Suddenly, a hand landed on his collarbone without any warning. Ji Weiqiu didn't have time to think; the momentary contact made his hair stand on end. His body's instinctive reaction was much faster than his brain. He instantly flipped over and rose, his hands unhesitatingly locking onto the other person's neck. Just as he touched some warm skin, his hands were restrained.

Ji Weiqiu twisted his left wrist, forcefully breaking free from the other's control, and with a backhand, went to grab the other's pulse point. His left hand was forcefully seized, and an ominous crack sounded from his wrist. Yet, Ji Weiqiu seemed oblivious to the immense pain. His right hand, like climbing a flower and brushing a willow, followed the other's arm straight for their neck. Just as his fingertips touched the other's skin, his Quchi Acupoint on the elbow was pinched. The strength accumulated in his arm dissipated in an instant, leaving it incredibly sore.

He let out a muffled groan and forced his left hand to attack, but it was easily caught. Both his hands were once again restrained. The other person even freed a hand to pat his face nonchalantly. Without thinking, Ji Weiqiu turned his head to bite, but the hand instantly fell upon the nape of his neck, gripping it and pulling him back!

"Hiss..." Ji Weiqiu sucked in a sharp breath. He had been struck with a hand-chop before, cutting off his qi and blood flow, and was already injured. This move drained most of the strength from his body.

At this point, he was completely subdued.

At this moment, moonlight filtered through the bed curtains, faintly illuminating their faces. Ji Weiqiu said in horror, "...Brother?!"

Ji Su gave him a faint glance and said, "Light the lamps."

The surroundings suddenly brightened as people holding lamps filed in, illuminating the entire bedchamber as if it were daytime. Servants stepped forward with lowered eyes and tied back the bed curtains. Ji Su's cold, handsome face appeared clearly in Ji Weiqiu's vision.

Ji Su released Ji Weiqiu's hands. Seeing the unconcealed shock in Ji Weiqiu's eyes, he then said, "Your hand-to-hand combat skills are still a bit lacking."

Ji Weiqiu's skills could only be described as 'practiced'. He was weak as a child, so Ji Su had sent a martial arts master to teach him some skills to strengthen his body. He was enthusiastic about it for a while—after all, who wouldn't want to be a great martial artist? However, the ideal was beautiful, but reality was cruel. Ji Weiqiu regretted it within the first hour of his lessons and would shirk them whenever he could. In the end, he was forced by Ji Su to barely complete his basic daily exercises.

Later, when he moved out of the palace to live on his own, with no one to supervise him, he completely let himself go. Wasn't it comfortable to sleep until he woke up naturally? Was it so unbearable to lie down? Why did he have to get up before dawn to practice horse stance, boxing, and swordplay?! He was a dandy prince; was he really expected to master peerless martial arts?! Was his life too peaceful?! Wasn't it good enough to just strengthen his body?! Weren't his daily Five Animals Frolics and Tai Chi also for strengthening his body?!

Just as Ji Weiqiu was about to speak, he let out a muffled groan, his gaze falling on his left wrist. He hadn't dared to hold back against himself just now, and his left wrist was now twisted at an odd angle. Seeing this, Ji Su reached out and grabbed it. With a casual shake, there was a clack, and the dislocated wrist was set back in place.

Ji Weiqiu didn't even have a chance to scream before the pain in his wrist vanished. He stared foolishly at Ji Su like a dazed goose, taking a long while to come to his senses. "...Brother, why did you have Zhou Qing knock me out?"

Ji Su said faintly, "One can't be too careful of others."

Ji Weiqiu pouted, rubbing his wrist. "Didn't you arrange this for me? What do I have to be on guard against? Brother, are you overestimating me?"

With his level of skill, forget about someone at Zhou Qing's deputy commander level; even if it were a random Qingxuan Guard, there would be no need for a sneak attack. If the two of them were placed in an arena for a fair and open duel, he wouldn't have much room to resist.

Ji Su's gaze shifted slightly, as if there was a hint of a smile, but upon closer inspection, there was no trace of it. He said, "Get down."

Ji Weiqiu followed his gaze and only then realized he was still sitting on Ji Su's waist. Just as he was about to get up, he heard his stomach let out a rumble. Only then did he feel a burning sensation in his stomach. His tense nerves finally relaxed, and his thoughts became sluggish. He tilted his head and asked, "How long was I asleep?"

