Chapter 50: Detoxification

By mid-August, the weather had gradually begun to cool with the onset of autumn.

Recently, there had been little significant activity at the court. The repairs to the water channels were still underway, and the supervisor overseeing the work happened to be Liu Buxiu from the Imperial Guards. Qiu Che knew that Liu was reliable and wouldn’t cause any trouble, so she wasn’t worried.

However, someone had filed an accusation against the crown prince for openly humiliating a well-born woman, this was part of the empress's faction trying to push him further down.

The emperor, unable to maintain his dignity, symbolically punished the crown prince by docking his salary for a month. Surprisingly, the crown prince showed some intelligence this time and immediately knelt, loudly declaring that he considered his actions as fulfilling his duty to help with the water channel repairs in Puyang, hoping the silver would be put to good use.

The emperor smiled and, with a light touch, let the matter pass.

Of course, there were also people criticizing Qiu Che.

Although her fiery confrontations with the court officials had left a lasting impression, those who didn’t like her were never in short supply. This time, instead of directly attacking her, they had subtly shifted their target, accusing the princess of engaging in business, which supposedly tarnished the royal family's reputation.

They also hinted that the princess's mother was from the Southern Yi people, which had previously been unknown to the court, but now that it was common knowledge, if Li Qingwu continued as the princess, it might be hard to win the respect of the people.

But this time, the emperor didn’t even wait for Qiu Che to speak before erupting in fury: "I have always known what her mother was, are you implying that I made a mistake by making her the princess?"

The official immediately broke out in cold sweat, falling to his knees, unable to speak another word.

Everyone in the room silently thought, "That's what happens when you're favored by the emperor."

Qiu Che, however, remained calm, observing the scene with the quiet composure of someone who had no fear of such favoritism.

She understood well that the emperor’s bias wasn’t without reason, which is why she remained unperturbed by it.

Before the court session ended, the emperor announced plans for the autumn hunt, which would involve all the officials and princes.

As a prominent figure at court, Qiu Che was, of course, included.

In Great Xia, it was customary to allow the ladies of noble families to join the autumn hunt. As she made her way back, Qiu Che debated whether to bring Li Qingwu along.

However, Li Qingwu had just been reprimanded for showing herself in public to conduct business, and the newly implemented laws didn’t favor women participating in commerce. There were rumors circulating in the streets about her actions.

Qiu Che was worried that bringing Li Qingwu along would attract more gossip.

But after much thought, just as she was about to enter the autumn manor, Qiu Che suddenly stopped, as though waking from a dream.

What was she thinking?

Li Qingwu wasn’t her subordinate, nor was she the typical lady of a noble family anymore.

If Li Qingwu chose to engage in business, she must have her reasons, so why was Qiu Che worrying about her so much?

Li Qingwu wasn’t a child. Judging by how she remained unphased even after the revelation about her mother’s Southern Yi background, it was clear that the rumors wouldn’t affect her.

Qiu Che shook her head and, with a self-deprecating smile, thought, I’ve been getting more and more like a nagging old woman lately, especially when it comes to Li Qingwu.

Lost in thought, she instinctively walked towards the study, but was suddenly interrupted by a hurried, familiar figure rushing towards her.

"Prince Consort!" the figure called out loudly.

Qiu Che stopped in her tracks. "What is it...?"

Before she could finish, Fu Ling anxiously interrupted, "Your Highness... the princess... the poison has flared up!"

Both Qiu Che and Yu Ming, who was by her side, froze in shock.

Once they realized what kind of “poison flare-up” it was, Qiu Che’s face immediately darkened. "Why would it happen now?"

Li Qingwu had been poisoned in mid-June, so logically, the poison should have flared up in September, not now in August, there was still half a month to go.

Why had it happened so suddenly?

As she spoke, Qiu Che changed direction immediately, her voice cold as she asked, "Where is she?"

"In the main courtyard's bedroom," Fu Ling replied, shaking her head, gasping for breath, but speaking softly so as not to be overheard. "I... I don't know what happened... The princess only went to Miss Yao Tai’s place today, saying she was going to—"

Her voice trailed off, hesitant whether to continue.

As Qiu Che quickly made her way to the bedroom, she quietly ordered Yu Ming behind her, "Go and bring Mr. Chen here."

