They only stopped chasing her when Xie Ke'er got tired.
The two made up quickly and together crushed the pastries in their handkerchiefs and threw them into the sink.
...
Inside the palace.
Xiao Jingzhao obtained a list without lifting a finger.
Back in his bedchamber, Eunuch Ma helped him bathe and change clothes, and only after his hair was dried did he lie back on the dragon bed.
Fu Gui went to the imperial kitchen and brought back a bowl of mung bean porridge.
"Your Majesty, please eat while it's hot. I've asked Miss Jiang, and she says you can drink some mung bean porridge, which will help eliminate toxins from your body."
Xiao Jingzhao was already starving. He had just returned from a cockroach-infested prison, but he had no appetite for the fragrant porridge.
He took the porridge, trying his best to banish the scene from the prison from his mind.
Seeing that he was eating in small bites, Eunuch Ma stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, would you like me to invite Miss Jiang over to take her pulse and prescribe some medicine to stimulate her appetite?"
Mentioning Jiang Shuyue immediately whetted Xiao Jingzhao's appetite, and he quickly finished a bowl of porridge.
Xiao Jingzhao took the handkerchief handed to him by Eunuch Ma and wiped his mouth.
He asked Eunuch Ma, "Have you sent someone to deliver food to her?"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant has made all the arrangements. There are four dishes and a soup, which the young lady is enjoying right now."
"Don't go and disturb her. I'll look at some memorials first. Tonight, I'll cook a bowl of bird's nest porridge for Yue Niang as a late-night snack, along with some other snacks and pastries."
Eunuch Ma beamed, "This servant understands. While serving the young lady well, we must not neglect Miss Qiuju."
He understood the principle of loving someone because of their loved ones, and he knew the Emperor's intentions were not hidden from him, so he naturally knew how to arrange things.
In the side hall, the master and servant sat facing each other.
"Miss, please eat more. The imperial cuisine is exquisite and looks very appetizing." Qiuju said, picking up a shrimp roll and placing it on the plate in front of Jiang Shuyue.
Jiang Shuyue glanced at the various dishes on the table.
"You should eat more too. We don't know how well the Emperor is recovering. If his low-grade fever rebounds tonight, we'll be very busy."
Qiuju swallowed the food in her mouth and said, "Should we ask Steward Ma to send someone out of the palace to tell Gao Mu that we won't be going home tonight?"
"You've only been apart for one night, and you're already thinking about your Gao Mu?" Jiang Shuyue teased.
Qiuju blushed. "Miss, you're teasing me again. I'm just worried that Young Master Suisui won't see you when he comes home."
"Don't worry about it. Gao Mu used to be one of the Emperor's men, so he naturally knows we're not going home tonight."
"Su Jin had already mentioned before he left that they were going to the Bai residence to meet with their friends. The Bai residence is not far from the Su residence, so Sui Sui went directly back to the Su residence with him."
Qiuju smiled and said, "I had almost forgotten about that."
After the two had finished their imperial meal, Jiang Shuyue suggested, "I wonder how the Emperor is doing now. Let's go and see him together."
Jiang Shuyue calculated the time; in half an hour, the Emperor could take another antidote pill.
The two of them waited another hour before going over.
At the entrance of the sleeping quarters, Fugui heard footsteps outside. He stared wide-eyed ahead until he saw the hem of a skirt peeking out from behind a pillar.
He raised his voice and called out, "The young lady is here! Please come in."
Upon hearing Fu Gui's shout, Xiao Jingzhao quickly threw the memorial in his hand to Eunuch Ma and nimbly lay down.
Eunuch Ma was completely bewildered. Was this the emperor he knew?!
Where did your cool, composed, and mature demeanor go?!
The footsteps grew closer, and it was too late for Eunuch Ma to hide the folded document in the wardrobe.
He walked to the dragon bed, lifted a corner of the quilt, and quickly put the folded document inside.
Jiang Shuyue entered the inner hall and saw Eunuch Ma tucking the Emperor in.
