Chapter 17 Martial Vein Healing

Yi Shao sat to the side, his gaze sweeping over his second sister who had been beaten, and then lightly glancing at his eldest and third sisters, whose faces were pale.

He knew that if he went along with the conversation now and pretended to be aggrieved to say a few more words, he might be able to get something else out of his mother.

This was one of the possible steps in his plan.

Ling Wei happened to look over at that moment and asked casually, "Is there anything else?"

A breeze blew into the waterside pavilion, lifting a few strands of hair from her forehead, which then softly clung to her skin.

Yi Shao stared at her intently.

After blurting out his dependence, reason returned, and his ambition remained. But since he needed her to grant him this favor on the spot, he suddenly didn't want to ask for it back.

It was as if doing so would make him look inferior to her and incompetent, and for some reason he didn't want her to look down on him.

This unfamiliar thought popped into his head, but he didn't delve into it. He simply smiled and said, "It's nothing."

He looked at her and said softly, "Thank you, my wife."

Ling Wei stood up. "Since there's nothing else, let's go back."

It's finally over. These past two days of rushing around supporting my back have been more tiring than lying down for three months.

Yi Shao nodded slightly.

Your Highness has helped him enough; he will walk the rest of the way on his own.

****Divider****

The physician withdrew his hand from taking the pulse, but his brows were furrowed.

"Your Highness's martial meridians have indeed loosened considerably, but the gaping hole in your spiritual power..."

She sighed, "There's still no solution."

Ling Wei lay sprawled on the couch, too lazy to even lift her eyes: "It was difficult to repair anyway, so let it be."

The physician scratched his head: "Unless we can find 'Little Medicine Immortal' Lin Sanqi."

Rumor has it that she possesses a unique set of golden needle techniques, specifically designed to repair damage to the very source of spiritual power. However, this person is more elusive than the wind; her name is known, but no one has ever seen her in person.

Qing Shu, who was standing nearby, interjected: "I have asked people to inquire from various sources, but there is still no definite news."

"It's alright." Ling Wei waved her hand and even smiled. "If you don't have it, then you don't have it. Without this spiritual power, neither of those two will bother to deal with a truly crippled princess. It's peaceful for me."

There is an ironclad rule for the succession to the throne of the Great Chen Dynasty: the successor must condense a tangible spiritual totem in the Hall of Sacrifices to Heaven, proclaiming that the Mandate of Heaven has been bestowed upon him.

Since Ling Wei was severely injured in the Northern Territory, the gaps in her spiritual power have been difficult to repair, and her martial meridians have been completely destroyed. She has long been excluded from the competition for the succession.

In fact, even the sixth princess, Ling Xi, who only knows how to have fun all day, has a better chance of inheriting the throne than her.

Qing Shu lowered his head, concealing the fleeting pain in his eyes.

She remembered how, when His Highness first learned that he might really be crippled, he was so unwilling to accept it that he searched everywhere for medical treatment and almost exhausted himself.

But ever since the news of Crown Princess Linghua's death came... His Highness has completely given up the struggle and has become the lazy person he is now, indifferent to everything.

The imperial physician then carefully examined the pulse again, and suddenly exclaimed, "Your Highness, the restorative power of your martial meridians is stronger than I expected!"

Qing Shu suddenly looked up, his eyes shining brightly: "Really?"

The imperial physician looked at Ling Wei with a probing gaze: "Your Highness, have you been feeling anything unusual lately? Have you eaten anything different? Or come into contact with any unusual people or things?"

Ling Wei yawned deeply and mumbled, "What's so special about it? It's just eating and sleeping, sleeping..." She suddenly stopped talking.

Qing Shu spoke in a measured tone, as if reporting military intelligence: "His Highness has been frequently engaging in sexual relations with Yi Ceqing recently."

Ling Wei: "..." She slowly turned her head and stared at her stubborn bodyguard.

Qing Shu remained expressionless and continued to add details to the physician: "He was almost never free at night."

The physician's eyes lit up as he listened, and he slapped his thigh: "That's right! The balance of Yin and Yang is a great medicine for the human body, and it is very beneficial for clearing blockages. It may even have a miraculous effect on warming and repairing damaged meridians."

