Chu Qianli, with Lan Qing, left the Lingjiu Hall and headed north.
That was the direction of the cold palace.
Today, while wandering around with a token, she discovered such a place.
It was said that the cold palace was a very filthy place for the Sages, so her senior brother would not pursue them.
After all, people of the Lan clan considered themselves supremely pure.
"Do you mind? We are about to enter the cold palace." She had not forgotten that Lan Qing was also from the Lan clan.
Lan Qing, however, was only concerned about one question: "Is it safe?"
"I don't know, but for now, we have nowhere else to go."
Lan Qing was too severely injured. Along the way, he occasionally coughed up blood.
If she had not been meticulous and used tissues to cushion him beforehand, the bloodstains would have attracted attention.
Chu Qianli supported Lan Qing and leaped over the high wall of the cold palace, quickly entering.
Quiet.
So quiet it was like a ghost town.
The Emperor had no harem, so there was not a single person in the cold palace.
"Take this pill, rest here for a while, and I'll go back to clean up the smell of blood."
Without waiting for Lan Qing to respond, she directly pried open his lips and put the pill in.
Then, she leaped up and vanished in an instant.
Even the smell of blood had to be dealt with; this girl was indeed meticulous in her work.
These were things that even Lan Qing might not have thought of.
Soon, Chu Qianli returned, helped Lan Qing, and entered a dark room.
Lan Qing could not see anything; his eyes had been destroyed by poison.
Chu Qianli lit a lamp and gasped when she examined his eyes.
"Besides cultivating the Lan clan's techniques, senior brother also secretly studied poison-refining arts. That's why Master never liked him, saying his heart was not pure."
What he actually wanted to say was that his senior brother had been refining poison for many years, and his skill with poison was already formidable.
His eyes, he feared, were beyond hope.
However, he did not want to say these words himself, fearing that Chu Qianli would think he was lamenting his own misfortune.
But Chu Qianli, miraculously, understood his meaning.
"Don't despair. There's still a sliver of hope for newly injured eyes."
Lan Qing was somewhat surprised: "Really?"
"The poison is indeed potent, and the success rate is not very high. The process will be very painful. Guoshi, can you endure it?"
"Yes."
Simple, yet firm.
No one wanted their life to be ruined just like that.
Moreover, his senior brother harbored ill intentions. By seizing this opportunity to expel him from Lingjiu Hall, he must have intended to usurp his position.
And the Emperor had always been close to him.
Once his senior brother replaced him, the next target would undoubtedly be the Emperor.
He could not fall.
If he fell, the Emperor would be even more isolated and helpless.
"I can. Give me any medicine, no matter how slim the chance, as long as there's a glimmer of hope, I won't give up."
He waved his hand in the air.
Chu Qianli clasped his palm.
This time, although Lan Qing still instinctively resisted, he ultimately accepted.
He clasped her hand back.
"Miss Chu, I am incompetent for not being able to find your father for you tonight. If I can recover, I promise you, no matter the cost, I will find your father for you."
"Guoshi, don't say that. If you hadn't been helping me tonight, you wouldn't be so badly injured. If you weren't injured, he might not have been able to do anything to you."
In the final analysis, she also bore responsibility tonight.
Chu Qianli took out the medicine box and looked at his lusterless eyes: "Since it has come to this, there's no need to say more. I'm about to administer the medicine, and it will be very painful. You need to be mentally prepared."
...
Those outside were not yet aware of Lan Qing's disappearance.
Chu Jiangnan, who had received the news, rushed over despite feeling unwell.