Huan Xuan saw with his own eyes that Sui Sui was safe and sound, and he felt relieved. Although she sent people to inquire about his injuries every now and then, she never showed up. Even though Huan Xuan knew that she was fine, he couldn't help but worry about her.
He then noticed that she had changed into her official uniform, so he asked, "Are you going to the palace?"
Sui Sui nodded and said, "I will go to the palace to bid farewell to Your Majesty."
Huan Xuan was startled: "You want to leave?"
At this point, Sui Sui no longer wanted to hide it from him, and said frankly: "I will prepare to set off in two days."
Huan Xuan stared into her eyes, trying to find a trace of guilt in her indifferent eyes, but he found nothing.
Sui Sui actually made him feel a little guilty, but he knew he couldn't reveal any flaws, so he just tried his best to hold it together.
Fortunately, the servant brought in the tea table and tea sets at this time. She lowered her eyes calmly while pouring tea. When she raised her eyes again, she looked calm and composed again: "How is your Highness' injury?"
Huan Xuan heard that her voice was a little hoarse, frowned and asked: "What's wrong with your throat?"
Sui Sui cleared his throat, took a sip of tea and said, "It's nothing, just a slight cold."
Huan Xuan looked at her carefully and found that her face was a little pale, her eyes were slightly blue, and she seemed to be thinner. He frowned and said, "It's easy to catch a cold in this season. Don't take it lightly just because you have a better martial arts foundation than ordinary people. It's no wonder that you caught a cold wearing such thin clothes..."
Halfway through his words, he suddenly noticed the suspicion in her eyes and immediately pursed his lips.
Sui Sui shook the cup in his hand and asked, "Why did His Highness suddenly come?"
Huan Xuan was furious when he saw her nonchalant look, but he was helpless with her. He felt a pain in his chest because of the suffocation. He said unhappily, "If I don't come, are you going to leave without saying goodbye?"
He thought she would at least make some excuses, but she just said "hmm" and took another sip of tea.
Huan Xuan picked up the gold and silver red sandalwood box beside the couch, put it on the table, and opened the lid: "I'm sorry you forgot to take it away."
Sui Sui took a look in the box and saw the exquisite and translucent glass lotus lamp from last time.
Huan Xuan said, "I didn't manage to light a river lantern this year, so I can only light one with you next year."
Sui Sui originally thought that there were some things that didn't need to be said. She had never gone to see him, and the meaning was already very clear. But some people just pretended to be confused, so she had to say it all.
She pushed the box forward and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. Otherwise, I probably won't come to Chang'an next year."
She looked him in the eyes and said, "Maybe I won't come again."
Huan Xuan said, "It's okay. I guess Wei Bo also has the custom of releasing lanterns? It doesn't matter if not. We can just find a river to release them."
He suddenly remembered that it was in the north, and the climate was colder than in Chang'an. The river water might not have thawed by the Lantern Festival, so there might not be a place to put lanterns. He added: "Even if the river is frozen, we can put lanterns in the bathing pool..."
He stopped talking suddenly in the middle of his speech because he could see that something was wrong with her expression.
There was a flash in her eyes, not of surprise, nor of indifference, but of confusion and fear, as if a nightmare had suddenly occurred.
Huan Xuan had never seen such a look in her eyes. Fear was naturally due to care. No matter how important he was in her heart, at least she had him in her heart. But Huan Xuan didn't feel anything at all, he just felt distressed. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that she would be fine, but he couldn't.
To Sui Sui, Huan Xuan's words were like a nightmare coming back to him.
The blood in her body seemed to have frozen into ice. The person who was planning to do this was once incomparable, but now she has become a pile of dry bones in the imperial mausoleum.
She pinched her palm and smiled, "No need, I don't like to release river lanterns."
Huan Xuan said, "You are the one who asked me to release the river lanterns. General Xiao Suisui is a man of his word and cannot go back on his word."
Sui Sui said coldly: "Your Highness knows that I lied to you. I am a liar."
"It doesn't matter," Huan Xuan looked into her eyes and said, "Whether you lied to me or not, I took it seriously. Since I promised to accompany you to light lanterns, I must keep my promise."
He paused and said, "It's just lighting the lanterns. General Xiao, are you afraid that I will blame you?"
But they all knew that the prince could not leave the capital at will, so they knew what it meant for Yuan Yuan to go to Wei Bo to watch the lanterns.
Sui Sui said, "Your Highness is injured, so it is better for you to go back and rest as soon as possible. I still have to go to the palace to pay homage to you, and I cannot keep you waiting for too long."
As she spoke, she stood up, bowed, turned around and walked out, her back looking a little flustered.
Huan Xuan was at her: "Xiao Suisui!"
Sui Sui paused, but did not turn around. Instead, he quickened his pace.
Huan Xuan picked up the lotus lantern from the table, stood up and chased after him.
In his haste, he forgot about the injury on his back and stumbled, bringing down the screen next to him.
The wooden screen fell to the ground with a bang. Sui Sui had just walked to the middle of the steps when he finally stopped and turned around.
Huan Xuan pulled at the wound, his face turned pale with pain, but his eyes were slightly red: "You bullied me and I got hurt, can't I run away?"
Sui Sui's eyebrows twitched, and a trace of pity flashed in his eyes.
Huan Xuan immediately found a way, staggered forward a few steps, held onto the door frame, and hissed softly: "It hurts..."
Sui Sui knew that he did it on purpose, but the wound was really painful. Even from several steps away, she could see the cold sweat running down his temples.
