Chapter 2: Prince, the tail has come out

The Crown Prince of Qinnan, who had been in a coma for a long time on the bed, murmured in his dreams intermittently, with closed eyes, devoid of his usual domineering demeanor, but with a touch of sickly tenderness.

"Ah Ruo..."

The Crown Prince leaned in to listen, only hearing a few repeated whispers. Ah Ruo?

Could it be delirium? The Crown Prince became anxious and shouted at the attendants in the room, "Why haven't you brought the Lingzhi mushroom yet! If my son's brain is damaged, are your heads enough to compensate?"

Well, of course not. Who didn't know how precious the young master on the bed was.

Steward Hua stepped forward, "Your Highness, don't you remember? Last month, you sent the Lingzhi mushroom as a tribute to the palace."

With this revelation, the physicians and others in the Qinnan Palace were at a loss. Just as they were at a loss, the Crown Prince roared, "What are you waiting for? Go and steal it back."

The physicians: "..."

In the entire Great Liang, only the people of the Qinnan Palace dared to openly defy the imperial authority, because the Chu Wang's mansion had a large and strong army.

"Doctor Jiang," the Crown Prince suddenly softened his tone.

Doctor Jiang wiped his sweat, "I didn't hear anything."

Rest assured, in the Qinnan Palace, no one dared to gossip.

The Crown Prince was satisfied, stroked his beard, and with a serious and solemn expression, said, "If you did hear, I will cut off your ears."

The physicians: "..."

So, that night, the imperial palace's treasury was robbed, and several boxes of rare medicinal materials disappeared.

In response, the old physicians in the palace, while brewing medicine and fanning themselves, trembled with fear.

In the middle of the night, just as the second watch sounded, the Qinnan Palace finally settled down for a moment, but in the Crown Prince's residence, chaos ensued once again.

The Crown Prince had just taken his seat—

"Your Highness!"

Steward Hua, who rarely showed such disrespect, didn't even bother with formalities, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

The Crown Prince's eyes narrowed, exuding an aura of anger without saying a word, "What's all this commotion about!"

Hua let out a sigh, "Your Highness, the medicine from the kitchen is missing."

The Crown Prince's temper flared, "What?!"

The room fell silent inside and out.

This was bad, a major incident was about to happen!

Even the usually composed Steward Hua was at a loss, "And, the young master," he paused, "the young master is also missing."

"Bang—"

The teacup in the Crown Prince's hand fell to the ground, shattering the priceless blue and white porcelain.

This was really bad! A major crisis was looming.

"Thud, thud, thud—"

As the third watch sounded, in the quiet alley, the voice of the night watchman lingered, "The weather is dry, be careful with the candles."

Suddenly, a series of coughs could be heard, growing increasingly difficult to suppress.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

The voice of a man, seemingly struggling to contain it, with a slight tremor, passed by the dimly lit street lamp of a tea house, casting a silhouette of extraordinary beauty, bathed in the dim light, with a hint of sickly paleness.

Jinghua approached, genuinely worried, "Your Highness, why did you leave the mansion?" The young master had just woken up, his body still weak, he hadn't taken his medicine, and hadn't even dressed properly, yet he had hurriedly left the mansion. Jinghua had never seen his master in such a distressed state before, "You are still seriously ill. If there's anything you need, just tell me, but you must not—"

Before he could finish speaking, Chuyu stopped in front of a wall, holding the medicine he had taken from the Qinnan Palace, his enchanting eyes slightly lifted, "I don't have the strength, kneel down."

Jinghua didn't understand, "Your Highness, if the Crown Prince finds out—"

Before he could finish, Chuyu lost his patience, "Kneel down!"

Was the young master planning to climb over the wall? Was he going to engage in such a demeaning act?

Jinghua swallowed his doubts and knelt down, furrowing his thick black eyebrows.

A pair of silver-threaded, gold-trimmed boots stepped on Jinghua's back, accompanied by a few hurried coughs.

Jinghua, feeling anxious, looked up.

Chuyu held the medicine in his arms, carefully protecting it, and reprimanded, "Don't shake. If you spill my medicine, I will take your life."

Afraid of spilling the medicine, yet you don't drink it yourself. Jinghua remained silent, lowered his head, and steadied himself. These three Lingzhi mushrooms had been brewed into a small bowl of medicine, and even a drop was extremely precious and couldn't be wasted.

It seemed that the young master had been burning up for several days, and his body was weak. Climbing over the wall wasn't as smooth as he had thought. Jinghua only heard a heavy thud as he landed.

Please don't hurt yourself, Your Highness!

Jinghua immediately exerted his strength and climbed over the two-meter-high wall. Looking around, he was slightly surprised, "This is...," he glanced at the plaque on the side door, "the residence of Duke Wenguo?"

Duke Wenguo, a prominent civil official in Great Liang, had no dealings with the Qinnan Palace.

Why did the Crown Prince climb over the wall into Duke Wenguo's residence?

Jinghua jumped down from the wall and saw his young master enter a secluded courtyard, then the door creaked shut.

Jinghua stood there dumbfounded, thinking of a very fitting but inappropriate phrase: stealing fragrance and jade.

Creak—

The wooden door opened, and a cold breeze, tinged with autumn frost, lifted the man's exquisite robe. Inside the room, a dimly lit oil lamp cast a soft glow on the man's eyes, which suddenly softened, almost infatuated.

"Ah Ruo."

He called softly, as if echoing through a thousand years, gently caressing the ears.

This night, gentleness prevailed. The woman on the bed, with tightly closed eyes, slowly relaxed the creases between her brows.

"I'm here," he said.

Several meters away, Chuyu stood outside the purple curtain, gazing intently, his eyes almost infatuated.

I'm here, Ah Ruo...

Without reincarnation, I have come from the previous life to find you.

She suddenly struggled, her tightly pursed lips unconsciously bitten into a blood-red color, and intermittent sounds came from her mouth, as if she had been startled by a nightmare and was extremely restless.

Pulling back the bed curtain, he stepped lightly, knelt by her bedside, and leaned in close to her ear, softly coaxing, "Be good, it won't hurt for long, it'll be over soon."

His voice was gentle, and the person on the bed suddenly quieted down.

Setting aside the lid of the medicine gourd, Chuyu took a sip, leaned in, and carefully transferred it to the woman's lips, with gentle and cautious movements.

Something was shaking on the paper window.

Oh, it was his tail, his uncontrollable palpitations.

Outside the room, the summer breeze carried a slight warmth, and Jinghua was sweating profusely as he paced back and forth outside the walls of the Wenguogong Mansion, waiting for nearly half an hour before hearing a sound from the other side of the wall.

"Prince."

Chuyu was seen jumping down from the wall, his white brocade robe somehow dampened with dew, and... a white cat tail, held high.

Jinghua was shocked, "A tail... a tail..."

For many years, except during the spring tide and cultivation period, he had never seen his master in such a half-revealed form.