In the early morning of a snowy night, Imperial Physician Li was hastily summoned to Qiwu Palace.

The old man was very nervous all the way, thinking that something had happened to the Ninth Prince. But when he came to see, the Ninth Prince had a gloomy face and was sitting quietly beside the bed. And lying on the bed was Ah Fei, who was learning medicine with him.

The kitten curled up on its owner's bed, wrapped tightly with a lot of hot water stuffed inside, and was almost sweating from the heat.

He looked carefully at his master's still gloomy and terrifying expression. He wanted to say something, but swallowed it back in fear.

Doctor Li walked over quickly and saluted Zhou Huaiyan.

"I have seen nine..."

"——No need to be polite."

The boy's tone was cold, yet urgent.

"Hurry up and show this desperate person a look, don't freeze to death on my bed!"

Upon hearing this, Ah Fei's face suddenly turned red.

[Died...died in the master's bed]

[Yeah, not bad. ]

Doctor Li was surprised.

Everyone knew that Zhou Huaiyan doted on the foreign slave beside him too much, but his tone today was a little abnormal. Doctor Li didn't understand why, but he was smart enough not to ask any more questions.

After carefully checking Ah Fei's pulse, he replied to Zhou Huaiyan.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. It's just the cold that has entered your body. I'll prescribe some medicine to dispel the cold and replenish your Qi. You'll be fully recovered in a few days."

After hearing this, Zhou Huaiyan finally felt relieved. Even his overly gloomy expression softened a little.

"Thank you... cough cough cough..."

He was about to say something when he suddenly felt a chill on his back and couldn't help coughing.

Hongdou followed the boy's order and just brought the ginger soup to Ah Fei when she saw this scene. She immediately put down the ginger soup in her hand and walked forward worriedly.

Only then did she realize that her master's hands were terribly cold.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

"......"

So that night, Ah Fei, who had stood outside in the snow for an hour, was fine, but Zhou Huaiyan, who had been out for a few minutes, fell ill.

The truth is so speechless.

Zhou Huaiyan had a fever again, and the high fever gradually subsided until the afternoon of the next day.

So following the rumor about the Ninth Prince having sex with a foreign slave, new rumors spread, one of which was -

The Ninth Prince was playing with the foreign slave in the snowy night when he eventually fell ill and was feverishly unconscious, and was about to die.

Even Emperor Zhou, who knew the truth, was surprised. He knew how afraid of cold Zhou Huaiyan was. Sometimes he would be sick for several months if he was accidentally exposed to a cold wind. Yet this time, he actually ran around in the snow for a foreign slave.

"Zhang Desheng, go and deliver some supplements, and give Lao Jiu a few token reprimands to see how he is doing."

——This means to test the truth.

The chief eunuch understood clearly, and he bowed his head slightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

At this time, Zhou Huaiyan already knew that he had become the focus of rumors again. But after this illness, he seemed to have returned to the days when he was bedridden overnight, and he felt extremely uncomfortable all over.

But this familiar feeling made the boy feel a little relieved.

Because of the incident in the enclosure the day before, the eyes of the palace were on him. Now that he was sick again because of Ah Fei, naturally, condolences from various palaces came one after another, trying to test his true intentions.

Several royal brothers sent gifts of comfort, and even the Eighth Prince sent a lot of things. Zhou Huaiyan listened to Hongdou reading out the list, most of which were aphrodisiac and tonic herbs, including many things like tiger penis and deer penis.

Zhou Huaiyan found it funny and drank his hot tea slowly.

"Tsk, Brother Myna is hinting at my incompetence."

Ah Fei, who was kneeling beside him, immediately retorted,

"He's talking nonsense! When the master gets better, I will definitely..."

Before the cat could finish what was said, it noticed the boy's indifferent glance. Ah Fei immediately kowtowed and curled up on the ground.

"Master, please forgive me. I have overstepped my bounds."

In fact, what he said was not without basis.

It is true that being reasonable can help sick people recover as quickly as possible, but it will also deplete their energy and blood, making them gradually more irritable and lustful, and in more serious cases, it may even cost them their lives.

The person who gave birth to the insect was extremely vicious. But Ah Fei had no materials and could not find the mother insect, so she could only secretly find a way to delay the damage of the insect to the master's body by eating the food of the master.

