As usual, Rong Xiu slept by Chu Liuyue’s side and kept her in his arms the whole night.
Chu Liuyue felt a little awkward initially, but she let him be after struggling to no avail. Perhaps it was because she had exhausted herself, but she quickly fell asleep.
Rong Xiu, on the other hand, stayed up the whole night with her in his embrace.
When Chu Liuyue woke up the next morning, Rong Xiu had already left.
She had slept extremely well last night. The exhaustion she felt in her body had disappeared overnight, and she felt much better. She thought that she would take a few days to recover, but it seemed otherwise now.
Chu Liuyue walked to the window and looked toward Yi Feng Courtyard. Its doors were tightly shut, and it was clearly empty.
She frowned slightly. What kind of matter could make Rong Xiu leave the academy so urgently?
…
As she walked, Chu Liuyue clearly felt the tension in the entire campus.
With the Qing Jiao Competition coming soon, everyone wanted to get a good result. Hence, everyone was excited about it.
Chu Liuyue arrived at Liao Zhongshu’s lodging alone.
With only Liao Zhongshu left, the place seemed especially quiet.
Chu Liuyue pushed the door open and saw Liao Zhongshu gloomily lying on his bed. Her entrance did not wake him, and his eyes were still tightly shut.
Chu Liuyue walked over to the side of the bed and checked Liao Zhongshu’s pulse before she knitted her brows tightly together.
Even though she had given Liao Zhongshu some medicine before, its effects were limited. Now that all the medicine in his body had been used up, the poison in his body could take effect at any time.
Since Liao Zhongshu was injured, it would be much tougher for him to pull through.
Chu Liuyue called out to him. “Liao Zhongshu, wake up.”
He did not respond.
She nudged him gently, and he only came to after a long while.
He looked worse than he did a few days ago; his eyes were dim and lifeless.
A ripple appeared across his eyes when he saw that it was Chu Liuyue, and he struggled as he attempted to get up. But how could he possibly have the energy?
Chu Liuyue pressed him down. “Don’t move; just take the antidote.”
As she spoke, she handed the pill over.
Liao Zhongshu was stunned when he saw Chu Liuyue handing him a pill that could only be made by heavenly doctors instead of a bowl of medicine.
“Th-this is the antidote you got?” His voice was weak, and Chu Liuyue would not have heard him if not for her good hearing.
Chu Liuyue paused but did not deny it. “En.”
Liao Zhongshu did not question anything and swallowed the pill whole.
The pill melted in his mouth, and a strong but warm force spread towards his limbs.
“The remnant poison will be excreted from your body within a day of taking the antidote, but your body has been heavily damaged. Therefore, it will take you about a month to recover completely.”
Liao Zhongshu looked at Chu Liuyue gratefully. “How can I ever repay you for this…”
Chu Liuyue shook her head. “This thing happened because of me. Someone was targeting me, but they went for you first. Treating you is what I should do.”
Shock flashed across Liao Zhongshu’s eyes.
“I don’t know who’s behind all this yet, so I’ll need your help for now.”
Liao Zhongshu nodded hard. “I’ll do everything I can!”
Chu Liuyue briefly summarized what she saw Chu Xianmin do, but she did not say that she made the pill. Instead, she said that she had gotten it from Chu Xianmin.
“… So, you can’t let anyone find out that you’re healed. Just send the message that you’re hanging on thanks to the medicine. The other party will definitely appear if they’re suspicious. This is the only way we can draw them out.”
Liao Zhongshu understood. “I understand. Don’t worry; I won’t leave my room. I’ll just pretend that the poison hasn’t been cleared yet.”
“En, you can take the time to recuperate. Other than clearing the poison, the pill can also aid your recovery. But thank you for dealing with the trouble.”
Liao Zhongshu smiled. “I’m alive thanks to you. How can something so small be trouble? Don’t worry; you’ll be the first to know if anything strange happens.”
Chu Liuyue heaved a sigh of relief. “Okay.”
…
Time passed quickly, and the Qing Jiao Competition arrived in a blink of an eye.
The other two academies arrived, and the Imperial City became more lively.
Wutong Hall, the Imperial Palace.
Emperor Jiawen and the Empress were eating.
It was rather quiet in the hall.
The Empress glanced at Emperor Jiawen from time to time, looking like she had something she wanted to say.
This was the first time Emperor Jiawen had stayed with her for a while. Hence, she was really happy. She wanted to beg for mercy on the Crown Prince’s behalf, but she was afraid of incurring Emperor Jiawen’s wrath.
She sent Chu Xiao earlier, but he had been heavily reprimanded. Thus, she had not dared to say anything till now.
“Just say whatever’s on your mind,” said Emperor Jiawen.
The Empress hesitated before she spoke. “Your Majesty, the Qing Jiao Competition… Shall we let the Crown Prince return to the academy to take part in it?”
Emperor Jiawen’s eyes turned cold. “You’re speaking for him too.”
The Empress added quickly, “Your Majesty, I’m not doing this for him but for you! The Qing Jiao Competition concerns our country’s image. If Tian Lu Academy loses, you will look bad too!”
The Empress continued speaking after she saw that Emperor Jiawen’s expression seemed gloomy but receptive. “Especially since we’re hosting the Qing Jiao Competition. If we lose… won’t it look especially bad? The Crown Prince has made a mistake, but he’s young, and it was a rash decision. Do you intend to stay mad at him forever? Besides, hardly anyone can compare to him in the academy. Do you think he can atone for his mistakes with credit?”
Emperor Jiawen rubbed his temples. His anger had already subsided substantially. Besides, he had thought about what the Empress had said. “Since you asked, I’ll give the Crown Prince a second chance.”
The Empress knelt down to thank him. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Emperor Jiawen did not wish to say anything else and pardoned her.
“How far he can go will depend on his ability. What about Zhen Zhen? How has she been?”
The Empress’s smile faded a little, quickly replaced by sadness. “Zhen Zhen has been upset since her pearl of essence was destroyed. She has locked herself in her room the entire time. This… Your Majesty, you understand. She used to be so outstanding, so she feels terrible after something like this happened to her. I went to go see her, and I saw her secretly crying a number of times.”
She began to cry as she spoke.
Emperor Jiawen sighed. He did dote on Rong Zhen, so he felt terrible hearing about this.
“She can keep going this way. It’s fine. Tell her that I’ll bring heavenly doctors over for her after the Qing Jiao Competition to see if anything can be done.”
The Empress wiped her tears and gratefully said, “On behalf of Zhen Zhen, I thank your majesty.”