AEKMEM chapter 43

An Qiao’s “surprise” was actually Song Leran’s suggestion.

Chu Heng had been feeling down these past few days.

The Elf King was always aloof and maintained an imposing demeanor. He had never comforted anyone before and didn’t know how to comfort Chu Heng.

After racking his brains, he offered a few dry words of comfort, but they didn’t seem to have much effect.

Chu Heng usually seemed arrogant and disdainful of everyone. Even when injured, he never flinched, as if nothing could break him.

However, he was now wounded by the vile curses hurled at him by his own mother. He was clearly depressed but forced a smile to avoid worrying him. His seemingly calm eyes always concealed suppressed pain and occasionally revealed a heavy, melancholic expression.

An Qiao couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

He wanted to offer comfort but found himself completely inexperienced. He fumbled around, trying to console Chu Heng, but ended up with Chu Heng patting his head and reassuring him. Chu Heng told him not to worry, saying that he would be all right.

An Qiao: “… ”

An Qiao was tired.

Just then, Song Leran contacted him. An Qiao asked Song Leran how to comfort someone and make them happy.

Song Leran immediately understood. “You want to comfort His Highness the Crown Prince and make him happy, right?”

After news of He Yun’s actions spread, Song Leran, like most people in the empire, was furious when he learned the truth.

Crown Prince Chu Heng still enjoyed a very high reputation in the empire. Aside from a faction within the upper echelons of the empire who supported the Second Prince and a few sinister conspirators, the vast majority of the empire supported Chu Heng as the crown prince.

In terms of strength, Chu Heng was the empire’s strongest 3S-class beastman: a primordial black dragon with immense destructive power.

In terms of achievements and ability, Chu Heng’s military merits were outstanding, and his battle record was brilliant. This time, especially, when he led the Second Army to crush the Zerg and gravely injured the Zerg Queen himself, his reputation soared even higher. The younger generation of the Empire, who admired strength, viewed him as an idol.

Moreover, Chu Heng was extremely handsome, with an exceptionally beautiful face.

However, he was kidnapped by space pirates as a child and grew up on a chaotic, backward garbage planet. He only managed to return to the capital planet and be recognized by the Emperor after passing the Imperial Examination for the Empire’s First Military Academy. Relying on his innate talent, strength, and military achievements, he fought his way up to become crown prince. This experience of rising from the bottom resonated with many.

Rumors spread by the Second Prince’s faction claimed that Chu Heng had become bloodthirsty and vicious during the war against the Zerg. They relentlessly attacked him for his naturally bloodthirsty red eyes, calling him a born demon. Because of the overwhelming intimidation of his black dragon form, many in the Empire inevitably feared him.

However, compared to this slight fear, Chu Heng was mostly admired and revered. The empire reveres military might, and Chu Heng’s strength, achievements, and the victories and peace he won for the empire earned him their sincere respect as crown prince.

If anyone were to try to dethrone Chu Heng from his position as crown prince, they would be the first to object.

Now, they learned that if He Yun hadn’t watched helplessly as space pirates kidnapped her newborn son, Chu Heng, without intervening, he wouldn’t have been stranded on a chaotic, backward planet at a young age. He would have struggled alone until he was sixteen and endured countless hardships.

He could have avoided hunger and pain from childhood. He wouldn’t have had to learn to fight for his own protection, nor would he have been forced to develop a cold and unapproachable personality due to the dangerous and chaotic environment.

He could have grown up carefree and happily in the palace.

Song Leran, who, like most people in the empire, secretly admired Chu Heng, silently cursed He Yun countless times in his heart.

Upon hearing that An Qiao wanted to comfort and cheer up Chu Heng, Song Leran was enthusiastic and immediately offered An Qiao a great idea.

Although he felt that even if An Qiao, the crown princess, only offered a few dry words of comfort or simply stayed silently by his side, the crown prince, this henpecked husband, would be overjoyed.

An Qiao raised an eyebrow suspiciously and asked, “Do you really think this idea… will work?”

It’s just sending a few potted flowers, right? Obtaining flowers might be difficult for ordinary people, but it would be easy for him.

“Of course,” Song Leran nodded confidently.

At the flower festival in Blue Star City, “flower shooting” was the best way for couples to express their love. Every year at this time, countless people practice archery diligently, hoping to impress their beloved and win their heart.

If the Crown Princess “confessed,” then surely, even if His Highness the Crown Prince were deeply depressed, he would instantly brighten up with joy!

