Lu Chengxiao hurriedly left the Li residence and headed straight for the medical clinic. He didn’t know how much medicine was in that tea. He had only taken a sip, and initially, he was fine. However, as he left the Li residence, not far away, his body’s reaction became increasingly severe, and his consciousness became somewhat uncontrollable.
He forced his nails into his palms to keep himself awake and composed, trying to avoid embarrassment. From walking to running, he kept a certain distance from pedestrians along the way.
But despite his efforts, halfway through the journey, Lu Chengxiao knew he couldn’t hold on any longer. He began to see hallucinations of Liu Yu everywhere. He was well aware that if he stayed outside any longer, he might be in trouble before reaching the clinic.
Not daring to gamble with such a situation, he decisively chose to head to a nearby inn. He urgently needed a safe place where he couldn’t come into contact with other people.
Struggling to reach the courtyard of the inn, Lu Chengxiao found the courtyard gate locked from the inside. He no longer had the strength to climb over the wall again. After confirming that he hadn’t mistaken the courtyard, he anxiously knocked on the courtyard door.
Liu Yanping had gone to the street to check the prices of various fabrics, and Liu Yu, due to his past experiences, was unwilling to venture outside too much. Liu Yanping had left Liu Yanan at the inn to accompany him.
While the main servants of the Lu family had left early, the Liu siblings, due to their fatigue from the boat trip and lack of morning arrangements, had only just woken up when Lu Chengxiao left. At this time, Liu Yanan had gone out to buy breakfast, leaving Liu Yu alone in the courtyard. Naturally, he locked the courtyard gate from the inside.
Hearing someone knocking on the door, and considering that Liu Yanan hadn’t been gone for long, she walked to the door cautiously and asked, “Who is it?”
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Nw Ubldtmkys blyae Nkw Zw’p hsknl yde qlzv ekpvalpple. Tsolhla, vbkp nzyakvu oyp qzllvkdt, iwknjzu pbyvvlale cu vbl sdpzywtbv sq bkp puxrvsxp. “Rv’p xl,” bl xydytle vs pyu, bkp calyvb blyhu. Nkw Zw nswze yzalyeu vlzz.
Fbl oyp psxlobyv pwarakple. Ebu bye Nw Ubldtmkys alvwadle ps iwknjzu? Llhlavblzlpp, pbl srldle vbl nswavuyae essa.
Brsd pllkdt Nw Ubldtmkys’p qzwpble qynl, obknb oyp lmvalxlzu ycdsaxyz, bl pvyale yv Nkw Zw czydjzu qsa y xsxldv clqsal vwadkdt yoyu yde bwaaukdt vsoyaep bkp assx.
Nkw Zw oyp pvwddle. Fbl nzsple vbl essa yde qszzsole bkx, ypjkdt, “Nw Ubldtmkys, obyv’p oasdt?”
Nw Ubldtmkys’p cseu valxczle pzktbvzu, yde bkp pvlrp xsxldvyakzu qyzvlale. Tkp nblpv oyp blyhkdt ayrkezu. Jwv yp Nkw Zw yrrasynble bkx, bl watldvzu pbswvle, “Psd’v nsxl nzspla.”
Tkp pvlrp olal laayvkn, yde bl yrrlyale rydknjle yde ekpblhlzle. Tl raynvknyzzu qzle kdvs bkp sod assx.
Mbl essa pzyxxle pbwv okvb y zswe cydt.
Nkw Zw, zlqv swvpkel vbl essa, oyp ewxcqswdele, nsxrzlvlzu wdyoyal sq obyv bye byrrldle.
Wanting to ask again, but Lu Chengxiao clearly didn’t want her to approach. The door almost slammed shut in her face, making it clear that entering would be inappropriate.
Liu Yu hesitated for a moment, then decided not to go in. Instead, she stood outside and lightly tapped on the door panel.
