The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 39

While he enjoyed the lively scene, Qiu Junyao also had to check on his son. After a brief moment of appreciating Qiu Jinghe’s pale face as he was pinned to the ground by Chu Yu, Qiu Junyao suppressed his schadenfreude and stifled a laugh. He then ordered Laifu to help the two of them up.

 

“How do you manage to fall while just standing?”

 

Qiu Junyao was adept at making situations awkward. As he spoke, he glanced at Qiu Jinghe’s grim expression, struggling to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.

 

“Jinghe, are you alright?”

 

“…I’m fine.”

 

These four words were practically squeezed out through clenched teeth. Qiu Jinghe wiped his mouth fiercely, as if he had touched something dirty. He could no longer maintain his gentle and calm facade. Looking at Chu Yu, his voice was ice cold:

 

“I suddenly feel unwell, so I will take my leave.”

 

With that, he bowed to Qiu Junyao and then stormed off.

 

“Hey—” Qiu Junyao watched his second son throwing a tantrum but couldn’t stop him. He could only sigh and smile, then turned to Chu Yu to explain:

 

“My son Jinghe has the best temperament among his four brothers. Please don’t hold this against him, Your Excellency.”

 

“…I wouldn’t dare,” Chu Yu said, his lip slightly cut. His previously serene and holy demeanor was now tinged with an inexplicable color, thanks to the hint of red at the corner of his eyes.

 

Qiu Junyao was momentarily stunned, watching Chu Yu instinctively lick his lips. Then, he looked at Qiu Jinghe’s departing figure with a thoughtful expression.

 

Before he could figure out what was going on, a soldier stationed in front of the royal tent reported that the seventh prince had woken up and was demanding to see him. So, Qiu Junyao brought the little prince over.

 

Just then, a warm little bundle came running through the tall grass, throwing itself into Qiu Junyao’s arms and clinging to him, saying in a sticky voice:

 

“Father!”

 

“Jingxiu, you’re awake?”

 

Qiu Junyao stood steadily. Hearing Qiu Jingxiu call him, he bent down with a smile, picked Qiu Jingxiu up, and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

 

“Why not rest a little longer?”

 

“I’ve rested enough,” Qiu Jingxiu said, wrapping his arms around Qiu Junyao’s neck. His voice still carried the drowsiness of just waking up, and he rubbed his eyes, whispering:

 

“When I woke up and didn’t see Father, I thought you didn’t want me anymore. I was scared.”

 

“What are you afraid of? Father had many guards watching over you,” Qiu Junyao said, seeing Qiu Jingxiu still pouting unhappily. He tapped his forehead with a smile, coaxing him:

 

“How could Father not want Jingxiu? Father loves Jingxiu the most. I just picked out a fine horse for you. Would you like to try riding it?”

 

“Wow,” Qiu Jingxiu’s eyes lit up with joy, immediately forgetting his unhappiness.

 

“Where is the horse? I want to ride! I want to ride!”

 

“The horse is right here. If you like it, Father will give it to you,” Qiu Junyao said, lifting Qiu Jingxiu onto the horse. The horse seemed to recognize Qiu Junyao as its master and knelt down voluntarily. Once Qiu Jingxiu was seated, it stood up again.

 

“Hold the reins tightly.”

 

Qiu Junyao, who learned things quickly, began to teach Qiu Jingxiu everything he knew.

 

“Try it.”

 

Qiu Jingxiu had watched the palace maids and eunuchs train horses in the imperial zoo before, so he knew a bit. He quickly got the hang of it and swept away the gloom from the carriage ride, having a great time and filling the mountain with his laughter.

 

Qiu Junyao instructed several guards to keep an eye on and protect him, then returned to the tent with Yin Yuan.

 

It was his first time riding a horse. Despite knowing when to stop, the insides of his thighs were still chafed. So, he called for Xiao Qi the eunuch to bring some ointments.

 

After applying the ointment, Qiu Junyao couldn’t walk comfortably. Besides, he had a weak constitution to begin with. He felt exhausted after riding and soon lay down with Yin Yuan’s help.

 

After Yin Yuan removed Qiu Junyao’s golden crown and arranged his pillows, he waited for him to fall asleep before leaving.

