Chapter Ninety-Three: Zhao Yu Plays the Victim

Zhao Yu entered the palace early in the morning.

When Prince Cheng returned to the capital, Consort Ning was overjoyed. Her maternal clan, the Marquis of Nan'an, held a three-day banquet to celebrate his return.

The last time Emperor Mingde saw Prince Cheng was on New Year's Eve before the new year.

A year later, Emperor Mingde was delighted to see his son and immediately assigned Prince Cheng a task: to guard and purge Prince Qin's faction.

King Cheng replied, "Yes, Father! Your son will certainly not fail in his mission."

Emperor Mingde smiled with satisfaction.

"He An and Chen Feng have made great contributions this time and deserve to be rewarded."

Zhao Yu stood tall and straight, wearing an official hat, his face slightly lowered. "It was my duty, but thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince's prior instructions, I was able to make a swift and decisive decision."

King Cheng glanced at Zhao Yu out of the corner of his eye, a flash of anger crossing his eyes.

Zhao Yu is nothing but a dog kept by the Crown Prince!

The Crown Prince was thin, but his elegance and kindness were undiminished. He coughed lightly and said, "Father, there are vacancies in several cities in Jiangnan. We need to find people to fill them as soon as possible."

Emperor Mingde nodded and said, "I have already made a decision on this matter. For now, people will be transferred from the capital. Once the imperial examination is over, the vacant positions will be filled by those who have passed the examination."

Just then, a palace servant hesitated at the door.

Emperor Mingde glanced at him, his gaze both stern and displeased.

The chief eunuch bent down and whispered, "His Majesty is here. What are you doing, sneaking around like this?"

The palace maid said awkwardly, “Godfather, Consort Ying… knelt in Yuxiu Palace for over an hour and unexpectedly miscarried. The imperial physicians have all gone to Cuihua Palace…”

The palace servants waiting around immediately bowed and knelt down.

The atmosphere in the imperial study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; it was instantly oppressive and solemn.

Emperor Mingde narrowed his eyes, his piercing gaze sweeping over Prince Cheng.

Prince Cheng's expression changed drastically, and his legs went weak as he knelt down. "Father, Father, please calm your anger."

A memorial fell on King Cheng's head.

Yuxiu Palace was the palace of Consort Ning.

Consort Na Ying is Emperor Mingde's newly acquired concubine. She bears a striking resemblance to Zhao Ying and has recently gained great favor.

The crown prince raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes filled with meaning, and glanced at Zhao Yu out of the corner of his eye.

Emperor Mingde rose with a flick of his sleeve and ordered, "Prepare the carriage for Cuihua Palace."

The imperial carriage departed into the distance.

King Cheng dared not leave and remained kneeling in the imperial study.

After watching Emperor Mingde's imperial carriage disappear, the Crown Prince and Zhao Yu prepared to leave the palace.

The two walked side by side.

"He'an, do you have some good news to share recently?"

In just a few days, the gloom and irritability on Zhao Yu's face disappeared, and his expression was much gentler today.

Zhao Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, "He An dares not belittle His Highness, as I have not yet had the chance to congratulate him on his upcoming good fortune."

The Crown Prince's health has improved somewhat these past few days; there's even color in his lips now.

After Shen Lingyin was sent to the Prince of Qin's residence, Emperor Mingde chose a noblewoman as the Crown Prince's wife.

The wedding is scheduled for next April.

The crown prince shook his head.

That's enough, this body...

Zhao Yu escorted the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace before leaving the palace and returning to his residence.

When Zhao Yu returned to the main courtyard, the two sisters were having dinner.

Mu Mu just returned from Doctor Chen's.

When the little girl saw Zhao Yu arrive, she still had a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth and greeted him with great joy.

Xu Chumian heard the commotion as soon as Zhao Yu entered the courtyard.

She didn't move.

A shadow fell beside him.

Zhao Yu's eyelids drooped slightly.

Xu Chumian looked much better than yesterday, her long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly, as if she hadn't seen Zhao Yu at all.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Mu Mu noticed her sister's unusual behavior. She blinked and her curious gaze darted back and forth between the two of them.

"Brother Zhao Yu, have you eaten?"

Zhao Yu: "No."

Xu Chumian still didn't look up. The next moment, Zhao Yu's voice came.

"I have something to tell you later."

Xu Chumian put down her chopsticks, took a deep breath, looked up at him, and said in a calm tone, "I also have something to tell you."

Mu Mu rested her chin on her hand and said in a childish voice, "Can't you talk while you eat?"

Zhao Yu patted the little girl's head. "Brother has something to take care of."

Mu Mu said "Oh," and then said, "Then you should go and get busy."

Xu Chumian never tried to persuade him to stay.

The person next to me left.

Xu Chumian finally felt her breathing return.

Mu Mu touched Xu Chu Mian's hand, "Sister, don't you like Brother Zhao Yu?"

The person who hadn't gone far outside paused slightly.

Xu Chumian said softly to the little girl, "Whether you like it or not doesn't matter, Mu Mu, one day we'll go home."

This is not their home.

