Outside, Zhu Qing couldn't help asking the man in front of him, "Your Highness, you just killed the Second Elder like this. What if His Majesty finds out..."
"Don't be afraid. Since I dared to do it, I'm not afraid of Father knowing. This is just to intimidate those elders. Father will understand," Ye replied, his eyes filled with unwavering confidence.
Zhu Qing had always worshipped this confident highness. He had admired the Second Highness since childhood, always feeling that there was something about him that attracted him. Later, he finally got the chance to follow him. His family complained that he was spineless and should have followed the highly - favored First Highness instead.
Now that the First Highness was dead, the Second Highness was the only crown prince, which proved that his choice back then was right.
Even his current name, "Zhu Qing", was given by the Second Highness. His original name was "Heluo". After he started following the Second Highness, the Second Highness told him to change his name. Since he couldn't come up with one, the Second Highness said, "Then call yourself Zhu Qing. Bamboo Leaf Green is a kind of venomous snake but extremely beautiful. It suits you well."
Zhu Qing knew that the person in front of him was complimenting his beauty. But, Your Highness, do you know? You are the most beautiful person in the world. Your eyes seem to hold stars. This means that in this lifetime, I will serve no one but you.
Lost in thought, Zhu Qing didn't realize he had spaced out until he bumped into the back of the man in front of him. Blushing, he lowered his head and said nervously, "Forgive me."
Ye just gave him a cold glance and continued walking forward.
On the other side, within the territory of the Dongsheng Kingdom.
Ru Yi and Dong Hua shared their experiences with each other. Both of them were convinced that Bai Juedu was a person who dedicated himself to saving the sick. As for why he hadn't shown up yet, there must be his reasons.
They had received a letter from Lian Cheng saying that there was no trace of Bai Juedu in Xiguan. According to the pattern that Bai Juedu would always treat patients when he arrived at a place, they could assume that he was definitely not in Xiguan.
The Dongguan where they were currently located was very likely Bai Juedu's current residence.
Realizing this, the two decided to set a trap. They would send people pretending to have incurable diseases to lure out Bai Juedu, who was fond of strange cases.
As soon as this idea came up, everyone clapped in agreement. Since Dong Hua and Ru Yi had been frequently looking for people recently, they were probably already recognized by Bai Juedu. So they had to find some unfamiliar people to act as patients and their families.
They also rented a local store temporarily so that they would have a proper identity and wouldn't arouse suspicion.
Then they fabricated a disease. They said that their grandfather had a strange illness. When the illness flared up, he would vomit, have diarrhea, and even cough up blood, but ordinary doctors couldn't diagnose what was wrong with him.
So they posted notices all over Dongguan, saying that anyone who could cure their grandfather's illness would be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver.
As soon as the notices were posted, almost all the doctors in Dongguan flocked to the store, but none of them could figure out what the illness was. They came in high spirits but left dejected.
A day passed. Dong Hua watched the continuous stream of doctors, but none of them was Bai Juedu.
As for Bai Juedu's appearance, Ru Yi had brought a portrait when he entered the palace. It showed a graceful man in white, who was exactly Bai Juedu.
This portrait was provided by Su Luo. Back then, the Su family had hired a painter to draw portraits of each of them, which now made it easier for them to search.
After a whole day, finally, no more doctors came in the evening. They closed the door of the store.
The man pretending to be ill immediately sat up and rubbed his shoulders. He had thought that pretending to be ill would be easy, but after a whole day of pretending to vomit, have diarrhea, and cough up blood, he felt like his old bones were about to fall apart.
"Girl, what should we do now?" he said to the woman in front of him.
Hearing this, Dong Hua lowered her eyes, filled with worry but helpless. She could only say, "Wait one more day. I believe Bai Juedu will never miss such a good opportunity to diagnose a disease."
Then everyone dispersed. The man pretending to be ill still lay in the grandfather's room to avoid being discovered.
Dong Hua climbed onto the roof and stared at the crescent - shaped moon in the sky. Her uneasiness grew stronger.
She wondered how the Empress Dowager was. Would she encounter any difficulties?
While she was deep in thought, a coat was suddenly draped over her back. She turned around and saw Ru Yi staring at her.
"It's so cold. Why are you sitting on the roof?" he asked.
He pretended to be calm, but only he knew how scared he was inside. If they couldn't find Bai Juedu, it meant that the Emperor's poison couldn't be cured. He didn't even dare to think about the consequences.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a while," Dong Hua replied.
A cold wind blew. She wrapped the coat around herself and tucked her loose hair behind her ears.
Ru Yi rarely saw such a dejected Dong Hua. He couldn't help sitting down beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder, and pulling her into his arms. "We will definitely find Bai Juedu. The Emperor will be fine, and so will the Empress Dowager."
Actually, he already knew about the Empress Dowager being imprisoned in the dungeon and then the cold palace in the harem. But he didn't dare to tell the woman in front of him, afraid that she couldn't bear it.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help hugging her tighter.
"What's wrong with you?" Dong Hua couldn't help sticking her head out and asking. She clearly felt that something was wrong with the man beside her, but he said nothing.
Seeing his reaction, Dong Hua became even more suspicious. She broke free from his arms and asked, "Are you hiding something from me? Is it about the Empress Dowager?!"
Ru Yi didn't expect her to guess it. His face froze for a moment, and then he lowered his head and stammered, "No... I'm not hiding anything from you."
"Don't hide it anymore! Tell me what happened to the Empress Dowager!" Dong Hua couldn't control herself and shouted. Her eyes even turned red. She instinctively felt that something big must have happened to the Empress.
Seeing her like this, Ru Yi finally told her about the Empress being first sent to the dungeon and then the cold palace. He also comforted her by saying that the Empress would be in no danger.
After hearing this, a tear slid down Dong Hua's face. She never thought that in just a few days, the Empress had gone through so many difficulties.