 

He was concerned about the incident between Qiu Jinghe and the national teacher earlier, fearing it might create a rift between them. So, he lifted the curtain and headed towards Qiu Jinghe’s tent.

 

Qiu Jinghe’s tent was not far from the royal tent. Yin Yuan arrived after walking a few hundred meters. Just as he was about to enter, he saw the national teacher entering Qiu Jinghe’s tent.

 

The sky was darkening, and the tent lights were on. Through the thin tent fabric, Yin Yuan could see that after the national teacher entered, Qiu Jinghe, who was sitting at the table reading, stiffened and asked the national teacher to leave.

 

But the national teacher didn’t.

 

Instead, he sat down in front of Qiu Jinghe and began to speak earnestly. After he finished, Qiu Jinghe didn’t react immediately.

 

The next moment, as Yin Yuan wondered what they were plotting, Qiu Jinghe suddenly took out a folding fan and pressed it against the national teacher’s neck—the tip of the fan suddenly sprang out a sharp blade, gleaming menacingly at the national teacher’s face.

 

This scene was quite shocking, causing Yin Yuan to instinctively cover his mouth and step back, accidentally breaking a tree branch.

 

“…Who is out there?” The noise quickly alerted Qiu Jinghe. He swiftly retracted the fan blade and walked out of the tent to investigate, but by then, Yin Yuan had already vanished, leaving behind a fallen tassel hairpin.

 

“…Mother’s hairpin.”

 

“Did the Empress hear our conversation?” Chu Yu approached, looking at Qiu Jinghe, his voice low: “Today, I observed that the Emperor and Empress share a deep bond, which may be difficult to shake and win the Empress to our side.”

 

“Stop.” Qiu Jinghe turned to look at him. “When did I agree to join forces with you?”

 

“Why won’t you choose me?” Chu Yu stepped forward, forcing Qiu Jinghe to step back:

 

“Is there a better ally in the palace than me?”

 

“I said I don’t need you,” Qiu Jinghe replied. “I don’t care if it’s for fame or fortune; I refuse to believe anyone would help me without reason. You have your motives, and I’m not foolish enough to be used by you. As for fighting for the throne, don’t mention it again. Walls have ears, and if Father finds out, even as the national teacher, your life might not be spared.”

 

With that, Qiu Jinghe tried to tuck the tassel hairpin into his sleeve, but for some reason, Chu Yu suddenly reached out, snatched the hairpin, and put it in his own sleeve.

 

“…What are you doing?” Qiu Jinghe didn’t expect him to grab the hairpin and instinctively reached out to retrieve it, but Chu Yu stepped back, avoiding him:

 

“How can you privately keep your legitimate mother’s hairpin? If this gets out, it will tarnish your reputation. So…let me keep it for you.”

 

With that, he ignored Qiu Jinghe’s stunned expression, turned around, and left.

 

“Hey…this guy!”

 

Qiu Jinghe’s lips trembled with anger as he turned in circles, throwing his fan to the ground in frustration:

 

“Damn it!”

 

“Who is Second Brother so angry with?”

 

Not far away, Qiu Jingyue was sitting in a tree, swinging his legs with a cheerful smile:

 

“Don’t be angry, Second Brother. If you want Mother’s hairpin, I’ll get it back for you.”

 

With that, he stood up steadily on the branch, then nimbly jumped down and chased after Chu Yu.

 

Chu Yu himself didn’t know why he had taken that tassel hairpin. It wasn’t until he had it in his possession that he realized how inexplicable his reaction had been.

 

Sitting in his tent, he touched his lip, which was still faintly hurting from being bumped, and remembered how Qiu Jinghe had instinctively held his waist to prevent him from falling onto a stone when he accidentally stumbled onto him.

 

The sensation of Qiu Jinghe’s teeth grazing his lip lingered. Thinking of Qiu Jinghe’s gentle demeanor and calm temperament, Chu Yu felt strange, an unfamiliar emotion welling up inside him.

 

From birth, Chu Yu had been chosen by the old national teacher, brought into the palace, stripped of his emotions, purged of desires, and subjected to the Heartless Gu poison. His life was dedicated solely to the tasks given by the old national teacher, and his emotions had been as cold as a dead pond for years. He had never felt such turmoil before.

