The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

Si Chen remained silent for a moment, seemingly unsurprised by the answer.

He then asked, "What does she usually like to eat?"

Liu Yun paused slightly, then cautiously replied, "Reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, our Prince prefers light flavors and enjoys fresh and crisp foods."

"This servant has prepared for Your Highness Jade Dew Glutinous Rice Porridge, Begonia Pastry, Frosty Lotus Root Slices, Fragrant Small Wontons... These are dishes that Your Highness has praised in the past and that you find quite palatable."

He paused, then asked, "Did she have any taboos while she was sleeping peacefully? What exactly is the nature of her old illness?"

Liu Yun carefully considered her words: "Your Highness's mental energy is too depleted, and he often has difficulty sleeping at night. On the contrary, during the day, if he can find a moment of peace, he can occasionally take a short nap."

"My old ailment... mainly involves aversion to cold and weakness of the spleen and stomach, which requires regular dietary adjustments."

Si Chen was silent for a moment, then looked at the food box in his hand: "Is there any more?"

Chixiao and Liuyun exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.

Si Chen turned to leave, but suddenly stopped. With his back to them, his voice remained flat, but he asked a more specific question:

"If she refuses to eat even her favorite foods and can't sleep well during the day, what could be the reason?"

Liu Yun remembered the thin chain on Chu Qingyue's ankle, and her heart clenched. She could no longer hold back and knelt down with a "plop," tears instantly streaming down her face.

"Your Excellency, Imperial Advisor! In these seven years in Beiming, my Highness has suffered far too much hardship and torment!"

"She especially... especially loathes chains and shackles! Whenever Her Highness is chained, she can't eat anything or sleep at all!"

"Even if I force myself to swallow it, I can't help but vomit. Even with my eyes closed, those terrible memories come flooding back, making it impossible to sleep!"

She looked up, her eyes blurred with tears, at the cold, purple figure receding into the distance, and pleaded, her voice choked with sobs:

"I beg you... I beg you, Your Majesty the Imperial Advisor... please remove His Highness's chains! Even replacing them with silk ropes would be fine; you must never again bind him with chains!"

"That could really cost Your Highness your life!"

After she finished crying out, she collapsed to the ground and refused to get up.

Chi Xiao also knelt down on one knee, silent yet resolute.

Si Chen's silhouette paused for a fleeting moment in the moonlight.

The fingers gripping the food box tightened unconsciously, the knuckles turning bluish-white.

It turned out to be the case.

No wonder she would rather vomit blood than utter a single kind word.

He could have removed the chains if she had just shown a little weakness, even just a single word.

He closed his eyes, asked no more questions, and did not respond to Liu Yun's cries. His purple figure flickered and disappeared into the courtyard like a wisp of smoke.

Chixiao and Liuyun looked up, only to find no one there, with only the cold moonlight shining down.

After learning the reason why she was not eating, drinking, or sleeping, Si Chen felt even more aggrieved than before.

He returned to the Star-Picking Tower as quickly as possible.

As we approached the tall building where the observatory was located, a figure screamed as it flew out of the window and plummeted to the ground!

His pupils contracted slightly, and his figure shot out like lightning. He used his spiritual power to lift the figure up and catch it steadily just before it hit the ground, dissipating the force and allowing it to land safely.

Looking down, he saw it was the Sixth Prince, Chu Xuanlang, his face ashen and his clothes disheveled.

Still shaken, Chu Xuanlang recognized the person and, overcome with fear and shame, blurted out, "That bitch Chu Qingyue—"

"Sixth Prince, watch your words." Si Chen's icy voice interrupted him, and he was rudely placed on the ground.

"Be careful with your words. A gentleman should conduct himself with integrity and act with propriety. Has Your Highness forgotten all manners?"

Chu Xuanlang was frozen by that gaze, a torrent of foul language caught in his throat, his face alternating between pale and flushed, as he barely managed to straighten his robes:

"The Imperial Preceptor is right... This prince is here on the orders of my father to treat my elder brother's injuries."

"However... seeing Chu Qingyue... uh, it seems the Eldest Princess is being punished at the Star-Picking Tower... she probably didn't want to see me, and in a fit of anger, she... kicked me down."

