Are you all right?! Are you all all right?!

  Some people are born to be disliked.

  On the seventh day of summer, Zhao Mianze must be the most annoying one. Not early or late, he just had to send some laborious things over when she was busy with her outing. And judging from Er Bao's tone, the master in the study seemed to be in a state of frenzy, so many discordant factors, on such a chaotic day, wasn't it simply torturing her?

  In the study.

  The sky had gradually darkened, and a glance from outside could see the firelight reflected in the window lattice. Upon entering the house, Zhao Zun was still sitting behind the purple sandalwood desk, with a Suzhou-embroidered soft cushion on the back of the chair, leaning slightly against it, with one cup of tea, one chessboard, and one book, alone, his face as pale as frost, his eyebrows and eyes clear and bright, his movements languid, like an extremely elegant and beautiful landscape that delighted the heart and pleased the eye, yet could also stir up countless waves in the depths of one's heart.

  One word - handsome!

  It's really not as arrogant as what Er Bao said, we are actually very calm.

  "Grandfather, you're looking for me, is there something going on?"

  She was the only one who entered the study, Zheng Er Bao and several maidservants stayed outside the door. In the study, it was just the two of them alone. Xia Chu Qi's tone was extremely familiar, without outsiders around, her tone had never been divided by seniority. Zhao Zun also got used to her stubborn nature a long time ago, he slightly raised his eyelids, and his calm eyes showed some emotion.

  "Here? Sit."

  Yes, although there's no madness, the tone seems a bit subdued?

  Their eyes locked in a fierce stare for one second, and Xia Chuqi's heart began to beat faster.

  This old man is not easy to mess with, if his face looks unpleasant, it's still okay, but if he has a calm expression and no emotions at all, that's when it's really scary.

  In order not to betray Zheng Er Bao, she didn't dare ask Zhao Mian Ze directly about the matter, so she just pretended to be well-behaved and sat in the chair opposite him at his desk, with her elbows on the table, her body leaning forward slightly, lazily propping up her cheek with her hand and staring at him.

  "Has the left hand won, or has the right hand won?"

  Zhao Zun plays chess alone, often with his left and right hands competing against each other.

  As for this, Xia Chuyi was often puzzled. A person's thinking, how can it be divided into two people to serve? Is the left hand winning or the right hand winning, isn't it generally determined by which hand he loves more?

  "It's not over yet." He said calmly.

  "Hey." Xia Chuqi gazed at the clear and handsome face, smiling, "Why don't you teach me instead? From now on, you won't be so lonely, with me accompanying you, how about that?"

  "Who?" Zhao Zun's eyes wandered over, with the words "IQ emergency" written all over his face. Seeing this, Xia Chuqi pouted and glared back at him.

  "Good gold is found in muddy sand, don't underestimate me just yet, maybe one day I'll win against you on the chessboard."

  "Want to win against me?" He fell silent for a moment, without even lifting an eyelid, and solemnly added another sentence, "On the bed, you'll always fall before I do."

  "You——"

  Xia Zhi Qi's face turned red with a "brush brush brush" sound.

  How can you say such things in front of a 15-year-old girl?

  Yes! He is an ancient man, a feudal king.

  In his eyes, fifteen is definitely old enough.

  She scolded him, but he didn't make a sound, continuing to ponder his chess moves. It was as if he hadn't just acted like a rascal at all, and had only said something very ordinary.

  Go!

  Xia Zhong Qi couldn't help but secretly smile again.

  Is this what they call generation gap?

  They say there's a generation gap every three years; they spanned several hundred years, how many gaps is that?

  She continued to prop up her cheek, thinking about the things she had to do when she went out of the house, and couldn't help but feel a little anxious. But the more anxious she became, the more leisurely that gentleman was, sipping tea from time to time, thinking for half a day over one move, without even looking at her...

  She suddenly realized, what was she doing?

  What's up?

  Once again, she suddenly realized - Zhao Ziyue.

  Zhao Zun has never been close to his father, nor to his mother. It's said that he's very fond of his younger sister. The parents and older brother all dote on her as a precious daughter, raising her in a sweet environment for 14 years, always spoiling and coddling her, never letting her suffer any grievances. Suddenly, someone comes along and bullies her - isn't that a huge deal? Is it possible that someone came to report this to him, and he's intentionally coming after her to avenge his sister?

  "Damn it..."

  She almost choked when she blurted out these words.

  She wanted to laugh but couldn't bring herself to, and after clearing her throat, she became serious again.

  "Is your sister's face okay?"

