Chapter 34 Returning to the Capital

With his jaw clenched, Hao San managed not to utter anything inappropriate, and even though the current situation didn't require any fear, he ultimately held back.

He held back, but his face flushed red, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

Xu Si frowned, his expression also showing difficulty, as he forcefully suppressed his emotions.

Looking at Liu Qi again, Liu Qi's face didn't show any extreme expression, but her head was lowered.

Cen Yan sighed, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Hao San turned his head and quickly wiped his eyes.

Xu Si also lowered his head, not wanting to lose his composure.

Liu Qi simply closed her eyes.

After a moment, Liu Qi said in a deep voice, "As long as Master is safe and sound, everything else is fine."

The Prince's residence has had a tough time during this period.

Being ignored, unable to mobilize even their own manpower without the tiger tally, and even the recent unfounded accusations are causing anxiety.

But none of these are the most important.

Most importantly, there was no news of Cen Yan during this period, and his fate was unknown. This was what broke the hearts of everyone in the Prince's Mansion.

Hao San choked up, "Liu Qi is right. The old prince entrusted his master to us, but it was our negligence in protecting him that has led to his predicament here. We are incompetent!"

Xu Si: "As long as Master is alright, then everything is fine."

Liu Qi was still worried about Cen Yan's health. Even though she had asked the two guards at the door, it was only a brief question or two. She needed to confirm it herself: "The snake venom in your body..."

These words awakened Hao San and Xu Si, and in an instant, all three pairs of worried eyes turned to Cen Yan.

Cen Yan: "He's lucky, he's fine now."

Liu Qi let out a long sigh of relief, and her shoulders and back, which had been stiff and straight all the way, finally relaxed.

In a short while, the master and servants recounted their respective recent situations in detail.

Inside the room.

Zhuang Dongqing woke up.

I'm fully awake.

It's hard to say whether I woke up naturally or was startled awake.

Still half asleep after getting up, Zhuang Dongqing felt something was missing. She reached out to touch it and found only a bed sheet. She couldn't remember what it was, so she stopped thinking about it and called Liu Fu.

When Zhuang Dongqing sat up, she was stunned to see that there were two pillows on her bed.

After a brief short circuit, the brain circuits cleared up again.

In the middle of the night, I tossed and turned, feverish...

Me, Cen Yan, kiss... a deep kiss... a French kiss...

I was being held... by those long fingers...

Ughhhhh, what is all this?!

Zhuang Dongqing would rather not remember!

This is insane!

This must be a dream, this must be a dream, this must be a dream...

"Young Master, you're awake!"

"Huh, what's this... isn't this the prince's pillow on the bed?"

Liu Fu entered the room and grabbed another pillow.

Zhuang Dongqing felt that what Liu Fu was holding in his hand was not a pillow, but a world-destroying device.

The moment he pressed down, his world shattered with a deafening roar!

“It belongs to the Prince.” Liu Fu even distinguished it. He had been taking care of their lives recently, and he recognized every stitch in the house.

Liu Fu casually patted the pillow and put it back on Cen Yan's bed.

Put back on Cen Yan's bed...

Zhuang Dongqing's second explosion.

Liu Fu turned around and looked at Zhuang Dongqing, then froze.

"Young Master, you...you..."

He had only said a few words when he dared not utter another sound.

There was no other reason than that when he turned around, Zhuang Dongqing's face was only slightly red, but after he said just a few words, Zhuang Dongqing's face turned visibly red, as if it had been boiled.

Liu Fu felt uneasy for a moment, wondering which of his words he had said wrong.

"Young Master..."

Zhuang Dongqing spoke at the same time: "You..."

"Mmm." Liu Fu nodded, gesturing for Zhuang Dongqing to continue.

"Could you... go out for a little while?"

Liu Fu: "Then when you call me, I'll..."

After another half sentence, Zhuang Dongqing's face turned even redder. Liu Fu was confused, but he really didn't dare to say anything more, so he quickly changed his words, "I'll go out first, young master, call me later."

They spoke quickly, and they left quickly as well.

The moment the door closed, Zhuang Dongqing felt like she had been reborn... Yeah, right!

