Chapter 28.1
The next day, Li Nanxi came to Chengming Palace to visit Li Wenjian. He said she came to see him, but she couldn't help but stay close to Zhao Heng, holding her hand tightly and never letting go.
Li Wenjian was inside reading a book, while the two of them were outside. They plucked a few strands of grass from somewhere, and the delicate grass twirled in her hand, quickly turning into a lively little rabbit.
Li Nanxi's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "Wow, Sister Aheng, you're so talented."
Zhao Heng smiled gently and used the remaining grass to weave a loop through the rabbit's butt, tying it into a bow and placing it on her wrist.
Li Nanxi was overjoyed and took off the ruby necklace from her chest, handing it to Zhao Heng. "You made me a rabbit bracelet, so I'll give you this."
Zhao Heng hesitated, "This is too precious, and the rabbit is not worth much."
"Kindness begets kindness," Li Nanxi looked at Zhao Heng, her eyes almost sparkling. "Just accept it."
Zhao Heng smiled gently, "I like Nanxi, so I made the rabbit for you. If you give me such a precious gift, I won't dare to make you another trinket next time."
Li Nanxi frowned slightly, then jumped off the stool, walked to Zhao Heng, tiptoed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I like you too. Keep the necklace, and I'll give you a princess's kiss in return."
Zhao Heng looked at her with a bright smile on her face, feeling unusually soft, she raised her hand and ruffled her hair.
Through the crystal bead curtain, this scene was entirely in Li Wenjian's eyes. When Li Nanxi tiptoed, he subtly furrowed his brows.
Li Nanxi, always falling back into old habits.
"Little Eight (Xiao Ba)." Li Wenjian beckoned.
Li Nanxi's smile froze for a moment, reluctantly separated from Zhao Heng temporarily, and ran into the inner room, "Your Highness, did you call me?"
Li Wenjian asked her, "Where is Ning Wanzhi? Why have you been going to the Eastern Palace so often recently?"
Li Nanxi sighed as if in a play, looking somewhat disheartened, "Fourth Brother is down south, and Ning Wanzhi is suffering from lovesickness at home. I heard she can't eat or sleep. So pitiful."
"You didn't go see her when she's sick?" Li Wenjian inquired.
Li Nanxi shook her head, "She said lovesickness is incurable, she wants to deal with it on her own and not be disturbed by anyone."
She then looked up at Li Wenjian, "When will Fourth Brother come back?"
"Not anytime soon," Li Wenjian replied. "Bai Yu wrote a few days ago saying they had just arrived in Xuanzhou, much later than expected."
Bai Yu?
Zhaoheng's heart skipped a beat, she listened intently to the siblings' conversation.
"Oh," Li Nanxi remembered Zhao Heng, not wanting to talk to Li Wenjian anymore, said hastily, "I'll go out first."
Li Wenjian grunted in response.
Li Nanxi returned to Zhao Heng, climbed onto the stool, and said with a smile, "Can you make me a little tiger? Ning Wanzhi is a tiger sign, so I want to give it to her, she will love it."
Despite Zhao Heng reminding herself that the past is the past and should not be thought of or questioned, she couldn't help but ask, "Who is Ning Wanzhi?"
"General Hufen's daughter, Ning Wanzhi, she's my best friend. When she enters the palace, I'll bring her to see you. You'll definitely like her," Li Nanxi blinked and said.
Pausing for a moment, she added, "Ning Wanzhi really likes Fourth Brother. Do you know Fourth Brother?"
Zhao Heng shook her head, signaling that she didn't know him.
Li Nanxi continued, "Fourth Brother is the grandson of my uncle, and he is such a good person..."
Glancing inside, she lowered her voice and leaned in close to Zhao Heng, "He's as handsome as His Highness, but much gentler."
Zhao Heng pressed her lips together and smiled softly.
In the past, Bai Yu worked as a servant in the Eastern Palace, and later moved to other places under someone's guidance.
Perhaps he was assigned to work by Fourth Brother.
Being from a respected family, the eldest grandson of the An family was undoubtedly capable. Following someone like that, Bai Yu would have a bright future and a smooth life.
She hoped for his well-being, for it to be increasingly better.
Shortly after Li Nanxi left, Li Wenjian went to the study to handle state affairs.
Zhao Heng went back to the Changqiu Hall and took out various colored threads.
The Dragon Boat Festival was approaching, and she had promised to make a multicolored net bag for Li Nanxi.
Every Dragon Boat Festival, her grandmother used to make her a net bag for duck eggs, hanging it from her waist with long tassels swaying, the salted duck eggs moving inside...