Huan Xuan saw that this trick really worked, so he went even further and said, "General Xiao, give me a hand..."
Sui Sui glanced around and saw that she was meeting the King of Qi, and the guards tactfully retreated to the outside of the courtyard.
Huan Xuan said weakly, "We know each other after all, General Xiao is just going to watch me die without helping me?"
As he spoke, he swayed from side to side, as if he was about to fall.
Sui Sui knew it was a self-torture tactic, but he could only walk forward and stretch out his arm for him to hold on to, otherwise with his temper, he would really fall to the ground.
Huan Xuan seemed to become extremely weak in an instant, like a willow in the wind, and leaned towards her: "Thank you, General Xiao."
Sui Sui said unhappily, "Your Highness, please go to the couch and rest for a while. I will ask someone to park the calf cart outside the courtyard."
As he spoke, he helped him to the couch, laid a cushion on it, and let him lie down.
Huan Xuan lay obediently on the cushion, raised his head and looked at her, his eyes clear: "The wound seems to have split open..."
Sui Sui glanced at him and said, "I'll go find a doctor."
Huan Xuan hurriedly grabbed the corner of her robe and said, "Don't bother. It's nothing serious. Just take a look for me."
Sui Sui said: "I'm not a doctor, I can't treat injuries."
Huan Xuan said: "You are the one who sewed this wound. No one knows it better than you."
Sui Sui was speechless. After not seeing him for a few days, he seemed to have come up with some new tricks.
She knew she couldn't run away anymore, otherwise, given his temper, he would probably really give up his throne and come to Heshuo.
She pursed her lips and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to waste your time on someone who doesn't care about you."
Huan Xuan stared at her: "Then why are you running away?"
Sui Sui Bu Jue flatly denied: "I didn't..."
As soon as I said this, I realized that my attempt to hide something made it even more obvious.
Huan Xuan asked: "You don't believe I can do it?"
Sui Sui said flatly: "I don't care whether you can do it or not."
Although Huan Xuan knew that she said it so decisively in order to stop him from having sex, his heart still ached.
He calmed down and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't care."
Sui Sui sighed softly: "Your Highness, why do you have to do this?"
Huan Xuan said: "I gave up the throne not for you, but because it is not what I want."
He looked into her eyes and said seriously, "I never cared about the position of Crown Prince. I fought with Huan Rong, firstly to protect myself, and secondly because I didn't want my elder brother to die in vain."
Sui Sui said: "You started your career late, but in just a few years you have taken charge of the Divine Wing Army. The pacification of the four towns and the recovery of Huaixi are both remarkable achievements. Any general who has achieved one of these feats would be famous in history."
Huan Xuan's eyes sparkled with delight: "General Xiao, do you really think so?"
Sui Sui immediately regretted that he had accidentally praised him.
Huan Xuan said: "If there is any place where I can be of use, it is probably to fight on the battlefield and guard the border. I can do these things in Heshuo, but I can't do them if I stay in the court."
Sui Sui could not refute. As the crown prince and the emperor, even if he led the troops to war, he would only stay in the rear to boost morale. It was impossible for him to risk his valuable life. If he was not the crown prince, it would be even more impossible for him to command the troops.
"His Majesty will not let you go," she said, "No matter where you go, you will be the only legitimate prince."
Huan Xuan said, "Unless I am no longer a member of the Huan family."
Sui Sui's heart trembled: "You..."
Huan Xuan continued: "The King of Qi cannot leave, but he can die."
This was indeed the only way for him to give up his position as crown prince and leave the capital, but it also meant giving up all the power, status, and honor bestowed upon him by the Huan family.
Sui Sui didn't know what to say for a moment.
Huan Xuan said: "Don't worry, I am not doing this for you, but for myself."
He suddenly changed the subject and said seriously, "I just heard that there is a General Xiao who is a master of military tactics and invincible. I can't help but admire him and want to see with my own eyes whether he is really that amazing.
"I thought that it would be a joy to ride a horse with General Xiao to the frontier, gallop across the battlefield, watch the sunset in Changsha, listen to the horns in the mountain city, play chess and chant under the moonlight. It would be a joy to ride a horse with General Xiao to the frontier ... the battlefield, listen to the horns in the mountain city, watch the sunset in the battlefield, watch the horns in the mountain city, watch the horns in the mountain city, watch the horns in the mountain city, watch the horns in the mountain city, it would be a joy to ride a horse with General Xiao to the frontier,
Sui Sui's amber eyes moved slightly, like a breeze rippling the spring water.
Huan Xuan propped himself up with his arms and sat up from the couch. He took her hand when she was not paying attention and stuffed the glass lamp into her hand.
Sui Sui lowered her eyes to look at the small lamp in her hand, and suddenly smiled slightly, throwing the lamp into his arms.
Huan Xuan immediately took over: "You still don't believe me?"
Sui Sui raised an eyebrow: "Bring it to me when you light the lanterns, and take care of your own things."
Huan Xuan was startled for a moment, and only came back to his senses after a while: "You agreed?"
Sui Sui said: "I only promise you to light the lanterns. Whether you can be my companion depends on your ability."
Huan Xuan felt as if he was floating up to the sky.
Then he felt a pain in his back and hissed softly, "Sui Sui, the wound on my back seems to have really broken."
He said arrogantly: "Sui Sui, help me take a look..."
Sui Sui glanced at him and said: "I will go to the palace to see you, Your Highness, please make yourself at your own convenience."