Luo Nanchen had eaten and drunk his fill at the banquet. He had stayed there long enough, but Lin Qiao still hadn't returned.
Before Lin Qiao left, she had told him not to wander around. However, half of the night banquet was almost over, and Lin Qiao still hadn't come back. Luo Nanchen felt that something was amiss.
He asked Qiuyue. Qiuyue only said that Lin Qiao had gone to the grove, and didn't know any more details.
But there were so many secluded groves in the palace. Her answer was almost as good as no answer at all.
Luo Nanchen ran out.
Searching grove by grove was not only inefficient but also likely to lead him astray. So Luo Nanchen directly leaped onto the palace wall.
Suddenly, there came a fluctuation of spiritual power in the distance. Each person's spiritual power had a different aura. Luo Nanchen was very familiar with Lin Qiao's aura. Although it was very faint, he was sure that it was Lin Qiao's spiritual power.
Luo Nanchen rushed in that direction immediately.
When he arrived, Lin Qiao was almost unconscious, and the barrier had almost been broken. Luo Junhao looked lust - crazed and was impatiently dismantling the last line of defense of the barrier.
Anger welled up in Luo Nanchen's heart.
He struck Luo Junhao with a palm.
Luo Junhao was sent flying and landed on his butt. He thought his dirty deed had been discovered. When he saw it was Luo Nanchen, his arrogance returned. "You brat, why is it you? Get out of here quickly and don't spoil my good deed!"
Luo Nanchen ignored him and helped Lin Qiao up. "Are you okay?"
When Lin Qiao saw it was Luo Nanchen, she became even more worried. All the previous plot points had come true by accident. Didn't that mean the plot in the book where Luo Nanchen was imprisoned in the cold palace would also happen?
But she had been poisoned by the sleeping incense and had barely managed to hold up the barrier before. Now she had no strength left at all. She slumped limply into Luo Nanchen's arms and lost consciousness.
Luo Junhao's eyes were sinister. "Hey, brat, you've grown bold enough to ignore me?!"
"Luo Junhao."
"You dare to call me by my full name..."
Luo Nanchen supported Lin Qiao and looked at Luo Junhao coldly. Luo Junhao's eyes were cold, but Luo Nanchen's were even more terrifying. They were sinister, cold, and when they fell lightly on Luo Junhao, Luo Junhao couldn't help shivering.
"Not only will I call you by your full name, but I'll also take your dog's life."
...
Lin Qiao woke up rubbing her head. She looked out of the window. The sky was filled with the blood - red glow of the setting sun.
"Chunhua, Qiuyue, I'm so thirsty..."
Chunhua heard the noise and came in. "Your Highness, you've finally woken up. You've really scared this servant and Qiuyue."
Lin Qiao coughed twice. Her throat was still dry. "Have I slept for a whole day?"
Chunhua brought in the sweet dew and fed it to Lin Qiao. "It's not a day, but ten days. You've had enough sleep this time."
"Ten... ten days?"
"Yes. A lot of things have happened in these ten days," Chunhua took the cup. "The imperial doctor couldn't diagnose the problem no matter how hard he tried. It's probably due to the sleeping incense at that time."
Lin Qiao had no mood to listen to what the imperial doctor said. She was extremely anxious. "Where's Luo Nanchen? Where is he now?"
Although the situation at that time was very chaotic, Lin Qiao had more or less figured out that the concubine who had an affair with Luo Junhao in the book had accidentally become herself. If the whole plot had gone wrong, it would be okay. But if...
If Luo Nanchen was still imprisoned in the cold palace like in the book...
Wouldn't all her previous efforts be in vain? Wouldn't the Great Demon King still turn dark? And wouldn't she still be turned into a human swine?
Chunhua said, "Your Highness needn't worry. The Sixth Prince is now the only prince of the Emperor. He's very likely to be made the crown prince."
"???"
... What was going on?
Under Chunhua's vivid narration, Lin Qiao roughly understood all that had happened during the ten days she was in a coma.
First, the Crown Prince Luo Junhao suddenly died without any reason, and the Eastern Palace was in chaos.
Then, the Eldest Prince Luo Tianlei was exposed. His crime was that he had presented beautiful women to the Eastern Palace, which had weakened the Crown Prince Luo Junhao's body. Coupled with the fact that he had drugged the Crown Prince on the night of the Mid - Autumn Festival, which had caused the Crown Prince to suddenly fall seriously ill and die. Now he was in the prison.
Two princes were involved. One was dead, and the other would spend the rest of his life in prison. Luo Siyuan suddenly fell ill.
At the moment when he was about to faint from anger, he even forgot the beautiful woman in his arms. He pointed at Luo Tianlei and cursed.
"Unfilial son, unfilial son!"
Now Luo Siyuan was bedridden, and it was Luo Nanchen who was handling the court affairs.
"No way? Did Luo Junhao die so early?"
It was no wonder that Lin Qiao couldn't figure it out. After all, that night when Luo Junhao wanted to have a "step - mom romance" with her, he was full of energy and extremely excited. Even the barrier had almost failed to stop him.
Moreover, in the original book, there was still some time before Luo Junhao's death. And Luo Tianlei shouldn't have fallen from power so quickly. But now, the plot had obviously gone awry.
Before she could figure it out, there came the sound of footsteps outside the door.
"Qiuyue, is she still not awake?"
Qiuyue said, "Your Highness has just woken up. You'd better wait until Your Highness gets up—"
The person ignored her. The footsteps became more urgent. When he came into the inner room, it was Luo Nanchen in gorgeous clothes.
The twelve - year - old boy wasn't very tall yet, but his small face already hinted at his future handsomeness. He really had the capital and potential to have a harem full of beauties.
His obsidian - like eyes shone brightly. His jawline was just beginning to take shape. His thin lips showed a bit of eager joy, as well as the unique spirit and youthfulness of a young man.
When Lin Qiao saw Luo Nanchen coming, she couldn't help but feel even more curious. "You've come just in time. About the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince—"
Luo Nanchen paused. The corners of his mouth drooped a little. "Is this all you have to talk about when you see me?"
[The current mood value of the protagonist has decreased by 10]
Even the system, which had been absent for a long time, was alerted. Lin Qiao was helpless. "You child..."
"... Child?"
"Of course. Isn't a twelve - year - old a child?" Lin Qiao thought Luo Nanchen was being strange. "What on earth is wrong with you? Have I... bullied you?"
[The current mood value of the protagonist has decreased by 10]
Lin Qiao: "..."
Luo Nanchen straightened his face and sat down on the stool beside the bed huffily. When he pursed his lips, even the baby fat on his face bulged, looking cute but fierce.
"No."
Lin Qiao poked his face. "Look at you. It's obvious that there is something wrong."
"I said no is no!" Luo Nanchen turned his head away and didn't look at Lin Qiao. "If you have any questions, just ask."
Lin Qiao shook her head. She had thought that Luo Nanchen had grown up, become mature and steady. It turned out to be an illusion. Now it seemed that he was still just a kid.
Lin Qiao took a deep breath and asked seriously, "How did the Crown Prince die exactly?"
There was no expression on Luo Nanchen's face. "I killed him."
"What about the Eldest Prince?"
It was true that he had presented beautiful women to the Crown Prince, but drugging... Luo Tianlei probably didn't have the guts.
"I put him in prison."
Lin Qiao was stunned.
"But..."
"There's no 'but'," Luo Nanchen said with a straight face and no expression. His dark eyes looked at Lin Qiao. "It was you who taught me how to survive in the palace. Now that I'm doing as you taught me, do you think I'm cruel?"