Chapter 121
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After leaving Han Jiao that day, Xie Duo wandered outside for a long time. Due to a back injury, he had instructed the coachman to inform his Sixth Brother about staying at Han’s residence. If he returned to the palace with a knife wound, it would lead to questions about Han Jiao’s involvement.
After thinking it over, Xie Duo decided to slip back to the Eastern Palace’s bedroom and pretended he had returned early in the morning and encountered an assassin.
Everything went relatively smoothly because no one would suspect the Crown Prince of doing anything unusual. He could fake the location of his supposed ambush.
After that, the Imperial Physician and attendants from the Eastern Palace nervously surrounded the Crown Prince, while he lay calmly on the bed without making a sound until the wound was bandaged.
Xie Duo was lost in thought, recalling everything that had happened the previous night. He didn’t hear what the people who had come to visit were saying.
Han Jiao’s significant change in attitude between that night and the following morning made Xie Duo very uneasy.
He couldn’t focus on anything for the entire day that followed.
It wasn’t until late at night, when he received a confidential message from Senior Minister Li’s spy network, that Xie Duo’s thoughts were completely disrupted.
The message revealed that the broken knife Xie Duo had found had been traced back to its origin.
Senior Minister Li had compiled some clues and concluded that the assassin was likely one of the guards from Prince Yan’s residence.
This message made Xie Duo laugh out loud.
He hadn’t expected someone as inscrutable as Senior Minister Li to resort to such desperate measures, spreading such foolish rumors to sow discord between him and Prince Yan.
But when Xie Duo carefully thought through all the facts surrounding the whole incident, it shattered his confidence like a thunderbolt.
On that unexpected night, he didn’t sense anything unusual when it happened.
From the moment Han Jiao, after a drink, suddenly fell into his arms, to the moment in the carriage when Han Jiao willingly embraced his neck, and then crying and pleading for him not to leave, looking back now, it all seemed so out of character.
Back then, Han Jiao had expressed affection, initiated intimacy, keeping Xie Duo in a state of madness, unable to regain a shred of reason.
However, just before dawn, Han Jiao’s mood suddenly shifted, startling him to go out in search of medicine, and then encountering the assassin.
At that time, Xie Duo had no intention of investigating the assassination. He rushed back to the room where they had spent the passionate night, but the door was locked. Han Jiao’s emotions had shifted from resistance to fear, even refusing to open the door to see him.
If all of this hadn’t happened between him and Han Jiao, if it were anyone else, such abrupt changes from before to after would have been impossible for Xie Duo to overlook for an entire day.
Holding the evidence Senior Minister Li had discreetly provided, he sat at the table all night, torn between shock, anger, and suspicion.
If one were to say that Sixth Brother’s banquet and Han Jiao’s affectionate advances were all part of the assassination plan, how could they have relied on just one shadow guard?
But thinking closely, his Sixth Brother left the palace early, and Xie Duo never had the chance to demonstrate his skills on the training grounds, so being underestimated was indeed possible.
What puzzled him the most was Han Jiao’s unusual behavior.
On that night, Xie Duo had been overwhelmed with joy. Now, as he calmly examined the whole situation, the terrifying suspicion began to seem more reasonable.
Realizing that Han Jiao was too frightened to open the door, possibly because the assassination plot had been exposed, Xie Duo found himself sinking into a despairing frenzy.
Everyone around him seemed repulsive.
He lost trust in everyone overnight and, the next day, deliberately found fault, replacing all the Eastern Palace guards with the Longyin Guards he had fought alongside before.
Even so, the feeling of despair in his heart remained unabated.
Living had become a painful ordeal.
Were all the people around him wearing masks? Even Han Jiao?
Han Jiao had said he was the most exceptional person he had ever met.
Was it because he wasn’t outstanding enough to seize his Sixth Brother’s throne that his Mother Empress hoped for his death, and Han Jiao too wished for his demise?
Before this, Xie Duo’s heart had only been filled with grievances and pain. But at that moment, an overwhelming hatred ignited inside him.
Why should he keep retreating and entrust his life to these deceitful pretenders?
He was determined to take everything away from his Sixth Brother.
He wanted his Mother Empress and Han Jiao to see how foolish their choices were.
Hatred replaced the dominance of his thoughts. Xie Duo was sure he wouldn’t act foolish for any trace of past emotions.
However, at this very moment, seeing Han Jiao’s stiff walking posture, Xie Duo’s body acted faster than his thoughts. He rushed forward and supported Han Jiao.
This action greatly pleased Han Jiao, who thought Xie Duo still cared for him like that day. These past days, he assumed Xie Duo hadn’t come to see him because he was nursing his wounds.
But Xie Duo’s words sounded weird. Han Jiao asked with confusion, “Your Highness, how could I be disappointed when your injury is healing? I heard about it yesterday, and I…”
He didn’t want to admit how worried he had been. He changed the subject and said in a hushed tone, “How can a knife wound recover so quickly? Your Highness, please be patient in your recovery. I can help you with state affairs.”