Ahhhhh, without anyone around, his heart shattered even more completely!

What are all these things? He won't admit it, sob sob sob!

With no one around, Zhuang Dongqing finally broke down silently but overwhelmingly, crawling into the blankets and wrapping herself completely up.

It's over, it's over, how can he face people now?

I don't want to live anymore.

Ugh.

One cup of tea... two cups of tea...

After the time it takes to drink the third cup of tea, Zhuang Dongqing finally called Liu Fu in again.

Her face was still red, but her eyes had lost their light.

I'm numb, completely numb.

Such a handsome guy, he could resist the urge to wipe himself off, but not when the poison took effect...

Last time she got something for free and ended up pregnant, what will it be this time?

Zhuang Dongqing thought about it, but couldn't figure it out.

Liu Fu changed his clothes, and he obediently became a puppet.

As he was tying the ribbon, Liu Fu exclaimed in surprise, then reached out and wiped Zhuang Dongqing's neck, but couldn't get it off. Liu Fu asked in confusion, "Did you bump into something?"

Zhuang Dongqing looked down and realized that the person wasn't quite dead yet, and could get up and die again.

It was a deep purple color, with indistinct teeth marks, on the side of the neck that could be covered by clothing.

A hickey.

How thoughtful of them to bite in a place that can be covered by clothes... Yeah, right!

Kill him! Now, immediately!

Zhuang Dongqing's inner turmoil flared up again...

The presentation style is similar to the first time, but slightly different.

This time, he didn't even need a blanket; he just stood there and shut himself up!

My face was burning hot, and the temperature on my face was rising rapidly until it turned bright red.

...

Ugh, don't ask. The answer is I don't want to live anymore, I want to die.

*

After helping Zhuang Dongqing get dressed and wash up, Liu Fu thought about it for a long time and decided not to let Master Zhao come in to take his pulse. Instead, he went to find Cen Yan.

Yes, that's how it's been lately. When it comes to food, drink, and daily life, he asks Zhuang Dongqing, and when he's unsure, he asks Cen Yan.

The problem lies with Zhuang Dongqing right now, so naturally the only option is to find the Prince.

Cen Yan was still talking to Hao San, Xu Si, and Liu Qi, but he kept an eye on the main house. When he saw Liu Fu approaching out of the corner of his eye, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Liu Fu glanced at the main house and stammered, "Young Master... something's not quite right..."

Several pairs of eyes were watching, but they still knew to save face for Zhuang Dongqing and didn't say anything specific.

Cen Yan: "Okay, I'll go check on him in a bit. You let him have breakfast first."

Liu Fu Ying Nuo.

After Cen Yan finished the general discussion, Zhuang Dongqing indifferently finished her breakfast inside the house.

His face turned red and then white, then white and then red again; he was too ashamed to eat out like this.

Liu Fu finished tidying up the dishes when Cen Yan just opened the door.

"Your Highness," Liu Fu called out, and Zhuang Dongqing's back stiffened.

“Okay, go out.” Cen Yan said.

Liu Fu is gone.

Only Zhuang Dongqing and Cen Yan remained in the room.

Zhuang Dongqing looked at Cen Yan. If her cheeks hadn't been flushed, perhaps the righteous indignation in her eyes would have been expressed even more effectively.

With his face flushed red, Cen Yan could only laugh when he saw him.

Of course, I held back.

Cen Yan raised an eyebrow, feeling Zhuang Dongqing's intense gaze fixed on him.

Zhuang Dongqing said, word by word, "You left your pillow on my bed..."

"Um."

Zhuang Dongqing continued her accusations, "They even left marks on my body!"

That's a huge bruise, that's outrageous!

Cen Yan: "Can't clothes cover it up?"

"..."

Ugh, that's even worse!

Zhuang Dongqing's cheeks puffed up in anger, making Cen Yan's hand itch to poke her.

Zhuang Dongqing stared intently at Cen Yan, and finally, he made the man laugh.

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

Thank you, but I'm even more withdrawn now.

After laughing, Cen Yan said unhurriedly, "I served you all night. I deserve some credit, right? I haven't even had a chance to argue with you, and you're already getting upset?"

