Chapter 27

◎The chains meandered into the quilt and gauze curtains◎

Wei Xianxi led the doctor into the room, where they saw a calico cat curled up in front of Su Lu, its tail tip brushing back and forth against the silver embroidery on his sleeve.

What does Xie Yutang think this place is?

Here to relax?

Is the cat more fun or Prince Su?

But now is not the time to turn against them; they still need Princess Ning'an to vouch for their theft of military equipment.

Wei Xianxi took a deep breath, put on a smile, and said respectfully to Xie Yutang, "I heard that Prince Su was unwell last night, so I specially invited a doctor to come and treat him."

Xie Yutang glanced at the man standing behind him with the medicine box and smiled: "Commander Wei, you are too kind. It was just that the thunder was too loud yesterday and disturbed my sleep. I just need to rest today. There is really no need for Commander Wei to make such a fuss."

Hearing Xie Yutang's refusal, Wei Xianxi became even more certain that something strange had happened last night. He chuckled and bowed respectfully again, saying, "Your Highness and the Crown Prince are both honored guests. If the Crown Prince is in good health, that's certainly a good thing. But if he is truly unwell, it would be good to have a doctor examine him so that the right medicine can be prescribed as soon as possible. Don't you think so?"

He stretched his hand behind him and said, "This Doctor Zhao is a renowned healer in our camp. He has superb medical skills and rich experience. Besides, Prince Su was recently treated with medicine. It's always good to have the doctor take a look."

Wei Xianxi, as expected of a seasoned official, pretended to consult Xie Yutang even though he was treating Su Lu.

He probably knew that this Prince Su had once served under him, and that he himself had a reputation for having a penchant for men. He was using this statement to show that he had absolutely no intention of competing with the princess for her man.

Xie Yutang sat down at the table, slowly turning the teacup in her hand: "Commander Wei, you are too kind. I will not refuse your kindness."

Doctor Zhao glanced at Wei Xianxi, and seeing the latter nod, he carefully stepped forward.

Although Su Lu offered his left hand, the shackles on his right wrist were hard to ignore. Doctor Zhao kept his eyes down, pretending not to see what he shouldn't be looking at, and simply did what he was supposed to do.

She stopped just as her fingers were about to touch the boy's wrist.

The story of the two men had been widely circulated these past few days, and Doctor Zhao had naturally heard about it as well. He placed the slender, white wrist in front of him, hesitated for a moment, then took out a handkerchief from his pocket, covered it, and carefully placed his hand on the wrist to take the pulse.

Xie Yutang took everything in, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued drinking tea.

Wei Xianxi was dumbfounded.

Where did this guy surnamed Zhao learn all this rubbish?

What if the methods used by the imperial physicians to treat the emperor's women were applied to Su Lu?

Did she treat people like Xie Yutang's personal possession?

He wanted to swat the handkerchief as soon as it was pulled out; what an eyesore!

But when he thought about how he was the one who first treated Su Lu as Princess Ning'an's plaything, and who fawned over the princess, he just couldn't bring himself to slap her.

He was so angry he couldn't vent it, it was driving him crazy!

The only person with the strongest grounds to reject this absurd westward journey of the man surnamed Zhao is Su Lu himself.

Wei Xianxi turned his gaze to the boy sitting quietly.

I'm quite looking forward to it.

The boy was only stunned for a moment before lowering his eyelashes and letting the handkerchief that prevented direct contact cover his wrist, without feeling the slightest bit humiliated.

Please.

You are both men.

Don't be so ridiculous!

While Wei Xianxi was inwardly complaining, Doctor Zhao had already completed his diagnosis and bowed to Xie Yutang, saying, "Your Highness's health is indeed as you said, there is nothing seriously wrong, he is just a little weak, he should rest well."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xianxi's anger finally subsided somewhat.

He had ordered that the food for the past few days be laced with muscle-softening powder. When he heard his subordinate report yesterday, his first thought was that Su Lu was trying to force the poison out with his internal energy.

This medicine was sent from the Northern Rong. It's incredibly strange. Even the most powerful experts with deep internal energy can be completely sealed by it. Just circulating their energy can cause them excruciating pain, let alone forcibly expelling the poison.

Although I thought it was impossible, just to be on the safe side, I still had to ask a doctor to come and see me before I felt at ease.

