Chapter 168: Form a Family

　　Chu Liuyue brought the herbs back to her lodgings.

　　After taking out the herbs from the Cosmic Bag and packing them nicely, Chu Liuyue planned to return to Heavenly Pharmacy and return the bag to Mr. Zuo Rong. However, she suddenly felt movements outside.

　　She walked to the door and saw Mr. Zuo Rong bringing the other teachers to her house once she opened it.

　　When Mr. Zuo Rong saw her, he immediately smiled and said, “Liuyue, these are the teachers who have previously diagnosed Liao Zhongshu. I brought them over to see you.”

　　The other teachers quietly sized Chu Liuyue up.

　　Zuo Rong had said that Chu Liuyue knew what poison Liao Zhongshu was affected by and that she even had a way to control the poison in his body temporarily. All of them were shocked and curious about it, so they followed Zuo Rong over.

　　Actually, they had more suspicions in their hearts. After all, Chu Liuyue did not even cultivate at the heavenly doctor’s side.

　　Someone said that Chu Liuyue had limited abilities as a heavenly doctor when she entered the academy. So why does Zuo Rong make it sound like she’s very capable?

　　Chu Liuyue was well aware that they did not come to see her, but how she prepared those herbs. She did not expose them. She greeted the teachers and invited them in instead.

　　“Mr. Zuo Rong, you came at the right time. I was planning to return the Cosmic Bag to you after taking out the herbs,” said Chu Liuyue as she returned the Cosmic Bag to Zuo Rong.

　　Zuo Rong happily accepted it. “You act really fast. If you ever need more herbs, feel free to make a request.”

　　Chu Liuyue pressed her lips against each other and smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Zuo Rong.”

　　The duo’s conversation surprised the other teachers.

　　Zuo Rong usually treasures this Cosmic Bag very much and never even lends it to us for a while. Yet, he is very generous to Chu Liuyue.

　　“Is all of this the herbs you took from the Heavenly Pharmacy?” asked another teacher as he pointed towards the stacks of jade boxes.

　　“Isn’t this too much?”

　　Chu Liuyue calmly said, “Mr. Xuan Cang, don’t worry. I know that these herbs are very hard to find, so I’ll use them wisely. I also won’t waste a single bit.”

　　Xuan Cang still looked at her suspiciously. “Use them wisely? How are you going to handle all of those herbs alone? Aren’t your words too much of an exaggeration?”

　　Chu Liuyue did not explain herself.

　　“That’s enough. Xuan Cang, you don’t even know what poison Liao Zhongshu is affected by, yet you’re talking so much here.” Zuo Rong’s single statement made Xuan Cang swallow his remaining words.

　　Xuan Cang grunted and said, “Fine! I’ll see what you have to say.”

　　The others immediately listened intently.

　　Chu Liuyue’s heart tingled slightly. “Actually, I’m not too familiar with this type of poison and only coincidentally saw it before…”

　　She obviously couldn’t expose her true abilities. Hence, she briefly explained the poison using vague words.

　　Zuo Rong and the other teachers wanted to ask her about the poison in detail, but they found out that Chu Liuyue seemed like she didn’t have much understanding of it. Thus, they gave up on their ideas.

　　Xuan Cang kept quiet for a while before knitting his brows and saying, “According to what you say, you seem like you don’t have confidence in this formula, right? Aren’t you treating Liao Zhongshu’s life as a joke then? What if something happens…”

　　“What else can happen? Others might not know, but don’t you clearly know Liao Zhongshu’s current situation? If his treatment is delayed for another day or two, he will die. What do you mean by ‘treating his life as a joke’?” interrupted Zuo Rong in frustration as he waved at Chu Liuyue. “This fellow is very stubborn! Liuyue, just ignore him and do whatever you want.”

　　Xuan Cang unhappily kept quiet.

　　Chu Liuyue sighed in her heart. She originally wanted to make the medicine for Liao Zhongshu quietly, but she did not expect Zuo Rong to care about this matter so much.

　　They clearly wanted to watch how she was going to make the medicine.

　　Chu Liuyue quickly decided to ignore them and started to prepare the herbs one by one.

　　…

　　At the Imperial Study in the Royal Palace.

　　Rong Xiu stood outside the door and quietly waited in his black cloak. His muscular and fit body looked just like a sturdy tree. Though he simply stood there, he made it seem like his surroundings had lost its color.

　　Quite a few palace maids stared at him with eyes filled with envy from afar.

　　“Prince Li is really handsome! I think nobody in the Imperial City can hold a candle to his charismatic attitude.”

　　“Right? Once Prince Li showed up at the Crown Prince’s banquet, many girls became attracted to him. It’s a pity that Prince Li has a weak body and doesn’t walk around the palace much. It’s so hard for us to meet him even once!”