Si Chen's gaze swept over the food box in his hand, then turned to the high window, his voice calm: "Your Majesty, I will personally visit His Highness tomorrow to report on his injuries."

Chu Xuanlang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed, "Yes, Xuanlang will certainly convey this to Father Emperor. But... Chu Qingyue... the Eldest Princess kicked me down, this is an attempt to murder a prince..."

"Regarding His Highness being kicked down—," Si Chen interrupted again, his eyes calm yet unwavering:

"Since she doesn't want to see you, you should never appear in front of her again."

"To prevent any further 'accidents'."

Chu Xuanlang choked on his words: "Grand Preceptor... but she is, after all..."

"Your Highness, please return." Si Chen said no more and turned to leave.

Chu Xuanlang stared at the resolute purple figure, gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, but ultimately dared not say another word and left dejectedly.

Si Chen returned to the observatory and placed the food box on the low table.

"Princess, it's time for your meal."

The woman in red by the window stood with her back to him, motionless, her breathing barely audible.

"Chu Qingyue," he said, his voice deepening slightly, "have your meal."

Still, deathly silent.

A strange feeling flashed through Si Chen's heart, and he quickly approached—

The first thing that catches the eye is that her once jet-black hair has turned snow-white inch by inch!

Like moonlight condensed into frost, it scattered on her shoulders and back, creating an extremely striking contrast with her fiery red dress.

Her eyes were closed, her long eyelashes frosted with tiny ice crystals, and her face, neck, the back of her hands... all her exposed skin was covered with a thin layer of frost, gleaming with a deathly cold light under the moonlight.

He quickly placed his fingers on her drooping wrist—

It's so cold!

There was no warmth whatsoever from a living person!

His pulse was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind, his inner strength was dormant, and his life force was almost extinguished!

"Chu Qingyue!" Si Chen shouted, his spiritual energy surging into her brow, attempting to ignite the dying embers of her life.

However, after half an incense stick's time, her spiritual energy vanished like a mud ox entering the sea; her body remained cold, and her breath was still weak.

Si Chen abruptly withdrew his hand, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

Why... his spiritual power can save everyone in the world, but it can't warm her even a little bit?

With a flick of his sleeve, a soft "snap" sounded, and the thin chain on her ankle broke, erasing the spirit-sealing seal. He quickly grabbed a thin blanket and a thick quilt, wrapping her up in layers.

It was still to no avail.

The chill seemed to seep from her very bones.

"Shirakawa!" His voice held an unusual urgency. "Go to the Imperial Hospital and summon Chief Physician Zhou! Immediately!"

In a short while, Shirakawa practically carried the sleepy-eyed and disheveled Judge Zhou to the observatory, put him down, and then silently withdrew.

Still shaken, Judge Zhou glanced at Si Chen, whose face was ashen, and then at Chu Qingyue, who was wrapped up tightly, her white hair covering her face, and barely breathing. He inwardly groaned in despair.

"You dragged this old man to the Star-Picking Tower in the middle of the night. What illness could you, the Grand Preceptor of the Great Chu who has lived for four hundred years, not cure?"

"Besides, if even you can't cure it, what can I do?"

He muttered to himself, but dared not slack off with his hands.

After calming himself down, Zhou Yuan stepped forward and carefully took Chu Qingyue's pulse.

This exploration lasted for quite some time.

Judge Zhou's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and he was drenched in cold sweat.

"How is it?" Si Chen asked.

The Imperial Physician Zhou reported nervously, "I report to the Grand Preceptor... the Princess's pulse is extremely strange... it's as if she's been poisoned by some kind of rare poison, but upon closer examination, it seems... she herself is the source of the poison, coexisting with it?"

With a trembling voice, Judge Zhou took out a silver needle, pierced Chu Qingyue's fingertip, squeezed out a drop of blood, and dripped it onto the leaf of the poison-testing herb.

"laugh--!"

A wisp of smoke rose suddenly, and the blood droplets were like boiling oil scorching ice, instantly corroding the grass leaves with charred holes, causing them to wither and turn to ashes!