This Doctor Zhao is a skilled practitioner himself, and now that he has personally taken the pulse, there is absolutely no chance of anything going wrong.

Wei Xianxi felt relieved, but then his mind started to wander to other things.

Su Lu's current haggard appearance can only be because...

"Dr. Zhao, I've been having trouble sleeping these past few days, and it's been difficult for me to get a good night's rest. Do you have any remedies to calm my nerves?"

Doctor Zhao, who was putting away his handkerchief, raised his eyebrows in surprise when he heard Su Lu speak.

What he just did was an insult to any man. Even a sycophant would not dare to show disrespect to his master, but he had no such restraint with him.

Moreover, this is the young heir of the Muqing Prince's Mansion.

From the moment he took out the handkerchief, he was prepared for the man before him to fly into a rage.

But this Prince Su cooperated quietly with him throughout the pulse diagnosis, and even when he asked questions, he was very polite. His temperament was as white as snow and as elegant as a crane, and with such a face... no wonder Princess Ning'an treasured him so much.

Doctor Zhao, without revealing his thoughts, bowed slightly to Su Lu: "When I examined the young master's pulse just now, I found it to be weak and thready, indicating a deficiency of both heart and spleen, and insufficient qi and blood. I will prescribe a remedy for the young master, and later I will have my servants grind the herbs into powder and make them into sachets. The young master can place them by his pillow when he goes to sleep, which should have a calming and sleep-aiding effect."

Su Lu said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Doctor Zhao sat down at a nearby table, picked up a pen and wrote down a prescription. As a military doctor, he wouldn't tamper with the prescription. The servant first showed it to Wei Xianxi to confirm that they were all common herbs before taking it down to get the medicine and grind it.

Doctor Zhao had finished his business and didn't linger. Not long after he left, a soldier came to report. The soldier entered the room, sweat dripping from under his helmet, his chest heaving, clearly having run all the way there.

Hearing the commotion, Wei Xianxi turned around, frowning slightly: "What is it?"

The soldier didn't answer, but glanced around.

Wei Xianxi's brows relaxed a little, and he smiled, "Your Highness and the Crown Prince are on the same side, so please speak freely."

The soldier clasped his hands and said, "Reporting to the commander, the bearded man has arrived and is currently at the drill ground. Chief Cui requests your presence as soon as possible."

Wei Xianxi's gaze swept over the two people in the room without making a sound. One of them was drinking tea with his eyes closed, while the other was resting with his eyes closed. They both seemed completely unaware of the huge amount of information contained in his words.

Wei Xianxi cupped his hands and said with a smile, "This humble official has other matters to attend to, so I will not disturb Your Highness and the Crown Prince's rest any longer."

Not long after Wei Xianxi left, a servant brought over a prepared calming sachet, along with a bowl of medicinal soup.

Xie Yutang glanced sideways: "What is this?"

"Your Highness, it was Commander Wei who specifically instructed Doctor Zhao to write the prescription, which was brewed to nourish Prince Su's body."

Xie Yutang glanced at the dark brown, still steaming herbal medicine and said, "I understand. You may leave."

But the servant bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, Commander Wei specifically instructed that this medicine was specially brewed for Prince Su and must be drunk while it's hot."

Xie Yutang sneered: "So you're here to spy on us?"

"This humble servant dares not, but I dare not disobey Commander Wei's orders. Please do not make things difficult for me, Your Highness."

His attitude was respectful, but his tone left no room for refusal.

Although nothing was discovered today, it doesn't mean Wei Xianxi is completely at ease. There's still no way to know what's been added to this medicine.

Xie Yutang was about to speak when she saw Su Lu nod at her reassuringly. Xie Yutang paused, only to see him take the porcelain bowl from the servant and take a sip with his eyes lowered.

A moment later, he glanced at the guard who had brought the medicine. Their eyes met briefly, and they seemed to understand each other's unspoken meaning.

Su Lu finished the bowl of medicine, placed the empty bowl on the tray held by the servant, and nodded slightly without revealing any emotion on his face: "I appreciate Commander Wei's kindness."

Once only the two of them were left in the room, Xie Yutang's expression was not as relaxed as before. She didn't bother to ask him what he had drunk: "Have you heard of this Bearded Guest?"

