Emotional Barrier

"Can't diagnose it?"

As soon as Qiu Che returned, she was met by Yu Ming, who came forward with a grave expression and whispered, "No."

"The doctor we brought in is the renowned Chen Huichun from the city. Even he said he couldn't diagnose it, so it's likely..."

Qiu Che thought for a moment, then turned her head to look at the old man still blindfolded on the stone bench. "Mr. Chen, I have one thing I don't understand."

The old doctor trembled. "Go ahead."

"Have you ever heard of the Southern Barbarians' 'Rosemary Poison'?"

Chen Huichun immediately understood her meaning but quickly shook his head in denial. "Impossible. If it were just ordinary poison, even if it came from the Southern Barbarians, it couldn't possibly cause such chaotic pulse patterns... But now that you mention it, I do recall—"

Not rosemary?

Qiu Che's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"

Chen Huichun hesitated before speaking. "The pulse of this young lady is almost identical to a very peculiar poison from the Southern Barbarians... It's made by using rosemary as a base, then dripping the blood of a lover into it to create a fragrance."

"But this fragrance has only existed in rumors. The method sounds simple, yet no one has ever successfully created it... I myself have never seen it."

Qiu Che immediately thought of the wound on Li Qingwu's fingertip.

She subconsciously began rubbing her own fingertip, a hint of anxiety creeping in. "What's the difference between this fragrance and rosemary?"

"Anyone who smells this fragrance will experience symptoms very similar to rosemary poisoning. However, the key difference is that rosemary can be traced and cured with an antidote. This poison, though, lasts only for a short time, once the blood dries, it disappears. But once poisoned, there's no cure. It's more like witchcraft than poison"

Seeing that Qiu Che remained silent, Chen Huichun pondered for a moment and sighed. "This poison will flare up every three months. If there's no... emotional release, the victim must endure it for two hours, and when it flares up again, the pain will be far worse than the previous time. The victim will lose all sense and might even become violent."

"Even if the poison is 'cured,' it will take three emotional releases before the curse is truly lifted."

The atmosphere in the courtyard grew heavy.

Yao Tai stood quietly on the side, her face initially shocked, but now filled with curiosity.

Yu Ming and Yu Yan exchanged furtive glances, watching Qiu Che's expression closely, while the newly arrived maids dared not breathe.

Fu Ling, who had been brought by Qiu Che, stood dazed, not expecting such a turn of events.

After a long silence, Qiu Che remained unphased and asked, "…Is there any requirement for the one who breaks the curse?"

Chen Huichun shook his head. "I haven't heard of any special requirements for curing the poison, but... it's said that once the curse is broken, the victim will become deeply infatuated with the person who cured them, unable to love anyone but them."

"Therefore, I would advise... to carefully consider who you choose to break the curse."

"What is this fragrance called?"

"Overcoming Emotional Barriers."

As Qiu Che entered the room, she didn't notice the complex expressions of the people behind her.

Fu Ling wanted to stop her but kept hesitating, eventually holding her tongue and silently turning pale.

Now that there was no cure, if the princess's life was to be saved... it seemed better to choose someone the princess herself would want.

What's more, if her mistress was unwilling, she would resist too.

This "Qiu" person didn't seem to have any particular interest in the princess. If the princess refused, would Qiu Che still try to force a cure on her?

With such uneasy thoughts, Fu Ling stood awkwardly outside, feeling a deep sense of apprehension.

How did things come to this?

Qiu Che, too, wanted to know.

With her knowledge of past events, she had planned a grand scheme within the palace.

Back then, she could have refused the request from the Qiu family to enter the palace. But she chose to agree, all in the hopes of making them lose face before the Emperor.

Her focus had always been her own plan. She thought she could manage everything, that she had prepared all possible contingencies, and she was certain she could save Li Qingwu in time, keeping her away from the turmoil.

But despite all her careful calculations, she hadn't accounted for the fact that Li Qingwu's true affliction wasn't rosemary, but the so-called "Emotional Barrier."

...No.

Perhaps, in her past life, Li Qingwu had also suffered from the Emotional Barrier.

But the princess had never mentioned it—because after that one mistake, Li Qingwu had spent the following ten years alone in Jiangnan.

