Chapter 155 Imposter
The tent was warm and cozy. Chu Yu leaned against the couch, covered with a thin blanket. His face was paler than before, with faint dark circles under his eyes. He looked a little listless, but his eyes were still gentle.
When Xiao Lingxi looked over, the other person avoided her direct gaze.
Xiao Lingxi felt as if something had gently pricked her heart.
It's only been a few days, but Your Highness has lost so much weight.
It must be due to the pain and depression in his heart.
She suppressed her unease and bowed respectfully: "Your Highness, I am grateful for your well-being. I heard that your injuries have improved and I was concerned about you, so I came to visit you. I brought some light snacks and ginseng soup, and I hope Your Highness will not find them offensive."
"Miss Lingxi, you are too kind. Please rise." Chu Yu's voice was low and hoarse, carrying the weakness of someone who had been ill for a long time.
Xiao Lingxi handed the food box to Eunuch Deng, then couldn't help but step forward and examine him closely with concern: "Your Highness looks much thinner; you must have suffered a lot. Did Physician He's treatment go smoothly? How... are you feeling?"
Her tone was sincere, and her eyes were full of worry.
Chu Yu straightened his body without showing any emotion, still avoiding her eyes, and politely replied, "It's alright, thank you for your concern."
Xiao Lingxi assumed that his sullen demeanor was due to the difficulty in healing his leg injury and the immense psychological pressure he was under, and did not think much of it.
At this moment, a young eunuch came in carrying a tray with a bowl of dark medicine on it.
Eunuch Deng took the medicine, tested its temperature, and said respectfully, "Your Highness, it's time to take your medicine."
Chu Yu nodded and readily accepted the bowl of medicine. Without even frowning, he tilted his head back and quickly drank the bowl of dark brown medicine in one swift and decisive motion.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Lingxi was slightly taken aback and subconsciously took out a piece of candied hawthorn from her purse. "Your Highness, here, to remove the bitterness."
Chu Yu put down the medicine bowl, looked at the bright red candied hawthorns, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, then shook her head:
"Thank you, Miss Lingxi, but no need. I... have no need for these."
Xiao Lingxi's hand froze in mid-air, and the strange feeling in her heart suddenly intensified.
She looked closely at Chu Yu's expression; the unfamiliarity and doubt in his eyes didn't seem like a pretense.
Immediately afterward, an absurd thought exploded in her mind, making her heart skip a beat.
She composed herself and said in a seemingly relaxed manner, "It was my mistake that I forgot Your Highness has never been afraid of hardship since childhood. Once when Your Highness was a child, you caught a cold, and the late Empress personally watched you drink your medicine. Your Highness drank it all without even frowning, and later even received praise from the late Empress."
As she spoke, she carefully observed Chu Yu's reaction.
Chu Yu's facial muscles stiffened almost imperceptibly, his eyes flickered even more, and he gave a vague "hmm".
They neither admitted nor denied it.
Xiao Lingxi's heart sank to the bottom.
wrong!
That's completely wrong!
Mingming's elder brother once privately mentioned an old story to her: when the Crown Prince was young, he was weak and extremely afraid of bitterness. Once, when he was sick, he secretly poured out his medicine and was discovered by the late Empress and made to kneel. Later, it was Xiao Jingheng, who was also young, who entered the palace and used his own pocket money to buy candy to coax Chu Yu into drinking the medicine.
Very few people knew about this matter; even the late Empress was initially kept in the dark. Chu Yu himself regarded it as a 'dark history' and kept it a secret.
But the 'Crown Prince' in front of her seemed to have no reaction to this, and even awkwardly avoided her 'sarcasm'.
To confirm further, Xiao Lingxi pretended to take the empty medicine bowl from his hand.
"Your Highness, let me help you."
She took a step forward, but accidentally tripped and fell, spilling most of the teacup from her hand onto Chu Yu's sleeves and robe.
"Your Highness!"
Xiao Lingxi exclaimed in surprise, hurriedly stepped forward, took out her handkerchief, and frantically tried to wipe his wet sleeves, getting very close to him.
