Chapter 41: Knockout Drug

Chapter 41: The Knockout Drug

Liu Qingci thanked him, clutched the books and medicine bottle, and walked out of Lanyue Pavilion.

"Host..." Xiao K appeared quietly, "That look in your eyes... seems a bit reluctant, huh (￢_￢)"

Liu Qingci had already walked more than ten meters away from the gate, but Xiao Yan was still standing at the entrance, staring after him with a wistful look.

No wonder Xiao K felt that way.

Xiao Yan withdrew his gaze, let out a melodious sigh, and surprisingly did not deny it.

He looked at the corner of the corridor where Liu Qingci had disappeared, with a vague, inexplicable melancholy:

"The next time we meet, we might be at each other's throats. Really makes you think, huh."

Days like this, sitting together in peace reading and playing chess, will never happen again.

"Actually, Liu Qingci didn't touch the secret compartment in the study, and there was nothing hidden in those books," Xiao K suddenly said.

Xiao Yan arched an eyebrow, showing a hint of surprise: "Why?"

He had clearly created such a good opportunity for Liu Qingci, yet he didn't take it. The next time he'd be allowed into the study, who knew when that would be.

Xiao K: "I don't know either. Besides, the plot wasn't supposed to move this fast. At this point, Liu Qingci hasn't obtained the evidence yet, which is why Xiao Jing wanted him to stay at the Prince of Yu's Mansion. Host, if you want to help Liu Qingci out, this isn't how to do it!"

The original Liu Qingci never had such a good chance to approach the study; he couldn't even move freely.

"Well, regardless, he'll soon meet Xiao Jing again," Xiao Yan sighed again. "When that happens, I'll become his enemy, a pure villain."

Xiao K muttered weakly, "You were always the villain..."

——

Tingzhu Court.

The night was deep.

Liu Qingci lay on the new, soft bed, with brocade bedding beneath him and a light, warm silk quilt over him.

The Tingzhu Court, which Xiao Yan had ordered renovated, was now completely transformed, spotless and bright, with elegant furnishings and a blazing charcoal fire.

The environment was far more comfortable than before, even rivaling Lanyue Pavilion.

But Liu Qingci couldn't fall asleep.

Though he had only stayed at Lanyue Pavilion for three short days, playing chess with Xiao Yan every night seemed to have become a habit.

He could still faintly smell that unique scent of greenery from Lanyue Pavilion, faint and elusive.

Completely different from the heavy sandalwood or ambergris incense commonly used by other royalty.

The scent Xiao Yan liked was clean and crisp, like a bamboo forest after rain, or pine needles covered with thin frost on an early winter morning.

Without any hint of sweetness or heaviness, instead giving off a chill.

But strangely, when this scent lingered on Xiao Yan, that hint of aloof coolness dissolved, becoming a quality of his own calm but slightly aggressive nature.

Liu Qingci couldn't tell which aspect of Xiao Yan this scent captured.

Was it like the dust and sunlight on him when he returned from horseback riding?

Or the focus and sharpness in his eyes when he was learning chess, which didn't fit the rumors about him?

It was just like Xiao Yan himself, full of contradictions and puzzles.

Liu Qingci closed his eyes, forcing himself to empty his mind and stop thinking.

He silently recited poems that had once helped him sleep, trying to fall asleep.

His consciousness grew hazy and began to fade.

Suddenly, an intense wave of dizziness washed over him.

The world spun, and the strength drained from his limbs.

Knockout drug!

The thought flashed through his mind, horrifying Liu Qingci.

But he was powerless to react, unable to even move his fingertips.

He only had time to hear a faint noise before slipping into unconsciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, he struggled back to consciousness amid violent jolts and noise.

His eyelids were heavy as lead; he managed to pry them open a crack.

He saw the swaying ceiling of a carriage; beneath him was a narrow compartment with thick blankets.

The carriage was speeding along, the clatter of wheels on cobblestones clearly audible in the dead of night.

Liu Qingci realized he had been kidnapped from the Prince of Yu's Mansion.

Liu Qingci propped his weak body against the carriage wall.

Just as he was wondering who it could be, a hand lifted the brocade curtain from outside.

A figure slipped in.

The light inside the carriage was dim, but the figure was familiar enough that Liu Qingci quickly recognized him.

"Xiao Jing?" His voice came out weak and hoarse, just woken up.

"Qingci," Xiao Jing spoke, his voice still gentle, "You're awake. Any discomfort left?"

Standing in the swaying shadows of the carriage, he looked inscrutable, his gaze fixed on Liu Qingci.

"What do you want?" Liu Qingci ignored his question and asked, "Where are we going?"

Xiao Jing crouched before Liu Qingci, his lips curved in his usual faint smile, and said soothingly, "Don't worry. We're just going somewhere more convenient to talk."

Liu Qingci's face remained impassive; he simply stared at him.

Xiao Jing kept his smile, his tone full of concern:

"I went to see you at the Prince of Yu's Mansion, but couldn't find you. I was really worried, so I had to do this."

Seeing that Liu Qingci was silent, Xiao Jing frowned and raised his hand to touch Liu Qingci's forehead: "But are you feeling unwell..."

"Did you plant people in Prince Yu's residence?" Liu Qingci interrupted him.

He turned his head slightly, avoiding Xiao Jing's hand.

Xiao Jing didn't feel embarrassed; he calmly withdrew his hand and frankly admitted,

"Yes."

If not for this, how could he have taken Liu Qingci out so easily?

Xiao Jing said in a deep voice: "The relationship between Xiao Yan and me is already irreconcilable. He has the Emperor's favor. If I don't scheme for myself..."

"How you scheme has nothing to do with me." Liu Qingci interrupted him again.

Xiao Jing's birth mother was merely a humble palace maid who, by chance, received the emperor's favor and died shortly after giving birth to him.

He had no illustrious maternal family to rely on; everything he now possesses was earned step by step, through scheming, as if walking on thin ice.

And now Liu Qingci's attitude seemed to disapprove of his actions.

At that moment, Xiao Jing completely overlooked one thing.

He could now take Liu Qingci out of Prince Yu's residence unscathed, yet when they met at Tingzhu Court, he had repeatedly insisted he would think of another way...

He still believed Liu Qingci simply disapproved of his methods, and he tried to continue defending himself: "Qingci, I only did all this because I was worried about you."

"Why did you bring me out?" Liu Qingci, having understood the current situation, asked directly, "When are you sending me back?"