  Zhao Zhu did not raise his head, "Little girl, don't bother with her."

  It turns out that you knew about Zhao Ziyue being beaten up.

  Others may be fooled, but this guy is not so easily deceived.

  He must have known it was her doing it.

  But the more he looked calm and collected, the more serious the problem was. In this regard, the two people's auras were too incompatible, she had to vent her temper, while he hid it deeper in his heart the angrier he got. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly pinched her thigh, the pain made her eyes sting, and her eyes turned red.

  "Are you angry? I figured it out, I'm just a spare tire in this mansion, eating idle food. Your concubines can't wait to strangle me, and now your sister is here too. You don't understand me, do you not even understand her? Is she someone who easily suffers losses? How dare I bully her? She's come to the mansion with ulterior motives, isn't it to take advantage of me? My enduring humiliation, yielding, and... no, that's not right. Let me rephrase, what is my enduring humiliation, yielding for? It seems I was wrong, my IQ is severely lacking, naively thinking you'd still protect me, who knew you'd turn a blind eye and criticize me instead..."

  She thinks she performed very well herself.

  That's exactly the image of a poisonous villainess in a tragic drama, who not only stole someone's younger sister but also came to pour out her grievances in front of that person. But unexpectedly, after she spoke for so long, that man didn't make a sound, and it wasn't until after a while that he pursed his lips and looked at her.

  "Grandpa says you're just too clever for your own good."

  "Is it IQ, do you understand IQ?"

  She leaned forward a bit more, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked at him.

  "Grandpa, I'm really sad..."

  A belly full of grievances suddenly made her eyes even redder. She suddenly discovered the key to the actors' performance, and indeed felt wronged herself, so she really became wronged. Her grievances were many, a person hiding in a completely strange space, surrounded by enemies, except for herself, no one would understand her experiences, no one would understand her difficulties... With a sour heart, emotions overflowing, this time, it was really sad, a pair of round and big eyes, instantly covered with a layer of mist.

  Zhao Zhuang was stunned for a moment, then stretched out his hand from across the table.

  "Come sit here."

  His coaxing expression and helplessness made her want to laugh a little.

  Of course, this was not the time to laugh. She pitifully got up, walked around the table and stood in front of him, he held her hand, unconsciously tightening it, one hand also wrapped around her waist, pulled her, and let her sit on his leg.

  "Mianze has something sent over for you."

  Zhao Zun's voice was faint, and he finally spoke up, but his face didn't show much emotion.

  She stared at him with wide eyes, thinking and rethinking, Xia Chuqi thought he must have seen her difficulties and didn't want to continue blaming her for his sister's affairs, so he changed the subject. She followed his lead, curled up the corners of her mouth, and smiled sweetly at him.

  "Really? That's great! Where is it?"

  "Just wait a moment and you will see." Zhao Zu furrowed his brow, still expressionless.

  Summer is over on the seventh day of the first month.

  What a weird guy! What thing still needs to wait for a while before it can be seen?

  But since he said so, she could only wait. Now that it's come to this, looking at the sky outside, she knew that if she continued to drag things out with him, she probably wouldn't be able to leave the house today. For a moment, she really suspected that he was doing it on purpose, sincerely not wanting her to go out and investigate that matter.

  Or is it...

  She suddenly had an epiphany.

  Wasn't that assassination attempt on Dongfang Amur? That day, she saw Zhao Zhu and her two good friends in the Water Pavilion, and she couldn't get over it, so she sent someone to kill her. If it was really Dongfang Amur, this could also explain Dongfang Qingxuan's sentence "It's hard for brothers to do", and at the same time, it could also explain why Zhao Zhu wanted to silence her on the spot, because he didn't want to drag Amur out?

  It's not right! Those people even wanted to kill Zhao Zhuang.

  Amu Er, even if he was resentful because of love, wouldn't be so cruel, would he?

  As she indulged in her thoughts, Zhao Zhu had already hugged her and started playing his unfinished chess game again, competing with himself. She sat on his lap, wrapped in his arms, but fidgeted back and forth, unable to get a sense of satisfaction.

  "Alright!" He pinched her waist.

  "Go!" She glared at her.

  Zhao Zun doesn't like being disturbed when he's playing chess.

  Ke Xia liked to disturb him most when he was playing chess on the seventh of July.

  She stretched out one finger and poked his chest.

  When he looked up at her, she shrank back again.

  As he made another move on the board, her hand shot towards his Adam's apple once again.