Xie Duo smirked. “Just helping with state affairs is enough? How about having Master take over state affairs along with my Sixth Brother for me?”
Han Jiao noticed that the big boss’ eyes had changed. It used to be a mix of suppressed excitement and warmth, but now, it held a hint of dangerous coldness.
Indeed, after such an intimate encounter, attitudes tend to shift. Was this what they call the possessive look from legends?
Thinking about it made him quite happy. It was just a shame that night, Han Jiao had no memory of it and didn’t know how it felt.
However, he could imagine that the person with him was Xie Duo, and just that alone made him ecstatic.
He believed the big boss had exceptional talents in all aspects, so naturally, he’d be skilled in bed too.
He just couldn’t figure out why it hurt so much afterward.
Xie Duo’s unusual gaze made Han Jiao momentarily lose his words.
His silence was taken as consent by Xie Duo.
So, when Han Jiao snapped back to reality, he saw the big boss looking at him with a mix of surprise and anger, his throat moving up and down.
Why did his expression keep getting worse?
“Is Your Highness facing some trouble?” Han Jiao felt a bit uneasy.
Xie Duo suddenly toned down the hostility in his eyes and softly asked, “Master, why do you ask?”
Han Jiao leaned in closer. “Your eyes seems like you want to devour someone.”
Xie Duo laughed softly. “Seems?”
Han Jiao blinked, gazing at him in confusion.
Leaning closer to his ear, Xie Duo murmured, “But the person facing trouble isn’t me.”
His dangerous tone made Han Jiao take a step back.
With a lowered head, Xie Duo looked into his eyes. “Just wait and see, Han Jiao. State affairs won’t defeat me, and neither will trouble. What you should be concerned about is the person trying to cause problems for me.”
“Your Highness, are you angry with me?” Han Jiao’s usually thick emotional filters seemed to fail as he noticed Xie Duo’s attitude was far from the usual gentleness.
“How could I dare to be angry with Master?” Xie Duo raised an eyebrow with a hint of self-mockery.
Han Jiao’s face darkened. He had snapped out of the ecstasy of first love and could tell that Xie Duo was truly upset now.
To be fair, Xie Duo, though somewhat dominant in character, wasn’t someone who easily lost his temper.
In fact, Han Jiao felt this was the first time he had truly sensed Xie Duo’s anger.
Han Jiao should have calmed down to deal with this situation, but in that instant, his mood plummeted to the lowest point.
Because the gap between what was happening now and what he had expected was just too significant.
Before coming, he had been brimming with confidence, thinking he could make the man before him fall head over heels for him. He believed that the unexpected night would be a sweet beginning. However, the man now resembled an angry lion, continually displaying aggression.
Was it because his emotions broke down at their parting, leaving him shut out?
Han Jiao felt wronged, but then he thought about how he had never confessed to Xie Duo that he couldn’t remember what happened after drinking. Maybe it was the difference in their attitudes that Xie Duo found unacceptable.
“Can we talk in the study?” Han Jiao felt the need to appear more mature than this stinky little brother, so he gazed at Xie Duo with gentleness.
His softness caught Xie Duo off guard.
Some of the hostility in Xie Duo’s eyes dissipated, and now, he no longer concealed his anger. Instead, he turned away without answering.
In the next moment, Han Jiao held Xie Duo’s left hand and calmly led him towards Xiyuan Hall.
It wasn’t just Xie Duo. A few attendants who had been waiting nearby were also shocked by Han Jiao’s bold move.
Hearing the chaotic footsteps behind him, Han Jiao immediately stopped and turned to instruct the attendants following, “The Crown Prince and I have confidential matters to discuss. You can step back for now.”
The attendants exchanged puzzled looks, made no response, and didn’t leave as they were told.
Han Jiao turned his gaze towards Xie Duo.
Xie Duo, too, stared at him with curiosity, paused for a moment, and then waved to have the attendants step back.
Only then did Han Jiao take Xie Duo’s hand and enter the study, gently closing the door. He turned back, took a deep breath, and leaned into Xie Duo’s chest. He raised his hand and tightly encircled Xie Duo’s lower back, closed his eyes, and pressed his cheek against Xie Duo’s neck. His brow relaxed in that instant.
Xie Duo remained stiff in place, hands hanging by his sides, as he looked down at the person in his embrace.
This embrace was different from the sudden intimacy of that night. It carried a hint of awkward distance. Strangely, it made Xie Duo feel that the person in his arms was even more genuine.
“I got drunk that night and couldn’t remember anything,” Han Jiao said against his shoulder. “When I sobered up, I was too terrified, and I didn’t want to disturb you. That hug, I’m returning it to you now. Please don’t be mad. I can give you much more in the future.”
With no response received, Han Jiao straightened up, slightly annoyed, and looked at the big boss with a challenging gaze. “Even though people speak their mind when they’re drunk, my emotions were too intense that night. I might have said something too exaggerated. I don’t know what I told you that night, but honestly, I fell for you just a little. It’s not to the point of no return, Xie Duo. If you scold me, I might change my mind.”
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