This illness is actually a good thing. It is just enough to suppress the dragonflies and allow the owner's body to recover slowly, instead of rushing for quick results.

When the time is right in the future and the master's body is naturally strong, Ah Fei will use herself to lure the dragon out, which will be the best result.

How...how could it be possible that...it couldn't be possible.

Zhou Huaiyan certainly didn't know that the little cat had so many twists and turns in his heart. He was still angry about what happened that night, but he couldn't find a good way to punish him.

At this time, the eunuch Dousha came in to report.

"Your Highness, Chief Steward Zhang is here."

Zhou Huaiyan was stunned for a moment. He said something in Hongdou's ear, and the latter immediately stood up and left in a hurry.

At this time, the young man raised his eyes and looked at the young eunuch.

"Please come in."

Zhang Desheng saluted him with a smile, his eyes lingering on the pale and weak face of the boy for a moment.

"I have met His Royal Highness the Ninth Prince and wish you well. When His Majesty heard that you were ill, he immediately asked me to bring you the best medicinal herbs and supplements, and also sent a new imperial physician with excellent medical skills to see you."

"Thank you, Father. Huai Yan is really touched."

Afterwards, Zhou Huaiyan saw the palace maids carrying various gifts pouring in. He stretched out his hand, as if he had not noticed the emperor's temptation at all, and let the imperial physician brought by Zhang Desheng take his pulse.

"Your Highness is suffering from a lack of energy and blood. Your pulse is very weak. You need to rest well."

Zhou Huaiyan nodded nonchalantly and casually said,

"Is it true that you imperial doctors keep repeating the same few words over and over again? Imperial Doctor Li has made my ears ache."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Desheng immediately smiled and asked the doctor to leave.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. This is all for the sake of Your Highness's health. His Majesty said that you, the Ninth Prince, are weak and need to be well taken care of. As for your servant, since he is spoiled by your servants, you should not spoil him too much. We also have a few people with good qualifications here. If..."

"I know, I know."

Zhou Huaiyan waved his hands impatiently.

"Does His Majesty need to ask for your opinion before I take someone I like into my room?"

As he said this, he hooked his finger at the kitten, which immediately knelt down beside the boy.

Zhou Huaiyan stroked Ah Fei's face as if playing with her. His fingertips moved down, across her throat, and gently caressed the faint redness between her collarbones.

"Your Highness likes this kind of pampered and coquettish servant."

Zhang Desheng immediately lowered his head, with a hint of contempt and satisfaction in his eyes.

"Yes, it was the old slave who overstepped his authority."

Zhang Desheng got a satisfactory answer, so he left Qiwu Palace without any reluctance. Halfway through, he suddenly saw a little palace maid carrying something stealthily, and she was heading towards Zhou Huaiyan's bedroom.

Zhang Desheng winked at the eunuch next to him, who understood and followed immediately, finding a secluded corner and arresting the young palace maid.

"Stop! What are you holding?!"

The maid was horrified.

"You! Who are you? I am a maid of Qiwu Palace. How dare you stop me?!"

The eunuch didn't say much, he just knocked the maid unconscious, then snatched the medicine bowl from her hand, stirred it with a spoon, and actually took out a stick of...

The eunuch was startled and doubtful, and immediately returned the medicine bowl. Then he quickly returned to Zhang Desheng and whispered,

"Butler, there..."

"Tiger whip?!"

Zhang Desheng couldn't help but show a little shock. It turned out that the Ninth Prince had reached this point with the foreign slave. No wonder he looked so hollow.

The chief eunuch thought for a moment and was immediately delighted. He reported the matter in detail to the emperor.

With this, Emperor Zhou's last bit of doubt was dispelled.

At the same time, the bowl of tiger penis soup was indeed delivered to Zhou Huaiyan's bedroom under someone's supervision.

"The things sent by the starling are really timely."

"Your Highness is truly a master of foresight."

The maid of honor showed her admiration and worship. Zhou Huaiyan waved his hands.

"Hongdou, remember to put away the rest. You never know when you might need it."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The boy took a look at the contents of the medicine bowl and was about to ask Hongdou to pour it out, but he suddenly caught a glimpse of the blank look of the kitten next to him and immediately wanted to tease it.

"Why are you staring at me? Do you want to drink?"