Seeing her face clouded with difficulty, Qiu Che’s tone grew colder. "Speak."

In an instant, her mind raced with possibilities, including the thought that perhaps Yao Tai had betrayed them and attacked Li Qingwu with poison.

But to her surprise, Fu Ling hesitated for a moment before saying, "The princess... said she was preparing a birthday gift for you... She told us to keep it a secret from you."

If it hadn't been for the current crisis, she would never have spoken out so hurriedly.

Qiu Che froze.

All her suspicions and theories dissipated in the face of Fu Ling’s simple explanation.

"...And then?"

"I thought the princess was going to stay with Miss Yao Tai for the whole afternoon, but unexpectedly, she returned early, looking pale. She said something happened and the poison flared up suddenly. Once she got back to the house, she locked herself in her room and refused to see anyone."

Fu Ling spoke with regret. "It's been half an hour already, and if you don't return soon, I really don't know what to do."

Qiu Che fell silent.

She hurried to the main courtyard and saw Fu Feng pacing anxiously at the door, frowning, but he didn’t dare to push the door open.

In order to prevent any leaks, all the maids had been dismissed, and now only a few of them remained.

When Fu Feng saw Qiu Che, he stepped aside to allow her entry, but Qiu Che stopped, listening carefully.

Through the door, she could vaguely hear muffled sounds of pain and labored breathing, Li Qingwu must have been enduring excruciating pain.

But what could she do by entering now?

In a way, it reminded her of the first time Li Qingwu’s poison had flared up.

She felt powerless.

Perhaps it was better not to rush in and cause any more trouble.

In silence, she stepped back, sitting down in a small pavilion in the courtyard.

Fu Feng, frowning, spoke first. "Why doesn't the Prince Consort go in?"

Last time, although they hadn’t been around when Li Qingwu’s poison flared up, as her close attendants, they’d later learned a little about her struggles.

Back then, Qiu Che had respected her by not intervening for reputation’s sake.

But now, they are married.

As her husband, it was completely appropriate to help her with the detoxification.

So why wasn’t Qiu Che going in?

Fu Feng truly didn’t understand.

Even Fu Ling looked at Qiu Che in confusion, not knowing what was happening.

Her voice wasn’t quiet, and it seemed that Li Qingwu had heard. After a while, a hoarse voice came from inside, saying, "Don’t come in."

"...Don’t anyone come in."

Qiu Che’s hand, resting on the table, froze for a moment.

It seemed that Li Qingwu didn’t want her to enter.

Fu Feng and Fu Ling fell silent.

They looked at Qiu Che, who remained quiet, and then at the closed bedroom door. No matter how anxious they were, they had no choice but to suppress their frustration and continue to wait.

The atmosphere in the courtyard grew heavy.

Qiu Che sat outside, occasionally sipping tea, quietly waiting for Chen Huichun to arrive, as though she didn’t care at all about what was happening inside.

But she knew that even when Chen Huichun arrived, there wouldn’t be much he could do.

At best, he could prescribe some pain-relieving medicine to suppress the suffering caused by the poison.

But that was still better than doing nothing.

She glanced at the anxious faces of Fu Feng and Fu Ling, trying her best to remain calm, but inside, her heart was already in turmoil.

She wondered if she should just bring the young shopkeeper to detoxify Li Qingwu.

Li Qingwu liked him, after all.

Before, she had only felt some fondness for Qiu Che, but if she wasn’t a woman, the two of them would have already been a true couple.

Now that Li Qingwu had shifted her affections to someone else, someone who was a real man—perhaps it would be best for him to help with the detoxification.

But the thought barely lingered before Qiu Che rejected it.

She remembered those wet eyes, full of resentment and anger, and thought, No. If I bring someone else without Li Qingwu’s consent, she’ll be angry.

But...

But if I don’t bring Zhu Zhu, what else can I do?

Let Li Qingwu endure like last time?

Chen Huichun had said that if the poison wasn’t neutralized, each flare-up would be worse than the last, more painful and longer-lasting.

Qiu Che took another sip of her tea.

She tried to calm her anxiety and restlessness by focusing on the now-cold tea.

What should she do?

...What should she do?

In that brief moment of distraction, a loud crash came from the room, breaking the otherwise calm atmosphere.

Qiu Che immediately stood up.

