Chapter 256 Bookworm
Hu Xin'er had just sat down at the table when she heard the news and couldn't help but perk up: "What is that?"
Mu Qing held her hand and said, "Some books have unknown insects stuck in them, but I've looked carefully and found that those books are often flipped through. If the insects were accidentally dropped in, the prince would definitely not have missed them!"
"You mean to say the prince deliberately put the bugs in the book?" Hu Xin'er felt something was wrong and asked hurriedly, "Did you touch those bugs?"
Seeing her excitement, Mu Qing patted her hand in surprise and stroked her wrist soothingly: "Don't get excited yet. Those insects are all dead. I wanted to take one out, but I was afraid that the prince would notice something unusual, so I didn't act rashly."
"You haven't touched those dead bugs, have you?" Hu Xiner was still looking at his wrist worriedly, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she found that there was indeed no red mole.
Mu Qing held down her restless hands: "What's wrong? Why are you reacting so strongly?"
Hu Xin'er then relayed to him what Old Man Dou had said during the day, emphasizing, "Feng Ge's condition is extremely serious. If you encounter those bugs, you must tell me. I will ask my godfather to diagnose and treat you as soon as possible!"
After hearing this, Mu Qing felt a chill down his spine.
Fortunately, he was worried about a trap and time was urgent, so he did not encounter those unknown insects.
He held Hu Xin'er, who looked worried, in his arms and said gently, "Xin'er, don't worry. I really didn't touch those bugs."
"You really didn't move at all?" Hu Xin'er reached out to pick at his collar. "Why don't we take a look? What if those things have an incubation period? What if the toxin is transmitted through the air?"
Mu Qing was at a loss for words. "Where did you learn these words? Don't worry, the insects I saw were shrunken beyond recognition, like dry leaves, and seemed like they would break if touched."
"If they were really dead, why would the prince put them in the book?" Hu Xiner questioned as she leaned over to take a look.
Mu Qing had no choice but to let her do what she wanted. What else could he do if his wife didn't favor him?
He explained helplessly yet fondly, "If they were truly alive, or if they could spread through the air as you said, how could the prince dare to keep them in his study? He spends most of his time in his study."
Hu Xin'er paused while trying to pluck the clothes off, and said awkwardly, "It seems so..."
Mu Qing said nothing, but just lowered his head slightly.
Hu Xiner followed his gaze and realized that she had already ripped open his cross-collared black shirt and the white undershirt underneath.
She belatedly realized the current situation.
She sat in her husband's arms, her hand on his collar.
Mu Qing's collar was wide open, revealing her delicate collarbone and half of her shoulder.
If someone pushed the door open now, they would definitely scream "Mrs. Lu forcibly stripped Master Lu's clothes!"
If it were a UC title, it would probably be "Shocking! A young woman actually did this to a stunningly handsome man in her boudoir."
"Ahem..." She quickly covered Mu Qing's collar and silently recited in her heart that emptiness is form, and form is emptiness.
Seeing her lowering her head like a young wife who had done something wrong, Mu Qing couldn't help but chuckle, and felt that the haze in his heart had dissipated.
He tapped Hu Xin'er's forehead and said, "In my opinion, those insect corpses don't seem to have anything to do with the so-called evil poisonous insects. I just don't know what the purpose of those insects is that the prince can keep them hidden in his books and read them from time to time."
Hu Xin'er suddenly thought of something and looked up abruptly: "Could it be a specimen?"
"What is a specimen?" Mu Qing looked puzzled.
"To put it simply, it is to soak the insect corpses in special potions and other substances to prevent them from rotting," Hu Xiner explained.
Mu Qing was incredibly clever, and after a quick thought, he figured out the key point: "You mean, the Crown Prince deliberately preserved these insect specimens for some purpose, and to conceal his identity, he placed them in the book."
Hu Xin'er nodded. "The purpose of specimens is nothing more than observation and research. If the prince keeps them between books and observes them from time to time, he must think there's something special about them!"
Mu Qing said quickly, "If it were me, when I discovered some secrets in these insects, I would definitely send some of them to reliable doctors for research, and keep the rest for myself."
"Is it possible that it is indeed some kind of poisonous insect?" Hu Xin'er's eyes were burning.
Mu Qing pondered and said, "It's not clear yet, but if those insects are very important, I might find a time to take some out and show them to your godfather."
Old man Dou is a medical enthusiast. If he knew that he could study poisonous insects, he would definitely be grinning from ear to ear.
But compared to all this, Hu Xin'er was more worried about Mu Qing's safety: "Right now, there's no direct evidence to show what those bugs are capable of. Rather than letting you take the risk, we might as well start with Feng Ge."
Seeing her worried face, Mu Qing felt warm in his heart: "I will be careful."
Hu Xin'er said anxiously, "I'm not saying this out of emotion. The Crown Prince is targeting you everywhere, yet you were able to enter the study so easily. What if this is his conspiracy?"
Mu Qing was stunned. What Hu Xiner said made a lot of sense, but he had been too happy about getting a new clue, so he ignored this point.
His eyes were extremely gentle. "I was just laughing at you for being so overly concerned, but now you're the one reminding me not to be too greedy and act rashly."
"You and I are husband and wife, and we should discuss everything together." Hu Xin'er said with some complaint, "It was the eldest princess who told me about you going to the Crown Prince's Palace to serve as the Junior Guardian. No matter what happens in the future, you can never hide it from me like this again."
Mu Qing knew he was in the wrong, so he said softly, "I'm just worried that you'll worry."
"If you hide it from me, I will be even more worried!" Hu Xiner said angrily.
Is it reasonable to find out about your husband's affairs from your best friend?
Mu Qing changed the subject at the right moment: "Speaking of which, I've taken the opportunity to explore the entire Eastern Palace recently. Apart from finding clues about this insect in the study, I haven't found anything else."
"What do you mean?" Hu Xin'er looked up at him even though it was not the time for her to lose her temper.
Mu Qing said slowly, "Your Majesty has been urging me to deal with serious matters lately. I can't stay under the Crown Prince forever, so I decided to accept Your Majesty's suggestion and transfer to the Hanlin Academy."
Upon hearing this news, Hu Xiner was genuinely happy. Although the Hanlin Academy might not be peaceful, there was no trouble from the prince, and she finally didn't have to worry anymore!
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