Since that night, the master's tone towards him has always been cold, and it is still the same now. Ah Fei was so scared that he immediately knelt down again.

"Slave...slave..."

However, if that thing is handled properly, it can be used as a medicine to suppress the zygotes. That's why Ah Fei looked at it a few more times, but she didn't want to be misunderstood by her master.

Seeing that the kitten did not deny it immediately, Zhou Huaiyan was actually quite surprised.

"Do you really want to drink?"

"No, no, I just heard...I just heard from Doctor Li that this thing can be used as medicine."

Ah Fei explained haltingly,

"And... moreover, something this big... is really... really rare."

【Such a big...】

Zhou Huaiyan: “…”

Obviously Ah Fei is just studious, thrifty, and cherishes medicinal materials, but...but why does he think it's so dirty?

Zhou Huaiyan didn't know what to say for a moment.

"In that case,"

The young man is unable to support himself.

"Hongdou, don't pour it out. Leave it there for him."

"yes."

The maid put it down as she was told.

"If Your Highness has no other instructions, I need to go and tidy up the storeroom. There are too many things sent in from the palaces recently, and I need to check them one by one in person."

"Um."

Zhou Huaiyan was in poor health and would get sick if he came into contact with anything dirty, so from childhood to adulthood, all things would be checked personally by Hongdou before coming near him.

Seeing the back of the senior palace maid finally disappear, Ah Fei finally dared to move cautiously to the young man's feet.

"Master, are you still angry with me?"

"snort."

Zhou Huaiyan snorted coldly.

"Are you worthy of my anger?"

Calling himself "Your Highness" means he is still angry. After spending some time with him, Ah Fei has roughly figured out the boy's temper.

The kitten followed his words and coaxed him.

"I don't deserve it, not at all to make the master angry, but I broke the rules and caused the master to catch a cold, I only ask for the master's punishment!"

Zhou Huaiyan raised his eyebrows, pinched Ah Fei's chin to force him to raise his head, and spoke slowly,

"Tell me, what is the punishment?"

Ah Fei obediently raised her head, revealing her vulnerable throat like a young beast captured by a hunter.

"The slave is willing to be whipped."

As he spoke, he untied his belt and took off his coat very neatly. He even took out a whip from somewhere and offered it with both hands.

"Please... punish me, Master."

The boy stared at the kitten intently. His calm black pupils were like black jade buried in the deep sea, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. After a pause, Zhou Huaiyan suddenly chuckled.

"Oh......"

He stroked Ah Fei's chin, rubbing her icy white skin until it turned red.

"You are so well prepared. Have you been waiting for a long time?"

There was no way to tell whether he was happy or angry in his tone.

Ah Fei lowered her eyes, showing an extremely gentle demeanor.

"Yes, I have made a mistake and I must be punished."

"......"

Zhou Huaiyan suddenly shook his hand away, with such force that Ah Fei's face was forced to turn to the side. Her black curly hair flew away, casting a lingering and tortuous shadow on the painting of red plum blossoms in the snow.

Zhou Huaiyan doesn't like the feeling of being forced, but Ah Fei wants to force him in this way.

It was like that night when I stood in the snow, and it is like that now.

The former was to enter the bedroom and sleep with him, while the current one was to force him to calm down and reconcile.

Ah Fei is very smart.

However, Hongdou was once sent to the discipline hall by Zhou Huaiyan as a punishment for just saying a few too many words. Now, according to the boy's previous code of conduct, he will directly eliminate this hidden danger that is enough to affect his sanity.

Can......

Zhou Huaiyan didn't know whether he was really angry with Ah Fei or angry with himself.

"Do you really think that I dare not attack you?!"

"I dare not."

Ah Fei lowered her head, but raised the whip in her hand high.

"Please punish me, Master."

Bang——!

As soon as my hands were free, a burning pain began to spread across my body.

"Woo..."

Ah Fei bit the soft flesh on her cheek and endured the wrath of her master.

"Today, Your Highness will teach you a lesson. I, Zhou Huaiyan, hate being coerced the most in my life! Regardless of whether it is soft or hard!"

Bang!

Another whip!

"yes......"

Ah Fei gasped in pain.

"I've made note of that."

He was being too smart and self-righteous, but it turned out that his master had already seen through him clearly.

