Li Yue Shu and Qin Mo Yuan exchanged a look, seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Did Xuan Cheng Zi know what their next meeting would be like?
But what gift did he need to prepare for Li Yue Shu that required him to come all the way to Rui Jing?
Although Xuan Cheng Zi said he wouldn't see them, Li Yue Shu and Qin Mo Yuan were not the type to obey.
The two followed the hidden guards and went directly to where Xuan Cheng Zi was staying.
The Taoist temple was not large. Most of the people who came today were here for Xuan Cheng Zi, so it should have been easy to find him.
However, upon arrival, Li Yue Shu and Qin Mo Yuan discovered that Xuan Cheng Zi was not staying in the Taoist temple at all, but in a small house in the mountains behind the temple, where a statue of Tai Shang Lao Jun was housed.
The room was small, with only a bed next to the statue. Wine jars were scattered everywhere on the floor, and Xuan Cheng Zi had long since disappeared.
Although Li Yue Shu had expected Xuan Cheng Zi not to wait for them obediently, she was still speechless.
With Xuan Cheng Zi's martial arts skills, if he intended to hide, Li Yue Shu would naturally not be able to find him.
There was no need for them to stay at the Taoist temple any longer, so they prepared to leave.
As they came out of the mountains and before entering the Taoist temple, Li Yue Shu saw two figures pulling at each other not far away.
One of them seemed to be an acquaintance.
"Is that Mo Yu Lin?" Li Yue Shu asked in confusion. "Why is he pulling at a woman?"
Wasn't Mo Yu Lin concerned about He Xiao Yu?
Qin Mo Yuan also saw the two people not far away and replied in a low voice, "That is the Eighth Princess of Qing Yan Kingdom, the most beloved daughter of the Emperor of Qing Yan, and Mo Yu Lin's fiancée."
Li Yue Shu was surprised. "Fiancée? Since she is the Emperor's most beloved princess, why would she choose a庶子 (son of a concubine) of a Minister of Rites to marry into the family?"
Setting aside the huge difference in their status, Mo Yu Lin clearly had He Xiao Yu in his heart, so why would he be engaged to the Eighth Princess?
"It's not marrying into the family, it's marrying down," Qin Mo Yuan said, directly pulling Li Yue Shu to detour in another direction, clearly not wanting to disturb the two.
Li Yue Shu followed him around, "What's the deal with their marriage?"
Given how much Mo Yu Lin cared about He Xiao Yu, there was no reason for him to be engaged to the Eighth Princess.
"This marriage was sought by the Eighth Princess herself," Qin Mo Yuan explained briefly. "Mo Yu Lin is sweet-tongued and not bad-looking. I heard the Eighth Princess fell in love with him at first sight and threatened to take her own life to force the Emperor of Qing Yan to grant them the marriage."
Li Yue Shu: "...A bit melodramatic?"
Qin Mo Yuan looked at her curiously. "What do you mean by 'melodramatic'?"
"..."
After returning from the Taoist temple, Li Yue Shu informed He Xiao Yu and Mo Yu Lin about their departure. "There is only one more course of treatment left. After that, you only need to follow the prescription to recuperate, and Young Master Mo's body will fully recover."
Mo Yu Lin's condition had clearly improved. He had also seen other doctors outside and naturally knew that Li Yue Shu was not lying to him.
He bowed to Li Yue Shu with dignified grace. "Thank you, Miss Li."
Li Yue Shu waved her hand and looked at He Xiao Yu beside her.
Looking at that face, her expression became one of longing. "As long as Miss He is well, it will not be in vain for me to have gone to such lengths to save Young Master Mo's life."
He Xiao Yu knew that Li Yue Shu was missing her friend through her, so she did not get angry, but merely nodded gently.
Thus, Li Yue Shu and her group stayed at Mo Yu Lin's residence for another half a month, finally completing Mo Yu Lin's treatment.