Zhuang Dongqing was speechless.

His eyes darted in another direction.

Feeling guilty.

Cen Yan: "Oh right, I'll still serve you while I'm injured..."

Images flashed through his mind as Zhuang Dongqing picked at his hands.

Did he press on Cen Yan's wound yesterday?

Help!

Cen Yan nodded, his brows relaxing: "Yes, I left the pillow on your bed and even left a mark on you. Young Master is unhappy, I know. What else is he angry about? Come on, let's talk about it."

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

Zhuang Dongqing: "...That's all."

"Just these two."

Their confidence has waned.

Cen Yan replied, "I did it on purpose."

Zhuang Dongqing: "?" His eyes widened.

Cen Yan's fingertips twitched, and he wanted to pinch the cheek of the person in front of him even more.

With the scene from last night still playing in his mind, he put on a serious face and said, "If I leave nothing behind, I'm afraid you'll think you were dreaming when you wake up."

"..."

Cen Yan: "I don't want to hear any more nonsense about 'her beauty being only attainable in dreams'."

Zhuang Dongqing remained silent.

If there were no pillows and hickeys...

Her gaze darted around even more, and she dared not look at Cen Yan at all.

Damn, that makes so much sense!

Cen Yan: "Or are you saying you don't want to admit it?"

Zhuang Dongqing's ears turned red from the question. She lowered her head and whispered, "...No way."

"Okay, then accept it."

Having received confirmation, before Zhuang Dongqing could react, Cen Yan said seriously, "We can talk about these things later. Now that Master Zhao is here, let him take a look at you first."

"This poison is rather strange; it's best to be careful."

Zhuang Dongqing looked up blankly and saw worry in Cen Yan's eyes.

Yes, there are still residual toxins in his body.

With this thought, most of the shame and embarrassment dissipated. Health was the priority, so Zhuang Dongqing nodded.

*

Master Zhao entered the room alone, and only Cen Yan accompanied him during the consultation.

"hiss--"

"this……"

Master Zhao switched his hand from his left to his right as he took the pulse, frowning, and then switched it back to his left.

Zhuang Dongqing was filled with anxiety.

Cen Yan remained calm. "What's the problem?"

After taking the pulse for a while, Master Zhao said, "The pulse is different."

Has the poison taken effect yet?

Cen Yan replied, "It happened once the night before, but it was more intense last night."

Seeing that Zhuang Dongqing didn't seem to be in any trouble, Master Zhao asked, "How did you handle it?"

"I caught a chill the day before, and the heat dissipated and I felt better. I took some time to recover last night."

In the question-and-answer session, Cen Yan spoke without changing his expression, while Zhuang Dongqing felt ashamed. He listened for a while with his toes curled up, then looked up at Master Zhao. Seeing that Master Zhao's expression was normal, he gradually felt relieved.

Treat yourself like a piece of pork in front of the doctor; don't hide your illness and avoid seeking medical treatment!

Although the pulse had changed, Zhuang Dongqing was in good health and the baby was fine. Master Zhao just said to observe.

After that, they would set off back to the Prince's Mansion. This arrangement was reasonable, and Cen Yan nodded, "Okay."

After examining Cen Yan, Zhao Ye and Cen Yan went out together. In front of Liu Qi and the others, Zhao Ye took Cen Yan's pulse again, examined the location of the snake bite, and said with relief, "Master is a lucky man. This snake didn't even secrete any venom."

Cen Yan lowered his eyes as if thinking of something: "It just so happened that we ran into Zhuang Dongqing and his group."

"The injuries on his body..."

Cen Yan: "The knife wounds are all fine, but the arrow wounds have reopened. We'll take a look when we get back to the manor."

Seeing the simple conditions here, Master Zhao didn't insist and nodded in agreement.

While Liu Qi, Hao San, and Xu Si were inspecting the carriage frame, helping to tidy up the items in the room, and going to give the owner a reward, Zhao Ye spoke up again when it was just the two of them: "I see that the young master looks young, and I have some questions I would like to ask the master."

Cen Yan gestured for him to speak.

