After brewing the medicine, she returned to find him drenched in sweat from the pain. Worried he might catch a chill sleeping in damp clothes, she wanted to change him into dry ones. But as soon as she lifted the quilt, she saw his hands gripping the sheets tightly, and her nose stung as tears fell uncontrollably.
"It doesn't hurt..." Xiao Jin Yu wanted to wipe her tears, but lifting his wrist from the sheets sent sharp pains through the joints of half his body. His strength faltered, and his hand fell back weakly. All he could do was watch her with a pained heart. "Don't cry..."
Chu Chu vigorously wiped away her tears and blinked her dewy lashes. "I'm not crying. A little bug just flew into my eye."
Xiao Jin Yu gazed at her red, slightly swollen eyes. He knew them better than she did—it would take at least an hour of crying for them to look like this. He sighed softly. "Who told you your eyes are so beautiful? Even bugs are drawn to them..."
Chu Chu let out a sudden giggle, her watery eyes instantly sparkling with laughter, like peach blossoms blooming in the rain—vivid and radiant, brightening Xiao Jin Yu's heart.
"So beautiful..."
Chu Chu pressed her lips together, smiling as she carefully helped him remove the damp clothes clinging to his skin. "Wang Ye, the pain must be making you delirious."
Xiao Jin Yu's smile lingered as he faintly furrowed his brows. "Were you hurt...?"
"No, he just pushed me, but Big Brother caught me right away."
"Good..."
As the collar opened, the bruises on Xiao Jin Yu's snow-white chest stood out starkly—several choking marks had turned purplish-red, along with crescent-shaped wounds that made Chu Chu's eyes well up again. Xiao Jin Yu had always been frail; even minor bumps left bruises that lingered for days. These glaring marks would likely stay for who knew how long.
"Grand Tutor Xue said if he had choked you just a little longer... Luckily, General Xiao Hua killed him with one strike. But I say one strike was too merciful—he deserved ten, eight... no, a hundred strikes! He should've been minced to pieces!"
"Chu Chu..."
Chu Chu sniffled, forcing back her tears, and pouted slightly. "But... it's also General Xiao Hua's fault. If only he had dragged that madman aside before killing him... That lunatic wouldn't let go even after dying—his nails dug deep into your flesh. General Xiao Hua was so furious he wanted to chop the hand off, but Big Brother stopped him. It took a long tug to pry it loose, and you were covered in blood... It even triggered your cadaveric poison. Good thing I memorized Grandpa's prescription."
Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly. "Is General Wang in the room...?"
Chu Chu shook her head as she gently peeled off his soaked outer garment. "He happened to leave when I went out to brew your medicine. His eyes were wide as pancakes, his face dark as an inkstone—it was terrifying."
"Did you hear where he was going?"
Still shaking her head, she deftly helped him remove his inner trousers.
Xiao Jin Yu's brow tightened into a knot. "Chu Chu... go find him for me..."
"I'll go after you take your medicine."
Xiao Jin Yu shook his head. "Now... or it'll be too late."
"Oh... alright!"
After tucking him tightly into the quilt, Chu Chu hurried out. Xiao Jin Yu closed his eyes and lay quietly for a while before distinguishing the patter of rain outside the window.
No wonder his joints ached so badly—it was raining.
That girl rushed out so hastily... I wonder if she brought an umbrella.Although she was not physically weak, she had been quite exhausted lately...
What if she caught a chill and fell ill in the Imperial Examination Hall...
What if she became seriously ill and Xue Rucheng had no solution...
What if the necessary medicine wasn't available in time...
What if...
Just as Xiao Jin Yu's restless thoughts made it impossible for him to lie still, Chu Chu came running in with hurried footsteps, still holding the oil-paper umbrella she hadn't had time to put away as she rushed into the inner room. Seeing Chu Chu completely dry and with her cheeks flushed from running, Xiao Jin Yu's tightly clenched heart finally relaxed.
"Wang Ye! Something really has happened!"
"Don't rush, speak slowly..."
Chu Chu threw down the umbrella and approached Xiao Jin Yu's bedside, her delicate eyebrows knitting into a faint frown. "Wang Ye, Little Flower General went to find Granny Qin and Qin Daye!"
Xiao Jin Yu sighed silently—this was exactly what he had been worried about. "He went to ask about the official uniform delivery, didn't he..."
Chu Chu nodded repeatedly. "Little Flower General shouted and yelled for a long time. Everyone in the servants' quarters heard it, and they even heard him scold Granny Qin until she cried... Qin Daye argued with him, and when Little Flower General got angry, he dragged both Granny Qin and Qin Daye to see Li Rusheng's corpse!"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slightly. "Still in the firewood room where the body is kept..."
Chu Chu pressed her lips together and nodded. "Wang Ye... Granny Qin is gone."
Xiao Jin Yu didn't process it immediately. "Hmm?"
Chu Chu bit her lip, her eyes glistening with tears. "When Qin Daye and Granny Qin first entered, they didn't dare look at the corpse. Little Flower General grabbed the corpse by the neck and lifted it right in front of their faces, forcing them to look. The moment Granny Qin saw the black mole on Li Rusheng's lower back, she hugged the body and cried out 'my son'... Then she couldn't catch her breath, and just... just passed away..."
Xiao Jin Yu was slightly stunned. "What about now?"
"Qin Daye tried to fight Little Flower General to the death, but some officials from the Imperial Examination Hall happened to be passing by and dragged Qin Daye away."
"Where did they go?"
"I don't know either... Little Flower General left in a rage. I tried to chase him but couldn't catch up, so I hurried back!"
Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly and nodded. "You did well..."
"Wang Ye, what should we do?"
"Don't worry..."
Before Xiao Jin Yu could finish his sentence, the window suddenly opened and a familiar white figure dropped inside.
Chu Chu's eyes lit up as if she were seeing a deity descend from heaven. "Brother Jing!"
Xiao Jin Yu sighed quietly to himself—indeed, the only idle person in the residence was always this one...
"Chu Chu... go to the firewood room and prepare Granny Qin's body."
"Alright!"
"Don't forget your umbrella..."
"Ah!"
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