The ghostly man paused, then suddenly turned around. The voice clearly came from Chu Xiyin's mouth!
But why is she still sleeping soundly as before?
Was he simply too exhausted and hallucinating?
"Sichuan!"
It was another affectionate address. He was certain it wasn't a hallucination.
"Xiyin, is that you?"
The ghostly man asked tentatively.
"Um"
The pleasant voice seemed to emanate from somewhere on Chu Xiyin's body.
Where are you?
The ghostly man asked anxiously.
The horizon was already lit by the morning light...
"I am here……"
A knock on the door interrupted the woman's reply.
Chunhua knocked on the door for a while and heard faint conversations inside.
After waiting for a while without any response, she finally asked, "Your Highness, Miss Xiyin, are you both well?"
Seeing no response, Chunhua couldn't help but knock on the door again, feeling worried.
Yesterday, Qi Yu repeatedly instructed that if the Prince and Xi Yin had not made any move by the time of Yin (3-5 AM), she should come and check on the situation.
It was probably because a ghost entered Yichuan's body last night, causing him to deplete too much of his yang energy. At this moment, although he could hear the knocking on the door and Chunhua calling him, he was dizzy, weak all over, and unable to open his eyes.
Chunhua stood outside the door, anxious yet hesitant to push it open. Her expression suggested she was in more pain than someone suffering from constipation.
After an unknown amount of time, Chu Xiyin woke up. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Yi Chuan's handsome face pressed tightly against hers. It turned out that the ghost from yesterday had forgotten to remove Yi Chuan's body from Chu Xiyin's. His lips were still intimately kissing hers.
Chu Xiyin's face flushed red. She tried to push Yi Chuan away several times, but couldn't.
Yi Chuan vaguely felt someone pushing him, and his consciousness gradually returned.
He felt the two tender, sweet sensations coming from his lips.
His body was also enveloped in a comfortable softness.
Yi Chuan opened his eyes groggily, and a pair of bright and intelligent black eyes gradually became clear in his vision.
Seeing Chu Xiyin staring straight at him, Yi Chuan suddenly jumped away, his originally fair face instantly flushed with a deep blush.
"Your Highness, Miss Xiyin, are you inside? If you don't speak up soon, Chunhua is going to come in!"
This time, Chunhua's voice was noticeably louder. She disregarded all formalities; she was only worried about what might happen to the people inside.
"I'm...waiting outside!" Yi Chuan said nervously.
Hearing the prince's voice, Chunhua finally felt relieved and took out two steamed buns to eat.
"Close your eyes," Yi Chuan said gently to Chu Xi Yin.
Chu Xiyin obediently closed her eyes, the flush on her face still lingering.
"Alright," Yi Chuan said, turning around to look at Chu Xi Yin.
After waiting for a long time, Chu Xiyin still didn't open her eyes.
Yi Chuan frowned slightly, walked over to Chu Xi Yin, checked her breathing, and smiled gently. She was asleep again!
"Come in!" Yi Chuan said to Chun Hua outside the door.
Chunhua hurriedly stuffed the two uneaten steamed buns into her clothes, wiped the crumbs from her mouth, and pushed open the door to enter.
"When Miss wakes up, help her change into a clean set of clothes, and also change the leaflets and blankets!" Yi Chuan said as he walked towards the door.
As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back as if remembering something and said, "Remember, you must take care of Miss without leaving her side at all times, and you can't let anything happen to her again!"
"I know!" Chunhua answered timidly. For some reason, she was always very afraid of the Fourth Prince's gaze.
Only after the Fourth Prince left did Chunhua dare to turn her gaze to Chu Xiyin. Looking at Chu Xiyin, who was completely naked on the bed, and then at the re-bandaged wound on her back, Chunhua couldn't help but cover her mouth and let out a sly laugh.
"Since Xiyin hasn't woken up yet, let's fill our stomachs first." Chunhua thought to herself, walked to the table, sat down, and took out a steamed bun from her clothes to eat.
"No!" Hearing Chu Xiyin's exclamation, Chunhua was so startled that she almost dropped the steamed bun in her hand.
Chapter 24: The White-Clad Youth
"It was just a dream! I almost lost two steamed buns." Chunhua leaned closer to Chu Xiyin for a look, then turned back to continue eating her steamed bun.
"I'm going to kill you!" A cold voice came from behind Chunhua.
Chunhua, who had just taken a bite of her steamed bun, was so startled by the sound that she almost swallowed her tongue as well.
Chunhua turned around, frowning as she stared at Chu Xiyin. She had a feeling that the voice just now didn't belong to Chu Xiyin. Chu Xiyin's face remained expressionless. Chunhua couldn't help but shiver, glancing around the room. Could it be haunted in broad daylight?
Chunhua stared intently at Chu Xiyin; this person's imagination was terrifying. Now, in her eyes, the smile on Chu Xiyin's lips suddenly seemed to have taken on a sinister quality.
Chunhua's eyes darted around, and she opened the door as fast as she could.
Unfortunately, as soon as she opened the door, she bumped straight into someone.
Chunhua looked up, and her eyes instantly blossomed into peach blossoms. Wasn't this the white-clad youth from that day?
"Young Master Ziyang?" Chunhua asked softly.
The young man in white stared at Chunhua in surprise, having absolutely no recollection of her. "Who are you?"
