"I don't know either. Young Master only returned early this morning, still injured. He heard from the palace that a group of assassins from Beiming came last night and said they had captured a man and a woman. He looked very bad and left with Leng Zhan and the others. They had just left not long ago."
Could it be that Chu Mubai thought she had been arrested?
Xia Yixin's heart skipped a beat. It was extremely bad for Chu Mubai to enter the palace at this time. The new emperor had just captured Zi Linglong and was definitely furious. His entry into the palace now was the worst possible move.
She was anxious, but now she had no choice but to wait.
Not long after, news suddenly came from the palace: a reward from the emperor.
"Chu Mubai, son of the Grand Tutor of Chu, has rendered meritorious service in advising the princess and is hereby rewarded..."
She didn't listen carefully to what her father-in-law was giving her. She knelt down with the old lady of the manor and listened to the reward. The bewildered Grand Tutor pulled the father-in-law aside and chatted for a while before returning to explain, "This morning, Mu Bai went to the palace to discuss the matter of Bei Ming sending assassins with His Majesty. He happened to run into Princess Linglong throwing a tantrum, and he scolded her a few times on behalf of His Majesty. Unexpectedly, Princess Linglong listened and obediently admitted her mistake to His Majesty. His Majesty was so pleased that he invited him to dine in the palace."
The old lady frowned deeply. "Why did Mu Bai suddenly enter the palace? What happened?"
Everyone was puzzled, but Xia Yixin's heart sank. According to what Chu Mubai had said before, the new emperor had always been wary of letting Zi Linglong meet Chu Mubai. Why would he suddenly let the two of them meet? Was it a test?
And how is she going to explain what happened last night to him? Is her secret identity as Yan Jiu about to be exposed?
The system solemnly declared, "The host must not reveal any information about items outside this plane, such as appearance-changing abilities or clothing; otherwise, the mission will be considered a failure!"
"..." It seems I'll have to make up another story.
The people of the Grand Tutor's mansion waited for a whole day, but Chu Mubai still hadn't returned.
Finally, Grand Tutor Chu could no longer contain himself and brought Chu Mubai back to the palace. The emperor talked with him for a whole day and finally bestowed upon him an imperial sedan chair to send him out.
Chu Mubai had been studying with the emperor since childhood, and he was also involved in the emperor's ascension to the throne. Therefore, even though he had no official rank, he was still feared by people in the court, and he was the only one who could ride in the emperor's sedan chair to leave the palace.
Upon receiving the news, the doctor who had been waiting immediately went to the East Garden. Madam Li and the Old Madam also looked anxious. Of course, apart from Chu Tan, whose gloating expression was obvious to everyone.
Xia Yixin was also extremely annoyed, especially when she heard the system notification that the male supporting character's health had dropped by another 10 points. She guessed that Chu Mubai must have taken the "yandere pill" again because he was afraid that the new emperor would find out the truth about his body.
The emperor's palanquin was equivalent to his own, and everyone else had to kneel and worship him.
Chu Mubai also got out of the sedan chair first, knelt down and bowed before the sedan chair left.
Xia Yixin looked at Chu Mubai's pale face and felt even more guilty, but with such a large group of people, she didn't have a chance to speak.
Moreover, Chu Mubai didn't even glance at her from beginning to end.
Chu Mubai was helped back to the East Garden by Leng Zhan, where the doctor had been waiting for a long time.
The old matriarch looked at the hesitant Xia Yixin and said, "Girl, you go to the East Garden too. I'm worried that those doctors aren't up to the task." She then turned to the others and said, "Li Shi, you take the rest of you and go back first. Don't just stand here."
When the old lady speaks, no one dares to disobey.
Xia Yixin strode into the East Garden, just as the imperial physician shook his head and sighed as he walked out with Grand Tutor Chu.
The imperial physician sighed and said, "The eldest son's condition had stabilized, but due to emotional distress and overwork, his physical condition has worsened. It would be best if the Grand Tutor found that expert to continue treating him, otherwise we are afraid of the poison..."
Grand Tutor Chu frowned deeply. "Mu Bai won't tell us who that expert from the Divine Physician Valley is..."
