After You Xian'er left, she didn't rush to follow. Instead, she took another path and sat down in a secluded corridor, sulking.
The maid Muli sighed, "What should we do? This matter will reach the Emperor's ears sooner or later. If there is a selection of concubines, will Miss be eliminated in the first round?"
"This servant finds this matter rather strange," Mu Tao said, frowning thoughtfully.
"What's wrong?" Muli asked, and You Xian'er also looked up at Mu Tao.
Mu Tao scratched a strand of hair by her ear and frowned, saying, "When we came out of the dining hall, we heard two palace maids whispering that the Emperor was taking a walk in the Stone Forest, but their whispering was too loud."
"That's right, otherwise why would a group of people have followed us here so soon? The other young ladies must have heard it too."
After Mu Tao said that, Mu Li also felt that it was too much of a coincidence.
You Xian'er was filled with regret and said with annoyance, "If I had known, I wouldn't have thought of coming to the Stone Forest to meet the Emperor."
“Miss, it’s not your fault. Look at the other young ladies, they all followed after they heard that the Emperor had come to Shilin.”
"In my opinion, this is all the young master's fault. Why did he come out here instead of staying in his room?"
"That's right, I didn't even see where he came from."
"That's right, his shout scared me half to death."
Muli and Mutao's complaints couldn't change what had already happened.
You Xian'er sighed and said, "The imperial physician has probably finished treating the wound by now. Let's go take a look and then leave."
You Xian'er stood up, and Mu Tao followed her, muttering to herself.
"If Madam finds out, Miss will inevitably be punished."
"Let her be punished. It's not like I picked up a rock and smashed her own nephew."
When the topic of her stepmother came up, You Xian'er felt quite dissatisfied.
...
In a side hall, after the palace maids and eunuchs carried Liu Baokun in, they went out to perform their respective duties, leaving only a young eunuch to serve him inside.
After taking the pulse, the imperial physician stepped aside and gestured to his colleague, saying, "This young master's blood and qi are a bit agitated, but fortunately there are no internal injuries. You are the expert on external injuries."
Another imperial physician nodded and reached out to examine the injury. Liu Baokun blushed and said, "My injury is on my back. It can only be seen if I take off my outer clothes. It's fine to leave one imperial physician in the room."
The other two imperial physicians exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves, "Why is this young master Liu acting like a woman? We're all men, why are you so shy?"
The two imperial physicians left without saying anything more.
The imperial physician who remained had a young eunuch fetch his medicine chest.
One moment Liu Baokun was grimacing in pain, the next he was acting as if nothing had happened, quickly taking off his shirt in no time.
"Imperial Physician, if anyone asks you later, just say that my injuries are serious and may leave lasting effects."
As Liu Baokun spoke, he stuffed a silver ingot into the imperial physician's hand.
Imperial Physician: "This...this is not appropriate."
"There's nothing inappropriate about it; you and I both know this."
The imperial physician took the candle and examined Liu Baokun's back closely. He found that there were no scratches on his skin, but upon closer inspection, he could see a small red mark.
In the dead of winter, everyone is wearing cotton-padded clothes; how could a small stone possibly hurt someone?
The young eunuch brought over the medicine box, and the imperial physician took out some medicinal wine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and applied it to his wound.
At Liu Baokun's request, the imperial physician also wrapped his back and shoulders with a thick layer of bandages.
Finally, the imperial physician left him half a bottle of medicinal wine, instructing him to apply it twice a day, and he would surely recover in three days.
As the imperial physician turned to leave, Liu Baokun tugged at his sleeve and said, "My lord, my injuries are severe, and I need to rest in bed for half a month."
The imperial physician nodded in understanding, "As you wish, young master, I will have someone carry you back to your residence."
After the imperial physician left, Liu Baokun took out another silver ingot and stuffed it into the little eunuch's hand.
"Young man, take this and drink your tea. If anyone asks about my injuries, just exaggerate how serious they are."
The young eunuch looked troubled. "Young master, your injury is not serious. Would it be inappropriate to say something more serious?"
The young eunuch was simple-minded and thought that this person might be trying to extort the emperor, since they had been invited by the emperor.
Liu Baokun quickly understood the eunuch's concerns.
He walked to the soft couch in the room and lay down. "Don't worry, I won't extort your master. I'm just trying to appease my childhood sweetheart cousin."
Seeing that there was no one else in the room, he lowered his voice and said, "I want her to feel guilty, and then repay me with her body, understand?"
The young eunuch suddenly realized what was going on and quickly pocketed the silver ingot. "I understand, this servant understands that the young master has good intentions."
Just then, someone pushed the door open and came in. The little eunuch quickly reminded Liu Baokun, "Young master's injury is on his back."
Liu Baokun was lying sprawled on the soft couch when he suddenly came to his senses. He quickly rolled over and crawled around, humming and moaning under his breath.
"Ouch, that hurts so much!"
Upon seeing that it was Xiang Song who entered, Liu Baokun immediately stopped howling.
"Sir, does my cousin not care whether I live or die?"
Xiang Song glared at him, annoyed. "I just told you to play the hero and save the damsel in distress in the pine forest tomorrow, and you..."
Liu Baokun chuckled awkwardly, "I was afraid that things might change if I waited too long. It was just a coincidence that I saw her passing by the Stone Forest alone with her maid."
"Your page is not careful enough. The snow is so thick, and he didn't even bother to clean up his footprints when he left."
Liu Baokun scrambled to his feet, looking flustered. "What should we do? I've already sent him back to his room. Will Her Highness send someone to investigate?"
"Don't panic. I'll take care of it on my way back. You Xian'er is walking this way. Are you sure you want to talk sitting down?"
"Thank you very much, Commander. I will remember your great kindness forever." Liu Baokun said as he quickly rushed down.
A moment later, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from outside the door.
Xiang Song gave him a wink, and Liu Baokun began his performance, humming and muttering incessantly.
Xiang Song deliberately raised his voice and said, "Thank God, the stone didn't hit your head, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."
"Oh dear! As long as my cousin wasn't hit, I, Liu, will die without regrets."
Xiang Song almost burst out laughing at Liu Baokun's comical appearance.
A quick-witted eunuch glanced at the door and said, "The imperial physician said that I need to rest in bed for half a month, otherwise I will develop a chronic illness."
"Young Master Liu, please rest for now. We will send someone to escort you back to the capital tomorrow."
Before Xiang Song could finish speaking, You Xian'er walked in with two maids, her faces dark and sullen.
Seeing that Liu Baokun's back was slightly hunched, You Xian'er still asked with concern, "Did you hurt any bones?"
Liu Baokun opened one eye and looked at You Xian'er. "The imperial physician said the injury is serious and there may be long-term effects."
"I'm asking if your bones are broken!"
"No, it's not broken, Sister Xian'er, don't worry. It's just that the bone was dented a little. It's nothing serious. It will probably grow back in half a month."
Xiang Song couldn't listen anymore; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back his laughter.
He didn't even glance at them before turning around and leaving the room.
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