  So back and forth several times, changed from the usual he always caught her "good good grooming", either patting her head, or patting her face, or kissing her, but today unexpectedly there was no other action, only suddenly threw away the chess piece, turned her face over, and came up with another sentence of irrelevant words.

  "The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, Your Majesty has summoned you to enter the palace for an audience."

  What's going on? Xia looked at him with big eyes after shaking her head on the seventh day of the summer.

  "I only know about Mid-Autumn Festival, what's this 'Zhonghe Festival' thing?"

  She asked with a sincere face, and it didn't seem like she was joking. As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Zhu's hand froze. But looking at her hesitating for a moment, he didn't ask "Don't you even know about the Double Ninth Festival?" Instead, he directly explained to him.

  "The second day of the first month is also known as Chinese Valentine's Day."

  She rolled her eyes, and Xia Chuyi didn't feel any remorse for her ignorance. She thought to herself that the old emperor of Zhonghe Festival wanted to see her, but what did he want to do? On the surface, she laughed loudly.

  "Accidentally gained some knowledge."

  As usual, he didn't show any strangeness. But Xia Qi knew that a "knowledgeable and talented" girl like her not understanding even the most basic festivals known to every child was definitely against common sense. To say that Zhao Zun wasn't suspicious of her would be a lie.

  So she also guessed that in Zhao Zhu's mind, on the one hand, he thought she was Xia Chu, and on the other hand, it was also because of these suspicions that she was not Xia Chu. And this matter, she thought, was also a window paper that could not be pierced between two people. Once pierced, her identity would become Zhao Mianze's imperial noble wife, and this embarrassment would be difficult to end.

  She had heard Li Mo say that the current emperor, in order to correct the "barbarian wind" left over from the previous dynasty, had quite strict regulations regarding marriage. According to the "Household Laws" section of the "Great Yan Code", eight situations including marrying someone with the same surname (same clan), marrying someone of a higher or lower social status, marrying a slave or servant, and marrying a relative's wife or concubine were all considered illegal marriages, and in addition to being annulled, the parties involved would also be subject to corresponding punishments.

  So she can only be Chu Qi, and cannot be Xia Chu.

  But even if she were Chu Qi, she could at most be his concubine.

  A thousand threads, entwined and unclear.

  Suddenly, she felt a little flustered in her heart and her small face sank down.

  Zhao Zhu's eyes sank, and he gave her a glance, then patted her face.

  "There's something for you over there."

  What did you give her?

  "What did you give me?"

  He let out a soft "hmm" as if to cover up the awkwardness, put her down, and lowered his eyes to play chess alone. Xia Chuyi went to search on that small round table made of golden silk sandalwood. On it was placed a velvet box with a faint scent, inside which were two silver boxes, she had no idea what they were for. She played with them for a bit, sniffed them, and then turned back in puzzlement.

  "What is this?"

  Toothpaste

  "Ah oh!"

  In this era, toothbrushes already existed, also known as "toothbrush children", not a rare item, but ordinary people generally did not brush their teeth, or used willow branches to make do with grass medicine-made tooth powder. Toothbrushes were only available to the upper class, and it is said that they were made by implanting horsehair and other things. Xia Zhi had a toothbrush on the seventh day of summer, usually brushing his teeth with either alum or tooth powder, this kind of thing can basically be called "toothpaste", which is now considered a luxury item.

  Modern girls, if a man sends her a tube of toothpaste, she will definitely scold him.

  It was enough to move Xia Chuyi, a girl who had been lacking parental love since childhood.

  She took a fleeting glance at him and secretly delighted in her heart.

  She still had a straight face, her complexion was still so ugly. But in fact, thinking about it, he actually treated her quite well. Whatever good things there were, they were always given to her first, even the special toilet paper supplied to him had her share, although she had to pay for it, but for someone who already owed 500 taels of gold, it was truly no psychological pressure at all.

  Smiling, she took the ointment and sat down next to him. She then leaned on the table and looked at him.

  "Hey, thanks, this one's on the house, right?"

  "Not accepted."

  "Hah—"

  She had just let out a laugh when he suddenly choked it back down her throat.

  "Your mouth stinks, go brush it."

  "I..."

  She covered her mouth, and her small face suddenly turned red. Xia Chuqi's icy gaze swept over him, as if she wanted to poke a few ice holes in his body. Is there such a man who bullies girls from good families? A lion's roar, the sky was filled with anger that poured down on him.

  "What's wrong with my bad breath? Who asked you to kiss me?"

