Zhou's mother quickly stepped forward, pulled her aside, embraced her, and took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.
"Don't cry. If you wake up the young lady, she'll cry with you."
Qiongyu quickly shut up, but tears kept flowing. After much persuasion from Zhou's mother, she was finally allowed to rest in the side room.
The room quieted down. Zhou's mother sat by the bed, looking at the sleeping girl, and sighed.
Before even reaching their fiefdom, the young lady fell ill and lost a maid. Who knows what the future holds...
The medicine prescribed by Li Dou was very effective. Yao Youqing's fever subsided that very night, and after resting for two days, she felt much better and was basically fine.
However, to be on the safe side, Wei Hong did not set off immediately, but stayed for a few more days.
Staying cooped up in the room all the time isn't good for her health, so after asking Li Dou, Zhou's mother would occasionally take Yao Youqing to sit in the yard and let the rabbit out to keep her entertained.
The rabbit looked small and thin, but it ran very fast. It was easy to let it out, but very difficult to catch it back. It would take three or five servants a long time to chase it around in the yard before they could put it back in its cage.
That day, just as the servants were preparing to catch the rabbit and take it back, Wei Hong happened to come out of the side room. The rabbit, which was jumping around, darted to his feet and almost bumped into his leg.
Whether the rabbit was tired from running or frightened by him, the little creature that had been hopping around just moments before now stood motionless at his feet.
The servants of the Yao family were stunned for a moment, hesitating whether to catch it now or wait until the prince left, when they saw a slender figure run over and quickly take the rabbit away from Wei Hong's feet.
Yao Youqing took two steps back while holding the rabbit, bowed to Wei Hong, and whispered, "It...it didn't do it on purpose."
Wei Hong glanced at her, said nothing, and walked away, as if he had something to do outside.
Once he was out of sight, Yao Youqing breathed a sigh of relief and gently stroked the rabbit in her arms, saying, "Be careful, he might eat you!"
Wei Hong, who had practiced martial arts since childhood and possessed keen hearing and eyesight, paused in his tracks: "..."
...
After resting for a few days, Yao Youqing recovered completely.
The group set off again, and this time the journey went smoothly without any further problems.
The only thing worth mentioning is that Yao Youqing's rabbit "ran away".
"What's wrong with you guys? You can't even take care of a rabbit!"
Mrs. Zhou looked angrily at the dead rabbit in the cage.
The servant stammered, "Mother Zhou, this... really has nothing to do with us. The rabbit has been listless since we set off a couple of days ago. We were afraid something might happen to it, so we even had Dr. Dou come and take a look."
"But Dr. Dou is good at treating people, not rabbits. After examining it, he said that the rabbit was probably used to running around in the wild and was not used to riding in a car. It became listless after a long time. He suggested that we give it some medicine to relieve these symptoms."
“At first we didn’t dare to give it any random food, but Dr. Dou said it was fine, that even if the medicine didn’t cure it, it wouldn’t kill it, so we… we tried it, and we shrunk the pills that Ling Shuang had been taking and put them in its mouth.”
"Who knew that the medicine that the human took didn't work on the rabbit? It...it still died."
They used to think that motion sickness wouldn't kill people, but now that they've seen someone die from it, what's so strange about a rabbit dying?
"How about... we find a similar one for Miss?"
Someone suggested that...
Mother Zhou glared at her: "Would you be heartbroken if you accidentally let the young lady die again?"
The man lowered his head sheepishly and remained silent. Madam Zhou said, "Find a place to bury this rabbit, so the young lady doesn't see it. If she asks, just say..."
"Just say that we servants failed to watch over it properly, and the rabbit got away!"
The servant replied knowingly.
Zhou's mother nodded, but fearing that Yao Youqing would notice something, she didn't dare to stay any longer and quickly left.
When she returned, Yao Youqing was taking a walk along the river with Qiongyu. Besides them, there were many horses scattered around the river, grazing or drinking.
The horses of the Jingyuan Army were all very tall. Yao Youqing was a little scared at first, but she got used to it and got along very well with them. Sometimes she would even feed them some bean cakes.
Over time, the horse also grew fond of her, allowing her to stroke its neck and sometimes affectionately nuzzling its cheek.
Qiongyu saw Zhou's mother approaching from afar. As Yao Youqing walked forward, she subconsciously lagged a few steps behind and asked softly, "How is it? Is the rabbit alright?"
Zhou's mother shook her head: "He's dead."
Qiongyu was startled. The rabbit reminded her of the deceased Ling Shuang, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"How could that be? I even specially brought it the pills that His Majesty bestowed upon it."
Wasn't this supposed to be a medicine specially prepared by His Majesty's imperial physicians, highly effective for motion sickness? How come it couldn't even save a rabbit, let alone a human!
The speaker meant no harm, but something flashed through Zhou's mother's mind after hearing it, and she froze on the spot.
"Aunt Zhou, what's wrong?"
Qiongyu tugged at her sleeve.
Zhou's mother's neck seemed rusty as she turned around with difficulty: "You said... you gave that rabbit the pills that His Majesty had bestowed?"
Chapter 9 Punishment
“Yes,” Qiongyu said, “Miss likes that rabbit. I was afraid that if it died, Miss would be sad, so I took one of the pills that His Majesty had given her and had someone crush it into a smaller size so that she could take it.”
