Chapter 63: He found the house empty and disappeared
He Jiuyue was not paying attention here, and she fed Zhong Zian several spoonfuls of empty medicine without noticing. She even handed the spoon to Zhong Zian's mouth. Zhong Zian frowned and refused to drink, but she kept holding the spoon with no intention of putting it down.
Zhong Zian was a man of great observation and soon realized something was wrong.
"Ji Yue, what happened?" he asked softly.
"Hmm?" He Jiuyue finally reacted, took back the empty spoon, put it back in the medicine bowl, and stirred the bitter black medicine juice from time to time.
"Nothing happened."
It was because she herself lacked concentration, and her mind wandered whenever she thought of Wen Zheliu.
Zhong Zi'an thought that Emperor Jingming was present, and He Jiuyue found it difficult to speak. He signaled with his eyes that He Jiuyue should ask Emperor Jingming to leave, and asked in a weak voice.
"Jiyue, Daddy is here, if you have anything to say, just tell me. What happened?"
He spoke with such certainty that it seemed as if it were true.
He Jiuyue put down the medicine bowl and pressed the dully painful solar plexus with her fingertips.
"Dad, it's really okay. I was just distracted."
Zhong Zi'an has lived in Pingyang Prefecture for a long time. When his wife He Yuyao was alive, he relied on her for survival. Now that He Yuyao is gone, the only one he can rely on is his eldest daughter He Jiuyue.
He looked gentle and said he would make the decision for her, but He Jiuyue did not dare to act rashly.
Her mother has subordinates to protect, and her father has younger brothers to take care of. As for her, she is a princess who was sent to the capital city specifically to ensure the safety of her family. She has no one to rely on, and she has to be cautious in her words and actions. She can only rely on herself for everything.
This is a truth she has understood since she was a child.
Zhong Zian leaned forward, looking like he was about to ask more questions, but He Jiyue raised her hand to stop him: "Dad, you're actually not feeling unwell, and you're even almost recovered, right?"
Zhong Zian was stunned. He leaned back on the soft pillow and scratched his nose. "How did you know?"
"People who are not feeling well probably don't have the energy to sit so peacefully and chat with others, and often fall asleep while talking.
"This medicine is strong and potent. People with weak constitutions are lucky to drink only half of it at a time. Before in Pingyang County, you drank half and then waved your hand. But you took a whole bowl and are still full of energy now."
Zhong Zian knew that his daughter was smart and would see through his little trick sooner or later, but he still felt embarrassed when she pointed it out to her in person.
"Jiyue, I don't want to trouble you, but staying alone in this deep palace is really... too lonely.
"Not only do we not even have anyone to talk to, but we also have to constantly be on guard against any movement from His Majesty. Even with Envoy Wu's help, Dad couldn't handle it. Dad only wanted to talk to you and your little brother, so he and Envoy Wu put on this stunt."
Dad stayed alone in the deep palace for two or three days, feeling lonely.
What about Wen Zheliu?
He stayed there for more than half a month.
My heart was in turmoil, as if dozens of buckets were swinging back and forth, with waves rising one after another in the buckets. The image of Wen Zheliu covering his lips and coughing suddenly appeared in my mind.
Not to mention that Wen Zheliu was pregnant at the time, and often felt nauseous, couldn't eat or see, and he couldn't see clearly.
But every time she asked him about that period of time, he would just smile and wave his hand, saying "No problem".
How can it be okay?
He was a spoiled young master, and he had to stay in this deserted place with no one to serve him for more than half a month. It was a blessing that he didn't go crazy.
He had finally waited for her to enter the palace, hoping that she could help him escape from the cage.
Who knew that she just wanted his body.
He was clearly weak, his eyes red, and he begged her to take him away...
She just watched coldly and turned a deaf ear.
When she returns to the Princess's Mansion, she will definitely compensate him well.
He Jiuyue tried hard to calm down and return to his usual calm demeanor.
"It is unfilial of your daughter to let you go to the palace at such an old age. You can stay here peacefully. When the opportunity arises, your daughter will take you out.
"Next time you want Jiyue to come to the palace to see you, you can ask Wu Yang to describe his symptoms as mild. If you pretend to be sick too much, it will only arouse His Majesty's suspicion. If you use the same trick too many times, it will not work in front of His Majesty."
"Dad knows about this and will never do it again."
Zhong Zian patted He Jiyue's shoulder, crow's feet appearing at the corners of his eyes: "Jiyue, your mother's spirit in heaven will also feel comforted to have such an outstanding eldest daughter like you."
"Liu Yun is also very good. He heard that something happened to you and was very worried. He wanted to see you all the time."
As He Jiuyue spoke, she gently stood up and called the young man who had been standing on a wooden stake next to her to come over and take her place next to the bed.
"Dad, I have to go back to the Princess's Mansion for something. Let Liu Yun take care of you first."
Zhong Zian reached out his hand to keep him, but was afraid of delaying He Jiuyue's business, so he didn't dare to do so. He had to withdraw his hand and pat the back of He Liuyun's hand lightly.
"Ji Yue, why are you in such a hurry?" he asked.
Is she anxious? Maybe.
But this matter... is difficult to say out loud, after all, it is not entirely a matter.
Wen Zheliu was weak and couldn't see clearly, so the fetus was probably unstable. She should just lie on the couch and rest well, and it would not be convenient to hold a big wedding banquet.
The sooner he recovers, the sooner he can enter the Princess's Mansion with legitimate reasons.
He Jiuyue's lips curled up.
"It's an urgent matter, but it's not a bad thing. It's... a beautiful occasion, like drinking the wedding wine."
Suburbs of Beijing.
