The arrow wound on Chu Tianjiao's shoulder could no longer be concealed.
When Old Madam Chu inquired about the origin of her injury, Chu Tianjiao truthfully said that she was mistaken for an assassin when she went to attack Lu Zhaoling.
Old Madam Chu held her forehead and instructed Second Master Chu, who had been sitting nearby: "Go and find out how badly the Fourth Prince is injured, and if there's any news about the assassin."
She then turned to Chu Tianjiao with a dark face and said: "If you want to break off the engagement, our family needs a reason. For the time being, just stay at home and pretend to be ill."
Second Master Chu came over with a suggestion: "Why don't I ask Monk Miaoyin of Anguo Temple to recalculate the compatibility between our niece and the Fourth Prince?"
Old Madam Chu nodded in approval.
Lu Zhaoling had a dent in the back of his head, causing not only dizziness but also persistent vomiting.
After examining him, the Imperial Physician believed the injury could be either minor or severe. He bandaged the wound, prescribed medicine, and recommended bed rest.
At dawn, Lu Zhaoling stubbornly tried to get up to attend the wedding ceremony, but felt the world spinning and couldn't tell directions.
He finally lay back down and applied to the palace for one of his brothers to go in his place.
When he received the imperial edict postponing the wedding date, Lu Zhaoling was surprised.
"Although I'm injured, it doesn't affect the wedding. What does Father Emperor mean by this?"
When the herald who came to read the edict said that the eldest daughter of the Chu family had also fallen ill suddenly, Lu Zhaoling felt even more alarmed.
He thought to himself: Could it be that other princes sent people to assassinate me and poison that Chu girl to prevent my marriage with the Chu family?
His advisor reminded Lu Zhaoling that he should first reassure the Chu family.
Lu Zhaoling snorted arrogantly: "She's just the daughter of a brute. I only need to crook my little finger, and she'll obediently marry me. No need to worry."
Lu Zhaoling had always looked down on Chu Tianjiao, considering her crude and stupid. If it weren't for the military power of the Chu family, he wouldn't have bothered to marry Chu Tianjiao at all.
He was confident that Chu Tianjiao had already fallen for him and would never break off the engagement.
From the next day on, news spread throughout the streets of the capital that on their wedding day, the Fourth Prince had been assassinated and Chu Tianjiao had fallen seriously ill.
Hearing that their wedding had been postponed, the young ladies of the capital were delighted.
A few days later, rumors circulated that the Marquis of Liyang Mansion had invited the eminent monk Miaoyin from Anguo Temple to recalculate the compatibility between the Fourth Prince and Miss Chu. The monk declared that their birth charts clashed and they were not a good match.
Out of love for Miss Chu, the Marquis of Liyang Mansion had already submitted a memorial to the emperor requesting permission to break off the engagement.
Only then did Lu Zhaoling panic. He got out of bed despite his injury and prepared to go to the Marquis of Liyang Mansion to see Chu Tianjiao and clarify the situation.
However, halfway there, the horses were startled, and Lu Zhaoling was thrown out of the carriage.
When the guards helped Lu Zhaoling up, he felt the world spinning and saw everything in double.
The commoners on the street, seeing the guards from the Fourth Prince's mansion, dared not say anything.
But in a nearby teahouse, several young noblemen happened to witness the scene while chatting over tea.
"It seems the Fourth Prince and that little tyrant from the Chu family truly have incompatible birth charts," said the son of Prime Minister Wang's mansion while nibbling on melon seeds.
Lu Yu showed a panicked expression, looking around as if afraid someone might overhear, and said in a low voice, "How can I comment on my fourth cousin's affairs?"
Young Master Wang glanced at him disdainfully and spat, "I thought you'd have grown up after spending a few years in Nanning, but you're still such a coward!"
Today, Young Master Wang was hosting a welcome party for Lu Yu, and even the Sixth Prince had joined.
The Sixth Prince patted Lu Yu's shoulder reassuringly and said, "Fourth Brother is a magnanimous person. He won't mind such gossip."
Hearing the Sixth Prince speak thus, the other young noblemen began to discuss freely.
"To be honest, marrying that little tyrant from the Chu family is really unfair to the Fourth Prince. Perhaps even Heaven couldn't bear to see it and is warning the Fourth Prince to break off the engagement quickly?"
"Monk Miaoyin has already said their birth charts are incompatible. I think this marriage is likely to fall through."
"But I heard that the palace has suppressed Old Madam Chu's memorial requesting to break off the engagement."
"The Fourth Prince could marry anyone. Why choose that brutish woman? I'm afraid he won't be able to maintain authority in his household in the future..."
Everyone was discussing animatedly, but no one noticed that one of the Go stones on the table was missing.
Due to the arrow wound on her shoulder, Chu Tianjiao had escaped the punishment of kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days.
When the Imperial Physician sent by the palace came to treat her, she guided her qi to break out in a cold sweat, successfully deceiving him into thinking she had caught a cold.
