Chapter 303: He Straight-Up Cooked Himself on the Spot

Niu Jiahua, despite her own injuries, insisted on taking care of Xiao Jingyi. She followed him all the way to his residence, trying to lift his clothes to check his wounds, but was stopped by the guards serving him. Soon, the Imperial Physician, Ning Can, arrived and quickly treated Xiao Jingyi’s injuries.

They applied salves and bandaged his wounds, never letting Niu Jiahua get involved.

In the end, the guards even drove Niu Jiahua out.

Niu Jiahua grew frantic. “Why are you stopping me? I need to take care of him!”

The guard’s face was impassive. “The Prince has us to care for him. We do not need you, miss. You are no relation to the Prince, and propriety must be observed between men and women. Please, conduct yourself with dignity.”

Niu Jiahua was furious, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave, so she could only fume in silence at the door.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Xiao Jingyi awoke and had her summoned inside.

Niu Jiahua was overjoyed and hurried inside. The sight of Xiao Jingyi completely wrapped in bandages made her heart ache.

“Does it hurt? Isn’t the Empress your sister? Why would she hit you?”

Xiao Jingyi’s face was deathly pale, his expression cold. “Because she is the Empress. Imperial Power is heavenly might; it cannot be profaned.”

Niu Jiahua clearly didn’t understand. She spoke up for Xiao Jingyi with self-righteous indignation, “Even if she’s the Empress, she’s still your own sister! What kind of sister beats her own brother like that?”

She was also confused. “Don’t they say inheritances are passed down to sons, not daughters? Why did the throne go to your sister instead of you? You’re the one who should be Emperor.”

‘It’s like this woman is afraid I won’t die fast enough,’ Xiao Jingyi thought, his heart skipping a beat.

He squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to argue the point with someone so ignorant. “You said you had news of your father. Where is he?”

Niu Jiahua said, “I ran into a man from Tianhu Village. He told me my father came back looking for me, then headed south with his sword on his back.”

She added thoughtfully, “My father can take care of himself, so there’s no rush. You should focus on healing first.”

Xiao Jingyi had absolutely no patience to be nursing any injuries.

All for this one trivial piece of news, Niu Jiahua had run back, crashed the Empress’s banquet, and nearly gotten herself killed.

Xiao Jingyi felt like a fool. ‘Why did I even bother saving her? I should have just let her die at the hands of the Silver Armor Guards.’

“Guards.”

Xiao Jingyi summoned his men. He produced a token and ordered a ten-man escort to take Niu Jiahua to find her father.

Niu Jiahua looked at him, stunned. “You’re not coming with me?”

Xiao Jingyi retorted, “When did I ever say I was going with you?”

Niu Jiahua raged, “I saved your life! I took care of you myself! And now you’re just handing me off to your underlings?”

His answer was the sword he pressed to her neck, even as he winced in pain.

The disgust and coldness in his eyes were unconcealed. “Niu Jiahua, you saved my life, it’s true. But I am not helpless. I could have saved myself. The Silver Armor Guards were already searching the area. Without you, I still would have survived.”

“We both know perfectly well what your motives were for saving me. I won’t press the matter; I’ll consider the debt repaid. If you want money or a residence, I can give them to you. But you are far too greedy.”

“I am not an object, and I will certainly not repay this debt with my body and my heart.”

“I do not like you. It is impossible for me to marry you. If you continue to pester me, I have no qualms about being seen as an ungrateful wretch.”

Tears streamed down Niu Jiahua’s face, unable to accept his cruelty.

Seeing Xiao Jingyi turn away, unwilling to even look at her, Niu Jiahua broke down, screaming hysterically, “You just think I’m ugly! If I were beautiful, you wouldn’t be so cruel!”

Niu Jiahua left again, and once more, she took none of Xiao Jingyi’s money.

Xiao Jingyi was not the least bit moved by Niu Jiahua’s “nobility.” He only felt the situation was absurd. ‘I’m not a good person, yet I’ve been cornered like this all because she saved my life.’