Fu Ling, clearly anxious, asked, "Your Highness! What happened?!"

There was no response from inside.

As Fu Ling, her brow furrowed, was about to push the door open, a voice called from behind.

"...Move aside."

Fu Feng, tightly clenching his fists, turned around and saw Qiu Che’s expression, which appeared calm but unreadable.

Before anyone could react, she was already moving swiftly towards the door, reaching out to push it open.

The door creaked open for a moment before swiftly closing again.

Outside, the two of them exchanged confused and silent glances.

...What were these two up to?

In that fleeting moment of opening the door, Qiu Che hadn’t thought much.

She had only feared that if Li Qingwu were alone inside, she might faint from the pain, and no one would be there to help.

Perhaps concern had finally overtaken her, or perhaps it was some deeper, secret feeling that urged her forward.

Qiu Che couldn’t hold back any longer.

Although she could have let Fu Ling come in to check, she entered the room herself first.

But the next moment, she froze in place.

Behind the screen, she saw Li Qingwu sitting on the bed, her clothes in disarray, long hair cascading around her. In an overwhelming state of pain, she was repeatedly banging her head against the wall.

Her forehead was already bleeding.

Qiu Che instinctively rushed forward, reaching out to block the space between Li Qingwu’s forehead and the wall.

Her voice was laced with urgency. As she reached out, she realized that Li Qingwu’s condition was such that she couldn’t touch her anywhere without causing further distress. "What are you doing?"

Li Qingwu, perhaps realizing the pain had subsided, felt the coolness of Qiu Che’s hand covering her forehead.

She looked up dazedly, her pale lips instinctively licking themselves.

Her voice was soft, almost pitiful: "…It hurts."

The look in her eyes, the tone of her voice.

It was all too familiar.

Qiu Che’s breath hitched, her heart tightening.

She turned away almost desperately, her chest rising and falling in a few shallow breaths, before muttering, "If it hurts, why didn't you speak up?"

Li Qingwu whispered back, "Because I didn't want you to hear, and then feel the same pain."

Qiu Che’s heart clenched at her words, as though it had been tied in a knot, suspended in midair, caught between sweet and sour emotions.

She was silent for a long time before carefully helping Li Qingwu lean against the bed’s headboard.

Then she stood up, her gaze shifting away, her fingertips trembling as she turned her back to Li Qingwu, speaking in an unusually calm tone, "I’ll go find Zhu Zhu."

Li Qingwu blinked, as though confused, "Zhu Zhu... What are you looking for him for?"

Qiu Che paused in her tracks and answered, "To cure the poison."

"Don't you like him?" Qiu Che lowered her eyes, her voice deliberately calm, "Don’t worry, you don’t have to worry about him not liking you. Even if he doesn’t want to, I’ll find a way to make him."

Her heart bled as she spoke.

There had never been a time she hated being a woman more than she did now.

She had never been ashamed of her gender, and in fact, she despised men who looked down on women. But at this moment, seeing Li Qingwu in pain and being unable to help...

For the first time, she entertained the almost absurd thought:

If she were a man, would it be easier? Would she be able to care for Li Qingwu without any burden, even if they pretended?

But she wasn’t a man.

She couldn’t help Li Qingwu.

Qiu Che closed her eyes, silently telling herself: Admit it.

Saying she was afraid of making Li Qingwu angry was just an excuse. The truth was, she didn’t want to be the one to send her into another’s hands.

It wasn’t right.

Her feelings for Li Qingwu... weren’t right.

Qiu Che didn’t even have time to think about when this started. The next moment, Li Qingwu’s words pulled her attention back.

Li Qingwu asked in a hoarse, almost disbelieving voice, "When did I say I liked him…?"

Qiu Che immediately responded, "Then who do you like?"

As soon as she spoke, the atmosphere in the room shifted.

Li Qingwu moved her lips, staring at Qiu Che for a while, her eyelashes trembling.

After a long pause, she lowered her eyes, slumping back against the bed, holding back her breath as she whispered, "…Never mind."

She admitted, she still wasn’t brave enough to say it.

Qiu Che’s expression and reaction were too calm. After the poison took effect twice, she remained indifferent.

She couldn’t understand what Li Qingwu was thinking.

She hadn’t expected the poison to flare up again today.

This wasn’t the best time to confess.

