Chapter 773 Consecutive Falls
Shao Wanru was extremely calm when she was asked to go over. She followed a little eunuch to the island in the center of the lake.
Seen from a distance, the courtyard was small. But when she came near, she found that it was large, almost as large as the place where she had just stayed for a rest.
She was led to Chu Liuyue.
Chu Liuyue had changed his clothes. Dressed in a simple brocade robe, he looked a little pale. A man would feel a little cold if he fell into the water in such a cold winter, let alone a woman like Shao Yanru.
Shao Yanru really risked her life! She had been injured, and her condition was probably even worse now.
“Fifth Miss, please take care of First Miss. I’ve sent for the imperial physician!” Chu Liuyue whispered slowly while looking at Shao Wanru. His voice was a little hoa.r.s.e. Obviously, he was injured.
Shao Wanru tightened her sleeves, bowed respectfully, raised her beautiful face, and asked in surprise, “Anything happened to my sister?”
No doubt, this was what one who knew nothing about the incident should ask.
Chu Liuyue coughed in a low voice because he really felt an itch in his throat. Seeing the beautiful, dignified young lady, he frowned and said, “When I was knocked into the water, I dragged First Miss Shao and we fell into the water together. And she has not regained consciousness yet!”
Shao Yanru shouldn’t have been involved in what had happened to him earlier. It was he who had dragged her down. Moreover, he and Shao Yanru had had a good talk and also reached an agreement. In this case, he certainly would defend Shao Yanru. What he said sounded that Shao Yanru had done nothing wrong.
Shao Wanru listened to Chu Liuyue very calmly. Only when he had finished did she raise her long eyelashes slightly and say, “Your Highness, I will take good care of my sister. Please leave!”
After that, she bowed deeply again and turned to walk toward the main room, where Shao Yanru was resting.
Seeing her businesslike manner without asking him any more questions, Chu Liuyue inexplicably felt a little uncomfortable and blurted out, “Wait a minute!”
Shao Wanru stopped, turned around, looked up at him, then lowered her head politely, and asked, “What else can I do for you, Your Highness?”
Chu Liuyue moved the hands that were behind his back. In fact, he didn’t know why he had asked Shao Wanru to stop. Was it because of her indifferent att.i.tude? Under such circ.u.mstances, she should have asked about his condition, shouldn’t she? All ladies from aristocratic families would do this, wouldn’t they?
“First Miss Shao’s condition is not very good. Please take good care of her, Fifth Miss Shao. If anything happens to her, I will have to ask you for an explanation!”
Chu Liuyue spoke coldly.
Shao Wanru frowned, raised her watery eyes, and looked at Chu Liuyue.
The sons of the royal family were all good-looking, and Chu Liuyue was no exception. Although he looked a little embarra.s.sed with not very dry hair, he still impressed her. He looked down at her with inexplicable coldness. In her previous life, he seemed to have looked at her like this while asking someone to cut her in two at the waist.
What great hatred toward her had driven him to cut her in two at the waist!
Instead of killing her neatly, he let her die in a painful struggle. In fact, the painful state that she felt she was already dead but still had consciousness was even worse than death.
She did not have any exchanges with Prince Yue, but why did he want to kill her like that? Only because of Shao Yanru? The b.l.o.o.d.y fact seemed to be in front of her eyes. She closed her eyes with great effort, afraid that Chu Liuyue would find the hatred in them!
“What do you mean by this, Your Highness? In such a winter, my sister fell from a high place into the water, but you will ask me for an explanation if anything happens to her. Do you think this is reasonable, Your Highness?”
Shao Wanru opened her eyes and spoke in a decent tone. Her delicate face had turned cold. She would go and take care of Shao Yanru. Probably, she was the most suitable person in the palace, but she would not bear any consequences.
Shao Yanru fell down herself. No matter what her scheme was, it had nothing to do with her. She remembered that Shao Yanru had fallen into the water before, so in total, she had fallen into the water twice in the winter. Besides, the woman took the poison that she had used to poison her. Thinking of all these things, Shao Wanru was sure that Shao Yanru had hurt her vitals.
Although she did not know the specifics, the thing that her vitals had been hurt was definitely not a trivial matter for Shao Yanru. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble from her, Shao Wanru thought that she should make it clear.
“My sister fell into the water twice, so her health will surely be damaged. Prince Yue, you won’t let me take responsibility, will you?” She was sure that if she didn’t add these words, Shao Yanru would work out ways to let her take the blame.
She raised her eyes and glanced at the window of the main room. As expected, she saw the curtains there moving slightly. Inexplicably, she felt that a pair of eyes that were as cold as a viper’s were staring at her from that place.
No doubt, Shao Yanru had woken up a long time earlier.
But she would not “wake up” smoothly. She would take the chance to make trouble. After all, she was best at acting according to circ.u.mstances.
