Testing Her

No matter what she said, Xiao Lingyan remained lying there, motionless.

The people of Prince of Qi's Residence had originally pinned their hopes on Zhao Ruxi, hoping she could awaken His Highness. Now that their hopes were dashed, everyone was extremely dejected.

Upon hearing the report, Noble Consort Cen, who was sitting outside, felt as if all her strength had been drained away. She sighed, "Perhaps, this is fate."

Back then, the Cen Family disregarded her wishes and sent her to the palace, trying every means to make her give birth to two sons, hoping to support a child with the Cen Family blood to ascend the throne and ensure the Cen Family's prosperity for a hundred years.

All the effort of the past twenty-odd years has been wasted.

Amidst her resentment, Noble Consort Cen also inexplicably felt a sense of vengeful pleasure.

After sitting for a while, she got up and went in, only to see Zhao Ruxi, who had long since run out of words, sitting in front of the bed, staring blankly at Xiao Lingyan's pale face.

"Come out, let's have a talk, just the two of us," said Noble Consort Cen.

Zhao Ruxi glanced at Xiao Lingyan with a reluctant look, then followed Noble Consort Cen out.

"I don't know if Little Five's illness can be cured." Noble Consort Cen raised her eyes and looked at Zhao Ruxi. "If he can't be cured and just lies there like a living dead, what will you do?"

"If your wedding were still a long way off, I wouldn't have asked you. You'd know what Little Five is like by then. Once you have the results, you can make your choice. But your wedding is just around the corner, so you need to decide soon—whether to go ahead with the marriage or wait and see."

Noble Consort Cen patted Zhao Ruxi's hand and sighed, "I am a woman, and I know the suffering of women. If you are unwilling, neither the Emperor nor I will blame you. We cannot ruin your life because of Little Five."

"Go back and talk to your grandmother and mother, think it over. Once you've made up your mind, give me an answer."

Zhao Ruxi shook her head. "No need to consider it anymore, the wedding will proceed as scheduled."

"Zhiwei, you must not act impulsively. This is a major event in your life, you should think it over carefully before answering," said Noble Consort Cen.

Looking into her eyes, Zhao Ruxi said earnestly once again, "No need to consider. Prince of Qi is the man I want to marry, and no matter what his situation is, my feelings will not change."

Even without the system notification, and even if Xiao Lingyan didn't know whether he would wake up, Zhao Ruxi would not change her mind.

Her relationship with Xiao Lingyan was not a simple romantic one, based on only a few meetings. They were entangled across two lifetimes; in their previous life, Xiao Lingyan had died saving her before transmigrating to this world.

She owed Xiao Lingyan a debt of gratitude that spanned two lifetimes, so how could she possibly change her mind?

Noble Consort Cen asked Zhao Ruxi on a whim, wanting to test her.

The youngest son once said he liked Zhao Zhiwei and that after marrying her, he would live a good life with her and would not take a concubine.

Therefore, Noble Consort Cen wanted to know whether her youngest son's intentions were worthwhile.

Zhao Ruxi's unwavering and firm answer now greatly satisfied her.

She asked, "Are you really sure?"

"Yes." Zhao Ruxi nodded vigorously.

"You don't regret it?"

I will never regret it.

Noble Consort Cen finally smiled, a genuine smile she hadn't shown in days, "Good child. Then I'll tell the Ministry of Rites to continue preparing for the wedding. Regardless of whether Little Five wakes up or not, I will ensure your wedding proceeds as scheduled."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Zhao Ruxi said with a grateful smile.

"Alright, it's getting late, you should go back now. Come see him again tomorrow," said Noble Consort Cen.

Seeing Zhao Ruxi turn around and look into the house, seemingly reluctant to leave, she added, "You two are not yet married, and this is the palace; it's not appropriate for you to spend the night here."

"Yes, I understand." Zhao Ruxi bowed to Noble Consort Cen, "Zhiwei takes her leave."

Noble Consort Cen's men then sent Zhao Ruxi back to the Earl of Suiping's Residence.

"How is it? How is Prince of Qi?" The old lady and Lady Zhu were still awake, waiting for Zhao Ruxi.

"She's still unconscious; the imperial physicians can't do anything about it," Zhao Ruxi said.

"Oh dear, what can we do?" the old lady sighed.

She glanced at Zhao Ruxi's expression and tentatively asked, "Given Prince of Qi's current state, has the Imperial Concubine said anything about what to do about your marriage?"

During the time Zhao Ruxi was in the palace, she and Lady Zhu had been discussing this matter.

The main problem is that the wedding is too soon. If they get married on schedule, and then the Prince of Qi dies, wouldn't Zhao Ruxi be forced to live a life of widowhood?

If Zhao Ruxi had married into an ordinary family, she could have remarried. But having married into the royal family, remarriage was impossible for Zhao Ruxi.

"The Imperial Concubine also asked me this question."

Zhao Ruxi recounted her conversation with Noble Consort Cen.

Hearing Zhao Ruxi say that no matter what, she would hold the wedding with Prince of Qi as scheduled, the old lady and Lady Zhu were both anxious and heartbroken.

But they couldn't voice their objections.

Royal marriages are not something you can simply back out of. Noble Consort Cen's words seemed very reasonable. But if Zhao Ruxi said she would think about it and then answered that she wanted to call off the engagement, she would definitely turn on her immediately.

If the Prince of Qi cannot be saved, she might even secretly demand Zhao Ruxi's life to be used as a sacrifice for her son. How could she possibly let Zhao Ruxi break off the engagement?

She said those things only to test Zhao Ruxi.

Royal women, especially those who have climbed to high positions, are they truly compassionate and selfless, always thinking of others?

"It's alright. Prince of Qi will definitely wake up," Zhao Ruxi comforted them.

Lady Zhu said bitterly, "Why doesn't His Majesty punish Prince of Ming? This whole thing must have been done by Prince of Ming."

Zhao Ruxi wasn't home, but she had discussed this matter with the old lady. The Emperor's assassination attempt and Xiao Lingyan's poisoning occurred almost simultaneously, and the mastermind behind it was either the Crown Prince or the Third Prince.

The Crown Prince was already dead, and in a manner reminiscent of a moth drawn to a flame. The Third Prince, on the other hand, seemed like a predator reaping the benefits, and both men agreed that the Third Prince had poisoned the Fifth Prince.

Therefore, it seems that the Emperor has only imprisoned the Third Prince, without stripping him of his title or imposing any punishment. The Old Madam and Lady Zhu have strong opinions about the Emperor's actions.

"This is not something we can comment on. You two should not discuss this matter," Zhao Ruxi hurriedly said.

She guessed that the Emperor wasn't refusing to deal with Xiao Lingheng. No matter how merciful he was to his son, Xiao Lingheng had not only murdered his own siblings but also planned to kill his father and the Emperor. What was the point of keeping such a useless son around?

Xiao Ge is probably not announcing the punishment now because he plans to wait for Xiao Lingheng to cause trouble so that he can wipe out his forces in one fell swoop.

For the next two days, Zhao Ruxi visited Xiao Lingyan every day. Notices had been posted throughout the palace, recruiting doctors to treat Prince of Qi. Although many doctors applied, the Imperial Medical Bureau had to screen them one by one and conduct trials to avoid making Prince of Qi worse instead of curing him.

But before they could even finish screening all the doctors, Xiao Lingyan woke up.