Chapter 68

Chu Zhaoyou and the Regent were quite a distance apart, needing to shout to communicate. Chu Zhaoyou looked visibly shaken, his complexion slightly pale. He pressed his lips together and whispered, “Regent, could you please go and take a bath quickly?”

Xiao Heng overheard and strained to glimpse Chu Zhaoyou’s expression, unable to discern it clearly, but he could tell that his complexion was not good.

He should have been the one to save Chu Zhaoyou, the one to hold him tightly at this moment, comforting him with “This won’t happen again next time.”

But he couldn’t. He could only stay far away like a coward.

Xiao Heng caught sight of Feng Xingzhou holding Lu Jinghuan in his arms behind Chu Zhaoyou, comforting him for a while before carrying the weakened Lu Jinghuan back inside.

Seeing Chu Zhaoyou standing alone in the wind, he anxiously waited, realizing he hadn’t slept yet, hadn’t complained at all, and even brought up the incident when they first met, how Chu Zhaoyou had bought two buns and didn’t share with him.

Leaving aside whether he was entitled to eat them, Chu Zhaoyou was clearly trying to calm his nerves after the perilous encounter. His Chu Zhaoyou was so good, always the first to comfort him.

He recalled carrying Chu Zhaoyou over such a long distance, enduring his patience during every headache, and consoling him patiently, never getting angry even when bitten.

Xiao Heng closed his eyes, realizing his memories offered no chance for redemption. He felt he still owed Chu Zhaoyou, not even being able to hold him when he was still shaken.

“I’ll go… Your Majesty, go lie down, let the physician check your pulse.”

Chu Zhaoyou turned back to the Funing Hall, the Regent’s bath should be quick. Throughout this process, he didn’t even glance in the direction of Lu Jinghuan, who had just faced danger alongside him.

There was no need to look; he already knew the situation. He didn’t feel a hint of jealousy.

“Take it slow!” The Regent watched from afar, his heart wrenching.

“Understood.” Chu Zhaoyou slowed his pace.

Chu Zhaoyou obediently lay down, awaiting the Regent, and the physician came by.

“Not bad. Young man, indeed, strong in endurance. Unruffled in the face of great danger.” The old man insincerely patted his shoulder. This time, it was thanks to the anti-wolf medicine he had prepared for his young disciple.

Though it didn’t ward off the wolf, it prevented a mad dog from biting.

More money was needed.

Chu Zhaoyou immediately ingratiated himself, “Of course, I’ve weathered storms and tempests, it was the Regent who scared me.”

Xiao Heng heard Chu Zhaoyou’s complaint before entering the room, and it deepened his sense of remorse.

The physician assured Chu Zhaoyou that there was nothing serious, and he was quite stable. Xiao Heng was at a loss whether to laugh or regret.

During Chu Zhaoyou’s pregnancy, the number of times I’ve scared him far exceeds those of anyone else.

This time, the Regent was unusually diligent, using the physician’s prescribed high-dosage medication to cleanse his body thoroughly. All his clothes and boots were burned. If not for the numerous times he had ridiculed Feng Xingzhou in front of Chu Zhaoyou, the Regent might have been inclined to cut his hair ruthlessly.

After the physician left, Chu Zhaoyou grew tired from waiting for the Regent to return. Today, he wanted to sleep while holding the Regent.

Yawning, he noticed a familiar hem outside the door.

Could it be that the Regent was hesitant to come in?

Chu Zhaoyou: “Is the Regent outside?”

Xiao Heng: “Yes.”

“Then come in!” Did he need to invite him to the dragon bed?

Xiao Heng replied hoarsely, “I’m afraid there might still be blood on me. I’ll sleep in the outer hall tonight. I’ll keep watch, and no one else will come.”

Chu Zhaoyou: “It’s okay. Earlier, Lu Jinghuan stepped on bloodstains at the Matchmaker Temple. When he returned, it was just a stronger medicinal scent. It didn’t affect me.”

Xiao Heng: “I just went to the western forest, the smell of blood there was stronger than what Lu Jinghuan encountered.”

He also feared that Lu Pei might be playing some tricks, such as mixing new substances into the blood.

Despite the confirmation from the four monks at the Wuyun Temple that only one method could trigger the He Xin Gu’s rampage, and the physician’s personal examination, he had to be even more cautious when it came to Chu Zhaoyou and the child’s safety.

Chu Zhaoyou responded with an “Oh.”

Xiao Heng sensed a hint of disappointment in his voice, almost instantly wanting to rush in regardless. “I’m sorry.”

His hand tightly clenched behind his back. Goodness knows how much he wanted to embrace Chu Zhaoyou right now, but the presence of the He Xin Gu forced him to be extremely cautious.

Chu Zhaoyou got out of bed barefoot, walked to the door stealthily, then suddenly slammed the door and sternly asked, “Are you injured somewhere and afraid to show me?”

The two stood on either side of the half-closed door. Xiao Heng startled and quickly retorted, “No.”

If Qian Shicheng were here, he would surely remark that at this moment, His Majesty was just like his wife inspecting their private funds.

