Chapter Nine: A Bashful, Timid Cry

Xiao Yuanchi lifted Yin Jiaojiao horizontally in his arms, lowering his gaze slightly. “I’ve taken your reminder to heart. My wife is ill; I must leave first.”

The Crown Prince nodded. “Go ahead.”

Xiao Yuanchi did not stop until he reached the entrance of Qingning Palace. A group followed behind him and halted when he did. Su Zhengqing stayed closest, hurriedly asking, “Your Highness, the princess looks unwell. Should we return to the residence or...?”

“I’ll see the imperial physician first,” Xiao Yuanchi replied. He glanced back to see Gu Xuezhi leaning weakly against her maid, her face pale. Xiao Yuanchi’s hurried pace had left them struggling and gasping for breath.

“I’ll help your county lady rest until the physician arrives,” he said. Without further delay, he entered the hall.

Gu Xuezhi opened her mouth to speak but quickly swallowed her words. Consort Ji had already received the news and sent someone to escort them. Yin Jiaojiao had changed her clothes and was settled in a side chamber, but her fever raged fiercely. She tossed and turned restlessly, occasionally throwing a punch. Xiao Yuanchi caught each blow with ease, scolding, “Don’t overestimate yourself!”

The defiant woman left the imperial physician at a loss. Xiao Yuanchi had to lift her into his embrace, restraining her fists and kicks before the physician could barely take her pulse.

“How is she?”

“Your Highness, though the princess has a high fever, the root cause remains intact—no major harm. However…” The physician stroked his beard thoughtfully. “It’s strange. It should be a cold wind invading her body combined with exhaustion, but the pulse is impure, as if something else is at play.”

Xiao Yuanchi pondered briefly. “She took medication for wind-cold before and also drank…” He recited the prescription for the herbal remedy known as “Avoiding Seed Soup.” Upon hearing it, the physician understood immediately but kept his expression neutral. “No wonder. The medicinal properties conflict. It’s nothing serious. I will prepare a prescription right away.”

Having identified the key issue, the physician wrote swiftly. Xiao Yuanchi then set Yin Jiaojiao down and left with the palace attendants carrying the boiled medicine. Outside, Su Zhengqing, waiting, quickly gestured to him.

Gu Xuezhi and the others were in the courtyard.

Xiao Yuanchi noticed she hadn’t even changed clothes and asked curiously, “Why haven’t you rested? Has the physician seen you?”

Gu Xuezhi coughed twice. Her maid hurriedly explained, “Your Highness, the physician has seen her and given several prescriptions. Besides the internal illness, the county lady’s lower back is bruised deeply. We don’t know what dangerous thing lies beneath the pond, but it’s so severe she can barely walk steadily. Yet, the county lady worries about the princess and insisted on coming to see her in person. No matter how I tried to persuade her, she wouldn’t listen.”

“Han Yan, enough,” Gu Xuezhi shook her head. “Your Highness, how is the princess?”

“Stable for now,” Xiao Yuanchi replied.

Standing above on the steps, Gu Xuezhi looked up at him. Earlier, he had plunged into the water to save someone and then carried Yin Jiaojiao back swiftly. Amidst all the chaos, he had no time to tidy himself. His damp hair was dried by the wind, strands flying freely, accentuating his bold and upright features.

Gu Xuezhi couldn’t take her eyes off him, whispering, “Your Highness, but I’m not well.”

Xiao Yuanchi frowned. “If you’re unwell, don’t be stubborn. Han Yan, escort your county lady back.”

“Your Highness, Seventh Brother,” Gu Xuezhi shifted her address, voice tinged with sorrow, “During the argument just now, the princess suddenly fainted. Do you think I wronged her and caused this?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Too much has happened these past two years. I’m afraid you might abandon me too.”

“Nonsense,” Xiao Yuanchi said calmly. “That day will never come.”

“Really?”

Before he could answer, a commotion arose inside the hall. Qiu Ming reported, “The princess is thrashing on the bed.”

At once, the impassive expression on Xiao Yuanchi’s face darkened considerably.

...

Yin Jiaojiao dreamed of her grandmother, lingering on the sickbed.