  Zhao Zhu gave her a lukewarm glance and handed the tea in front of him to her.

  "Smooth throat and scold again, throat is hoarse."

  People like him really get on my nerves.

  Xia Zhong Qi took the green ceramic tea cup and was about to put it in his mouth, but then he heard him say, "Be careful, it's hot."

  As expected - that's boiling water.

  Her predecessor was a bit of a bully, and she had never been kind to her, intentionally making things difficult for her, so her mood must have been terrible. With a gloomy face, Xia Chuzi let out a hum, and heavily placed the celadon teacup on the table.

  "My old man doesn't drink what others have drunk from, it's hard to get a mouthful of water."

  Zhao Zhu's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he glanced at her, "You're drinking your master's saliva, aren't you?"

  Her face flushed with anger, Xia Qiuli gritted her teeth and said, "I was forced to do that, you drove me to it, it's inhumane, it's all because of you..."

  Before she finished speaking, there was a knock at the door of the study, followed by Zheng Er Bao's coughing and then his voice.

  "Master, dinner is served."

  From the study to the dining hall of Chengde Institute, Xia Zhichu still saw that expressionless face on the seventh day of summer. Only today's dinner was very rich, with several dishes she liked to eat and a few seasonal fruit plates. Usually, she had most meals with Li Mo together, only occasionally when he was there, would let her come over to accompany him. Because he didn't have many meals in the mansion, and his meal times were not aligned with hers at all.

  Is this Hongmen Banquet today? It's not that simple, is it?

  She immediately became vigilant, biting her chopsticks and smiling playfully.

  "Grandpa, is it a holiday today? Such a rich spread?"

  "Your gift has arrived." Zhao Zhu pointed to the bowl of milky white soup in the middle of the table.

  "A gift?" Xia Qiuli was taken aback and glanced at him.

  Mian Ze sent you a bird and said it's of good quality.

  "So?"

  "Grandfather thinks that if the bird's quality is good, then the stew must also be delicious to drink." Zhao Zun said lightly, his face unchanged, and with a flick of his sleeve, he personally served her a bowl and handed it in front of her, "Drink more, put on some weight."

  The milky soup is served in a bowl decorated with lotus petals and looks great.

  Stewed? Gift, bird, stewed soup?

  Xia Zhong Qi's eyes widened as she looked at the bowl of tender-colored soup, and then saw something like a small chick in the ladle. Her heart was racing like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and with a swift glance, she scooped it up.

  "What kind of bird did His Highness Long Sun bring?"

  "What kind of bird does Ah Qi think it is?" Zhao Zun asked casually, but his eyes became stern.

  She swallowed hard, and at first, Xia Qi was a bit worried that it was the red-mouthed green parrot. But thinking carefully, how could Zhao Mianze be so kind as to give her the parrot that Xia Qiu liked to the core of her heart? So she let go of her worries, composed herself, curved the corner of her lips, and smiled out a small dimple.

  "I'm asking you because I don't know."

  Zhao Yu glanced at her lightly, with a hint of indistinguishable emotions in his eyes.

  "A pigeon is best stewed."

  She let out a breath, and Xia Qi felt that this man's eyes were somewhat eerie today. After a slight pause in her heart, she put on a warm smile again, holding the white porcelain spoon with her fingers, lightly stirring the soup bowl back and forth, her expression radiant to the extreme.

  "Grandfather, you've melted down all the gifts that Prince Changsun gave me. How much silver will I have to compensate?"

  Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she saw the old man pick up his chopsticks, slowly lift the pigeon rack from the soup bowl, plop it into her bowl, and say expressionlessly.

  "Take it back and take good care of it."

  “……”

  Speechless, Xia Chuqi suddenly let out a 'pu' sound and couldn't hold back her giggles anymore. She buried her face in the table, laughing for a long time, then rubbed her sore cheeks with force. However, when she glanced at that guy's expressionless zombie-like face, she sat up straight, still chuckling uncontrollably, pushed away the bowl of soup, and started eating other dishes on the table, not even bothering to pay attention to him anymore.

  Silence is more eloquent than words.

  Zhao Zhu ate with great etiquette, chewing slowly and savoring each bite, every movement was elegant like a prince. But Xia Chuqi was the complete opposite, gobbling down her food quickly, only after she had eaten her fill did she pat her belly contentedly, let out a satisfied sigh, and then glance at him with a sly smile, saying something ambiguous.

  "Grandfather, ordinary women can't catch my eye. Think about it, with a god-like man like you by my side, who else could tempt me? Not to mention a pigeon, even a duck wouldn't interest me."

