Du Li repeated the words several times. Chu Chu turned her head in confusion and looked at Xiao Jin Yu. "Wang Ye, is he saying he's hungry?"
Xiao Jin Yu understood a few phrases of the Miao language—not many, but he happened to recognize the word Du Li was saying.
"No..."
"Then what is he saying?"
Xiao Jin Yu fixed his gaze—cold enough to freeze someone to death—on Du Li, who was clinging to Chu Chu. "He's calling you... mother..."
Chu Chu froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "He's so amusing!"
"..."
Chu Chu coaxed this "son," who was half a head taller than her, to stand up from the ground. Following Xiao Jin Yu's instructions, she rummaged through the room and found a military uniform, which she wrapped around Du Li. Throughout the process, Du Li clung tightly to Chu Chu's neck, just as he had earlier with the lamb leg, sticking to her like an octopus and refusing to let go. Xiao Jin Yu's face alternated between shades of green and pale, and it took all his self-control to suppress the urge to order Chu Chu to toss him aside.
Xiao Jin Yu stepped out first, gathering all the guards to a spot far from the tent. The soldiers, seeing Xiao Jin Yu's grim expression alone, obediently complied, listening intently as he sternly listed a series of basic precautions for guarding the crime scene. No one noticed two figures sneaking out of the tent behind them.
By the time Xiao Jin Yu returned to the sleeping quarters, Chu Chu and Du Li were already inside, along with the two guards assigned to the tent.
Chu Chu and Du Li were seated by the table, with Du Li's arms wrapped tightly around Chu Chu's waist. Chu Chu was feeding grapes into Du Li's mouth, while the two guards stood stiffly to the side, staring blankly.
"Wang Ye..."
Seeing Xiao Jin Yu return, Chu Chu's eyes curved into happy crescents. With one hand stroking Du Li's head, which was pressed against her chest, she announced proudly, "Wang Ye, look, he's stopped crying!"
Xiao Jin Yu felt like crying himself. This was his princess consort—he hadn't even been held or fed by her like this...
"Chu Chu, hand him over to the guards for now..."
"Hmm..." Chu Chu looked at Du Li, who was engrossed in eating. "I wanted to go bathe earlier, but he just wouldn't let go. I heard him calling me 'mother' over and over—it was so pitiful, so I gave him something to eat... Wang Ye, how do you think he ended up in our military camp?"
Xiao Jin Yu wanted to ask that question more than anyone. "I don't know..."
"Did the Turkic prince abandon him?"
"I don't know..."
"Wang Ye, let's keep him... He already calls me mother!"
The two guards watched as Xiao Jin Yu's face turned another shade darker. Exchanging a glance, one of them stepped forward. "Wang Ye... our tent has space... we can... fit one more person."
Xiao Jin Yu replied decisively, "Take him away."
As if understanding, Du Li clung even tighter to Chu Chu, his face flushed and eyes red, pitifully calling out "mother" again, on the verge of tears. Chu Chu quickly patted his head, soothing him gently as if he were her own son. "Don't cry, don't cry..."
The two guards silently glanced at Xiao Jin Yu—it had been a while since they'd seen the prince's face so dark.
"Chu Chu, you need to bathe... and so does he."
Chu Chu worriedly stroked Du Li, who had started trembling again. He was truly terrified—his bright, large eyes red from crying, his cheeks deathly pale, looking utterly pitiful.
"Wang Ye, he already calls me mother. How about... I bathe him?"☆、77 Roasted Whole Lamb (Thirteen)
Xiao Jin Yu nearly fainted on the spot. His hands gripped the wheelchair armrests so tightly his knuckles turned white, and his face darkened like the bottom of a burnt pot. "Absolutely not."
Du Li shrank further into Chu Chu's embrace, burying his entire face against her chest as his body curled into a ball. "Wah..."
Chu Chu stroked Du Li's head as if comforting a wounded large animal, her voice full of pity. "Wang Ye, look how pitiful he is..."
"Chu Chu..."
"Wang Ye..."
Whenever Chu Chu looked at him like this before, Xiao Jin Yu would grant her every request—but this time...
Xiao Jin Yu decisively shot a murderous glare at the two guards who had been watching the scene enthralled. A chill ran down their spines, and they immediately rushed forward without a word, yanking Du Li out of Chu Chu's arms.
Fortunately, Du Li knew no martial arts, and the guards were swift. In the blink of an eye, they had dragged him far away.
The guards' rough handling caused Du Li pain, and he cried like a child abandoned by his parents, desperately calling out "Mother!" to Chu Chu. One guard promptly struck Du Li's neck, and his body went limp, falling silent instantly.
Watching Du Li collapse weakly, Chu Chu sprang to her feet. "Don't bully him!"
Xiao Jin Yu's face darkened beyond description. "Chu Chu, no one is bullying him... Let them take care of him. You go bathe and change your clothes."
Chu Chu dashed over and snatched Du Li back from the guards. Neither guard dared to wrestle with the Imperial Concubine, so they released him, watching helplessly as Du Li slumped against Chu Chu.
Chu Chu glared at the guards, her eyes seeming to spit fire. "They're nothing but bullies! They won't take good care of him!"
The guards nearly wept—how had they become bullies?...
Xiao Jin Yu could distinctly feel the blood vessels on his forehead swelling, throbbing like a pond full of overfed frogs on a summer night. After gritting his teeth for a long moment, he forced out through clenched jaws, "Chu Chu... put him down. I'll bathe him..." He shot a cold glance at Du Li and added helplessly, "I don't have the strength to bully him."
"No! You can't touch him!"
Xiao Jin Yu's face turned as green as a horse milk grape.
Chu Chu dragged Du Li back two steps. "He's covered in blood, and we don't even know if he touched that corpse... Besides, I've already touched the corpse and held him—you can't touch him!"
Xiao Jin Yu sighed silently, nearly driven mad by her reasoning...
"Chu Chu..." He took a deep breath, adopting a steady, calm, and earnest tone. "You are the Imperial Concubine. Bathing someone... is not something you should do."
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