"Little Swallow, how are you? Don't stay silent." Ziwei ran to Little Swallow's side, shaking her shoulders. Looking at the silent Little Swallow, Ziwei's eyes were full of worry.
Xiao Yanzi was shocked by An Ke's whip strike and didn't know what to say for a moment. She thought that even if she couldn't compare to An Ke in other aspects, she could certainly not be inferior to the whip she had played with since childhood. Unexpectedly, she lost miserably.
"I'm fine," Xiao Yanzi forced a smile as she comforted Ziwei.
Physician Hu looked up at the sky helplessly. He had thought that accompanying the master on this incognito trip would be a leisurely journey of sightseeing. But in just a few days, his heart had been pounding countless times.
"Please stretch out your foot so I can take a look," said Physician Hu, stepping forward with his medicine box.
Little Swallow seemed to only then realize the pain, her face contorting in agony. She even cried out twice in pain when Doctor Hu gently pressed on her ankle.
"Princess, please bear with it, please don't move." Watching Xiao Yanzi constantly swinging her ankles, Physician Hu felt that this was the greatest challenge to his medical skills in his entire life. But there was nothing he could do but gently persuade her.
Doctor Hu: Money's hard to earn, and shit's hard to swallow! Retirement needs to be accelerated, accelerated, and accelerated again!
After finally finishing setting Xiao Yanzi's bones, Doctor Hu took out a jar of ointment, but this ointment wasn't as good as the one he'd given Qing'er. After all, the tube of ointment he'd given to Princess Qing was his only treasured possession. Doctor Hu stood there for a moment, then took out a small bottle of medicine.
Sure enough, right after Xiao Yanzi's foot was treated, two guards came over carrying a bench and a board. They pressed Xiao Yanzi down on the bench and gave her the twenty strokes of the cane.
After twenty strokes of the cane, Xiao Yanzi fainted. Ziwei then launched into another round of wailing and screaming. Doctor Hu rolled his eyes speechlessly. Shouldn't they be carrying Xiao Yanzi inside at this point? She's already unconscious; what's the point of calling her? Could they even wake her up?
If I could summon them, wouldn't it be great to be an imperial physician with that ability? Why would I need to be a palace maid?
In the end, he couldn't help but suggest, "Let's carry the princess to her room."
Ziwei seemed to have just come to her senses, but she couldn't lift Xiaoyanzi by herself. Having no other choice, she called for help from Benjamin, who was standing nearby.
Benjamin stood there and sighed deeply. He turned and walked towards Xiao Yanzi, picked her up, and carried her back to her room. After putting her down, there was nothing more he could do. He then turned and went back to his own room.
As luck would have it, at that very moment, Fu Heng returned with his guards.
Yongqi looked at the bench placed in the courtyard and asked the person next to him, puzzled, "Why is this bench placed in the middle?"
The guard explained the whole story to Yongqi, who stood silently. Upon hearing this, Fu Erkang, worried, headed towards Xiao Yanzi and the others' room.
After knocking on the door, Ziwei came out. Fu Erkang looked her up and down carefully. Seeing that she was alright, he hugged her tightly. "I just got back and heard that the princess hit Xiaoyanzi. I was afraid that if she got unreasonable, she would hit you too. Luckily, you're alright." The red handprint on Ziwei's face was gradually fading.
The candlelight was dim, and Er Kang was also a little distracted by the door, so he didn't notice anything wrong with Ziwei.
Ziwei didn't refute, but held Erkang tightly, as if he were her pillar of support. "Erkang, I was so scared. Just now, the princess's eyes were full of hostility." As she spoke, Ziwei began to sob.
"It's alright, don't be afraid, I will always protect you." Fu Erkang tenderly wiped away Ziwei's tears with his hand, then carefully hugged her. "How is Xiaoyanzi?" Only then did Fu Erkang remember Xiaoyanzi who had been beaten.
"It's bad, she's already fainted." Ziwei's brows furrowed again when she mentioned Xiaoyanzi. "Fortunately, Physician Hu gave us some ointment. If she doesn't develop a fever tonight, then she should be alright."
