Lu Yu gave Zi Chen a meaningful look, and Zi Chen said, "There's a hidden alcove over there, my lady can hide inside."
Zi Chen manipulated a mechanism on the curio shelf, causing it to move and reveal a secret door behind it.
Chu Tianjiao hid inside by herself.
When Captain Zheng Chuang of the City Patrol Department pushed open the door to this room, he saw Lu Yu pressing Zi Chen down in front of a folding screen.
The screen was scattered in pieces on the floor, creating quite an eyebrow-raising scene.
"My apologies, I didn't mean to interrupt Your Highness's pleasure!"
Zheng Chuang stood awkwardly at the door, rubbing his nose.
Lu Yu released Zi Chen and sat up, adjusting his loosened collar. He thought to himself:
If I had known the leader of the City Patrol coming to search was Chu Tianjiao's second cousin Zheng Chuang, why did I have to ruin my image like this to cover for her?
Zheng Chuang explained to Lu Yu that he was ordered to search for the assassin who had attempted to kill the Fourth Prince.
Lu Yu looked at Zheng Chuang with an ambiguous smile as he led his men to search the room, wondering to himself: Did Zheng Chuang know that the so-called assassin was actually his own cousin?
Zheng Chuang entered the room and took a cursory look around. He noticed a small bloodstain on the floor and kindly wiped it away. He then bowed and said:
"Your Highness, we apologize for the disturbance! Please continue..."
With that, he left the room, closing the door behind Lu Yu.
After the guards from the Fourth Prince's Manor and the City Patrol had all withdrawn, Lu Yu had Zi Chen open the hidden alcove, only to find Chu Tianjiao had fainted inside.
Lu Yu lifted Chu Tianjiao in his arms and placed her on the couch, no longer showing any trace of the weak, sickly demeanor he usually displayed.
Lu Yu said to Zi Chen: "You treat her wound."
Zi Chen didn't hesitate at all. He went out briefly and returned with a medical kit.
Lu Yu supported Chu Tianjiao, letting her head rest on his shoulder, and tore open her clothes around the wound.
An arrowhead with barbs was deeply embedded in her flesh.
"We don't have any anesthetic. Your Highness, cover her mouth to prevent her from screaming and alerting others," Zi Chen said.
Lu Yu covered Chu Tianjiao's mouth and ordered firmly: "Do it!"
Zi Chen first had to cut around the flesh. As soon as the knife went in, Chu Tianjiao woke up in pain.
She only let out a muffled groan, without screaming.
Lu Yu comforted her softly:
"Your Majesty, don't move. We're removing the arrowhead!"
Chu Tianjiao regained consciousness, sweat beading on her forehead. She moved her other hand slightly, pushing away Lu Yu's hand covering her mouth.
"It's alright, I won't scream," she said, her voice very weak.
Lu Yu held her head and body, letting her lean against him.
Behind them, Zi Chen sped up his movements. Judging by his skilled technique, this clearly wasn't his first time performing such a procedure.
Chu Tianjiao gritted her teeth and endured, her consciousness beginning to blur.
When Zi Chen finally dug out the arrowhead, Chu Tianjiao couldn't bear it anymore. She wanted to cry out but couldn't, so she bit down on Lu Yu's shoulder.
Lu Yu's body shuddered, but he didn't push Chu Tianjiao away.
When the arrowhead was removed, Chu Tianjiao fainted again.
After applying medicine, Lu Yu laid Chu Tianjiao on her side on the couch.
Zi Chen noticed faint bloodstains on Lu Yu's white brocade robe.
Zi Chen reminded Lu Yu disapprovingly: "Your Highness, Miss Chu is the Fourth Prince's betrothed..."
Lu Yu's face turned cold, dropping his usual public facade of humility, and glared at Zi Chen. Zi Chen quickly shut his mouth and began tidying up.
While treating the wound on Lu Yu's shoulder, Zi Chen still couldn't help but mutter quietly:
"It would be great if Your Highness could marry Miss Chu, but she's supposed to wed the Fourth Prince at dawn."
Lu Yu turned his head to look at the sleeping Chu Tianjiao on the couch, the corner of his lips curving up slightly as he said with certainty: "Her Majesty won't marry my fourth cousin. Besides, in her current state, how could she possibly wake up by dawn?"
