Chapter 27
The crown prince is the heir apparent of a country and the future emperor. To kill him is tantamount to regicide and treason. Once the matter is exposed, it is a heinous crime that will result in the execution of all nine generations of his clan. There were only two of them, one was seriously ill and dying, and the other was a male wife trapped in a deep courtyard. It was not easy for them to enter the palace, let alone go to the East Palace, where the crown prince lived deep and was accompanied by shadow guards when he went in and out.
Perhaps, they are trying to fight against a rock with an egg and seek their own death. But Lu Wancheng wants Xiao Cheng to die, and he also wants Xiao Cheng to die, so let him do it. If the palace maids of the previous dynasty were able to assassinate the emperor in his sleep, why couldn’t they take the life of a mere crown prince?
Before this, Lin Qingyu had never thought of taking action against the prince. At most, he had some thoughts about the queen. The prince had nothing to do with the arranged marriage, and was not on his grudge list. But the glass of wine he drank at Jinxiuxuan today really made him sick.
As a man, he naturally knew what the look in the prince's eyes meant. It would be fine for her to marry Lu Wancheng as a male wife, but if someone else dared to take her away from him by force, he would never tolerate it even if the other person was the crown prince of a country.
As long as Lu Wancheng is alive, Xiao Cheng will not go too far for the sake of Marquis Nan'an's face. Once Lu Wancheng dies of illness, Xiao Cheng is very likely to take action against him. Rather than waiting for death, it is better to strike first.
On the surface, he was helping Lu Wancheng, but in reality, it was Lu Wancheng who was helping him.
Feeling the warmth of Lin Qingyu's hands and the faint smell of books on him, Lu Wancheng's breathing gradually calmed down. For a moment, apart from the sound of wind and rain, the two could only hear each other's breathing.
It was not until Huantong discovered that the bedroom door was open and the young marquis, who was supposed to be sleeping soundly on the bed, was missing, with his wheelchair still in the room, that she hurriedly ran to the study door and found the two of them.
Huan Tong let out a long sigh and asked, "Why did the young marquis come to the study? He didn't even sit in the wheelchair..."
Lin Qingyu calmed down and said to Lu Wancheng, "You can't blow the wind. I'll carry you back to the room."
In Lu Wancheng's past, murder for money was something that would never be possible for him. He was still immersed in the surging emotions of his determination. When he heard these words unexpectedly, his emotions instantly became even more turbulent, but in a different way. He said in disbelief: "You hug me...?"
"Yeah." Lu Wancheng was so weak. Although Lin Qingyu had never practiced, he was still a normal man. It was no big deal for him to carry Lu Wancheng for a few steps.
Lin Qingyu grabbed Lu Wancheng's hand and put it on her shoulder: "Hold tight."
...or a princess hug?
Lu Wancheng pulled his hand back abruptly: "No, no, no. Well, I can walk back by myself."
Lin Qingyu knew at a glance that Lu Wancheng's useless male pride was playing tricks on him again: "By the time you move back by yourself, it will be dawn."
I walked all the way from the bedroom to the study late at night. I didn't feel anything when Lu Wancheng came, but now I realize that I really don't have a drop at all. It's hard to even stand up. He was forced to compromise: "Then let Huantong carry me back."
In the bedroom, the doors and windows are closed to keep out the wind and rain. Huantong helped Lu Wancheng change his pajamas that were wet by the rain. Lu Wancheng lay on the warm and dry bed, his face still as pale as paper, with a fishy smell in his mouth.
Hualu made a bowl of ginger soup. After Lu Wancheng finished drinking with a look of disgust, he asked Huantong and Hualu to leave, leaving only him and Lin Qingyu in the room.
Lin Qingyu just heard from Hua Lu that she returned to her room because she saw that the young marquis had fallen asleep. In this case, Lu Wancheng must have been awakened from his sleep and went to the study without caring about anything.
Lin Qingyu sat beside the bed and asked, "Are you having a nightmare?"
"You know all this." Lu Wancheng's tone returned to his usual relaxed and comfortable tone, "I had a nightmare and was almost scared to death."
"What nightmare?"
Lu Wancheng didn't say anything, but just looked at him silently, as if he was confirming that the person in front of him was truly and intact. After a while, he smiled and asked, "Hey, was I really ugly and embarrassed just now?"
Lin Qingyu told the truth: "He's embarrassed, but not ugly." With Lu Wancheng's personality, even if his appearance was ruined, he wouldn't be that ugly.
Lu Wancheng said, "How annoying! I want to look more handsome in front of you."
