nucmednet Chapter 360 Who Allows You to Act on Your Own?
Chapter 360 Who Allows You to Act on Your Own?
"I'm living to earn money." Zhou Ziqian looked up at Su Yue, a faint light in his eyes, "Sister, let me be selfish this time... okay?"
Su Yue looked at Liang Junze.
The husband who had helped her build her life from scratch nodded gently, turned around and took out a land deed from the inner room: "The villa in the south of the city is next to Xiaofan's palace. If the Seventh Prince is willing..."
"I do!" Zhou Ziqian snatched the deed and hugged it tightly to his chest, like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood. "I will petition the Queen Mother tomorrow and tell her...that I want to recuperate in the other courtyard!"
After three rings of the night watch, Zhou Ziqian insisted on returning to the palace.
Su Yue walked him to the door, and the moonlight stretched their shadows very long.
"Don't be afraid, sister." Zhou Ziqian suddenly turned around, a determination in his eyes that she couldn't understand. "I won't really marry you." His fingertips brushed the wrinkles on Su Yue's sleeves. "When the storm is over, I will... die of illness."
Su Yue's heart was shocked.
Before he could even open his mouth, Zhou Ziqian had already jumped onto his horse.
The black cloak fluttered in the night wind like a butterfly with broken wings.
The night wind blew through the corridor, causing the lanterns to sway.
Zhou Ziqian's words "died of illness" were still echoing in Su Yue's ears, making her heart numb.
She suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhou Ziqian's cloak with such force that she pulled him off the horse.
"Sister?!" Zhou Ziqian staggered into her arms, his cold fingers clutching her collar.
"Shut up." Su Yue's voice trembled, and her fingers pinched his thin shoulders. "Who allowed you to act on your own?" She turned to the courtyard and shouted to Liang Junze who came rushing over after hearing the noise: "Aze, clean up the west wing!"
Liang Junze's eyes moved slightly, and he turned around to make arrangements.
Gu Qingyan stood in the corridor with his arms folded, and suddenly sneered: "If the Seventh Prince really died in our house, wouldn't the Empress kill all nine of our clans?"
"Brother Yan!" Mu Feng scolded lightly, but he saw Gu Qingyan striding over and grabbing Zhou Ziqian by the collar: "Listen, if you want to die, wait until the marriage certificate is approved before you die. Now-" He rudely wiped the tears from Zhou Ziqian's face, "Live well for me first."
Lin Yuxuan rushed over with a medicine box in his hand and pried open Zhou Ziqian's eyelids to check: "You are so weak in Qi and blood, and you dare to brag! Even the King of Hell would be too lazy to take you away!"
Zhou Ziqian was surrounded by them and couldn't stop crying.
He had thought of thousands of possible endings, but he had never thought that he would be detained in such a harsh way.
The lights in the west wing flickered, illuminating eight faces with different expressions.
The imperial edict was spread out on the huanghuali wood table, and the gold silk shone with a dazzling luster under the candlelight.
"The throne of Pingjun must be given to him." Liang Junze lightly tapped the four words "the same position as Pingjun" on the imperial edict with his fingertips, but a smile played on the corner of his lips. "After all, he is a prince. You can't let him be a subordinate."
Shangguan Haomu, with her bulging belly, suddenly pushed a plate of sour plums in front of Su Yue: "Yu'er, try it? They taste the same as the ones the Seventh Prince picked that day."
"Amu!" Su Yue blushed and slapped his hand away, but was stuffed with a plum.
Shen Yunyan silently calculated the situation and said, "According to the law, the monthly allowance of a prince should be 30% higher than that of a concubine." He paused, "But the Seventh Prince probably wouldn't mind this..."
"I think he's more interested in paying me back." Gu Qingyan leaned against the window with his arms folded, the Shadow Pavilion token dangling from his waist. "Yesterday he even secretly asked me what spices I liked."
Lin Yuxuan suddenly took out a handful of herbs from the medicine box: "Yuer, look, if the Seventh Prince's pulse is properly adjusted..." Before he could finish his words, Mu Feng stuffed a piece of cake into his hand.
"You..." Su Yue's ears turned red, "I haven't said I want to marry you yet!"
"Oh?" Seven voices sounded at the same time.
