Xiao Jingyan's watertight response nearly shut down any further words from Nalan Cuo. Thus, Nalan Cuo could only say:
"I am deeply grateful for Prince's favor."
After having dinner and seeing Xiao Jingyan off, Nalan Cuo's principal wife Mrs. Zhou pulled him back into the room, looking anxious as she fretted:
"What did the Prince say about that matter? Is he willing?"
Nalan Cuo shook his head and sighed, "He politely declined."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhou became even more agitated, tugging at Nalan Cuo's clothes as she pleaded repeatedly:
"My Lord, you should have begged him! Once a girl enters the palace gates, it's like descending into the depths of the sea. Rongrong is our only daughter; how can we let her waste away in the palace for her entire life? I shudder just hearing about those sordid affairs inside. With Rongrong's innocent nature, if she enters the palace, won't she be devoured alive? Cough cough..."
Mrs. Zhou could hardly contain her agitation, and a surge of blood caused her to cough violently, even coughing up blood.
Nalan Cuo doted greatly on Mrs. Zhou, and seeing her like this, his eyes instantly reddened.
He supported her to sit down, carefully wiping the blood from the corners of her lips with a handkerchief, and poured some warm water for her to drink and moisten her throat.
But Mrs. Zhou refused to drink a single drop, continuing with tears in her voice:
"My Lord, I know my days are numbered, and I'm not asking for Rongrong to stay in the capital for my sake. First, I don't want our daughter to go to that place that devours people without spitting out the bones. Second, if I pass away one day and our daughter has married into the palace, how will you cope, my Lord? As long as Prince An is willing to take Rongrong as his wife, all our problems will be solved. Moreover, Rongrong has feelings for Prince An..."
Saying this, she abruptly knelt before Nalan Cuo, clutching his pant legs tightly,
"My Lord! Your wife has never asked anything of you, but for the sake of our daughter's future, I am begging you now. You must find a way..."
"What is the Lady doing? Get up quickly!"
Nalan Cuo hurriedly helped Mrs. Zhou up, but she kept coughing up blood and fainted in his arms.
That night, after the palace physician secretly examined Mrs. Zhou, he sighed deeply,
"My Lord, the Lady has been internally depleted for a long time, and her body is extremely weak. Even if I exhaust all my medical skills, I cannot ensure that the Lady will live past the Mid-Autumn Festival this year..."
Mrs. Zhou had been suffering from lung disease for over half a year.
Whenever they went to bed at night, she would have great difficulty breathing, sometimes gasping with a flushed face. Nalan Cuo could only helplessly watch, his heart aching but powerless.
Now that Mrs. Zhou's life was nearing its end, and Rongrong was their only daughter,
Nalan Cuo drank bitterly under the moonlight, tormented by this dilemma. Yet he thought of an unorthodox solution.
Since Xiao Jingyan's stance was so firm,
then he could only try to work around Xiao Jingheng instead.
If the Emperor personally issued an edict bestowing marriage, then no matter how many reasons Xiao Jingyan had, he would have no way to refuse.
The next day,
After the morning court session, Xiao Jingheng entered the study to review memorials, with Zhao Hua attending to him, carefully grinding ink for him.
Watching the layers of ripples forming on the fine Huizhi ink in the inkstone, Zhao Hua's thoughts inadvertently drifted away.
She had already heard about yesterday's incident from Xiao Yinzi.
The secret agents had reported back to Xiao Jingheng that Prince Rui defied the imperial edict to his death, and was ultimately killed by Xiao Jingyan's own hand.
Initially shocked upon hearing this, Zhao Hua felt that this did not seem like something her brother would do.
But deep down, she felt a slight sense of relief.
She knew that Xiao Jingyan had obtained a simulated death drug from Zhang the Physician, so his original plan must have been to save Prince Rui's life. But something unexpected must have happened in between, causing him to fail.
Nevertheless, it was better this way.
Otherwise, if he had truly saved Prince Rui, he would have brought immense trouble upon himself.
"What is Zhao'er thinking about?"
Xiao Jingheng's gentle voice pulled Zhao Hua's wandering thoughts back.
She smiled gracefully,
"Your humble servant was thinking that in a few days, it will be time for the new palace ladies to enter and be selected. I looked through the roster earlier; this batch of newcomers all seem young and fresh. But I can't help worrying that once you have taken a new beauty, you might forget about your humble servant."
"Ha ha ha, nonsense."
Xiao Jingheng laughed at her silliness. "They are all just common beauties. None could rival the radiance of my Empress. I'm only letting them enter the palace to produce imperial heirs and ensure the prosperity of the dynasty. There's no need to pay them any heed."
In just two short sentences, while ostensibly praising Zhao Hua, he revealed the ruthless nature of an emperor's mindset.
Zhao Hua couldn't help but wonder,
When she first entered the palace, did Xiao Jingheng say similar 'heartfelt' words to Empress Jia Rui and Ning Wanshuang?
And now,
Those who were once just tools for producing heirs in his eyes
had risen above the rest to become the most noble woman in the realm.
Zhao Hua was about to say something when she saw Xiao Yinzi hurriedly enter.
"Your Majesty, Minister Nalan is here."
Xiao Jingheng nodded, "Let him in."
Zhao Hua said, "Your Majesty has court matters to attend to, so your humble servant will take her leave."
She gave a slight curtsy to Xiao Jingheng, then shot a meaningful glance at Xiao Yinzi before brushing past Nalan Cuo as she exited.
Nalan Cuo respectfully saluted Zhao Hua, who only responded with a faint smile before leaving.
Nalan Cuo strode quickly to the end of the hall and paid his respects to Xiao Jingheng.
Xiao Jingheng casually waved to exempt him from the formalities, then asked in a nonchalant tone:
"Was it handled cleanly?"
Nalan Cuo replied, "Following Your Majesty's orders, I had the coroners thoroughly examine Prince Rui's body. A dagger had pierced his heart chamber, showing no signs of simulated death. Afterward, an empty coffin was interred in the Prince's mausoleum, while Prince Rui's body was cremated immediately after the coroners' examination."
"Handled efficiently." Xiao Jingheng nodded in satisfaction, then asked:
"I heard from the secret agents that it was Prince An who struck the fatal blow?"
"This... "
A brief struggle flickered in Nalan Cuo's heart, but ultimately he cupped his hands in a deep bow and said gravely:
"It's uncertain... When I rushed in, Prince An was holding the dagger plunged into Prince Rui's heart chamber, and Prince Rui was clutching Prince An's hand. You could say Prince An personally dealt with Prince Rui, or you could say Prince Rui committed suicide... and merely acted out this scene before me."
He slightly raised his eyes, only daring to observe Xiao Jingheng's inscrutable expression from the corner of his vision.
"Prince Rui and Prince An have always been close friends. Yesterday, Prince An even refused to have any attendants by his side, only meeting Prince Rui alone in private. I don't know what they discussed. Moreover, when Prince Rui first entered the Ministry of Rites, Prince An privately sought me out many times, asking me to take good care of Prince Rui. Thus, in my humble opinion... the possibility of Prince An personally taking action against Prince Rui does not seem very likely..."
