Chapter 78 What if I am really the daughter of your enemy?

"Ahem."

The blood foam rising in his throat woke him up from his confusion.

Chu Yangyang leaned back suddenly, and the splash of water wet their eyelashes.

There was still his blood on her lips, and her pale face had a sickly flush, but the spider-web-like blue lines under her collarbone had faded to her wrists.

She stared at him with surprised and charming eyes.

"Just now I was just..." His voice was terribly hoarse.

"You're treating me."

Chu Yangyang spoke first, her fingertips gently stroking the corners of her swollen lips, "Lord Luo is a kind-hearted doctor. Why would you take advantage of someone in distress?"

The smile didn't reach his eyes when he suddenly started coughing violently, and the blood leaking out from between his fingers was bright red.

Luo Xifeng grabbed her wrist and said, "The twin poisons haven't completely subsided yet. You still need a medicinal bath to treat it."

"So you have to come every time...?"

"Well, acupuncture is always performed during the medicinal bath." He pulled the cloth over and wrapped her in it.

Chu Yangyang stared at the red marks on his collarbone. "Does it have to be like this every time... to pass the air?"

The candle flame suddenly burst into sparks, making crackling sounds.

Luo Xifeng suddenly stood up, causing a large splash of water. His fingers trembled as he tied his belt with his back to her. "If the princess finds it dirty, you can use a bamboo tube."

“It’s not dirty.”

The word "light" stopped him in his tracks.

Chu Yangyang leaned against the edge of the tub with her wet hair wrapped around her. The heat had reddened the corners of her eyes, like rouge. "Just next time, Lord Luo... remember to get some fresh air."

She raised her hand and tapped her swollen lips, "You're almost suffocating me."

Chu Yangyang lowered her head guiltily. She couldn't say that she was actually craving the feeling of being close to him.

That kind of subtle throbbing was something she had never felt before.

Chu Yangyang rested her head on Luo Xifeng's shoulder. In such a comfortable position, she didn't want to move at all.

The ends of her half-dry hair brushed against the side of his neck, rising and falling slightly with her even breathing.

Luo Xifeng tried to pry open the hands around his waist for the third time.

Chu Yangyang moaned in her sleep and buried her face in his arms.

Luo Xifeng stared at the swaying bamboo shadows on the window paper and suddenly became alert.

"grown ups."

There was a knock on the window frame. Luo Xifeng stood up holding the sleeping Chu Yangyang, wrapped her in a long towel, dried her body, and put her on the bed. He pulled the quilt over her and wrapped her tightly.

The guard whispered through the door, "Lord Luo, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince orders you to come over immediately."

His hand that was tucking in the quilt paused. The prince rarely sent people to look for him on his own initiative.

After he settled her down, he quickly changed into his nightgown.

"Prepare the horses."

Luo Xifeng reached out and touched her forehead, which was still slightly warm. He grabbed a medicine pillow and placed it behind her waist.

After settling in, he turned and walked into the darkness.

The neighing of horses cut through the night, and Luo Xifeng jumped onto the horse's back.

Ambergris billowed from the bronze beast incense burner in the East Palace. Luo Xifeng twisted a piece of bluestone with his fingertips. "The stone materials Your Highness has transported are enough to build 3,000 crossbow slots. This move must be because Your Highness's previous agricultural promotion policy was highly praised by the Emperor and also supported by the people."

"The third prince must be desperate." Luo Xifeng said in a deep voice.

"I have already ordered the replacement of the sulfur in the eastern suburbs warehouse." The Crown Prince pushed the confidential letter across the table. "Tomorrow, the Third Brother will receive an urgent report about the need for additional stone materials for the ancestral temple renovation."

Luo Xifeng used his fingers to peel back the surface of the bluestone, revealing the dark red veins inside. "Stone mixed with hematite is explosive. Your Highness, please ask the Ministry of Works to allocate more kerosene."

The iron horses on the eaves jingled.

Luo Xifeng looked at the clepsydra. It was three quarters past midnight, time for Chu Yangyang to take her second medicinal bath.

The medicine bottle in her sleeve was warmed by her body temperature, and the bottle was stained with the blood she coughed up this morning.

"Doctor Luo seems absent-minded?"

Luo Xifeng came back to his senses.

"I'm calculating the time it will take for the kerosene to ignite." He dipped his hand in cold tea and drew a curved line on the table. "Bluestone will produce poisonous fumes when it comes into contact with kerosene. Your Highness, please evacuate the people of West Market in advance."

"Of course. No matter how brutal the party struggles are, innocent people must not be harmed." Li Rongjing said solemnly.

He looked at Luo Xifeng, who was looking down in deep thought, and suddenly chuckled, "At the last Spring Festival Banquet, I noticed that You'an and the princess seemed to be getting along better. What's going on? Do you want to live a good life?"

When this was mentioned, Luo Xifeng suddenly saw Chu Yangyang's little face with a nightmare-like smile in front of him.

In the blink of an eye, his face turned pale and weak.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his heart.