The fact that Lu Chengxiao could still muster the willpower to escape back into his room even when so close to Liu Yu indicated that he was on the verge of losing control, and he didn’t even consider locking the door in his current state.
The door was not locked, so even Liu Yu’s light tapping caused it to sway slightly.
Lu Chengxiao hadn’t gone far; he was just leaning against the door of another room. With only a door between them, Liu Yu could even hear his unusual breathing. Her brow furrowed even tighter. This didn’t seem like a normal illness.
More perplexed, Liu Yu asked softly, “Lu Chengxiao, you don’t look too good. Are you feeling unwell, or has something happened? Where’s Babao? Didn’t he come back with you?”
Still no response.
Liu Yu felt increasingly anxious. If she couldn’t hear the faint breathing, she might have thought something had happened to the person inside.
“Lu Chengxiao? Do you need my help?”
Little did she know, each time Liu Yu called out to Lu Chengxiao from behind the door, it was a significant struggle for him.
There was silence. Liu Yu pondered for a moment. “Then I’ll be in the courtyard. If you need anything, just call me.”
With some hesitation, she took a step back.
Inside the room, there was still only the faint sound of breathing. Liu Yu turned around but didn’t dare to leave. She anxiously waited for either Liu Yanping or Liu Yanan to return. Suddenly, she heard Lu Chengxiao’s faint voice from inside the room, “Yu’er.”
She couldn’t believe it. Turning back to the door, she asked, “Lu Chengxiao? Did you just call me?”
No response.
Liu Yu cautiously pushed the door, testing it.
In a moment of confusion, Lu Chengxiao woke up abruptly. He pressed against the half-open door beside him, afraid of hurting Liu Yu, so he didn’t push too hard. As a result, on one side of the door was Liu Yu’s hand pushing it, and on the other side was Lu Chengxiao’s hand trying to close it. Their eyes met.
Struggling to turn away, Lu Chengxiao dared not look at Liu Yu again. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Go out, back to your room, please.”
Liu Yu was already frightened by the abnormal flush on Lu Chengxiao’s face. Seeing his rapid breathing and abnormal voice, she vaguely guessed what was going on.
She wasn’t completely clueless. In a similar situation, she had seen newcomers who were drugged and disobedient but had little value in cultivation. This state… Liu Yu’s lips trembled slightly. “You, you were… drugged?”
The door closed again, but this time not as smoothly. Lu Chengxiao’s muffled voice came from inside, “I was drugged, Yu’er. Go back to your room and lock the door.”
Liu Yu was dumbfounded. It took her a while to find her voice again. “What are you going to do, then?”
“Lu Chengxiao, should I call a doctor?”
As soon as Liu Yu finished speaking, her face suddenly flushed red. Having been drugged like this, whether to call a doctor or to relieve oneself, she actually asked him what to do. Her face turned as hot as a boiled egg, and she hurriedly stepped aside.
Lu Chengxiao went into the bathroom. Since it was too late to draw a bath last night, and because there was still Liu Yu staying in the courtyard and the inn’s staff hadn’t come to remove it, the water he had requested for bathing was still there.
He didn’t care that it was the water he had used yesterday. Without even taking off his clothes, he submerged himself in the cold water.
Meanwhile, at the Li residence, Babao and several servants were still searching for people in the remote areas designated by Liuliang. Liuliang had accurately found Li Zhongjie and informed him of Lu Chengxiao’s visit. The master and servant returned to Li Zhongjie’s residence.
Upon entering the study, Li Zhongjie was puzzled. “Where’s Chengxiao?”
Liuliang breathed a sigh of relief internally. It seemed that his sister’s plan had succeeded, but he still looked puzzled on the surface. “Perhaps there’s some activity outside. You wait here, and I’ll go take a look.”
Li Zhongjie nodded. Seeing a book overturned on the desk, which he assumed Lu Chengxiao had read, he decided to wait. Due to the extreme heat in the dye house and his rushed journey back, he saw a tea tray on the table, guessing it was for Lu Chengxiao. He took a cup, poured himself a drink, and gulped it down.
