"I told Xiao Yu, no matter how difficult, she must keep living. Xiao Yu listens to me the most. If I tell her to live, she will definitely obey," she said.
As if thinking of the person who always sweetly called her sister, He Xiaoyu's features softened.
Li Yueshu knew her words were true. Judging by Mo Yulin's obedient demeanor in front of her, he would indeed listen and live.
But being a walking corpse was still living.
Li Yueshu did not want to see He Xiaoyu like this. Frowning, she asked, "What do you plan to do?"
He Xiaoyu did not answer, but instead asked, "Miss Li, if there is no antidote, how long can I hold on?"
Li Yueshu was reluctant to answer, but after a moment's hesitation, she said, "Your current condition will last for about five more days. After five days, your situation will worsen. If you remain in the space, only sustained by life support, you will have... seven or eight days at most."
"So short..." He Xiaoyu's voice was a little suppressed. "Miss Li, five days is too short. Can I not have those seven or eight days? I just want my final days to be spent with Xiao Yu in the best way possible."
Li Yueshu's thin lips tightened. Looking at the person lying before her, she frowned. "What if the antidote is researched and developed within those seven or eight days?"
He Xiaoyu met her gaze directly. "Then, Miss Li, how confident are you that you can research the antidote while I am still alive?"
This time, Li Yueshu fell silent.
In truth, she had not even a shred of confidence.
Looking at He Xiaoyu's calm eyes, Li Yueshu sighed. "For Mo Yulin, Miss He, this is perhaps a bit selfish."
He Xiaoyu lowered her eyes, her smile tinged with bitterness. "I know... but I cannot let Xiao Yu remember me in my final moments as a withered and desolate figure. I want Xiao Yu to suffer less pain."
For a fleeting moment, Li Yueshu seemed to understand why, in "Little Fish and Flowers," the Fairy Maiden was willing to die in Little Fish's arms, trading her life for a day of youthful beauty.
Silence descended upon the space, the atmosphere becoming heavy and sorrowful.
After an unknown period, Li Yueshu finally nodded. "I can only use poison to fight poison, making you appear outwardly normal. However, this condition will last no more than eight days."
"Eight days... that's enough." He Xiaoyu smiled brightly at her. "Miss Li, I will send Xiao Yu away tonight. Can you help me summon the Crown Prince?"
Li Yueshu had a premonition that her plan would be cruel and instinctively wanted to refuse.
But looking at He Xiaoyu's pleading gaze, she found herself unable to refuse.
In the end, she had Hong Dai send a message to summon Ji Quansi.
That night, the two spoke in the room for half an hour. No one knew what they discussed, but Ji Quansi emerged with a troubled expression.
Li Yueshu was not particularly curious, but He Xiaoyu's state left her with a sense of unease. She asked, "What did you talk about?"
Ji Quansi opened his mouth, his charming face a mask of complex emotions. "You'll know tomorrow?"
Li Yueshu became even more perplexed.
However, the next day, after Mo Yulin gave He Xiaoyu her medicine and mentioned his impending marriage to the Eighth Princess, Li Yueshu suddenly guessed her plan.
"Xiao Yu, your marriage to the Eighth Princess is still two months away, isn't it?"
Mo Yulin, unsure why she brought it up, nodded.
"Two months is too long," He Xiaoyu frowned. "Xiao Yu, ask the Eighth Princess to request an imperial decree to set the wedding for seven days from now!"
Mo Yulin looked at her in confusion. "Sister wants me to marry the Eighth Princess?"
They had planned for the Eighth Princess to break off the engagement in a month. Why did Sister suddenly want to advance the wedding?
"Circumstances have changed, so our plan must change as well," He Xiaoyu's expression was devoid of any abnormality.
She and Xiao Yu understood each other too well; any slip-up would reveal her deception.
"Given He Xuebao's current state, my father will not uphold his promise to give me a new identity, nor will he allow me to leave Rui Jing. If we want to leave, we need a legitimate reason."
Mo Yulin was intelligent and quickly grasped her meaning. "Sister intends to use my marriage to the Eighth Princess?"
He Xiaoyu nodded. "After you and the Eighth Princess are married, you can go on a honeymoon trip to the countryside outside the city. No one will suspect anything."
To shed her current identity and escape Rui Jing, they had worked for over a decade. Thus, seven days was not an overly hasty timeframe.
However, Mo Yulin still felt a sense of doubt.
If it were that simple, he would have already married the Eighth Princess and eloped with Sister.
He Xiaoyu knew what he was worried about and said proactively, "On the wedding day, I will be the one in the bridal sedan chair. Miss Li has already agreed to help me with this."
Upon hearing this, Mo Yulin turned to look at Li Yueshu in surprise.
She nodded serenely. "Ji Quansi will arrange it."
She hadn't inquired about the specific arrangements and therefore was unaware of the details.
However, from He Xiaoyu's words, she had a general idea of her plan.
Indeed, Mo Yulin then said, "Sister means that I will marry the Eighth Princess in seven days, but the Crown Prince will arrange for Sister to replace the Eighth Princess in the bridal sedan chair and marry me. Then, the next day, we will leave Rui Jing under the guise of a spring outing and never return?"
He Xiaoyu nodded.
Mo Yulin's brow furrowed. "Why would the Crown Prince help us?"
Although the Crown Prince had said he would return Sister to him, under the current circumstances, the Crown Prince could no longer marry He Xuebao and gain the Prime Minister's support.
He Xiaoyu had clearly thought through her explanation. "Attempting to murder the Crown Princess is a grave offense that could bring down the entire He family. My father naturally cannot use He Xuebao as the Crown Princess to negotiate with the Crown Prince."
She analyzed it logically. "If the news of my death is released, the position of Crown Princess will be permanently vacant. Then the Crown Prince can use this position to win over more advantageous officials."
Mo Yulin did not reply, his expression still appearing worried.
This reason might indeed pique Ji Quansi's interest, but he would be targeting the Emperor's most beloved Eighth Princess, a risk not to be taken lightly.
Seeing the hesitation on his face, Li Yueshu, who had been standing quietly by, had a thought and said, "Actually, Ji Quansi has another condition for his assistance."
Mo Yulin looked up. "What condition?"
Li Yueshu: "He wants all the forces under your command to submit to him."
Mo Yulin had always known the Crown Prince Ji Quansi was not as simple as he appeared, but he was unaware that he was the master of Chi Yun Tower. Therefore, this reason was sufficiently compelling.
After all, Ji Quansi himself had explicitly stated he did not wish to be enemies with Mo Yulin.
Mo Yulin glanced at Li Yueshu, then at He Xiaoyu. Subconsciously, he felt something was amiss.
But after carefully reviewing it, he found no fault and attributed it to the sudden and easy realization of his long-held desire, making it feel somewhat unreal.
With this thought, he looked at He Xiaoyu and nodded. "Alright, I will go find the Eighth Princess shortly."