“I choose to go with Your Highness,” Meng Jinyue said without hesitation.
“Are you certain?”
She covered her head, looking somewhat pitiful. “Yes, I am. If I stay in the Meng residence, Meng Jinrong will surely try to kill me. If she fails this time, there will be a next.”
“Very well.”
The Crown Prince nodded. “Go back and pack your things. We will return to the capital ahead of them.”
Meng Jinyue nodded and walked over to Qiu Ning and Qiu Zhi.
“Qiu Ning, from now on, you can no longer stay by my side.”
The two of them paled. “Miss…”
The Crown Prince was under house arrest, and if she followed him, she naturally could not bring her maidservants along.
After explaining the situation to them, Meng Jinyue continued, “There’s no other way now. Before returning to the capital, you can only stay by Lin Daren’s side.”
Qiu Ning nodded, tears welling in her eyes. “This servant will always wait for you, Miss.”
With her two maidservants settled, Meng Jinyue had no further concerns.
Soon, the day arrived for them to be escorted back to the capital.
Before their departure, Lin Shenghè couldn’t help but privately advise Meng Jinyue.
“I cannot accompany His Highness back, and in the future, it will be difficult for me to openly interact with His Highness too frequently.”
Meng Jinyue nodded. She understood—Lin Shenghè was not alone; he had his family behind him.
Now that the Crown Prince had fallen out of favor with the Emperor, the wrath of the sovereign could bring devastation to millions. Many who had once supported the Crown Prince dared not approach him at this critical juncture.
Only Lin Shenghè still dared to draw near.
“From now on, it will all depend on you.”
Meng Jinyue nodded firmly. “I know. I will do my best to take care of His Highness.”
Lin Shenghè nodded. “I know you are capable. Xie Yunye’s judgment is never wrong.”
“If possible, I also hope you can bring His Highness some joy. With Xie Yunye’s death in battle and His Highness’s removal from his position, too much has happened recently. Though His Highness appears unaffected on the surface, he is merely holding himself together.”
Meng Jinyue nodded. Anyone would suffer from such a fall from grace, even the Crown Prince.
“I will.”
As Lin Shenghè bid them farewell, his eyes were filled with reluctance.
“Your Highness, may you have a safe journey.”
Xiao Yan, however, replied, “I hope so.”
In her previous life, her status had prevented her from attending the Qinghe Autumn Hunt, so she was not fully aware of many events.
But she knew that during Xiao Yan’s escort back to the capital, he had accidentally fallen off a cliff, losing his sight and becoming lame.
The Crown Prince remained in obscurity for over a year, until after the Emperor fell seriously ill, when the deposed Crown Prince was reinstated and began overseeing state affairs on behalf of the Emperor.
Though it was called overseeing state affairs, by then, the Crown Prince held all real power, no different from the Emperor himself.
“Your Highness, please drink some water.”
“Your Highness, it’s time to eat.”
“Your Highness…”
Meng Jinyue’s repeated calls brought a trace of helplessness to Xiao Yan’s expressionless face.
“What did Lin Shenghè tell you? I said you should stay quiet and not speak.”
Meng Jinyue shook her head, ignoring the Crown Prince’s words.
“I won’t speak if Your Highness eats.”
Seeing that Xiao Yan remained unresponsive, Meng Jinyue picked up the bowl and tried to feed him.
Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned before reprimanding her, “Put it down.”
“I’ll put it down if Your Highness eats.”
“Lin Daren said I must urge you to eat. If you don’t, he will scold me when he returns to the capital.”
“Lin Shenghè would never say such a thing.”
Her lie was clumsy, yet she stared at him with wide, glistening eyes, making her appear exceptionally sincere.
“He really did. Anyway, if Your Highness doesn’t eat, I won’t leave.”
Xiao Yan sighed, his dark, profound eyes gazing at her before finally conceding defeat. “I’ll do it myself.”
“Alright.”
Meng Jinyue set down the meal, propping her chin in her hand as her beautiful eyes fixed on the Crown Prince.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Meng Jinyue replied, “I’m supervising Your Highness.”
Her voice was soft, but her words were lively.
When Xie Yunye had just left, she used to fear him, feeling restrained in his presence and not daring to speak much.
Now, as they gradually grew familiar, her true nature began to show.
Xiao Yan would rather she feared him, so she wouldn’t chatter so much every day.
“I’ve finished eating. You may leave.”
“Oh.”
Meng Jinyue responded softly, “Then I’ll go. Your Highness, remember to call me if you need anything.”
“No need to come over. Focus on recovering from your injuries.”
After forgetting Xie Yunye, it seemed she had forgotten all her pain.
Even with the wound on her head, she remained cheerful every day.
