Chapter 67 The Substitute: Fu Shuqing, what brings you here?
"Fu Shuqing is back?"
Xie Changyu was shocked by the news. He rubbed his temples, suddenly realizing something was wrong. He looked pained and asked, "How long have I been asleep?"
Wasn't he just sleeping in all afternoon? How come Fu Shuqing was already back when he woke up?
Xiaohe looked at him hesitantly, her expression worried.
“…Young Master, you’ve been lying here for three days now.”
When the young master hadn't woken up after being given medicine on the first day, the master and his wife were extremely anxious. The two, who cherished their only son dearly, were afraid that something might have happened to him and tried many methods. The master even borrowed a royal physician from the palace to take a look, and the wife even went to a temple to pray for good fortune before she felt at ease.
During these three days, Young Master Fu was also extremely anxious, staying by his bedside day and night without taking a break, and almost fell ill himself.
However, he was half-forced to leave by the steward of the General's Mansion this morning. Today is the day General Fu returns to court, and as his younger brother, Young Master Fu naturally cannot miss it.
When the butler said this, Young Master Fu initially refused, as he was worried about his master's health. However, after being persuaded by his wife, he finally relented and allowed the butler to take him away.
Xiaohe recounted the events of the past three days to his young master, who was still in a state of confusion.
Xie Changyu remained expressionless throughout, and he didn't move at all until the end, only his half-blinking eyes moved, his gaze dark and unfocused.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on the river, and he swallowed unconsciously for a moment. He grasped a key point and had a bad feeling. "You mean my mother knows I went to Changyuefang?"
Xiaohe shrank back, his face scrunched up, and nodded with a bitter expression, "Yes, young master, Madam knows."
He continued, "That day, after you had a fever and didn't wake up, Madam called Doctor Cai to examine you. The doctor immediately discovered that you had been drugged with aphrodisiacs. Then Madam asked me, and I had no choice but to tell you."
"Tsk."
Xie Changyu was now truly in a bind. He covered his forehead with his hand, looking like he had a stomachache. "I'm doomed."
His father must have found out that he went to Changyuefang again behind their backs, and this time he even got drugged and came back in a worse state than last time.
He's finished, he's finished, he's going to be locked up again.
"Young Master..."
Looking at the young master's ashen face on the bed, Xiaohe felt extremely guilty. "Young master, it's all my fault. I failed to protect you properly. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been drugged and wouldn't have gotten sick."
He heard it clearly: the young master's fever was mainly due to the medicine he had taken. He added that the young master usually played outside and was exposed to the wind quite often, otherwise he wouldn't have fallen ill this time. It was all his fault...
"Alright." Xie Changyu couldn't stand his behavior anymore, her face full of disgust. "You shut up now."
"Oh." Xiaohe obediently shut her mouth, her lips tightly pursed and she didn't say anything.
With no one to disturb him, Xie Changyu's mind was finally a little clearer. He touched the longevity lock around his neck, rubbing it habitually. The cold silver ornament soon became warm.
This is a habit he's had since he was a child. Whenever he gets sick, he likes to touch and play with it like this. Otherwise, he just wears it as a little toy without caring about it.
Upon waking up to this situation, Xie Changyu wanted to go back to sleep, but that was no longer an option. Xiaohe had already informed the servants outside that his mother would be arriving soon.
He thought of Fu Shuqing and Fu Jing, whom he had just mentioned. He tilted his head back slightly, blinked his eyelashes, and thought to himself that although he knew Fu Shuqing was coming back soon, he did not expect him to come back so quickly.
We arrived in the capital in just three days; I thought it would take half a month.
His head was spinning as he thought about everyone's affairs. Before long, the person he was afraid of came in, his voice preceding his arrival.
"Yu Bao!"
Her voice was gentle but tinged with anxiety.
Xie Changyu raised his head and saw the newcomer smiling obediently. His eyes were bright, his face was rosy, and his lips were slightly pursed, making it hard to scold him.
"mother."
Madam Xie was even more reluctant to let him go. She sat on the side of the bed and held her son's hand, her voice filled with lingering fear, "It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake."
Xie Changyu said in a soft, obedient tone, "Mother, I'm alright now."
"Luckily you were alright, otherwise your father would have sued Changyuefang."
"My dad?!"
Madam Xie gently stroked those hands to comfort them, "It's a good thing you woke up today, I was so worried about you."
