The Gilded Cage - CH 109

The Night Visit – He Really Had Her in His Heart (3)

In the next few days, no more snow fell on Lishan, and the built-up snow gradually melted. It was the beginning of spring, and after a cold period, it gradually warmed up.

Xiao Yu went in and out of the Crown Prince’s Tang every day, not only to the courtroom but also to the residences of several officials who lived nearby to attend banquets.

In the past, he was reluctant to accept invitations from these officials, fearing that he might lose his majesty if he became too close to them in private. But the times were different now. He had fewer and fewer firm supporters around him, so he had to put down his face and make more friends.

This evening, he left from Jinyang Gate and took a carriage to go to the residence of one of the officials for a banquet, but only when he got on a secluded mountain road, he was stopped unexpectedly.

“Why did it stop?” He sat in the carriage and asked unhappily.

“Your Highness, the road ahead is blocked.”

When the carriage driver’s words fell, someone already came over, saluted at the side of the car, and said softly, “Excuse me, My Lady has something important to report to His Highness the Crown Prince and asks for His Highness’s permission.”

Xiao Yu did not move but frowned slightly. The chamberlain outside the car asked in a cold voice, “How dare you. Who is your lady? How dare you stop the carriage of His Highness the Crown Prince!”

The maid did not answer, but only presented a wooden plate with her surname engraved on it, and the chamberlain brought it to the carriage.

Xiao Yu looked at the word “Zhao” on the wooden plate, and his eyes immediately showed disdain and contempt.

So it was Zhao Y’e.

How dare such a woman with a tarnished reputation stop his carriage?

He did not have the slightest intention to go down, but only said coldly in the car “keep going”, meaning that he did not need to pay attention to her.

The coachman and the attendants answered and immediately resumed their horses.

But the road was narrow, and when they passed Zhao Erniang’s carriage, there were only a few inches between them. The moment they crossed paths, on the other side of the curtain, Zhao Yue’s low voice came.

“Is Your Highness really willing to live under others?”

Xiao Yu’s face stiffened, and the hand resting on his knee also fiercely clenched. How could he be willing? But in just a few months, he had gone from being on the verge of reaching the peak to falling back to the bottom all of a sudden. In addition to frustration, there was panic and fear that he would never be able to get up again.

He took a deep breath, and before the carriage went far away, he commanded in a deep voice, “Stop.”

The carriage stopped in response, and he ordered someone to lift the curtain. He did not go down but rather waited for Zhao Yue to walk step by step to the carriage, bowing to him.

“Would Your Highness like to hear a word from Lady Yu?”

Xiao Yu looked at her coldly, as if he was considering, and only after a moment did he beckon, saying, “Come up.”

Zhao Yue smiled faintly, stepped on the stool, and entered his carriage.

She still wore a bright-colored dress today, although not as bold and revealing as the dress she wore when met Xiao Kezhi a few days ago, it was still a slightly tighter dress that outlined her curvy body.

The moonlight outside the carriage was dull, so he couldn’t see clearly, but the bright candlelight in the carriage illuminated everything clearly.

Xiao Yu surveyed her figure and a strange color flashed under his eyes, seemingly discomfort and disgust.

“Well, what do you have to say? Hurry up and say it. Don’t waste my time.”

Zhao Yue also did not care about his coldness, smiled, and said calmly, “Lady Yu came today to make a deal with His Highness the Crown Prince. I don’t know what Your Highness thinks about the strength of the Bozhou Army in the hands of my Zhao family?”

He did not have the oppressive aura of Xiao Ke Zhi. Although his face was cold, she did not feel nervous because she knew that she held an unrefusable bargaining chip in her hand.

As a matter of fact, as soon as he heard the three words “Bozhou army,” Xiao Yu’s face was stagnant. His heartbeat quickened.

“The strength of the Bozhou army is not to be underestimated, and it is comparable to the Emperor’s Ganzhou army. What, you want to use this to trade with me?”

What he lacked most in his hands was military power, which was naturally what he needed the most. And the Bozhou Army in the hands of the Zhao family was a better choice than all those he had tried to ally with earlier.

“Yes.”

Zhao Yue nodded her head without hesitation and told the truth about the predicament the Zhao family was facing in Bozhou.

Xiao Yu flexed one knuckle and tapped the armrest finger by finger, calculating quickly in his mind, and asked, “What do you want from me?”

Zhao Yue smiled and said, “My brother and I will assist Your Highness to achieve great things, and we only hope that Your Highness will protect the position of our Zhao family in the future.”

Xiao Yu concealed the emotions that were surging in his heart and asked in a deep voice, “What can you do if I make an empty promise? Tell me clearly, what do you really want?”

“Will Your Highness take me as his wife?”

Zhao Yue did not beat around the bush with him and simply made her request clear.

Xiao Yu’s face immediately turned gloomy and said coldly, “I have a proper wife.”

“If you marry me, Your Highness will be the head of my brother’s army, and the Zhao family will be an Imperial relative. None will dare to disparage it. Is this not the best of both worlds?”

“If I heard correctly, your Zhao family is now desperate. If you don’t join me, you will probably be uprooted and never recovered. How dare you negotiate with me on such terms?”

Zhao Yue smiled neatly, “Yes, the Zhao family is at the end of its rope, but why not, Your Highness? Without my brother, how many days would Your Highness be able to live? If the Zhao family chooses to surrender everything immediately, there is still a chance of survival, but what about Your Highness?”

Xiao Kezhi is the Son of Heaven. He had everything, and there was no shortage of loyal people in his hands. But Xiao Yu was only a precarious crown prince, and if it weren’t for the fact that he was in a difficult position, yet still held the position of first son and crown prince of the previous emperor, she and her brother wouldn’t have bothered to take him on.

Since this was the case, how could she be willing to be subservient to others?

“Personage Chu is just a daughter of a sinful minister. Can she bring the entire Bozhou to Your Highness as I can? Her status is no longer worthy of Your Highness.”

Xiao Yu’s face gradually twisted, “If she is not worthy, are you, a widow who has no shame, worthy?”

“Your Highness, there is no need to jump to a conclusion. Your Highness, please consider it carefully and make your decision then.”

She smiled meaningfully and, without waiting for his nod, got up and left on her own.