AEKMEM chapter 14

An Qiao never expected to be framed for this reason.

He originally thought it would be because of an enemy of Chu Heng’s or the original owner’s, implicating many people and perhaps even leading to the capture of the mastermind behind the assassination attempt that severely injured the original owner and caused his awakening to fail.

However, it was actually because a malicious scion of a powerful family wanted to teach someone a lesson and humiliate An Qiao.

An Qiao propped his chin on his hand, squinted, and slowly said, “Then let’s give him a taste of his own medicine.”

“Remove his energy shield and throw him into a pile of star beasts or a thicket of bloodthirsty vines. Let him get scared too. Not really, just enough to make him see some blood, enough to haunt him with nightmares, and drive him to a mental breakdown.”

His voice was indifferent and slightly cold. His pale, handsome face was expressionless as if he were merely discussing the fine weather rather than planning bloody revenge.

Chu Heng: “… ”

He had initially worried that An Qiao might be too softhearted, but now it seemed he had worried unnecessarily.

He hadn’t expected the seemingly fragile, harmless young man to be so vengeful. However, it’s better to be vengeful than a pushover.

“Then let’s do it your way,” said Chu Heng.

As he spoke, he looked at An Qiao suspiciously. “Are you really not scared? Aren’t you feeling all right? Should I have Jun Yiran come over and take a look?”

An Qiao sat on the sofa hugging a cushion and glanced at him helplessly. “Thanks for your concern. But do I look that easily frightened?”

“Hm, it’s good that you don’t feel all right.”

Chu Heng agreed, thinking, “You look so fragile, like you’d break at the slightest touch or collapse at the slightest fright. You look so pale and sickly that it’s hard to feel at ease with you.”

Just like last time, I wasn’t paying close enough attention, and this sickly little thing almost got into trouble.

However, after spending the past few days together, Chu Heng came to understand An Qiao. Although he appeared sickly, his personality was anything but weak. In fact, he could be incredibly audacious at times, which made him a real headache.

**

After the truth came out, Zhou Xiaoxiao didn’t apologize, showing no remorse. The Zhou family also remained completely unresponsive, as if they hadn’t been involved.

Chu Heng, however, wasn’t surprised at all.

Over the years, the Zhou family had become accustomed to their privileged status, with each member acting arrogantly and domineeringly. Perhaps in their eyes, this was merely a minor dispute between the younger generations, not life-threatening and not worth making a fuss about.

Of course, more importantly, the Zhou family is a staunch supporter of the Second Prince. Zhou Xiaoran has been the Second Prince’s most loyal follower since his youth.

As supporters of the Second Prince, they naturally wouldn’t easily bow down to the Crown Prince.

In the past, the Zhou family wouldn’t have been so defiant.

However, since his return from the insectoid battlefield, rumors have circulated that he wounded the Zerg queen but suffered heavy losses himself, inflicting significant damage on both sides. Therefore, he, who has always been confident and fearless, now travels with a personal guard for protection, whereas previously he would roam freely alone.

Because of this rumor, the Second Prince’s faction is stirring with ambition.

After all, if the crown prince were seriously injured and no longer possessed the necessary abilities and martial prowess to inherit the throne, it would be easy to dethrone him. Furthermore, if the crown prince were seriously injured, it would be the perfect opportunity to eliminate him.

Of course, the Second Prince’s faction believed there was a high probability that he was seriously injured, and they naturally had their reasons.

Indeed, Chu Heng was injured. Having wounded the Zerg Queen and forced the Zerg to retreat, he couldn’t have emerged unscathed.

With Chu Heng injured, the Second Prince’s faction, who had previously dared not utter a sound, trembled again.

The Crown Prince’s and Second Prince’s factions are now locked in a fierce battle.

The Zhou family is virtually incapable of producing another marshal or controlling an army. While they still have some influence in the military, supporting the new emperor is crucial for the family’s continued glory.

Therefore, the Zhou family is “tough.”

Chu Heng sneered.

Since the Zhou family is so defiant, he certainly won’t simply “intimidate” Zhou Xiaoxiao and let it pass.

On a smaller scale, this is a personal feud between Zhou Xiaoxiao and An Qiao.

To put it bluntly, Zhou Xiaoxiao knew An Qiao was the crown princess yet acted without restraint, striking whenever he pleased and showing no regard for An Qiao’s backing. What else could this be but provocation?

Zhou Xiaoxiao’s reckless actions stemmed from the Zhou family’s support.

Did the Zhou family think he was a pushover, the Crown Prince?

Chu Heng radiated coldness as he plotted to cause trouble for the Zhou family.

**

That evening, Song Leran discussed the aftermath of the situation with An Qiao on their personal terminal.

Song Leran: [Hey, you probably already know, right? Zhou Xiaoxiao has been expelled from school! The school announced that he framed you. That’s so satisfying!]

[Zhou Xiaoxiao is usually arrogant and domineering at school because of his family background. He’s done a lot of shady things behind the scenes. It’s a blessing that he’s finally met his match, haha!]

An Qiao wasn’t originally interested in Zhou Xiaoxiao’s affairs, but after seeing Song Leran’s string of “hahahahah,” he became curious and asked, […Do you have a grudge against him?]

Song Leran: [I guess we can call it a grudge if we dislike each other? He’s mocked me openly and subtly a few times, saying how a good-for-nothing like me has the nerve to stay at the Imperial First Military Academy. He’s not that talented. He only got into the academy because of the Zhou family’s influence. Honestly, we’re all pretty much the same, yet he can be so self-righteous in his sarcasm!]