The Xie family only had this one child, and Madam Xie had always doted on him as he grew up. Although Lord Xie appeared strict and unsympathetic on the surface, he actually indulged and loved this child very much.
Xie Changyu's current lawless nature is partly due to the Xie family's pampering and partly due to the two brothers of the Fu family spoiling him.
"Mother~"
Xie Changyu nuzzled his head against Madam Xie's hand, trying to be cute so his father wouldn't lock him up later.
"I will never do that again, Mother, don't worry."
A soft, dark head reached out to her, and Madam Xie simply smiled gently. She sighed, "Are you worried that your father will punish you and want your mother to plead for you?"
"Mother~" Xie Changyu started to whine when her secret was exposed, acting as if she wouldn't stop until the other party agreed.
Madam Xie shook her head helplessly, tapped his forehead, and said indulgently, "I know, you little rascal, your father won't lock you up this time."
"That's great!" Xie Changyu only had time to cheer before she heard her mother say, "However, you can't go out for the next few days. You can't go out until you've fully recovered."
"Huh?" Xie Changyu deflated instantly. He hung his head dejectedly and continued to resist, trying to find a chance to get out. Suddenly, he remembered someone. He looked up at his mother and said, "But Mother, didn't Brother Fu come back today? Can't I go see him?"
Madam Xie smiled and said, "You, you've always loved going to the General's Mansion since you were little. You're already so eager to see people now that you've just come back."
She assumed that Xie Changyu had a very good relationship with the Fu brothers because he had no siblings and grew up together. So she finally agreed and gave them a few words of advice: "Wear more clothes when you go out. It's getting colder and colder. Winter is coming soon."
Xie Changyu nodded excitedly, "Don't worry, Mother, I'll get dressed."
“And also—” Madam Xie raised her eyes to look at him, “You’re not allowed to go to those places anymore, understand? Otherwise, you’d better stay obediently in the manor.”
"No, no, Mommy, I promise!"
Finally, after Xie Changyu's repeated assurances, Madam Xie agreed that he could go out.
Of course, he doesn't have the strength to get out of bed yet; he'll have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest.
Xie Changyu pinched his nose while drinking his medicine. After finishing, he quickly moved away from the medicine bowl, and Xiaohe, who was next to him, hurriedly handed him a piece of candy.
Xie Changyu's expression softened a little after the taste of the candy filled his mouth. "It's too bitter. How much longer do I have to drink it?"
After watching the others tidy up the table and medicine bowls, Xiaohe replied, "Young Master, the doctor said I need to drink it for another week."
"So long!"
Xie Changyu frowned, looking sullen. He sat on the bed, propping his face up with his hand, and gave him instructions.
"I want to eat candied hawthorns. Go outside and see if they still sell them."
"Yes, young master, I'll go right away."
After watching the person leave, Xie Changyu sighed again before lying down. He covered himself with the blanket, afraid that he would catch a cold again, otherwise he wouldn't be able to go out tomorrow if he got a fever.
...
The room was very quiet, and he idly fiddled with his fingers.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of doors and windows opening, followed by light footsteps. Xie Changyu's ears twitched slightly, feeling that the sounds were somewhat familiar.
Just then, he turned around and was startled by the figure in front of him.
The newcomer was dressed in a dark blue satin robe, his hair tied up with a jade crown. The young man's face was as bright as the moon, his long eyebrows slightly raised, and his originally indifferent gaze softened when it fell on him.
His ordinary scholar's attire couldn't conceal the chilling, murderous aura emanating from him—an aura forged from a sea of corpses.
"Fu Shuqing, what brings you here..."
Xie Changyu stared blankly at the person in front of him who shouldn't have been there, until the other person gently tapped his head and he came to his senses.
Fu Shuqing withdrew his hand, looking at the weak-looking person on the bed, his voice hoarse, "I heard from Fu Jing that you were sick, so I came to see what happened."
Startled by the sudden knock, Xie Changyu's attention shifted instantly. He glared at her, then rubbed his forehead and said, "I've told you I'm not a child anymore, don't do things like that!"
"He seems to be in good spirits. It seems I worried for nothing."
Fu Shuqing continued talking to himself, ignoring his words. After all, in his heart, Xie Changyu had always been a child, and he still treated him like a younger brother.
