Chapter 226 Begging

Xiao Qing leaned against a large tree in the courtyard with her arms crossed. Not wanting to disturb He Shu and Ming Xiu, she closed her eyes and quietly rested.

Two kittens were curled up at her feet.

Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they seemed to know that this person had been with them when they were young. So, apart from initially showing wariness of being invaded, they were now able to ignore her presence and continue to rest with their eyes half-closed.

In the bleakness of winter, as Xiao Qing slowly closed his eyes, he felt the whole world gradually quiet down.

Before I knew it, I had been here for three years.

Three years have passed. Is everything alright over there?

Will her parents cry by her bedside? Will her brother be able to stop them?

And that potted plant she keeps on the windowsill, will anyone still talk to it every day...?

By the time Mingxiu stood beside her, her tears had been wiped away and her face had calmed down considerably.

She slowly opened her eyes, and Mingxiu looked at her and whispered, "Imperial Physician He wishes to see His Majesty."

Xiao Qing nodded, patted her shoulder, and then walked into the house.

Mingxiu stood guard at the door and closed it.

He Shu looked more energetic than before.

He stood neatly dressed by the table, and despite his illness, he tried his best to stand up straight.

Xiao Qing felt a pang of sadness at the sight, so she turned her gaze away slightly, composed herself, and said, "Since it's an illness, why get up again? Please sit down."

But as soon as she finished speaking, He Shu slowly knelt down.

Xiao Qing was startled and quickly went to help him up.

However, He Shu's kneeling was extremely heavy, and Xiao Qing reached out to pull him up, but couldn't manage it.

"What are you doing? Get up and say what's going on!" Xiao Qing said anxiously.

He Shu bowed deeply, "Your Majesty..."

His voice was deep and heavy, making Xiao Qing's heart feel heavy as well.

She could roughly guess what he wanted to say.

He Shu lowered her head deeply.

"Your Majesty, this old minister's days are numbered."

Xiao Qing's heart skipped a beat, "He Qing is just sick, she'll be fine once she recovers, don't think like that..."

He Shu remained kneeling on the ground, gently shaking her head.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has one last request."

"Get up and talk..." Xiao Qing bent down to help him up.

He Shu knelt steadily on the ground, but when she raised her head, her eyes shone with an unusual brightness.

"Your Majesty, please spare Xiu'er. Even if she becomes mentally disabled, as long as she lives, let her live as an ordinary person..."

Xiao Qing felt increasingly sad.

"Get up. I promised you I'd wait until you got better..."

“No, no…” He Shu grabbed her tightly in return. “Your Majesty, you…you must tell the Grand Tutor…just say that my Xiu’er won’t say anything. If the Grand Tutor is worried, this old minister has prepared medicine that will absolutely prevent Xiu’er from telling anyone…as long as…as long as…”

Xiao Qing's arm was gripped tightly by him, and it felt as if something had pierced her heart.

"How can you say all this... The Grand Tutor is not..."

"He won't let us go!" He Shu's eyes widened, her eyes reddening.

Xiao Qing clearly noticed that his condition was not quite right.

"Doctor He, please calm down, calm down..."

"His Majesty!"

He Shu became even more anxious.

"Let Xiuer go, let Xiuer go..."

He grabbed Xiao Qing and slammed her to the ground, each thud heavier than the last, until he could no longer hold back his sobs.

Dark red marks were even left on the ground...

The charcoal that had been burning in the room still had some warmth, but Xiao Qing felt as if her whole body was immersed in ice and snow.

What exactly happened? What could have turned He Shu into this?

In the end, Xiao Qing herself didn't know how she got out.

She felt dizzy all over, so much so that she didn't hear Mingxiu calling her from the side.

She vaguely remembered saying something to Mingxiu before leaving in a hurry.

Seeing that something was wrong, Ma Hong hurriedly followed, but Xiao Qing acted as if she hadn't noticed him and just kept walking quickly.

Xiao Qing learned her movement techniques from Master Wu; if she were to truly seal them away, Ma Hong wouldn't be able to keep up.

Ma Hong watched as his master sped past like a whirlwind, and after a few turns, his heart sank.

He slapped his forehead, sighed heavily, and then thought that the Imperial Guards following him probably couldn't keep up with His Majesty either, so his face turned very ugly.

Sure enough, someone came and asked, "Eunuch Ma, this..."

Ma Hongqiang remained calm and said, "One of you go to the Grand Tutor's residence to inform the Grand Tutor, and the other go to inform Commander Zhao."

He wanted to go back and ask Physician He what had happened!

While he was arranging this matter, Xiao Qing had already headed towards Fu Mingyi's residence.

He Shu would never say something like that out of the blue.

Did Fu Mingyi do something?

She wants to ask him herself!

She promised them that she would definitely send them away as soon as she had the chance. They preferred to practice medicine in the martial arts world and did not like being confined to this cage-like Nanhua City. She had always known that!

No one can hurt them!

Upon entering the Fu residence, before Uncle Li could even greet them, Xiao Qing rushed inside.

She had already avoided many people along the way. Some people didn't understand what was going on, while others realized what was happening and were trying to stop her. If it weren't for Uncle Li's sharp eyes, they would have been ready to call the guards.

As he was wondering what was going on, he suddenly realized that his master was receiving guests in the back, and he couldn't let anyone just barge in like that. So he dismissed everyone and quickly went to the back himself.

But by then it was too late.

At that moment, Fu Mingyi was getting up and inviting Mo Dan to leave together when Xiao Qing rushed towards them.

Her eyes were burning with fire. Once she locked onto Fu Mingyi, she walked straight over without even noticing Mo Dan, who was standing up behind Fu Mingyi.

"What did you do!" Xiao Qing glared at him fiercely.

Fu Mingyi frowned. Although he was extremely puzzled, he didn't say anything at the moment. He simply moved his position subtly to block Mo Dan's view.

Mo Dan looked over curiously and happened to see Xiao Qing tilting his ear.

He slowly straightened up, and a picture seemed to flash through his mind.

Seeing Uncle Li hurrying over, Fu Mingyi said, "Uncle Li, please take the guests to the front hall first."

Then he turned around, stood in front of Xiao Qing, and smiled at Mo Dan, "Brother Mo, I'm really sorry, I have some things to take care of. Please wait in the front hall for a moment, or we can reschedule?"

Xiao Qing then realized that Fu Mingyi had other guests.

She glanced over instinctively and saw that it was Mo Dan. She immediately turned her head away reflexively.

Why is he here?

No, she's not dressed as a woman now, and she's disguised herself. Even if she stood in front of him, he wouldn't know who she was.

Thinking about it this way, she relaxed again.

Mo Dan said, "It's alright, Brother Fu, please take care of your business first. I'll wait for you in the front hall."

He bowed with both hands and left with Uncle Li.