Master Zhao: "Did the master touch the young master?"

Cen Yan: "When he was poisoned, he was delirious and didn't know anything. I was the one who helped him recover." He paused and then added, "During that time, he kept saying that I smelled sweet, and I kissed him while comforting him."

Master Zhao: "As expected."

Cen Yan was puzzled.

After considering for a moment, Master Zhao said in a low voice, "Let's go back to the manor and ask the young master what he thinks first, whether he still wants to take the medicine and have acupuncture. If he agrees, then we can try, but..."

"but?"

Master Zhao: "We've been giving the young master acupuncture and medicine, but I feel that his pulse hasn't changed much. Today, however, his pulse is noticeably different. I'm afraid... acupuncture and medicine can't really remove the toxins."

Master Zhao had repeatedly mentioned the malevolent nature of this poison before.

Cen Yan was not surprised that his words were useless.

Master Zhao said cautiously, "Young Master's condition is special. We can't use strong medicine to draw out the poison right now, because if we can't suppress it..."

As she finished speaking, she couldn't help but glance at Cen Yan, who then took over the conversation, saying, "Then I'll go over there."

Master Zhao was secretly delighted, but he didn't show it on his face. He simply said, "Then we'll see what happens when we get back to the manor."

"Can."

*

After packing his things, Liu Qi gave his employer two ingots of gold as a reward.

Cen Yan and Zhuang Dongqing changed into clean clothes, and the Prince's carriage set off with a rumble.

Inside the house, Zhuang Dongqing was preoccupied with shame and embarrassment. But once outside and seeing Liu Qi and the other members of the Prince's Mansion, she keenly sensed the difference in atmosphere, and her petty emotions subsided.

I didn't have time to ask, but Luk Fook is always good at gathering information.

Before boarding the carriage, Zhuang Dongqing had already learned from Liu Fu about the casualties suffered by the Prince's Mansion and the rumors circulating in the capital that were attacking and framing the Prince's Mansion.

Zhuang Dongqing also began to worry.

He's the kind of person who wears his heart on his sleeve.

They hadn't walked far when Cen Yan asked him, "What's wrong? You seem distracted?"

After hesitating for a moment, Zhuang Dongqing asked truthfully, "Can we go back to Beijing now?"

If he remembered correctly, Cen Yan had planned to stay in the village for a few more days a couple of days ago, probably because he had already foreseen the current situation in the capital.

Cen Yan looked at him for a while, then asked, "Are you worried about me?"

Yes, a little.

My body hasn't fully recovered yet, and I don't know what kind of bloody storm I'll face when I go back.

Upon hearing this, Cen Yan smiled slightly and replied, "You can go back."

"It's just that going back later saves effort, while going back earlier requires an earlier plan."

Cen Yan didn't explain clearly, and then changed the subject, saying, "Oh right, if we go back early, it will only be a pity that you stay at the manor for a while. The matter of taking Liufu to the restaurant will have to wait a few days."

Zhuang Dongqing didn't quite understand.

Seeing that Cen Yan had a plan in mind, I felt relieved and nodded, though I only half understood.

As long as Cen Yan knows what's going on, that's enough; he just needs to trust Cen Yan.

"Would you like some flower cakes? Liu Qi brought you some."

As soon as Cen Yan finished speaking, Liu Qi quickly took out the cakes from the drawer.

The scent of roses filled the air, and Zhuang Dongqing couldn't help but sniff, feeling that she shouldn't eat it, but she was also a little tempted.

On second thought, he realized he had nothing to lose face in front of Cen Yan anymore; last night…

Zhuang Dongqing followed her heart and took a piece, "Okay."

Later that evening, the prince's carriage entered the city, with guards following closely on both sides.

Upon entering the city, the guards made a grand show of blocking the way and proceeded slowly and unreasonably until they reached the Prince's Palace.

Subsequently, Cen Yan was found, and news of his return to the capital spread throughout the capital.

At the same time, another rumor also began to circulate.

It is said that Cen Yan was bitten by a poisonous snake, and is unconscious and in a coma. The Prince's Mansion is doing its best to treat him.

As the sun set, these two messages finally reached the palace walls.