Zhao Yu's expression remained unchanged, his deep gaze fixed on the distance ahead, his eyes filled with intense emotions, as if he were lost in thought.

"Has the item arrived?"

Guan Yan: "It is expected to be delivered after noon."

"Master, is it time for dinner?"

Zhao Yu: "Don't rush yet."

After lunch, Xu Chumian took Mu Mu back to Muheng Pavilion for a midday rest. As soon as they entered, they saw the housekeeper leading a group of people carrying furniture inside.

The steward's surname is Chen; it's the same one from my previous life.

Xu Chumian: "What are you trying to do?"

Butler Chen smiled and said, "It was ordered by the young master to be prepared for Miss Mu Mu. He said he also wants to transform this courtyard into a small martial arts training ground."

“Miss Mu Mu likes archery, so we put a target there. We also brought a large lounge chair outside the library so Miss Mu Mu can lie there, read, and sunbathe.”

Mu Mu blinked, took a moment to process what she was seeing, and then frowned and said, "But this is too extravagant and wasteful."

My sister said this is not their home.

I won't be staying here for long.

Butler Chen's expression gradually became troubled, and he couldn't help but look at Xu Chumian.

“Miss Xu, these are all orders from the young master, and this old servant cannot make the decision.”

Xu Chumian frowned slightly; the layout of this courtyard was exactly as it had been in her previous life.

Whenever Xu Chumian thought of Zhao Yu, her eyes would fill with sorrow.

Where is Zhao Yu?

Dongjiu, standing behind, said, "Just now, the young master told me that if you have time, you should go and find him. The young master has been staying at Lanyun Courtyard."

Xu Chumian patted Mu Mu's head, "Go take a nap first, your sister has something to do."

Mu Mu nodded obediently and was led into the room by the maids in Muheng Pavilion.

Xu Chumian arrived at the door of Zhao Yu's bedroom.

She had lived in this place for several years, and she knew exactly how many steps it took to get from the gate of the courtyard to Zhao Yu's bedroom.

But today, she has been gone for a long time.

Guan Yan stood guard at the door: "Miss Xu, please come in. The young master is waiting for you."

Xu Chumian gave a bitter smile.

Waiting for her?

I'm afraid they're just waiting for her to walk into the lion's den.

As Xu Chumian entered the room, a fragrance reminiscent of forest and ink wafted to her nose.

Although the shop sells Molin Incense, Xu Chumian rarely burns it, and even if she does see it, she ignores it.

In her previous life, Xu Chumian created the Zhenwu Pear Fragrance, which had a unique scent, and for a period of time, she always smelled of it.

Once, Zhao Yu got drunk and went crazy, demanding that Xu Chumian make him incense as well. He carried Xu Chumian's special scent, and they were each other's.

Not long after this incense was made, the young emperor ascended the throne.

She and Zhao Yu gradually drifted apart.

"Didn't you want to talk? What are you standing there for? Come in."

Xu Chumian pursed her lips and went inside, only to see Zhao Yu applying medicine.

Zhao Yu was shirtless. He glanced at Xu Chumian and continued to apply medicine to the wound on his chest with a blank expression.

That wound was left by Xiao Qingyan that day.

The wounds were gruesome, some had scabbed over, and bright red blood still trickled down from them, looking terrifying. But Zhao Yu seemed completely unaffected, not even flinching.

Xu Chumian looked at him for a long time, then couldn't help but say, "You should rest and recuperate in the manor."

Zhao Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's not serious."

The wound was surrounded by red marks, and there were other unhealed wounds nearby, including the one on Xiao Qingyan's shoulder that had been inflicted last time.

It's already like this and it's not serious.

Zhao Yu rarely got injured in his previous life, and the wounds he had in the last two or three months were almost as bad as those he had in the past few years.

"Your body isn't made of iron either."

Zhao Yu stared at her with his dark eyes, not missing a single subtle expression on her face.

Just then, Guanyan came in carrying the medicine.

"Young Master, take your medicine."

Guan Yan put down the medicine and slapped his forehead. "Young Master, you haven't had lunch yet. I'll go and serve you a meal right away."

Guan Yan ran away in a flash.

Xu Chumian remained, frowning as she looked at Zhao Yu.

The medicine on Zhao Yu's wound has been applied almost completely, but he still needs to be bandaged.

Zhao Yu didn't ask Xu Chumian for help. He got up and went to the mirror. His tall and slender body had a strong presence in the room. His shoulders and arms were broad and his muscles were bulging.

For a fleeting moment, Xu Chumian couldn't help but doubt Zhao Yu's intentions.

Zhao Yu first wrapped bandages around his chest several times, then he needed to wrap them around his shoulders and arms. In the short time it took, the bandages became a tangled mess.

Xu Chumian took a small step, almost instinctively about to speak, but she held back her words and looked out the window.

Zhao Yu had finished preparing, and he went to the nearest shelf to Xu Chumian and took down the robe.

The bandage was waving in front of Xu Chumian again.

Xu Chumian frowned: "Zhao Yu, don't you have mysophobia?"

Zhao Yu's gaze faltered slightly as he looked at Xu Chumian.

"It doesn't matter that no one will tidy it up for me."