Snowy night.
The snow fell heavily, and the main hall was covered with a thick layer of snow, which reached up to my ankles when I stepped on it.
There was a brazier burning inside the hall, which was in sharp contrast to the ice and snow outside.
The thin young man was lying on the couch, pursed his lips stubbornly.
"Ruier, drink it."
Queen Mother Feng sighed.
Seeing that the young man was still unmoved, his voice slowly turned cold: "In that case, I can only drink it down. Someone come."
Two strong nuns stepped forward and forcibly helped Chu Rui up from the couch.
"No, I won't drink it." Chu Rui gritted his teeth, "This is human blood, a human life. I won't drink it. I would rather die!"
"You...!" The Queen Mother's face darkened, "You disappoint me so much!"
After saying this, she took action herself, grabbed Chu Rui's chin, and drank a bowl of black and red blood.
"vomit--"
Chu Rui lay on the bedside and wanted to vomit out all his internal organs.
"Gag his mouth and stop him from vomiting!"
The Queen Mother's voice was extremely gloomy.
At this moment, a young girl ran in from outside the palace, knelt beside the couch, and begged: "Queen Mother, let me do it. I will persuade Rui'er. He listens to me, the eldest sister, the most..."
The Queen Mother stood up coldly, fluttered her sleeves and walked away.
The nuns and palace attendants in the palace retreated knowingly.
"Rui'er, why do you need it? Why bother?" Chu Zhixia wiped the blood from Chu Rui's lips with a handkerchief, "You have been drinking this blood since you were a child. After so many years, you should be used to it."
"But, I didn't know it was heart blood!" Chu Rui burst into tears. "The Queen Mother told me that this is a medicine mixed with the heart blood of various animals. That's why I was willing to drink it for so many years..."
Three days ago, he accidentally broke into the underground secret room of Kangning Palace and realized that what he drank was the girl's blood.
So many cardamom girls, many of whom were about the same age as him, were kidnapped and used as introductions to his medicine.
How could he let those flower-like girls die for him with his broken body and someone who had already died long ago...
He swore in his heart that he would never take medicine again, and he would rather die like this.
"Do you know how much sin the Queen Mother has to bear in order to find blood for you? The Queen Mother is also doing it for your own good." Chu Zhixia took off a purse from her waist, opened it and took out a small porcelain bottle, and said softly, "I know you don't I am willing to drink human blood, so I found a little thing and let it drink on your behalf."
Chu Rui looked curiously and saw two black bugs crawling out of the small porcelain bottle. The bugs were very small, smaller than a rice grain.
"These are Gu worms, they live on human blood." A smile appeared on Chu Zhixia's face, "If you eat these two worms, the blood you drink in the future will actually be them. In this way, you shouldn't Are you conflicting?"
"Sister, you still don't understand." Chu Rui was silent for a long time, "I don't drink my heart's blood because I don't want to add more killings and sins. If people are still going to die, what's the difference between me drinking it and Gu insects drinking it?"
He reached into his throat and spit out all the blood medicine in the bowl he had just swallowed.
Chu Zhixia put away the two little bugs and said softly: "I'll put these two little things here with you first. Eat them when you think about it someday. If you can raise big bugs, they will become your biggest bugs in the future." Trump’s trump card, okay, it’s getting late, go to sleep.”
The snow fell for a while and then stopped.
Chu Rui couldn't sleep, so he put on some clothes, walked to the door of the hall and sat down, quietly enjoying the snow.
The palace officials came to persuade me several times, but they couldn't be persuaded, so they had no choice but to give up.
At dawn, the day begins. For Chu Rui, there is not much difference between day and night. After all, he lies down to recuperate.
Growing up, he was physically weak, always taking medicine and acupuncture, and lying around day and night. He always thought, why didn't people like him die early? What's the point of living...
"Your Highness." The palace maid walked in and whispered, "Today is New Year's Eve. The emperor's father-in-law came to ask if His Highness can attend the New Year's Eve banquet?"
Chu Rui shook his head: "I won't go."
Over the years, he rarely went to crowded places because his health did not allow it.
"Rui'er, go ahead." Chu Zhixia walked in and said with a smile on her face, "I stay in the palace every day, and I'm not afraid of getting bored. You go with the eldest sister."
Chu Rui was a little surprised.
Since the death of her father and mother, the eldest sister has never attended any palace banquets.
Because, every time she looks at the person sitting on the dragon throne, the eldest sister will think of her father. That position should have belonged to their father.
He couldn't help but say: "Eldest sister?"
Chu Zhixia's cheeks suddenly turned red.
Chu Rui suddenly understood: "Brother Lu, have you returned to Beijing?"
"Yes." Chu Zhixia whispered, "Uncle Lu was transferred back to the capital, and he has also returned to the capital. I have inquired that he will attend the palace banquet tonight."
"Great." Chu Rui also became happy, "Brother Lu and the eldest sister have a marriage contract, and they will propose marriage at the palace banquet. It's great. The eldest sister can finally leave this cold palace."
Chu Zhixia's original smile was filled with shame, but then she felt sad: "If I leave, Rui'er, what will you do?"
"Eldest sister, have you forgotten? I am Prince Zhuang." Chu Rui said with a smile, "I want to leave the palace and can leave at any time... The eldest sister's outfit is too plain. Let me dress up for the eldest sister."
He suddenly became energetic and followed Chu Zhixia to her boudoir, picked out a set of crimson clothes for her, and redressed her...
Not long after, in the evening, the two siblings followed Queen Mother Feng to the main hall where the banquet was held.
At this palace banquet, court officials of third rank or above were allowed to bring their family members to attend. Many people came, and the palace was very lively.
Chu Rui saw Brother Lu, Lu Hao, standing in the crowd at a glance.
Mr. Lu Jialu served as the governor of Jiangnan a few years ago. He was transferred to the capital a few months ago. Now he is a high-ranking official favored by the emperor.
Lu Hao, the eldest son of the Lu family, is twenty-two years old this year. He is handsome and has naturally become the future son-in-law of the ladies in the capital. At this moment, many people were talking around Lu Hao.
But some ladies knew what happened more than ten years ago and whispered: "At that time, the late prince made a marriage contract between Master Lu and his eldest daughter."
"The eldest daughter of the late Crown Prince? Princess Fukang? I haven't heard about this princess for many years. I almost forgot about this person."
"Princess Fukang and Prince Zhuang both live in the palace. It's true that I haven't heard anything about these two people for a long time. I wonder if the marriage that year still counts?"
"The Lu family is on the rise. Young Master Lu is only twenty-two years old and is already a fifth-rank official in the court. He has a bright future, but as Princess Fukang..."
Although she has the status of a princess, she is the eldest daughter of the late crown prince. Her birth was really embarrassing and could easily arouse the emperor's suspicion. Therefore, Princess Fukang was not a good match for the distinguished nobles present who came from a good family background.