As she was about to pick out the thread, a servant reported that Jian Ning had arrived.
She received Jian Ning in the flower hall.
"Zhaoxun," Jian Ning respectfully opened the scroll in her hand, "Do you know this person?"
The portrait showed a middle-aged woman, around thirty years old, looking ordinary. Zhao Heng hadn't seen her before and shook her head, "I don't know her."
Jian Ning explained, "This person is called Xu Changrong, from Jinzhou. She was married there but divorced due to an affair and later became a nun in a nunnery in Jinzhou. She traveled around and arrived in the capital at the beginning of the year. Since you don't know her, it doesn't seem like a vendetta."
Listening to Jian Ning's words, Zhaoheng was slightly stunned.
Her grandmother never believed in Buddhism, so why did a wandering monk suddenly persuade her to ask for an amulet, just before the accident happened?
That day, when she cleaned her body, she examined her wounds. According to Jian Ning, if she slipped and fell from Qianyi Peak, she should have many abrasions on her body.
But there were none. Not only were there almost no abrasions, but many joints were broken, and the flesh was almost mushy, almost completely shattered.
Zhao Heng thought in the room, falling down couldnât have had such force.
She concluded that her grandmother fell from a height.
Someone took advantage of her vulnerability and pushed her from behind.
But who would exert such effort to harm an elderly woman?
She considered many possibilities, ruling out vendetta.
In the worst-case scenario, it would be challenging for someone of her age to suffer such brutality.
So most likely, someone was coming after her.
She thought, it was because of her that her grandmother was harmed.
These were all just her speculations, and she knew that no one would believe her if she spoke out. So she buried these thoughts deep in her heart and asked Li Wenjian to take her back to the palace.
She didn't know if her speculations were correct, but she was patient. If someone really harmed her grandmother, there must be a reason. She could wait patiently, wait for that person to reveal themselves, wait for the truth to come to the surface.
She never mentioned this to anyone.
Out of respect for her grandmother, Jian Ning had not examined her remains closely at the time.
In theory, no one should know.
She guessed that it was the incident in the Qingliang Palace that sparked his suspicion, so he secretly helped her investigate.
Jian Ning said, "She took a boat north a while ago, and the boat capsized on the way, she's already dead. The clue is temporarily cut off, but we are tracking other leads. If Zhaoxun finds anything, please inform me promptly."
Zhao Heng nodded gently, "Okay."
When Li Wenjian returned at night, Zhao Heng was still weaving a net for Li Nanxi.
It didn't take much effort to weave a small trinket, but it was almost completed in the afternoon.
Li Nanxi was born in the Year of the Rabbit, and she had woven a rabbit-shaped one, which was lifelike, except for the missing two eyeballs. She asked Lin Mama to find two pearls in the warehouse to set them as eyeballs.
Hearing footsteps outside the corridor, Zhao Heng put down what she was holding and went out to greet.
Zhao Heng was wearing a light purple long dress with a trailing skirt, looking beautiful and elegant. She stood in front of the door with a smile, her smile warm, untying the fastening of his cloak: "Your Highness, you're back?"
Li Wenjian squinted slightly, glanced at Zhao Heng, and raised his head, letting her untie the cloak. Zhao Heng handed the cloak to the maid next to him and followed him into the room.
As soon as Li Wenjian entered, she immediately brought warm water to wash his hands, wiped them clean, and then handed him a handkerchief to dry the water stains.
"Does Your Highness want to have a meal? You said a few days ago that your mouth didn't have a taste? I asked Doctor Zheng, and he said your injury has healed. You don't have to be so strict with your diet. I have prepared some cheese for you to try, would you like to taste it?" Zhao Heng said slowly, looking at his face with anticipation, waiting for his response.
Li Wenjian smiled and asked her, "Why are you being so attentive for no reason?"
Zhao Heng blinked at him, "Wasn't I attentive enough to Your Highness before?"
She was attentive before, but today was different. Her attentiveness today bordered on flattery. Whenever Li Nanxi used this attitude towards him, she usually wanted something.
But Zhao Heng was different, she never asked for anything.
He said, "If you have anything, just say it."
Zhao Heng frowned, it seemed that both she and His Highness were not used to this.
She stood up straight and thanked Li Wenjian in a low voice, "Thank you, Your Highness."
"For what?"
Zhao Heng raised her gaze to Li Wenjian's face, which had a hint of a smile, knowing that he was asking knowingly. She felt a strange feeling in her heart and said with lowered eyes, "Thank you, Your Highness, for helping me investigate my grandmother's case."
Li Wenjian looked at her but did not respond to her words. Instead, he asked, "Can you tell me why you wounded yourself in the Qingliang Palace that day?"