Song Leran couldn’t stop talking: [He’s probably envious of me. That’s why he dislikes me so much. After all, the Zhou family member is about to retire from the military, and there’s a good chance he’ll be replaced by someone from our Song family.]

Unlike the Zhou family, who barely rank among the top echelons of the capital star and whose foundation isn’t deep, the Song family is a major family on the capital star. They’ve produced several marshals, and almost every generation has had excellent successors. The family’s overall strength is much stronger than the Zhou family’s.

[Actually, there’s no deep-seated hatred between us. He won’t cause any real trouble. After all, although he was arrogant, he was good at reading the room. He knew who he could mess with and who he couldn’t. He wouldn’t dare cross the line and cause a major incident. That’s why things have been peaceful for so many years.]

An Qiao raised an eyebrow slightly. [So I’m the one who looks like someone you can mess with?

Song Leran thought to himself: You look like someone who can’t fight, who would get blown over by the wind, and who has absolutely no sense of threat!

But, for some reason, he suddenly sensed a hint of danger in An Qiao’s words.

Song Leran trusted his keen intuition like a small animal, so he tactfully said, [How could that be? An Qiao, you don’t look like someone you can mess with at all! Zhou Xiaoxiao was just blind, and in the end, he crashed and burned, didn’t he?] Song Leran could actually understand why Zhou Xiaoxiao misjudged the situation this time.

In both online and real-life rumors, An Qiao was just a useless “parasitic flower,” bearing the title of “Crown Princess” but not valued by the Crown Prince. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoxiao didn’t hesitate to harm An Qiao. In Zhou Xiaoxiao’s view, it was just a matter of sprinkling special powder to attract the Bloodthirsty Vine and scare An Qiao. What could such a “small matter” be?

Perhaps Zhou Xiaoxiao didn’t expect Chu Heng to value An Qiao so much.

In fact, not only did Zhou Xiaoxiao not expect it, but most people probably didn’t either. If he hadn’t been there when Chu Heng came to pick up An Qiao in person today, he probably wouldn’t have believed that Chu Heng valued An Qiao so much—not just because he held the title of “Crown Princess,” but because he genuinely cared for him.

It was an affection that couldn’t be hidden in his eyes…

Yes, affection.

Who would have thought that Chu Heng, who never showed mercy to women and said he would never marry the Crown Princess, would change his mind?

Song Leran was genuinely happy for An Qiao.

His friend had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

[By the way]

Song Leran suddenly remembered something important. [Have you finished your advanced calculus homework?]
[Professor Yan will be checking homework in class in a couple of days.]

An Qiao: “… ”

An Qiao coldly put down his personal terminal.

**

The next day, Chu Heng went to the palace on his own initiative, without official business or a request from Emperor Chu Zhengming.

Emperor Chu Zhengming was surprised and puzzled when he heard that Chu Heng had come to see him, assuming that he had something important to discuss.

However, he never expected Chu Heng to ask him to have the empress return the 2S-level energy shield that rightfully belonged to the crown prince.

“You want to give this 2S-level energy shield to your crown princess?” Chu Zhengming thought for a moment and realized the possible reason.

He naturally knew about the near-attack on Crown Princess An Qiao by the Bloodthirsty Vine at the Empire’s First Military Academy yesterday.

“Do you really like An Qiao?

So much that you’d give him this energy shield, which has special significance?

In the tradition of the Imperial Royal Family, if the Crown Prince truly loves his Crown Princess, he will give his own 2S-level energy shield to them.

A 2S-level energy shield can automatically and effectively defend against 2S-level attacks for ten minutes. Don’t underestimate this short defense time. It can be lifesaving in critical moments. Within those ten minutes, there’s a high chance that your personal guards will arrive to rescue you.

A 2S level isn’t low either. Currently, besides Chu Heng, only Marshal Jiang is a 3S-level beastman in the Empire, and he only achieved 3S-level status in middle age. 2S-level beastmen are also rare in the Empire.

3S-level beastmen are extremely rare. The Empire typically has only one 3S-level beastman per generation, though occasionally two 2S-level beastmen will appear.

Therefore, a 2S-level energy shield is very precious. Typically, unless one truly cherishes it, the crown prince wouldn’t give his crown princess a 2S-level energy shield that could save his life in a critical moment.

Of course, Chu Zhengming also considered that Chu Heng’s willingness to give An Qiao the shield was likely because he himself was already a 3S-level beastman and didn’t need it. However, Chu Heng’s willingness to give An Qiao this energy shield, which held special significance for him, showed that Chu Heng valued An Qiao highly.

**

When Chu Heng returned to the Marshal’s residence after receiving the shield, An Qiao was sitting by the window among the rose bushes, seemingly painting.

Dressed in a snow-white robe, the young man had a cool and handsome appearance. His long, silver-white hair cascaded freely among the roses like magnificent satin, making him appear otherworldly. The exquisitely beautiful rosebuds, ready to bloom, instantly became a mere backdrop, their brilliance overshadowed.

As if facing a difficult problem, the young man frowned in distress.

Seeing Chu Heng appear in his field of vision, An Qiao suddenly remembered that, when he was sick with a high fever, Chu Heng had promised to grant him a reasonable request if he recovered quickly.

An Qiao immediately perked up, his beautiful ice-blue eyes lighting up.

“You said you’d grant me a reasonable request. You should remember, right?”

He stared intently at Chu Heng, his gaze almost burning. “Could I see your black dragon beast form?”

He’d been eyeing Chu Heng’s black dragon beast form for so long! He wanted to see it!

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