It sounded like Chu Jiu had the flu.
Lu Liangwei gave this some consideration before putting on her dress and stepping onto the ground.
Her feet landed on the floor and it felt like she was stepping on cotton; everything felt soft.
Lu Liangwei massaged her feet. This was the result of overexertion from last night.
This frustrated her slightly and all she could do was sit back on the bed.
Chu Jiu asked from outside, “Can I come in?”
“Yes, come on in,” Lu Liangwei replied.
Chu Jiu pushed the door open when she heard this and carried in water for Lu Liangwei to wash her face.
Lu Liangwei sized up Chu Jiu and noticed Chu Jiu was not looking well. Her nose was a little red. Lu Liangwei frowned. “Did you catch a cold last night?”
Chu Jiu placed the basin of water down. It was a little embarrassing to talk about last night, which was why she looked awkward. However, she did not hide it from Lu Liangwei. “I was drinking on the rooftop with Long Xuan last night and I fell asleep. I woke up this way in the morning.”
Lu Liangwei was a little surprised. “You and Long Xuan?”
“Yes.” Chu Jiu looked at Lu Liangwei without anything to hide.
Lu Liangwei was silent. Alright, she must have the wrong idea about this.
“Were you drunk?”
Chu Jiu passed the towel, which had been squeezed dry, over to her.
Lu Liangwei took it and wiped her face. “Long Xuan really isn’t chivalrous at all. He invited you for a drink, but left you there to suffer a night of cold wind on the rooftop. Now you’ve ended up with a cold. I’ll be sure to talk to him about this.”
Chu Jiu was about to say something when she felt an itch on her nose. She quickly covered her nose and ran out.
Lu Liangwei heard Chu Jiu sneeze quite a number of times outside.
She sat for a while and slowly walked out when her feet did not ache as much.
Lu Liangwei checked Chu Jiu’s pulse and gave her a prescription for a cold. She later sent Chu Jiu out to get the medicine for it.
Chu Jiu felt that it was only a minor cold and there was no need to take any medicine, but Lu Liangwei insisted on it.
There was no way to talk Lu Liangwei out of it and Chu Jiu had no choice but to listen to her.
“By the way, where did His Majesty go?” Lu Liangwei asked.
“His Majesty went to the Palace early this morning,” replied Chu Jiu.
“Oh.” Lu Liangwei nodded.
His Majesty was here as part of the envoy to the Yan Kingdom. It was only natural that he went to the Palace.
It was because of this arrival that the palace cavalry outside the coaching inn had left. They were now able to move about freely.
Long Yang returned close to noon.
When he came back, there were two others behind him.
“Sister Emp— Big Sis!” A young boy following Long Yang ran toward Lu Liangwei the moment he saw her.
He had wanted to call her ‘Sister Empress’, but he suddenly remembered that he was no longer at Great Shang, so he changed his words mid-sentence.
Lu Liangwei reached out to hold his hand. She looked at him in astonishment. “Youyou, why are you here too?” She looked at the old beggar after saying this. “Senior?”
“His Majesty brought us here,” Youyou said quietly by her side.
The old beggar came over as well with a smile. “It’s wonderful that you’re safe, Your Highness.”
Lu Liangwei forced back her astonishment. She was really happy to see familiar faces in a foreign country.
“Thank you for your worry, Senior,” she said with a smile.
Long Yang came over and held her hand.
Lu Liangwei gave him a questioning look.
Long Yang knew what she wanted to ask, so he summarized the situation. “Well, I brought them along for this trip to the Yan Kingdom. I came here before them, though. They only arrived at the capital city today.”
Lu Liangwei immediately realized what happened when she heard this.
His Majesty had traveled day and night without rest in order to arrive here as soon as possible.
She held in her touched emotions and rubbed Youyou on his head as she said, “It’s time to eat. The kitchen has prepared our meal. Let’s eat and have a chat.”
Everyone moved to the dining hall.
While having their meal, Lu Liangwei learned the reason Long Yang brought the old beggar and Youyou over to the Yan Kingdom.
Unexpectedly, Youyou was the legitimate royal heir to the Yan Kingdom. If not for an incident, the one on the throne right now would be him.
Lu Liangwei began to look at Youyou differently.
She had never thought that a child she had helped along the way had such a noble identity.
