CH 65

Care—Only a Wall Apart. (2)

Madame Xu was overwhelmed and hurriedly brought Guoer to thank him.

After exchanging more greetings, he didn't leave, but looked sideways at Chu Ning who was standing silently beside him and said, "These days, I must entrust the care of my aunt and cousin to my niece."

When he said this, he passed her body with oppressive eyes, and under the audience of the public, his arms flexed, and his tone seemed to be signifying something less pure than if he had just told Madam Xu a perfunctory sentence.

Chu Ning raised her head, and a very light, charming smile that he was very familiar with appeared on her gentle and dignified face. When his eyes flashed slightly and then darkened, she quickly put her smile away, as if she had done nothing, and responded softly, "Sharing Your Majesty's worries and honoring her elders is what a niece should do."

There was a subtle change in the atmosphere at a distance of two steps.

Xiao Kezhi looked at the half-smiling, well-dressed woman in front of him, but what came to his mind was her covered in that bold underwear, her mouth blocked by a silk handkerchief, her hands tied, her eyes tearful, all as she whimpered to him for mercy. His blood boiled.

It had been ten days already. Enough was enough, maybe it was time to close the net.

He made a meaningful "Oh," and left a sentence, "Then continue to share my worries for me", then turned to leave. He got on the horse again and urged the horse to trot to the front.

The team departed soon.

Madame Xu, Guoer, and Chu Ning rode in the same carriage, chatting and laughing along the way. They listened to Guoer's recitation of "Thousand-Character Writing" by memorizing, and Chu Ning didn't find it boring. It was not until they arrived at Tangquan Palace in the afternoon that they separated and went to their respective residences.

Tangquan Palace was the palace of the Emperor, built on the hillside of Lishan. Unlike the Taiji Palace, where only the Emperor could live in the palace city, the relatives and nobles who were close to the Emperor could also live in the palace city. It was just that there were more distances and barriers between the Emperor's residence and the relatives’ and nobles’.

There was no special East Palace here, but there was a Crown Prince’s Tang, which was dedicated to the Crown Prince's residence. As the Crown Prince’s Consort, Chu Ning naturally lived here alone.

She recalled the layout of Tangquan Palace and immediately remembered that the Xingchen Tang and Jiulong Tang, which belonged to the Emperor, were just west of the Crown Prince Tang, with a wall on both sides.

This was convenient.

After more than two hours of bumpy riding in the carriage, she only felt a little tired. After changing clothes, she ate a few snacks, then went to the sleeping hall to rest for a while, and she didn't wake up until evening.

Dinner was ready, and the pond under the pavilion outside the hall was also full of hot springs. The steam was steaming out, immediately surrounding the courtyard like it was a fairy palace.

She reclined on a noble concubine's couch for a moment, then summoned Cui He and gave a few instructions in a low voice.

...

After Xiao Kezhi arrived at Tangquan Palace, he did not immediately go to the inner chamber to rest, but first went to the outer court to convene with courtiers, deal with the political affairs one by one today, and stayed in the palace to read all the memorials before relaxing.

When he headed towards the inner chamber, it was already nightfall.

It was a cold winter night, and it was rare for him to not go back by walking but rather ride a palanquin, so that he could spare some energy to think about what he had just done. But when he was not careful, he found that the route back seemed to be a little different.

Going back from the Chaotang near Jinyang Gate, he could directly reach the Feishuang Palace, but now, they had bypassed too many palaces and needed to pass through the Rihua Gate to return to the Feishuang Palace.

Although he had never lived in the palace Emperor's bed before, he had traveled here several times when he was young, so he was naturally familiar with the layout. He immediately felt that something was wrong, became vigilant, and frowned, "Why did we go around here?"

Liu Kang laughed nervously, bowed to his waist, and replied, "Your Majesty, the scenery here is better. This old slave saw that Your Majesty was too tired to handle government affairs, so he made his own decisions to go through here."

Xiao Kezhi glanced at him and said coldly, "You are becoming more and more self-confident."

Having said that, he didn't change the route. There was no other reason. He thought about it for a while, and then he remembered that if he took a detour around this road, he happened to pass by the courtyard where the Crown Prince’s residence was.

He didn't even have to ask to guess that Liu Kang was instructed by the temptress to lead him there on purpose!

For some reason, as the distance got closer, a little excitement and nervousness flashed in his heart, and his whole body became hot. Even against the winter night wind, he did not feel cold at all.

Under the night, except for the places illuminated by the palace lanterns, everything was pitch black. Although he knew that no one else lived nearby, the vigilance he had developed over the years still made him wonder what would happen if someone saw him there.

This vigilance also turned into excitement, making his heart thump.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince’s Tang is right ahead." Liu Kang had been secretly observing the effect of his words, and now he was busy pointing not far away to remind him softly.

Xiao Kezhi pursed his lips and said nothing, but his eyes were already looking in the direction the other had pointed.

He saw that there was only one wall separating the Crown Prince’s Tang from his residence. The door was slightly ajar, as if its inhabitant was deliberately waiting for someone, and the looming lights made people want to go in and find out.

With a sullen face, he didn't say a word. He turned his head again with just one glance and didn't look any further. But just as the palanquin was about to pass the gate, he clenched his fist.

"Stop."

Under the short and low command, the palanquin stopped steadily and lowered in front of the half-opened door.