He was too arrogant. His master was so smart, how could he not see through his little tricks? He just didn't expose them.

Ah Fei knelt straight, trying her best to straighten her back so that she could be whipped by her master. Even though it hurt a lot, she didn't make a sound.

After beating the little cat with whips four or five times, Zhou Huaiyan couldn't bring himself to do it anymore, seeing the little cat's trembling body and the horrible scars. He rarely punished his servants, and even if he really wanted to punish them, he would never do it himself. But now he made an exception.

Bang--!

Zhou Huaiyan angrily threw the whip to the ground, making a dull sound.

"What kind of crappy whip are you holding? You've hurt my hand!"

Ah Fei was startled, and immediately raised her head, making a gesture to stand up.

"Then... I will change into one that is more suitable for the master."

Zhou Huaiyan: “......?”

Can't you see this is a staircase? It would be fine if you didn't want to go down, but why did you climb up along the pole?!

"No, Your Highness is tired."

The boy rubbed his palms and sat down on the chair angrily. He couldn't say what he was angry about, but he felt depressed.

"......yes."

Ah Fei knelt down next to him again, unable to resist looking at the boy's palms that were rubbed red by the whip handle, and asked tentatively,

"Master, how about I give you a massage?"

"......?"

Zhou Huaiyan was silent.

He really couldn't understand Ah Fei. He had just beaten her with a whip, so why didn't she seem to blame or sad at all?

On the contrary, looking at it...I actually feel a little happy?

Seeing that the young man didn't answer for a long time, Ah Fei thought he had acquiesced, so she immediately ran happily to the box next to her and took out the ointment.

——A few days ago, he often saw Hongdou using this to rub his master's hands.

By the time Zhou Huaiyan came to his senses and wanted to refuse, the kitten had already opened the porcelain bottle.

Suddenly there was a faint scent of cold plum blossoms in the air.

"......"

[Forget it, at least I'm giving you some space to step down.]

Thinking of this, when Ah Fei came to hold his hand, Zhou Huaiyan just snorted coldly, but did not refuse.

The kitten finally got his wish and touched his master's hand. He knew early on that the boy not only had an extremely beautiful face, but also had hands as beautiful as precious jade carvings.

The fingers are long, the body is well-proportioned, the skin is delicate and white, and the nails are trimmed very neatly and roundly.

Ah Fei rubbed the ointment in his palm to warm it up, and then slowly applied it to the red palm of his master. He rubbed it gently, measuring the boy's finger bones inch by inch.

【So slender and exquisite...】

Ah Fei sighed slightly in her heart and even forgot the stinging pain from the whipping on her body.

The boy's hands looked as delicate as a piece of jade, but when you touch them, they are not cold and hard like jade, but soft and warm.

As she rubbed him, Ah Fei unconsciously moved closer and closer, already exceeding a certain normal distance. However, at this moment, Zhou Huaiyan suddenly pulled his hand away, his voice cold and hard,

"Put on your clothes."

For some reason, the wound was clearly inflicted by him, but as Zhou Huaiyan watched, he felt an indescribable irritation in his heart.

"......yes."

Ah Fei was stunned, and suddenly felt a little disappointed. But she still put on her clothes as she was told.

The snow-white undergarment stuck to the wound, instantly staining it bright red.

"--etc,"

Zhou Huaiyan couldn't help but speak again. Ah Fei looked up, not knowing why.

"Master, what's wrong?"

The boy looked unhappy.

"Go get some medicine, apply it and put it on again."

"......ah?"

Ah Fei was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something, and immediately stars of joy appeared in her eyes.

"Yes! I'll go right away."

A moment later——

Zhou Huaiyan fell into silence as he looked at the little cat in front of him, holding the medicine box and looking at him eagerly.

His original intention was to let Ah Fei apply the medicine before putting on the clothes. But he didn't expect the latter to misunderstand. However, Zhou Huaiyan looked at the overly horrible whip marks on Ah Fei's body and finally sighed slightly.

"How do you get a spiked whip?"

It has extremely tiny thorns on it. Dozens of lashes from other whips would at most leave some purple marks, but if it was the one just now, dozens of lashes would be enough to kill someone.

But facing the boy's question, Ah Fei just looked at him and smiled pitifully without answering.