After spending a long time with Lu Wancheng, Lin Qingyu gradually got used to the sudden use of unfamiliar words by Lu Wancheng, and was able to infer what Lu Wancheng wanted to express based on the context of the speech. The word "handsome" should mean something like cool and elegant.
Lin Qingyu said, "I thought you looked quite handsome just now."
Lu Wancheng was stunned for a moment, then slowly slid into the bed and grabbed the quilt to cover his face.
After that night, the number of people plotting to do evil in the study increased from one person to two people.
Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle. Lin Qingyu's understanding of Xiao Cheng was limited to two meetings, and his impression of him was just greasy. Although Lu Wancheng is nominally Xiao Cheng's cousin, he does not have much contact with him because he has been bedridden for many years. But Lu Wancheng seemed to be very familiar with Xiao Cheng, especially in private matters and details.
Lin Qingyu asked Lu Wancheng to list all the clues he knew about Xiao Cheng. Lu Wancheng recalled for a long time and said:
"Xiao Cheng's common expressions are 'curling his lips and sneering', 'smiling but not smiling', 'tongue touching cheek' - as if there were leeks stuck in his teeth; he usually speaks 'slowly' and 'carefully', and when he disagrees with someone, he likes to lift their chin and say..." Lu Wancheng deliberately lowered his voice and imitated Xiao Cheng's tone, "'look at me'."
Lin Qingyu: “…”
"Outside, he is a ruthless and merciless prince; but in front of his beloved, his eyes are bloodshot and he says in a low voice, 'Kiss me, and I'll give you my life and my kingdom' - he is so greasy! His mother opened the door to greasy people, he is so greasy."
Lin Qingyu: “…”
"By the way, he has a habit of giving nicknames to people he likes. Even if others have names, he just won't call them that. Hey, he just wants to play around and call others 'kid', 'little sister', 'little brother'..."
Lin Qingyu interrupted: "That's enough. Can you say something useful?"
Lu Wancheng smiled and said, "The most useful thing, I've already said it."
Lin Qingyu thought for a moment: "Princess Jingchun?"
Lu Wancheng snapped his fingers. "You are so smart. Actually, this is a very old story: Xiao Cheng and Jing Chun met in the palace when they were young. They were childhood sweethearts. But Jing Chun was just a maid, how could she be a match for the position of the prince's consort? The two could only date in secret. Later, the King of the Northern Territory liked Jing Chun, and the two were married by the emperor. At that time, Xiao Cheng was not the crown prince, and for the sake of the emperor's heart, he didn't dare to say a word... I mean, he didn't dare to act rashly, and could only watch Jing Chun marry far away, and then find Jing Chun like you, as a consolation."
Lin Qingyu asked: "Since their relationship is a secret, how did you know about it?"
Lu Wancheng said: "I naturally have my own channels, just trust me."
"Then how am I like Jingchun?"
"Eyes. Jingchun also has a teardrop mole under her left eye. Xiao Cheng's many servants and concubines are more or less like Jingchun."
Lin Qingyu said: "So, if I destroy my eyes, Xiao Cheng will lose interest in me?"
"Maybe." Lu Wancheng said, "But you probably won't do that. I like your eyes now."
"Of course not." Lin Qingyu sneered, "Even if I don't care about my face, I don't want to hurt myself for a piece of shit."
What's the point of killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of your own? If he wants him to stay unharmed, he must watch the other person suffer torture, living a life worse than death, and begging for mercy in agony.
Xiao Cheng is deeply in love with Princess Jingchun who married far away... What can they do with this?
The two fell into deep thought. Not long after, a maid from Mianyue Pavilion came to ask to see Lin Qingyu, saying that she had something to report. After Lin Qingyu called her in, she said, "Early this morning, the Madam took the Second Miss out of the house and did not return until the evening. My aunt asked me to ask the groom and learned that the Madam and the Second Miss had actually entered the palace and brought a lot of generous gifts. Then I went to find the storehouse manager, and the manager said that the Madam did not take anything from the storehouse. I guess those gifts were the Madam's own dowry."
"Got it." Lin Qingyu said, "Go back and thank my aunt for me. She is very thoughtful."
This time when they entered the palace, Liang and Lu Niantao obviously did not want to show off. The last time the three of them went to the palace to pay their respects to the Queen and express their gratitude was not long ago, and the Queen still ignored them, mother and daughter. Did they enter the palace this time to please the Queen?
After Lin Qingyu expressed her thoughts, Lu Wancheng said, "It's been more than a year or two since Liang married into the Marquis's Mansion. If she could win the Queen's favor, she would have done so long ago. Why would she have to wait until now?"
Lin Qingyu nodded in agreement: "If it's not for the queen, then it's for someone else."
