"Shu girl, come out quickly. I have something to tell you." The old lady was sitting in the outer hall. Seeing Zuitao sleeping soundly at the door, she felt something was amiss. Without waiting for Liu Yushu to come out, she hurriedly walked into the inner room. There, she saw Liu Yushu wrapped in the quilt, her face flushed and breathing heavily.
The old lady walked over anxiously. "Shu girl, what's wrong with you? Are you not feeling well?"
Liu Yushu frowned slightly and said with a pained expression, "Granddaughter is not feeling well. I've been in discomfort all night. I'm too weak to pay my respects to you, Grandmother. Please forgive me."
She was telling the truth. Wu Qing, hiding behind the screen, was also extremely nervous. After all, the old lady was an elder. Although he was a rough man from the jianghu, he still understood the basic etiquette. Hiding furtively in the dark made him feel extremely uncomfortable and ashamed. He had an urge to rush out immediately, kneel in front of the old lady, and plead with her to betroth Liu Yushu to him.
But then he thought that such an action would ruin Liu Yushu's reputation, so he gave up. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Liu Yushu.
"Mother Xie, go and call the doctor quickly." The old lady ordered urgently, failing to notice anything strange. With a solemn look, she said, "Since you're not feeling well, I'll talk to you another day."
Liu Yushu noticed that the old lady seemed to have something on her mind. Curiously, she asked, "Grandmother, please just say what you want to say. I'm feeling a bit better. It's okay."
Wu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. If more people came into the room, they might discover his hiding place.
Liu Yushu forced a smile. "Grandmother, I'm really okay."
"Alright then. Anyway, the doctor will be here soon."
Mother Xie moved a chair over, and the old lady sat down. She sighed softly and said, "I've thought about it all night. You can't marry that man you like."
Liu Yushu was stunned. Wu Qing, hiding under the quilt, was also shocked and froze.
"Grandmother, didn't you agree to let him come and propose marriage?" Liu Yushu asked in surprise. How could the old lady suddenly go back on her word after she had already agreed? The old lady always valued her promises and was not the kind of person to go back on her words.
What had made the old lady change her mind so suddenly?
"I'll be honest with you. There's someone in the palace who has been eyeing you. I didn't tell you this earlier because I thought that person had forgotten about you and found someone else. But I received a message last night saying that this person must have you. If you marry someone else and that person gets angry, our whole family will be doomed."
There was actually such a thing. Liu Yushu opened her eyes wide in extreme shock. "How could this happen? Who has such great power to try to control everything?"
The old lady didn't say a word. She stood up and said, "I'll tell you the details when you're feeling better. In any case, you can't marry the man you like. If you marry him rashly, our family will be finished."
"This..." Liu Yushu looked extremely worried. From what the old lady said, did it mean that she was expected to sacrifice herself for the Liu family?
The old lady turned around and left.
Wu Qing walked out from behind the screen stupidly, his face confused and angry. Liu Yushu was in the same state. The old lady's words were like a bucket of cold water on a freezing winter day, pouring down on the two of them from the top of their heads.
Wu Qing turned around and was about to leave. Liu Yushu was greatly alarmed. "Where are you going?"
He pursed his lips and didn't say a word. His solemn expression and the cold light in his eyes made her tremble with fear. She was worried that he would do something dangerous on an impulse.
She quickly grabbed his arm. "Don't go." There was a hint of crying in her aggrieved tone. It was the first time she had pleaded with him.
His heart softened instantly. He turned around and held her hand tightly.
Her intuition told her that if he left this time, he might not come to see her for a long time. Thinking of this, she felt extremely panicked and was afraid that he would abandon her. Tears welled up in the corners of her beautiful eyes, and she cried, "Do you regret it? Don't you want to marry me anymore?"
She was extremely uneasy. She had finally found a man who was whole - heartedly devoted to her, and had finally captured his heart. She had almost given everything to him without hesitation, but now he was about to leave her!
She was filled with hatred and resentment, with nowhere to vent. She could only pound and beat him, crying pitifully. "If you leave, never come to see me again. I'll never see you for the rest of my life." It was both a complaint and a coquetry.
"I'll marry no one but you." Wu Qing stared at her intently, his eyes filled with deep affection. After comforting her, he left with a single sentence: "Wait for me." Then he left in a hurry.
He was going to kill. He was going to kill all those who coveted Liu Yushu.
Liu Yushu was left sitting on the chair blankly, with tears all over her face.
After a long time, she finished dressing up. The doctor was waiting outside. She hadn't had breakfast and was listless. But since the doctor had come, she could only order him to come in and go through the motions. After all, it was the old lady who had called the doctor, and it would be difficult to explain to the old lady if she didn't see the doctor.
The doctor came and left, saying that she had too much internal heat and prescribed some heat - clearing medicine for her.
Zuitao boiled the medicine and brought it to her. She was so worried now that she had no intention of taking the medicine.
She was very determined in her heart that she would definitely be with Wu Qing for the rest of her life. She thought that Wu Qing felt the same way. But Wu Qing had been hurt by the old lady's words and had no fixed abode. He left suddenly. Apart from waiting, she didn't know where to find him.
Thinking of this, her heart felt desolate. She suddenly felt a bit disappointed in Wu Qing. Even though he had once been willing to sacrifice his life for her, at this critical moment, his attitude was not firm enough. If he hadn't left this morning but had mustered the courage to take her forcefully, she would have followed him anywhere in the world.
It was a pity that he didn't.
Her heart was bitter, and her mouth also began to taste bitter. Liu Yushu ordered Zuitao to bring some honey - pickled plums. After eating one, her mouth was sweet, and her mood gradually improved.
She heard from the old lady that the person who wanted her was from the palace.
Someone from the palace with power. Who could it be? Not everyone in the palace was a royal family member. The emperor's trusted ministers also often entered and left the palace and could be considered half - insiders of the palace.
Who on earth was it? Liu Yushu was extremely confused. In her entire life, she had only entered the palace three times. Each time, she had gone directly to the Empress's palace with her grandmother. The only people she had met were the Empress and the Crown Prince. She hadn't even met the Crown Princess. The Crown Prince was a serious and rigid person, and she hadn't noticed anything inappropriate when he met her.
Liu Yushu felt that her head was about to explode, but she still couldn't figure out who this powerful person was that even the old lady was afraid of.
"Miss, Miss Rong from the Marquis of Xianping's mansion is here. She said that she had an appointment with you to have tea. She's paying her respects to the old lady now." Zuitao reported.
Liu Yushu frowned. Why did Geng Rong come? She had never made an appointment with Geng Rong to have tea!