Chapter 17 Illness (1)
Although it is a strategy, it is very easy for others to find out the source. After all, there are only a handful of pharmacies in the capital, so it would be extremely difficult to get out of it.
However, being decisive and straightforward in his actions is indeed Feng Yan's style.
"Poisoning is too easy to be discovered, I dare not take the risk." Chu Qingluo took it as a joke and walked forward, gently stroking his wrist that hung by his side, but refused to touch it.
"Fu Zhao has been targeted by the Ninth Prince's men. If it is known that the poisoning was done by Fu Zhao, it will not only alert the enemy."
Feng Yan groaned in pain, enduring the pain she brought him, his face turning pale. "The princess is acting alone, and I am worried. Wait for me to find some self-defense and escape tools, and I will present them to you."
"I can still trust Feng Yan in his work..." She raised her lips and giggled, letting go of his arm with sympathy, and distanced herself from him indifferently.
Since it was the princess' order, the reward could not be missed. Feng Yan looked at her again, and asked for the reward with a smile: "Princess, will you reward me this time?"
"Of course there is," Chu Qingluo said with a charming smile, raising her eyebrows, "but it's not the reward you want."
"Since it's not what I want, I don't want it..." The black-robed man knew that if he asked for a reward again, he would be asking for more. He clasped his fists and bowed, then hurriedly left. "Excuse me."
The cold air in the mountains is getting heavier. The shadows of the trees around are swaying gently in the mountain breeze. The sound of insects is filling the flowers and plants. All things seem to be enjoying the clear moon tonight.
It was already midnight when she walked back to her room. Her skirt was stained with cold dew. She put on her pajamas and fell asleep.
She only felt a slight heat on her forehead, and for a moment she stopped thinking about other things.
The next morning, she was awakened by a rapid knock on the door, and Meng Yatou's voice was heard outside the room.
Chu Qingluo looked around and saw that it was a little blurry. When she got off the bed, she stumbled and almost fell.
A feeling of dizziness suddenly swept over her. She knew that the girl might have been right. She really went back to the back mountain and her body felt cold.
"Qingluo! Qingluo..."
Meng Ying'er knocked repeatedly on the door. When it opened, her heart seemed to settle down. She wondered, "Why haven't you left your bed yet? It's almost noon. Maybe you don't have to study anymore today?"
She sighed helplessly, thinking that she might not be able to attend the side hall this morning. She could only ask the maid to tell the master: "I think I have caught a cold. My forehead is dizzy. Please tell the master."
After hearing this, he quickly raised his hand and touched her forehead. It was really burning hot. Meng Ying'er covered her lips and screamed, and hurriedly helped this delicate girl lie down on the soft couch.
"Really!" The maid complained softly, but then she swallowed her anger, realizing she was ill. "I told you it's cold, yet you're still admiring the moon alone in the courtyard..."
"That's good now, I really caught a cold..."
A common cold wasn't a big deal, so Chu Qingluo didn't take it too seriously. After being helped back to bed, she softly replied, "It's just a common cold. It's nothing serious. The fever will go away after half a day of rest."
"Just lie still and don't move. I'll talk to the master for you and ask for leave."
After leaving the private room, Meng Ying'er closed the door and walked past the long window, pretending to look at her solemnly, which made her burst out laughing.
She lowered her eyebrows apologetically and said weakly, "I'm deeply sorry. Thank you Ying'er for this time."
Today was like any other day, yet different. Flowers in the courtyard clashed in profusion, lotus blossoms in the pond, and the air filled with subtle fragrance. Only that beautiful figure wasn't seated in the elegant hall, and it felt like something was missing.
Qu Hanjin flipped through the book silently, his eyes falling on the empty space from time to time, as if the more he looked, the more anxious he became, and it was difficult for him to concentrate.
She should be here by now, why is she still nowhere to be seen...
Could it be that he treated her too harshly in the main hall the day before yesterday, and she was feeling resentful and avoided coming today?
But that charming figure was openly seducing him in class, how could he not be shy...
As he was thinking this, he heard footsteps coming from the corridor. Qu Hanjin's expression relaxed and his long fingers that were turning the pages of the book suddenly paused.
"You're a full hour and a half late. Such behavior is definitely not something someone who sincerely seeks to learn would do..."
He spoke coldly, and was suddenly stunned when he raised his eyes.
The person who came was not Chu Qingluo, but the pretty girl who always followed her around.
"Is it you?"
Seeing the master's body slightly stiff, Meng Ying'er thought of Qingluo still lying on the sickbed, and immediately said, "I came to inform you that Chu Qingluo is ill and may not be able to come today."
"Is your condition serious?" Qu Hanjin's deep eyes suddenly focused, and he pondered for a moment, his jade fingers unconsciously hanging in the air for a long time. "Why not call a doctor to take a look?"
Unable to help but recall what Mingyan had just said, the girl shook her head and quickly responded, "Qingluo said it was just a common cold and didn't need a doctor's visit."
Last night was late and the dew was heavy. She might have caught a cold after going to the back mountain again. He could vaguely recall the thin coat she was wearing. How could such a frail body withstand the cold night wind...
After thinking for a while, he saw Meng Yatou still standing in front of the hall. He calmly closed the book, stood up and straightened his plain brocade robe.
"It's almost time to go to the Qintang for lessons."
Qu Hanjin gave him some indifferent advice, and he sorted out his thoughts quietly, ready to go to the main hall to teach.
