Chapter 269 Not a Coincidence, I’m Coming for You
The next moment, the horse-drawn carriage of Prince Chen’s Mansion rushed over and blocked the location where the horse-drawn carriage of Prince Xin’s Mansion stopped just now, with the two carriages’ windows directly facing each other.
Qin Wanru heard the knock on the carriage window, raised half of the curtain helplessly, and saw the handsome but somber, cold face of Chu Liuchen, who raised his eyes to stare at her eerily. Seeing this look, she knew who offended him.
Qin Wanru couldn’t help heaving a sigh to admit her bad luck. The eye-catching bright-red costume, with golden obscure patterns embroidered on the edge of the collar, gave off exceptional resplendence, making his face look as pale as the snow, without a trace of blood, but its beholders felt that his countenance was exquisite and stunning. Qin Wanru couldn’t help praising him. “With such a look, this man is stunning in another sense.”
With such a countenance, even an ordinary person could draw much attention from the female.
“Prince, what a coincidence!” Qin Wanru smiled broadly.
Chu Liuchen gave a cold snort. “Not a coincidence, I’m coming for you!”
“Prince, why are you coming for me?” Qin Wanru was shocked, opening her watery eyes wide to ask with surprise.
“Where’s my Tang Qianyan?” Chu Liuchen looked at her and suddenly smiled. The smile that burst out made the pair of beautiful dark eyes alluring.
Qin Wanru felt her heart twitching out of her instinct and answered more gingerly, “Prince’s Tang Qianyan is still at my window. It grows very well!”
“What is very well? It has bloomed?” Chu Liuchen asked.
Qin Wanru shook her head hurriedly. “No!”
“What is well when it hasn’t bloomed?” Chu Liuchen said gently, but his voice was with solemnity.
Qin Wanru complained of hardship inwardly. She clearly knew that this bonsai of Tang Qianyan was quite meaningful. Chu Liuchen bought it with large sums of money and asked her to take care of it, but she had to talk nonsense seriously. “It has just arrived in the capital and hasn’t adapted to the environment. Next year, it will possibly bloom.”
“Bloom next year, what’s the use of the flower!” Chu Liuchen said leisurely. This was not like a question, but more like speaking to himself. Yet, Qin Wanru didn’t understand it at that moment and had to blink her bright watery eyes, pretending she hadn’t heard it. It was not an easy question if she was asked to answer it.
Anyway, she couldn’t say, “The flower is dysfunctional, just throw it away.” But she couldn’t say “The flower functions normally”, either. If it functioned normally, why didn’t it bloom?
“Tomorrow, take out the flower and follow me to see a floriculturist!” Chu Liuchen didn’t seem to ask Qin Wanru to answer the question. After speaking this to himself, he waved his hand.
“I have come out today, and it might not be suitable to come out tomorrow!” Qin Wanru said anxiously.
“Do I need to visit Ningyuan Army General’s Mansion and ask you to accompany me straight?” Chu Liuchen caught a glimpse of her, gave a small smile, and leaned back as if a cushion or something of this kind were against his back. Instantly, his entire posture looked more languid, like a handsome, unrivaled Childe.
As his beautiful eyes were raised slightly, his slightly pale color, wrapped in the bright-red brocade, became enchanting and almost dazzling.
That exceptional dazzle forced Qin Wanru to lower her head, but she complained more of hardship inwardly. “His meaning is so forceful. If I can’t find a reason to leave my family tomorrow, he will come willfully.”
With his status, if he came to her family to ask her to accompany him, that would be big trouble.
Qin Wanru smiled twice dryly, but she didn’t notice that her smile looked poor in fact. “Prince needs me, so I must obey, how can I say no? Tomorrow I will find a reason to leave our mansion!”
“Okay, that’s a deal. Remember, bring the flower!” Chu Liuchen said. As he finished, the curtain in his hands fell. Then, the horse-drawn carriage of Prince Chen’s Mansion moved slightly and advanced slowly, making way finally.
Seeing Chu Liuchen’s horse-drawn carriage leave, Qin Wanru was finally relieved, asking Yujie to tell the coachman to drive the carriage out of the dead space, and then it moved forward slowly.
Chu Liuchen’s carriage was in front. It turned at a bend, heading for a wider government-financed road, which led to the palace. In the beginning, Chu Liuchen did plan to go there.
Sure, many people were confused. If Prince Chen wanted to see the Empress Dowager, he could enter the imperial palace from a side door, but why did he cover a long distance to the main entrance to enter the palace?
Yet, no one dared to ask Prince Chen directly. Anyway, he was in the special favor of the Empress Dowager and the emperor. Whatever he wanted to do, they allowed him. So, when everyone saw his carriage cover a long distance to enter the palace, they felt it was normal and regarded it as his special habit!
So ill like this, he wouldn’t have many days ahead. So, he was not asked to do everything according to rules and morals! Even if sometimes he had abnormal behaviors, everyone would approve of them because they approved of the abolished crown prince’s unwellness, not his identity.
Who would care about a dying man!
