ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 134

Li Zhizhi admitted that she initially had some mischievous thoughts about teasing Xiao Yan. However, when he looked down at her with those slightly reddened phoenix eyes, her heart uncontrollably began to race.

“Do you like watching me cry?”

Xiao Yan asked again. Li Zhizhi tightly shut her mouth, trying to avert her gaze, but he had already grabbed her chin, leaving her unable to move. Feeling somewhat embarra.s.sed and angry, she glared at him, “Let go of me.”

Xiao Yan was unwilling to comply with her wishes. Filled with affection, he was cautious and careful, wanting only this simple word “like.” Now, suddenly seeing a glimmer of hope, he could no longer hold back and wanted to see things more clearly.

He leaned in too close; Li Zhizhi caught a faint scent of sandalwood, and she felt almost enveloped by it, making her increasingly uneasy and tense. At that moment, Xiao Yan suddenly lowered his head and softly whispered in her ear, “I didn’t know you had such a habit. But it doesn’t matter; I can naturally satisfy you, Zhizhi, as long as you tell me…”

His gaze slightly lowered, watching Li Zhizhi with deep eyes that seemed to hold countless tender affections, as if hiding a flickering fire—hot and persistent, not allowing her to evade. He spoke slowly, “Can you allow me to like you?”

Li Zhizhi froze, her eyes widening in surprise, and then her face flushed, like peach blossoms in early spring. She never expected Xiao Yan would ask such a question. She tried to escape his gaze, but her chin was still held firmly.

In her urgency, Li Zhizhi could no longer care about anything else; she opened her mouth and bit Xiao Yan’s finger with all her might. Yet, he seemed to feel no pain, only focused on her, patiently waiting for her response.

It wasn’t until Li Zhizhi tasted a hint of blood that she suddenly let go, turning her head away. However, this movement revealed her small, delicate earlobes, tinged with a cute and enticing red, like cherries in early summer.

Xiao Yan’s eyes deepened, and he couldn’t help but reach out to touch her, but at that moment, something slipped from his sleeve, falling right in front of Li Zhizhi. She focused her gaze and saw it was a piece of paper, covered with many characters, and instinctively picked it up.

It was the prescription written by that old doctor!

Xiao Yan’s expression changed; he immediately tried to s.n.a.t.c.h it away. However, in such a short moment, Li Zhizhi had already read all the words on it. Her bright eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at him, her tone filled with surprise and suspicion, “You…?”

Xiao Yan quickly remedied, “Let me explain.”

Li Zhizhi refused to listen. Just glancing at the names of the herbs on the prescription made her face turn bright red, and she yelled, “Shut up!”

Then, with a wave of her hand, she forcefully slapped the prescription onto Xiao Yan’s face. Before he could react, she pushed him aside, scrambled up, and lifted the curtain to leave.

Xiao Yan was once again hit on the head, unable to stop himself from pressing his hand against his forehead, drawing a sharp breath in pain. He recalled the earlier scene and sighed heavily; it seemed the misunderstanding had grown larger.

How could he remedy this?

…

Ning w.a.n.g’s residence.

It was already dark outside, and the room was lit with candles. Xiao Wen was leaning against the couch, holding a small jade-colored porcelain bottle, studying it. A delicate white arm was wrapped around his neck, and the woman teased, “Young Master, what are you looking at? What’s so interesting about a small bottle?”

Xiao Wen smiled, his expression revealing a sense of laziness as he mysteriously replied, “This is a good thing.”

The concubine curiously asked, “What kind of good thing?”

Just as Xiao Wen was about to answer, a maid entered from outside, bowing her head and saying, “Young Master, the Prince has returned. Please come over.”

Xiao Wen’s face showed signs of impatience as he said in a deep voice, “That old thing is always watching me…”

Despite saying that, he still got up. The maid immediately helped him put on his clothes, and as Xiao Wen casually turned his head, he caught sight of his concubine examining the jade-colored porcelain bottle. His expression changed instantly, and he shouted, “Put it down!”

The concubine was startled and let go, causing the small bottle to drop and roll on the bed. Xiao Wen was quick to pick it up and nervously inspected it for a long time before finally sighing in relief. He then struck the concubine with a slap, his tone vicious: “b.i.t.c.h, who allowed you to take this?!”

The concubine, who had been favored until now, was stunned by the slap and began to cry softly. However, Xiao Wen showed no sign of pity and instead glared at her fiercely: “If you do this again, I’ll chop off that hand of yours and feed it to the dogs!”

Terrified, the concubine stopped crying and nodded repeatedly. Xiao Wen, uninterested in her, carefully stored the porcelain bottle before heading to the front hall.

Prince Ning had just returned from his duties and was speaking with the princess when he saw Xiao Wen enter. He scrutinized him for a moment, his brows furrowing as he scolded: “You’re becoming more and more disheveled, can’t even dress properly. What kind of demeanor is that?!”

It turned out Xiao Wen had just taken Wushi San and felt a bit restless on his way, so he had loosened his collar and left his chest half-bare. Upon hearing his father’s reprimand, he lazily b.u.t.toned up his collar, sat down in a chair, yawned, and said, “What does Father want with me?”

His nonchalant att.i.tude made Prince Ning frown even more. The princess, noticing his expression, hurriedly explained: “Wen’er probably just woke up and hasn’t gathered his senses yet; don’t be too angry with him, Your Highness.”

Unexpectedly, Prince Ning grew even angrier, his face darkening as he scolded: “What’s he sleeping for in broad daylight? All day long doing nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun, as if he’s busier than I am! How did I teach you before?”

Xiao Wen, feeling impatient, retorted, “As a leisurely young lord, what proper work can I do? If you really want me to succeed, hurry up and grab that chair! After so many years of scheming and plotting, you’ve achieved nothing. Even Grandpa Emperor prefers that waste, Xiao Yan, to be the crown prince, and yet you still come here to teach me?”