The small courtyard was thick with the scent of medicine. Upon stepping in, dizziness overwhelmed her.

She recalled this was the day one month after her marriage into the prince’s household—her return visit.

The delay of a month was because Xiao Yuanchi was constantly occupied.

He commanded the Eastern Capital’s Imperial Guards and simultaneously handled duties at the Ministry of Justice. Finding excuses, he vanished for days on end, dragging the return visit out for a month until Yin Jiaojiao became a laughingstock throughout the Eastern Capital residences.

Though her grandmother was ill, she sensed something was amiss and asked if anything troubled her.

Yin Jiaojiao did not reveal the truth but said, “Grandmother, don’t worry. The prince and I have grown even closer.”

Her grandmother smiled upon hearing this. “Even if you don’t say it, I understand. I thought you were cold as ice but just needed warming. I never imagined your heart belonged to another—the childhood playmate sister. By sentiment and kinship, you cannot compare. How could you truly be close?”

Her grandmother’s words pierced Yin Jiaojiao’s heart, leaving her unhappy.

“So what if that’s true? She will marry someone anyway and soon depart for the Western Continent. It won’t concern us anymore.”

“That’s uncertain. What if the man you love is also a faithful soul who never forgets?” Her grandmother took her hand, speaking earnestly. “Jiaojiao, you are different from others. When wronged in your husband’s home, you can return to your birth family to cry and let them decide. Your mother died early, your maternal clan has nearly vanished. In this vast world, you have no siblings. When your grandmother is gone, your father will not care for you. You must learn to stand on your own.”

Yin Jiaojiao was stunned.

“Grandmother, you will live a long life!”

“I know my own body well. Jiaojiao, even as a princess consort, your vision must not be narrow. Look ahead. If there is no love, then seize power. Become a princess consort who commands without question. And with a child, you will be secure for life.”

Yin Jiaojiao lowered her eyes. “Without love, there can be no child, let alone power.”

Her grandmother was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, “Actually… there is much hidden in the Emperor’s arranged marriage. I have been thinking these days that perhaps Xiao Yuanchi does not truly…”

Before she could finish, her grandmother fainted, never to speak again.

Yin Jiaojiao cried out countless times, but her grandmother did not awaken. Seven days later at dawn, she took her last breath.

“Grandmother! Grandmother!!”

Xiao Yuanchi abruptly entered the inner chamber, his eyes meeting Yin Jiaojiao’s quiet sobbing, gasping for breath but not thrashing as Qiu Ming had claimed. Su Zhengqing glanced at Qiu Ming, who quickly looked away.

Xiao Yuanchi walked calmly to the bedside. Yin Jiaojiao’s hair was soaked with sweat, her body curled beneath the covers, whispering “Grandmother, grandmother” repeatedly like a lost child. In their year together as husband and wife, this was the first time he had seen her like this.

On the day the Prime Minister’s widow, Lady Zhou, passed away, the news reached him from eight hundred miles away. He was summoned to the palace and did not return until nightfall. When he came back, the lady had already been laid out. Yin Jiaojiao stood silently nearby, neither crying nor making a scene.

So, this was how deeply she grieved.

Xiao Yuanchi dismissed the others and, once the room was silent, sat by her side. The lamps flickered softly, casting gentle light on the single clear tear tracing down her cheek, revealing unspeakable sorrow. He considered for a moment, then reached out to wipe it away.

Unexpectedly, Yin Jiaojiao suddenly grasped his hand.

With her eyes closed, she murmured something. Xiao Yuanchi leaned in to listen.

She spoke in a low, hoarse voice, “Ah Chi.”

The two syllables were uttered with a plaintive tenderness, laden with deep affection, just as she had called him before fainting.

Yin Jiaojiao seldom addressed him this way. The first time was in desperation—changing position had made her cry, and she shyly uttered it. Upon regaining composure, she never mentioned it again. Even Xiao Yuanchi rarely heard it, though the Crown Prince had.

He snorted coldly, instinctively drawing closer.

Before he could say more, Yin Jiaojiao’s expression abruptly changed. She shouted fiercely, “Xiao Yuanchi, I’ll kill you!!!”

Then, with a swift motion, she slapped him.