Chapter 132 NPC

Upon closer listening, the crying didn't seem to belong to the Seventh Prince; it sounded more like a little girl crying, which was strange.

Xiao Yuxuan quickened her pace. Because of his mental disability, the Seventh Prince had not moved to Yuqing Palace, where princes were required to go after the age of seven. He was still living in a palace closest to the Empress.

When she entered the palace gates, she discovered that in broad daylight, there wasn't a single servant in the palace grounds, and the crying was coming from inside the houses.

"The Seventh Prince?"

The house was tightly shut, so she stopped and called out from outside.

The crying inside stopped abruptly, and Qi You's voice rang out:

"Who are you? Are you here to play with me?"

"I am Xiao Yuxuan, the daughter of Minister Xiao. I have come here abruptly because I have some questions I would like to ask the Seventh Prince."

The door was opened from the inside, and the scene inside came into view.

Qi You squatted on the ground. Kneeling in front of him was a little palace maid with red and swollen eyes from crying. She looked no more than twelve or thirteen years old. She had her hair in two buns and her chubby little face was cute and innocent.

"Peach Blossom? How could you lose your composure in front of His Highness? Go and tidy yourself up at once!"

The palace servant who brought Xiao Yuxuan clearly recognized the young maid and loudly reprimanded her.

The little palace maid, nicknamed Peach Blossom, was already flustered when she heard someone coming. She didn't dare to cry anymore, and scrambled to her feet, hurriedly bowed, and left.

"Sister, I recognize you."

Qi You tilted his head, concealing the emotions in his eyes, and looked no different from a truly mentally challenged child.

"Seventh Prince, Miss Xiao, then this servant will take her leave now."

It was no secret that Miss Xiao was favored by the Eldest Princess. The palace servant, being perceptive, knew that Miss Xiao probably had something to discuss with the Seventh Prince, so he tactfully left.

She still had to go back and report to the Empress, and punish the lazy palace servants around the Seventh Prince!

After everyone left, Qi You slowly stood up and looked at Xiao Yuxuan in front of him.

That foolish look disappeared; her little face was tense and expressionless.

To be honest, he didn't think she had any ability to turn the tide and change the world of the novel.

He has been in this world for countless cycles, from the initial desperate resistance and the rise of all the cannon fodder, to the repeated failures, numbness, and finally accepting reality, dying and returning to the age of five time and time again.

Sometimes he wondered if he had unintentionally offended the writer, which was why the writer created a cannon fodder character with the same name and appearance as him, and who always died a gruesome death...

But in this life, a turning point unlike any before appeared—

The Xiao family, being the male protagonist's main wife's family and also the so-called female protagonist's maternal family, occupies a significant place in the original text.

Xiao Yuxuan was originally a cannon fodder character, a younger sister who was meant to highlight the heroine's divine favor. However, she suddenly seemed to awaken and did many things that deviated from the plot.

The biggest change is that she actually knows to cling to the eldest princess's coattails.

Although it won't be of much use anyway, the eldest princess and the crown prince will both be killed in this plague.

However, it can be considered a breakthrough.

His current body is only ten years old, and he is trapped in the deep palace. He has no way to send messages to anyone, so he can only rely on the methods that inspired Physician Wei to deliberately release information so that Xiao Yuxuan will notice.

But the next second, Xiao Yuxuan knelt down and kowtowed, which startled Qi You.

"Your Highness, I beg you to have pity on the people of Qi and tell me how to cure this plague—"

He jumped aside in a panic, never having received such a grand gesture, and his voice trembled with fright:

"What are you doing?! Why are you kneeling down for no reason?!"

"Get up first, let's talk this out. Why do people here like to kneel all the time..."

Qi You muttered to himself as he pulled the person up.

"Aren't you curious why I pretend to be crazy and why I only act normal when I'm with you?"

"Your Highness has made arrangements, and I dare not overstep my bounds, but there is an epidemic..."

Seeing that Xiao Yuxuan was about to utter the words "epidemic" again, Qi You scratched his head:

"Aren't you curious why that little palace maid was crying here just now? Or rather, why I had to reveal those things to Physician Wei?"

Xiao Yuxuan remained silent, looking at the little prince who was not even as tall as herself, but her expression clearly showed her curiosity.

Qi You released his hand, pointed to the chair next to him, indicating that Xiao Yuxuan should sit down, and then walked to another empty chair, turned around, sat down, and crossed his legs in one smooth motion.

Despite his small stature, his unruly and dissolute posture did not add much to his imposing presence; instead, it made him appear out of place, somewhat comical, like a child trying to act like an adult.

"Xiao Yuxuan, let me tell you this: you're not a living person, you're just... hurrah... hurrah... do you understand? hurrah... hurrah..."

Qi You frowned, and upon hearing the sound coming from his mouth, fell silent.

His exact words were:

"You are just a lifeless NPC with a pre-programmed script. This world is fake, do you understand? I am not from this world either; this is a novel."

However, just like when he was talking to others, when he tried to say something that violated the rules of the world, it all turned into a strange "hoola" sound.

The girl opposite him slowly furrowed her brow, as if in doubt or bewilderment.

"Sigh... never mind."

Qi You gave up and could only say, "That little palace maid just now, named Peach Blossom, her brother works in the East Palace and was punished for making a mistake. He's in the Imperial Prison now and is begging me to save her."

"I told him about Physician Wei on purpose, so that you would come to me."

Xiao Yuxuan was quite surprised by his straightforwardness.

She thought she would have to say a few more words, but to her surprise, the other party spoke as if they were just waiting for her.

"But Your Highness—since you know the methods for preventing and controlling the epidemic, why did you use Physician Wei as a proxy, while you remained in the shadows?"

"Don't call me Your Highness anymore, it sounds awkward. Just call me Qi You."

Anyway, the seventh prince here shares the same name as him, so it wouldn't be strange to call him that; otherwise, he would have to explain where the new name came from.

"This humble woman dares not."

“I have my reasons. You know I’ve been keeping a low profile these past few years, how could I possibly stand out like this? But I can tell you, I don’t have the epidemic treatment formula you’re looking for.”

These words dashed Xiao Yuxuan's hopes, like a bucket of cold water had been poured over them. She pursed her lips and looked at the Seventh Prince—

"Then how did you learn about those methods? Please tell me, Your Highness."

Qi You clicked his tongue; he couldn't very well say it was a product of modern epidemic prevention work.

"That was mentioned in a travelogue I read before. I never thought I'd stumble upon it by sheer luck."

"By the way, although I don't have a prescription, I can give you a few suggestions."

Xiao Yuxuan's eyes lit up. She leaned forward slightly, adopting an expression of attentive listening, and said sincerely, "This humble woman is willing to hear the details."