All the people along the road knew it was the carriage of Prince Chen’s Mansion, and so they retired to both sides.
They knew Prince Chen was a sick man and couldn’t be touched, so weak as a man made of paper. If anyone moved close to him and made him uncomfortable, he would have to face trouble.
The carriage did not stop at the palace gate, but continued moving forward. The palace servants on both sides made way naturally, and all the servants and officials on the way bowed respectfully.
Prince Chen was so weak that he couldn’t bear the long distance between the palace gate and the inner court.
In the carriage, Chu Liuchen closed his eyes, quiet and peaceful, but he looked without a trace of blood. If not for his slightly rising and falling chest, one would think this was a jade statue, beautiful but without a trace of vitality.
“Stop, who are you? In front of our prince, not to bow, how dare you!” Xiao Xuanzi’s sharp voice sounded. In the carriage, Chu Liuchen blinked his long eyelashes twice, but he didn’t open his eyes and kept his quiet state.
“Your humble subject bows to our prince!” A sound came from outside the carriage, and its owner should be the one who didn’t bow when seeing Chu Liuchen’s carriage just now. “Just now I was thinking about what the emperor said and was slightly absent-minded. I had no time to bow!”
“Duke Xing is the backbone of the court indeed, thinking about the national affairs while walking. A subject like Duke Xing is a blessing to the court,” Xiao Xuanzi said sarcastically, sounding quite provocative.
Other eunuchs dare not to speak this way, for Duke Xing was important in the court after all, and a eunuch could not criticize him, but he was the eunuch of Prince Chen’s Mansion and also the eunuch of Chu Liuchen. With Chu Liuchen involved, the unreasonable turned to the reasonable.
That prince was about to die. If offended, who knew what he would do. So, no one dared to confront him with sheer force. This was also the reason why Chu Liuxin retreated instantly just now when he saw the comer was Chu Liuchen.
A dying person could do anything, let alone he was also favored.
“Your humble subject was impolite!” Duke Xing had a very good attitude, giving a broad smile on his round face. Although he had been shouted at by a eunuch, he still smiled.
“Duke Xing, you were not, and I was, but today our master is unwell and a little unhappy.” Xiao Xuanzi suddenly stopped his coldness and sharpness, laughed, and also gave a whisper to admonish him like a confidant as if they had an extremely good relationship.
“Yes, yes, thank you, Xiao Xuanzi!” Duke Xing nodded repetitively, couldn’t help lowering his voice, and caught a glimpse of the half-covered window, through which he could see half of the jade-white handsome face of the person inside, but he didn’t see Chu Liuchen’s eyes and didn’t know whether they were open or closed.
“Then, our master and I now go in. The Empress Dowager summoned our master again. This morning, getting up, our master felt his heart was stuffy and wanted to go out to relax, so we went out!” Xiao Xuanzi smiled broadly as if he had not shouted at Duke Xing just now. Now, he looked extremely pure and kind.
If Qin Wanru saw this scene, she would heave a sigh. “Like master, like servant. Xiao Xuanzi’s expression-changing technique is excellent. It is not perfect, but it is about forty to fifty percent to perfection. Only this pure and kind expression makes him look like a kind little eunuch.”
“Prince Chen’s eunuch Xiao Xuanzi is a good person?”
If the many palace servants heard this, they would think this was a joke, and so would Duke Xing, who caught a glimpse of Xiao Xuanzi, did the fist and palm salute to him, and backed off to the side to make way.
He lowered his profile to an extreme extent, speaking to a eunuch politely and even having no disagreement. This was also an important reason why Duke Xing had an extremely good reputation.
If you saw his round smiling face, you would have a good impression.
“Duke Xing, I’m leaving!” Xiao Xuanzi said with a smile. The carriage began to move, but without taking too many steps, he suddenly stopped it. Craning his head from the front of the carriage, he took a look at Duke Xing and suddenly waved to him mysteriously.
Duke Xing looked at his left and right sides confusedly but found nobody, and then he lifted up his robe hems and scuttled to the carriage.
“Duke Xing, I want to ask you about something!” Xiao Xuanzi said with a smile, sounding more polite and sweeter, completely different from the shouting tone at the beginning.
“What is it?” Duke Xing was still smiling. This good attitude was beyond measure. In the entire court, if Duke Xing’s good temper was ranked the second place, no one would take the first!
“Has a new physician joined the Imperial Institute of Medicine?” Xiao Xuanzi lowered his voice even further, but it was still audible. Duke Xing was sure others could not hear it, but the prince in the carriage surely could. So, when answering the little eunuch’s question, he had to think carefully.
“The miracle-working physician was specially invited by the emperor. It is said he has magic-like medical skills!”
“What of that? Can he cure my disease?” Xiao Xuanzi didn’t reply, but a voice that sounded warm but could twitch one’s heart came from the window. It was Chu Liuchen’s voice.
Xiao Xuanzi remained silent, smiling dryly and apologetically to Duke Xing.
“Your highness, you will surely recover. God bless good people. You are now only in a transition!” Duke Xing stopped smiling instantly and bowed to the carriage respectfully.