Dugu Jingyao is reborn as Li Chu's beloved

Chapter 578 Li Chu Awakens

Li Xi left Xiaoxiang Pavilion, and not long after, Consort Du also left.

Back in the Purple Orchid Palace, Yu'er asked, "Master, what did His Highness Prince Zhao say?"

Consort Du sat down, took a sip of water, and said, "I think he listened. His alliance with Lord Xiao will provide an extra layer of protection for our plan."

Although Yu'er didn't know why Du Jieyu seemed so confident, Du Jieyu's plans had all come to fruition so far, so she didn't ask any further questions.

Upon entering Lingxiao Palace, Li Xi saw Gu Shiyi dressed in plain clothes, sobbing as she offered incense to Empress Shude.

Although Li Xi never really liked Gu Shiyi, he always gave her face in front of outsiders.

After Gu Shiyi finished offering incense, he took a deep breath and helped her up. Upon seeing it was Li Xi, Gu Shiyi quickly said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Li Xi simply said "No thanks," and the two knelt to the side. Two rows of eunuchs and maids knelt behind them. The hall fell silent for a moment, broken only by the occasional soft sobs of Gu Shiyi and her maids.

About two hours later, it was time for lunch, and Granny Gao ordered someone to prepare lunch for Li Xi and Gu Shiyi.

After lunch was prepared, Granny Gao bowed softly to Li Xi and Gu Shiyi and said, "Your Highness, Your Highness, lunch is ready. Please move to the side hall to dine."

Gu Shiyi was about to get up, but Li Xi wanted to spend more time with Empress Shude. It took a lot of persuasion from Granny Gao to convince Li Xi to have his meal, which put Gu Shiyi at ease.

Li Xi was alright, but Gu Shiyi's knees were a little sore from kneeling. Seeing her like this, and knowing that she was observing mourning for his mother, Li Xi helped her up and led her towards the side hall.

Gu Shiyi thought that Gu Shiyi was keeping vigil for Empress Shude, and Li Xi felt a little sorry for her. But as soon as they stepped into the side hall, Li Xi let go of her hand. Fortunately, Xiu'er, who was beside her, was quick to catch Gu Shiyi, otherwise she would have fallen to the ground.

However, since Li Xi's mother had just passed away, Gu Shiyi didn't dwell on it and slowly walked over to sit down. The two then ate in silence.

However, Li Xi lost his appetite after only a few bites. After finishing his meal, he said to Gu Shiyi, "If your knees hurt from kneeling, ask Steward Wang for a bottle of wound medicine when you get back to the manor. It's very effective at reducing swelling and bruising." Then he added, "Eat slowly. I'm going to the main hall now."

Gu Shiyi asked with a hint of concern, "Your Highness, will you not use any more? Otherwise, your body won't be able to handle it."

Li Xi shook his head and said, "I don't have much of an appetite." Then he got up and went out.

Seeing Li Xi leave, although Li Xi told her to eat slowly, she didn't dare to really dawdle. She ate a few more bites and then went to the main hall.

By the end of the day, Gu Shiyi truly felt like her knees didn't belong to her anymore. Just as she was about to return home, she discovered that Li Xi had no intention of leaving. She had no choice but to resign herself to kneeling back down.

Li Xi replied, "You should go back first. I will stay in the palace tonight."

Gu Shiyi was somewhat shocked, but she quickly calmed down and said, "Your Highness, I know you are sad, but you must take care of your health. Otherwise, the Empress Dowager in heaven would not want to see you so depressed."

Li Xi added, "Don't worry, I will take good care of myself. Yu'er is still at the manor. You go back first. When you go to the palace again tomorrow, bring me some clothes to change into. After the Empress Dowager is buried in the imperial mausoleum, I will return to the manor. Moreover, since the Empress Dowager passed away suddenly and the Emperor is unwell, he will not hold court in the mornings for the next few days, so I won't be too tired."

With Li Xi saying this, Gu Shiyi had no choice but to give up. Xiuer helped Gu Shiyi up and slowly moved her out of the main hall.

In the evening, Li Xi had some dinner and then returned to the main hall. However, he sent everyone away and spent some time alone with Empress Shude before returning to the side hall to rest.

The next morning, Li Chu woke up as planned. Dugu Jingyao pretended to be very excited and walked quickly to Chenxiang Pavilion, startling Shi Jian, who was afraid that something might have happened to Dugu Jingyao.

Early in the morning, Li Tan, Li Ruo and her brother, Dugu Jingyao, Murong Linzhi and Physician He, who had been staying at the mansion for the past two days, all gathered in Li Chu's bedroom.

After Murong Linzhi and Physician He confirmed that Li Chu's nightmare had been cured and the toxins in his body had disappeared, he only needed to rest for another half month to be back to normal.

