Sensing that the other person's breathing had stopped, Gu Qingqiu quickly closed her eyes, remained silent, and continued to pretend to be dead.
Chu Yunhan actually woke up the moment he was kissed, but he had been having hallucinations lately, fantasizing about Gu Qingqiu hugging his waist, about Gu Qingqiu saying good morning to him, and even about seeing Gu Qingqiu laughing at him unrestrainedly and freely as soon as he walked into the house.
So this time... he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
Having mentally prepared himself, Chu Yunhan opened his eyes with some anticipation, only to be met with overwhelming disappointment. Looking at Gu Qingqiu's sleeping, expressionless face, he laughed self-deprecatingly.
It really was an illusion.
Chu Yunhan, however, did not want to sleep. He had been having nightmares lately. He would dream of Gu Qingqiu lying motionless covered in blood, or of Gu Qingqiu crying and saying she hated him, or even of Gu Qingqiu sweetly nestled in another man's arms.
Rather than suffer like this, he would rather be consciously tormented, at least for now... Gu Qingqiu is not dead, does not hate him, and has not fallen in love with another man.
Chu Yunhan kissed Gu Qingqiu's forehead, but quickly withdrew his lips, fearing that his dry, chapped lips would make Gu Qingqiu uncomfortable.
Gu Qingqiu had only been pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, but in the end she actually fell asleep until the rooster crowed, telling her it was morning again.
The Prince's mansion was bustling with activity today. There were rustling sounds coming from the courtyard, probably from the servants cleaning and dusting in preparation for the New Year. However, they were deliberately speaking in low voices, perhaps to avoid disturbing the people inside.
Gu Qingqiu hadn't heard these noisy, everyday sounds for a long time, so even if she couldn't hear clearly or the servants were just spouting irrelevant nonsense, she still listened with great interest.
About half an hour later, the imperial physician entered the room.
Gu Qingqiu was a little nervous. The imperial physician was so skilled that he might be able to see through her disguise. Then Chu Yunhan would know that she had recovered.
Unexpectedly, after the imperial physician finished taking Gu Qingqiu's pulse, his tone was somewhat bleak, "Your Highness...the Madam...may not make it through the first month of the lunar calendar. Your Highness should...make preparations as soon as possible..."
...Huh? Gu Qingqiu was puzzled at first, but fortunately the imperial physician quickly provided an explanation.
"The poison in the lady's body has completely numbed her, so the external symptoms of discomfort will gradually subside. Perhaps the lady will wake up soon. When that time comes... Your Highness, please think about what you want to say to the lady in the end, so that she can leave in peace."
Gu Qingqiu heard the sound of porcelain shattering.
"Your Highness! Are you burned? I happen to have some ointment for burns here. If the Madam wakes up and sees that Your Highness is injured, she won't be happy. Your Highness, please let me help you apply the ointment!"
That big idiot Chu Yunhan! How come he can't even hold a teacup properly! Gu Qingqiu felt a little sad; she already knew!
After the imperial physician left, Chu Yunhan held Gu Qingqiu's hand tightly, his gaze seemingly fixed on her face, as if hoping she would wake up any second.
This made Gu Qingqiu even more afraid to open her eyes. She could even imagine the scene of her "waking up" and facing Chu Yunhan, and then seeing Chu Yunhan's excited yet guilty gaze.
She didn't want to do this; she'd rather wait until tonight...
However, Chu Yunhan seemed very excited all day. Several servants came into the room and said a few words to him. Ziyun even came to help Gu Qingqiu change her clothes.
Although she didn't know what clothes she was wearing, Gu Qingqiu struggled to suppress her laughter when Ziyun tickled her.
The Prince's Mansion seemed to have an unusually lively atmosphere – the Spring Festival was just around the corner.
But accidents always happen very suddenly.
Perhaps because he had been staring at Gu Qingqiu for too long during the day, Chu Yunhan heard long, deep breaths as soon as he lay down at night.
Chu Yunhan fell asleep...
Gu Qingqiu opened her eyes, stretched her limbs, and then gently smoothed Chu Yunhan's furrowed brows.
"Rustling sound—"
The leaves outside the window rustled. Gu Qingqiu glanced out the window casually, thinking it was just the wind. But a second before she looked away, she saw a masked figure appear in the moonlight on the window's projection.
Gu Qingqiu felt her heart race—who is this? How did they get into the Prince's mansion?
Judging by their attire, they're definitely up to no good!
Perhaps because the Prince's Palace was busy preparing for the New Year, there were many people coming and going, which gave bad guys an opportunity to sneak into the palace.
Gu Qingqiu was certain that the thief couldn't see her facial expression clearly from his angle, so she squinted slightly and pretended to still be unconscious.
The masked man seemed to observe the spot where Chu Yunhan was lying for a while before disappearing out the window.
Is he about to come in?
Gu Qingqiu was extremely anxious and didn't care about anything else at this moment. She hurriedly shook Chu Yunhan twice and whispered, "Your Highness? Your Highness? Wake up! There's an assassin!"
However, Chu Yunhan, who was usually a light sleeper, remained completely unmoved by Gu Qingqiu's shoving, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Gu Qingqiu dared not speak too loudly, afraid that the masked man would hear her first. She was about to cry in distress. She pulled Chu Yunhan a few centimeters towards her with all her might, and then she was so tired that she could hardly breathe.
This won't do! Do you have any self-defense tools?
Gu Qingqiu recalled Chu Yunhan's usual habits, and finally, as if gambling, she reached under Chu Yunhan's pillow.
Gu Qingqiu was overjoyed. Chu Yunhan still had the habit of keeping a dagger under his pillow!
Gu Qingqiu took out a dagger, removed the sheath, and gripped the dagger tightly in her hand.
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