Zhao Heng avoided Li Wenjian's gaze, looking at the handkerchief he had just wiped his hands with, unconsciously clutching the soft fabric in her hands, and remained silent for a while.
When Li Wenjian's hand reached out, Zhao Heng hesitated and subconsciously turned her head to avoid him. But his hand crossed her cheek, and his long warm fingers lifted a lock of her hair.
She turned her head and saw the thread in his hand, feeling ashamed of her petty thoughts.
Li Wenjian noticed her ears turning red and asked, "Don't want to talk about it?"
Zhao Heng steeled herself and nodded firmly.
"Then I'll ask you a few questions, and you must answer truthfully," Li Wenjian paused and emphasized, "No lying."
Zhao Heng met his gaze and said, "Your Highness, I would never harm anyone, ever. If you find me deceiving you at any time, then punish me as you see fit, and Zhao Heng will have no complaints."
"Enough."
She thought His Highness would say more, but he just nodded and said, "Whenever you're ready to speak, then talk to me."
Zhao Heng raised her head in surprise.
Li Wenjian smiled gently at her, "I have never experienced hunger or the need to fight for food, nor have I compromised for survival... I have not been through what you have, so I cannot expect you to let go of your grievances and speak openly to me if you don't want to."
Zhao Heng felt relieved and looked at Li Wenjian again, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"Alright," Li Wenjian smiled, "Didn't you say you prepared some cheese? Let me try it."
"I'll go get it!" Zhao Heng nodded and hurried out to fetch it.
Li Wenjian watched her slightly cheerful steps and found it very intriguing. He didn't understand why Zhao Heng was so happy.
Turning back inside, he was drawn to the things on the desk.
Zhao Heng returned with the cheese, seeing Li Wenjian standing by the desk, holding the colorful egg net she had made in the afternoon. She called out, "Your Highness."
Li Wenjian held the egg net and asked Zhao Heng, "What is this?"
"It's almost Dragon Boat Festival, so I made this little thing for Eight Princess," Zhaoheng picked up another small tiger and gestured around her waist, "You can put salted duck eggs inside and tie it here. It looks very nice."
"What about this one?" Li Wenjian nodded toward the small tiger in her hand.
"This one is for Xiao Ning. Eight Princess said she was born in the Year of the Tiger, so I made a small tiger specifically for her," Zhao Heng said.
"Both Eight Princess and Xiao Ning..." Li Wenjian picked up the cheese and took a sip, saying lightly.
Zhao Heng carefully tasted the meaning behind his words.
She smiled softly with a slight raise of her eyes, "These are all toys for children."
Upon further contemplation, she felt that she had indeed been a bit inconsiderate, too focused on preparing for the Dragon Boat Festival for her little friend, while neglecting the crown prince.
She and the crown prince, now considered a couple in all but name... Although she could only say that he was her husband, she could not be considered his wife.
Even from a broader perspective, even if it was because of her grandmother's situation, she should do something for the crown prince, to thank him for his kindness.
"I will make a sachet for the crown prince for the Dragon Boat Festival." Zhao Heng looked up at him and smiled lightly.
The sweet taste of cheese lingered on his lips and teeth, he nodded, "Okay."
Before he could finish eating his bowl of cheese, Lin Mama came in with a box of pearls to show Zhao Heng.
"Master, do these pearls look suitable?"
Li Wenjian glanced over and saw Zhao Heng pick up the pearls and try them on the rabbit egg purse from earlier, feeling unsatisfied with a few selections, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, "They all seem a bit small, mismatched."
She had only recently entered the palace, there wasn't much good stuff in her collection.
âHow pitiful.
"Go pick from my collection." Li Wenjian ordered, "Fei Yu, take her there."
Zhao Heng smiled with her eyes curved, bent her knees in a gesture of thanks, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Li Wenjian had a private collection where an array of treasures was displayed. Walking through it, Zhao Heng's eyes were almost dazzled by the splendor.
Fei Yu led her straight to the shelf where pearls were displayed, with over a thousand kinds of pearls, including single pearls, pearl bracelets, and long chains.
After picking for a while, Zhao Heng picked up a single pearl and stood up to ask Fei Yu, "Do you have slightly larger pearls than this one, preferably with a pinkish glow?"
Fei Yu pondered for a moment and shook his head, saying, "Are you referring to the pearls from the Dongyang country that were offered as tribute? Those pearls are very precious, and only twenty-some were offered to His Majesty last year, for the Empress."
"If not, then forget it." Zhao Heng lowered her head, casually picked four pearls, and said, "These will do."
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