Chapter 23: The Crown Prince’s Murderous Intent

The branches of Chang'an City were sprouting fresh, tender buds, and the crabapple blossoms swayed in the gentle breeze, releasing a captivating fragrance.

Time slipped away like a galloping horse past a window, and the day of the Royal Hunt arrived.

The spring wind stirred, and the spring day was enchanting. Emperor Jing, accompanied by the princes and princesses of the palace and the young scions of noble families, set out for the hunting grounds on the outskirts of Chang'an.

The Royal Hunt held a special significance bestowed by generations of emperors. The rumble of royal carriage wheels and the high spirits of the young men served to demonstrate the nation's military power and reserve strength, intimidating neighboring states that were stirring with restless ambitions.

When the Emperor’s bright yellow procession reached the hunting grounds, Emperor Jing sat in a place of honor. He wore no crown today, dressed only in a simple purple robe embroidered with rising clouds, yet he remained utterly imposing.

He peered down at the children closest to him, his dragon-like eyes unfathomable; no one could discern the monarch’s intent.

There was the Crown Prince, Xiao Xuanyin; the Third Prince, Xiao Shengming, born to the Noble Consort Hua; the Noble Consort Shu’s children, the Sixth Prince, Xiao Jing'an, and the Seventh Princess, Xiao Fuya; and Jiang Mingsong, the son of the Honorable Lady Jiang. The other heirs were still too young and had remained in the palace.

"Crown Prince, while winning the day is important, do not be overly eager for success at the expense of caution. Avoid injury," Emperor Jing said, his thoughts receding as he smiled kindly at Xiao Xuanyin, much like an elderly patriarch of a common family offering advice to his kin.

Such blatant favoritism naturally invited jealousy from the other princes. Xiao Shengming, in particular, struggled to hide the resentment and envy in his eyes.

The Empress had died young, and with her modest family background, there was no one to support Xiao Xuanyin, leaving his position precarious. Yet, his own mother enjoyed the greatest favor in the palace, and his maternal grandfather headed a century-old dukedom. He was far more qualified to sit in the position of Crown Prince than Xiao Xuanyin!

And yet, his Imperial Father, clinging to the memory of his youthful marriage to the late Empress, refused to name a new Empress, paving a smooth path for Xiao Xuanyin and constantly reinforcing his position as heir. His heart was filled with extreme fury and hatred.

Xiao Xuanyin’s brows and eyes were as cold and aloof as frost on a lonely mountain, indifferent to the heated gazes around him, nor was he arrogant because of the Emperor’s favor.

His voice was detached: "This son obeys the decree."

His demeanor, like that of a jade tree standing in the wind, made the hearts of the noble ladies of Chang'an flutter, their gazes turning dazed. The Crown Prince was like an immortal in a painting or the moon in a mirror—distant and unreachable—yet he provided them with infinite space for imagination.

They imagined a day when this cold, restrained man might lose all control for one of them, loving her with such intensity, tenderness, and indulgence.

They pictured his cold, clear eyes clouded with heavy desire, his passions surging and fervent; they imagined his face—as delicate as pear blossoms in spring water—beaded with sweat, his muscles trembling; they listened in their minds to his sex-tinged, ragged breathing and the powerful, rhythmic beating of his heart.

How blush-inducing and heart-stirring that would be, a true awakening of spring desire.

No! They snapped back to reality. The Crown Prince had protected Fu Jinhao many times; it was evident that she held a special place in his heart.

To this day, they still could not fathom it. Aside from a slightly superior appearance and family background, Fu Jinhao was inept at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; she was vulgar, foolish, and even betrothed to another. What exactly did the Prince see in her?

Fu Jinhao, too, looked toward Xiao Xuanyin.

The strange, spasmodic sensation from the library that day seemed to linger in her heart. Recalling it now, she realized that while the Crown Prince appeared cold on the outside, his chest had been scorching, almost burning her skin.

After she finished applying medicine to him, his deep eyes had burned with a cool flame, his earlobes turning red—a picture of a pure, young man teased and flirted with.

She lightly pinched her own delicate skin, casting aside these inexplicable feelings to focus on the matter at hand.

Emperor Jing doted on the Crown Prince, planning everything for him. However, there was one thing she did not understand. Throughout history, the struggle for the throne among the princes had been brutal. Did the Emperor not know that the other princes must be deeply envious of the Prince?

And the Noble Consort Shu, whom the Prince would later slay with a single strike of his sword months from now, had always lived a life of non-contention in the palace. Her twins were also gentle and refined, highly regarded at court. Why would the Prince strike her down so ruthlessly?

The matter was shrouded in suspicion and mystery, likely involving deep, tangled webs.

Xiao Xuanyin’s deep, drowning gaze crossed the countless crowd and met Fu Jinhao’s clear eyes.

Deep within his heart, he whispered in a low, heavy murmur: *A-He.*

In the library, the sensation of her warm, fragrant body in his arms and her subtle scent clung to him like bone-deep marrow, floating and sinking in his mind and heart.

During the nights of late, his greedy dreams of A-He had become increasingly intense. In his dreams, A-He was "bullied" by him until she wept softly, her hair damp with fragrant sweat, her cheeks flushed.