Although everyone in the room, except for Physician He, knew that Li Chu had already woken up, they all pretended to be very excited. Dugu Jingyao even had tears in her eyes, whether she was getting into character or was emotionally unstable due to pregnancy, it was hard to tell.

Besides them, Li Chu was equally excited and worried. After all, he didn't know Dugu Jingyao was pregnant when he was unconscious, and he had to appear surprised and delighted.

Li Chu also asked Murong Linzhi to take Dugu Jingyao's pulse to confirm whether Dugu Jingyao and the child were safe. Upon hearing the news that the mother and child were safe, Li Chu was as happy as a child.

Seeing that the two seemed to have a lot to say, everyone refrained from disturbing them further.

Li Chu reached out and wiped away the tears from Dugu Jingyao's eyes, saying, "Silly girl, we're just acting. You don't need to push yourself so hard. I've heard everything. You've been traveling so fast; aren't you afraid of something going wrong?"

Dugu Jingyao feigned anger and said, "Hmph! I did this to cooperate with your act, to make others believe you just woke up! Otherwise, why would I be in such a hurry?"

Li Chu quickly admitted his mistake, saying, "Okay, okay, it's all my fault, A Yao, don't be angry."

Seeing that Li Chu's attitude in admitting his mistake was good, Dugu Jingyao said, "Given that Donglang's attitude in admitting his mistake is good, I will not hold it against you. However, given the efficiency of Feng Shengyi and the others, I estimate that the ones from the backyard will arrive soon."

Just as Dugu Jingyao said, with the combined efforts of Feng Shengyi, Shijian and the others, the news of Li Chu's awakening spread throughout the palace in less than half an hour.

Li Wanqing was alright, since she had already sensed something was wrong, so she calmly instructed Cuizhu: "Cuizhu, go and have someone keep an eye on the movements of Linglong Pavilion and Lüting Pavilion, especially Lüting Pavilion. If they set off, I will pretend to run into Zheng Wan and we will go together."

Cui Zhu agreed and then left.

Of all the courtyards, Linglong Pavilion was naturally the first to receive the news, as it was the closest to Chenxiang Pavilion, except for Wangyue Pavilion.

However, Cui Caiping is no longer so obsessed with Li Chu, and she often takes the children to visit Wangyuexuan, unlike at the beginning when she was so impulsive.

Mo Xin and Lian Xin both thought that Cui Caiping would hurry up and dress up to visit Chenxiang Pavilion, but to their surprise, she calmly held Li Yun and teased her while saying, "No rush, the prince has just woken up and probably has a lot to talk about with the princess. Let's wait and go. Don't you think so, Yun'er?"

Li Yun wasn't good with words, she just smiled and shook her head, she was incredibly cute.

Green Pavilion. Zheng Wan was sunbathing in the courtyard when Bai Lu ran in, panting.

Zheng Wan asked, "Bai Lu, what's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Bai Lu steadied her breathing slightly and said, "He's awake! Your Highness is awake!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Wan stood up excitedly. However, Zheng Wan was now seven months pregnant and her belly was quite large. This action startled Bai Lu and Mang Zhong.

The person nearby, Mangzhong, quickly stepped forward to help her, saying, "Madam, slow down, take care of yourself!"

Zheng Wan gave Mangzhong a reassuring look and said, "Don't worry, I'm pregnant, not disabled, it's not that serious."

Then he looked at Bailu and asked, "Really?"

Bai Lu nodded vigorously: "It's true. I heard that the Princess Consort rushed over early this morning. Miss Murong and the royal physician also went there. When they came out, they were all beaming with joy."

Zheng Wan said, "Amitabha, the prince has finally woken up. Come, help me do my makeup a little. It doesn't have to be too elaborate, just... a fake no-makeup look! It will make it seem like I rushed over as soon as I heard the news of the prince's awakening, and didn't even have time to do my makeup."

It should be White Dew and Grain in Ear, so he went in to help Zheng Wan get dressed.

About 15 minutes later, Li Wanqing received a message from Zheng Wan that she was going to Chenxiang Pavilion. She did the same, without dressing up specially, and left Biluo Courtyard.

Sure enough, he ran into Zheng Wan as soon as he stepped out.

Zheng Wan was about to bow to Li Wanqing when Li Wanqing said, "Sister Zheng, there's no need for such formalities. Are you also going to Chenxiang Pavilion?"

Zheng Wan smiled and said, "That's right, is Sister Li the same?"

Li Wanqing nodded slightly, and Zheng Wan said, "Then let's go together!"

Li Wanqing said, "That's exactly what I was thinking too."

However, both of them were pregnant, so they walked slower, and they were also quite a distance from Chenxiang Pavilion, so they were still a step behind Cui Caiping.

When they arrived, Cui Caiping was already in the bedroom with Li Yun, and Li Shi, Li Ying, and Li Yun were playing. Li Chu, Dugu Jingyao, and Cui Caiping were watching the children play with smiles. For some reason, the scene was exceptionally harmonious.