The two cuddled at the door for a while longer, before Fu Erkang reluctantly sent Ziwei back.
*
"Qing'er, you really scared me today." An Ke sat on the edge of the bed after returning to the room, holding Qing'er's hands tightly. "I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to find you."
Anke isn't someone who readily displays her emotions, so those who know her describe her as having a cold exterior but a warm heart. Therefore, it's quite possible that she said something that surprised Qing'er.
"It's alright, it's alright, I'm perfectly fine." Qing'er could only gently pat An Ke's hand with her uninjured one. Qing'er then changed the subject. Her mind raced as she recalled seeing Ertai standing nearby when she escaped the trap earlier that day. "Ertai came with you to find me today. What do you think of him?"
"I was thinking about where you were the whole time, how could I possibly go see him?" Anke tapped Qing'er on the head. "What were you thinking about?"
"Ouch!" Qing'er cried out in exaggerated pain. "We've all seen Ertai's behavior along the way. Don't tell me you don't know how Ertai feels," Qing'er said with a teasing look.
"I see you're not in any pain now, and you're even joking with me." An Ke pouted, then stretched out her arms and placed them straight on Qing'er's bed, taking up half of Qing'er's bed space.
"I'm serious, you should think about it carefully too." Qing'er looked at the person who was lying on her bed in a spoiled manner, and sincerely hoped that she would be happy.
Just like the saying goes, "In heaven, we wish to be birds flying wing to wing; on earth, we wish to be trees with intertwined branches." Their personalities complement each other perfectly. An'an is completely insensitive to matters of the heart, while Ertai is extremely devoted to her. Given An'an's status, even if she married Ertai, she would still have complete control over them.
Although my father and mother passed away early, they were practically inseparable while they were alive. My father would read memorials to the emperor, and my mother would sit beside him, adding fragrance to his writing. My mother would swing on the swing, and my father would silently act as her guardian angel. Although I was very young at the time, I still have some memories of these moments.
Although Ertai's status was not a good match for Anke, as long as Anke was willing, what did it matter whether they were a good match or not? It is said that when Anke's father, Prince Rui, was proposing to marry her, the emperor at the time did not agree at all. It was Prince Rui who pleaded with her in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and he almost went on a hunger strike. In the end, he won the heart of his beauty, and it is still a beautiful story to this day.
An Ke lay sprawled on the bed, eyes closed, her nerves, which had been taut all day, finally able to rest for a moment. She was silently pondering Qing'er's question.
Does she like it? She doesn't know!
In modern times, she had never had a boyfriend, and she considered her brothers and sisters at the boxing gym as family from a young age, so she never felt lonely. Here, she also has her own family, and she has never considered this question.
Having grown up watching her father and mother's constant displays of affection, Anke isn't particularly attached to relationships. She's always believed in letting things take their course; if the time is right, it is. If it's not right, it isn't.
Ertai? When I watched the show, I only thought he was a plot device. He had no presence at all. When I first came here, I felt the same way.
After spending some time together, Anke realized that her previous assumptions might be wrong. Even if someone is just a tool, they still have their own thoughts. Moreover, everyone is a unique protagonist in their own world. How can one say that Ertai is the only tool?
A few days ago, when Xiao Yanzi was under house arrest, she also had some contact with Ertai and Benjamin. Anke felt that she had only preconceived notions about them before. Ertai was calm and reliable, and he didn't talk much, but when he did, he always got to the point.
Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore.
Anke opened her eyes and discussed the day's events with Qing'er, also telling her about the punishment given to Xiao Yanzi.
Qing'er frowned. "Everything else is fine, but we still need to find out more, right? Little Swallow is sitting in the carriage behind, which makes it harder for us to get information out of her." Qing'er never forgot the task the Empress Dowager had given her.
An Ke rubbed her temples in exasperation. Oh no, she'd forgotten all about it. She knew their big secret—the matter of the real and fake princesses—but Qing'er didn't. She couldn't tell Qing'er; she'd have to find out for herself.