"Forget it, just take this as a lesson for you."

Zhou Huaiyan pulled the man up. He sat down, and Ah Fei stood in front of him. The height difference was just the best distance for applying medicine.

"If there is a next time..."

The boy took out some medicine and applied it carefully on the wound on the kitten's chest.

"I would send you to the North without hesitation."

"Owner!"

When she heard that she would be sent away, and to the North, Ah Fei immediately grabbed his arm in panic, and her tone instantly became tearful.

"Slave...Slave, there won't be a next time!"

However, Zhou Huaiyan was not moved by his pitiful appearance this time, and his face remained cold.

"A Fei, you have to know that the people I keep around me are all useful. The day after I detained you, I found out all your details."

"Your mother is the legitimate daughter of the Yun family, and your father should be a soldier or general of a foreign race. However, these are of no use to me. You are not qualified to use the power of the Yun family for my own benefit, and you, who do not know your father, cannot provide me with intelligence on foreign races."

For the first time, Zhou Huaiyan laid these dark things out so nakedly in front of Ah Fei.

"Later, I kept thinking about where you should go until my uncle told me that you had an excellent physique. Then I thought of two options. One is that you stay by my side and be an ordinary book boy to please me. It is also a shield to cover up my reputation as a playboy and a womanizer."

Ah Fei's face was... horribly pale at this moment. In fact, he had already guessed all this, but when he really heard the young man say it himself, he still felt indescribable pain.

“As for the other place…”

Zhou Huaiyan gently applied the medicine to him.

"A Fei, I know you are gifted and very smart, so I once thought of sending you to the North, joining the army, and being a hidden chess piece. My uncle is old, and Qi Shoubang is ready to make a move. The 300,000 iron cavalry in the North cannot fall into his hands."

"Owner......"

Ah Fei stared at him blankly, and her originally gloomy and miserable mood suddenly brightened up.

——It turns out that the master trusts him so much.

Zhou Huaiyan didn't know why he suddenly wanted to say all this to Ah Fei. He was not used to explaining anything to others. He just needed to give orders.

"So, Ah Fei, you have to be obedient. Don't do unnecessary things, and don't be too smart,"

The young man sighed softly. He was talking to Ah Fei, but also to himself.

"Otherwise...I can't let you stay by my side."

Ah Fei's eyes turned red and she nodded vigorously.

"Yes, I will remember."

After talking it out, Zhou Huaiyan finally felt much better. Looking at the broken and swollen whip marks on Xiaomao's chest, he couldn't help but blow on him gently.

"Does it still hurt?"

“No…it doesn’t hurt!”

Not only did it not hurt, but the warm wind from the owner fell on the wound, dispelling the original burning pain. The kitten's ears turned red again without him noticing. He moved forward a little without leaving a trace, bringing the wound closer to the owner's face...

At this moment, Hongdou's voice suddenly came from outside the house——

"Your Highness, I have packed up everything in the warehouse."

Ah Fei was startled, and couldn't help but feel a little panicked. He tried to step back in panic, but at this moment his feet tripped and he fell straight towards Zhou Huaiyan.

"ah--!"

Zhou Huaiyan subconsciously held his waist, and the next second he felt his face getting hot, and the blood oozing from the wound dyed the corners of the boy's lips red. Hongdou originally came to ask the master what he wanted for dinner, but as soon as he walked in, he heard Ah Fei's short exclamation——

"!!!"

The maid thought something had happened and rushed in immediately.

"Your Highness! What happened......"

However, the moment she entered, Hongdou was stunned——

"Your Highness......?"

Zhou Huaiyan was sitting on a chair, holding Ah Fei's waist with both hands. The latter looked flustered, with bloody whip marks all over his back. Ah Fei was holding Zhou Huaiyan's head with both hands, holding the boy in her arms.

“………..”

“??!!!!”

The air in the entire room seemed to be dead at this moment.

[It turns out that His Highness is acting out his true feelings...]

[It turns out that His Highness has long been interested in Ah Fei, that’s why he favors her so much...]

The head of the palace maid was in a mess——

[No wonder Your Highness didn't look for any beautiful girls before]

[No wonder they left that bowl of tiger penis soup...]

[No wonder Ah Fei said that His Highness was great...]

Hongdou suddenly realized.

——So that’s how it is.