The more Chu Zhaoyou thought about it, the more convinced he became that the person behind the scenes had sent Xiao Heng to lead him to his death, and even arranged for assassins in the palace, clearly intending to put him in mortal danger.

No matter how skilled the Regent was in martial arts, he was still bound by Xiao Man’s presence. Moreover, his sudden and inexplicable recovery of memories felt like being struck in the head once again.

“Your head wasn’t struck?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?” Chu Zhaoyou doubted, “Then why couldn’t you clean up properly? Is it because of a wound?”

Xiao Heng didn’t respond.

He had indeed sustained a minor injury, but this time it wasn’t to his head. He had learned from the previous lesson and wouldn’t dare let a beam hit his head again. Recovering his memories was fortunate, but it would be disastrous if he were to lose them again.

Upon returning, Xiao Heng sidestepped in the fire, allowing the beam to graze his shoulder as it came crashing down, resulting in some bruising and a superficial wound. Afterward, he washed the wound five times with medicinal liquid, wiping away the fresh blood without so much as a furrowed brow.

Chu Zhaoyou suddenly peeked out from behind the door, as if sneakily watching a loved one bathing, “Dare you undress and let me take a look?”

Xiao Heng retreated several steps, then saw Chu Zhaoyou barefoot and shouted, “Put your boots on!”

Chu Zhaoyou craned his neck and swept a glance over the Regent’s head, finding no injuries. “You’re not injured internally, are you?”

The Regent thought, this time it was indeed an external injury. He had been receiving treatment from the physician’s needles and was on the verge of regaining his memories. A jolt from the beam had instantly triggered his recollection.

He had a slight headache. Chu Zhaoyou, although scared, refused to sleep, his mind racing so fast.

“Be obedient and go to sleep.”

Chu Zhaoyou, reassured, climbed back into bed. The Regent was concerned about the child’s well-being, just as Chu Zhaoyou was, but of course, the Regent took precedence over an unborn child.

“I’ve experienced many hardships before,” Chu Zhaoyou boasted, “It’s not because of you scaring me.”

Xiao Heng’s heart warmed, and he choked out, “Hmm.”

“Regent, you should also rest early.” Chu Zhaoyou closed his eyes and slowly drifted into slumber.

Xiao Heng, eyes fixed on Chu Zhaoyou sleeping, gently closed the door and sat in the outer hall to review the memorials.

“Immediately interrogate Lu Pei, seal off the small forest, and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving.”

As remnants of blood still lingered in the forest, to prevent anyone from passing through and using unexpected means to transmit information into the palace, it had to be tightly sealed off, even animals would be strictly monitored.

“For the next ten days, anyone leaving the palace must not approach His Majesty. Any birds or wild animals landing there must be driven away, and the area must be cleansed with medicinal liquid.”

Miao Ruoqiu was already dead, and this move could only be used once, unfortunately inconveniencing Chu Zhaoyou.

Frowning, Xiao Heng wondered, what did the person behind the scenes want to achieve by trying to kill Chu Zhaoyou?

“Immediately dispatch messengers to Liangzhou, informing them of His Majesty’s good health, urging Aunt to not heed malicious rumors.”

Chu Zhaoyou might be unharmed, but the mastermind would undoubtedly be eager to inform Madam Zhao.

By targeting Chu Zhaoyou, the intention might be to create a rift between Liangzhou and the court. Perhaps the Imperial Dragon’s Army would align with Liangzhou, reigniting a war in Da Chu, resulting in mutual harm, and granting the person behind the scenes an advantage.

Sitting and reviewing the memorials for half an hour, Xiao Heng received Lu Pei’s confession.

Lu Pei, originally named Ying Tao, was Empress Wei’s personal palace maid.

Upon learning that Chu Zhaoyou’s aunt had married into Liangzhou and held military power, Empress Wei sought to sow discord between him and the Regent Prince.

She likely knew that the Regent was afflicted by a Gu, but she didn’t know the specifics. Thus, she sent Lu Pei out of the palace to gather information, intending to inform the Regent and drive a wedge between him and Chu Zhaoyou.

With Lu Pei holding what remained of Empress Wei’s network and the investigation into Xiao Heng’s activities yielding no results, Empress Wei was imprisoned, Xiao Heng launched an attack on Youzhou, and the Wei family was completely routed.

She was contemplating whether to use her remaining pawns to break the net and save the Empress when someone found her.

He advised Lu Pei that the Wei family and Empress Wei were now in an impossible situation and urged her not to throw her life away needlessly, suggesting they should carefully consider their next steps.

This person was another nephew of Empress Wei, Wei Yue. At the start of the Battle of Youzhou, he had recognized the situation, faked his death, and escaped. His father, Wei Shi, and his brother, Wei Zhuo, were undoubtedly dead. Despite this, he could calmly advise Lu Pei to conserve their strength.

Upon hearing his advice, Lu Pei and Wei Yue began actively contacting supporters from Youxu and former Yuexu troops.

Zhang Huiji had become incapacitated and naturally couldn’t conspire, but his mother harbored resentment and agreed to help monitor the sea’s merchant ships, ensuring the Regent would never find the medicinal ingredients.