"In the palace, the queen isn't the only master."
When ladies of noble birth entered the palace, in addition to going to Fengyi Palace, they would occasionally pay their respects to the favored concubines. The two looked at each other and spoke at the same time: "Concubine Chen."
Lin Qingyu recalled the expressions of Liang and Lu Niantao when they looked at the prince in Fengyi Palace that day. Therefore, Liang lost her husband's trust, the power of housekeeper fell into someone else's hands, and her son became childless. Seeing that she could no longer make ends meet in the Marquis' Mansion, she had no choice but to look for support outside.
The Queen was disgusted by her status as a second wife and would not help her. In the harem, besides the Queen, the most powerful person is the Prince's biological mother, Concubine Chen. In the previous dynasty, Marquis Nan'an had always been cautious and kept to himself, never participating in party struggles. If he knew that Liang had been trying to please Concubine Chen in private, he would be furious, so they only dared to go quietly.
The Prince’s East Palace, the Queen’s Fengyi Palace, Concubine Chen’s Changle Palace...as well as Liang and Lu Niantao.
"Wan Cheng." Lin Qingyu said slowly, "I want to go back to the Lin Mansion."
Lu Wancheng said without thinking: "Okay, when?"
"Now."
"I'll go with you."
Lin Qingyu was about to refuse on the grounds that "you are not in good health and can't go out again", but then he heard Lu Wancheng say: "It's just right to ask my father-in-law to help me see how much time I have left."
Lin Qingyu hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Lu Wancheng's body was almost out of his control. No matter how talented he is, he really doesn't know... what to do.
He only knew of two people in the world whose medical skills were better than his - his mentor and his father. The prescription that prolonged Lu Wancheng's life was given by his father. Maybe my father has other ways to buy Lu Wancheng more time.
In a wealthy family, a wife needs to get the permission of her mistress if she wants to take her husband back to her parents' home. Now, apart from Marquis Nan'an, Lin Qingyu is the head of the Marquis's Mansion. He does not need to report to anyone where he is going. But he wanted to take Lu Wancheng to stay in the Lin Mansion for a few days, so he symbolically asked for the consent of Marquis Nan'an. He said that he wanted to take Lu Wancheng back to the Lin Mansion for treatment. Marquis Nan'an knew that Lin Yuanpan's medical skills were unmatched, so he naturally nodded in agreement.
So, Lin Qingyu took Lu Wancheng, Huantong and Hualu back to the Lin Mansion.
His return home unexpectedly this time gave his parents and younger brother a great surprise. Lin Qinghe still remembered Lu Wancheng, the older brother he had only met once, and said innocently, "Brother Wancheng, you've lost a lot of weight."
Mother Lin's expression changed slightly. Lu Wancheng smiled while sitting in the wheelchair: "Xiao Qinghe has grown a lot taller."
Lin Qinghe was so shy that he hid behind his mother. After all, they are brothers. Lin Qinghe's eyebrows and eyes are about 50% similar to Lin Qingyu. Looking at him, Lu Wancheng felt as if he was looking at a smaller version of Lin Qingyu.
Mother Lin breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "You guys came back just in time. If you were a step later, your father would have passed away."
"Let's go?" Lin Qingyu looked at his father, "Where are you going, father?"
Father Lin said, "Yongliang."
Yongliang is located northwest of Dayu and borders Western Xia. Western Xia was originally a vassal state of Dayu. After growing stronger year by year in recent years, it began to rebel, intending to break free from Dayu's control and replace him.
Lin Qingyu asked: "The northwest border is at war, why does father want to go to Yongliang now?"
Father Lin looked serious. "Half a month ago, General Gu was unfortunately shot by a poisoned arrow on the battlefield. After the arrow was removed, the remaining poison has not been cleared. The military doctors and the famous doctors in Yongliang are helpless. The memorial said that General Gu is getting weaker and weaker due to the remaining poison. If he delays any further, he may be in danger. The emperor ordered me to leave immediately and rush to Yongliang day and night to treat General Gu."
Lu Wancheng himself was about to die, so he naturally didn't care about the life and death of others: "Yongliang is so far away from the capital. Even if we travel non-stop, it will take at least half a month. Is that enough time?"
Father Lin sighed softly: "I hope that General Gu will be blessed by heaven."
As a son, Lin Qingyu selfishly didn't want his father to go to a war-torn area at this time. However, all the people in the world are the king's subjects. As they are in Dayu, they must bow to the imperial power all their lives. And General Gu...is also someone worth saving.
Lin Qingyu said: "I hope father will be careful and take care of himself."
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