"Chunhua, it's me, Chunhua..." Chunhua's words were a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
The young man in white murmured her name, "Chunhua," and couldn't help but smile. However, there was a hint of unfathomable charm in that smile.
Chunhua looked delighted; the boy had finally remembered her.
"Should I get to know you?" the young man in white asked with a smile.
"Is the young master joking with Chunhua? That day, you stood at the bow of the boat and smiled at me. Have you forgotten?" Chunhua thought that the young man in white had come to see her specifically, and a rare blush appeared on her face.
"You fat pig, I don't have time to joke with you. Also, let me tell you, my name isn't Zi Yang, and as for my name, you're not qualified to call me that." The white-robed youth turned to leave.
Upon hearing this, Chunhua stood there dumbfounded, as if she had facial paralysis.
After taking a few steps, the boy in white suddenly seemed to remember something, abruptly turning around and saying, "Oh, I remember now! Your name is—Chunhua!"
Chunhua's small eyes lit up instantly, and she stared blankly at the boy in white.
"Is the woman you're with named Xiao Lan?" the young man in white asked.
Chunhua didn't hear what he said clearly, she just nodded blankly.
The young man in white gave Chunhua a mysterious smile before heading towards the Fourth Prince's room.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" Yi Chuan bowed respectfully to the young man in white.
It turns out that this young man in white is none other than Yi Yang, the monarch of the Ziling Dynasty!
"Get up! It's just the two of us brothers, why all the formalities?" Yi Yang said casually, picking up a teacup and playing with it in his hand.
"I wonder what brings His Majesty to my residence this time?" This sudden visit from Yi Yang—is it a blessing or a curse? As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Moreover, Yi Yang has an eccentric personality; a slight misstep could cost me my life.
"Oh? Could it be that my brother does not wish to see me? If so, I shall leave now." Yi Yang pretended to walk towards the door.
"Your Majesty, this..." Yi Chuan stammered, unsure how to respond.
"I've come today to see the beauty I bestowed upon you last time—Chu Xiyin!" Yi Yang turned around and said with a smile.
Upon hearing the name Chu Xiyin, Yi Chuan felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but tense up.
"Xi Yin is unwell today and is probably unable to see His Majesty!" Yi Chuan's palms were already slightly sweaty. What should he do if Yi Yang insisted on seeing Chu Xi Yin? After all, the emperor's command could not be disobeyed!
"Oh? She was just sent to your residence a few days ago, how come she's suddenly ill?" Yi Yang looked at Yi Chuan suspiciously. "Could it be that my brother wants to hide the beauty away from his elder brother?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not! Xi Yin shielded me from the assassin's poisoned dart and is currently unconscious." Yi Chuan did not reveal that Consort Zheng had poisoned Chu Xi Yin.
"The imperial physicians are so useless! They can't even cure a poisoned dart. Sooner or later, I'll boil them all and eat them!" A murderous aura suddenly rose in Yi Yang's eyes. At this moment, he was completely different from the elegant young man in white.
Strangely, Yi Yang didn't press the matter of the assassin. Indeed, his thinking defied that of ordinary people.
“In that case, Your Majesty should definitely go and see for yourself!” Yi Yang said.
Yi Chuan looked troubled, racking his brains for a reason to refuse Yi Yang.
"Forget it! What a buzzkill! It's just a woman! Why are you so nervous?" Yi Yang waved his hand and said.
Yi Chuan breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his brows remained furrowed, fearing that Yi Yang might change his mind again.
"By the way, do you have a maid named Xiao Lan in your household?" Yi Yang asked with a smile.
"Xiao Lan?" Yi Chuan always had a good memory, but he didn't remember having a maid named Xiao Lan in the manor.
“A few days ago, I saw her with a maid from your household named Chunhua,” Yi Yang said seemingly casually.
"With Chunhua?" Yi Chuan felt a sense of unease. Who else could have been with Chunhua these past few days besides Chu Xiyin? Could it be that Chu Xiyin had already met the Emperor?
"I've already bestowed such a beautiful woman upon you, so offering a mere maid to me shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Yi Yang sat at the table, propping his head up with his hand, looking aggrieved.
"I will order Steward Zhang to check if there is a maid named Xiao Lan in the manor," Yi Chuan said, walking towards the door.
"No need! Send them to the palace within five days! Five days should be enough time for you to find out the names of the maids in your household, right?" Yi Yang said lazily.
"Your Majesty's command is my due!" Yi Chuan replied.
"Alright, it's getting late. I finally managed to shake off those eunuchs and sneak over here for a stroll. It's time to head back." With that, Yi Yang stood up.
"Those shrimp soldiers and crab generals from the Twilight Kingdom seem to be getting a bit arrogant lately! It seems we have to teach them a lesson. How about this: in half a month, you lead 100,000 elite troops to wipe out that little Twilight Kingdom, what do you say?" Yi Yang said, counting on his fingers. In his eyes, destroying the Twilight Kingdom seemed easier than crushing an ant.
"Your subject obeys! However..." Yi Chuan seemed to have some concerns in his words.
"But what?" Yi Yang asked casually.
“After the last battle, the Kingdom of Mu’ai has not initiated any further war. My concern is that the people have finally settled down, and if war breaks out between the two countries again now, it may incite public resentment,” Yi Chuan said earnestly.