"How is His Majesty? Is he feeling any better?"
Out of professional habit, Jiang Shuyue walked over and reached out to touch Xiao Jingzhao's forehead.
As soon as his hand fell, Xiao Jingzhao's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Eunuch Ma respectfully stepped aside.
“You’ve come at the right time, Miss. The Emperor fell asleep after drinking half a bowl of porridge. This servant can’t tell whether it’s good or bad.”
The soft fingers lingered on his forehead for a moment. Xiao Jingzhao felt the hand leave his forehead, and he longed to reach out and grasp that soft, delicate hand.
"Thankfully, I don't have a fever, and my lip color is much more normal now."
Jiang Shuyue opened the medicine box to get the medicine. Qiu Ju was about to pour water when she turned around and saw Fu Gui walking over with a cup of water.
"Your Majesty, you can't take medicine while lying down."
Jiang Shuyue smiled faintly as she stared at Xiao Jingzhao on the dragon bed and called out.
Xiao Jingzhao's lips twitched, and he had no choice but to slowly open his eyes.
Eunuch Ma could see the subtle expressions on the Emperor's face clearly.
Eunuch Ma, quick-witted, immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was this servant who unintentionally disturbed you."
"It's okay, I was just half asleep and didn't really fall into a deep sleep."
Xiao Jingzhao propped himself up on the dragon bed with one hand, trying to save face by following Eunuch Ma's words.
Jiang Shuyue naturally wouldn't expose his pretense of being asleep.
He handed over a glass of water and some pills. Xiao Jingzhao took the pills, put them in his mouth, took a sip of water, and drank them all in one gulp.
Jiang Shuyue carefully observed Xiao Jingzhao's complexion.
He said confidently, "His Majesty is in good health. He only needs to take the antidote pills for another five days, and the remaining poison in his body will be completely eliminated."
"You may not know, but my health is not as good as it looks. This poison makes my whole body weak and makes it difficult to walk."
Jiang Shuyue glanced at Xiao Jingzhao, remaining noncommittal.
She naturally didn't believe Xiao Jingzhao's words. Based on her experience in observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, she knew that Xiao Jingzhao had plenty of energy to review memorials at the moment.
With the Emperor out of danger and safe and sound, Jiang Shuyue felt much more at ease.
In this era where human life is treated like dirt, Xiao Jingzhao is like a steadfast tree that grows tall year after year.
Personally, she didn't want this big tree to fall.
In terms of public affairs, he was a wise and benevolent ruler, and the people needed him even more.
As the sun sets, the evening glow paints the clouds on the horizon red.
After having a good meal at the Bai residence, Su Jin took Su Nan and Sui Sui back to the Su residence.
He hadn't originally planned to stay at the Bai residence for dinner, but Bai Zhou said that the steward had seen several koi fish floating belly-up in the pond and had already prepared braised koi.
Su Jin didn't stand on ceremony with Bai Zhou, and the group stayed for dinner before saying goodbye and going home.
Back at the Su residence, Su Nan accompanied Sui Sui to wash up before going back to their room to read for a while.
Sui Sui held the book but couldn't concentrate on reading it, her mind filled with countless questions she didn't know if she could ask.
After a while, Su Nan looked up and saw that he was lost in thought.
"Sui Sui, are you hungry?"
Sui Sui shook her head sweetly, "No."
"Then why are you so distracted? Your little face is all scrunched up like a dumpling." Su Nan said, gently pinching Sui Sui's chubby little face.
"Second Uncle, is koi meat really that delicious? I saw Xie Ke'er eating quite a lot." Sui Sui finally couldn't contain her curiosity and looked up to ask.
"It's alright. The cooks at the Bai residence are quite skilled; every dish is delicious. Xie Ke'er probably just has a particular fondness for fish."
"What, you already miss your friends as soon as you get home? Next time we get together, let's go together again," Su Nan teased Sui Sui with a grin.
"No, I was just curious why the koi was belly up. Did it eat too much?"
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