Every inch of her skin was smooth and meltingly soft; he could not get enough of her, relishing the marrow of his desire.

He truly could not restrain himself, longing to demand more from her; the spring night was too short, and the waves of desire surged uncontrollably.

It was clearly just a simple exchange of glances, yet it caused Fu Jinhao’s heart to skip a beat.

She looked away, her lashes trembling.

Perhaps it was because Biju kept whispering in her ear that the Crown Prince favored her that she had developed a "shadow" in her heart.

Suddenly, a horn sounded, urgent and pressing, and palace servants raised bright yellow flags. The auspicious hour for the hunt had arrived.

A eunuch shouted in a long, drawn-out voice: "The Spring Hunt, begin!"

Emperor Jing stood up from his dragon throne, looking down at his subjects with irresistible authority.

"On the hunting grounds, there are no ministers or monarchs, only the number of kills," he declared. "To the one who takes the lead, I shall grant a grand reward."

"We thank the Emperor for his grace! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!" the crowd shouted in unison.

Fu Jinhao executed a graceful vault, landing cleanly on horseback. Her slender fingers gripped the riding crop, the wind lifting the hair on her forehead, making her look both reserved and spirited.

She was a breathtaking beauty, drawing the gaze of the young lords. They clicked their tongues in wonder; not only had Fu Jinhao’s temperament changed, but her appearance had blossomed into something even more stunning.

Xiao Xuanyin noticed the gazes of the other men. His brow bone tightened with hostility, and he scanned them with a frigid, icy glare.

A sense of possessiveness was germinating within him.

A-He was his alone; no one else was permitted to covet her.

The group of young lords felt a chill run down their spines, nearly falling from their horses. Why on earth did they have the terrifying, mistaken feeling of being watched by an Asura?

Jiang Manxue, still suffering from her wounds, could only sit to the side, unable to participate in the Royal Hunt.

She slowly raised her head, staring at Fu Jinhao like a venomous green snake, ready to strike at any moment.

After she parted from Song Junyao that day, she had sought out Chu Changling. He had been heartbroken over the injury to her hair bun, and with a little guidance, he had formed the idea of striking at that bitch Fu Jinhao during the hunt.

Now, he claimed to be "unwell" in his tent, but in reality, he had already slipped into the women’s hunting area, setting a net of inescapable traps, waiting for Fu Jinhao to come to her death.

She smiled contentedly. A dead person, yet dreaming of competing with her for A-Yao? It was the greatest joke in the world.

Fu Jinhao seemed to sense something and turned back, meeting Jiang Manxue’s vicious, smiling face.

Her gaze was shallow, the peak of her killing intent slowly rising.

It was her own carelessness; she had mistakenly believed that by breaking the plot of the original story, she could live in peace. But she had not anticipated the butterfly effect—that Jiang Manxue still had tricks up her sleeve.

Fu Jinhao’s heart was as firm as a rock.

Although she did not yet know the exact nature of the plot, the venomous look in Jiang Manxue’s eyes told her that the woman had come prepared and would not easily let her go.

Her brother was far away in Gusu on his studies, unable to help. The only person she could turn to today was...

She looked far toward Xiao Xuanyin, her clear eyes shimmering with light.

Xiao Xuanyin fell into the depths of her clear gaze, which seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.

His heart trembled, and his throat worked.

...

A quarter of an hour later.

In the men’s hunting grounds.

Song Junyao’s cold, handsome face was as gloomy as water as he stared fixedly at Xiao Xuanyin, who stood in his white robes like a jade mountain about to crumble.

He had seen it clearly—the way the Crown Prince and Fu Jinhao had been exchanging glances as if no one else were around!

Fu Jinhao was truly ungrateful. He had wronged A-Xue to preserve her position as his primary wife, and yet she was still this shameless, debasing herself.

Once he brought her into his household, he would certainly show her no mercy!

The humiliation of being "forced" to his knees by Xiao Xuanyin that day was still vivid in his mind. Hatred and jealousy intertwined in Song Junyao like a volcano ready to erupt, threatening to swallow his reason.

He was not supposed to compete with the royal heirs during the Royal Hunt, but since the Emperor had said there were no monarchs or ministers, he wanted to defeat Xiao Xuanyin in front of Fu Jinhao, to draw her gaze back to him.

"Your Highness, I wish to..." He held onto a breath of malice, wanting to challenge Xiao Xuanyin.

Suddenly, Xiao Xuanyin, who had been contemplating the meaning in Fu Jinhao’s eyes, tightened his brow. A chilling, oppressive, and murderous aura radiated from his entire being.

He whipped his horse and galloped away, his robes lashing against the wind.

He had finally understood the meaning in A-He’s eyes, and his blood surged in reverse, rushing straight to his brain.

A-He was in danger.

An extreme sense of tenderness and terrifying, icy rage filled his heart. The howling wind swept past his snow-bright face.

He wanted to see A-He at once, to pull her tightly into his arms, to protect her, not letting her suffer even the slightest harm.

Whoever dared to hurt her would be slaughtered to the last—even if it meant a river of blood, he would not hesitate!