"Alright then, she must have received those 20 lashes. She'll probably behave herself a lot for a while. Fine, then I'll see how she behaves in front of me for a few more days." An Ke had no choice but to compromise; after all, he was partly responsible for this task.
After chatting with Qing'er for a while and watching her fall asleep, he carefully got out of bed and tiptoed towards the door.
As soon as she stepped outside, she turned around and bumped into the boy standing under the osmanthus tree. The boy was dressed in a blue robe, which stood out brightly in the quiet night. His dark eyes seemed to shine with an unprecedented light at this moment, and they followed her intently.
Anke felt her heart beating a little fast. She reached out and pressed it, realizing that it might be because she had just talked about him with Qing'er, which made her feel a little guilty and caused her heart to race.
An Ke stood still, taking a long, deep breath. She slowly walked to Ertai, and out of gratitude for his companionship in searching for Qing'er earlier that day, politely asked, "Is there something you need?"
"I was going to give it to you as soon as I got back, but I just saw you go into Qing'er's room, so I waited at the door." Ertai carefully took out an oil paper package from his pocket. His eyes shone as he looked at Anke. "I heard that you didn't have dinner after I got back. Luckily, the pastry shop outside is open. This is the best osmanthus cake they sell here. Please try it."
An Ke looked into Ertai's eyes, feeling a little reluctant to refuse. Besides, she hadn't eaten dinner because she had just vented her anger by hitting Xiao Yanzi and was in a hurry to see Qing'er. Now that Ertai had brought out this bag of osmanthus cakes, she did feel a bit hungry. She hadn't felt it until now, and now that it was mentioned, she felt like the cravings in her stomach were about to cause a ruckus in her internal organs.
Perhaps because Ertai had kept the pastries hidden in his bosom the whole way, they were no longer in good shape. Several of them had even broken into pieces.
Anke wasn't pretentious or picky; she pinched out a relatively intact piece from it and slowly put it in her mouth. Whether it was because she hadn't had dinner or because the moonlight was rather hazy tonight, Anke felt that this osmanthus cake was exactly what she wanted.
Ertai stood beside her with a smile on his lips, silently watching Anke. As long as it suited the princess's wishes, it wouldn't be a waste of his time running through three streets to find the osmanthus cake.
"Thank you so much today. You helped me find Qing'er and brought me osmanthus cake. I'm so grateful for your help." An Ke blushed as she looked at the oil paper package she had finished eating, too embarrassed to look at Ertai's face.
"No need for that, Princess, I'm glad you're happy," Ertai said softly. Bathed in moonlight, Anke, dressed in a pale purple gown, radiated a gentle glow. Fortunately, Anke didn't look up at that moment, or she would have seen Ertai's undisguised deep affection.
An Ke rubbed her earlobe uncomfortably. Was it because he was too close? Her ear felt a little numb. "Ahem, since you helped me, we're friends now. Just call me An Ke in private, no need for all this 'princess' stuff." Come to think of it, they'd known each other for quite a few years; after all, he was that chubby, crybaby boy from childhood.
"Alright, Anke." Ertai's smile widened. He hadn't expected to receive such a great reward just for following her to find Qing'er. Princess Qing was truly his benefactor.
"Then Anke should get some rest early tonight." Ertai felt it was getting late and urged Anke to go back to her room to rest. After all, she had spent so much time searching for Qing'er today, and had just spent so much time with her, talking for so long. She must be exhausted, both physically and mentally, and should go back and take a good bath and get some rest.
"Okay, you too, get some rest early," Anke replied politely.
After they wished each other a good rest, Anke went straight to her room, unaware that Ertai was watching her silently from behind, as if escorting her back to her room with his gaze.
Although this was outside the palace, and it was an outing where no one else would know, he still didn't want to disrespect the princess. If others saw him, it wouldn't matter to him, but it would certainly tarnish the princess's reputation. Although he desperately wanted to send the princess back, he could only suppress his own desires.
After watching Anke return to her room, Ertai smiled and silently walked towards his own room. Tonight was truly a wonderful night, and the Matchmaker of Yue Lao Town was indeed very effective.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com