Zi Chen realized what he meant and began to analyze the situation, watching Lu Yu's expression:
"The assassination attempt on the Fourth Prince tonight... it wasn't really Miss Chu who did it, was it? If their relationship has soured, Your Highness could take advantage of the situation."
Lu Yu's gaze towards Zi Chen turned icy cold: "Enough chatter!"
Although Zi Chen resided in this Jinghong Tower, his true identity was that of a retainer of the Prince of Nanning's Manor, responsible for leading the prince's secret agents in the capital.
Lu Yu had always been quite polite to Zi Chen in private, and this was the first time he had been so harsh with him.
Zi Chen's face showed compliance, but inwardly he felt conflicted. When he looked back at the unconscious Chu Tianjiao, there was a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.
There was less than an hour left until dawn.
The Marquis of Liyang's Mansion was in chaos.
When Chu Tianjiao's head maid Qingluan discovered that Chu Tianjiao was missing, she immediately reported it to the mansion's current mistress, the second wife Madam Xue.
The Marquis of Liyang's first wife, Madam Zheng, had passed away from depression three years ago. Since then, the vast mansion had been jointly managed by the second and third wives, with Old Madam Chu mediating between them.
The eldest daughter running away on the eve of her wedding was too big an issue for Madam Xue to handle alone, so she reported it to Old Madam Chu.
She had expected Old Madam Chu to fly into a rage and send people to search for the young miss everywhere.
Unexpectedly, after reading Chu Tianjiao's farewell letter and questioning Qingluan in detail about Chu Tianjiao's recent words and actions, Old Madam Chu declared that the marriage would not proceed.
Old Madam Chu wrote a memorial and had it sent to the palace, stating that Chu Tianjiao had suddenly fallen ill and could not marry on time, humbly requesting a postponement of the wedding.
She also had Madam Xue notify friends and relatives that the wedding was temporarily canceled.
Madam Xue was quite displeased and protested in a low voice:
"Mother, how can you indulge the young miss like this? This is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, how can it be called off so easily?"
Old Madam Chu took out a plain hairpin from her jewelry box, held it up to her temple as if trying it on, then put it back in the box.
"Even if I don't indulge her, do you have a way to bring her back for the wedding?" she asked.
Madam Xue dared not argue further, though she felt somewhat unconvinced.
Old Madam Chu glanced at her sideways and patiently explained:
"By now, the girl is probably already on her way to Yang Pass."
"In her letter, she said the Fourth Prince is untrustworthy and begged me to find a way out of the marriage. There must be a reason for this."
"Delaying the wedding date is the only option we have right now. What else do you expect me to do?"
Madam Xue stole a glance at Old Madam Chu and saw that her face was completely calm, as if Chu Tianjiao's escape from marriage was less important than which hairpin she should wear today.
Madam Xue felt a surge of admiration: Truly worthy of being the pillar of the Chu family, her composure even surpassed that of the Empress Dowager in the palace.
Madam Xue withdrew to handle the various matters related to postponing the wedding.
Half an hour later, the Empress in the palace received Old Madam Chu's memorial.
As a first-rank imperial consort, Old Madam Chu originally had the right to submit memorials directly to the Emperor.
However, matters of marriage and funeral were the responsibility of the Empress.
Although the Fourth Prince was the son of a palace maid, he was supported by Consort Ye, and his marriage to the Chu family could potentially threaten the Crown Prince's position.
The Empress had never liked this marriage arrangement, so she was overjoyed upon receiving Old Madam Chu's memorial.
That day, the Emperor happened to be staying overnight in her palace and had not yet left.
The Empress presented the memorial to the Emperor.
"The Chu family's eldest daughter has suddenly fallen ill before the wedding. Could this marriage be inauspicious?"
The Empress took the opportunity to suggest canceling the marriage.
The Emperor felt something was amiss and sent the Imperial Physician to the Marquis of Liyang's Mansion to check on Chu Tianjiao's condition.
At this moment, the head eunuch came to report that the Fourth Prince had been the target of an assassination attempt the night before and was still bedridden. He asked if another prince could stand in for the wedding procession.
The Emperor felt these events were too coincidental.
"Have the Dark Night Bureau investigate what exactly happened last night at both the Fourth Prince's Manor and the Marquis of Liyang's Mansion," he ordered.
The Empress pushed Old Madam Chu's memorial requesting a postponement of the wedding date forward once again.
The Emperor rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, and reluctantly said: "Granted! We'll choose a new date after they have both recovered."
