Chapter 183

The Prince of Yingzhou's Mansion.

The crowd looked down anxiously as a huge, colorful parrot lay motionless on the ground, its eyes no longer moving, only emitting hoarse gasps from its throat.

Murong Yan frowned, his face showing undisguised anxiety, and suddenly asked, "Has the veterinarian I sent arrived yet?"

The steward looked troubled, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and replied, "Your Highness, we have already sent several people to look for them, but it is late at night now, and most clinics are closed."

"The doctor in the manor doesn't know how to take care of these animals. Should I ask him to come and take a look?"

"What are you waiting for?! Hurry up!" He frowned, his face full of anger.

He knew how much Xiao Tao loved this parrot. If it died like this, not only would she be sad, but given her personality, she would surely turn the whole mansion upside down.

And if he wasn't mistaken, the parrot seemed to have been a gift from Duan Gan.

We are to set off for the border the day after tomorrow, and we absolutely cannot afford to cause any trouble at this time.

At a shout of anger, the steward hurriedly led several servants to the courtyard, but halfway there, someone at the gate came to say that a doctor had been found, so he turned around and ran towards the gate.

Just then, they ran into two people hurrying by on the road. The butler said, "You must be the veterinarian. Hurry, hurry, that bird is about to die."

Upon hearing this, the veterinarian immediately quickened his pace.

The group quickly arrived at the courtyard, where a small wooden bed was placed on the table specifically for the bird to sleep in, while the parrot was being shaken frantically in Murong Yan's hands.

He tried to shake the object out of its throat, but the result was not satisfactory. In the process, he was even scratched on the back of his hand by the struggling parrot.

The parrot was dizzy from being shaken; its eyes were vacant, its tongue was drooping, and it looked like it would die any second.

The veterinarian rushed over and was immediately horrified when he saw the torture-like method the man was using. He quickly stopped him, shouting, "Stop! Stop! What are you doing?! Stop it now!"

Murong Yan looked in the direction of the sound, and soon the parrot in his hand was snatched away.

The veterinarian was indeed a professional; in no time, the parrot opened its mouth wide and, with a thud, spat out a whole dried walnut.

At the same time, Tao Tao and Qi Heng also returned to the Prince's Mansion and were walking quickly towards this direction.

With a grave expression, she rushed into the courtyard and saw a crowd gathered together. Thinking that Asu was beyond saving, she hurriedly shouted, "Asu!"

Before the parrot could even react to the sound, it flapped its wings and flew over.

Tao Tao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the parrot flying over, and hugged it with both hands to examine it from all angles.

Everyone turned to look, and when Murong Yan saw the person beside her, his face showed surprise. He quickly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This humble servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Everyone knelt down in unison and shouted, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Qi Heng: "Everyone, get up."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Seeing Tao Tao's anxious expression, the veterinarian explained, "Princess, please rest assured, I have already removed the foreign object stuck in its throat, and it is fine now."

Tao Tao looked at him upon hearing this and said, "That's good, thank you very much, doctor."

Then the veterinarian walked up to Qi Heng, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, I will be returning now."

Qi Heng nodded: "I will have Shen Lin escort you back."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lin stepped forward and walked with the veterinarian toward the door.

When Murong Yan saw that the veterinarian had specifically spoken to the Crown Prince, he immediately realized that the Crown Prince had invited this person, and he couldn't help but turn his gaze to the two of them.

She wondered how the Crown Prince knew about what was happening in the mansion, and why he came with Tao Tao, since she had gone back to the Tao family.

Could it be that the Crown Prince went to the Tao family?

"How can you be so clumsy?! You can even choke on something while eating?"

After finding it was alright, Tao Tao angrily slapped it, completely stunning Asu.

Realizing what was happening, it immediately let out a sharp cry like a baby, crying and saying, "Bad! Bad kitten! I hate you! Asu hates kittens, hit Asu..."

This anthropomorphic portrayal shocked and surprised many servants who had never seen a parrot talk before.

"You idiot, go back to your room. You're not allowed to eat for the next two days."

Asu snorted in grievance, flapped its wings, and before flying inside, it deliberately slapped her head with its wings, as if it had avenged a great grudge, and returned to the room with a proud and arrogant air.

Tao Tao, considering its narrow escape from death, decided not to hold it against it, and ruffled its messy hair with an unhappy expression.

Seeing that everything was over, Murong Yan stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, thank you for sending the doctor to save my sister's beloved pet. Why don't we move to the front hall, catch up, and have some tea?"

Qi Heng didn't respond, but looked at Tao Tao with gentle eyes.

Tao Tao noticed his gaze and said calmly, "You guys go ahead."

Less than two seconds later, she realized that perhaps her words had been too cold, so she turned to him with a smile and said, "Your Highness, I'm so glad you came out so quickly. Are you hurt?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng's slightly disappointed face suddenly lit up with a smile, and she shook her head: "No, was it you..."

Before he could speak, he looked at Murong Yan in front of him, his expression indifferent, "Young Master Murong, I have something important to discuss with Xiao Tao, you may leave now."

Murong Yan heard this, but did not leave immediately. His gaze lingered between the two of them, his expression unreadable.

"Your Highness, my sister is an unmarried young lady. It would be inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together."

Qi Heng looked at him, her eyes containing a hint of coldness. Facing Tao Tao's gentle expression, she restrained herself at this moment, her tone cold and indifferent: "Are you implying that I have ulterior motives?"

Hearing his displeased tone, Murong Yan realized he had spoken out of turn and hurriedly said, "I dare not, that was not what I meant, please forgive me, Your Highness."

"I heard that you have been appointed as a Lieutenant General and will be heading to the border to serve the country in two days?"

His sudden mention of this made Murong Yan's heart leap into his throat. He pursed his lips and said, "Yes, Your Highness."

"If someone can't distinguish right from wrong like this, they'll only be a burden to others on the battlefield..."

“Brother, you may leave now. I have something to say to His Highness.” Tao Tao stepped forward and interrupted him.

Murong Yan looked up in surprise at Qi Heng, observing the expression on his face, but found that he did not show any displeasure at being offended.

After being interrupted by Tao Tao, Qi Heng remained silent, seemingly tacitly approving of her behavior.

Murong Yan cupped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Your Highness, this humble servant will take his leave now."

Everyone, including the servants, withdrew. As she was leaving, Leng Qiao glanced at Qi Heng, frowned, and was about to look away when she saw Tao Tao lip-reading her.

"Don't tell Duan Gan." Her face was serious, and her eyes held a hint of warning.

Leng Qiao paused for a moment, then turned and left.

Seeing that everyone had left, Tao Tao took his wrist and sat him down at the stone table, smiling as she asked, "Yanli, how have you been lately? Have the people from the Dali Temple been taking advantage of your misfortune?"