vrcanaries Chapter 184 Return of the Portrait
Chapter 184 Return of the Portrait
Just less than a quarter of an hour.
The news of the Crown Prince falling into the water spread throughout the palace.
After Xiao Guifei's people inquired, they learned that Lin Acai had also fallen into the lake, and they reported it directly to their master.
So, the Imperial Concubine didn't think twice and immediately ordered Eunuch Xu to send a set of palace maid's clothes to Lin Acai.
Unexpectedly, it happened just in time. Lin Acai just realized that everyone was looking at her in a strange way, and the next moment she took the clothes that Eunuch Xu handed to her personally.
"Miss Lin, quickly follow the young palace maids to the room over there and change into dry clothes. Be careful not to get cold. It would be terrible if you catch a cold."
Eunuch Xu urged while waving the whisk in his hand and glancing in the direction of the prince and his companions.
He began to curse in his heart: What a bunch of dogs and slaves! Miss Lin was clearly in trouble but there was no one to look after her. All of them ran away to serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This is simply outrageous and they have no rules at all. This is Miss Lin.
The prince is really something. Since he has summoned the person into the palace, he should treat her well. What does it mean to leave a girl who fell into the water alone?
"Your Highness... I have been ordered to ask Miss Lin to check on the Imperial Concubine. She has been having trouble sleeping and eating recently. The Emperor has asked the Imperial Hospital to check on her several times, but she still hasn't recovered. Today, Miss Lin happened to be coming to the palace, and the Imperial Concubine wants to ask you to take her over. Please agree, Your Highness."
Old thing, he has Concubine Xiao and the emperor, he really has endless excuses.
The prince secretly clenched his fists and looked at Eunuch Xu with unfriendly eyes. Eunuch Xu was neither humble nor arrogant, he kept his back straight and did not show any fear.
At this time, Lin Acai suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, I have something to discuss with the Imperial Concubine about the wedding. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave first."
As she was speaking, Lin Acai suddenly pulled out a scroll dripping with water from under her sleeve in front of everyone and handed it to Chuangmang who was standing in front of the prince.
"Your Highness... It's unfortunate that when I fell into the water just now, the painting you gave me got soaked. I really don't know what to do with it. I think it's safer to return it to you first."
I just deliberately jumped into the water and performed this act just to get this result.
Lin Acai had already thought it through. It was impossible for her to take the prince's paintings out of the palace.
"Miss Lin...wait a minute, I have something else to say to you." As he said this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was about to stand up. At this time, he had completely recovered and his complexion looked much better.
He walked a few steps towards Lin Acai, who was looking embarrassed, and suddenly wanted to grab Lin Acai's hand.
At this moment…
Suddenly, Xiao Jue flew over from somewhere, grabbed Lin Acai's hand, and pulled her behind him.
Looking at the prince's hand hanging in the air.
Xiao Jue was completely furious!
Regardless of the identity of the person opposite him, he almost gritted his teeth and asked:
"Your Highness, please respect yourself. What are you going to do to my future Crown Prince's Consort? You are the future crown prince of the Northern Cang Kingdom. Please respect the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects..."
Outrageous!
Upon hearing the report from the guards, he rushed towards the palace without stopping.
However, he did not expect that as soon as he entered the palace, he learned the news that Acai and the Crown Prince had both fallen into the water.
He was really scared because when he was a child he once fell into the small lake in the imperial garden while playing. Fortunately he was a good swimmer and did not drown.
But he didn't know whether his Ah Cai could swim. Whenever he thought of the scene of his Ah Cai falling into the water and suffocating with no one to rescue her, his heart felt like it was pierced through.
He almost suffocated from the pain...
"you...."
The prince's expression had never been so ugly. His face, which was as gentle as jade in the past, suddenly became gloomy and twisted. He raised his eyes and suddenly looked at the man in front of him, and laughed.
"Miss Lin... I would also like to thank you for personally helping me and saving my life just now."
As soon as he said this, the smile on the prince's face became even wider, and he stared at Master Xiao sitting opposite him provocatively.
He wanted to see what kind of expression his beloved woman would have when he found out that she was having an affair with another man.
As expected, when Xiao Jue heard these words, his mentality instantly collapsed.
He numbly turned his head to look at his Ah Cai, wanting to judge from her eyes whether the prince's words were true or false.
Unexpectedly, when Lin Acai met his gaze, she didn't say a word of rebuttal, and even found an excuse to excuse herself:
"Brother, the situation was critical at the time, and I didn't think too much about it. If it were someone else, I would do the same thing. I couldn't just watch a life disappear in front of me like this."
"Okay, I understand. You don't have to explain." Xiao Jue's words were obviously lonely. He suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction of Crown Prince Li Chengce.
"You have heard it, Your Highness. If it were someone else, my future Crown Prince's Consort would have also helped you. After all, she is a female doctor. As the saying goes, a doctor has a kind heart. I believe that when she was helping you, she put aside all distractions and did not have the slightest prejudice against men and women.
Please don't tarnish the reputation of my family's princess, and don't make any more unwarranted assumptions."
"..."
Everyone was shocked. Listen, why is Prince Xiao's tone so harsh? !
This is the crown prince of the current dynasty. Apart from the emperor and the empress, no other person would dare to speak to him in this tone.
For a moment, the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs looked at each other in bewilderment, and in their hearts they looked at this courageous Prince Xiao with a very different eye.
Eunuch Xu flicked his whisk, came up to Xiao Jue and suddenly reminded him:
"Sir Xiao, the Imperial Concubine said a few days ago that she missed you and wanted to see you. I didn't expect that you two siblings are so close. So don't waste time here. Hurry up and get ready with Miss Lin, and follow me to Shaohua Palace."
"Your Highness, I will take them away first for the sake of the Imperial Concubine."
After he finished speaking, Eunuch Xu bowed respectfully in the direction of the prince.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's face turned pale, but he had no way to stop them. After all, they had been delayed in this small pavilion for too long.
If Imperial Concubine Xiao held on to this matter and reported his fall into the water to the Emperor and Empress, he would inevitably be questioned by them.
"Forget it... just take the person away."
After a while, only the Crown Prince's people were left in the pavilion by the lake.
The prince suddenly waved his hand, dismissing everyone except Chuangmang.
Slowly unfolding the portrait that Lin Acai had returned, the prince suddenly asked solemnly:
"Chuang Mang, do you think Miss Lin has been planning to return this portrait to me for a long time..."