  She said calmly while glancing at him.

  As expected, he saw that person's lips curve downward, and his expression seemed a bit better.

  The next moment, she knew that Ma Pian was comfortable, and she deliberately asked him with a smirk, "Was it just the Long Sun who sent me only one pigeon without leaving any other message? Didn't he say why he wanted to send it?"

  Zhao Zun raised an eyebrow, "Nothing."

  "Really?"

  At the beginning of summer, on the seventh day, she glanced at Zhao Zhu's gloomy face and smiled again.

  "Never mind, I'll ask him again when we go to the East Palace tomorrow."

  With a "clunk", the bowl Zhao Zhuo was holding was suddenly placed heavily on the table, that crisp sound carrying its owner's emotions, not too cold and cruel, but every word weighed like a thousand pounds.

  "Chu Qi, what's past is past. Don't dig it up again, it won't do you any good." His eyes, which had been gazing over at her, held a few more degrees of chilliness, and he rarely addressed her by both name and surname like this. The usual cold hardness on his face was written all over with seriousness, and his tone seemed to carry a hint of gloom.

  "It's easy to be a clever person, but it's hard to be a foolish one."

  The warning in his tone was all too clear.

  Two people have been together for so long, he has never directly clarified Xia Chuqi's identity, but Xia Chuqi is also very clear that he understands. However, no matter how they interact, the two of them tacitly avoid mentioning that awkwardness. In front of him, she is only Chu Qi, never Xia Chu.

  Now he was reminding her not to get involved in Wei Guo Gong's affairs again?

  She lowered her eyelids and smiled slowly on the seventh day of summer.

  "You're worrying too much."

  "He said coldly, 'Don't you understand?'"

  She nodded and then shook her head, "I don't fully understand."

  He looked into her eyes, which deepened a little, and spoke in a low voice.

  "Ah Qi, people are often ignorant when they should understand. By the time they understand, it's already too late."

  Her throat tightened, Xia Qiuzi looked at him and lowered her voice, "It's not easy to live a life, I cherish my life. But I didn't think about becoming the best of the best, but I must live with clarity, even if there are dangers ahead, what does it matter? What is the outcome for anyone but a handful of yellow earth? Win or lose, it's all just earth. Chu Qiuzi may not be clever, but she doesn't want to muddle through her whole life, only being a clinging vine flower in someone's backyard, without backbone, without will, with all happiness relying on the charity of men. Zhao Zun, if I had to choose between makeup and weapons in front of me, I would rather pick up my weapon and discard the makeup."

  This sentence is very long.

  She didn't say it in a tense state.

  The voice was soft and gentle, with a distant and mysterious tone, like an old cellar that had been stored for hundreds of years, carrying a low and solemn atmosphere that pierced through the ages and reached people's hearts. The speech was slow and heavy, with words that were not as carefree and playful as usual, completely different from the stability of a 15-year-old girl.

  Zhao Zun's eyes were very cold, and he stared at her for a long time.

  Or rather, two people looked at each other for a long time, and finally, he picked up the bowl of soup in front of him and handed it to her, while he himself also had a bowl to drink.

  "Pigeon soup isn't bad, have some."

  "Thank you, Grandpa." Xia Chuqi smiled and sniffed lightly, with a cat-like demeanor, savoring the aroma, "Hmm, not bad, indeed very fragrant. Especially thinking of Zhao Mianze's pigeon, it tastes even better."

  She drank it without hesitation.

  That calm and collected expression made someone's face look even more unsightly.

  Holding the bowl of soup, he didn't look at her, but only faintly said, "Xiao Ma's injury has fully recovered, and I'll send someone to bring him to you another day."

  Little horse?

  Thinking of the pigeon she had saved, Xia Qi's eyebrows rose and her mood lifted.

  "Alright, no need for money then?"

  Zhao's face fell again. He let out a slight sigh, reached out to stroke her hair, and said in a doting tone, "When will Ah Qi speak to me without mentioning silver?"

  It was stifling on the seventh day of summer.

  What he means by this is...

  Her small face suddenly flushed, she lowered her eyelids with some embarrassment and smiled awkwardly. But before she could express that she loved money and wanted to become the richest person in the world, he didn't give her a chance to speak, his deep black eyes met her eager gaze, and he calmly added another sentence.

  "As for the silver, let's just wait for Grandpa to bring it up..."

  "You... " Xia Chuqi took a deep breath, "What a beautiful thought."