Qiu Che had never paid attention to her condition. Now, she couldn't help but wonder—if Li Qingwu had suffered from the Emotional Barrier in her past life... how many times had she endured the torment and pain during those ten years?

But regardless of her past life—

At least in this life, it was Qiu Che's blind arrogance that had put Li Qingwu in danger.

What if the Qiu family had never entered the palace?

Would Li Qingwu have even been poisoned?

Her self-righteous gratitude had actually pushed the princess back into the abyss of her past life.

The moment this thought arose, Qiu Che could not help but place the blame squarely on herself.

Just like now, she stood behind the screen, listening to the heavy breaths from inside, too hesitant to step forward and check on Li Qingwu's condition.

She didn't know what she was afraid of, nor did she understand what purpose her presence would serve now.

But she couldn't just ignore it, leaving the person alone in the room to fend for herself.

She owed Li Qingwu something, Qiu Che thought.

After a long time, so long that she absentmindedly leaned against the table, the person inside immediately tensed and hoarsely asked, "Who's there?"

"…It's me."

After a few moments of internal struggle, Qiu Che finally took a step forward, crossing the screen that loomed before her like a great mountain.

But in the next second, her pupils contracted in shock. She hadn't expected the scene beyond the screen to be so... alluring.

Li Qingwu was reclining at the head of the bed, her long hair cascading down, exposing one of her pale shoulders. Her clothes were messily piled to the side, and a peach-colored undergarment was carelessly draped over her body, accentuating her slim waist and delicate form.

The blanket barely covered her lower half, and her hand was hidden under it, gently shaking the covers.

Her usually composed and gentle face was now flushed, with her eyes slightly red, and soft, shallow breaths escaped her lips.

It was as though she had already surrendered to desire.

Like the moon falling from the sky, or a celestial being descending to the mortal realm.

Seeing that it was Qiu Che, the panic in her expression eased slightly, but instinctively, she pulled the covers tighter to shield herself.

"You... you're back?"

Qiu Che froze for a moment, hurriedly muttering, "Sorry…"

Then she turned to leave.

But before she could, a hand caught her sleeve.

Qiu Che froze.

From behind, Li Qingwu's hoarse voice called out softly, "Don't go."

"Help me."

Qiu Che didn't dare turn her head, standing frozen in place.

Whether it was due to guilt or self-doubt, she didn't immediately pull away from the hand holding her.

As if receiving silent permission, the hand quickly moved to her waist, pulling her closer, as Li Qingwu murmured once more, "Help me."

Qiu Che struggled to speak, "Sorry."

"I can't help you."

Slowly, she pried the hand away from her waist.

Perhaps the embrace had already drained all of Li Qingwu's courage, for her attempt to hold on wasn't forceful.

With a gentle tug, Qiu Che easily pulled away, her sleeve now being the only thing Li Qingwu clung to.

Li Qingwu's voice had turned hoarse. Before Qiu Che could pull away again, it seemed as though she was holding back tears. She spoke slowly, with a hint of pain, "I know you don't like me…"

"But now I'm like this… Don't you have even the slightest interest in me?"

As a dignified princess, asking such a question to a man she had barely met before was undeniably beneath her status.

But in that moment, one was intoxicated by the effects of the drug, and the other was completely overwhelmed, so neither of them noticed the absurdity of it all.

Qiu Che remained silent for a long time, before whispering the same words once again: "Sorry, Your Highness."

Li Qingwu looked up at her, trying not to let the tears fall.

Her eyes, though controlled by desire, still held onto some clarity, staring at Qiu Che as though demanding an answer.

After a long silence, Qiu Che closed her eyes, then softly spoke, "If Your Highness desires, I can go find someone else right now to help with the antidote…"

"Are you insulting me?" Li Qingwu forced a smile, her tone slow but firm. "I told you… I only want you."

She was still a princess, after all.

No matter how much she pretended to be the favored one, not just anyone could be acceptable.

"But... am I not enough?" Qiu Che slowly completed her sentence.

Li Qingwu tightened her grip on Qiu Che's sleeve. "Why?"

For a long time, Qiu Che finally lowered her gaze to meet Li Qingwu's unwavering eyes. In a soft voice, she answered, "Because—"

"I am a woman."