Chapter 1240: Rules for Raising a Loyal Dog 04

The token had already been delivered; Yajiu's held‑in breath dissipated, and the pain throughout his body felt as if it had increased a hundredfold. He had just woken for a moment before falling back into a deep sleep.

Jin Chen felt pity and stroked his cheek; when the manor doctor had treated him earlier, there was hardly any healthy flesh left on Yajiu's body, and his back needed a thick layer of medicine just to lie flat.

This shows how important that token is.

After lying a while longer in the carriage, Jin Chen left a cup of hot tea and went down to play with Xu Huaiyu.

"Where's Zhou Zhihe?" Jin Chen saw Xu Huaiyu sitting alone on a low stool reading; as he sat down he absentmindedly pulled a stalk of dog‑tail grass from beside him and waved it at Xu Huaiyu.

"He said earlier he'd go check the mountains for rabbits or pheasants; I guess he went hunting."

Xu Huaiyu closed his book, glanced into Jin Chen's carriage, and asked curiously, "Cousin brother, who is the person you brought back? Do you know him?"

"Now I do."

Jin Chen answered offhandedly, quickly weaving a cricket from the dog‑tail grass to play with, and said, "He's good‑looking; I want to bring him back."

Xu Huaiyu's expression slowly turned to surprise, but thinking of Jin Chen's previous willfulness, he found it not so hard to accept.

Although picking up a random person from the deep mountains and bringing him back is something ordinary people would never do.

"Cousin brother, are you going to take him as a servant… or… into the rear courtyard?"

Jin Chen's wrist paused slightly; he propped his chin and thought carefully, then said, "I won't tell you."

Xu Huaiyu: "……" "All right."

He absentmindedly stared at the story book, yet his mind involuntarily recalled what had just happened.

Jin Chen was not the first to discover that person; it was Zhou Zhihe.

From the moment they stopped to rest, Zhou Zhihe had been vaguely looking for something; afterward he entered the carriage and chatted with him about the marriage.

"This is a marriage bestowed by the emperor; what are you making a fuss about? It's just a few visits to brothels—I didn't bring any of them back to the manor."

Xu Huaiyu listened to Zhou Zhihe say something he had never said before, recalled the cousin brother's admonition from a few days earlier, lifted his eyes and asked him, "Elder brother Zhihe also knows this is an imperial edict; if Uncle Zhou finds out about this…"

"Xu Huaiyu, are you threatening me?"

He hadn't finished speaking when Zhou Zhihe, angry and embarrassed, interrupted; his handsome face showed a hint of distortion.

He certainly knew the consequences in his heart, but simply refused to admit it.

"I warn you—if my father or any other elder learns of this, after the marriage you'll surely have a good time."

The three words "good life" were bitten down on especially hard by Zhou Zhihe.

Xu Huaiyu felt a sour ache in his chest and said hoarsely, "I'm not one of those male concubines you can push around; if you dare to bully me, the cousin brother won't let you off either."

Zhou Zhihe gave no further reply; as if he had heard something, he suddenly flung open the carriage curtain and, from far away, caught sight of that slender figure.

Xu Huaiyu saw with his own eyes that, had the cousin brother not acted first, Zhou Zhihe would certainly have gone to help.

From Zhou Zhihe's gaze, Xu Huaiyu saw many, complicated emotions.

Resentment, suspicion, apprehension… and jealousy.

Xu Huaiyu did not understand.

When the recollection ended, he was struck on the head again by Jin Chen.

"I'm asking you a question—did Zhou Zhihe's anger make you stupid?"

Xu Huaiyu let out a dazed sigh, rubbed his head, and said, "Cousin brother, what did you just ask?"

"I said, if you want to call off this marriage, do it quickly; otherwise it will surely cause more trouble."

Jin Chen certainly didn't want Yajiu to be dragged into their love‑hate entanglements again; although he had his own interference, it was inevitable that the plot would affect him.