She didn’t have anything yet. She wasn’t yet on the same level as Qiu Che.

Wait a little longer.

Li Qingwu thought.

Using the last bit of her reason, she tried to stay calm.

Then, feeling exhausted, she closed her eyes and said:

"Leave."

Would she rather bear the poison herself than reveal who she liked?

Was she afraid Qiu Che would force someone to cure her?

Qiu Che’s emotions were complicated, and she couldn’t quite describe the feeling inside her.

She felt that Li Qingwu, with her personality, was indeed capable of such a thing.

Logically, with the door being shut, Qiu Che should have turned and left.

But in the end, she couldn’t help herself. She stepped forward and asked:

"Are you really going to bear it?"

Li Qingwu took a deep breath, lifted her eyelids, and asked, "Aren’t you reluctant?"

Qiu Che stared at her.

After a long pause, she softly murmured, "Hmm," and relaxed her clenched fist.

Li Qingwu, leaning against the bed, locked eyes with her. In that instant, the string of reason in her mind snapped.

The word "Hmm" kept echoing in her mind.

What did "Hmm" mean?

Was it saying that Qiu Che truly couldn’t bear it?

After a long time, Li Qingwu took a deep breath and said, "...Then come here."

Qiu Che hesitated but walked over.

Following her gaze, she lowered her head, and Li Qingwu took her hand.

Through the thin fabric, Li Qingwu led her hand to her soft chest—

Qiu Che’s mind went blank, and her heartbeat skipped a beat. Her hand froze in place.

For a moment, neither pulling away nor keeping it there seemed right.

Her voice was tinged with a mix of anger and embarrassment: "What... What are you doing?!"

"Didn’t you say you couldn’t bear it?" Li Qingwu looked up at her, her eyes shimmering with tears, and the mole by her eye only added to her allure.

Breathing heavily, she used some force to keep Qiu Che’s hand in place.

Li Qingwu whispered, "Since you’re heartbroken for me... then help me."

In the end, Qiu Che couldn’t bring herself to leave.

As the sun set behind the mountains, Chen Huichun, who had arrived late, looked at the tightly shut door of the room, raised an eyebrow, and said to his silent subordinates at the door, "Looks like I’m not needed after all?"

No one answered him.

Inside, Qiu Che hesitantly asked, "Is this really okay?"

She never knew that women could help other women in this way, and since it was her first time doing something like this, she wasn’t sure if she was doing it right.

Even her previous experience with Li Qingwu in the past life didn’t leave much of an impression.

She thought it was just... a kiss.

But Li Qingwu could no longer speak.

Two long, pale legs trembled beneath the curtain of the bed, and in the dim light, it looked like a beautiful, alluring painting.

Sweat beaded on Qiu Che’s forehead, but her gaze unconsciously shifted to the side.

Since earlier, she had noticed that no matter how chaotic the situation, Li Qingwu’s other hand remained hidden under the blanket.

Sure enough, when Li Qingwu was distracted, Qiu Che took the opportunity to pull a small wooden sculpture from her hand, a piece that, even though poisoned, she had tightly grasped without letting go.

The figure was still rough, the craftsmanship not very fine, but it was clear that it hadn’t been completed.

Qiu Che fiddled with the carving, whispering, "What is this?"

Li Qingwu refused to answer at first.

But after some coaxing, she replied, "It’s... a gift."

A birthday gift.

She had only carved half of it when she began to feel unwell, as though the poison was taking effect.

To be safe, she immediately returned to her residence.

It turned out her instincts were right.

Qiu Che remained silent, no words escaping her lips.

She could probably guess what Li Qingwu was thinking.

Since Qiu Che loved woodworking, Li Qingwu had wanted to carve something herself as a gift to her.

She placed the wooden sculpture aside, unwilling to dwell further on its meaning.

If Li Qingwu wanted to give Qiu Che the illusion that she was still liked despite being a woman, then Qiu Che would admit:

She had succeeded.

But if that illusion could last longer, she could accept all the lies.

In the chaos, when Li Qingwu pulled Qiu Che into a kiss, Qiu Che, almost instinctively, didn’t pull away.

How did things come to this?

Her long hair, which had fallen loose, covered their lips, hiding their entangled desires.

And concealed the true feelings disguised as false intentions.

Qiu Che thought:

She must be crazy.

Li Qingwu too.