“Then let’s try this method.” An Qiao pondered for a moment and then agreed to Song Leran’s suggestion.

—He was unaware that Song Leran had tricked him.

Having “learned” from Song Leran, he took immediate action.

Thus, An Qiao suggested that they go to the Blue Star City Flower Festival to experience the excitement.

Under An Qiao’s gaze, Chu Heng almost couldn’t keep up the act.

Deceiving such a bright and pure elf was truly a sin!

However, when he heard An Qiao say that he had a surprise for him, he shamelessly decided to pretend to be sad for a while longer and then be healed naturally by An Qiao’s “surprise.”

**

Upon witnessing this scene, the adjutant Jiang Qi’s eyes twitched uncontrollably.

Was this really their Crown Prince, who always valued his reputation above all else?

Was this man, who was deliberately feigning distress to gain the Crown Princess’s pity and sympathy and trying to manipulate him, really their Crown Prince, who would never utter a sound even when bleeding and who was extremely concerned with his image?

If Chu Heng knew his true thoughts, he would definitely say, “Why bother with your reputation in front of your wife? If being shameless can win over your wife, then being occasionally shameless is fine.”

After finishing matters involving the Greedy Wolf Star Pirates, Jiang Qi led Chu Heng’s personal guards out of the Spirit Burial Snowfield. Upon arriving at the garden castle where Chu Heng and An Qiao were staying, they learned from the butler about the curses hurled by Chu Heng’s biological mother.

According to the butler, the Crown Princess was furious that He Yun had cursed Chu Heng.

His Highness the Crown Prince was also depressed because of his biological mother’s attitude.

Jiang Qi was shocked.

As Chu Heng’s adjutant, he knew Chu Heng didn’t care about He Yun at all. No matter how much she cursed him, he wouldn’t even flinch, let alone be depressed.

Confusion, astonishment, utter bewilderment.

However, after witnessing Chu Heng and An Qiao’s interaction, Jiang Qi suddenly understood.

Good heavens! So, His Highness the Crown Prince was pretending to be hurt by He Yun’s attitude to win the favor of the Crown Princess?

How cunning! The man!

Jiang Qi initially thought that An Qiao’s disguise as the eldest son of the An family, in order to infiltrate Chu Heng’s side, was for unknown purposes. He wondered if Chu Heng, deeply entangled in this situation, would be in danger.

Now, however, he felt that the “prey” being tricked was actually An Qiao.

His Highness the Crown Prince is incredibly cunning!

When Chu Heng approached, Jiang Qi was somewhat surprised. However, when he saw An Qiao’s departing figure in the distance, he immediately understood. It was because the Crown Princess had left.

Otherwise, why would His Highness have come looking for him for no reason?

Chu Heng leaned lazily against a willow tree, narrowing his eyes threateningly. “You know what you should and shouldn’t say, right?”

“I know.” Jiang Qi’s lips twitched.

He had that much self-awareness.

Of course, he wouldn’t be so tactless as to expose the fact that the Crown Prince was pretending to the Crown Princess.

Chu Heng frowned again and said, “An Qiao’s identity is not a problem. I’ve told you this before, but you don’t seem to believe me.”

Jiang Qi felt a little embarrassed at being seen through.

The Crown Prince forbade him from investigating An Qiao’s identity and refused to tell him his true identity, so he couldn’t help but worry.

Fortunately, he always obeyed Chu Heng’s orders and didn’t act on his own. On the surface, his attitude toward An Qiao remained the same as before he discovered that An Qiao wasn’t the eldest young master of the An family; he showed no disrespect.

“Now I believe you.” He said.

Judging from the current relationship between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince is clearly much more cunning than the Crown Princess.

Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince has reminded him that he should have his own plans and that his affairs with the Crown Princess are none of his concern as an outsider.

“It’s good that you understand.” Chu Heng nodded.

As he spoke, he caught sight of An Qiao. His eyes lit up with unusual intensity, and he strode quickly toward An Qiao.

The abandoned Jiang Qi: “… ”

He really is a friend-forgetter for a pretty face.

**

He Yun has been driven almost mad these past few days.

People around her constantly point and whisper, their eyes filled with mockery and disgust. Some even speak to her sarcastically, calling her blind and heartless.

She had been pampered since childhood. Even after divorcing Emperor Chu Zhengming and remarrying her lover, she had never been treated like this.

Wherever she went, people looked down on her. Even at her father Marshal He’s residence, people looked at her strangely.

Not only outsiders, but even… The people around her had drastically changed their attitude toward her as well.