  ……

  ……

  As a result, Xia Zhi still couldn't leave the mansion on the seventh day of summer.

  After drinking Zhao Mianze's pigeon soup, Zhao Zun said that his body was weak and his head was uncomfortable. Although she suspected that there might be some trickery involved, she had no choice but to stay behind and give him a massage. The two of them chatted for a long time, the atmosphere was very harmonious, and it wasn't until her hands were sore that he allowed her to return to the ear chamber to rest.

  A person who is exhausted with a sore waist and soft hands, buried in bed, where is the idea of going out to be a night ranger?

  Woke up the next day.

  She picked up the perfume bottle again while washing her face and examined it once more.

  The fragrance is a bit heavy, with ingredients like agarwood, sandalwood, patchouli, licorice root, and cloves. She picked up her toothbrush, filled the teacup with water, and tried it out. The fragrance was indeed fragrant, but even if this were a royal treasure, she couldn't help but sigh at how vastly different it was from modern toothpaste.

  Gurgling sound

  She spat out a mouthful of water, her eyes lit up, and turned back to look at Li Mo.

  "One day I'll make a toothpaste myself, it's bound to be better than this one."

  Li Mian's eyes flashed with surprise.

  "Chu Qi, you really understand a lot."

  "Is it? But I don't understand Mid-Autumn Festival——"

  She told Li Mo about the old emperor's intention to summon her on the Zhonghe Festival, and the two of them discussed it together. Then Li Mo told her a whole set of customs related to the Zhonghe Festival, which made her head spin, and she leaned back and took a deep breath.

  "The ointment is still good, and it smells fresh."

  The Chengde Temple was quiet, Zhao Zun estimated that he had gone to the imperial court, she didn't see him. But on the way to Liangyishuo, she ran into that proud and arrogant little princess Zhao Ziyue.

  After the little storm yesterday, the young girl still didn't have a good expression when she saw her. What made Xia Chuqi curious was that she only gave her a mischievous and complacent glance with her small eyes, but surprisingly, she didn't come over to show off her little princess's temper or find fault with her.

  Has Xiao Yatou become a good girl?

  Watching her lead a group of young girls walking by, Xia Chuqi sidled up to the side of the road, and clearly saw a hint of provocation in her eyes.

  What's going on?

  She raised an eyebrow, silently greeting Zhao Ziyue with a slight smile. When their eyes met, she intentionally winked at her and left with a smiling face.

  Behind her back, Zhao Ziyue let out a heavy hum.

  "Just you wait and see, I'll make sure you're sorry——"

  ……

  ……

  After staying in Liang Yi's place for less than half a day, the East Palace sent someone to pick her up.

  The same steps into the palace, when entering the crown prince's bedroom, the door was wide open, and those familiar palace maids and eunuchs were all waiting there. Seeing her arrival, the quick-witted little eunuch Anzi went in to report, and soon Huang Mingzhi came out to lead her in.

  The young master Zhao Zhen was still leaning on the couch, and his complexion looked very good.

  "Has Dr. Chu arrived? Have you had breakfast?"

  "Regarding what you said, I've already used it."

  On the seventh day of summer, it was not good to lose courtesy, so she went through the usual rituals and sat down on a stool that Huang Mingzhi had prepared for her. Before she could even ask about her pulse or diagnose her condition, Zhao Zhen asked her about the assassination attempt at Luoyan Street yesterday.

  It has to be said that there isn't a single simple person in this palace.

  Don't look at Zhao Zhen, who has been bedridden for a long time. He knows everything about the slightest movement of the wind and grass. However, to be cautious, Xia Chuyi didn't say much, but just followed the official statement that some bandits from a certain stronghold outside the city were desperate and robbed the Jin Wangfu, fortunately without any consequences.

  She could wait for her to finish speaking with a flying brow and dancing color, but Zhao Liang just smiled bitterly.

  "Chu medical officer, it's this palace that has implicated you."

  "Ah!" Xia Chuqi was taken aback, looking embarrassed for a moment.

  "What does Your Highness mean?"

  Zhaoyi's usually calm and gentle face sank, her gaze swept over her, as if staring at a certain spot on the wall, but also seemed to be looking nowhere, her voice was distant and melancholic. "I've been alive all along, always being a stumbling block for others, if you cure me, won't those people's spearheads point towards you?"

  Summer begins on July 7th.

  Before she could speak, Zhao Ke's expression softened again.

