Shocking! The actress was dragged to the regent's bedchamber every night.

The old prince quickly took half a step back, "Regent, please."

Yu Chen stopped looking at him, lifted the curtain, and went inside.

The tent was filled with the strong smell of medicine, which, mixed with incense, made it feel somewhat stuffy.

Yu Linxi leaned against the soft couch, his face as pale as paper, with bandages wrapped around his shoulders.

He had his eyes closed and his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was sleeping restlessly.

The imperial physician and several eunuchs stood guard by the bedside, all bowing their heads and holding their breath, not daring to utter a sound.

Hearing footsteps, Yu Linxi slowly opened his eyes.

Those still-childish eyes looked at Yu Chen, and she weakly called out, "...Royal Uncle."

Her voice was weak, trembling with the pain of surviving a disaster, and she was indeed quite pitiful.

Yu Chen stopped three steps away from the bed and did not approach any closer.

His gaze swept over the wound on Yu Linxi's shoulder, then returned to that childlike face.

He then showed just the right amount of concern, "How is Your Majesty's injury?"

An elderly female doctor standing nearby quickly bowed and replied.

"Reporting to the Regent, Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune. Although the arrow wound was dangerous, it did not damage your vital organs. However, you have lost a lot of blood and were frightened. You need to take good care of yourself for a period of time and avoid worrying and overworking yourself."

Yu Chen nodded, his gaze returning to Yu Linxi's face.

His tone softened, "In that case, Your Majesty, please rest assured and recuperate. I will handle the matters at the hunting grounds, and as for the affairs of the court..."

He paused for a moment, then continued.

"Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance, so there is no need to worry about this matter during this period. I and all the officials will take care of it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tent fell silent.

The color drained even more from Yu Linxi's pale face.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he met Yu Chen's unfathomable eyes, he couldn't utter a single word.

There was no anger or questioning in those eyes.

Only indifference that controls everything.

"Imperial Uncle...I..." Yu Linxi tried hard to squeeze out a bit of imperial majesty, but his voice trembled violently.

"Your Majesty need not say more," Yu Chen interrupted him.

His tone remained indifferent. "Your Majesty should rest well. As for the rumors circulating outside, Your Majesty need not worry about them. I will handle them myself."

He spoke casually, yet the temperature inside the tent plummeted.

Yu Linxi's face paled slightly, and even the imperial physicians and eunuchs standing beside him couldn't help but bury their heads even lower.

Just then, the old prince and two imperial censors who had been outside came in, clearly worried.

Upon seeing the scene inside the tent, the expressions on their faces changed again.

Yu Chen seemed not to see them, and only spoke to Lin Xi.

"If Your Majesty has no further instructions, I shall take my leave. I wish Your Majesty a speedy recovery."

Having said that, he didn't bow, but simply nodded slightly, and turned to leave.

"Regent, please wait."

One of the imperial censors couldn't help but step forward.

"Although the assassin has been killed, the truth behind the assassination has not yet been uncovered, and there is much discussion in the court and among the people. As the regent and the chief minister of state affairs, Your Highness, this matter... this matter requires an explanation to the people."

He spoke with restraint, but the subtle reproach in his eyes was still undeniable.

The old prince also said in a deep voice, "His Majesty is young, and this incident has greatly alarmed him; he almost... alas..."

He sighed deeply, then continued, "These all need to be thoroughly investigated; otherwise, how can we reassure His Majesty and stabilize the court?"

All eyes inside the tent were fixed on that tall, straight back.

Yu Chen stopped and slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over Yu Linxi, whose eyes were darting away.

He then looked at the censor and the old prince, his eyes growing even colder.

He repeated, "Explain?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it made the censor's heart tighten.

"What explanation does Imperial Censor Li want? Does he think I failed in my duty to protect His Majesty, or...?"

Yu Chen's sharp gaze swept over everyone present. "Do you suspect that I am involved in this matter?"

He spoke slowly and deliberately.

The censor's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he was speechless for a moment.

The old prince's hand, which was stroking his beard, froze.

The air inside the tent froze.

"The assassin is dead and the trail has gone cold; that is a fact." Yu Chen's tone returned to calm.

But with an even greater sense of oppression, he said, "Your Majesty has been frightened and needs to rest. The most urgent task is to ensure Your Majesty's health. As for finding the real culprit..."