Her partner—the utterly useless youngest son of a small family, possessing a captivatingly handsome appearance and a talent for sweet talk, was a good-for-nothing playboy who only knew how to eat, drink, and be merry.

He offered no comfort and blamed her for bringing disaster to his family. He called her stupid and vicious.

Even her youngest son, whom she doted on, was throwing tantrums at her. He felt ashamed of her, complained that she embarrassed him at school, and blamed her for ruining his promising future.

He Yun felt she was on the verge of collapse!

On the verge of collapse, He Yun cried out to her father, Marshal He. “Dad, look how badly your daughter has been bullied, and you haven’t said a word!”

“Then what do you want me to do? Should I scold them all and offend everyone? Do you think they’ll give me face? It’s only because of His Highness the Crown Prince! Now, it’s uncertain whether you can even stay in the capital, and whether the He family can survive!”

Marshal He hasn’t had an easy time these past few days either.

He hasn’t been highly regarded by Emperor Chu Zhengming for many years, and he retired from the Second Army Corps long ago. The He family is just a small, insignificant family among the nobles of the capital with no capable descendants.

Usually, people give him face mostly because of his grandson, the Crown Prince, Chu Heng.

However, it has now been revealed that his daughter, He Yun, actually watched… The incident involved his biological son being kidnapped by space pirates. This “son” was none other than Chu Heng, the imperial prince who was forced to grow up on a chaotic, garbage planet because of it.

Everyone’s gaze toward him has changed.

Those who disliked him gloated in front of him, mocking him for losing his “good grandson.”

Marshal He never imagined he would end up like this.

Upon closer reflection, though, it seemed there had been a premonition.

A few months ago, Chu Heng’s… Before going to the battlefield, He Yun had suffered terribly from a mental attack. He secretly invited Chu Heng to visit her.

—Back then, he didn’t know what she had done in the past. He thought her mental issues came from extreme guilt over her son’s kidnapping. He believed her grief had nearly destroyed her spirit and resulted in mental attack over the years.

After that visit, Chu Heng’s attitude towards him, and towards He Yun… The birth mother’s attitude had become noticeably colder than before. While he had been indifferent before, he had never been this cold.

In hindsight, it’s possible that Chu Heng overheard something from He Yun during that visit when she was rambling incoherently due to a mental attack. Perhaps he even guessed the truth about what happened back then.

Afterwards, Chu Heng was preoccupied with external affairs on the battlefield. After defeating the Zerg, he had many other matters to resolve, and then he was suddenly matched with the brain system. Perhaps because of these things, coupled with… Since it was all just speculation without confirmation or evidence, Chu Heng hadn’t had the heart to address the events of that year.

Now that he was allowing the matter to spread, it was clear that he no longer had any feelings for He Yun, his birth mother.

Marshal He sat weakly in his chair, utterly exhausted.

**

The flower festival in Blue Star City lasted seven days.

Of course, flower viewing was an essential part of the festival. In addition to flower viewing, Blue Star City had a traditional activity called “flower shooting.”

Without relying on any special abilities or spiritual power, participants used the most primitive method of archery. Whichever flower pot they hit, they could take it away.

Flowers for a beauty.

Shooting the flower your beloved chooses and presenting it to them is an extremely romantic way to express affection.

Of course, flowers are also given to family members or friends.

When the family goes to a flower fair and the children clamor for a particular flower or an elder has their eye on a certain one, the head of the household should oblige, right?

The surprise An Qiao prepared for Chu Heng was shooting down all the flowers he liked and giving them to him.

He didn’t think it was much of a surprise.

But he couldn’t think of any other surprises, so he decided to leave it at that for now.

Chu Heng and An Qiao arrived in their flying vehicle at the square in front of the Blue Star City government building.

The “flower shooting” event was held at several locations in Blue Star City, including the square in front of the government building. The square was quite spacious. There were parks, food streets, and shopping streets nearby.

The moment Chu Heng realized the “surprise” An Qiao had prepared, his eyelids twitched involuntarily.

Of course, he was touched and happy; after all, this was a surprise Qiao Qiao had painstakingly prepared for him!

However, his feelings were also somewhat complicated and subtle.

They say, “Flowers for a beauty, ” but he felt he would rather shoot flowers for An Qiao than be “given flowers.”

“Don’t be shy,” An Qiao said, looking at him and slightly raising his chin. “I can shoot down as many potted flowers as you like and give them to you.”

Beauty Chu Heng: “……”

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