"Your Highness, I would like to ask you something." He looked at Li Rongjing.

Li Rongjing nodded and motioned for him to speak.

Luo Xifeng asked, "Your Highness, how did it feel when you first fell in love with the Empress?"

Li Rongjing stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "I'm happy when I see her, and I miss her when I don't. I think of you every day, afraid that she's unhappy, and also afraid that she's not happy because she's alone."

"In short, it seems that I wasn't alone at that time."

Listening to Li Rongjing's description, Luo Xifeng fell into deep thought again.

Speaking of the Crown Princess, Li Rongjing's memories of him and Bai Yingchun emerged.

Suddenly, he sighed softly, "You'an, I also want to ask you something. When Rui'er was poisoned last time, do you also think it was Zhao Liangdi who framed her?"

Luo Xifeng pushed the teacup in front of Li Rongjing and said, "Your Highness, those involved are the ones who are confused. You should know who did it."

Upon hearing this, Li Rongjing lowered his head and said in a sullen tone, "I am sorry for Chun'er."

"Your Highness is in the position of the Eastern Palace, and many things have to be done unavoidably. I believe that the Crown Princess will be able to understand Your Highness." Luo Xifeng comforted.

Li Rongjing sighed softly again.

At this moment, Luo Xifeng suddenly remembered what Chu Yangyang said in the carriage: the truth is the truth.

He poured Li Rongjing another cup of tea and said, "Your Highness, sometimes the precious human heart is like spilled water, once lost, it is lost forever."

Li Rongjing was stunned.

He lowered his eyes, thinking about Luo Xifeng's words.

Luo Xifeng stood up, bowed to Li Rongjing, and said, "Your Highness, I will take my leave first."

Li Rongjing nodded slightly.

He quickly walked out of the East Palace.

When Luo Xifeng returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion, Chu Yangyang was still sleeping soundly.

Her smooth white neck and the black lines crawled up her shoulders again.

The candle wick crackled, and Luo Xifeng saw clearly that the black lines on Yangyang's neck had climbed up behind her ears.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he gripped the medicine bottle. Today he gave her acupuncture to help her breathe, and logically, she should have been able to last three days.

How come it’s so fast? The black lines are climbing up again.

He frowned and looked at her worriedly.

"Lord Luo, why do you still like to peek at me sleeping?"

Chu Yangyang opened her eyes and poked the corners of his tense mouth with her fingertips.

Luo Xifeng concealed the worry in his eyes and reached out to gather her slipping clothes. "Princess, it's time to get up and take the medicine."

"Doctor Luo, your medical skills are the best in Dai Viet. How come you are so slow in detoxifying a minor poison?" She propped up her chin and watched him scoop medicine, deliberately clinking the porcelain spoon.

The medicine bowl was placed on the table, and a few drops of brown medicine splashed out.

Luo Xifeng pulled his hand back to pick up the medicine bowl, "It will take time to eliminate the remaining poison."

She suddenly leaned in and sniffed his collar, "Why do you smell like perfume?"

She smiled evilly and said, "You're not going to meet this beautiful lady somewhere without telling me?"

"This is the smell of ambergris." Luo Xifeng scooped up the medicine and blew on it.

She raised her eyebrows slightly, it turned out that he went to the East Palace.

Apart from the emperor, only the crown prince is qualified to use ambergris.

He brought the medicine spoon to her mouth: "Drink the medicine."

Chu Yangyang took a sip from his hand, wrinkling her nose in bitterness, "Lord Luo, you won't take this opportunity to poison me, will you?"

"It's very likely that I'll poison you, then save you, and then poison you again, leaving you with a life worse than death."

He deliberately exaggerated his words, causing Chu Yangyang to laugh.

"Then I'll just become Dr. Luo's guinea pig again. When Dr. Luo becomes the greatest doctor in Dai Viet, he'll have to burn a few more incense sticks at my grave."

Her smile was as warm as spring breeze.

Suddenly, she stopped smiling and asked Luo Xifeng, "Lord Luo, will you regret saving me like this?"

She paused, "What if I really am the daughter of your enemy?"

Luo Xifeng paused with the spoon in his hand, and quickly scooped another spoonful of medicine and placed it next to Chu Yangyang's mouth. "Didn't the princess say that every life deserves respect? Before the facts are clarified, no good person should be wrongly accused."

Hearing this, she felt the bitter taste in her mouth make her eyes hot.

She had never expected that the ancient people with feudal ideas would actually listen to her shocking words.

Perhaps, Luo Xifeng has also changed?

She asked tentatively, "What if it is truly proven that my father killed the Luo family, and I am truly the daughter of your enemy, then will you still kill me?"

Luo Xifeng stared at the swaying reflection in the medicine bowl.

He wanted to say yes, but his throat felt like it was clogged with medicine residue and he couldn't open his mouth.

The porcelain spoon suddenly became too heavy to lift.

He thrust the medicine bowl into her hands and said, "Since the princess is awake, drink the medicine yourself."