Lord Yan Zhao

The news of Xiao Lin's coma and illness naturally reached the ears of those who were interested, and Prince Xie Jingyuan was one of them.

At this moment, he was practicing horse riding and archery at the royal stables. His moon-white tights outlined his tall and straight figure. His long hair was tied up high with a golden headband, revealing his smooth and full forehead.

Xie Jingyuan rode his fiery horse for several laps around the arena before suddenly tightening the reins and twisting his waist. Ten feathered arrows flew off the bowstring one after another. The ten arrows pierced the air with a gust of wind, their tails of white feathers connecting into a line, and they all pierced the bull's eye several feet away.

He was pleased and stopped his horse. Shadow Owl, who had been waiting for a long time, quietly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, Xiao Lin has been in a coma for three days."

Xie Jingyuan's fingertips stroked the carvings on the bow, his eyes gleaming with a hint of nonchalant interest: "Are you serious?"

He had a preconceived notion that Xiao Lin was poisoned by Su Manyan.

"The imperial physician was helpless. This is indeed the case and not a fabrication."

Xie Jingyuan chuckled, pulled out an eagle feather arrow from the quiver, and hooked the bowstring with his bony fingers.

"call out!"

Hit the bull's eye.

"I thought he was capable of so much, but he's still short-lived. Shadow Guard, tell me, isn't this over too quickly?"

Shadow Owl's lips moved twice, but in the end he said nothing.

Xie Jingyuan used the tip of his bow to gently lift his chin. Seeing that he had his eyes downcast, looking like a wooden stake, he gently tapped his cheek with the bow. The force was not strong, but it carried an undeniable pressure: "I am talking to you."

"Your Highness is naturally right in everything he says."

The answer was so incoherent that Xie Jingyuan almost laughed out of anger.

But the good news that Xiao Lin's poison had taken hold still delighted Xie Jingyuan. He looked at Shadow Owl's dark, sharp hoodie. Only he knew that beneath the tightly wrapped honey-colored body lay the still-unhealed red marks.

Xie Jingyuan suddenly urged his mount forward, and the horse took two small steps forward, closing the distance between them. He leaned down, and his breath, with a faint pine scent, brushed past Yingxiao's ear: "Last night in bed, Guard Ying wasn't so cold and icy."

After saying this, he blew a malicious breath into the ear of the frozen man, stood up, lightly squeezed the horse's belly, and the silver-white figure quickly galloped to the edge of the field.

Only Shadow Owl was left standing frozen in place, the tips of his ears so red they seemed to be bleeding.

Xiao Lin, who was rumored to be too ill to stay at the hotel, was actually enjoying himself in Gu Yue Xuan.

He had been cooped up in his room all day, and it had been a long time since he had relaxed so recklessly. The most gratifying thing was to feel his body getting healthier day by day. Although the black lines were still suppressing him, it was still much better than before.

But there was one thing that puzzled him.

It had been some time since Yan Zhao returned. The man was a disciple of the headmaster of the Holy Medical Valley, and his medical skills were exquisite. A few pages earlier, they had talked by candlelight at night, and he had explained his plan to him in detail.

The man frowned the whole time, looking over with his dark eyes, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Xiao Lin:?

"Your Highness, that was the advice A Yan gave you." Yan Zhao asked after being caught stealing glances at Xiao Lin several times.

"What do you mean? This king and A Yan agree on this. This seems to be the best solution at the moment. Do you have any opinions?"

"I dare not. But... Your Highness should still separate the love affairs of children from the great cause of his career."

Yan Zhao turned his eyes to the flickering candlelight on the table and spoke hesitantly. Without waiting for Xiao Lin's answer, he retreated as if fleeing.

"Children...love?"

Xiao Lin grasped the key point of this sentence.

These four words not only make one's ears burn when they are heard, but even when they are repeated in a low voice, they burn the mouth.

Xiao Lin hadn't expected Yan Zhao to misunderstand his relationship with Su Manyan. He had been puzzled by Yan Zhao's unusual behavior over the past few days, always looking at him with a troubled and painful expression.

Especially whenever he was with A Yan, that person's expression was even more interesting, as if he had eaten a fly.

I thought I was overthinking it, but it turned out to be the other person who was imagining things.

How could he and Su Manyan have that kind of relationship? Even though they shared the same ideals, even though A Yan was intelligent and kind, even though A Yan had saved him time and time again, even though he admired Su Manyan, even though their relationship was closer than that of an ordinary master and servant...

But they are both men. Could it be that Yan Zhao thinks they are both gay?

Xiao Lin thought it was ridiculous. But despite the absurdity, he didn't feel a trace of anger at being misunderstood.

Because only he himself knows that he may also be secretly expecting something in his heart.

If Ah Yan were a woman...

"Why are you sitting here in a daze? It would be best if Your Highness rests in bed after taking the medicine."

The crisp female voice drew Xiao Lin's attention back.

Su Manyan had just run into Yan Zhao on her way here, and she thought he would snort and walk away arrogantly. But unexpectedly, Yan Zhao saw him, his face flushed, and he quickly lowered his head and ran away.

She had been thinking about this man's strange behavior for a while, but she didn't take it seriously. When she arrived at Xiao Lin's room, she saw him sitting at the table, lost in thought, his eyes hazy and his cheeks flushed.

What's wrong with you today? Is it because the New Year is approaching and the weather is freezing cold, so you've all got frostbite?

Su Manyan was puzzled, but couldn't think of any other possibility.

She casually sat down next to Xiao Lin, poured herself a cup of hot tea to warm herself up, and asked as she drank, "Just now I saw Lord Yan Zhao running out in a panic. What happened?"

