CH 122

Chapter 122 Spine

The palace maid closed the door and left, and the room fell silent. It was then that Liu Zhongming’s eyes turned red.

He watched as the servants of the Bai Mansion dragged Qu Chen out. Although he knew that Shiyan would not really mistreat Qu Chenzhou, the feeling of powerlessness to protect him was like a worm gnawing on his flesh, hurting him to the core.

He saw the desires that had sprouted in his heart, including the desire for power that he had never felt before.

Born in the Marquis Mansion, Liu Zhongming had always thought that his status was a shackle.

But now he understood that it was not enough, not enough to crush everything on his way forward, not enough to protect the people he needed to protect.

Liu Qingru looked at him and didn’t rush to ask. She sat quietly with him for a while, and when she saw that Liu Zhongming had quickly suppressed his moment of weakness, she lightly tapped her teacup.

Liu Zhongming regained consciousness and called out, “Sister.”

“Did you have a fight with Shiyan?” Liu Qingru didn’t ask about the lotus pond incident.

She had watched these two younger brothers grow up, and while others might not see anything strange, she could sense it.

Both brothers had their temperaments, and they had their fair share of arguments, but it couldn’t be like this. This wasn’t their usual behavior.

Today’s tension was just what outsiders wanted to see. Everyone hoped that the Bai Liu families would be separated, including the emperor.

Everyone was satisfied with this show, except for the younger brother who felt wronged in front of her.

“No.”

Facing his sister, Liu Zhongming couldn’t lie. His sister was the most important person in their future plans, and he had considered telling her at the right time, but had not found a good opportunity.

In this simple answer, Liu Qingru deduced the answer to her speculation.

“Is that slave, the favored one raised by Zhongming in the room? Are you two protecting him?”

Liu Zhongming was carefully choosing his words in his mind, thinking about what he should confess to his sister. Suddenly, he heard this question and blurted out, “He’s not…” 

As soon as the words came out, he realized that he had fallen into his sister’s trap. 

Liu Qingru pursed her lips and smiled, pretending not to hear his defense, and said to herself, “Zhongming has good taste. No wonder you aren’t interested in ordinary people. If this appearance was that of a girl and she entered the palace, I’m afraid sister would be just daydreaming every day.” 

Liu Zhongming was at his sister’s mercy. Knowing that she was teasing him, he could only be anxious: “He’s not… not…” 

He had just settled on making that person his Shizi Consort after much difficulty, and he couldn’t bear to bring up Chenzhou with that word. 

Seeing her younger brother at a loss for words, Liu Qingru lightly chuckled and asked, “Does he still like to eat the soft cow intestines with floral seasoning?” 

Liu Zhongming was startled, then immediately understood that his sister had known all along.

“Father spoke to me in the garden today. There wasn’t much time, so he only briefly mentioned a few things,” Liu Qingru stopped teasing him and said, “Father asked me to ask you what exactly happened?”

Liu Zhongming focused his thoughts and had already prepared his response.

The whole story was too long, so he only picked out the important parts. He began with when he learned about Qu Chenzhou’s resurrection, then the gift of the Heavenly Eye, and his involvement with people like Pan He and Liao Guangming. He continued with the discovery of the toxic substance called Aconitum and following his aunt to the Spring Festival banquet.

“I not only instructed Qingchi and Shilei, but also had someone watching over that area,” he grew more and more frustrated as he spoke. “But for some reason, when Chenzhou and my aunt left, they were not being watched.”

Liu Qingru knew more about the methods used in the palace than he did.

“If he didn’t take the long way around with my aunt, someone would have caught up with them and delivered a decree soon enough. The empress is sure to not show up, but if any other noblewomen were to meet them, they would inevitably have to sit and drink tea together.”

Having witnessed the consequences of Madam Liu’s actions, they could both imagine what would happen after tea.

Liu Zhongming’s palms began to sweat as he couldn’t help but ask, “What about the matter with lotus pond afterwards?”

