Chapter 66 The Substitute - General Fu

Xiao He, who was standing nearby, didn't understand, but he could tell from his young master's actions that the storyteller was no ordinary person.

Otherwise, his young master wouldn't be so angry.

After a brief moment of anger, Xie Changyu's body went limp again. The exertion he had just gained from being too angry had exhausted his energy.

He's incredibly weak right now.

Xiaohe couldn't bear to watch any longer. He said with concern, "Young Master, don't rush. Don't hurt yourself."

He hurriedly poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xie Changyu. Xie Changyu's face was rosy. He took a breath, then took the cup and drank it directly.

"This storyteller is talking complete nonsense!"

The young master's fair cheeks puffed out slightly, looking as if he was furious, and his eyes were wide open.

"Young Master?" Xiaohe was extremely worried. His young master was already weak and rarely got so angry. What if he ruined his health?

Xie Changyu glanced at him, then looked at the storyteller outside the window, her tone not very friendly, "Close the window, I don't want to listen."

"Yes, young master."

After the viewing window was closed, Xie Changyu's expression softened considerably, but his mind remained in turmoil, the story still lingering in his thoughts.

What substitute, what new love and old love?

How could Fu Shuqing possibly like that tyrant? This guy must be talking nonsense, he must be.

Xie Changyu comforted himself in this way, but the next moment another thought popped into his mind: Did Fu Jing know that his brother and the tyrant were like this?

He was deep in thought, his brows furrowed. It seemed that Fu Jing rarely mentioned his brother to him, let alone these matters of the heart.

A jumble of thoughts began to race through her mind. Could it be that the tyrant really likes men? If they really do like each other, wouldn't that mean Fu Shuqing would have a child?

Just thinking about that scene made Xie Changyu feel like his eyes were burning. The idea of ​​a man giving birth was too rare for him; he had never seen it before, only heard about it.

Xie Changyu actually started to take what was clearly just a storyteller's nonsense seriously, and he suddenly felt a secret unease towards Fu Shuqing, who was about to return.

That's disgusting.

Xie Changyu shook his head, trying to shake off these thoughts. This is fake, this is fake, this is fake.

After finally clearing his mind for a while, he reached out and gestured to the little river beside him, "Come on, help me back."

"Alright, young master, be careful, I'll help you right away."

The journey back was quiet. Xie Changyu finally breathed a sigh of relief when he got back to his room. After the servants helped him with his bedtime washing and grooming, he rolled to the inside of the bed, pressed his forehead against the cool wall, and sighed inwardly how comfortable it felt.

He fell asleep in that position.

The night was quiet, with only the sound of the cold wind blowing.

The next day, when the maid came to wake Xie Changyu up, she noticed something was wrong. She looked at the young master on the bed who hadn't responded to her calls several times and felt strange.

Because the person on the bed was too far inside, the maid had to kneel down on one knee, stretch her whole body closer, and then gently pat the person who was tightly wrapped in the quilt.

"Young master, young master, wake up, it's time to get up."

"Young Master?"

There was still no response.

The maid also noticed something was wrong. She pulled the person who had her back to her over and saw a bright red face. Her ears and cheeks were extremely red, clearly indicating that she had a fever.

The maid's eyes widened. She panicked instantly, realizing something was wrong, and quickly turned to call for help, shouting, "Young Master has a fever!"

"Someone come quick!"

The entire Xie residence was thrown into chaos in an instant. Not to mention Lord Xie, who was still in court and had not yet returned, Madam Xie was extremely anxious, sitting on the side of the bed with a worried expression on her face.

Looking at the doctor who had already taken her pulse, she asked with concern, "Old Cai, what's wrong with Changyu's health this time?"

The doctor, whom we called Old Cai, withdrew his hand, stroked his beard, and remained relatively calm. "The young master probably fell ill from being exposed to too much cold wind."

It was common knowledge in the Xie family that Xie Changyu was in poor health. Old Master Cai had watched this young master grow up and knew his health condition very well.

He knew it with a single glance, but then he said something else.

"--but."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xie stood up anxiously, her hands clenched, her expression worried. "But what?"