Chu Mubai has been protecting Xia Yixin's secret all along, and everyone else in the mansion, including the old lady, still believes in the true origin of that prescription.
The imperial physician left with regret.
Although Xia Yixin knew that the imperial physicians mostly diagnosed the symptoms of "Yandere Pill," she still brewed a bowl of medicine and added a little bit of Marrow Cleansing Pill. She had been using it for a while, and had already used one of the two Marrow Cleansing Pills. Fortunately, the medicine was effective.
When she carried the tray into the bedroom, Chu Mubai had already changed into his undergarments and was sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, resting.
Chu Mubai's face was pale and cold, and his shoulder was wrapped in bandages. He looked like he was asleep. Xia Yixin frowned with worry. His condition was not just due to the effects of the "Yandere Pill".
There were only the two of them in the room.
Upon hearing the sound, Chu Mubai slowly opened his eyes, a complex emotion flashing in his deep, cold gaze.
"I'm fine, I'll just leave the medicine and go home, cough cough cough..."
He didn't want her to see him like this, but the more he tried to suppress his cough, the worse it became.
Xia Yixin wanted to use her internal energy to help him smooth things over, but her hand was blocked by the man.
"No need." Chu Mubai had a knot in his stomach. On his way back, the image of the man in black with her kept replaying in his mind. He wasn't without suspicion, but once he thought about how she was just putting on an act, deceiving him, and how one day she would leave and he would never see her again.
That fear from the depths of his soul made it almost impossible for him to control all his sinister thoughts.
Chu Mubai is like a taut bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.
Xia Yixin knew he must have misunderstood, so she gave the excuse she had prepared beforehand: "Tonight I went to rescue Zi Linglong on behalf of my sworn brother. I didn't expect it to alarm the Eastern Depot and the Ninth Prince to be so relentless. I really only lent her a piece of clothing and was only responsible for keeping watch."
After she finished speaking, she looked at him nervously. After a long while, the man sighed wearily.
"Madam always seems to know what I want to ask and has prepared the best answer, but do you know that the more carefully prepared the answer is, the easier it is to make a mistake? Tonight I brought dozens of experts, including Leng Zhan. You said that person was Zi Linglong. You couldn't possibly have concealed your aura so skillfully. Where are you? And why did your sworn brother save Zi Linglong?"
Xia Yixin opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. One lie requires countless more to cover it up.
At that moment, the eunuch's shrill voice suddenly rang out from the doorway: "Please summon Chu Mubai, son of Grand Tutor Chu, to receive the imperial decree!"
The news that the new emperor had bestowed two gifts upon Chu Mubai in one day spread throughout the capital the next day. What was even more peculiar was that the new emperor's second decree actually bestowed two concubines upon Chu Mubai!
They were two beautiful thirteen-year-old girls who came directly from the Emperor's Chuxiu Palace.
Throughout the Southern Yu Dynasty, both the common people and the city were abuzz with discussion. They didn't understand what the new emperor meant by this move, but anyone with discerning eyes could see that the new emperor was testing Chu Mubai, testing whether he was really as weak as he appeared, "although he has improved, he is still physically weak." Moreover, it was also a childish act of subtly reminding Zi Linglong that the other party was already a married man.
Regardless of how the outside world evaluates the new emperor's actions, the two concubines he bestowed upon him were sent to the Grand Tutor's residence that very night in two small sedan chairs, where the old lady arranged for them to be settled in the South Garden, where Chu Qin had originally lived.
Two accompanying matrons were also sent to the Grand Tutor's residence. Ostensibly, they were there to serve their master, but in reality, they were there to monitor him.
On the day the two concubines entered the mansion, Chu Mubai went to their respective rooms. Unfortunately, before they could drink the nuptial wine that night, Chu Mubai coughed up blood, which frightened the two concubines. Naturally, the so-called wedding night was canceled.
The next day, after the two old women returned to the palace to report, the new emperor pretended to bestow some medicinal herbs upon Chu Mubai, and then stopped paying attention to him, focusing instead on dealing with the Ninth Prince who was opposing him.
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