Her delicate fingers were chafed raw by the rough wall, and she hissed in pain, blowing on them softly.
Just then, someone under the inner wall asked, "What are you doing?"
Tianyun's slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she waved to him with delight: "I've come to bring you medicine."
The person standing beneath the wall is none other than His Highness the Third Prince of the Great Liang Dynasty!
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ziwu's eyes darkened. He had been practicing his sword in the back garden when he heard the commotion and cautiously came over with his sword, only to witness this scene.
The woman, who was clinging to the palace wall without any regard for her image, saw him coming this way and her eyes lit up with joy.
Xiao Ziwu's thin lips were pressed tightly together, almost forming a straight line, and he seemed somewhat displeased.
With a light touch of his toes, he nimbly climbed the wall, threaded the hilt of his sword through the woman's belt, and with a forceful pull, lifted her down.
Before Tianyun could react, she was already on the ground. This was the first time she had witnessed lightness skill, and she was somewhat surprised: "You know martial arts too!"
Looking at the gray stains on her skirt, Xiao Ziwu's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Don't do this again next time."
After he finished speaking, he frowned again.
Why bother with her? What she does is none of my business.
"If it weren't for you, I certainly wouldn't dare..." His expression grew increasingly grim, and Tianyun weakly fell silent, not daring to continue.
Saying such things in this day and age would be too presumptuous and might frighten the young man, so she blinked and explained, "What I mean is, I wouldn't have done this if it weren't to repay you for helping me before."
For some reason, from the moment she first saw this aloof young man, she felt a strange pity for him.
Tianyun then realized that he didn't know who she was, so she bowed to him and said, "My father is Shangguan Ming, the Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy. My daughter is Shangguan Tianyun. Greetings, Your Highness."
Xiao Ziwu twirled his index finger and responded softly, "Mm."
Her manners were rather awkward, but her gentle smile and sweet voice, along with a glistening bead of sweat on her small nose, made her incredibly endearing, inexplicably causing people to overlook her shortcomings in etiquette.
Tianyun stuffed the medicine into his hand; the boy was dressed in thin clothes, and touching it felt like touching a block of ice.
She frowned: "This is a frostbite ointment. Your Highness can apply it to the red and swollen areas to reduce swelling and relieve itching. This is a warming patch. You only need to apply one patch to your side each time. It's my secret recipe."
"It's getting colder today, Your Highness, please wear another layer of clothing."
After saying that, he jokingly quoted what he had said before: "Young master looks so radiant, you must be in good health. But even if you are in good health, there is no need to risk catching a cold."
The girl before him smiled, her cheeks rosy, exuding an indescribable gentleness and charm. Xiao Ziwu's jaw tightened as he gazed at her, unsure how to respond, finally managing only a slight nod.
"I should go now," Tianyun said softly.
She hadn't walked far when she seemed worried again, turning back to wink at him: "You must use the ointment."
She wore a light-colored dress that shimmered softly in the sunlight. The hem of her skirt swayed gently as she walked, and the shimmering spots rippled like water. Several butterflies followed her, drawn by the fragrance of her hair, and danced behind her like fairies descended to earth.
She walked away.
The young eunuch often felt that he was hallucinating, wondering why he heard a woman's voice.
He came over carrying his outer robe and saw his prince standing by the wall, holding something in his hand and lost in thought.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered that there were two kinds of ointments: one was in a porcelain bottle, and the other was in the form of tablets, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.
"Where did Your Highness get this ointment?" Chang Lai asked, somewhat curious.
In his opinion, the Third Prince was the one who knew the least how to take care of himself. After being punished that night, it wasn't that no imperial physician came to bring medicine for his injuries, but the prince always refused to apply it, letting his fingers and legs become red and swollen.
"Your Highness, please put on your outer robe. You shouldn't be exposed to the wind after sweating so much," Chang Lai advised without much hope. He figured His Highness wouldn't wear it anyway, as he disliked wearing bulky clothing when practicing swordsmanship, as it would restrict the execution of some of his moves.
To everyone's surprise, His Highness agreed this time!
"Hmm." Once the outer robe was draped over her shoulders, it blocked the biting cold wind from entering.
It really did get cold that day.
Under Chang Lai's surprised gaze, Xiao Ziwu handed him the ointment and said, "Help me apply the medicine."
Chang Lai was surprised again. Previously, His Highness complained that the medicine was too sticky to handle and he couldn't hold the sword, and no matter how much he pleaded, His Highness refused to apply it. But today, His Highness was willing to listen to advice!
...but the origin of this medicine is unknown.
"Your Highness, how about we use the one that Physician Zhao sent over?"
Xiao Ziwu glanced at him and coldly refused, "That medicine smells awful."
Chang Lai scratched his head in confusion. "Huh? Don't all ointments smell the same?"
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