Chu Yu could not take her eyes off Rong Zhi as soon as she saw him. It was not about how handsome he looked at that moment, but the attraction was mainly because he dressed in his own style.
He lay on the limestone platform while his back leaned against a parasol tree. There were four layers of blankets underneath him and covering the top of him. The layers of blankets made him look like a slender, cool, beautiful man curled up like a ball. Chu Yu tried very hard not to count exactly how many layers there were on him.
Chu Yu had once read a children's fairy tale when she was young. It was about a prince looking for a real princess to make her his wife. He had handpicked many princesses, but he could not make up his mind. Eventually, on a rainy day, he met a lady who came to the castle for a night's stay. The lady called herself a real princess. To test the truth, the queen then prepared a bed for the lady on her own. She placed a pea on the bed frame with 20 layers of mattresses and 20 layers of duvets on top of it. On the second day, they asked the princess if she had a good night's sleep. The princess said that she almost did not sleep at all and felt as if there was something hard underneath her body, causing bruises all over her. Due to her extremely delicate skin, the lady was declared a real princess.
Chu Yu was eager to place some sort of bean under the blankets Rong Zhi was lying on at that instant. Although he looked rather funny since he was as round as a ball, he looked like a precious and fragile piece of art wrapped in luxurious silk for protection since his face was so pale that it looked semi-transparent while his eyes were dark.
Rong Zhi peered at himself after noticing Chu Yu's surprised expression and said helplessly with a smile, "I wanted to get some fresh air out here, but Cuo insisted on doing this to me. Please forgive my silliness, Princess."
His expression was calm and relaxed as if whatever happened was just an illusion. Chu Yu played along and said while smiling lightly, "He's doing this for your own good. You can't catch a cold now with your condition, but…I hope you're not pressuring your wounds with such thick blankets, are you?" Naturally, she would not forget what happened yesterday. However, since she had yet to figure out Rong Zhi's objective and it was not the time for him to snap at her, playing along was fine.
At that moment, Chu Yu recalled that she had never seen the sickly swordsman, Hua Cuo. She turned her head immediately to look at the direction of the red silhouette. She thought she would see a skinny, pale man, but all she saw was bright crimson like a burning fire.
Hua Cuo was not considered good-looking as his features looked ordinary on their own. However, there was a different sense of arrogance when his features were put together which made him appear magical. His carmine red clothes made him look over the top. His lips were pale, but they were arched in pride. The curve on his lips was as sharp as the tip of a sword as if it could hurt someone. Chu Yu could not tell that he was a person who relied on expensive herbs and medicine to live at all.
He looked around 23 or 24 years old. He held a sword in his hand which looked slightly narrow and thin compared to an ordinary sword. It also had a slightly red hue. She was not sure if it was reflecting the red clothes off him or if the sword truly had such a color of its own.
Seeing that Chu Yu stood where she was, Hua Cuo laughed arrogantly. "Your Highness, I hope you'll control your dog. Don't let him bite as he wishes. It'd be too bad if someone killed him by accident."
It was obvious that he was condemning someone else while looking at Chu Yu. He was so close to pointing at Yue Jiefei's nose when he scorned him. Facing such humiliation, naturally, Yue Jiefei did not have to tolerate it as it was. He pulled out his sword and sped towards Hua Cuo rapidly.
Hua Cuo was just waiting for Yue Jiefei to initiate the fight. He scoffed and defended Yue Jiefei's attack with a slight flick of his wrist. The duo did not stop as soon as the attack began. Instead, they fought intensely. The longer they fought, the further away they got. They almost forgot that Chu Yu and Rong Zhi were just there.
Chu Yu could not really see their movements. However, since Rong Zhi could not care less and was not even looking at them, she thought she should not worry for now. Yesterday, she heard from Liu Sang that Hua Cuo would be defeated if they were to fight because he had limited strength, so he could not fight for long. Now would be the chance to find out if the judgment was accurate or not.
Even if she wanted to stop them, she would have to see who was winning as the fight went on. Hua Cuo was mean whereas Yue Jiefei had a hot temper. It was great to teach them a lesson.
Noticing that Rong Zhi was just watching them, Chu Yu put the tray in her hand down on the side of the limestone platform and lifted the lid of the porcelain cup. She said, "I brought you some herbal congee. Have it while it's still warm."
Rong Zhi was stunned and subsequently showed a faint smile. "Thank you, Princess." He got up and extended his hand that was not wounded slowly. He then picked up the spoon on the tray and put it into his mouth slowly after scooping half a spoon gently.
His hand stopped abruptly when he was halfway eating. Chu Yu, who had been observing him attentively, asked instantly, "What? Is there something wrong?"
"No," Rong Zhi pursed his lips and said while smiling faintly, "It's delicious. Thank you, Princess, for the effort."
Chu Yu was relieved. It was great that there was no problem. Her instincts had told her that there might be poison in the congee.
Rong Zhi finished the herbal congee slowly as she watched. He looked gentle and harmless when he was smiling silently. Chu Yu secretly sighed as she observed him. 'Wouldn't it be great if Rong Zhi is really as harmless as he looks?'
If that was the case, that was not the real Rong Zhi.
After finishing the herbal congee, the battle between the two of them was coming to an end. Hua Cuo's cheeks were flushing, causing his features to look arrogantly beautiful. Meanwhile, the fierce stance that he took was now fading away.
It was a mess in the garden around them. The green bamboos and parasol trees were either torn up or broken. Peace no longer existed there.
Just when Chu Yu was thinking about how to stop them, Rong Zhi was ahead of her. He did not even look at the duo and said calmly after putting down the spoon, "Are the both of you trying to destroy my garden?" After saying that, his voice became deeper. "Yue Jiefei, let it go after you're done releasing your rage for Hua Cuo's offensive words. Don't push it."
Almost instantly, the duo stopped at the same time. Hua Cuo clutched his chest with one hand while panting with his head down. Although Yue Jiefei looked reluctant, something seemed to be bothering him and suppressing his impulse.
Chu Yu picked up the tray and said to Rong Zhi, "Since you're not feeling well, I'll get Huan Yuan to handle the errands for me for the next few days."
Rong Zhi said graciously, "Sure." His expression was calm and peaceful as if he had seen everything in the world. He had no reaction towards Chu Yu's suggestion to lighten his burden which was actually giving his power away.
Chu Yu sighed softly. "Please rest well." She might not have her guard so high up if Rong Zhi was clearer about his objective and not as enigmatic as he was. She had been thinking about whether what she did was right. Although her plan was clever, she felt a little guilty when she really carried it out.
"If you like this herbal congee, I'll get them to make it for you everyday."
Surprisingly, Rong Zhi revealed a puzzled expression upon hearing what she said. He said slowly, "Princess, do you know what this herbal congee does?"
'Isn't this something nourishing?' Chu Yu thought to herself while listening to him speak slowly, "Apart from nourishing the qi and blood, some of the herbs in the congee are good for the kidneys."
To be exact, he meant boosting the libido.