The Bearded Stranger was originally the name of a character in a painting from a previous dynasty. Several years ago, a figure bearing his name suddenly appeared in the martial arts world. This person's strength was unfathomable, and it was said that he had already become the undisputed number one master in the martial arts world. Moreover, his whereabouts were mysterious, and every time he appeared, he wore a gilded mask, so no one had ever seen his true face.

The scene just now was clearly orchestrated by Wei Xianxi, who sent someone to report to them so that Xie Yutang would understand the situation and cooperate obediently.

"Given your current condition, you have a good chance of defeating this bearded man."

Su Lu pondered for a moment, "I have never fought him directly, but judging from the rumors, this person's internal strength and martial arts are quite profound. If I were to face him..."

He paused, then said lightly, "Master, go first. I'll hold him off."

Xie Yutang's heart tightened upon hearing this. Yesterday, Su Lu had forcibly opened up his meridians, which had already caused him internal injuries. In addition, the poison from the Softening Tendon Powder had not been completely eliminated, so he probably only had less than 30% of his internal strength left. What he meant by these words was that he was willing to risk his life to give her a chance to survive.

Xie Yutang was silent for a moment: "What did they give you to drink just now?"

She was asking about the bowl of herbal soup that was delivered along with the calming sachet.

Su Lu didn't delve into the reason for her sudden change of topic. He picked up a black chess piece from the chess basket on the table, twirled it between his fingers, and then lowered his eyes to say, "...Do you really want to know?"

Wei Xianxi kept the people confined, fearing they would be bored, so he brought in a lot of amusing and entertaining items, including Go.

The two had played chess several times in the past few days. Xie Yutang was trapped in the deep palace in her previous life, and when she was bored, she could only play chess to relieve her boredom. She was quite skilled in chess, but she did not expect that Su Lu's chess skills were no less than hers.

Xie Yutang's interest was piqued, and he had been frequently taking Xie Yutang to play chess with him these past few days.

Xie Yutang picked up a white chess piece and placed it on the board: "Is there anything else I can't know?"

The black piece twirled between his slender, jade-like fingers before landing on the chessboard with a crisp thud. Su Lu said, "It's an aphrodisiac."

...

Xie Yutang took a moment to process this, but still couldn't quite grasp it, and subconsciously asked, "Why?"

"When Commander Wei saw that I looked haggard and was bedridden, he thought that I was... completely drained and that's why I couldn't serve my master well."

...

Xie Yutang choked. This Wei Xianxi, he really knows how to think!

"Then why are you still drinking?"

We're not afraid of getting sick from drinking it.

The boy blinked innocently: "According to Master's script, Commander Wei's speculation is reasonable. What if I insist on not drinking and arouse his suspicion?"

Xie Yutang: "..."

She couldn't refute it.

"Won't you be okay drinking such a big bowl of that?"

Su Lu paused for a moment: "What aspect is Master asking about?"

...

She shouldn't have asked that question.

If anything goes wrong, it won't be her.

Xie Yutang decided to say no more and focused solely on placing the chess pieces.

Su Lu was perceptive enough not to bring it up again and quietly played chess with her.

Halfway through the game, a bird call suddenly came from outside the window. The garden was right in front of the courtyard, so it wasn't strange to hear birds chirping, but upon closer listening, one could still detect something different about this bird call.

Xie Yutang paused in his chess piece, looked up, and finally a relieved smile appeared in his eyes: "Song Zhen succeeded, and reinforcements will be here soon."

Prefect Song Zhen successfully persuaded General Zhuang Hongfei to send troops. The two of them rode at full speed, leading 30,000 soldiers south to provide reinforcements, and they should arrive by this evening.

Xie Yutang thought Su Lu would ask her how she received the message, but the young man opposite her simply nodded, slightly curving his lips, and looked at her with a calm and serene gaze: "What to do next is up to Master."

*

The weather was unusually clear, and the late autumn afternoon sun made people drowsy. The guard at the gate yawned, calculating the time for his shift change, when he suddenly heard the door open behind him. He saw Princess Ning'an leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed, her face flushed as if she had just finished eating: "Go tell your steward that I want to take a bath with Prince Su, and tell him to prepare quickly."

Besides having servants boil water and sweep, the most important part of this "preparation" was to retrieve the key to the shackles on Su Lu's wrists.