After saying that, afraid that her mother would think she was wasteful, she quickly added, "I only took one! I only gave the rabbit a little bit, and I saved the rest, thinking that I might need it later. If you don't believe me, Mom, wait a bit..."
She was speaking when Zhou's mother suddenly grabbed her wrist forcefully.
The hand that was gripping her was so tight that his fingers were almost digging into her flesh through her sleeve.
Qiongyu gasped, thinking that Zhou Mama was angry with her, feeling that she shouldn't have given such precious pills to a rabbit. Just as she was about to apologize, she saw that Zhou Mama's face was pale and her hand holding hers was trembling slightly. Her appearance was completely different from her usual calm and composed demeanor.
She didn't look angry at all, so she asked again in a low voice, "Aunt Zhou, what's wrong with you?"
A chill enveloped Zhou's mother, and she felt her back teeth chattering when she opened her mouth.
"Ling Shuang and that rabbit... both ate the medicine His Majesty bestowed upon them!"
Then they all died.
Qiongyu was taken aback at first, then seemed to be infected by the chill emanating from her, and couldn't help but shiver.
But she quickly shook her head: "No...it's impossible! His Majesty likes Miss so much, how could he..."
How could someone do such a thing?
Over the years, Wei Chi's kindness to Yao Youqing has been evident to everyone in the Yao family, and as Yao Youqing's personal maids, they are even more aware of it.
Yao Yuzhi was straightforward and honest, which offended many people in the court, especially those royal relatives and nobles who held positions without doing their jobs.
These people didn't exactly have a deep-seated hatred for him, but they just didn't like each other.
Because of Yao Yuzhi's status, they couldn't do anything to him, so they often had people bully the gentle Yao Youqing in private, ostracizing or mocking her.
Yao Yuzhi couldn't bring herself to complain to the emperor about the minor matters between the children and the women, so Yao Youqing had to endure any grievances herself.
Later, it was Crown Prince Wei Chi who stepped in and severely punished two of them, after which no one dared to bully Yao Youqing anymore.
Not to mention that whenever he had something good, he would think of Yao Youqing and always have someone send it to her. However, since the two were neither husband and wife nor engaged, Yao Youqing did not want to be known for having an affair with him, so she rarely accepted it.
How could someone who treats Miss so well poison her?
Qiongyu's body was ice-cold, but her mind felt like a scorching hot charcoal brazier had been overturned, ready to explode at any moment.
Zhou's mother's hand was still holding her wrist, and she said in a trembling voice, "Perhaps it's because of love that you have to do this. Because he... is already the emperor."
Which emperor could tolerate his beloved woman marrying someone else? Even a newly enthroned emperor who doesn't yet have complete control over the court.
Or perhaps it was precisely because he had just ascended the throne that he could not tolerate such a thing happening, because it was as if he had been slapped in the face in public, and something that he was determined to have was snatched from his hands, making him feel that his imperial dignity had been challenged.
So even though he had no choice but to agree, he didn't say anything on the surface, but secretly he was plotting to stop the marriage.
But the King of Qin had a large army in his hands, which even the late emperor couldn't do. So what could a new emperor who had just ascended the throne and hadn't even been able to completely subdue the civil officials in the court do?
There is only one way to stop this marriage: start with the bride.
Once the bride enters the Qin King's fiefdom, it will be difficult for him to intervene. The only way is to have her die on the way...
With the bride dead, the court will inevitably rise up against the King of Qin.
Over the years, the King of Qin has not been able to find any fault with him. If he commits the crime of deceiving the emperor by "paying lip service" this time, the court will have a good excuse to reduce his military power. Even if they cannot really touch his core, they can still make him suffer a lot.
As the new emperor, it would be a good thing for Wei Chi to give the King of Qin a warning as soon as he ascended the throne.
Madam Zhou's hands and feet were ice-cold, and her face was paler than ever before. She murmured, "Qiongyu, do you still remember what His Majesty said when he came to say goodbye to Miss late that night?"
Qiongyu hadn't gone with them, so she naturally didn't know. She shook her head and asked, "What did he say?"
Zhou's mother turned to look at her, her eyes filled with certainty and deep fear.
He asked the young lady... if she had any unfulfilled wishes.
No one present at the time thought much of it, including Zhou's mother, but now, thinking back on it, she feels a chill run down her spine.
He asked her so sincerely and affectionately if she had any wishes, saying that he would do anything for her if she asked.
Because in his eyes, the young lady was already a dying person...
He was asking her what her last wishes were.
Qiongyu could no longer hold back; she trembled, her upper and lower jaws chattering together.
Why... why could someone who was so affectionate become so heartless in the blink of an eye? Is it because the young lady was betrothed to the King of Qin?
But wasn't this the late emperor's fault? Why should the young lady bear the consequences in the end?
This is unfair...
That's not fair!
Qiongyu, realizing something, also gripped Zhou Mama's hand tightly and said, "Zhou Mama, we must tell Master about this! Master knows nothing yet and is still completely loyal to His Majesty!"
But the very person he served wanted to kill his daughter! His only daughter!
Mrs. Zhou naturally thought of this as well, but she still shook her head with a somber expression.
She was much older, and despite her fear, she remained calm and rational.
"Let's test this medicine first, and once we're sure, we can send someone to take it directly to the master."
Qiongyu nodded: "Then I'll do it now..."
"Not now!"