"From now on, you just need to take this prescription for a month, and the rest is to find a doctor to regulate your body," Li Yue Shu said, handing the written prescription to Mo Yu Lin and instructing him.
He Xiao Yu was a little excited. "Is Xiao Yu alright now? Will he live a long life?"
"I'm not a fortune teller, how would I know if he will live a long life?" Li Yue Shu said with a wry smile. "But his poison has been resolved. As long as he takes good care of himself and no accidents happen, he will live to be old."
Hearing this, He Xiao Yu's face lit up with a smile. Her happy and excited expression was as if she were about to cry with joy.
Her gaze towards Li Yue Shu also became more affectionate. "When are you leaving? I'll come to see you off!"
Li Yue Shu had actually already considered He Xiao Yu a friend she could talk to, so she naturally did not refuse. "Tomorrow! It's getting late today, and it might be hard to find a place to stay after leaving Rui Jing."
He Xiao Yu nodded. "Okay, I'll be here early tomorrow!"
...
Normally, apart from attending banquets to showcase her status as Crown Princess, He Xiao Yu spent most of her time in this residence and always arrived early.
Today was the day Li Yue Shu and her group were scheduled to depart. She should have arrived very early, but they waited until almost the hour of Si (9-11 AM), and He Xiao Yu still hadn't appeared.
Mo Yu Lin stood at the entrance, his face tense as he looked in the direction of the main street, his worry almost palpable.
Li Yue Shu also felt a little uneasy. She walked to Mo Yu Lin's side. "Is something delaying her?"
Mo Yu Lin pursed his lips, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Sister never breaks her promises. If something prevented her from coming, she would send someone to inform me."
After speaking, he directly waved his hand towards the air. "Go and investigate."
As soon as he finished speaking, hidden guards who were concealed in the residence instantly appeared and rushed off to carry out the task.
Just as the hidden guard left, a figure suddenly appeared in a hurry.
No one else recognized this person, but Hong Dai immediately recognized him. "Why are you here?"
Facing the curious gazes of the others, Hong Dai explained, "He is someone by Ji Quan Si's side."
The person ran a little too fast and spoke breathlessly, "It's bad! The Crown Princess has been poisoned, she's... she's dying."
"What did you say?" Mo Yu Lin's face instantly drained of color. He grabbed the man by his collar. "Where is Sister!"
His expression was icy, completely devoid of his usual sweet and charming demeanor.
The man was startled by him and quickly said, "In... in the Eastern Palace."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Yu Lin let go of him and rushed out the door.
Li Yue Shu's expression also became serious. Without time for further words, she quickly asked the messenger to lead the way and called for the somewhat frantic Mo Yu Lin to get into the carriage, heading towards the Eastern Palace.
Upon arriving at the Eastern Palace, before the carriage could even come to a complete stop, Mo Yu Lin impatiently jumped out.
Someone was waiting at the entrance of the Eastern Palace. Seeing them arrive, they quickly led them inside.
As soon as they entered the room, they saw Ji Quan Si standing by with a cold expression, several doctors kneeling on the ground in fear, and on the bed lay He Xiao Yu, her face pale and appearing lifeless.
Mo Yu Lin's body stiffened as he approached the bed, his trembling hands afraid to touch the person on the bed.
His eyes bloodshot, he looked at the doctors kneeling on the ground. "Why are you kneeling? Hurry and save her!"
Upon hearing him, the kneeling doctors shivered. "We... we did our best, the Crown Princess she..."
No one dared to say the rest.
Li Yue Shu, who had just entered, saw this scene and her heart instantly clenched.
She quickly ran over, pulled Mo Yu Lin aside, and lifted He Xiao Yu's eyelids to examine her.
Mo Yu Lin knew Li Yue Shu's medical skills and dared not disturb her, standing by the side, his eyes fixed on the person on the bed, his hands clasped at his sides, digging into his own flesh.