Dugu Qiu held the tightly bound Xiaobai in one hand and the drugged and unconscious cat Xueyu in the other: "Sir, I have brought you the man and cat you requested."
Wen Zheliu still couldn't see.
He reached out and touched Xiaobai's face, then rubbed Xueyu's body. After making sure it was the two of them, he said "hmm".
"Do you need to untie this rope for a moment?" Dugu Qiu asked.
Wen Zheliu waved his hands in the air: "No need."
When Xiaobai was tied up, he must have something to ask him, but he was very dizzy at the moment, and his mouth was sour, as if he would vomit if he said a word, so he was obviously unable to answer.
I'd better wait until he feels better before explaining it to him.
"Understood. Then I will lock them up first."
Dugu Qiu heard Zheliu say "hmm" again, and reached out to press his mute acupoint and cartilage acupoint.
"Sir, we have to check your portrait before leaving the city gate. You are not on the list of accompanying personnel, so you can only hide in your luggage. The next section of the journey through the Central Plains may be easier. I apologize for this."
Wen Zheliu opened his thin lips slightly and made a coughing sound, but no sound came out.
A bit of red appeared on his pale face, but it was not the healthy red, but the purple color caused by difficulty breathing and bloating in his lungs.
Dugu Qiu didn't dare touch him for fear that touching Wen Zheliu rashly would make him feel even worse.
Wen Zheliu's waist, which had always been as straight as a green pine, slowly bent down, and his hands, as white as fine snow, gently beat his chest. It sounded muffled and powerless, just like beating cotton.
Liquid suddenly spurted out of Wen Zheliu's mouth, dripping onto the blanket.
Bright red, it's blood.
"Are you okay?" Dugu Qiu felt a sudden pang in his heart and freed Wen Zheliu from silence.
"...Hmm." Wen Zheliu didn't say anything good or bad, but just hummed a single note from his nose to prove that he was still conscious.
He's even vomiting blood, how can he be okay?
But he didn't want to say much.
When the unworthy Dugu Qiu took action, Wen Zheliu pressed his own mute acupoint, groped his way into the bag that was originally intended for him, and stroked the medicine bottle in his sleeve.
This is the pill given to He Jiuyue by his nun Dongfang Lan when she came to visit him in Changle Palace.
It is said to save lives, but it should not be used unless it is an emergency.
At this moment, he just vomited blood, felt dizzy and was about to faint... For an ordinary person, any of these things would be unbearable, but he had been bedridden for more than ten years, and at this point, it was not considered "urgent".
Wen Zheliu clenched his sleeves and closed his eyes to rest.
Be patient.
He endured until he had complete control over Xiyue and could return to the Central Plains with the child. Then he explained the whole story to He Jiuyue and begged for her forgiveness.
It was he who left without permission, and it was he who let her down.
"Ugh!" There was a sudden pain in his lower abdomen. Wen Zheliu pressed his abdomen with both hands and let out an involuntary groan that even Huxu couldn't stop.
Why is this kid making trouble again?
She was so acutely aware of her mother's presence that she couldn't bear for him to leave.
Cold sweat flowed from the corner of his forehead and slowly flowed down his cheeks. Wen Zheliu curled up his body, enduring the bumps of the carriage, barely getting through this sudden pain. The breath that he had subconsciously held due to the pain was slowly released.
The breath was intermittent and took three times to be completely exhaled from the lungs.
Inhaling it through the nose again caused another spasm in the lower abdomen.
This child is too noisy.
Wen Zheliu was in so much pain that she broke out in cold sweats. Curling up didn't help, so she could only secretly curse the child in her heart for being ignorant. She was afraid that in the future he would become an unfaithful woman who would indulge in other women and deceive all the handsome men in the world.
Didn't he know that he was being forced to separate from He Jiyue, and that he was feeling uncomfortable both physically and mentally? He chose this time to cause trouble... He was simply a disaster.
Unlike the child's mother, who holds a high position and is busy with all kinds of affairs, she can still find time to love others.
Well, the child was punishing him for her.
He had deceived He Jiuyue for so long and received her full love and meticulous care. This crime was what he deserved.
The imperial palace was only a few miles away from the princess's residence, but He Jiuyue felt it was far away and it took her half a day to get there.
Just looking at the three big characters "Princess Mansion" on the plaque from afar, two guards lying on the ground came into view. She whipped the guards to the ground with a "snap", raising a cloud of choking dust.
"Why do you take a nap while on duty?"
The guard, who had fallen flat on his back, finally opened his eyes.
They stood up and kowtowed, "Princess, please forgive me. I don't know why I suddenly felt dizzy. I just wanted to close my eyes, but I fell asleep!"
I suddenly felt dizzy. I'm afraid only drugs can have this effect.
However, this drug could make two servants faint even outside where there was plenty of air, so the people inside would probably not be spared.
He Jiuyue dismounted and hurried over the threshold. Looking around, she saw a large number of people sleeping in the yard. Even when she entered the door and whipped the floor tiles next to the door hard, it took them a while to open their eyes.
It's strange, who gave them such a large dose of drugs?
"When did you lose consciousness?" He Jiuyue asked as she walked inside.
"My lord, it's afternoon."
It was afternoon, almost dusk, and two hours had passed since they were drugged.
He Jiuyue strode towards the main hall.
"Before you all fainted, where did you rest?"
The maid rubbed her eyes and slapped her face, trying to regain consciousness.
"The young master has been in the main hall the entire time. He has never come out, and he has never given you any instructions."
He Jiuyue kicked the door open with a bang.
The main hall was in a mess, with candlesticks and books scattered all over the floor, and the fiery red tassel earrings placed on the bedside, but the person she was thinking of was nowhere to be found.
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