Chapter 25 Shen You, Don't Be Afraid
"The Six Arts of a Gentleman do not teach how to catch fish."
Whether these words were sarcastic or not, Li Cheng no longer had time to discern.
His clothes were completely soaked, and water was dripping from his sleeves. At this moment, he didn't care about getting closer to Shen You anymore; he just wanted to hurry back to the courtyard to change his clothes.
Fortunately, there weren't many people by the river, and no one else saw him in such a disheveled state.
Even after Li Cheng had walked away, Shen You's gaze remained fixed on the direction he had left in. She thought to herself that this man was so tactless and self-righteous, but fortunately, Shen Xiangning didn't seem to like him very much either.
Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't even notice Chu Xiao approaching.
Suddenly, a lively, wriggling fish appeared in their line of sight, flicking its tail and splashing water.
She was startled and took a half step back, but stepped on an uneven rock, her body tilted, and she was about to fall backward.
The next instant, her waist was tightly embraced by a strong and powerful arm.
As she was pulled back, she fell into a dry, warm embrace.
Before Shen You could react, her lips had already collided directly with the man's hard chest.
hiss...
It hurts so much.
The clean, large hand, not carrying any fish, covered her slender shoulder, the warmth of the palm pendant penetrating her skin through the thin summer dress.
A warm sensation near her ear, followed by a deep male voice, "Where did you bump into?"
Shen You suddenly came to her senses and placed her hands between the two of them to create distance.
His muscles are hard and solid; just now, his teeth must have hit his insides.
A faint taste of blood spread through my lips, suggesting they were already broken.
But Shen You didn't intend to say anything, shaking her head and saying, "It's nothing..."
Her gaze fell on the person in front of her wearing a dark brocade robe, with a faint red tinge above the chest.
Shen You realized that her lip rouge had gotten on it.
In an instant, she looked extremely uncomfortable and quickly pushed him away.
The warm, soft flesh parted, and Chu Xiao's embrace suddenly vanished, though the hand that had been holding her remained in the same position.
His eyes were dark and deep, and he stared at her intently, sunlight falling on his brows, subtly revealing a sense of determination.
Even without looking at him, Shen You could feel his intense gaze, and she subconsciously took another half step back.
Qi Zhaoyan had already arrived. "Fairy sister, are you alright?"
Shen You was in great pain from the wound in her mouth, and mumbled, "It's nothing serious."
Now that they had caught quite a few fish, she suggested, "Your Highness, why don't we head back first?"
“Alright,” Qi Zhaoyan smiled happily, “Let’s go back and show Father and Mother the fish that Uncle Chu caught.”
Mu Geng and the palace servants who were with Qi Zhaoyan took the bamboo baskets off the ground. The stream here was closest to the Shen family's courtyard, and Shen You was the first to arrive. Chu Xiao, on the other hand, still needed to take Qi Zhaoyan back to Qi Jincheng, so he did not stay long.
only...
To Shen You's surprise, just a moment later, Zi Teng ran in to report, "Miss, the Duke is here again."
Shen You asked, puzzled, "What's he doing here?"
Wisteria shook her head, "This servant does not know."
At this hour, everyone else in the Shen family had gone out, and the man stood openly in the courtyard.
Tall and upright, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, even his back exudes a cold and composed aura.
"Greetings, Your Excellency," Shen You bowed respectfully to him. "May I ask what brings you here, Your Excellency?"
Chu Xiao turned around and walked towards her.
She stood in the corridor, while he stopped at the bottom of the steps. For once, she didn't have to look up at him.
Chu Xiao opened his palm, revealing a small porcelain bottle. "I got it from the imperial physician."
"The ingredients used in this medicine are all mild and can be ingested. Even if you don't swallow it all, it's fine."
He knew she had a wound in her mouth.
Shen You suddenly looked up, subconsciously pursed her lips, and looked at him somewhat uncomfortably.
She didn't take it on her own initiative. His expression was unreadable, but he directly reached out, grabbed her wrist, pulled her close, and placed the small porcelain bottle in her palm.
The man's hands were warm, his fingers long and strong, and he held her wrist through her summer dress.
Shen You felt as if each pulse in his wrist was pressed against his skin.
Her brow twitched, she lowered her eyelashes, and avoided looking at him again.
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
Chu Xiao's gaze never left her; he just stood there, staring at her.
Her eyes, which were as deep and dark as an abyss, shone with an astonishing light as she accepted the medicine bottle.
After a moment, he said, "Li Cheng is unreliable."
Shen You naturally knew about this, but ultimately, Li Cheng couldn't really do anything to her because of his relationship with Chen Qiurong.
However, Chen Qiurong and Wang Hui seem to have a strong desire to marry each other...
But in any case, these things have nothing to do with Chu Xiao.
Shen You suddenly recalled the unpleasant parting between the two of them in the carriage in front of Luoyu Lane that day, and calmly said, "Thank you for reminding me, Duke."
His tone remained indifferent, and Chu Xiao's eyes narrowed, but he ultimately said nothing more.
He turned and left.
After finally seeing the person off, Shen You breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to her room.
After lunch, she sat down at her dressing table, opened a small porcelain bottle, and instantly, a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out.
Shen You was a little tired. After carefully applying the medicine, she went to rest in the bed room.
——
For the next few days, Shen You spent most of his time with Qi Zhaoyan.