Ji Su: "Five days."

"Hiss... Five days?! Is that scoundrel Zhou Qing so ruthless? I never even offended him..." After hearing the number 'five days', Ji Weiqiu felt even more indescribably weak. No wonder he had no strength and his brain felt sluggish. He slowly rolled off Ji Su's side and onto the bed, lying down obediently. "No wonder my neck hurts like hell... Brother, couldn't you have held back a little when you grabbed me just now? It hurts even more..."

Ji Su said casually, "An accident."

Zhou Qing knew how to control his strength, but they encountered some accidents while bringing Ji Weiqiu back. Ji Weiqiu was also drugged with some knockout powder, which is why he was unconscious for five days.

Ji Weiqiu pushed his hair aside, revealing a patch of snow-white skin where a few faint red fingerprints were visible. He reached up and kept rubbing the nape of his neck, turning the area a light pink. He accepted this explanation and said in a drawl, "Hungry... Brother, why are you on my bed?"

Ji Su shot him a sidelong glance. "Insolent."

Ji Weiqiu's sluggish brain stirred, but not by much—during this time, his brother wouldn't have just stood by and let him starve; he must have been fed some rice water or the like, otherwise, he probably wouldn't even be able to speak. Therefore, when he wondered what Ji Su meant by 'insolent,' he figured it probably referred to his incorrect form of address.

So he changed his form of address: "Imperial Elder Brother... Your Majesty, Your Majesty, why are you on my bed?"

Seeing that Ji Su couldn't be bothered with him, he scooted closer again. "Imperial Elder Brother, when is the food coming? I'm really hungry."

Ji Su lowered his gaze and saw Ji Weiqiu, lying on his side on the bed, looking at him pitifully. He had, after all, been raised by his side since childhood, brought up in the lap of luxury, and had never suffered like this in his life. Ji Su didn't hold it against him. He put on his robe and got up. Only then did Ji Weiqiu realize that Ji Su had merely taken off his outer robe and had only been resting lightly on the edge of his bed.

Seeing Ji Su raise a hand, a servant brought in hot food. While Ji Weiqiu was unconscious, the kitchen had kept food ready in case he woke up at any moment. Ji Weiqiu flipped over and sat up, and a servant hurried forward to set things up for him. Within a few breaths, a bowl of congee so thin it barely contained any rice was in his hands.

Ji Weiqiu scooped up some of the rice water and said with unconcealed disdain, "...Tell the kitchen to make a bowl of braised beef."

The servant bowed but did not dare to agree. Without looking at Ji Weiqiu, Ji Su said, "Forbidden."

Ji Su's authority had been established over a long time, and Ji Weiqiu also understood that he had been lying down for quite a while and needed to eat something easy to digest, so he didn't dare to object. Seeing that the rice water was at the right temperature, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one go. The thick liquid flowed down his esophagus into his stomach, seemingly warming his entire body.

He gave the servant a look. The servant, understanding the cue, poured him another bowl. Ji Weiqiu drank three bowls in a row before he felt full, albeit just with liquid. He leaned against the headboard, yawned, and said, "Imperial Elder Brother, next time you want someone to capture me, just let me know. I can walk on my own."

Ji Su scoffed. The voice of an imperial physician asking for permission was heard. He nodded, and a servant led the physician in. After paying his respects to Ji Su, the physician came to the bedside and saluted Ji Weiqiu. "Your Highness."

"Imperial Physician Hu, I've troubled you." Ji Weiqiu obediently extended his hand. Although this man was not the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, he was the most skilled physician among them. He couldn't be bothered with the administrative affairs of the Academy, dedicating himself solely to studying medicine. Even the imperial family could not easily request his services.

However, Ji Weiqiu was familiar with him. Imperial Physician Hu owed his brother a great debt of gratitude. When Ji Weiqiu was young and in poor health, he would see Imperial Physician Hu every few days.

The moment Ji Weiqiu saw him, he felt that his 'accident' was probably not a small one—it was obvious, what did five days even mean? He had just turned eighteen, and his bodily functions were at their peak. What kind of accident could make him lie unconscious for five days? He would even believe it if someone told him he'd been stabbed in a vital spot and that's why he was out for five days.

