Chapter 33: The Cold-Hearted Prince with a White Moonlight in His Heart, Part 13

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But Situ Che ignored him and even stopped attending court altogether, claiming that he was ill.

The emperor flew into a rage and ordered people to seize Situ Che and bring him to the palace. However, Crown Prince Situ Qing stopped him and revealed everything that had happened the night before.

The emperor’s expression darkened at once. He returned all the memorials impeaching Situ Che. Those who had spread rumors about Jing Yunluo were punished severely: officials were stripped of their posts, while those without official positions saw their fathers demoted.

Prince Jin’s Residence:

“Has the princess still not risen?”

Situ Che had arrived at the Read Cloud Courtyard just as Meng Yue opened its gates.

Meng Yue nodded. “Yes. The princess spent the entire night making pills and is catching up on her sleep now.”

Situ Che frowned. When he heard that Jing Yunluo had been making pills, he instinctively assumed that she had been preparing medicine for him. In an instant, guilt and heartache filled every corner of his heart.

“Yue’er… Are there any meat pies left from last night?”

Rubbing her eyes, Jing Yunluo walked out, completely unaware that Situ Che was standing by the entrance.

Seeing her emerge in nothing but her inner garment, Situ Che hurried over. As he walked, he removed his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders.

“Situ Che?”

Jing Yunluo woke up fully at once. Just as she was about to take off the robe, Situ Che caught both her hands.

“It’s chilly in the morning. Keep it on.”

Jing Yunluo was speechless. Did this man even know which of them had the weaker constitution?

She still pulled free of his grasp, removed his robe, and handed it back to him.

“Don’t you know what condition you’re in? And you’re worrying about me?”

Situ Che froze. Then a smile crept onto his lips, one he himself failed to notice.

[My lord! The target’s favorability has increased by twenty percent! Current favorability: five percent! My lord, the favorability is finally no longer negative! Keep working hard!]

Jing Yunluo smiled. Good. At least the medicines she had made for Situ Che had not been wasted.

Situ Che saw her smile as well. Sunlight spilled across her face.

Jing Yunluo’s skin was fair, and her entire bearing had always been gentle and graceful. At that moment, she seemed almost like an immortal maiden descended from the heavens.

“Why has His Highness come to see me?”

Her question brought Situ Che back to his senses.

“Oh… that. I understand what you meant last night now. I’m sorry. I never imagined they would dare speak of you that way. But don’t worry. They have already paid the price.”

Jing Yunluo merely shook her head and smiled. “Situ Che, you may be able to silence one person, or even eight or ten, but…”

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Jing Yunluo looked into Situ Che’s eyes. “Can you silence the tongues of the entire world?

“The moment you chose Jin Yunlan and abandoned me, their gossip began pushing me, little by little, toward the edge of a cliff.”

“You…”

Seeing Jing Yunluo in her present state, Situ Che grew flustered.

Jing Yunluo sighed. “But it doesn’t matter. I don’t care about any of that anymore. I told you—so long as you don’t care, nothing can hurt you.”

“You don’t care?”

Situ Che wanted to ask whether she meant that she no longer cared about him.

But he could not bring himself to ask, nor did he dare.

After all, they were a married couple in name only. Asking such a question would seem rather affected.

“Is something troubling His Highness?”

“Huh? No… Nothing is troubling me.”

“Give me your hand.”

Jing Yunluo’s tone was almost commanding.

Situ Che hesitated. Though he had no idea what she intended to do, he obediently extended his hand.

Jing Yunluo felt his pulse. “Your vitality has been damaged, but it can be restored. You’ve hardly been coughing lately, have you?”

Situ Che nodded. “Yes. The coughing has decreased considerably.”

“Good. Once you finish the cough medicine, I’ll prepare something else for you—medicine to nourish your vitality and strengthen your constitution.”

“Thank you.”

Situ Che felt that even if his illness was feigned, he should still thank Jing Yunluo.

“It’s nothing. In the eyes of outsiders, we’re still husband and wife. Since we’re husband and wife, we should help each other, shouldn’t we?”

Situ Che said nothing.

Indeed. The only reason Jing Yunluo was helping him now was because of this marriage that existed in name alone.

Seeing his brows tightly drawn together, Jing Yunluo assumed he had encountered some trouble recently. “Your Highness needn’t worry. Whatever difficulties or problems you face will eventually resolve themselves.”

“Hmm?”

Situ Che did not understand. What trouble had he encountered?

His greatest trouble now was probably the coming impeachment.

“Put this on.”

Jing Yunluo handed him a protective talisman shaped like a koi fish.

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“What is this?”

“A protective charm. If you wear it at all times, everything will surely go smoothly for you.”

Situ Che nodded, accepted the charm, and immediately hung it around his neck.

“Thank you.”

At that moment, Situ Che had no idea that this very talisman would allow him to evade fatal dangers again and again.

Jing Yunluo had previously been unable to use her koi’s power on Situ Che because his favorability toward her had been negative. When favorability was below zero, the power of the koi could not take effect.

The only exception was if Situ Che took action to protect Jing Yunluo or showed faith in her. Unfortunately, with his favorability in the negative, getting Situ Che to believe in or defend Jing Yunluo had been utterly impossible.

Now, it was clear that the two of them could not remain together forever. Thus, she had no choice but to condense the koi’s power into a physical object and have Situ Che wear it constantly.

That would protect him just as effectively.

Over the next few days, Situ Che was not summoned to the palace. He knew that the matter had passed, though he had no idea who had settled it.

As for Jing Yunluo, her pharmacy had already opened.

Zhang Zhiru’s efficiency and ability far surpassed anything Jing Yunluo had imagined or anticipated.

As a result, the pills she prepared were temporarily insufficient.

As for hiring physicians, Jing Yunluo chose to seek Situ Che’s help.

Naturally, Situ Che was able to find physicians he could trust.

Although he did not know why Jing Yunluo wanted to hire physicians and never asked, he felt that he owed her and needed to make amends.

Once the pharmacy opened, Jing Yunluo became busy. She was often away from the prince’s residence, a fact the servants eventually reported to Situ Che.

Assuming that Jing Yunluo had run into some kind of trouble, Situ Che ordered someone to follow her and find out what she had been doing over the past few days.

Jing Yunluo had never intended to hide anything about the pharmacy, so Situ Che learned of it with ease.

He was somewhat puzzled. Jing Yunluo was already the Princess of Jin, so why did she still want to open a shop of her own?

That evening, while he and Jing Yunluo were dining together, Situ Che asked her.

“Why did you open a shop of your own?”

“To make money. What else? Of course, treating the sick and saving lives is important too.”

In any case, so long as she was there, none of those patients would suffer serious harm. She had infused the pharmacy with the power of the koi, ensuring that every person who came to the pharmacy for treatment or medicine would remain safe.

“Is the monthly allowance of the Princess of Jin not enough?”

Situ Che frowned as he asked the question. If people learned that the pharmacy belonged to the Princess of Jin, it would likely confirm the rumors that he mistreated his lawful wife.

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