She turned to Ling Wei, her young face filled with excited sincerity, "Your Highness, this method may be worth a try. I implore you to maintain it, and if you can be a little more diligent, even better. Allow me to record the changes in the pulse diagnosis in detail, and perhaps we can find a new path."

Ling Wei: "......"

Just then, the sound of a wheelchair approached.

Yi Shao appeared under the corridor. After returning to his family home, he acquired some property. After consulting with Ling Wei, he became busy, but he still invited her to dine with him every day without fail.

The physician's eyes lit up. Before Ling Wei could react, he rushed over, took the wheelchair armrests with remarkable ease, and pushed it out with such speed that it created a gust of wind.

“Baiji!” Ling Wei’s voice rang out, tinged with annoyance.

The young physician named Bai Ji grinned, leaned close to the slightly bewildered Yi Shao's ear, and whispered rapidly, "Young Master Shao, His Highness's recovery depends entirely on you. Listen to me, it's about what happened tonight..."

Yi Shao was slightly taken aback at first, but as he listened to Bai Ji whispering in his ear, his eyes slowly widened. Then, a knowing yet radiant smile spread across his face as he replied, "Okay."

Ling Wei had already walked over in a few steps, raising her leg as if to kick Bai Ji. Bai Ji nimbly hid behind Yi Shao's wheelchair, only showing her head: "Your Highness, please understand, this subordinate did all this for your great cause of recovery."

Before she could finish speaking, Ling Wei's hand, which was hanging down, was gently hooked. She looked down and met Yi Shao's upturned face.

His eyes sparkled with amusement, tinged with undisguised mischief: "Your Highness, just leave it to Ashao."

For the first few days, Ling Wei only experienced soreness in her lower back and legs.

Later, she began to feel... hollowed out.

I was completely numb.

Faced with Yi Shao's increasingly aggressive advances, Ling Wei resolutely adhered to her policy of remaining pure and abstinent.

"I can't do it, I'm tired."

So what if I admit I'm not good enough?

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Yi Shao did not back down but instead moved closer. He leaned in and first kissed her lips, caressing them gently. Then he slowly moved down her jawline, his voice low and clear: "Then let me do it... Your Highness, just accept it."

He raised his eyes, his gaze meaningful, "Ah Shao is only inconvenient in his legs, but otherwise he is very diligent."

Ling Wei: "!!!"

Who taught them all?!

......

Days slipped by in this kind of "treatment".

Rumors began to circulate in the Prince's residence that the Prince's son was favored above all others, and that he and the Prince were inseparable, spending almost every night in passion.

The news naturally reached the secluded courtyard where Shen Zhilan lived.

Yunqi carefully ground the ink while whispering the instructions.

Shen Zhilan was practicing calligraphy with his wrist suspended when the brush tip paused, causing a small ink stain to spread on the snow-white Xuan paper.

His expression remained unchanged; he simply put down his pen slowly.

Seeing his expression, Yunqi whispered, "Although His Highness doesn't come to our courtyard, the rules in the manor are strict, and there is never any favoritism. The young master's food, clothing and daily necessities are all of the best."

Shen Zhilan nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the magnolia tree outside the window that was about to wither.

It's good to be undisturbed; some things just need this kind of peace and quiet.

Some time later, Yunqi came to report the time again, his voice tinged with worry: "Young Master, His Highness has handed over the management of the manor to Yi Ceqing."

He hesitated, then said, "If he takes power, what if...?"

There were no difficulties; everything proceeded as usual, even more thoughtfully than before.

This excessive smoothness made Yun Qi somewhat uneasy, but Shen Zhilan simply closed the book. Under Ling Wei's rule, things were indeed well-organized.

As for Yi Shao... he's either clever enough to maintain appearances, or his mind is simply not on this small plot of land in the inner quarters.

He got up and returned to his desk.

Beneath the spread-out Xuan paper, another sheet of thin paper of a different texture is faintly visible. The ink marks on it do not depict poems, but rather several seemingly unrelated names of mountains and rivers.

A night breeze slipped in through the window crack, gently lifting the corner of the paper, and a mark seemed to flash across the thin paper.

Shen Zhilan remained calm, reaching out to conceal all traces beneath ordinary ink and brushstrokes.