Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

32. A Heavy Heart

Translator: Flying Lines

Su Jie managed to subdue his anger and hear the story out.

“Are you done?” Su Jie asked after a moment of silence.

Zhou Zaiyue bowed deeply to him, his eyes filled with deep and sincere anticipation and hope. Knowing that Su Jie needed some time to digest the whole story, he didn’t push him to make a decision right away. Instead, he said, “Then I’ll take my leave. Please do think this over. I’ll be staying in the mansion to protect you.” With that, he left sensibly without waiting for Su Jie’s response.

Su Jie took a deep breath, his brows furrowed. His mind was now in a tangled mess as he stared at the door Zhou Zaiyue had closed for him before leaving. Everything he had heard just now seemed so unreal.

“Damn! I forgot to ask his relationship with Xiao ShengNian.” Su Jie now had an impulse to hide. He even hoped he would never meet Zhou Zaiyue again so that he didn’t have to think about these tangled and heavy pasts.

Deep down, he believed most of Zhou’s words as he believed an insignificant like him was not worthy of such respect from an old man unless what Zhou Zaiyue said was true.

Still, that was so surreal. Never had he expected his origin to be so complicated with such twists and turns.

Families being slaughtered at the age of three, then being on the run with Su Shuche and Jin Zheng ever since…And Zhou Zhaiyue had been sparing no efforts to find him for the last sixteen years.

Unfortunately, he only had memories about the serene village, nothing before the age of three.

Su Jie remained standing there, unmoved, since Zhou Zaiyue left until the fainted Yu Jiang came to himself and interrupted his train of thought, “Childe…”

Yu Jiang shot up, looking confused, “Childe, where is that old man?”

“He’s gone.”

“Gone? Then why was I lying unconscious on the ground?” asked Yu Jiang, tilting his head in confusion.

Su Jie didn’t respond this time. He remained silent and unmoved like a sculpture.

Xiao ShengNian came after lunch. He had intended to find Su Jie but was delayed. He had just caged the stupid tiger when an imperial edict came requesting the presence of all nine princes in the Imperial Study.

Xiao ShengNian successfully kept his pretense of a meek and week-kneed son before the emperor and finished his lunch with his brothers before he was allowed to come home, exhausted.

The sight of Su Jie reminded him of his promise to take Su Jie to meet Zhou Zaiyue.

“We already met,” Su Jie said.

Seeing that Su Jie wasn’t in a good mood, Xiao ShengNian knew the conversation didn’t go well and Zhou Zaiyue might have already left while he was in the imperial palace. Thinking of that, Xiao ShengNian sighed, “Like always, teacher just won’t stay.”

“Teacher?” Su Jie was surprised. So Zhou Zaiyue was Xiao ShengNian’s teacher. Was there by any chance that Xiao ShengNian was also one of the chess pieces Zhou Zaiyue had planted?

It suddenly occurred to him that maybe he could use Zhou Zaiyue to kill Xiao ShengNian. That way he could get out of this place and return to Prince Qin’s side to be his weapon.

However, since the moment Zhou Zaiyue appeared, Su Jie’s fate was no longer something he could decide all by himself. In addition, it was not a good time to kill Xiao ShengNian because a living Prince Rui was more valuable to Prince Qin. If all other princes were dead except Prince Qin, the emperor would be furious and blame Prince Qin for his cruelty therefore deprive him of the rights to the throne.

Prince Qin wanted to inherit the throne in a right and proper way, rather than bear the blame.

“I see Teacher gave the pendant back to you.” Xiao ShengNian said casually when seeing the pendant hanging by Su Jie’s waist, ignoring his question. Xiao ShengNian had the habit of taking a nap after lunch. Now that Zhou Zaiyue had left, there was no need for him to stay here.

“He said he would stay in the mansion.” Seeing that Xiao ShengNian was about to leave, Su Jie involuntarily reached out and grabbed his sleeve. He just got the feeling that Xiao ShengNian would never come back again. He now realized the reason of Xiao ShengNian’s previous sudden change of attitude to him. It was because of Zhou Zaiyue. Xiao ShengNian must have noticed the pattern on his jade pendant and knew it meant a lot to Zhou Zaiyue, therefor he left in a hurry a few days ago to visit Zhou Zaiyue.

And Zhou Zaiyue must have recognized the pendant and came here to confirm his identity.

Judging from the way Xiao ShengNian addressed Zhou Zaiyue, it seemed he truly respected this old man. Then it followed that Zhou Zaiyue’s leaving would no doubt upset this prince, who would then give Su Jie a cold shoulder for angering his teacher.

“Really?” Xiao ShengNian cracked a hearty smile. He respected his teacher and trusted him wholeheartedly. If Zhou Zaiyue could stay and help him, he was one step closer to the throne.

State Yanhui had a wise emperor who had been sparing no efforts to make the country prosperous. Still prime in his years and with great ambitions, the emperor would suppress any prince who showed ardent desire for the throne. Or Xiao ShengNian wouldn’t have tried so hard to pretend innocent and meek all these years. His father the emperor wanted to expand his territory and continue ruling the country. The heir he wanted most was not the competent kind with ambitions but an obedient one who would follow his orders.