The Celestial Beast in the Void Space also sensed something unusual.
[Is there something wrong with this stool? Let me check.]
[Hiss, it’s not just one. The stools around Jun Qi, including his own, all have issues.]
[This must be the work of Chu Ting and Chu Luo’s people. They bully Jun Qi every day.]
Gu Xi’s eyes flickered slightly.
Her expression remained unchanged, as if unaware of the stool’s problem. After adjusting her fox fur cloak, she prepared to sit down.
Suddenly.
A hand, unseen by others, grasped Gu Xi’s arm, stopping her from sitting.
Following the direction of the hand, Gu Xi looked up and met Jun Qi’s gaze.
Jun Qi’s eyes were as gentle and warm as jade, as always. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said softly:
“Your Highness, please exchange stools with the Grand Tutor.”
Gu Xi glanced at Jun Qi’s position and realized he had been kneeling all along. He knew the stool was faulty and couldn’t be sat on, so he had no choice but to kneel.
Kneeling like this every day must be exhausting.
Gu Xi lowered her eyelashes, concealing all her emotions.
She looked up and gave Jun Qi a gentle smile, patting his hand reassuringly.
Then, in a lowered voice, soft, clear, and pure, her words drifted into Jun Qi’s ears like a gentle breeze.
“I understand what you want to say. Don’t worry, I know everything.”
“Not just this stool. I will make sure everyone in this classroom who bullies you is punished.”
“Don’t be afraid. With me here, no one will dare bully you again.”
Jun Qi’s fingers paused slightly.
He met Gu Xi’s eyes and was unexpectedly drawn into her gaze, which sparkled like a galaxy filled with boundless affection.
Her sincere gaze fixed on him, the emotions in her eyes completely unveiled, surging like ocean waves, as if inviting him to drown in them.
Faced with such a direct and fervent gaze, Jun Qi couldn’t help but avert his eyes.
Seeing him look away, Gu Xi curved her beautiful eyes into a smile.
She gave Jun Qi a faint smile. “Do you trust me?”
Jun Qi lowered his eyes and replied softly, “I naturally trust Your Highness.”
Hearing this answer, the smile at the corners of Gu Xi’s eyes instantly spread, shimmering with a gentle radiance.
“Then I promise you, I will help you today.”
As for the method, Jun Qi likely already guessed.
As soon as Gu Xi moved, her arm was grasped again by Jun Qi’s hand.
His voice was very light, betraying no emotion, merely stating a fact calmly.
“Your Highness, if you really sit down, you will get hurt.”
Gu Xi looked into Jun Qi’s eyes, her brows filled with tenderness, her voice lingering softly. “But from now on, you won’t get hurt again.”
“That’s enough.”
“I’ve always been sickly. A few more injuries won’t matter, as long as you remain unharmed.”
When she deliberately slowed her voice, the gentleness in her tone rippled like water, slowly yet deeply touching the heart.
Meanwhile.
Chu Luo suddenly remembered the issue with the stool and abruptly stood up.
But Gu Xi had already sat down.
Suddenly.
A sharp “crack” of wood breaking echoed.
Followed by a loud “thud.”
Gu Xi fell from the stool, her fingers still clutching the sharp nail on the desk.
The nail had been deliberately placed around Jun Qi’s desk by them as a prank to bully him.
On the ground.
Gu Xi lay there, coughing incessantly from the violent fall, her face as pale as paper. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her lips as she coughed, as if she could no longer stand up.
Meanwhile, glaringly bright blood flowed down her palm—a nail had pierced deeply into her flesh.
Everyone turned to look in this direction, already terrified out of their wits.
This is bad, this is bad. If the Emperor finds out that Princess Yun Xi has been injured so severely in the academy, he’ll surely tear down the entire Imperial Study Hall.
Chu Ting, Chu Luo, and those who had bullied Jun Qi were now pale with fright.
The Grand Tutor was also deeply shaken by the incident.
“Imperial Sister!”
“Princess!”
“Your Highness!”
Tao Yao, who had been waiting outside the academy, heard the commotion inside and rushed in. “Your Highness!!”
“Summon the imperial physician immediately!!”
“Summon the imperial physician!!”
The entire academy instantly descended into chaos.
In the Void Space, the Celestial Beast heard the noise and yanked off its eye mask.
When it saw the scene before it—the blood on Gu Xi’s hand—the Little Beast widened its eyes in shock.
[Holy shit! Are you okay?!!]
The words “see blood” that Gu Xi had mentioned this morning also flashed through the Little Beast’s mind.
The Little Beast understood.
But even looking at the wound made it ache.
[Losing so much blood must be excruciating. I mean, the cost of pursuing someone is way too high!!]
The Celestial Beast swallowed hard, even considering breaking the bet.
It realized that this person wasn’t just a ruthless killer—she was even crazier when it came to pursuing someone!
It might not be able to keep up.
Maybe it should just back out.
Thinking this, the Celestial Beast swallowed hard again.
Half an hour later.
Moon Embracing Palace.
Inside the palace, Imperial Physician Liang bandaged the wound on Gu Xi’s hand and administered acupuncture before wiping the sweat from his forehead and stepping out.
Outside the palace, everyone knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound.
Imperial Physician Liang knelt trembling on the ground. “Your Majesty, the princess’s wound has been bandaged. However, the wound is very deep, likely due to the sharpness of the nail. I’m afraid it will take some time to heal.”
Emperor Chu slammed the thumb ring in his hand fiercely onto the ground…