　　“I wonder which elegant lady will have the honor of marrying Prince Li…”

　　“Sigh, it’s a pity that Prince Li is weak, and he doesn’t hold much actual power. He’s just a leisure prince in name, so it might not be that good either.”

　　“So what if that is the case? It’ll be one’s lifetime of blessings to be able to see that face every day. How can they expect so much? The Crown Prince used to be pretty authoritative, but now…”

　　“Sh! How dare you say that? Do you not want your life anymore?”

　　Bang!

　　The sound of something shattering came from the study.

　　The palace maids in the dark were frightened, and they immediately dispersed like birds in the sky.

　　Rong Xiu looked up slightly, but his deep eyes were not affected at all.

　　A person staggered out of the study with a pale look. “Your Majesty, calm down! Your Majesty, calm down! I’ll take my leave!”

　　This unkempt person was the Chu family’s First Elder—Chu Xiao. He wiped away the cold sweat on his head, looking very weary. Originally, he came to meet the Emperor to speak in the Crown Prince’s favor. However, he did not expect to anger the Emperor once he mentioned the Crown Prince; he was even directly kicked out of the palace.

　　He then realized that the Crown Prince had thoroughly offended His Majesty.

　　I’m really stupid for coming here so suddenly! Chu Xiao heavily sighed. Too many things have happened lately, and even my brain is clouded now.

　　Desperate times called for desperate measures. However, this made Chu Xiao’s and the Crown Prince’s situations even more perilous.

　　Eunuch Min followed Chu Xiao out and glanced at him. “Officer Chu Xiao, you shouldn’t come to the palace for this period of time.”

　　Chu Xiao was hesitant with his words but could only agree in the end. “Thank you, Eunuch Min.”

　　Eunuch Min despised Chu Xiao in his heart. Chu Xiao is old and foolish. Chu Ning is highly favored at this point, and he is very unhappy with the Chu family. However, Chu Xiao just had to choose to come to the palace and speak in the Crown Prince’s favor at this time. This is akin to dragging the entire Chu family down.

　　Eunuch Min was too lazy to care about Chu Xiao. Instead, he looked up at Rong Xiu, who was standing nearby.

　　Eunuch Min immediately put on an enthusiastic smile on his face as he walked towards Rong Xiu. “Prince Li, you’re finally here! His Majesty keeps talking about you these days.”

　　Rong Xiu leisurely smiled and lightly said, “My body hasn’t been feeling very well the past few days. But, I came to see Father once I felt better.”

　　“Hurry up and…”

　　The Emperor was fuming at this moment. If it were anyone else, Eunuch Min would not dare to invite the person into the Imperial Study, but Prince Li was different.

　　When Chu Xiao heard this, he could not help but look up and stare at Prince Li, who rarely showed his face.

　　Rong Xiu calmly looked at Chu Xiao and nodded. Then, he extended his long legs and walked towards the Imperial Study.

　　Chu Xiao could not help but follow him, yet he was quickly chased away by Eunuch Min.

　　Once Rong Xiu entered the Imperial Study, he saw the shattered cup pieces all over the floor.

　　Emperor Jiawen looked furious.

　　Rong Xiu smiled slightly and asked, “Father, what made you so angry?”

　　“It’s not worth mentioning!” When Emperor Jiawen saw Rong Xiu, his facial expression warmed up. “Are you feeling better these days?”

　　“Thank you for your concern, Father. I’ve been feeling much better, and I can walk around outside now.”

　　Emperor Jiawen heaved a sigh of relief but still knitted his brows. “This can’t continue… When I have the chance, I’ll definitely find a capable heavenly doctor to check on you.”

　　Rong Xiu laughed, looking nonchalant as he said, “My body has always been like this, and I’m already used to it. Father, you don’t have to worry about me too much.”

　　“How can I not worry? You’re my… You lost your mother at a young age, and you have lived in Mingyue Tianshan—which is far away from the Imperial City—since you were a small kid. It’s been so many years, and I really owe you a lot.”

　　Rong Xiu looked down slightly. “Father, you’re being too hard on yourself. I understand your kind intentions.”

　　Emperor Jiawen looked at Rong Xiu for quite some time before shaking his head and sighing. “You have always been the most mature one, unlike that useless… Forget it; you don’t like these things, so I shall not talk to you about them. I asked you to come here to ask you something. You’ve been back in the Imperial City for quite some time already; have you seen any girls that you like?”

　　Rong Xiu was taken aback. “Father, you’re…”

　　Emperor Jiawen burst into laughter. “You’re already a prince, yet you don’t have anyone to serve you. Building a family and having a successful career naturally starts with having a family. After that, you can work hard on your career. I have already prepared the portraits of many suitable elegant women. Come and choose one of them, and we’ll settle on a date for your marriage.”