Old Master Cai shook his head. "This young master should still be under the influence of the drug, but the effects have worn off. However, his body was too weak to withstand it, which can be considered a contributing factor."

His explanation only made Madam Xie more worried. She became anxious as soon as she heard the word "traditional Chinese medicine," and asked, "Traditional Chinese medicine? You mean Changyu was poisoned?"

"Old Cai, do you know what kind of medicine Changyu was given?"

"I just took a closer look, and it seems to be something similar to an aphrodisiac, but with a stronger effect."

"aphrodisiac?"

Madam Xie's usually gentle face darkened. She looked at Xiaohe beside her and asked in a stern tone, "Xiaohe, where did your young master go yesterday?"

Startled by her tone, Xiaohe, whose face had turned ashen ever since he heard that the young master was ill, knelt on the ground, his lips trembling, "Reporting to Madam, yesterday..."

"Speak quickly!"

He lowered his head. "It's my fault. I took the young master to Changyuefang and he was accidentally drugged. I deserve to die!"

Madam Xie swayed upon hearing the name Changyuefang, but fortunately, the maid beside her steadied her in time. Madam Xie rubbed her slightly dizzy head and said wearily, "Changyuefang? You actually went to Changyuefang?"

"Your subordinate deserves to die!"

Madam Xie did not reply, but turned to the doctor beside her and asked, "Old Cai, what effect did that medicine have on Changyu's body?"

"Although he was poisoned, the antidote has been removed, so it won't have any effect on the young master's health. Don't worry, Madam, I'll just get some medicine for him, and I guarantee it will cure him completely."

Mrs. Xie finally breathed a sigh of relief after receiving Mr. Cai's firm promise. She looked up and said, "Then I'll leave it to Mr. Cai."

Old Master Cai smiled faintly, "It is my honor to help the young master cure his illness. Madam, please rest assured, he will be fine after taking a few doses of medicine."

Madam Xie nodded, "Okay."

She turned her head to the servant and said, "Go and follow Old Master Cai to get the medicine."

"yes."

Soon, there were not many people left in the room. Madam Xie turned her head to look at Xiao He, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said gently, "Tell me clearly where you and the young master went and what you did yesterday. There can be no way to forget anything."

Then she looked at the other servants and said, "You may all leave."

Although she wasn't worried about anything leaking out about the Xie family, which she controlled completely, she didn't want these people to hear about her son visiting brothels.

"yes."

Madam Xie looked at Xiaohe and said, "Tell me, what did you do last night?"

Xiaohe gritted her teeth and finally spoke.

...

Time flew by, and by the time Xie Changyu woke up it was already afternoon. He opened his eyes groggily, his face was rosy, his long eyelashes fluttered, and he looked bewildered.

When he tried to get up, his limbs were weak and he couldn't muster any strength, so he fell back onto the bed in an instant.

What's going on?

He has a fever again.

Xie Changyu was very familiar with this situation. He lay on the bed, feeling his weak body, and he could still feel his flushed cheeks and forehead.

He's been sick countless times since he was a child, he's used to it. It must have been caused by him getting angry last night and being exposed to cold wind.

Hearing the sounds from the bed, Xiaohe reacted quickly, knowing that the young master had woken up, and hurried over, "Young master, you're finally awake!"

Xie Changyu, lying on the bed, glanced at him and said coquettishly, "Hurry up and help me up, I have no strength left."

"Yes, yes, young master, I'll help you up right away."

Upon hearing this, Xiaohe quickly stepped forward to help Xie Changyu sit up, and only let go of him after making sure he was properly seated.

Xie Changyu sat down wearing a white undergarment. Her skin was fair and her face was rosy. A strand of long hair fell gently down her chest. Her eyes looked as if they were filled with water, making her look pitiful.

His voice was still a little hoarse when he spoke, "Am I sick?"

"Yes, young master, it's all my fault for letting you stand in the wind for so long last night. I should have walked faster."

Why blame you?

Xie Changyu didn't mind; instead, he changed the subject, "Didn't Fu Jing come to see me today?"

"No... I heard that General Fu is returning to the capital today."

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Author's Note: O_o