Seeing him finish the tea, Liuliang walked out relieved and half-closed the study door.
The cold tea quenched his thirst, but it tasted bitter, causing Li Zhongjie to furrow his brows. It wasn’t the usual tea leaves used in his courtyard. Disliking the taste, he didn’t drink more, instead taking out pen and ink to jot down some things he had experimented with yesterday and this morning.
But before he could grind the ink, he felt increasingly hot.
Subconsciously loosening his collar, he continued to grind the ink, but the heat didn’t seem to ease. Thinking about meeting guests, he didn’t want to take off his outer robe, so he furrowed his brow and persisted, trying to write something.
After writing only a few characters, he began to feel increasingly unwell. Overwhelming desires surged within him, and Li Zhongjie finally realized what was happening. Despite trying to suppress them, he couldn’t. He looked at the cup of tea he had just drunk and thought of calling Liuliang.
Just then, the study door was pushed open. Thinking it was Liuliang coming in, he looked up but saw Li Cuier instead.
Li Zhongjie frowned. His body felt extremely uncomfortable, and Li Cuier’s sudden entrance at this time made him unable to avoid thinking more. He wanted to inquire but found his breathing getting faster.
Li Cuier looked terrified. “Second Young Master, you… you…”
She glanced at Li Zhongjie and then at the tea pot, her expression changing color in shock.
It was clear she knew something. Li Zhongjie gasped urgently, “Get out.”
Li Cuier hurriedly walked over. “Second Young Master, did you drink the tea on the desk?”
Being so close, Li Zhongjie’s mind was almost at its breaking point.
“Second Young Master, there’s medicine in that tea. Why did you drink it? I’m done for, it’s all my fault. I’ll, I’ll help you find the doctor!”
But her voice… abruptly stopped.
Liuliang, who didn’t know when he arrived in the courtyard, heard some noise. He quietly retreated and closed the courtyard door.
When Babao hurried back to the Li residence, he met Liuliang guarding outside. Seeing the tightly closed courtyard door, he looked puzzled. “Liuliang, I couldn’t find anyone where you said. Did Master Zhongjie come back?”
Liuliang nodded.
Babao looked at the closed door. “Then where’s our young master? Is he inside?”
Liuliang looked troubled and shook his head. “Master Lu has gone back. You should go back to the inn and look for him.”
What?
Babao looked perplexed, but seeing Liuliang didn’t say much, he nodded and left the Li residence.
At noon, Li Zhongjie looked at Li Cuier, who was kneeling on the ground in disarray and crying with tears on her face. He clenched his fists tightly. “Speak up. What’s going on?”
Li Cuier cried incessantly, “Second Young Master, forgive me. I was in a hurry to find my brother for help and forgot to remove the tea in the study. I didn’t mean to.”
Li Zhongjie’s forehead throbbed. “What do you mean? Why did you seek help from Liuliang? What’s wrong with this tea?”
But Li Cuier refused to speak further. She kept knocking her head on the ground and said, “Second Young Master, please stop asking. It was my fault. I drugged Master Lu, it was me. Just please don’t send me away. You can punish me however you want.”
Hearing the answer he least wanted to hear, Li Zhongjie felt his head splitting with pain. He wanted to throw the clothes on the bed to Li Cuier to wear, but when he picked them up, he found they were torn beyond recognition.
He stormed out and saw the courtyard gate was closed. He kicked it, and Liuliang, who was outside, quickly got up, pushed open the gate, and walked in, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact with Li Zhongjie.
Great, another person who knows about this.
Li Zhongjie closed his eyes and said, “Quietly bring some clothes for your sister.”
Liuliang nodded repeatedly, then left and returned shortly with a small bundle.
