Gu Qingqiu's expression was so natural that it took Chu Yunhan several seconds to realize whether he was hallucinating.
"Can you read medical books? Are there any pictures in them?"
This cannot be blamed on Chu Yunhan. After all, Gu Qingqiu's past in this world is not a secret. She grew up in luxury and never went to a school. General Gu is a rough man who doesn't care much about literature and education. At most, he hired a tutor and a palace maid to teach him etiquette and some basic characters. He probably didn't have a systematic education. How could he see obscure and complicated classical Chinese texts?
Gu Qingqiu had obviously thought of this as well. "If I were illiterate, how could I be worthy of the Prince? I've been bored every day since I woke up, and I'm not good at things like needlework to pass the time. I wanted to improve myself, so I asked Ziyun to fetch a lot of books from the library. Although I only half understand them, I can still manage to read them. There are a few medical books with pictures of herbs on them, so I memorized them."
"...Oh, you're really eager to learn." Chu Yunhan's expression darkened as he thought of the poison-related content recorded in some medical books. It was his oversight; he would have to find a way to hide some of the books after the autumn hunt.
Gu Qingqiu shrugged. She had already memorized everything she needed to read, and she had even made sure Ziyun returned the book to its original place. If Chu Yunhan was afraid that she would discover his poisoning, then let him put the book away. She already knew that.
If necessary, you can continue to pretend you don't know anything in front of Chu Yunhan.
Chu Yunhan went to bed early that night. The princes had arranged with him to have a round of wilderness survival hunting competition early the next morning.
Each person carries three days' worth of rations and two guards. The competition is to see how much they can hunt within three days.
One point is awarded for easily caught animals such as chickens, rabbits, and foxes; two points are awarded for slightly more difficult animals such as eagles and pigs; and three points are awarded for fierce animals such as wolves and tigers.
If you return early, it will be considered as an automatic forfeit of the competition.
The emperor was clearly interested in this fun activity that could also boost the princes' competitive spirit, and he even got many of his senior ministers to place bets on which prince would emerge victorious.
Gu Qingqiu also joined in the fun, and of course, she bet that the final winner would be their family's Prince Chu Yunhan.
At their final farewell, Gu Qingqiu and Chu Yunhan faced each other, hand in hand. To outsiders, it seemed like a sweet couple whispering sweet nothings before parting. However, in reality...
Chu Yunhan smiled indulgently on the surface, "If you don't want to talk to anyone else, you don't have to go out. No one will say anything. I've already told you beforehand that you're recovering from a serious illness and need to rest. If you really can't stay here, you can go back to the palace first. Just tell the guards I left. Don't say anything out of line or do anything inappropriate. There are too many people here, so don't give them anything to gossip about."
Gu Qingqiu smiled back, "I've always been honest. But Your Highness, you must be careful in the wild. Perhaps the most dangerous thing isn't wild animals, but people's hearts."
Chu Yunhan's face darkened. "I don't need you to remind me." But he quickly realized that there were still people watching, so he pulled Gu Qingqiu into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "I'm leaving."
Gu Qingqiu looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Your Highness, bow your head."
Chu Yunhan was puzzled, but still lowered his head slightly in compliance.
Gu Qingqiu quickly tiptoed and kissed Chu Yunhan on the corner of his mouth, "A lucky kiss, wishing Your Highness a triumphant return."
Chu Yunhan was taken aback, but immediately returned the kiss with a kiss on Gu Qingqiu's forehead, and whispered, "Next time, could you please discuss this with me first?"
"No way—" Gu Qingqiu mouthed in response, making a face at the same time.
Just kidding. If this were discussed beforehand, Chu Yunhan would only have one answer: no!
As soon as Chu Yunhan and the princes left, the number of people present decreased by more than half. Most of those remaining were women and some elderly officials with limited mobility. The emperor, on the other hand, continued to indulge in pleasure with women on his left and right. Every few hours, a scout would return to report on the situation.
"Report! The Sixth Prince has successfully hunted three foxes!"
"Report! The Second Prince, with the assistance of the Fourth Prince, has hunted down a leopard!"
"Report! The Third Prince's horse has been startled and he has fallen off. We have already sent men to fetch him!"
"How could you be so careless?" The emperor's tone was a mixture of heartache and disappointment. "Once you've received the person, just send the Third Prince back to the palace to recuperate! There's no need for him to come and pay his respects to me anymore!"
Apart from the minor incident involving the Third Prince, everything seemed to be going exceptionally smoothly, and the competition was drawing to a close.
With two hours left in the competition, the emperor had long ago ordered a "competition ceremony" to be prepared, and was drinking and waiting for the "surprises" that the princes had hunted back.
Unexpectedly, the scout did not return on time this time.
The emperor frowned. "What time is it now?"
The eunuch beside him bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it's almost noon."
"Where are they? Why haven't any of them returned yet?" Anxiety appeared between the emperor's brows. Based on past experience, the princes would not stay until the last minute to return.
Three days of competition time is more than enough. Staying a little longer would have a negligible impact on the final results. Moreover, returning early would be a sign of confidence. But today... not only are the princes nowhere to be seen, but even the scouts who were supposed to return have disappeared.
The emperor slammed his fist on the table in fury, "Guards! Go into the woods and see what's going on!"
Even though the emperor looked strong and healthy, his trembling hands revealed his inner turmoil. He was old, and all those who had disappeared were potential heirs. How could he not be anxious and afraid?
Gu Qingqiu even noticed that the emperor secretly asked the eunuchs around him a few questions, and she heard them say things like "Third Prince", "Imperial Physician", and "What's going on?"
As clever as Gu Qingqiu was, she quickly pieced together the information. Perhaps the emperor had placed his primary suspicion on the third prince, who had withdrawn from the competition early due to injury. After all, the third prince now had a perfect alibi, and perhaps he had deliberately created this unexpected situation.
However, the royal infighting was not within Gu Qingqiu's concern. What she was concerned about now was that Chu Yunhan had not returned and had disappeared without a trace, just like the other princes.
Although Gu Qingqiu didn't know Chu Yunhan's current situation, if Chu Yunhan was the male protagonist of the world, he shouldn't be in any trouble.
Even so, the show still has to be performed.
After a moment's thought, Gu Qingqiu stood up and ran towards the emperor without hesitation, kneeling down. "Your Majesty! Please let me go into the forest with the others to find the prince!"
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