Liu Qingru shook her head helplessly, “Silly, I’m not like him. I don’t know everything. You can ask him later, can’t you?”

Liu Zhongming blushed as he had been too flustered to think clearly and had asked a silly question.

“Zhongming,” a soft hand touched his head, and whispered, “Although I have been in the palace these years, I only know about the situation in Lijing Palace. If I didn’t hear you mention Aconitine, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have figured out many things yet.”

“Why did Auntie fall into the water, and why did she give birth prematurely? You investigate carefully, there may be many tricks behind it.”

“If someone has started to act, Imperial Physician Xia will not be kept, so as to avoid more troubles. You can arrange two reliable people in the hospital, and I will naturally have a way to bring them to my side.”

Listening to his sister’s words, Liu Zhongming quietly recorded them one by one with his head down, without saying a word.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Qingru could see her brother’s frustration.

“Sister, I’m afraid I will disappoint you…” Liu Zhongming remained silent for a long time, and finally showed his timid appearance in front of his sister.

“I used to be praised a lot by others, and I really thought I was a genius. But now I feel more and more incapable, and what you, father, and uncle can do is far better than me.”

“I even feel that I can’t live up to the expectations of Shiyan. The future and fate of both families rest on my shoulders, and I am afraid…”

“And there is Chenzhou…” He inserted his hand into his hair.

This was the first time he brought Qu Chenzhou to such a place. Although he had considered various situations in advance, and although Qu Chenzhou had already safely returned to the Bai family, he was still afraid, only afraid.

“Chenzhou exhausted all his efforts for me, entrusted his life to me, but I couldn’t catch up to him, nor could I protect him…”

Staring off into space, Liu Qingru let out a sigh, taking his hand and holding it in hers. “Zhongming, do you remember what I told you before?”

Liu Zhongming looked up at her, his eyes blank.

“Sister was waiting for you to grow up. We were all waiting for you to grow up,” Liu Qingru smoothed out his disheveled hair. “Remember, you are the backbone that supports everyone. If you can’t stand up, everyone will fall apart.”

“Look at Ning Wang.”

Liu Zhongming had an epiphany.

If the Empress and Attendant Tang hadn’t put in so much effort, and if Ning Wang didn’t look like a mess, he wouldn’t be in this situation now.

Liu Qingru’s hand pressed down, stopping him from speaking. She asked: “Zhongming, have you thought about why that child would risk his life for you?”

“Because…” 

“Because he believes in you,” Liu Qingru finally understood why that humble slave dared to suddenly make a scene in front of the emperor. “He believes that you will catch him whenever he falls and won’t let him down. Don’t let him down.” 

Liu Zhongming was stunned, realizing the implicit meaning behind her words – he had not told his sister about his entanglement with Qu Chenzhou just now.

“Did father talk to you? What did he say?”

“Father doesn’t agree with you two being together. He said his status is too low and not worthy of you.”

“Ah…” Liu Zhongming’s joy just surfaced, frozen on his face.

“Father said he doesn’t agree,” Liu Qingru picked up her teacup, smiled lightly, “He said that if you really want to be with him, I have to approve it.”

Liu Zhongming couldn’t help but smile.

At the end of the road, there was not only the stability of the Liu family, but also the home of him and the little fox.

Liu Qingru glanced at him and flicked his forehead, “Don’t be too happy too soon. Didn’t you see the meaning behind the emperor letting Shiyan take him away?”

Liu Zhongming knew it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have performed that double act with Bai Shiyan. Compared to others, the emperor would be more pleased to see the two brothers in conflict.

“Sister,” he suddenly smiled, “What if I go crazy for him?”

After today’s incident, they had attracted a lot of attention. They could no longer ignore Qu Chenzhou and hide him behind them.

Instead of making people covet him, he might as well carry the little fox in his mouth and show him off to everyone, saying that he, Liu Zhongming, had caught his prey.

Anyone could understand him going crazy for someone like Qu Chenzhou. It wouldn’t be a loss.

“Then go crazy,” Liu Qingru chuckled.