Liang Junze poured tea slowly and said, "Who was it that praised the Seventh Prince as 'gentle as jade' last month?"
Shangguan Haochen rubbed his belly and continued, "Who praised him for his 'never miss' skill in pitching pots?"
"They also said that the way he coughed up blood was 'pitiable.'" Shen Yunyan added coldly.
Su Yue buried her face in her palms: "I was discussing the condition!"
Yue'er~" Mu Feng suddenly came over with Ningning in his arms, and patted her face with his soft baby hands, "Ningning wants a little daddy who can play the piano~"
Amidst the laughter in the room, Liang Junze gently held Su Yue's hand: "To be honest, the Seventh Prince is a good person." He glanced at everyone, "Our family doesn't need a pair of chopsticks."
The candle flame popped.
Su Yue looked at the seven smiling faces and suddenly realized that they had seen through her thoughts long ago - from the first time she mentioned the seventh prince coughing up blood and her eyes turned slightly red.
"Then..." she muttered softly, "Let's observe first?"
"Oh——" everyone drew out the sound, even Xinxin in the cradle babbled in response.
Outside the window, the moon quietly hid in the clouds.
Tomorrow will be another new day. Perhaps, there will really be a Pingjun who can play the piano in the mansion.
When the sky was just getting light, Zhou Ziqian woke up from a nightmare and found someone sitting beside the bed.
In the morning mist, Liang Junze's silhouette was as elegant as a landscape painting, holding a bowl of steaming medicinal porridge in his hand.
"Brother Aze?" Zhou Ziqian hurriedly tried to get up, but was pushed back onto the pillow.
"Drink it." Liang Junze scooped up a spoonful and blew it cool. "Mu Feng boiled it for half the night, and Ah Xuan added some calming herbs."
The bowl of porridge was warm, and Zhou Ziqian held it as if he was holding his heart.
He sipped his drink and suddenly heard Liang Junze say, "Yuer has gone to court and will plead with His Majesty - I will welcome you with the courtesy of the Lord."
The spoon fell into the bowl with a clang.
Zhou Ziqian looked up and saw the knowing smile in Liang Junze's eyes: "Why, do you really think we are willing to let you 'die of illness'?"
"But like this...you..."
"Seventh Prince." Liang Junze suddenly turned serious. "Do you know why Yue'er can accommodate the seven of us?" He pointed out the window - Gu Qingyan was practicing with his sword, Lin Yuxuan was chasing Yaoyao who had stolen medicine, and the Shangguan brothers were playing chess at the stone table. "Because there is a kind of friendship in this world that is more precious than love between men and women."
The morning light penetrated the window paper, casting mottled shadows on the back of Zhou Ziqian's hand.
He suddenly realized that what he wanted was not just Su Yue's embrace, but this noisy home.
The lights in Yongning Palace stayed on until midnight. The wise ruler sorted out his son's dowry list, wiping away tears from time to time.
"Father, don't worry." Zhou Ziqian gently stroked the "Qingluan" dagger. "Su Yue...is different."
The virtuous monarch suddenly grabbed his hand and said, "Qian'er, do you know why your mother gave in so quickly?"
Zhou Ziqian shook his head.
The virtuous monarch dipped his tea in water and wrote the words "Grand Emperor" on the table, then quickly erased them. "The Grand Emperor summoned my husband this morning and said that if Your Majesty insists on marrying into a noble family, she will move to the imperial mausoleum."
Zhou Ziqian's heart trembled. Was the Emperor...protecting him?
"And this." The virtuous king took out a letter from the secret compartment. "Lord Su handed it in this morning."
There was only one line of words on the letter paper: Once the wedding date is set, I will not let you down.
Zhou Ziqian held the letter to his heart.
What was beating there was no longer a faint, lingering vitality, but a blazing flame.
He suddenly remembered what Gu Qingyan had said - the best defense is to make the enemy afraid to attack.
Outside the window, a bright moon hangs high in the sky.
Inside and outside the palace walls, countless eyes were watching this marriage.
The noble families are watching, the princesses are calculating, the empress is weighing the pros and cons...and what he has to do is to fight for a way out for himself and the Su family in this deep palace where people are eaten without leaving any bones.
After all, fighting is the norm in the royal family.