How could Marquis Lin not understand the meaning behind the Emperor's question?
He immediately stepped forward, knelt down, and paid his respects. "Your Majesty, my son is impulsive and rash by nature. He committed violence in public at the sacred Buddhist place. It was entirely his own fault that he was punished by the Prince of Ming. I humbly request Your Majesty to see this clearly!"
What he meant was that he didn't blame the Prince of Ming.
In fact, Marquis Lin had never intended to blame the prince from the very beginning.
He knew the situation of the Lin family better than anyone.
However, when the Emperor heard about this matter, he specially summoned Marquis Lin and his wife to the palace. In front of them, he announced that he would have the Prince of Ming beaten with a board, not giving them a chance to speak.
At this moment, hearing Marquis Lin's words, the Emperor was quite satisfied.
He just let out a soft snort from his nose, showing a hint of disdain.
He turned to Xiao Heng and asked, "General Xiao was present at that time. What's your opinion?"
Xiao Heng cupped his hands and bowed. His dark eyes took a deep look at Qiao Nian before he spoke. "Your Majesty, although this matter was triggered by Miss Qiao's improper behavior, it's a fact that the Young Marquis was impulsive, and it's also a fact that the Prince of Ming's punishment was too severe. Now that the Prince of Ming has already received his punishment and the Young Marquis is seriously injured in bed, perhaps we can let this matter rest."
Hearing this, the Emperor nodded slightly. "I have the same thought. What do you think, Marquis Lin?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Marquis Lin exclaimed, and the Emperor waved his hand. "Bring the Prince of Ming in!"
"Yes!" came the reply from outside the hall.
But at this moment, the Prince of Ming couldn't walk. He was carried in by several people.
They placed the Prince of Ming beside Qiao Nian. Looking at the Prince of Ming with his back covered in blood and gore, even though Qiao Nian suspected that this was all just a ruse to evoke pity, she couldn't help but look flustered. "Your Highness..."
Hearing Qiao Nian's voice, the Prince of Ming turned to look at her. The pain - stricken expression on his face was instantly replaced by an extremely gentle smile. "It's okay. It doesn't hurt at all."
This scene, to anyone watching, seemed like a pair of star - crossed lovers.
Even the Emperor slightly narrowed his eyes.
However, he didn't notice that the two women standing on either side of the great hall subtly looked at each other, sharing a tacit understanding.
Both Qiao Nian and the Prince of Ming were sent back to Noble Consort De's chamber. The female doctor reapplied medicine to Qiao Nian's wounds. When Qiao Nian, after being bandaged, wanted to go and see the Prince of Ming, she was told that the prince had fallen asleep.
But Qiao Nian knew that with such severe injuries, it was more likely that he had fainted rather than fallen asleep.
This was just as well. Otherwise, she really wouldn't know what to say in front of the Prince of Ming.
Noble Consort De sent a palace maid to escort Qiao Nian out of the palace.
Although Qiao Nian didn't want to return to the Marquis' Mansion at all, she didn't know if this matter had reached her grandmother's ears. She was afraid that her grandmother would worry, so she had to hurry back to assure her of her safety.
The guiding palace maid walked slowly in front, and Qiao Nian followed behind at a leisurely pace.
However, as they passed by the rockery beside the Imperial Garden, a large hand suddenly reached out and pulled Qiao Nian into the cave of the rockery.
Before Qiao Nian could let out a cry, that hand covered her mouth.
A familiar scent invaded her nostrils, leaving her stunned.
The cave in the rockery wasn't large, and Xiao Heng's tall and burly figure seemed to fill it up.
With Qiao Nian added, he could only press her into the corner.
But mindful of the injuries on her back, he reached out to her waist and pulled her closer to his embrace.
As a result, the distance between them was too close.
So close that Qiao Nian could clearly see the long eyelashes of Xiao Heng when she raised her eyes. So close that if Xiao Heng hadn't covered her mouth, their lips might have touched.
