Chapter 442: Wait for Me to Come Back
Xiao Chengxuan hadn’t slept all night.
Ever since being confined to his residence at Chengxin Lake, he had been in a daze.
He hadn’t touched his food, his mind in a stupor.
In just two days, he had grown haggard and lost a considerable amount of weight. Unshaven and gaunt, he was a far cry from his formerly dashing self.
KNOCK KNOCK.
There was a knock at the door.
A servant spoke cautiously.
"Your High... Please eat something. If you keep this up, your body won’t be able to take it!"
Xiao Chengxuan remained motionless.
Chengxin Lake was a Royal Villa. Though smaller than his former mansion, its standards were still far above those of an ordinary household.
At the very least, he still had servants to wait on him.
But to Xiao Chengxuan, it was still a devastating blow.
Overnight, he had lost everything!
’How could he accept this?’
The door was unlocked. After a long hesitation, the servant plucked up his courage and pushed the door open to enter.
’After all, his superiors had given strict orders to look after him.’
’Though Xiao Chengxuan had been officially stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner, he still had His Majesty’s blood running through his veins. Who would dare treat him like an ordinary man?’
"Your Highness."
The servant set down the food and shut the door tightly before speaking in a hushed voice.
"We have your favorite braised deer tendon today. Won’t you have some?"
Xiao Chengxuan finally moved.
Because this was not his favorite dish—it was Consort Ru’s.
’This means...’
He slowly raised his stiff neck, his gaze freezing on the man’s face for an instant.
’This was an unfamiliar face, different from the person who had brought his meals before.’
The man gave him a meaningful look and lowered his voice even further. "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine and the Grand Secretary are working on a plan for you. You mustn’t give up now."
A flicker of life finally entered Xiao Chengxuan’s frozen gaze.
’This man is from my mother!’
’Despite the heavy guard, Consort Ru had pulled strings and finally managed to send someone in!’
Xiao Chengxuan, who had been on the verge of complete despair, felt a spark of hope rekindle within him.
’Mother hasn’t abandoned me!’
He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was incredibly hoarse.
"I..."
He startled even himself when he spoke.
The servant quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it over.
Xiao Chengxuan took a sip, and his parched throat finally felt some relief.
When he spoke again, his voice was still raspy. He had to lower it to a whisper, unable to hide the urgency in his tone as he asked:
"How is Mother now?"
"Calm down."
The servant knew what he wanted to know and quickly recounted the events of the past two days.
"The Imperial Concubine is currently in Yaohua Palace, chanting scriptures and praying every day. I’m afraid she will not be able to see you for the time being."
Xiao Chengxuan froze for a moment, but he quickly understood.
’Things are tense right now, and their every move is being watched. No matter how anxious she is, Mother can’t afford to act rashly.’
He remained silent for a long while before saying:
"I’ve dragged her into this..."
"Don’t say that."
The man sent to him had naturally been carefully chosen for his intelligence and eloquence. Seeing Xiao Chengxuan’s state, he immediately offered words of comfort.
"Rest assured, Your Highness. Princess Yuhe is with the Imperial Concubine every day!"
Xiao Chengxuan felt a wave of relief.
"That’s good, that’s good..."
’He had never paid much mind to this unfavored, low-born sister of his, but now, it seemed she was one of the few people he could truly rely on.’
’It was true what they say: when a tree falls, the monkeys scatter. After his downfall, everyone had been scrambling to sever ties with him.’
’He never would have expected the one to put in the most effort would be the inconspicuous Xiao Lansi.’
"The case is still under investigation. The Grand Secretary and the Imperial Concubine are maneuvering behind the scenes, so please wait here patiently. Princess Yuhe also asked this humble servant to pass on a message to you."
He said no more, instead dipping his finger in tea and writing four words on the table.
Hidden dragon, deep abyss.
A jolt went through Xiao Chengxuan.
The fog in his mind cleared instantly!
’That’s right.’
’As long as he was still alive, there was a chance to start over!’
Xiao Chengxuan took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the man. He then asked the question that had been weighing most heavily on his mind:
"Tell Mother I’m fine. But I need to know: who interrogated Xu Jie?!"
’If Xu Jie hadn’t confessed everything, hadn’t utterly betrayed him, how could he have ended up in this predicament?’
’He had been so sure that Xu Jie would die before confessing, but he never imagined that Xu Jie wouldn’t just talk—he would confess every last detail! He had laid everything bare, down to the most trivial points!’
’He just had to know who made Xu Jie talk!’
"This... this humble servant doesn’t know either."
The servant looked troubled.
’Xu Jie’s case was a joint investigation by the Three Judicial Departments. With so many people involved, who could possibly know who had been the one to get the confession out of him?’
"Xu Fengchi isn’t that capable."
Xiao Chengxuan gritted his teeth, resentment surging in his eyes.
’He knew Xu Fengchi. On his own, he could never have broken Xu Jie.’
’Who helped him?’
’Others might not have noticed, but Xiao Chengxuan’s intuition told him something was amiss.’
’The feeling of an unknown, uncontrollable force at play made him deeply uneasy.’
’It was as if an invisible hand were pushing everything forward.’
’And here he was, caught in the middle of it all, without a clue who had orchestrated his ruin.’
The servant didn’t understand, but he still replied, "In that case... should this humble servant try to investigate?"
Xiao Chengxuan pressed his brow.
Besides this, what he cared about most right now was—
"How is Prince Lie?"
Xiao Chengxuan knew full well that his ability to make a comeback depended largely on Xiao Chengqi.
’If Xiao Chengqi’s arm was crippled, he still had a chance!’
’But if Xiao Chengqi got the antidote...’
’A prince stripped of his title for his crimes versus a healthy prince with a decorated military career—even an idiot would know who their Imperial Father would choose!’
"I heard that the Imperial Guard brought back the antidote from Guanling the day before yesterday. The Imperial Hospital has written a prescription, and His Highness Prince Lie is still recuperating in his mansion. As for the specifics... outsiders have no way of knowing."
Xiao Chengxuan was frantic, but he was helpless.
"I understand. Report any news to me immediately."
He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, his gaze slowly turning cold and hard.
’There’s nothing to worry about.’
’The fourth prince’s leg was crippled, so why can’t the third prince’s arm be?’
...
It was a rare, sunny day.
Ye Yunfeng stood at the door, bidding farewell to Ye Chutang.
"Big Sister, Third Brother, Xiao Wu, you don’t have to see me off."
Feng Zhang stood at a distance, giving him space to say a proper goodbye.
His departure was a low-key affair, with only two horses prepared.
Ye Yunfeng was also traveling light. The young man stood tall and straight, his eyes bright with youthful vigor.
Ye Chutang looked at him and nodded.
"Then we’ll be right here waiting for you to come back."
It was the simplest of sentences, yet it warmed Ye Yunfeng’s heart and made his eyes sting with unshed tears.
Xiao Wu suddenly lunged forward and hugged Ye Yunfeng’s leg tightly, his small face tilted up, full of reluctance to see him go.
’There was no telling how long it would be before he returned.’
Ye Yunfeng felt the same reluctance, but his resolve was firm.
He gave a firm nod.
"Okay!"
The young man squatted down and squeezed Xiao Wu’s cheek. His gaze was intense as he spoke, enunciating each word.
"Wait for my return!"