Since then, she had never kept any living creatures again.
But... what does the Prince have to do with rabbits?
While Chu Chu was lost in these aimless thoughts, she suddenly heard Xiao Jin Yu's muffled coughs and jumped in surprise. "You're still awake?"
She listened as Xiao Jin Yu picked up a cup in the darkness, drank some water, and after putting it back, softly replied, "Mm."
Chu Chu rested her chin on the pillow, facing Xiao Jin Yu's direction. "When you're sick, you need more sleep to recover faster."
"Mm."
Xiao Jin Yu's voice showed no trace of sleepiness.
"If you can't sleep, I'll tell you a story. When I couldn't sleep as a child, my grandfather would always tell me this story, and I'd fall asleep right away."
After a moment of silence, Xiao Jin Yu's indifferent voice came through. "Alright."
Chu Chu cleared her throat and began telling the story seriously in her clear, sweet voice. "Once upon a time, there was a mountain. In the mountain, there was a temple. In the temple, there was an old monk telling a story to a young monk. Do you know what the old monk was telling?"
"Hmm?"
"The old monk was telling: Once upon a time, there was a mountain. In the mountain, there was a temple. In the temple, there was an old monk telling a story to a young monk."
"..."
"Do you know what the old monk was telling?"
"I know... It's late, you should sleep now."
After that night, Xiao Jin Yu never made the guards travel through the night again. They would travel during the day according to the weather and settle in bustling towns by evening, staying at moderately decent inns where each of the four had their own room to sleep separately.
The evenings were fine. They would settle in towns before dark, and though Xiao Jin Yu wouldn't go out, he would have the guards accompany her for walks. After a few days, Chu Chu had become quite familiar with both guards.
The daytime was different. Xiao Jin Yu seemed unable to bear the jolting of the carriage, and from the second day onward, he didn't even read anymore. He just lay quietly, speaking very little. The types of medicine he took daily increased, yet he hardly ate anything else. No matter how bored Chu Chu felt, she didn't dare disturb him, so she simply hid away and immersed herself in reading "Legends of the Nine Great Arresters."
After several consecutive days of reading, she was still thoroughly enjoying it, while Xiao Jin Yu could no longer stand it.
One day when the weather was particularly clear and Xiao Jin Yu's spirits were slightly better, he finally couldn't resist asking her, "What book have you been reading all this time?"
"I won't tell you."
Xiao Jin Yu was taken aback. "Why?"
Looking at Xiao Jin Yu, who seemed to have lost weight over the past few days, Chu Chu frowned. "You're sick—I shouldn't make you angry."
He had only asked casually, but her response made him determined to know. "Tell me... I won't get angry."
"Really?"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded. It was just a book—what was there to be angry about?
"Legends of the Nine Great Arresters. Mr. Dong told the stories, and I memorized them."
Xiao Jin Yu broke into a coughing fit.
Chu Chu stomped her feet anxiously. "You said you wouldn't get angry!"
"I didn't—"
"You said you wouldn't!"
"I'm not angry..."
When it came to the Six Doors, he no longer knew how to be angry with her.
Taking the cup Chu Chu handed him, he drank some water to calm his breathing, then pointed at the notebook. "Can I take a look?"
Chu Chu hesitated. "Alright, but... you can't get angry after reading it. This book is all about the Six Doors."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded. He just wanted to see what kind of Six Doors existed in her mind.Chu Chu handed one of the three books to Xiao Jin Yu. After flipping through a few pages, he asked her to bring the other two as well.
Seeing Xiao Jin Yu's expression, which didn't seem angry at all—in fact, he appeared deeply engrossed in reading—Chu Chu couldn't help but feel a surge of delight. Steward Zhao hadn't been entirely right after all!
While reading, Xiao Jin Yu casually asked, "You said... who was it that told these stories again?"
"Mr. Dong, Mr. Dong from the Fragrance Adding Teahouse in our town. When we get to Chu Shui Town, I'll take you to the teahouse to listen. Hearing these stories from Mr. Dong's mouth is much more interesting than reading them on paper."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded lightly. "What is Mr. Dong's full name?"
Chu Chu shook her head. "I don't know that. Everyone at the teahouse calls him Mr. Dong. He came from the capital, and he's different from our local storytellers."
"How is he different?"
Chu Chu gestured as she spoke. "In our town, storytelling is usually done by a man and a woman—the woman holds a pipa, and the man uses red clappers, narrating while singing. But Mr. Dong holds a fan and a teapot, sipping tea as he speaks. So... not many people at the teahouse are willing to listen to him. The owner only lets him perform in the morning when the teahouse is least crowded."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded thoughtfully. "May I borrow these three books?"
"You really want to read them?"
"His storytelling... feels quite authentic."
"It is authentic!"
"Hmm..."
"If you like them, you can keep them," Chu Chu said, her heart blooming with joy. "Take your time reading them, no rush!"
"Thank you."
☆、22 Sweet and Sour Ribs (Part Two)
Over the next two days, aside from handling a few urgent official documents, Xiao Jin Yu spent all his time in the carriage engrossed in the three volumes of Legends of the Nine Great Arresters of the Six Doors. He read with such focus and attention to detail that if Chu Chu hadn't known better, she would have thought he was reviewing case files or official reports.
However, this diversion did nothing to alleviate his illness. On the contrary, the two guards driving the carriage could clearly hear Xiao Jin Yu's coughing from inside the vehicle—growing heavier, more frequent, and increasingly distressing. Unable to bear it, they unconsciously slowed the carriage's pace, which directly led to their arrival at the city gate of Shengzhou's border a full half-hour after it had closed.
The guards felt slightly panicked. Before their departure, Wu Jiang had sternly warned them that if they dared to mess up the Prince's affairs, they would be sent to guard the northwestern frontier upon their return—and only their ashes would be brought back. "Sir... it must be the gatekeepers slacking off and closing the gate early. I'll go and have them open it."
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