Now almost everyone knows that Princess Zhaoyan is fond of the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Chengde's family and often visits her.
Chu Xiao sometimes brings Qi Zhaoyan along, so now no one finds it strange to see him entering the Shen family's courtyard.
After playing for a few days, Qi Zhaoyan's energy finally dissipated, and Ye Mingyu pressed her into her bedroom, ordering her to take a longer nap during her afternoon rest.
Qi Zhaoyan pouted, refusing to admit that she was a little tired.
Shen You had no choice but to join in the persuasion, saying, "If children don't sleep well, they won't grow tall."
"Really?" Qi Zhaoyan asked nervously upon hearing that she might not grow tall.
Shen You did not answer directly, but said, "Just in case, Your Highness should rest more these few days."
Qi Zhaoyan didn't argue this time, she just nodded emphatically and lay back on the bed, "Then I'll go to sleep obediently."
The little girl pulled the blanket up to cover the lower half of her face and blinked at her.
Shen You and Ye Mingyu smiled at each other. Ye Mingyu instructed the nanny to take good care of the princess, and then the two left the palace together.
"Yan'er is lively and active. She has been following you around a lot these past few days, which must have kept you very busy and tired."
Shen You said, "Princess Zhaoyan is lively and lovely, and it is very pleasant to be with her."
The two talked as they walked out.
Just as Ye Mingyu was about to ask the person to stay a while longer, she heard a young eunuch come to report that Qi Jincheng was looking for her.
Shen You smiled, pursing her lips, "The Emperor and Empress's relationship is truly enviable."
Ye Mingyu glanced at the little eunuch and told him to go back and report that she would be there. Then she looked at Shen You and smiled deeply, "Youyou can go too."
Upon hearing this, Shen You simply lowered her eyes and smiled, not taking it to heart.
***
Since Qi Zhaoyan didn't come to see Shen You, Shen You had some free time.
Therefore, a trip to the Osmanthus Forest was put on the agenda.
On this day.
In the height of summer, the sun shines brightly, and the nearby trees are lush and green, with dappled sunlight falling on the branches and leaves.
Outside the courtyard, Green Ivy had already harnessed the carriage and called out, "Miss, let's set off."
The trip to the Osmanthus Forest, which we had mentioned before, finally came to fruition today.
Shen You, dressed in a light blue dress, stepped down the stairs, holding up the hem of her skirt, with Zi Teng following beside her.
"Let's go," she said, glancing up at the clear blue sky, her mood brightening.
The three of them, master and servants, boarded the carriage together. Shen You went inside, while two maids sat side by side outside driving the carriage.
To alleviate the boredom of the journey, I even brought two boxes of pastries.
The sound of wheels rolling could be heard as they headed towards the osmanthus grove.
It only takes a little over fifteen minutes to get from the courtyard to the osmanthus grove by horse-drawn carriage.
Throughout the journey, the carriage curtains remained drawn, and the three of them, master and servant, chatted and laughed while enjoying the scenery, finding it quite amusing.
However, as they walked, they heard a "snap" sound coming from somewhere.
Immediately afterward, before Shen You could react, the horse suddenly accelerated as if stimulated by something.
"ah--"
What's going on?
Shen You, who was sitting near the car door, quickly grabbed the door frame.
With almost nowhere to hold onto, the wisteria and pothos could only grip the reins tightly, trying to stop the horse.
But the horses not only didn't stop, they ran around wildly, causing the carriage to sway and wobble.
The speed is getting faster and faster.
Shen You pressed himself tightly against the carriage wall, his hair ornaments swaying wildly, and shouted outside, "Wisteria, Green Ivy, hold on to the carriage!"
"Hold on tight, don't fall."
The surrounding scenery rushed past, and it was now impossible to tell where the horses and carriage had gone.
"Girl... what... what should we do?"
Green Ivy's voice trembled with panic.
Food boxes, pastries, and tea were all thrown out of the carriage, leaving it in a mess.
"ah!"
"girl!"
Several screams rang out in succession as the right wheel suddenly broke, causing the entire carriage to tilt.
The wisteria and pothos plants lost their balance and were thrown off one after another as the horse galloped away.
"Wisteria!"
"Green ivy!"
Shen You shouted and clung to the door frame, trying his best to look back, but the horse was running too fast, dragging the broken wheel and swaying back and forth.
She couldn't see anything clearly as she was repeatedly slammed against the carriage wall.
The next instant, the broken half of the right wheel fell off.
As the horses galloped at high speed, the carriage completely overturned.
"ah--"
Shen You felt dizzy and felt a strong force throw him away.
They tried desperately to hold onto the carriage with their fingertips, but to no avail.
There was a cliff in front of us; if we fell, we would almost certainly die.
The carriage walls were almost completely shattered. Before the carriage could fall off the cliff, Shen You had no time to think and jumped with all his might.
But it was no use; the moment he jumped out, the carriage had already fallen.
"ah!"
A panicked female voice echoed through the valley.
Shen You fell into despair, her body falling like a light leaf.
Just when she thought she was going to die, a dry, strong hand gripped her waist tightly.
Then I crashed into a hard embrace.
"Shen You, don't be afraid."
She suddenly opened her eyes, and what she saw was Chu Xiao's cold and sharp profile.
With his muscles taut, he used all his strength to hold her, clinging to the vines on the cliff edge, barely managing to keep them both together.
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