Chapter 9: The Man in the Study Room

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Weiwei was no longer chasing after Long Chi these days. She had started to get closer to her brother and was giving less and less thought to this old man.

It did not feel right to Lu Hetian no matter how he thought about it.

…

For the past few days, Lu Liangwei would head to the Constellation Harvest Court to seek out Lu Tingchen.

Sometimes they would have meals or play chess together. The relationship between the siblings had become better than ever.

On this day, Lu Liangwei had brought some freshly-made snacks and gone to the Constellation Harvest Court, only to realize that Lu Tingchen was not there.

She was not too concerned. Since Lu Tingchen was the commander of the military and was responsible for the safety of the entire imperial city, it was natural for him to be busy.

She went to his study room instead and was planning to read a book for a while here.

That was how it went these few days. Whenever Lu Tingchen was not in the courtyard, she would wait for him in his study room.

She had carried a medical book with her so she could comfortably spend the entire afternoon there alone.

The door of the study room was not firmly shut. As she was about to push the door open, she suddenly heard a few dull coughs from the room. Her heart clenched tight.

‘Has brother fallen sick?’

Just as she was about to open the door, an alert voice came from inside the room.

“Who’s there?”

It was an unfamiliar voice that was rather shrill, which sounded weird.

Lu Liangwei was perplexed. She had seen most of the people in this area of her brother’s and she did not recall such a person. Could it be Brother’s guest?

She frowned and did not answer.

Since her brother had a guest in the room, it would be inconvenient for her to be there so she decided to return to her own Dusklight Court.

However, she took no more than two steps when she heard the startled cry of the person inside the room, “Master!”

Lu Liangwei was slightly taken aback. It seemed that there was more than one person inside.

She could hardly imagine what was happening inside that room for the speaker’s voice to be so sharp and anxious.

“Master—”

This time, the voice sounded miserable and despairing. The sound could pull on anyone’s heartstrings.

Lu Liangwei’s heart sank but she could no longer continue to turn a blind eye. She turned back, threw open the door, and walked in.

A man was sitting on a chair with his back to the door. The man was sprawled against a table with his hair hanging down. His condition was hard to make out. On the contrary, a second man dressed like an escort was standing beside him and was stretching out a hand to check the first man’s breath.

When she stepped into the room, a flash of hope showed on the escort’s face, thinking that the newcomer was Chu Qi who had brought a doctor back. However, his heart sank the moment he saw Lu Liangwei’s young and childish appearance, as deeper despair threatened to engulf him.

Seeing the man’s expression, Lu Liangwei had a rough idea of what was happening.

She quickly stepped forward and reached out to take the fallen man’s pulse, then firmly said, “Hurry and lay this person on the ground.”

The man, Zhao Qian was momentarily taken aback, his expression hesitant and wary. He did not immediately obey the instructions.

Lu Liangwei supported the back of the unconscious man’s neck with one hand while the other hand held his shoulder. Seeing the other man remaining stationary, her expression darkened. “If you don’t want this man to die, quickly come and help me!”

The girl in front of him could not have been more than fifteen or sixteen years old but her eyes revealed a calmness unfitting her age. By the time Zhao Qian snapped back to his senses, he had already cooperated with the girl and helped carry the man to the ground.

…

Lu Tingchen and Chu Qi were dragging a doctor along as they hurried past the obstacles in their path. When they finally returned to the Constellation Harvest Court with the fastest speed they could muster, the eerie silence in the study room made their hearts sink.

The emperor had gone out of the palace in casual clothes but his old illness had acted up when he passed by the mansion of the Founding Duke. It was impossible for him to go back to the palace to seek the palace doctor in his current state, so he had entered the mansion of the Founding Duke through the back door.

When Lu Tingchen saw him at the time, his expression hardened. Without a word, he left to seek a doctor.

While he searched for a doctor, he bumped into Chu Qi who had fetched the doctor and they returned to the mansion together.

At this moment, the study room was deathly quiet. Had something already happened to the emperor?