Xu Huaiyu nodded slowly, agonized for a while, then told Jin Chen about Zhou Zhihe's reaction.

"It's ruined."

After hearing that, Jin Chen had only one thought.

"Could this protagonist‑top not be an undercover agent? Or perhaps he came for that blood‑stained token as well."

"You don't need to worry about this; just pretend you know nothing about it."

"All right." Xu Huaiyu asked no further.

Just then Zhou Zhihe returned from hunting.

He held the wild rabbit by the nape of its neck, casually wiped the blood from his hand onto its fur, and tossed it to the servant to handle.

Jin Chen looked at the rabbit's wound; it didn't look like it had been shot by an arrow.

"Brother Chen, is there…?" Zhou Zhihe's greeting hadn't finished when Jin Chen casually snatched a stone and threw it, striking Zhou Zhihe's dangling right hand squarely.

"Ugh!"

Zhou Zhihe instinctively stepped back a few paces, his face showing a flash of pain that quickly faded.

"Brother Chen, you!"

"From now on you're not to call me that."

Jin Chen snorted coldly, "Father said that anyone unfaithful in love is not a good person; such a one is unworthy to be a friend of this Heir Apparent."

"Get lost."

Ignoring Zhou Zhihe's embarrassed expression, when he returned to the carriage Jin Chen let down the curtain; his arrogant, willful look sank a little, and his speculation was overturned once more.

Zhou Zhihe has never been left‑handed; when he probed earlier, the person dodged as if his right hand bore an old injury, yet Zhou Zhihe's right hand has never suffered any hidden ailment—so it's as if he's unfamiliar with this body.

"Could it not be a disguise with a human‑skin mask, but… a soul‑swap?"

We still need to observe further.

Jin Chen lowered his eyes to look at Yajiu lying on the couch; seeing the sleeping youth's face begin to flush, he quickly brushed his cheek with the back of his hand.

Sure enough, he had a fever—probably from getting caught in the rainstorm.

Even in his sleep, Yajiu remained vigilant; when he unconsciously opened his eyes and saw Jin Chen, the killing intent in his gaze vanished at once, replaced by a hint of embarrassment.

"When you wake up, take the medicine—but don't let the fever make you stupid."

Jin Chen helped him sit up; at this angle he could easily hold him in his arms, and Yajiu's facial temperature grew hotter.

He felt anxious and uneasy, fearing that his dirty body would get blood on Jin Chen, bound tightly, his small delicate face gaining a bit of rosiness.

He obediently drank a bowl of half-warm medicine, very bitter; Yajiu furrowed his face, pursed his lips and inhaled.

"How's your throat feeling?" Jin Chen asked again, and pressed him back down to continue lying.

Yajiu opened the corners of his lips, which had scabbed over, trying to make a sound, and nodded slightly.

"I... I am Yajiu, ordered to deliver the token to Prince Han."

"Thank you, master, for... the life-saving favor."

Changing the address went very smoothly, although he still spoke haltingly.

Jin Chen listened patiently to the end, then pinched Yajiu's cheek, saying, "All right, I know."

"Get well soon; this Heir Apparent won't be looking after anyone."

Yajiu's whole body ached; only a hint of warmth on his cheek made him reluctant, having originally thought that after expending all his strength to deliver the token, he would die.

I never expected... to be saved by the master, and to even have such a nice carriage to sleep in.

Even if he had never been hunted before, it was still unthinkable.

He had killed so many people, yet he was still favored by heaven, allowing him to be picked up by such a good master.

"Your Highness." The manor doctor's voice came from outside the carriage, "This... young lord, it's time to change the medicine."

"Come in."

Jin Chen withdrew his hand, sat properly, tucked the blanket corner, and asked, "Father hasn't come over, has he?"

Da Hu: "When the Prince saw the token, he immediately went to consult secretly with the Princess Consort; I didn't dare to look."

He had a melon-eating expression, and quietly said, "However... the Princess Consort also asked me, Young Master, why you are so concerned about this person."