  "You don't have to be afraid, Lao Jiu is concerned about you and will make arrangements. Although he is not good at expressing himself, his thoughts are meticulous and there won't be any mistakes. Moreover, I've also instructed Mian Ze to add more guards on the way to and from the East Palace, ensuring your safety above all."

  Since he said so, Xia Chuyi also had no reason to refuse.

  She clasped her hands together and bowed deeply once more.

  "Your humble servant thanks Your Highness for your concern."

  Zhao Ke didn't say anything else, some things are not convenient to mention. Xia Chuqi also understood and didn't bring it up again, she just felt his pulse and observed the affected area, her eyebrows furrowed.

  "What about the illness of the imperial concubine?"

  At the beginning of summer, she pulled up the corner of her mouth and said, "It will be fine. But this Yangmei disease is highly contagious and extremely difficult to cure. I'm afraid...". After thinking for a moment, the worried look on her face couldn't be hidden, and she continued, "Even if I can control the symptoms for now, if there are people with ulterior motives..."

  She trailed off and didn't continue speaking.

  Ke Zhao Xiang apparently already understood, and lightly smiled: "Life is fleeting, death is inevitable, Doctor Chu does his best. However..."

  After some thought, his eyes stared straight at Xia Qi, "These days, thanks to your careful care, the palace can be relieved a little. However, I can see that you are a child with a heavy heart. If there is anything you need me to do for you, don't hesitate to speak out, while I still have a breath."

  No!

  His heart suddenly skipped a beat, Xia Chuqi's eyes narrowed slightly.

  "Your Highness, I will definitely cure you."

  A guarantee that came out of the blue, all from the heart. Almost in an instant, she made a decision and said firmly, "Actually, I know there is a good way to treat Yangmei disease. However, this method still needs time for experimentation, it will take some time, now Your Highness just need to cooperate with me well."

  Zhao Ke's eyes lifted slightly, her gaze accompanied by a faint smile.

  "Dr. Chu, don't worry, I trust you."

  "It should be." Xia Chuqi calmed down her excitement, and these days, Zhao Ke treated her with more kindness, speaking and acting like a gentle elder, which made her like him even more. Sometimes she would even forget his identity as the crown prince.

  But she was also the only one who knew that dragging on like this would be a huge problem in curing the syphilis in his body.

  Because of his words, she conceived the idea of making penicillin by herself.

  As long as there is penicillin, not only will the second stage of syphilis no longer be a problem, but many diseases will no longer require people to die. It's not just about curing the prince, or exonerating those wrongly accused in the Wei Guo Fu case, it can even be said that it would be a great achievement for all humanity in this era.

  Just thinking about it made her feel somewhat excited.

  Suddenly, I felt great about myself.

  Penicillin, penicillin!

  Maybe...

  It's just a thought.

  The medical conditions of this era are still too poor, she has to go back and get the consent of a certain prince, and must have his material and human support before it can begin...

  Looking at her worried little face, Zhao Ke frowned instead.

  "Imperial Physician Chu, I have already considered myself a person who has died once. You don't need to be too worried. It's the same old saying, do your best and that's all you can do. I have already reported your matter to the Emperor, no matter what the outcome is, no one will speak ill of you."

  Memorialize the old emperor?

  No wonder, could it be that the matter of Zhonghe Festival is really going to be rewarded to her?

  Looking at Zhao Ke, she smiled and said, "Your Highness should also be happy. A person's mood can affect their illness. When a person is happy, the body will secrete something called dopamine, which will prolong your happiness and resist the development of your disease."

  A gentle smile, on Zhao Ke's thin face, added a hint of surprise.

  "The Chu State doctor really knows a lot."

  He winked at him mischievously, Xia Chuqi hehe smiled, automatically ignoring the fact that she had absorbed several thousand years of knowledge from the Chinese nation, and proudly blew on his nose.

  "Otherwise, how can I be called a young medical genius?"

  "Little divine doctor." He muttered to himself, Zhao Ke looked at her masked black eyes and lost his mind again, the corner of his mouth curled up into a bitter smile, "I'm old, what's the use of anything?"

  "Crown Prince, dopamine."

  "Yes, Duoba An..." Zhao Ke took a sip of the warm water handed over by Huang Mingzhi, moistened his throat, and then looked up again. "You really look very much like my late friend's daughter. Ah, if you were really her, it would be great to pair you with Ze'er, that would be a good match."

  Good match?

  Somewhat awkwardly, Xia Qi Qi let out a dry laugh and was about to change the subject when footsteps were heard from outside, "The king's complexion is excellent today, even his sons can hear his laughter."