Her heart started to beat erratically.
Qiao Nian thought this must be an old ailment left over from the previous ten - odd years that hadn't been cured yet.
And the panic in her eyes was fully captured by Xiao Heng.
For some reason, this side of her made him particularly attracted.
But then, thinking of the intimate way she and the Prince of Ming had been in the great hall, his jealousy flared up again. "After three years, how come you still haven't grown a single bit of sense?"
Qiao Nian's flustered heart finally calmed down a little. She pushed hard against Xiao Heng, but with the limited space in the cave, her efforts were in vain. She managed to pull his hand away from her mouth and glared at him resentfully. "General Xiao, did you bring me here just to say this?"
Xiao Heng's eyes darkened slightly, showing a hint of frustration. "Don't tell me you haven't realized that today's events were all part of a scheme set up by Noble Consort De? Even if your back injury was serious, it wouldn't be so severe that it would start bleeding just from walking a few steps!"
Unless her injury hadn't been treated properly from the start.
But clearly Qiao Nian knew that the feeling of being re - bandaged was very different from before.
However, she didn't think much of it. Instead, she sneered. "So, are you saying that even the incident of the Young Marquis beating me was also part of Noble Consort De's scheme?"
If so, Noble Consort De's methods were truly masterful.
If not, then the real culprit behind all this was still Lin Ye!
Seeing her indifferent and unyielding attitude, the coldness in Xiao Heng's eyes deepened. "The Prince of Ming is no saint, and Noble Consort De is not as simple as you think. Marry him, and you'll end up with nothing left!"
"Then who do you think I should marry, General Xiao?" Qiao Nian retorted, a strong sense of sarcasm gradually emerging in her eyes. "If not the Prince of Ming, then how about you? Should I marry you?"
Her intention was simply to embarrass him.
She knew that Xiao Heng didn't like her. Even when they were bound by a marriage contract in the past, he had always been cold and distant towards her.
So she was about to tell Xiao Heng that if he didn't want to marry her, he should mind his own business.
But to her surprise, there was a hint of threat in Xiao Heng's eyes. Instead of scolding her for being presumptuous or daydreaming, he remained silent.
His breathing, however, became heavier and heavier.
Qiao Nian finally started to feel panicked.
She pushed Xiao Heng again with all her might. Even though she couldn't push him away, she could at least try to maintain that already precarious distance.
"Whether the Prince of Ming is a good person or not is none of General Xiao's concern. After today, the Emperor will surely issue an imperial decree to bestow the marriage. My marriage to the Prince of Ming is a certainty!"
How could she not know what this act of feigning injury was for?
Even though the Marquis' Mansion had declined, the marriage between the Prince of Ming and the Lin family would still make the Emperor a bit wary.
But if the Prince of Ming had a conflict with the Young Marquis, and the one he was going to marry was just an adopted daughter of the Marquis' Mansion.
Then, in the Emperor's eyes, the assistance the Marquis' Mansion could provide to the Prince of Ming would be negligible.
So, the imperial decree of marriage was likely to arrive at the Marquis' Mansion tomorrow.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Heng's eyes suddenly turned red. "Then what do you think is the reason I risked stopping you here?"
If he wasn't in a hurry, he could have analyzed all this with her after leaving the palace.
But...
He couldn't wait a moment longer.
If she told him that she didn't want to marry, he would immediately go to the Emperor and do everything in his power to stop this marriage!
Qiao Nian had never seen Xiao Heng like this before.
In her eyes, he had always been calm and indifferent, just like when he watched her being brutally beaten by Lin Ye in the temple today.
Occasionally, he would show a gentle side, but it was mostly towards Lin Yuan.
But at this moment, he seemed to have lost control.
Those scarlet eyes held too many emotions, making it difficult for her to distinguish or understand.
Yet, she still replied with a simple and indifferent sentence. "It has nothing to do with you, General."