In that instant, Xiao Lingxi keenly sensed that the scent emanating from 'Chu Yu' was a mixture of ambergris and medicinal fragrance.
But there seemed to be a very subtle difference compared to the last time I was in the carriage and at the poetry gathering.
It lacked a certain crispness and unique aroma, but seemed to have gained something else... a slightly dull flavor.
Xiao Lingxi was filled with shock and uncertainty, as if a stormy sea had been stirred within her.
But she quickly composed herself, wiped the clothes a few times, and apologized repeatedly: "This humble woman is clumsy and has wet Your Highness's clothes, I am truly sorry!"
"It's alright!" Chu Yu frowned, withdrew her hand, and said with a hint of anxiety in her voice.
“Miss Lingxi, it’s getting late, and I’m feeling a bit tired. I’d like to rest for a while.”
"Yes, I apologize for disturbing you." Xiao Lingxi quickly took a few steps back and curtsied.
"Then I shall take my leave now, and will come to visit Your Highness again tomorrow... tomorrow."
After saying that, she didn't linger and turned to leave the tent.
...
However, as soon as she stepped out of the tent, the smile on Xiao Lingxi's face vanished completely, replaced by a pale and solemn expression.
The discovery she had just made sent chills down her spine.
The person inside the tent is not the real Crown Prince at all!
In the past, when has His Highness ever called her 'Miss Lingxi'?
It's always 'Miss Xiao the Second'.
Moreover, his eyes were darting around, and his breathing was off!
Xiao Lingxi was almost certain that this was an imposter!
So the question is, who arranged for this fake crown prince? Prince Jing? Or someone else?
Where is the real crown prince?
Also, does Big Brother know? Does Chen Zhangyin know?
A series of questions, like a tangled mess, left Xiao Lingxi in a state of turmoil, but reason told her that this matter must not be made public.
She had to go find her older brother immediately.
Xiao Lingxi glanced back at the camp behind her, her eyes gradually hardening.
-
At the same time, after finding out the whereabouts of Doctor He, Shen Moyan quickly arrived at the herb drying yard near the East Palace.
This place was originally intended for the rotating medical officers to rest, but it was temporarily transformed into a space specifically for Chu Yu. There was a row of bamboo racks drying medicinal herbs on the side, and a small shed was built in the middle.
Shen Moyan, dressed in plain clothes and disguised as a medical officer collecting herbs, arrived at the drying yard.
At the stone table around the corner, Su Xiaoyu was tiptoeing, offering a piece of honey-roasted chicken wing wrapped in oil paper to Doctor He.
Like a child begging for food, Doctor Crane's eyes shone with excitement: "Little Fish, your cooking is amazing! It's even more delicious than the cheese sweet potato you made last time. Could you make a couple more next time?"
"I'm glad you like it. I'll make you something else next time." Su Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as she watched him eat happily.
"But you must remember to be careful with His Highness the Crown Prince's medicine. Don't let anyone tamper with it again. Also, if anyone asks about the Crown Prince's condition, remember to play dumb and gloss over it. If anyone asks about anything else... just say that you are only interested in food and can't remember anything else."
The Divine Physician Crane's eyes flickered, but quickly, his face broke into his usual innocent smile as he reached out and took the paper package from Su Xiaoyu.
"I know, I know. My memory isn't good, but I do remember to eat. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing with the prince's needles."
He looked down at the chicken wings, which were neatly wrapped in oil paper and still warm, clearly having been cooked recently, and emitting an irresistible aroma.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Su Xiaoyu's gaze was also involuntarily fixed on the chicken wings. Her nose twitched, her throat bobbed slightly, but she quickly looked away, pretending not to care.
The Divine Physician Crane's mind stirred, and he deliberately picked up a chicken wing, pretending to hand it to Su Xiaoyu, as if to test her.
"Girl, these chicken wings look delicious. You must have put a lot of effort into them, right? I heard it's not easy to get these things here at the hunting grounds. You've given them all to me, so what are you going to eat for dinner? How about... I share half with you?"
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