After locking the gate, both master and servant went to the study. Liuliang stopped at the door and didn’t enter, while Li Zhongjie didn’t go in either. He just threw the bundle from Liuliang toward Li Cuier, who put on the clothes without saying a word.
~
After the rustling of dressing in the study, Li Cuier’s voice, soft and tearful, said, “Done.”
Only then did Li Zhongjie enter. He stood by the window instead of sitting on the chair or the couch, looking coldly at the Li siblings. “Speak.”
But Li Cuier remained silent, insisting that it was her doing and she was willing to accept any punishment as long as it stayed between them. Liuliang also remained silent, keeping his head bowed.
Li Zhongjie sneered. “You drugged a guest, and I ended up consuming it. Do you think I won’t punish you because of Uncle Li and the wet nurse?”
Trembling with fear, Li Cuier glanced at Liuliang and suddenly gritted her teeth. “Second Young Master, it’s not Cuier’s fault. Even if I had the courage of a lion, I wouldn’t dare do such a thing with Cuier. She, she did it for…”
“Sister!” Li Cuier interrupted sharply, then looked at Li Zhongjie and said, “Don’t listen to my brother’s nonsense. I just like Master Lu and wanted, wanted to marry him, so I came up with this plan. It was my idea. My brother was forced by me.”
She then knocked her head on the ground again.
Her forehead hit the ground repeatedly, leaving bruises. Li Zhongjie’s hands trembled, and after a while, he finally dared to ask, “How’s Chengxiao?”
Liuliang shook his head and went to check on Li Cuier.
With teary eyes, Li Cuier said, “He, he jumped over the wall and left.”
Li Zhongjie closed his eyes, relieved that Chengxiao was safe, but another wave of emotions choked him, making it hard to breathe.
“You all stay here. Don’t go anywhere without me,” he said before turning and leaving the room.
~
In the Li household courtyard, Li Yunbi had been crying for a long time. Her eyes were swollen, and even though it was nearing noon, she didn’t dare to go out to meet anyone.
When Li Zhongjie knocked on her door and entered, he saw her turning away in panic.
He sneered, “Why hide? Dare to do it but afraid to face the consequences?”
At this sarcasm, Li Yunbi finally turned around, her eyes swollen and tears streaming down her face. “Brother, I didn’t mean it. I didn’t want it. I regret it.”
She didn’t know she had been used as a pawn to scheme her own brother, and only thought that she had been caught for drugging Lu Chengxiao. She just kept crying.
At this moment, Li Cuier, who had been ordered not to come out without Li Zhongjie, rushed in and stood in front of Li Yunbi, saying, “Second Young Master, it wasn’t Miss’s fault. It was me, it was my idea. It’s all my fault. Please don’t blame Miss.”
Li Zhongjie’s face darkened, and Li Yunbi was stunned.
Li Cuier shielded her and Li Yunbi only saw Li Cuier’s disheveled hair. When she learned that Li Zhongjie had drunk the tea, she pulled Li Cuier over and saw the shocking marks on her neck.
Li Yunbi, who didn’t understand much, was fifteen years old and wasn’t completely ignorant. Seeing Li Cuier, who had changed into new clothes and had eyes as swollen as hers, she felt a buzzing in her head.
“Cuier, you…”
Li Cuier burst into tears, hugging Li Yunbi and crying bitterly, then quickly covered her mouth to avoid being heard. She cried while saying, “I went to find my brother to ask him to beg Second Young Master to find Master Lu. I forgot about the tea in the study. When I remembered and wanted to go in to remove it, it was already, already…”
Then she buried her head in Li Yunbi’s shoulder and cried again.
Li Zhongjie felt a headache coming on. His younger sister had plotted against his best friend, and when the plan failed, he ended up drinking the drugged tea. He then slept with his sister’s maidservant.
Damn, what a mess!
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Yup, knew it was not going to work out, that Cui er is evil and dangerous, get rid of her… and the brother too. Trust is lost…