"Ah...ah, nothing happened. Perhaps the Holy Medical Valley sent regular messages, and he was anxious to see it."

Is that so?

Su Manyan didn't ask any more questions. She turned the teacup upside down and put it back. "The news of His Highness's critical illness has spread. Those who are interested will naturally find it. I just don't know how the emperor in the palace will react when he hears it. Maybe His Highness will need to cooperate with me in acting at that time."

"Okay, okay, we'll work it out when the time comes. Besides, that bastard emperor won't have any feelings for me, Ah Yan, don't worry."

Su Manyan stood up and wanted to help Xiao Lin to rest on the couch. As soon as he stood up, he felt a pain in his lower abdomen, and the feeling of falling was particularly obvious. It seemed that a warm current flowed through his lower body.

Oops!

Su Manyan has been here for almost a month. Counting the days, it seems like her period is almost coming.

The heat all over her body suddenly rushed up to her head, and a tingling sensation swirled on her forehead. Although she was wearing a dark prison uniform, she still panicked and made a mistake.

Su Manyan had no intention of chatting with Xiao Lin anymore. She gave him a few simple instructions and quickly ran back to the west wing.

After checking, she confirmed that her period had come. There were some marks on her white underwear, and Su Manyan's mood was also up and down.

In the backward ancient times, it was always inconvenient for women to have their periods, let alone modern Su Manyan, who was at a loss as to what to do. As a servant, she didn't have many clothes, and it wasn't easy to change them, so she was afraid of exposing her female body.

After Su Manyan calmed down, she suddenly remembered the ancient records of life she had read before her time travel: women in the countryside often made their own "menstrual belts" using plant ash and old cotton wool.

She gritted her teeth and found a small piece of old cotton cloth that she had hidden away. She originally wanted to use it to make a knee pad. She took the opportunity to go to the kitchen to fetch water, secretly scooped half a bucket of wood ash, and hid back in the west wing.

She clumsily made a simple item out of cotton cloth wrapped in wood ash, then repeatedly soaked her soiled underwear in cold water, then sprinkled it with wood ash and scrubbed it. Once the stain had faded, she didn't dare hang it out to dry in the courtyard where everyone could see it. Instead, she quietly hung it on the inside of the west wing window frame, covering it with tattered window paper.

But just as I finished cleaning, the door was pushed open.

"Could you please give me a copy of His Highness's prescription? I wonder if Divine Doctor A Yan would look down upon a disciple of the Holy Medical Valley?"

The person who came spoke in a sarcastic tone and had bad intentions. It was Yan Zhao.

He pondered this for a long time, but still felt that His Highness was being blinded by greed. He didn't believe that an unknown eunuch in the cold palace could have such amazing abilities that Xiao Lin valued him so highly.

Yan Zhao wanted to see what tricks this eunuch was up to. Maybe he was a spy sent by some faction.

Yan Zhao's sudden intrusion startled Su Manyan. She subconsciously stood up and tried to cover herself with clothes by the window.

But this action made Yan Zhao suspicious.

"Don't move, what are you doing!?"

Yan Zhao strode forward and pushed Su Manyan away. He looked carefully, but there was nothing there.

The only thing that was out of place was the clothes hanging in the house in broad daylight. It was just a worn-out undershirt that had been worn for some time and was stained and had not been washed yet.

"Sir, is there any problem?" Su Manyan asked in a low voice. Yan Zhao had disliked her for many days. If she insisted on finding fault with him, she didn't know what he would find out. The most urgent thing was to get rid of him first.

Yan Zhao looked at the man's red fingers, the wooden bucket filled with water on the ground, and the remaining ash. Considering Su Manyan's reaction, he also sensed something was wrong.

"The miracle doctor even has to wash clothes himself. I remember that His Highness summoned us servants to serve him well. Which servant neglected the miracle doctor? Ah Yan, can you tell me so that I can report it to His Highness?"

Yan Zhao spoke casually and jokingly. Anyone with a discerning eye could hear the challenge in his words. No wonder he was suspicious:

In the twelfth lunar month, how could someone secretly beg for wood ash from the kitchen, draw a handful of water, and secretly wash clothes in the house? After washing, they dare not hang the clothes outside, but instead hang them by the window.

"Master Yan Zhao, the word 'miracle doctor' is embarrassing for me. Just call me A Yan. A Yan was greedy today and stole some food from the kitchen. I wanted to eat it secretly in my room, but I didn't realize that I got my clothes dirty, so I thought of washing them quietly."

Seeing that Yan Zhao had noticed something was wrong, Su Manyan's heart tightened, and he could only hastily make up an excuse and admit to another crime to cover up the matter.

"Oh? Seriously?"

"Yes, Ah Yan has betrayed your Highness's trust and is willing to accept the punishment. I hope Lord Yan Zhao will report the truth."

The wind from outside the window blew in again, stirring up the water in the wooden barrel and making the clothes hanging out to dry swirl.

No matter how strange Yan Zhao found it, Su Manyan was determined to steal food, so he had no choice but to swallow all his doubts.

He said, "Of course, Yan Zhao will report the truth. Everyone must pay the price for their actions, so that there won't be anyone with ulterior motives hiding around His Highness."

Yan Zhao said this with gritted teeth, staring at Su Manyan without blinking, as if he was saying this deliberately to her.

"Please give me a prescription, doctor." He reminded again with a cold face.

Su Manyan respectfully presented the prescription, and only broke out in a cold sweat when he saw Yan Zhao leave the west wing.