When she learned that Lu Zhaoling had crashed his carriage in the street, further confirming the rumors spread by her second uncle, she laughed heartily.
Old Madam Chu sent someone to warn her not to do anything unnecessary to avoid arousing suspicion.
Chu Tianjiao pouted innocently: "Grandmother actually thinks I was behind this."
Lu Zhaoling returned to his mansion, and his guards reported that they had investigated and found that someone had deliberately startled the horses earlier.
Seeing the cracked Go stone in the guard's hand and knowing that the Sixth Prince and Young Master Wang were in a nearby teahouse when he passed by, a vicious look appeared in Lu Zhaoling's eyes.
Lu Zhaoling instinctively suspected that it was either the son of Prime Minister Wang or the Sixth Prince who was responsible.
Lu Yu was just a weakling in his mind and not even considered.
"This Wang Ting is the Crown Prince's cousin. He must be hoping my marriage to the Chu family fails. The Sixth Brother is also suspicious..."
"They don't want me to go to the Chu family, so I'll go just to spite them!"
Lu Zhaoling changed his clothes, disregarding his injuries, and took another carriage straight to the Chu family.
Upon arriving at the Chu residence, Lu Zhaoling first paid his respects to Old Madam Chu.
Old Madam Chu received him politely.
When he asked to see Chu Tianjiao, Old Madam Chu made excuses:
"The eldest girl has caught a cold and is not fit to receive visitors at the moment. Please come back another day, Your Highness."
Lu Zhaoling was not about to give up easily. He bowed deeply and pleaded:
"Old Madam, Chu Tianjiao and I are already betrothed. It's all the more reason for me to visit her when she's ill. Please grant me this favor!"
Unable to insist further, Old Madam Chu gave a subtle signal to Nanny Li beside her, who quietly withdrew.
When Chu Tianjiao heard that Lu Zhaoling had actually come, she clasped her hands together, cracking her knuckles. Seeing her cheeks puffed up in anger, Nanny Li thought she was about to go beat someone up again.
"Miss, Old Madam reminds you not to act rashly. Breaking off the engagement needs to be done gradually. If we offend the royal family, our Marquis of Liyang Mansion will surely suffer the consequences."
Of course, Chu Tianjiao wasn't going to beat up Lu Zhaoling now.
In her previous life, she had been overprotected by her family, developing a straightforward personality. But after experiencing a lifetime, she understood that impulsiveness could lead to endless troubles.
Chu Tianjiao's eyes rolled as she thought, then she beckoned to Qingluan to make some preparations while she started to disguise herself.
"Nanny, is this good enough? Let him come, I'll wait for him in the courtyard!"
Nanny Li stood to the side, examining Chu Tianjiao's new appearance.
Her skin had been painted a sallow yellow, with small red and purple spots added to her face. A white cloth was wrapped around her forehead, making her truly look as if she were seriously ill.
Nanny Li nodded in satisfaction and reminded her: "Miss, remember to control your emotions when he's here. Don't be impetuous!"
Chu Tianjiao nodded. It was just pretending to be sick, she could do that.
Moreover, she felt she could take this opportunity to practice the "art of tea" she had learned from Ye Tinglan during those years in the palace.
Lu Zhaoling was led to the Green Pine Courtyard by the housekeeper.
Just as he was about to enter the courtyard, Nanny Li, who had come to greet him, stopped his guards. "Your Highness, this is Miss Chu's private quarters after all. It's not appropriate for other men to enter. May I ask these guards to wait outside?"
Lu Zhaoling nodded in agreement and followed Nanny Li into the courtyard alone.
At the door of Chu Tianjiao's room, Nanny Li stopped him again. "Your Highness, Miss Chu's cold came on suddenly and strangely. We fear it might be contagious. If you have anything to say, please speak through the door."
Lu Zhaoling had come today to reassure Chu Tianjiao. If he couldn't see her face, wouldn't that greatly reduce the effect?
He gestured for Nanny Li to step aside, his words full of deep emotion: "Chu Tianjiao and I are about to be married, we are one in body and soul. Be it a cold or even a plague, I want to share in her joys and sorrows."
Hearing this, Nanny Li couldn't help but look at him sideways, thinking that this Fourth Prince seemed to have some genuine feelings for Miss Chu.
Inside the room, Chu Tianjiao heard his words and only wanted to sneer.
A man's mouth, full of lies.
In her previous life, she had believed Lu Zhaoling's sweet words, truly thinking that he was fond of her.
But after Ye Tinglan entered the household, Lu Zhaoling revealed his true nature.
Hearing Lu Zhaoling's voice now made Chu Tianjiao feel nauseated.
Seeing a shadow move at the doorway, Chu Tianjiao took the medicine bowl from Qingluan's hands and hurled it out.
"This medicine is too bitter, I won't drink it!" she cried.
This bowl of medicine was merely a prop for Chu Tianjiao's pretend illness.
Just as Lu Zhaoling lifted the curtain to enter the room, the bowl of scalding medicine flew towards his face...