Liu Zhongming who was crazy for a toy was more likable than a Shizi who was pure and without flaws.

When Qu Chenzhou fell asleep, the sky was just getting light.

Not long after returning to the Bai residence, there was a commotion outside, and everyone knew that they had all returned and heard that the mother and child were safe, so their worried hearts finally let go.

He had originally planned to wait outside with everyone, but the Bai father and son were afraid he was too tired and told him to rest.

In the end, Bai Shilei was ordered to carry him back to the bedroom, watched him drink a bowl of ginseng soup, and then left after closing the door.

With confusion swirling in his mind, he couldn’t sleep well. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the silver arrows glinting in the sunlight.

In that instant, he realized that he had made a fatal assumption – it was not just the Empress who had set her sights on Madam Bai.

The other party had fired two arrows.

He threw himself over Madam Bai in the water, dodging the first arrow, and then the other party stubbornly aimed at Madam Bai’s head when she emerged from the water. He pressed her down, avoiding the second arrow.

Afterwards, as everyone gathered around, the crossbowman, who was hiding somewhere unknown, had to quietly retreat.

He told all of this to the Bai father and son.

Later on, someone was sent to secretly retrieve the arrows from the water, and by examining the mark left by the first arrow hitting the stone, they could determine where the crossbowman had been hiding and what kind of weapon had been used.

He already had a suspicion as to who the person behind it was. It was a trick that Mu Jingyan liked to use the most. Even if the crossbowman was captured on the spot, the Bai family’s anger would only be directed at Qi Wang.

Who would suspect Huai Wang?

But in reality, they couldn’t even touch the crossbowman, let alone produce evidence pointing to Huai Wang. 

Otherwise, the coincidence of Madam Bai falling into the water would be too suspicious. Once they touched the crossbowman, Huai Wang could easily suspect him.

Zhongming has mentioned him before, and everyone naturally assumed that he was favored in the Shizi’s household. Only Huai Wang, casually mentioned his past divination.

He had always known that the silent and unassuming demon in the dark was the most formidable enemy.

“Qu Sitian…”

In a half-dreaming and half-awake state, Qu Chenzhou suddenly sat up with a quivering body. The sound was clear and gentle, so gentle that it seemed to cut open all his internal organs and chase after him from behind.

All around him was pitch-black darkness, and cries and shouts could be heard coming from a wall nearby. He trembled with fear, running blindly in the darkness, not even sure if he was still holding the child in his arms.

His feet stumbled as if he was walking on cotton, and in front of him was a dead end.

“Qu Sitian,” the voice still followed him like a maggot attached to a bone, cackling evilly, “where did you take my child and Qingru’s?”

His back against the wall, he stared in terror as a huge shadow loomed over him.

“Where is the child? My child?”

“I don’t know!” He suddenly crouched down and held his head, screaming in agony, “He’s already been taken away! You’ll never find him! He’s not yours! He belongs to the Liu family!”

“That’s right, he belongs to the Liu family,” the shadow laughed loudly, causing the air around them to vibrate, “so I’m sure Liu Zhongming will value this child greatly. I’ll find him! I’ll definitely find him!”

“No!” Suddenly forgetting all fear, he rushed forward, but before he could choke the person, he was pushed down to his knees and held down by his shoulders.

The person grabbed his hair and lifted his face, fingers tracing his cheek.

“Do you want to die too? You’ve been deceiving me for so many years, you deserve to die. But Liu Zhongming still wants to see you. Don’t you want to see him? I’m willing to help you! I’m willing to help you both!”

“But my Qingru, Qingru is dead,” the shadow revealed a ferocious face, “so why don’t you take her place!”

“Let go!” Qu Chenzhou struggled frantically, his own hysterical voice ringing in his ears: “Ah ah ah ah ah!”

His flailing hands were grabbed and someone urgently called out to him.

“Chenzhou! Wake up!”

Author’s note: The last dream mixed up the night of the coup and the eve of the violation. It’s not a bug. Looking at the drafts, it seems that he will recover his memories in the first week of March.