 

He had long calculated that Qiu Jinghe was deep and ruthless, and might one day covet the Empress. But why, when he was mentally prepared for this, did he not only fail to exploit Qiu Jinghe’s secret but also take the hairpin from him?

 

Was it because he hadn’t taken the antidote for a long time, and the Heartless Gu was acting up, causing him to lose his rationality and act outside of his plans?

 

Chu Yu frowned, clutching his chest in thought.

 

Yes, he had taken the hairpin to leverage Qiu Jinghe into compliance, nothing more.

 

Understanding this calmed Chu Yu. He attributed his behavior to the Heartless Gu acting up. He stood up in his tent and walked around until his heartbeat steadied. Then he took a deep breath, lifted the tent flap, and decided to go out for a walk, meditate, and stabilize his mind to suppress the poison.

 

As he lifted the tent flap, he saw Qiu Jingyue standing at his tent entrance, smiling with a small canine tooth showing. Qiu Jingyue extended his hand and succinctly said:

 

“Hairpin.”

 

“…What hairpin?”

 

Though aware that his actions were inappropriate, Chu Yu wasn’t about to comply with Qiu Jingyue, so he feigned ignorance:

 

“What does the Fourth Prince want from me?”

 

“…”

 

Qiu Jingyue was not pleased with Chu Yu’s lack of cooperation. He stared at Chu Yu for a long moment, his eyes darkening as if a storm was brewing:

 

“Anything Second Brother wants, I will get for him.”

 

With that, Qiu Jingyue grabbed the whip from his waist and swung it at Chu Yu.

 

Chu Yu wasn’t easily intimidated. He dodged swiftly, his sleeve flicking out a white silk strip to counter Qiu Jingyue’s attack with flexibility.

 

Unbeknownst to Qiu Jingyue, Chu Yu’s earlier stumble in front of Qiu Jinghe had been due to his unsettled mind, making him unable to hold his sword properly. Now, against Qiu Jingyue, whose martial skills were far inferior, Chu Yu fought fiercely, quickly subduing him with the white silk binding Qiu Jingyue’s arms and waist, leaving him immobilized like a silkworm cocoon.

 

Lying helpless on the ground, Qiu Jingyue looked up at Chu Yu, his composed facade breaking as his face turned red and he shouted:

 

“How dare you bind a prince? Are you tired of living?!”

 

“I’m going to call Second Brother! Second Brother, Second Brother, I’m being—mmph—”

 

“Don’t call out.” Chu Yu covered his mouth, glaring and lowering his voice:

 

“If you want your Second Brother to ascend the throne, listen to me.”

 

Qiu Jingyue stopped struggling, looking at Chu Yu with confusion and hesitation:

 

“You…”

 

“I’m here to help your Second Brother, but he refused me,” Chu Yu said with a smile.

 

“If you cooperate with me, I can ensure your brother becomes the Crown Prince.”

 

Leaning down, Chu Yu’s pale purple eyes held a deep allure, his voice almost like a siren’s song:

 

“So, will you work with me?”

 

Staring at Chu Yu’s bewitching face, Qiu Jingyue couldn’t help but swallow and, almost involuntarily, nodded.

 

Satisfied with his compliance, Chu Yu untied the white silk from Qiu Jingyue and was about to help him up when a clear child’s voice rang out:

 

“Second Brother, I wasn’t lying. Fourth Brother is really fighting with this person.”

 

Qiu Jingxiu had appeared in front of them, holding Qiu Jinghe’s hand, pointing at Qiu Jingyue and Chu Yu:

 

“I even saw them with their faces very close together, whispering.”

 

“Really?”

 

Qiu Jinghe, holding Qiu Jingxiu’s hand, looked down at the identical expressions of shock on Qiu Jingyue and Chu Yu, a faint cold smile curling his lips:

 

“You two are quite lively, aren’t you?”

 

Qiu Jingyue, Chu Yu: “Let me explain…”

 

“Yes, very lively,” Qiu Jingxiu suddenly interjected, cutting off Qiu Jingyue and Chu Yu, scratching his head in mock distress:

 

“But Father said good children shouldn’t fight. Fourth Brother, you did something wrong.”

 

Qiu Jingxiu slyly slipped his hand from Qiu Jinghe’s, wearing a mischievous grin but speaking righteously:

 

“So, everything you just said…I’ll tell Father.”