"It was fine as it was." Xie Changyu muttered to himself, looking at the somewhat unfamiliar face and the menacing aura in front of him, trying to adjust. "Didn't you just get back? Why are you here? Aren't you going to the victory celebration?"
He was quite puzzled by this. His mother had just told him not to go to the General's Mansion to find them, saying that Fu Shuqing was having a victory banquet at the palace tonight and wouldn't have time to entertain him, and that Fu Jing was also going to the palace, so he hadn't bothered to go there.
Who would have thought that Fu Shuqing would come looking for him on her own? How strange.
"It's not time yet," Fu Shuqing explained gently. He reached out and tucked the blanket in again, then touched his forehead. "You're not very hot anymore. Keep the blanket on and don't catch a cold."
Xie Changyu did not resist this point. He let the other person cover him with the quilt, after all, he was afraid that he would catch a cold and get a fever, which would be very uncomfortable.
"Okay, get away from me. You smell weird, I don't like it."
After they covered him up, they turned on him and refused to acknowledge him, their faces contorted with disgust, and they even covered their noses.
Fu Shuqing knew immediately what he was talking about: the smell of blood. It was the strong smell of blood that he had accumulated from his two years of fighting. Even though he had showered and dressed cleanly before coming, it was still very pungent and obvious to Xie Changyu, who was sensitive to smells.
Fu Shuqing took a step back without changing her expression, not following up on that, but instead bringing up another matter, "I heard you and Fu Jing went to Changyuefang?"
Xie Changyu's eyes widened, and he glared at him, saying angrily, "He actually told you this?!"
Fu Shuqing raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, "No, how could he possibly tell me about you?"
"Then how did you know?" Xie Changyu didn't deny it. After all, he had already done it, and it was too late to deny it. He might as well push the blame onto Fu Jing.
“I’m well-informed, so naturally I knew.”
"Fu Jing took me there. I didn't really want to go there, but he was so curious that he insisted on dragging me along, so I went."
Xie Changyu feigned composure and said, completely shirking responsibility.
Fu Shuqing knew this person he had watched grow up all his life, but instead of exposing him, he asked in return, "Is it fun?"
"Wh-what?" Xie Changyu was a little confused by his attitude. Shouldn't he have joined him in cursing Fu Jing and promised to teach this guy a lesson?
This reaction is strange.
Fu Shuqing looked into his eyes, chuckled softly, and asked, "I'm asking, did you find that place fun?"
Xie Changyu pursed her lips and shook her head. "It's not fun, it's not fun. Why are you asking this?"
Fu Shuqing nodded, a slight smile in his eyes, and said, "I understand."
Xie Changyu glanced at him, then frowned. "You came all this way just to ask this?"
"no."
Fu Shuqing took out a white object from her clothes, and Xie Changyu's eyes were immediately drawn to it. "What is this?"
"Snow Lotus." Fu Shuqing took it out and placed it on the table next to her. "I heard you were sick, so I specially brought it over to help you recover."
Xie Changyu looked at the delicate snow lotus and felt amazed. He wondered how long ago the flower had been picked and how it could still be so tender. As he stared at it, he replied, "You can have Fu Jing deliver it. He's free anyway."
If Fu Jing came, he could have the other tell him stories to lull him to sleep. Actually, the person in front of him could do it too, since he was the one who usually did it. But smelling the strange, nauseating odor in the air, Xie Changyu decided against it.
“I think it would be better if I delivered this to you myself, since I prepared it for you.” Fu Shuqing stood there looking at him.
"There's not much difference."
Xie Changyu grumbled softly, to him there was no difference between the two brothers, it didn't matter who gave it to him.
Fu Shuqing smiled and said, "It's getting late, I have to go now. I'll come see you again tomorrow if I have time."
"Let's go, let's go, we can't miss the banquet."
Xie Changyu waved his hand casually, clearly not caring much about where he was going.
The man glanced at him sideways and quickly disappeared into the room, the window clicking shut again.
Just then, Xiaohe walked in with a string of candied hawthorns. He looked happy and called out to Xie Changyu, "Young Master, Young Master, I bought some!"
Xie Changyu was still thinking about Fu Shuqing, but upon hearing this, she immediately forgot about him, her eyes brightened, and she eagerly accepted the candied hawthorn she had been longing for.
He took a bite and said with satisfaction, "So delicious."
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Author's note: -_-
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