Chapter 481

"Even if he does marry her, it surely wouldn’t be as his principal wife, would it?""Even as a secondary wife, the daughter of a mere merchant is still far from qualified."

"The Li family donated so much silver to the imperial court; it was only because of that the emperor bestowed this marriage. Unless something unexpected happens, it should remain unchanged, right?"

"Who knows? The emperor values Prince An; his favor toward the Li family is merely affection transferred from him. Once Prince An tires of Miss Li, the emperor likely won’t interfere much."

Though opinions varied, they were strikingly unanimous in believing that Xu Heming probably didn’t care much for Li Zhiwei.

After all, Li Zhiwei had long lost any value she once held.

By the time Xu Heming arrived at the royal hunting grounds, it was already dusk.

"What’s going on?" Xu Heming frowned, looking at Wen Zhaonan.

"Nothing serious. That brat tried to run." A hint of a smug smile curled at the corner of Wen Zhaonan’s mouth.

He hadn’t expected that Shangguan Mu would actually try to escape.

So he deliberately rolled down the cliff with him.

Now, Shangguan Mu had fractured both legs.

In the short term, he wouldn’t be getting up.

As for himself, he was also injured.

"Prince An, for the sake of your smooth wedding, this general has suffered quite a blow. You’d better repay me well when this is over!" Wen Zhaonan raised his injured hand and said.

"You didn’t have to go so far as to cripple the enemy while destroying yourself in the process." Xu Heming looked at Wen Zhaonan’s hand, wrapped up like a grotesque leg of ham, and couldn’t help wondering—wasn’t this a bit excessive?

"No matter. For Your Highness, this general is happy to do so." Though Wen Zhaonan said that, his eyes were brimming with mirth.

Seeing Wen Zhaonan’s self-inflicted suffering, Xu Heming could only sigh inwardly, thinking the man must be seriously unwell.

Before long, Cheng Qingli arrived, holding a bowl of medicine.

"Prince An?" Spotting Xu Heming there, Cheng Qingli froze for a moment.

Then a hint of awkwardness flickered across her face.

"Miss Cheng is also here?" Xu Heming was momentarily surprised, but quickly understood why Wen Zhaonan had looked so pleased just now.

"Since the General of Pingxi is fine, I’ll go check on the Third Prince." With that, Xu Heming turned and left without waiting for Wen Zhaonan’s reply.

"Why did Prince An come?" After he was gone, Cheng Qingli asked somewhat uneasily.

"Your fiancé hurt himself like this because of him—of course he had to come and show his concern!" Wen Zhaonan replied with a hint of pride.

"You’re still talking! Do you have no regard for your own life?" Cheng Qingli’s heart ached as she looked at the extent of his injury. She couldn’t understand why he had to save that man. If the man wanted to die, that was his own doing. He’d only dragged Wen Zhaonan into getting hurt.

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing." Wen Zhaonan glanced at his heavily bandaged hand and let out a soft sigh. In truth, his hand wasn’t nearly as badly injured as it looked.

But Cheng Qingli had insisted on wrapping it this way.

Anyone who saw it might think his hand was already useless.

"And this is what you call knowing what you’re doing—smashing yourself into a giant trotter?" Cheng Qingli stared at his hand in displeasure.

"It’s fine, really." Wen Zhaonan’s smile was meaningful.

After all, if Shangguan Mu was badly hurt and he came away unscathed, that wouldn’t seem plausible.

Still, he felt the injuries were worth it. Not only would Xu Heming owe him a favor, but he also had a beautiful woman at his side, worried about him. Wen Zhaonan thought that was more than enough.

"Damned curse!" Shangguan Mu couldn’t believe he was so badly hurt.

"It seems the Third Prince is fine after all." Xu Heming looked at Shangguan Mu, who was shouting furiously from his bed, and said sarcastically.

"Prince An, did you orchestrate this?" Shangguan Mu glared at Xu Heming with burning rage.

He had simply been leaving from that spot—how could he have fallen, and so severely?

Both legs fractured?

Would he ever stand again? Could he face a future where he might be permanently crippled? Then how could he ever compete for the crown prince position of the Qinling Kingdom?

At the thought, Shangguan Mu’s glare at Xu Heming intensified. He was certain this was all his doing.

"I will write to the Emperor at once! Don’t think you can get away with this, Prince An. My father will avenge me!" Shangguan Mu threatened.

"Third Prince, if I were you, I wouldn’t provoke me right now. After all, whether your legs can recover and stand again depends entirely on the imperial physicians of our Lannuo Kingdom." Xu Heming was no longer afraid of Shangguan Mu; they now had enough capital to stand against the Qinling Kingdom.

Still, what he said was the truth.

"You—!" Shangguan Mu was about to curse Xu Heming again, but immediately fell silent.

He feared that Xu Heming might genuinely refuse to send a doctor to treat his legs.

No one wants to be a cripple.

"In my view, the Third Prince is too seriously injured to be moved. It’s best you stay here at the official lodge and recuperate. Rest assured, Third Prince, I will find the finest physician to heal your legs."

Xu Heming smiled as he looked at Shangguan Mu, speaking each word deliberately.

"What are you so smug about, Prince An? I heard the Li family found a son. I bet your plans have fallen through, haven’t they? The Li family fortune will never be yours!"

Seeing the pride on Xu Heming’s face, Shangguan Mu sneered mockingly.

Xu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍Heming paused for a moment, then broke into a smile.

"I’m sorry to disappoint the Third Prince, but when I chose my princess, it was never for her family’s wealth." Xu Heming found it almost laughable, since Jiang Yuanrang had been brought back by his own efforts.

If he were truly after the Li family’s fortune, he could have kept silent all those years ago, and no one would ever have known Jiang Yuanrang was a Li descendant.

Now that Jiang Yuanrang had returned, Xu Heming could only rejoice for Li Zhiwei and her family.

The Li family’s wealth could rival that of a nation—it was true.

But those things were never his.

He had never coveted them.

"Hmph, I don’t believe it. If it weren’t for the Li family’s money, why would you marry a merchant’s daughter as your principal wife?" Shangguan Mu refused to believe that Xu Heming genuinely cared for Li Zhiwei.

Most men were like him—driven only by profit.

"You don’t have to believe it." Xu Heming said, utterly unconcerned.

Then he went to check on Wen Zhaonan.

"Would you like to return with me?" Xu Heming asked, seeing that Wen Zhaonan’s injury was only to his hand; it shouldn't stop him from going back to the city.

"No need. I’ll stay here and keep the Third Prince company. It’s fine." Wen Zhaonan wasn’t badly hurt anyway, and more than anything, he didn’t want to be blamed for harming the Third Prince of Qinling Kingdom.

It made a difference whether they both fell or Shangguan Mu fell alone.

Minimizing conflict between the two countries was always best. In war, the common people suffered most. As a general, Wen Zhaonan didn’t want war.

"That works. Three days from now is my wedding—" Xu Heming actually hoped Wen Zhaonan would come to share a cup of wedding wine.

"Congratulations, Your Highness. As for the wedding gift, I will have my sister make up for it later. However, at present, it would be best for me not to return to the capital. My apologies, Your Highness. Another day, I will share a good drink with you." Wen Zhaonan, after much deliberation, decided to stay.

"Qingli, you should return with His Highness." Wen Zhaonan turned and said to Cheng Qingli.