Chu Liuyue touched his nose. Others did not know about the so-called two falls into the water, but he knew that Shao Yanru was clear about them. He frowned and thought that this was quite serious. Shao Yanru’s health would be damaged. He had heard that if a woman’s health was damaged, it would be hard for her to bear children in the future.
Being weak, she would not be the Princess.
“Fifth Miss, you just need to take good care of First Miss. As for other things, they naturally have nothing to do with you!” Chu Liuyue coughed in a low voice, which meant that this topic was over.
“It would be best if you could think it this way, Prince Yue!” Shao Wanru nodded, bowed sideways to Chu Liuyue, and then headed to the main room with Yujie.
She really didn’t want to talk to Chu Liuyue because she would remember her painful screams and the blood she had seen when she was still conscious in her previous life. Then, she left hurriedly.
Chu Liuyue’s eyes fell on her slender figure. At this moment, he could not find any other reason to let her stay. The girl in front of him looked gentle with delicate and elegant eyes, and her smile was naturally charming. He pursed his lips and had an idea: he would make her fail the Consort Selection. After all, she was still young.
Three years. When she went to the palace to partic.i.p.ate in the Consort Selection after three years, he would probably have gained the upper hand. He took a deep breath and relaxed the muscles around his lips.
“Guards, come and send the two ladies to the Chuxiu Palace and ask the nannies there to take them out of the palace. If such two people stay, the whole palace will be in chaos!” Chu Liuyue ordered coldly.
The two ladies from aristocratic families made him very unhappy. If he had known that the two women were so discontented with their lot, he would never have brought them over.
They were really stupid.
His voice was loud, and the two young ladies on the balcony were paralyzed on the balcony. Their faces were so pale that they might pa.s.s out the next moment.
At this time, they wished that they had fallen.
If they were driven out of the palace for such a reason, which aristocratic family would dare to take them as their sons’ wives? They were doomed, and their whole lives were ruined.
“Your Highness, please forgive me. Just now… what happened just now had nothing to do with me!” The lady who had not b.u.mped into Chu Liuyue suddenly cried loudly. She just realized that she had no connections with this. She was not the one who had knocked the Prince, but why did she have also to be punished?
“Your Highness, Your Highness… spare me…” The lady who had knocked Chu Liuyue could only say such words. With her eyes full of despair, she saw the two guards coming over to take her. Getting strength from nowhere, she suddenly pushed the guards away and jumped back, falling into the water while everyone was watching.
She had knocked the Prince into the water with such an indecent purpose. Even if she went back, her whole life was ruined, so it was better to jump into the lake. Maybe she could have a good reputation after she died.
Hearing someone fall into the water, Shao Wanru stopped in the cloister and watched the lady that had jumped into the water. Then a guard jumped after her and saved her. The other lady seemed to think that it was impossible to make everything clear in the current situation, so she jumped too.
And she was also saved.
In this situation, it was even harder for her to explain if she didn’t jump. She had to jump for a glimmer of hope. No one could bear the crime of pus.h.i.+ng the Prince into the water.
Shao Yanru seemed to be the most innocent one in the whole incident. It was Chu Liuyue who had dragged her down, so Chu Liuyue felt guilty toward her.
Chu Liuyue knitted his eyebrows and felt so angry. The two were daughters of important officials, so he could not let them die in front of him. Remembering that the two had tried to throw themselves into his arms, making him so embarra.s.sed, he choked with anger.
He waved his hand, asking their servant girls to take them to rest in the wing rooms. Instantly, their servant girls cried one after another.
Hearing that, Chu Liuyue was terribly upset. No matter what, it was unable to cover it up. The situation was so terrible, so it was impossible to keep it a secret. He asked a little eunuch to report this to the Empress, saying that he would explain it to the Empress in person when the incident was basically settled.
Yujie pushed the door open and Shao Wanru walked in slowly. There was a stove in the room, so it was warm here.
“Fifth Miss!” Shuqi stood at the bedside, crying. When she saw Shao Wanru coming in, she hurriedly came over, bowed to her, and then cried with her handkerchief covering her face.
Shao Yanru was lying motionless on the bed with her hands clasped on her chest as if she had really fainted and could not regain consciousness.
Shao Wanru looked at Shao Yanru calmly and asked, “How’s my sister?”
“Miss hasn’t woken up yet… Fifth Miss, it is said that you have excellent medical skills. Could you take a look at my Miss? I’m afraid it will be too late when the imperial physician comes!”
Shuqi dropped to her knees and held Shao Wanru’s skirt, begging.
Shao Wanru looked at Shao Yanru’s pale face, silent. To treat Shao Yanru? She wouldn’t get any benefits, and the woman would frame her in every way possible, so she wouldn’t really do it.
“I’ll feel her pulse!” Shao Wanru said slowly. She sat still next to the bed and said, “I’ve just learned medicine for a short time, and I won’t treat people in normal times. If anything that I say is wrong, you can ask the imperial physician in a while. I’ll tell Old Madam my diagnosis when I get back!”
After that, she signaled to Shuqi to take Shao Yanru’s hand down.