As soon as these words left his mouth, both Prince Ning and Princess Ning changed their expressions, one filled with anger and the other with fear. The princess, terrified, rushed over to cover Xiao Wen’s mouth, crying out: “Don’t talk nonsense, Wen’er! You’re really confused!”

Prince Ning, however, was furious. He grabbed a teacup and smashed it against his son’s head. The porcelain shattered, scalding tea splashed all over Xiao Wen’s face. He cried out in pain, his senses finally clearing. Trembling, he reached up to touch his forehead, only to find it covered in blood.

Prince Ning, raging, ordered someone to bring a horsewhip and gave Xiao Wen a severe beating. The princess desperately protected her son and received several lashes herself. Prince Ning, his eyes bloodshot, scolded her: “This is all your indulgence. Why not just kill him today to prevent future troubles?”

The princess, sobbing and pleading for mercy, failed to sway Prince Ning, who stood there contemplating, his expression increasingly sinister. Xiao Wen began to feel frightened; when he had taken the Wushi San, he felt light and carefree, not knowing the severity of his situation. Now, fully awake and glancing at Prince Ning’s face, he broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that his father seemed genuinely considering his life.

Ultimately, Prince Ning did not go that far. He forbade Xiao Wen from drinking any more alcohol and left. The princess looked at her son, feeling both angry and heartbroken, lecturing him: “Your father is right. You must never drink again. How could you say such things? If word gets out, our entire family will be doomed!”

Xiao Wen absentmindedly touched the porcelain bottle in his arms, responding carelessly, “I understand, Mother.”

…

Since the onset of autumn, the weather had been getting colder by the day, especially at night, with the cold dew feeling like frost. The moon had disappeared, and it seemed likely that tomorrow would be rainy. Once the rain started, it wouldn’t be long before deep autumn arrived.

After returning to the manor, the Grand Princess summoned Li Zhizhi, smiling as she said, “I had someone make you a new autumn outfit; try it on!”

The maid a.s.sisted Li Zhizhi in trying on the new clothes while the Grand Princess sat nearby drinking tea, observing her daughter. Seemingly casually, she asked, “Did you go out to play with Xiao Wu today?”

Li Zhizhi, lowering her head to adjust her sleeves, paused at the question and softly replied. The Grand Princess closely examined her expression and asked, “Did you have fun?”

Li Zhizhi kept her eyes downcast, her eyelashes fluttering quickly, and mumbled, “It was fun…”

“Oh,” the Grand Princess nodded slightly, a thoughtful look appearing on her face. She didn’t probe further and cheerfully instructed the maid, “Let’s have her try on that silver-red outfit with the trim.”

It turned out to be a set of riding attire. After the Grand Princess appraised it for a moment, she seemed quite satisfied and said, “In a while, there will be an autumn hunt in the palace. I specifically ordered someone to make this outfit for you; it really looks good.”

Hearing this, Li Zhizhi was somewhat surprised and asked, “Autumn hunt? Is it like the last time at the Qianshan Hunting Ground?”

“No,” the Grand Princess waved for her to sit down, took the fruit platter from Qing Luo, and pushed it in front of her. She explained, “The autumn hunt is a tradition in the palace, held once a year. The hunting ground is quite far from here, in Qingliang Mountain, where there’s also a temporary palace. The hunt lasts for a full three days.”

She looked at Li Zhizhi and smiled, “In a few days, I will have someone pick a good horse for you and make a bow, then teach you archery. This time, I will make sure you are fully prepared and can enjoy yourself.”

Li Zhizhi gladly agreed. Just as the two were chatting, they heard someone come to visit Li Zhizhi. The Grand Princess wondered, “So late, who would come?”

The servant replied, “It’s Young Master Yang from the Yang family.”

Li Zhizhi was quite surprised: “Brother Shen?”

Before long, the servant led Yang Shen in. When he saw the Grand Princess was also present, he became somewhat restrained and properly greeted her. After the Grand Princess granted him a seat, he sat down nearby but didn’t dare to get too close, fearing he might lose propriety.

Noticing his reaction, the Grand Princess, being perceptive, realized it was inconvenient for her to stay. After a few polite words, she made an excuse to leave, allowing Li Zhizhi to ask Yang Shen, “It’s so late, what can I do for you, Brother Shen?”

Yang Shen hesitated for a moment, seeming somewhat hesitant to speak. Li Zhizhi understood in her heart: “Is it about Tang Yu?”

“Mm,” Yang Shen nodded, speaking in a m.u.f.fled voice, “When my sister left, she said that if I encountered any problems, I could ask the Princess for her opinion. That’s why I took the liberty to come and disturb you. I hope the Princess won’t mind.”

Li Zhizhi laughed softly and intentionally said, “You came at just the right time. I still owe a favor to Sister Jun, and I’ve been keeping it in mind.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Shen’s expression visibly relaxed a lot. He said, “A’yu… Miss Su, she has been acting a bit strangely lately and refuses to see me. Every time I send an invitation, it gets returned. I’m worried something has happened to her.”

Li Zhizhi understood and said, “You want me to help find out?”

“Yes,” Yang Shen frowned and said, “She was fine before, and suddenly without any warning, she changed like this. She didn’t offer any explanations; I really can’t feel at ease.”

At this point, he slightly pursed his lips and said, “If… if she has grown tired of me, I will naturally keep my distance and no longer disturb her.”

Though he said so, Li Zhizhi could see the disappointment hidden in his expression. She felt a bit sympathetic and said, “In that case, I will visit her in a few days and help you ask about it.”

Yang Shen let out a sigh of relief and said, “Thank you very much, Princess.”

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