Chapter 37: Letting Lingxi suffer some grievances is a way to protect Xiaoyu.
He recalled Su Xiaoyu's once prophetic "inner thoughts." He remembered her constant refrains about the "original book," the "plot," and the "official couple"...
Could it be that she suffered a backlash because she spied on and interfered with the so-called 'destiny'?
This realization filled Xiao Jingheng with an unprecedented sense of panic and heartache.
He held Su Xiaoyu's hand tightly, his eyes filled with an unprecedented complexity.
No matter the reason, no matter the cost, he must make sure she wakes up.
He suppressed his surging emotions, turned to the imperial physician, and spoke in a tense voice:
"Imperial Physician, this illness... how should it be treated? When will she wake up?"
The imperial physician stroked his beard and pondered, "The young master is slightly better. Since it is a case of 'soul separation,' it cannot be cured quickly by medicine. Although his pulse and breath appear strange, his foundation is still stable, and his life force has not been completely cut off."
"Based on the pulse, he should be able to wake up on his own in about two hours."
Upon hearing "two hours," Xiao Jingheng's tense heart relaxed slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on Su Xiaoyu's face.
"I will first prescribe a calming medicine to nourish the qi and blood. If she can take it after decocting it, it may help stabilize her mind and nourish her body, which will be beneficial to her recovery."
"But whether she can wake up depends on herself."
After speaking, the imperial physician wrote down the prescription and handed it to the attendant beside him.
Before leaving, the imperial physician instructed him again: "Your Highness, this illness is strange. Before the young lady wakes up, you must keep the environment quiet and avoid disturbing her. If she wakes up, remember to carefully observe whether she is clear-headed and whether her words and actions are different. If there are any relapses, we will need to discuss it again."
Xiao Jingheng kept every word of the imperial physician in mind and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your trouble, Imperial Physician."
After seeing the imperial physician off, Xiao Lingxi rushed back in a hurry.
As soon as she entered the house, she saw her older brother standing there unharmed, and she felt relieved.
She had secretly gone to see Shen Moyan, but before she could even exchange a few words, she saw servants from the Marquis's residence looking for her from afar.
Feeling guilty, Xiao Lingxi immediately hid until she was sure the servants were far away. Then she hurriedly arranged a time and place to meet Shen Moyan next time and rushed back to the mansion.
"Brother, you scared me to death! I saw the imperial physician leave and thought something had happened to you! You called me back in such a hurry, what's wrong?"
Xiao Jingheng turned around, his face grim: "I told you to keep an eye on her at the banquet, and this is how you keep an eye on her?"
Xiao Lingxi was stunned by the abrupt question and followed the gaze to Su Xiaoyu, who was unconscious on the bed.
Only then did he realize who his elder brother was questioning.
She immediately felt wronged and tried her best.
"Brother, can you please be reasonable? She's a maid and I'm the mistress. How can I keep an eye on her every second? There are so many people at the banquet. She's greedy and running around, how can I possibly keep an eye on her!"
The more she talked, the more convinced she became of herself, completely oblivious to Xiao Jingheng's increasingly unpleasant expression.
"Besides, she's just not in good health, how can you blame me for fainting..."
"Shut up!"
Xiao Jingheng interrupted her coldly, and the chill emanating from him silenced Xiao Lingxi instantly.
"If anything happens to her, I will hold you responsible!" Xiao Jingheng said each word clearly.
Xiao Lingxi was stunned by his ruthless coldness and stared at her elder brother in disbelief.
"Brother! How could you say such things about me for the sake of a mere maid!"
"You...are unreasonable!"
A wave of grievance washed over Xiao Lingxi, her eyes reddened, and she ran out crying after saying those words.
Changfeng stepped forward at the opportune moment and carefully advised, "Young Master, the Second Miss is still young and innocent. Is it too harsh to reprimand her like this?"
Xiao Jingheng closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and a trace of fatigue flashed across his face.
Little did she know that this matter had little to do with Lingxi, and that he wasn't unreasonable or taking his anger out on others. It's just...
The little fish's illness came on so strangely and bizarrely that it was anything but ordinary.
If outsiders were to find out that she might suffer a backlash for peeking into the secrets of heaven and interfering with fate, Xiaoyu would immediately be regarded as a demon, and the consequences would be unimaginable! At that time, even he might not be able to protect her.
Therefore, he had to use the most ordinary and least suspicious reason to explain her coma.
Allowing Lingxi to suffer some injustice is actually the best way to protect Su Xiaoyu.
"It's alright. Let her learn a lesson so she can act more prudently in the future." His tone was flat, revealing no emotion.
"Go and find out who Xiaoyu came into contact with at today's banquet, what she ate, and report back to me in detail."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Changfeng accepted the order and left.
Afterwards, Xiao Jingheng ordered someone to send Xiaoyu back to her own courtyard and to take good care of her. He then went to his study, wrote a letter, and had his trusted subordinates send it out.
Later that evening, Madam Liu returned home and, having heard about Xiaoyu's situation, became very worried. She even sent over several tonics, saying they were to help Xiaoyu recover.
Zhao's mother accepted the gift on behalf of Xiaoyu, feeling flattered and repeatedly expressing her gratitude.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxi was so angry that she didn't eat dinner.
My mother and my eldest brother, they're both so biased.
"Why should I?! She's just a maid, yet you act like the sky is falling!"
She pouted and complained to Zisu, feeling a pang of jealousy.
But remembering that Su Xiaoyu had helped her at the banquet, she could only sulk in silence.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it seemed that only her second brother in the family could understand her and was on her side.
Unfortunately, my second brother went to the academy and won't be back until next month.
"If only my second brother were still here..."
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed in Xiao Lingxi's mind!
My second brother went to the academy to study in preparation for the imperial examination.
And Shen Moyan, isn't his trip to the capital also to participate in this year's autumn imperial examination?
Could she use the excuse of visiting her second brother to go to the academy, and then 'accidentally' run into Shen Moyan?
She even thought that perhaps she could use her second brother's resources to secretly help Shen Moyan!
For example, could he secretly lend Shen Moyan classic collections of essays or current affairs models that his second brother didn't need, or that his eldest brother had annotated?
...
As night deepened, Su Xiaoyu slowly woke up amidst a dry mouth and throat.
Opening my eyes, I found myself in a familiar room with a canopy, and the faint scent of soapberry lingered in the air.
It wasn't the crisp sandalwood scent from inside the carriage.
Just as she was about to sit up, the door opened from the outside. Her mother, Zhao Yueru, came in carrying a bowl of medicine. Seeing that she was awake, she first breathed a sigh of relief, then her face showed a worried and distressed expression.
"Oh my little darling, you're finally awake!"
Zhao Yueru walked quickly to Su Xiaoyu's bedside, placed the medicine bowl on the small table, and reached out to feel her forehead.
"Tell me, how can you be so troublesome! You even managed to eat yourself into a stupor at a banquet!"
"Eat...eat yourself until you faint?"
Su Xiaoyu was stunned!
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