The square-faced guard was getting impatient: "You just washed it yesterday, why do you need to wash it again?"

Through the open door, one could vaguely see the thin gauze bed curtains with subtle gold thread patterns hanging inside. The autumn wind blew in through the open door, lifting a corner of the bed curtains, revealing a jade-like wrist hanging down, with chains winding into the quilt and gauze curtains.

The round-faced guard clicked his tongue inwardly and slapped the helmet of the square-faced man: "What do you know? Hurry up and go."

The square-faced man's helmet was suddenly tilted by the camera, but he understood what was happening. He held the helmet and ran off, cursing.

The key was always kept by Cui Hu. He was practicing archery with Wei Xianxi and Qiu Ran Ke on the training ground when he heard the servant report. He gave Wei Xianxi a meaningful look and said, "Commander Wei, you really thoughtfully sent that one medicine."

The bearded man had heard about Princess Ning'an's outrageous behavior over the past few days, and a hint of mockery couldn't help but show behind his mask.

Su Lu is, after all, the son of King Muqing, the son of a general of a nation. How could he be willing to submit to a woman's desires? How long can the reign of the Great Yan Kingdom last?

Cui Hu took the key from his waist and handed it to the guard, waving him away. He then turned to Wei Xianxi and said sarcastically, "I think Princess Ning'an should really thank Commander Wei. He provides her with good food and drink every day and even generously leaves the people he has his eye on for the princess to amuse her. Anyone would praise the commander for his magnanimity and generosity!"

Xie Yutang and Su Lu used their internal energy to expel the poison from the pool water again.

The meals delivered daily contained a muscle-softening powder, so they would use a bath as an excuse to expel the poison after each meal. With the foundation laid earlier, these few times were much easier. Xie Yutang sensed that the internal energy within the body was about 50%.

As long as I don't encounter the Bearded Stranger, I'll be able to survive.

The two changed into clean clothes, and the person who was supposed to pick up the key should have arrived by now.

Xie Yutang fed the beef jerky in her hand to Sanhua. She had specially asked the kitchen for this beef jerky. She was not so heartless as to add muscle softening powder to the cat's food. As a result, the cat became rounder and more sleek every day, and was a size bigger than when she first met it.

"It's up to you now."

After the cat finished eating, Xie Yutang rubbed its round head, picked it up and put it on the windowsill, then gave it a shove on the bottom.

The cat curled up into a ball and rolled off the windowsill unexpectedly, like a fur ball.

Xie Yutang exclaimed in surprise, and the door was immediately pushed open by the guards standing at the door.

Princess Ning'an clutched her chest, looking both frightened and worried, and rushed straight towards the door: "Get out of the way! My cat has run out!"

The guard was startled and instinctively tried to stop him, but just as he reached for his sword, a figure as white as frost and snow blocked his way.

The guard glanced at the boy's long, slightly damp hair, which was casually draped over his chest, and then realized that Su Lu had just finished bathing and had not yet been chained.

He stood there alone, which startled the guard who was about to draw his sword. They exchanged a glance and then moved their hands away from the hilt of their swords as if they had burned themselves.

This is Princess Ning'an. Anyone who dares to draw their sword against the princess would have ten heads and still not be enough to cut off.

He could only clasp his hands in a fist salute to Xie Yutang and say, "The commander has ordered that Your Highness remain inside."

Xie Yutang sneered: "What are you people, daring to order me around? Call Wei Xianxi over and see if he dares to mention the words 'I have an order' in front of me."

The two guards exchanged a glance, inwardly groaning. Everyone knew Princess Ning'an's name, and they didn't want to get involved in this mess.

"I am just going to find the cat with Prince Su. If you are worried, you are welcome to come along. Besides, the two of us can't even use a trace of internal energy right now. What are you afraid of in broad daylight?"

"this……"

Seeing the expressions on the two guards' faces, Xie Yutang knew he had been persuaded, so he simply put away his smile and coldly rebuked them:

"Didn't you hear your Commander Wei say that I am 'one of our own'? Once I get the seal, we'll all be on the same boat."

Her gaze swept over the two guards, her smile softening as she placed the item in her hand into theirs. "I may not have many other merits, but I do have a good memory. Whether you want to make things difficult for me today is up to you."