Imperial Physician Hu checked his pulse for a while and carefully examined Ji Weiqiu's wrist and the nape of his neck. Only then did he say, "That knockout powder was truly vicious. Your Highness has lost some vitality. Fortunately, Your Highness is in the prime of your life, so after two months of recuperation, you will be fine... During this time, it is inevitable that Your Highness will feel some qi deficiency and fatigue, but there is no need to be alarmed. This old subject will prescribe two doses of medicine shortly. Take them for three days, and the rest can be managed with nourishing foods."

Ji Weiqiu asked, "What knockout powder?"

Imperial Physician Hu suddenly grinned, a chillingly strange expression appearing on his aged face. "The knockout powder was ordinary, but it was mixed with Tendon-Softening Powder and Soul-Chasing Lock, which made it more troublesome. A poison like Soul-Chasing Lock only takes effect over a long period... I have already purged the poison for Your Highness, so there is no harm."

Ji Weiqiu's somewhat muddled mind suddenly cleared. He knew at a glance that his brother wasn't the one who had administered this stuff. There was no particular reason; it was simply unnecessary. If his brother disregarded the Mother Empress's feelings, he could have just killed him and been done with it. There was absolutely no need to go to the trouble of using something like 'Soul-Chasing Lock'.

What kind of accident was it? Did it mean that Zhou Qing was attacked while taking him to see his Imperial Elder Brother, leading to him suffering a second injury and thus falling unconscious for five days? Zhou Qing knocking him out and taking him away was a top-secret matter. Even if the Qingxuan Guard discovered that he and Zhou Qing had disappeared at the same time, they would understand it was most likely related to Zhou Qing. They would only pretend to have discovered nothing, after all, 'Zhou Qing' had been caned thirty times by His Highness the Prince of Rui, beaten until his flesh was torn and bones were broken, and was still recuperating.

So, who leaked the secret? Who told the assassins that Zhou Qing had left the ship with him? And which route did they take? This matter was ordered by his brother, so it was impossible for Zhou Qing to be escorting him alone. There must have been other Qingxuan Guards accompanying them. So who could have managed to drug him with such a potent knockout powder under the watch of a dozen, or even two or three dozen, Qingxuan Guards?

Seeing Ji Weiqiu lost in thought and silent, Imperial Physician Hu thought he was afraid. He patted Ji Weiqiu's arm and said with some kindness, "They are pills, not bitter. Your Highness can rest assured."

Ji Weiqiu nodded, then looked at Ji Su. He didn't know if he should ask. After all, his brother had just said it was an 'accident,' which in a way meant that he didn't need to know the details.

After Imperial Physician Hu left, Ji Weiqiu thought for a moment before asking, "Imperial Elder Brother, should I still continue south?"

Ji Su stood by the table, looking through the scrolls in his hand. Hearing the question, he said, "If you don't want to, then don't go."

Ji Weiqiu was stunned for a moment. He said with some resignation, "...So, am I going or not?"

Ji Su glanced at him, his expression unreadable. He put down the scrolls and walked to the bedside, taking out a small jar from the side. He held Ji Weiqiu's shoulder, making him turn around. The sound of soft rubbing could be heard, followed by a cool sensation spreading across the nape of Ji Weiqiu's neck.

Slender, lightly calloused fingertips brushed across his neck. Ji Weiqiu flinched unconsciously. It tickled a little, but he didn't dare to move.

Ji Su's calm voice came from behind him: "The Prince of Rui has already gone south."

Ji Weiqiu understood his brother's meaning. Something major had indeed happened. Ji Su had things he needed to do that could not be reversed, so no matter what, the 'Prince of Rui' must go south.

Ji Weiqiu was the Prince of Rui, but the 'Prince of Rui' did not have to be Ji Weiqiu.

Since he had already been recalled, it was to spare him from disaster... However, considering how rarely he got to leave the capital, his brother didn't want to spoil his mood. If he still wanted to travel in Jiangnan, he could.

Ji Weiqiu felt conflicted. His brother... wasn't he supposed to be the bait? Why had he changed his mind?

Ji Su slowly applied a little more pressure. Seeing the young man obediently lower his head, exposing a large expanse of his neck, he firmly kneaded various acupoints on it, giving him a little treat. He then saw Ji Weiqiu proactively lift his hair out of the way, stopping just short of inviting commentary.

He had no fear or awe for him.

Truly obedient, and also truly insolent.