Meng Ying'er bowed her head in understanding and retreated. She also sorted out her thoughts. The most important thing now was to play the piano well. "Thank you, Mr. for the reminder."
The piano classes started as scheduled after that. Mr. Qu still pointed out the areas where the ladies in the class needed improvement one by one and asked the students to practice more.
When he walked to the side of several of the girls, the master said a few more words. The girl guessed that perhaps the master had already decided on the candidates for the banquet.
After all the ladies in the hall had received instruction, the master returned to the hall and played a piece of music gracefully. Suddenly, the whole Siyuefu was surrounded by the sound of music like mountains and flowing water.
The sound of the seven strings drifted beyond the clouds, and Meng Ying'er couldn't help but be mesmerized by it. Then she looked forward and saw that the young man was pure and extraordinary, just like the banished immortal she had imagined.
Qingluo was ill today, so it was a pity that she didn't get to listen to the extraordinary music. Meng Yatou glanced at the table next to her, feeling sorry that no one else could share her joy.
When the music ended, the young man bowed dignifiedly and left the music hall leisurely, indicating that the lesson was over.
However, the lingering sound is like a piece of clear snow falling from a branch, the breeze blowing in the ears, and the gurgling water, which still makes people unable to recover from the trance.
Song Yan, standing aside, seemed to be lost in thought. After careful consideration, she quietly asked, "Do you feel... that the Master is a little absent-minded today?"
Mu Wanxian was completely confused after hearing this. No matter what she thought, she didn't realize that her husband was distracted in any way. "Really? How come I didn't notice that? Maybe you're just worrying too much."
"Sir, your zither skills are the best in Daning. Being indecisive is the most taboo when playing the zither. You all understand this, so how could you not understand it?"
The two were speculating about Mr. Qu without reason. The eldest daughter of the Xu family naturally scolded them harshly and looked at them coldly, frightening the woman so much that she trembled. "How dare you say that Mr. Qu is uneasy? How audacious!"
Song Yan quickly apologized, lowering her head and pleading, "I was mistaken. I beg Miss Xu not to report this to you, Master."
"Hmph..." Seeing that they were quite sensible, Xu Anyao raised his chin again and said arrogantly, "A bunch of ignorant rats and sparrows dare to criticize me..."
The atmosphere around them suddenly grew quiet. Meng Ying'er, seeing this, broke the silence with a smile on her face. "But the piece you just played was truly stunning. I've never heard such divine music. It was a piece of music of the highest order, with a melodious rhythm, as elegant as flowing clouds and water. Do you agree?"
"Ying'er, what you said is true. The music you play is unique and no one in the world can compare to it." Mu Wanxian nodded in agreement. There was no doubt about this statement.
The ladies on either side seemed to have come back to their senses from the lingering music and echoed the sentiments. The maid calmly stood up straight and said a few more words for the master: "Even though the master was worried, he didn't let the music deviate even a little. Who among you could be so calm?"
"None of you are as insightful as the young lady from the Meng family. Instead of spending your free time trying to guess the master's thoughts, you might as well practice more music." This time, Xu Anyao stood on the side of Miss Meng, with arrogance still in his eyes, as if he would not tolerate anyone slandering the master.
"Princess Mu Xiao's celebration banquet is coming soon. If you don't get selected, don't look so sad."
What the young lady from the Xu family said made sense. The girls stopped discussing it and left the piano hall with their heads down.
Meng Ying'er was about to leave the hall when she heard a gentle voice from behind. She turned around and saw that it was Master Sheng who was speaking respectfully.
"Why didn't Miss Chu come to the Qintang to listen to lessons today?"
This elegant young man was the only one in the hall who paid attention to Qingluo. Meng sighed softly, sensing his genuine concern, and told him the truth: "Master Sheng, you don't know, Qingluo is ill and has asked for leave from you, Master."
"Are you sick? How seriously ill?" Sheng Youzhang frowned and looked worried when he heard this.
"It's just that I caught a cold at night. It's nothing serious." Thinking of this, Meng Ying'er felt extremely guilty. If she had gone back to the pavilion with her last night, Qingluo would not have suffered from this illness.
"Oh, it's all my fault. I left her out in the night wind, and she caught a cold. She was already fragile, how could she withstand the biting cold? I should have thought of it earlier..."
Sheng Youzhang looked towards the gate of the Siyue Mansion with understanding, and said soothingly, then started to leave the mansion: "Don't worry, Miss Meng. I have the master's permission to come and go as I please. I'm going to go outside the mansion to write a prescription and get some herbs for Miss Chu."
"In that case, I'll have to trouble Master Sheng."
The girl hurriedly thanked him and watched Master Sheng walk away. She didn't know what he felt for Qing Luo.
In the quiet night, everything is silent except for the chirping of insects outside the window. A day has passed, and the ladies in the pavilion seem to have fallen asleep.
It was quiet at midnight. After sleeping for half a day, the drowsiness and body heat had subsided a lot. Chu Qingluo heard the door being pushed open lightly in a daze.
It seemed like someone had entered the private room.
If he is not from Fuzhao, who would do such a sneaky thing...
"Who?" She shouted coldly, a chill in her eyes, and all sleepiness suddenly disappeared.
Chu Qingluo reached under the pillow and quietly grasped a hidden dagger: "Who is trespassing into my boudoir so late at night?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
