence tomorrow.”

In the carriage back to the residence, Yiling propped her chin on her hand and gazed out of the window, her mouth nearly drooping to her chin.

She occasionally glanced at Xie Hengzhi, growing more upset inside.

He had sworn last night that the Crown Prince wouldn’t be able to come out, but today, when the queen mother interceded, he didn’t even dare say a word.

Later, the Emperor also mentioned that the Crown Prince had caught a cold and, once he came out, could move to the Tangquan Palace for recovery. This only made Yiling more furious.

“The Prince is just a Prince.”

Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was in the carriage, Yiling spoke bitterly, “No matter how many heinous things they’ve done, they’re only confined for a few months at most.”

Seeing Xie Hengzhi still silent with his eyes closed, she snorted coldly. “Our lives are really worthless, aren’t they? Back then, even if I had died in the lake, I probably wouldn’t have gotten an explanation.”

She said this both to Xie Hengzhi and as a way to comfort herself.

At this point, since Xie Hengzhi couldn’t stop it, what else could she do?

She could only be extra cautious from now on, always on guard against any retaliation from the Crown Prince.

With that thought, Yiling let out a deep sigh.

At that moment, a rider on horseback caught up with the carriage and called out, “Master.”

It was clear that the rider had something to report to Xie Hengzhi, but instead, the rider looked at Yiling.

“The Crown Prince is dead.”

The sky had long since darkened, and the road was empty. The rider’s voice was particularly clear.

Through the carriage window, Yiling’s face immediately turned pale.

“Wh-what do you mean, he’s dead?”

“He lost his sanity and jumped into the lake.”

The rider’s voice was very calm. “He was pulled out just now, but there was no breath left.”

Although Yiling had never actually interacted with the Crown Prince, in that instant, she seemed to witness his death.

After a long while, the rider had already moved to the back of the carriage. Yiling slowly turned her head to look at Xie Hengzhi, who was sitting opposite her.

Her fingers clenched the fabric of her clothes on her lap, and her voice was stiff. “D-did you… do this?”

“You wanted him dead, didn’t you?”

Xie Hengzhi finally opened his eyes, staring intently at Yiling. “Then he’s gone to die.”