In the ten days since his return, he had become keenly aware of his own insignificance.

Before, his Imperial Sister had sent him away to patrol the cities with the Silver Armor Guards. Though he couldn’t return to the capital and endured many hardships, he had held power. Wherever he went, the Silver Armor Guards cleared his path, and officials greeted him with reverence.

The Silver Armor Guards may have placed many restrictions on him, but with that power in his hands, he possessed the authority and dignity befitting a Prince.

But now he was back. There were no more patrols, no Silver Armor Guards, and no golden order from the Empress. He was just an ordinary Prince.

He couldn’t get involved in court affairs and held no power whatsoever.

His Imperial Sister never kept useless people around her. She wouldn’t grant him power or riches just because he was her only surviving brother. He had to earn everything himself.

He had no ambition for the throne, especially after his Imperial Sister’s ascension. He only wanted to be Prince Wei—not an idle, leisurely prince, but one who wielded real power, one his Imperial Sister would acknowledge.

Niu Jiahua had indeed saved his life, but to put it bluntly and cruelly, she was infatuated with his looks and his status. She coveted everything about him.

‘Perhaps it’s because the rest of the Royal Family posed no threat after my Imperial Sister’s ascension that I’ve grown so soft and foolish.’

‘In the past, I would have dealt with someone like her long ago.’

‘Today’s flogging… Imperial Sister was as ruthless as ever. But I’m grateful for it. It’s completely sobered me up.’

***

The banquet concluded without any incident. Xiao Li had enjoyed several cups of wine and was pleasantly buzzed, her mood excellent.

She left the banquet and headed back to her quarters, strolling along the covered walkway and letting the night breeze wash over her.

A tall, slender figure approached from the other end of the walkway. Upon seeing Xiao Li, he hastily clasped his hands in a salute. “Your Majesty.”

Xiao Li gave him a passing glance, intending to walk right by, but she suddenly stopped and turned back. “Hm? Chu Yungui?”

The cool, stoic man gave a slight nod. “It is I, Your Majesty.”

Chu Yungui was still dressed in black, but he had traded his former plain cloth for unadorned silk brocade. The robes were well-tailored with a lustrous texture. His hair was tied back neatly, and without the thick scarf he used to wear, his entire face was visible.

He had sharp brows over star-bright eyes, and his dark irises were as deep as ink. Strikingly handsome with an upright posture, he resembled a sword about to be unsheathed, faintly emanating a cold, deadly aura.

‘What a handsome, stone-cold pretty boy.’ But his coldness wasn’t for show; it was simply social anxiety.

‘It was an endearing contradiction.’

Xiao Li was a mischievous woman by nature. After a few drinks, she knew even less about restraint.

She beckoned to Chu Yungui with a crooked finger. “Come here.”

The socially anxious General obediently took two steps forward. A hand then landed on his face, the pad of her finger tracing a line across his cheek.

A sweet fragrance filled his senses as her teasing voice, full of wicked playfulness, sounded near his ear. “Oh? It’s warm. Seeing that cold look on your face all day, I thought your skin would be like ice, too. I guess not.”

It was far from cold. His normally pale skin grew scorching hot, finally turning as red as a cooked shrimp from his cheeks all the way to his neck and ears.

He looked as if he was cooking himself right where he stood.

Xiao Li froze for a second before bursting into unrestrained laughter. “Hahaha!”

Just as Chu Yungui, so ashamed he wished the ground would swallow him whole, was about to flee, Xiao Li shoved him back against the walkway’s railing. She slammed a hand down on either side of him, trapping him. Leaning in close, her tone was both domineering and wicked. “My dear General, being this innocent will be your downfall. With such an obvious weakness, you won’t even know what killed you.”

With that, she turned and walked away, her fragrance carried off by the wind. Just the sight of her unhurried retreat was enough to show how pleased and smug she felt.

Chu Yungui: “…” ‘The Empress’s character,’ he thought, ‘is questionable at best.’