Xiao Yan watched her, feeling a hint of envy.
It might be nice to be as simple-minded as her. He, too, wished to forget certain things and not bear the burden of hatred.
But… he couldn’t.
“The wound on my head no longer hurts. Lin Daren said I should try to cheer Your Highness up. Besides, Your Highness said it yourself—in the future, you will be my husband. Taking care of you is my duty.”
With that, Meng Jinyue left, leaving the Crown Prince alone in the carriage, stunned for a long while.
Those words, spoken only to take her away that day, had actually stayed in her heart.
So now, did she see him as her husband?
Xiao Yan stared at the roof of the carriage for a long time before finally sighing.
Meng Jinyue thought this way because she had forgotten Xie Yunye.
But he hadn’t forgotten.
In his heart, she would always be the beloved of his good brother.
Beyond that, they had no other relationship.
For the rest of his life, he would care for her as Xie Yunye’s wife.
The journey continued peacefully, and her daily routine involved bothering the Crown Prince.
She bothered him so often that he eventually grew accustomed to it.
Each time, it was only when the Crown Prince was utterly exasperated that he could drive her away.
Though the Crown Prince complained about her, Meng Jinyue could tell his mood had lightened somewhat.
They were about three days away from returning to the capital.
Just as Meng Jinyue began to wonder whether the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince from her previous life would still occur, a sudden change happened.
“Your Highness!”
Meng Jinyue watched helplessly as a group of assassins appeared.
She rushed toward the Crown Prince without a second thought, only for him to strike the back of her neck with a swift chop.
“Y-Your Highness?”
Meng Jinyue’s body went limp, and she fell unconscious.
When she woke again, she was no longer in the carriage.
Instead, she was already at the residence of the deposed Crown Prince.
“Your Highness?”
Remembering the danger of that day, Meng Jinyue hurriedly got out of bed and bumped into a physician emerging from another room.
The physician carried a medicine chest.
Seeing Meng Jinyue, he paused in surprise.
“Young Lady Meng, you’re awake?”
“How long have I been unconscious?”
“Two days.”
Meng Jinyue froze. Xiao Yan had knocked her out and made her unconscious for so long?
What had happened during those two days she was unconscious?
“Where is His Highness now? How is he?”
The physician hesitated, then finally spoke. “His Highness fell off a cliff and injured his left leg. He may have difficulty walking in the future. And also…”
“And also what?”
“When His Highness fell, he hit his head. Now, he has lost his sight.”
This was the same as in her previous life, so Meng Jinyue was prepared.
But she still covered her mouth, feigning surprise with a sharp intake of breath.
“Can it be cured?”
Meng Jinyue grabbed the physician’s hand.
“My medical skills are limited, but perhaps the Imperial Physicians at the Imperial Hospital might have a solution.”
“Young lady, I may not be able to come again later. Shall I explain the dosage of these medicines to you?”
Meng Jinyue nodded dazedly.
She tried her best to remember everything the physician said, and even wrote it down on paper to prevent herself from forgetting.
“Your Highness?”
Meng Jinyue finished preparing the medicine and carefully pushed the door open to enter.
“Your Highness, can you hear me? I’m coming in.”
“Get out!”
“I… Your Highness, it’s time for your medicine?”
“I said, get out!”
It must be said that Xiao Yan’s emotions were far more stable than Meng Jinyue had imagined.
His voice was just a bit cold, but he was not going mad.
If an ordinary person had experienced this series of events, they would likely have gone insane.
Thinking of this, Meng Jinyue did not insist further.
“Your Highness, I’ll leave right away. Please don’t be angry. I’ll leave the medicine here. No matter what, you still need to take it.”
After saying this, Meng Jinyue left the Crown Prince’s room, giving him time to calm down.
When Meng Jinyue returned in the evening with a meal box, the medicine from earlier was still untouched, exactly as she had left it.
This was also within Meng Jinyue’s expectations.
Over the next two days, the Crown Prince did not touch any of the medicine or meals brought to him.
Meng Jinyue pretended to be anxious, pacing back and forth outside the door from morning till night.
It wasn’t until the evening of the second day that she finally pretended to muster her courage and walked in.
After pushing the door open, Meng Jinyue took a deep breath and strode directly to Xiao Yan’s bedside.
“Your Highness, you must take your medicine, and you must eat! If this continues, you will die!”
She mustered her courage, trying to make her voice sound stern and cold.
But Xiao Yan remained unusually calm.
His thin lips parted slightly, about to coldly utter the usual “Get out!” when Meng Jinyue covered his mouth with her hand.
“Your Highness, I know you want to drive me away, so please don’t speak. Just listen to me.”