  His tone was warm and clear, with a hint of smile. Who else could it be but Zhao Mianze?

  It's been seven summers already.

  Before that, he had been in the East Palace for over a dozen days without anyone catching a glimpse of him.

  But he came yesterday and now comes again today? What pigeon is he sending this time, what for?

  She lowered her eyelids, stood up and saluted Zhao Mianze, asked for his well-being, then began to pack up the medicine box.

  "Prince Changsun has come down and is chatting with the Crown Prince, so I will take my leave first. Please trouble Eunuch Huang to escort me out and get a prescription for me."

  Zhao Mianze glanced at him, and Zhao Liang smiled slightly and waved his hand.

  "Zhe'er, help your father see off Doctor Chu."

  Following normal circumstances, Zhao Mianze should have refused, but on the seventh day of summer, he didn't expect that he would smile and very readily agree.

  "Doctor Chu, please!"

  It's hard to refuse, Xia Qi smiled awkwardly with the fake snake, and they walked out of the Crown Prince's bedroom together. Following her previous instructions, she first had a little maid bring over some medicinal water to wash her hands, detoxify, and take safety precautions before heading towards the outer hall.

  "Your Highness Crown Prince Longsun, let's see you off here, I'll go with Eunuch Huang to prepare the prescription."

  Li Mo made a gesture with his eyes, and Xia Chuyi didn't want to waste any more words on this guy.

  "That's okay."

  Zhaomianze was a gentle and elegant person, with every gesture and movement being very polite. He wouldn't force anything on others, but he seemed to hesitate for a moment, then asked again, "Yesterday, Mianze found a purple-crowned pigeon and thought that Doctor Chu also liked it, so he sent someone to deliver it to the mansion. I wonder what Doctor Chu thinks of the quality of this pigeon?"

  What's the quality like?

  Thinking of Zhao's gloomy face, thinking of his own feelings when he heard the bad news, Xia Chuyi felt that this "good thing" couldn't be enjoyed alone and had to find someone to share it with.

  Smiling at Zhao Mianze with a smile, she smiled casually.

  "Thank you, Your Highness Chang Sun, the pigeon soup is delicious."

  Even someone as thick-skinned as Zhao Mianze was shocked by these words and stood there in a daze.

  "Your Highness Crown Prince, farewell!"

  A surge of vengeful pleasure rose in her heart, Xia Chuyi laughed with great joy, without saying another word, nor looking at Zhao Mianze again, she took Li Mo and followed Huang Mingzhi's big strides to leave and open the prescription.

  And she lifted her front foot, and the little girl hiding behind the screen to peek at the piano ran back to the backyard.

  After listening to her words, Xia asked Qiu that the long fingernails were almost broken. She had been pulling her stomach for two days, and her pale face was even more like dead ashes, and no amount of rouge could hide those worn-out looks.

  "Did Your Highness really give her that purple-crowned pigeon?"

  Nangqin nodded her head, and then gave her a loud slap in the face.

  "Besides, that Chu Qi is really ungrateful. That purple-crowned pigeon was so hard to come by, yet she used it to make soup and even told the prince that the flavor was excellent. It's simply a waste of the prince's kindness, how detestable!"

  "Is it just His Highness's kindness?" Xia asked, turning her head to one side and looking at Qiu with a pale face. "Touqin, do you think His Highness has taken a liking to her?"

  That little girl's head is almost hanging down to her chest.

  "Madam, you're worrying too much. The prince has deep feelings for you, how could he possibly have his heart on another man? In my humble opinion, the matter of the pigeon is just the prince's way of thanking him for taking good care of the crown prince. Please don't think too much about it, madam. Didn't the prince send someone to deliver the pearls and fabrics gifted by His Majesty to Zeqiuan Institute this morning?"

  The gloomy face eased a bit, Xia Wenqiu let out a sigh of relief.

  "Let's hope so, otherwise ——"

  The handkerchief in her hand was twisted out of shape.

  "I'll make sure she knows how to live and how to die—"

  Digression

  Old rules, very sent after modification error ——

  Old rules, monthly tickets are still in high demand - girls, don't hoard tickets, come and get some momentum, come and get some momentum... Free evaluation tickets also come a little, come a little!

  Acknowledgments:

  Dear [Dream Lover is Jin Yu], upgraded to San Ding Jia - Da Zhuangyuan. Xiao Er, grant you a pot, how about it? Oh, seems like still missing a "handsome" character, muah muah.

  Dear [13916677642], congratulations on upgrading to Yuan, thank you.