He paused, then his gaze swept over Yu Linxi on the couch once more.

The young emperor almost shrank into the brocade quilt.

Yu Chen continued in a deep voice, "I will personally urge a full investigation, but before the facts are clear, if anyone uses this as an excuse to cause trouble, spread rumors, or undermine the foundation of the nation..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the unspoken meaning was more chilling than any threat.

The faces of everyone present turned ashen, and no one dared to utter another word.

Yu Chen stopped looking at them and nodded slightly to the person on the couch again.

"Your subject takes his leave."

This time, no one dared to stop them.

He turned around and lifted the curtain to go out.

After mounting his horse, he gave instructions to the guards behind him.

"Pass down the order: His Majesty is seriously injured and needs to rest. All matters at the hunting grounds shall be suspended. No one shall leave the camp without my permission. Anyone who violates this order shall be punished for disrupting the morale of the army or plotting rebellion."

"Yes!" the guard replied sternly.

The black horse strode away.

----------

Su Wuli was awakened by the soft, furry touch on her face.

Before I could fully regain my senses, I felt a soft bundle in my arms.

She groggily opened her eyes and met a pair of round, red eyes.

It had grayish fur and long ears that were twitching.

rabbit?

Su Wuli was stunned. She blinked, then closed her eyes, then opened them again.

The rabbit was still there, and even came closer, its wet nose touching her chin again.

She sat up abruptly.

The blanket slipped off, and besides the docile, curled-up gray rabbit, a reddish-brown wild fruit rolled out of her arms.

The fruit rolled halfway across her pajamas and stopped beside her legs.

Su Wuli froze completely, her mind buzzing.

She looked down at the rabbit, then at the wild fruit.

In the last moment she became conscious in her dream, the rabbit and wild fruit were not around at all.

I didn't even hug her to sleep, so how did she end up in real life?

How did you end up bringing it out?

Just as she was racking her brains trying to figure it out, a voice came.

"Kiri, are you awake? Time to get up, you have your horse riding lesson today..."

The door was then pushed open a crack.

Su Yuan poked her head in, but before she could finish speaking, her gaze fell on Su Wuli's bed, and her eyes widened instantly.

"Where...where did this rabbit come from?" she exclaimed in surprise.

He pushed open the door and strode in, his face filled with shock and bewilderment.

"You have this fruit? When did you get it? It wasn't here when I left yesterday."

As she spoke, she subconsciously reached out to hug the rabbit.

The rabbit was startled when touched by a stranger and shrank back, but didn't run away.

"Hey, why is there some dirt on this rabbit?"

Su Yuan quickly hugged the rabbit to her arms and stroked the fur on its back with her fingers.

The rabbit's paws had some dried mud stuck to them.

Su Yuan frowned upon seeing this.

"It's all dirty, don't get the sheets dirty. Did you sneak out last night to buy this rabbit? Where can I buy a rabbit around here...?"

Su Yuan kept talking, her brows furrowing more and more tightly.

She looked at Su Wuli while holding the rabbit, her eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.

"Wait a minute, I was with you all night. This rabbit... and what kind of fruit is this?"

Su Wuli opened her mouth, but hesitated to speak.

She looked at the rabbit in Su Yuan's arms, then at the wild fruit on the bed sheet, and couldn't say a word.

Should I tell her that it came from a dream?

And the way it was brought out was inexplicable?

"I..." Su Wuli's voice was hoarse as she avoided Su Yuan's gaze, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the blanket.

Looking at her pale face and blank eyes, Su Yuan's doubts deepened.

She held the rabbit and then looked down at the fruit.

I've never seen anything like it before; it has an indescribable eeriness about it.

"Wu Li, are you under too much pressure?"

Su Yuan asked tentatively, her tone softening slightly.

"Should we talk to the company about postponing the horseback riding thing?"

Su Wuli shook her head and didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Su Yuan sighed, "This rabbit is too dirty, it needs to be washed."

His gaze fell on the wild fruit, and he asked with concern, "What's the name of this fruit?"

Su Wuli shook her head subconsciously; she didn't ask Yu Chen.

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Yuan quickly said, "How about I throw it away for you? I don't know if it's poisonous."

"No," Su Wuli blurted out, somewhat hastily.

"Huh?" Su Yuan looked at her in surprise.