They had initially thought it would take a few years, but when they inadvertently stumbled upon the secret of the Wuyun Temple, power suddenly became within easy reach.

While contacting the Empress Dowager’s former confidantes, Lu Pei received a sudden letter from a palace maid who had left the palace years ago.

During Wei Wanrong’s reign, many of the palace maids released from the palace had become her informants. Using the pretext of searching for a benefactor and the exposure of Xie Chaoyun’s aunt’s connection to the Empress Dowager’s pawns, most pawns were uprooted.

Only a few of lesser importance or those who had traveled far at that time barely escaped discovery.

Lu Pei had in her possession these useless subordinates.

Surprisingly, the palace maid’s letter mentioned the Regent’s birth mother.

The palace maid worked as a wet nurse in the Ding family’s mansion along the Lingbi  River. About ten years ago, someone had sent a chest of gold, silver, and jewels from Yangzhou, instructing Mr. Ding to give it to the young master, Xiao Heng.

Mr. Ding was perplexed. He was a well-known philanthropist in the vicinity and, having no sons of his own, had adopted a pair of twins as his own beloved children.

With considerable wealth, he had no need to covet this misdirected wealth and had kept it in his storeroom, awaiting the rightful owner.

A decade passed in the blink of an eye, and the chest in the storeroom gathered dust. Seeing that ten years had passed, the servants deemed it ownerless. Mr. Ding also forgot about it, and under the guise of cleaning, they gradually pilfered some of the wealth. Eventually, the chest contained only a pair of theatrical masks, some old-style hairpins, and a note bearing the signature of Xiao Man pressed at the bottom of the chest.

Upon seeing the note, the palace maid suddenly wondered whether the Xiao Heng they had sought back then might be the current Regent, Xiao Heng.

After learning who Xiao Man was, Lu Pei immediately dispatched someone to discreetly inquire with several old acquaintances, who all mentioned that the Regent indeed bore some resemblance to Xiao Man.

Thus, a poisonous plan naturally took shape.

After reading the confession, Xiao Heng fell silent for a long time. Someone had already been sent to search for Wei Yue’s hiding place, and he didn’t need to give any additional instructions.

After a while, he finally spoke, “Xiao Qi, go to Yangzhou and find someone.”

The enmity between him and Xiao Man was their own affair. Regardless, he couldn’t allow Wei Yue to find Xiao Man first.

Even though ten years had passed, Xiao Man might already be a pile of bones.

The delivery of the silver was out of guilt, but combined with the theatrical masks and old-style hairpins… it was likely just remnants.

Xiao Heng sat in the outer hall throughout the night and, as dawn approached, still couldn’t fathom what he was feeling.

Chu Zhaoyou had only slept for two hours before he opened his eyes.

He was worried about the Regent. He didn’t dare ask about the outcome from last night, fearing to disturb the Regent at such a late hour. Holding onto a secret made it difficult for him to rest.

Chu Zhaoyou fumigated himself with herbs until he felt dizzy, then hugged a pillow filled with herbs. Ignoring the Regent’s warning gaze, he slowly approached him.

Every step was taken with great care, attentively sensing any changes in his body. Fortunately, the Regent had been needlessly worried.

The physician had confirmed that everything was fine. It was just the Regent who had been needlessly anxious.

As he lowered his head, he noticed the spread-out confession. Pausing for a moment, he embraced the Regent’s head, letting him lean against his stomach.

“How about our child takes the surname Xiao with you in the future?” Chu Zhaoyou whispered.

There will be another close kin in just a few months, so please don’t be sad, okay? He cared too much for Xiao Heng. If only he had met him earlier, it would have been so much better.

Xiao Heng: “I’m fine. You don’t have to comfort me. Since you’ve endured so much during this pregnancy, of course, the child should take your surname.”

Chu Zhaoyou was about to offer reassurance when he noticed that the Regent’s shoulder was wrapped in thicker clothing. Upon inspecting, he found it bandaged.

“You said you weren’t injured. It’s infuriating!” Chu Zhaoyou pretended to protect his stomach, diverting the Regent’s attention. “The physician said I shouldn’t get angry.”

The Regent immediately became tense. “Calm down, calm down… I was wrong, please don’t be angry.”

Chu Zhaoyou: “This shoudn’t happen again. Change the dressing immediately.”

“Okay.”

When the old physician arrived to change the dressing, he exclaimed, “This isn’t right. The wound wasn’t this serious yesterday. Did you rub it when you were bathing?”

It was the first time he had seen someone washing a wound like this. It was truly eye-opening.

The Regent adamantly refused, “I didn’t rub it.”

Chu Zhaoyou: “…Then did I scratch it? You didn’t even share a bed with me!”

Did he really have to force him to say something so embarrassing? Well, he just did.

He wanted to share a bed! Very much!

“I’m very angry, you have to comfort me.” Chu Zhaoyou sat huffily on the stool, hands clasped, clearly needing undivided attention and comfort for a day and a night, until the knots in his heart were forgotten.

Author’s note: A very innocent bed!