Inside the Wenhe Hall, Xue Shen had been properly settled on the couch. The imperial physician took his pulse again, frowned and asked many questions before instructing the apprentice to bring paper and pen to write a prescription.
Xue Shen was in pain, his face was pale, and his forehead was covered with fine sweat. He looked very impatient and annoyed, and said in a hoarse voice, "Why bother with all this? Send someone to ride back to Tokyo and bring me the pills that Master Huodong refined for me."
The imperial physician hesitated, wanting to speak but not daring to refute anything, and stood aside with a troubled expression.
Shen Youying knew that he was a devout believer in the Fire Cave Immortal, so she didn't know how to persuade him. She simply said tactfully from the side, "It will take some time to fetch the medicine back and forth, but Your Highness's health cannot be delayed. Since the Imperial Physician has already prepared the medicine, Your Highness can use it first, which will also relieve the pain. It won't conflict if you take the pills after they arrive."
Xue Shen frowned as if he was thinking, and after a long while he said, "Alright, let's listen to the Princess for now."
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Physician breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered the young apprentice to prepare the medicine.
Afterwards, a maid brought clean clothes to help Xue Shen change. When he shot the white tiger, he had been splattered with a lot of blood, and now he was sweating profusely, even his undergarments were soaked.
However, the maidservants clearly underestimated his weight. The two maidservants worked together to help Xue Shen, who was lying on the couch unable to move, to his feet. But when they were undressing him, they didn't hold him properly and accidentally bumped him.
Xue Shen let out a muffled groan, his expression instantly changing. He glanced at the two maids with a gloomy look, his voice filled with chilling coldness: "Get out."
The two maids were so frightened that they didn't dare to breathe. They carefully helped Xue Shen lie back down, then prostrated themselves on the ground and kowtowed twice before hurriedly retreating.
Xue Shen lay half-reclined on the soft pillow, closing his eyes briefly to suppress his anger.
Shen Youying watched from the side, and for some reason, she wasn't particularly afraid. Just now, when Xue Shen spoke in a low voice, she suddenly realized that the "Don't be afraid" he said to her was Xue Shen the moment the white tiger pounced.
She held a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Xue Shen's forehead, tentatively saying, "Shall I go and call someone to help Your Highness change his clothes?"
Xue Shen shook his head and said, "Clumsy fool, you're just making people angry." He caught his breath, used his right hand to support himself and barely sat up, saying, "Bring me my clothes, I'll do it myself."
Shen Youying responded softly and brought the change of clothes to place on the bedding.
Xue Shen slowly untied his belt, revealing a large expanse of his chest.
Because of his long-term pampered lifestyle, his skin had a sickly pale color, but strangely, it did not appear thin and weak. Ignoring his overly pale complexion, he was actually quite strong and muscular.
Shen Youying subconsciously looked away, not daring to linger.
But at that moment, Xue Shen said, "Please, Your Highness, wring out a handkerchief for me to wipe my back."
He was covered in sweat, and if he didn't wipe it off, his clothes would become sticky again after a while even after he changed them.
Fortunately, the maid had already brought in the copper basin and cloth. Shen Youying bit her lip lightly, soaked the cloth in water, wrung it out, and then pressed it onto Xue Shen with some hesitation.
This was the first time she had faced an adult man's body so directly while fully conscious.
Shen Youying was too embarrassed to look closely, her gaze vaguely falling on a spot as she absentmindedly wiped his sweat with a handkerchief.
The back beneath her hands was firm, with bulging muscles that seemed to tremble slightly with her movements.
Shen Youying's cheeks flushed slightly. She suppressed her shyness and hastily wiped him clean before fleeing to the copper basin to wash her handkerchief.
Xue Shen glanced at her sideways, put his inner garment back on, and when Shen Youying came over with a wrung-out handkerchief, he smiled and said, "I won't trouble you, Your Highness, I'll do it myself."
Shen Youying blushed genuinely this time. She glared at Xue Shen, forcefully placed the handkerchief in his hand, and hurriedly turned and left.
Only after everyone left did the pain that Xue Shen had deliberately put on disappear from his face.
He casually wiped his body and then tossed the cloth aside.
*
Upon seeing the smoke signals being raised, the Crown Prince, Prince Chen, and others returned one after another.
Upon learning that the White Tiger, who had been searching for their trail, had broken through numerous defenses and stormed into the training ground, the Emperor was alarmed, and everyone looked terrified.
When they learned that even hundreds of imperial guards couldn't subdue the White Tiger, and that it was actually the Prince of Qin who shot and killed the White Tiger at the last moment, the fear on everyone's faces turned into undisguised astonishment.
King Chen reacted most vehemently: "Who do you think shot the White Tiger? King Qin?"
His face practically screamed, "That good-for-nothing King Qin, how could he possibly have shot down the white tiger?" He and his men had painstakingly searched the forest for the white tiger's tracks, only to have it all intercepted by some good-for-nothing who couldn't even ride a horse?
Although the others were less inclined to openly express their opinions, they clearly shared similar thoughts with King Chen.
Xue Heng, however, did not seem surprised. He glanced at everyone present with a hint of warning: "Yuan Jin was brave and skilled in archery when he was young. Although he is now suffering from leg ailments and injuries, what he has practiced since childhood is ingrained in his bones and he will not forget it easily."
Over the years, Xue Shen has become too self-destructive, causing people to forget the illustrious reputation of Crown Prince Yuan Jin.
Even he was no match for Yuan Jin back then.
However, Xue Heng did not want to talk to these narrow-minded people. After disarming himself, he went to Wenhe Hall to visit Xue Shen.
When he arrived, Xue Shen was throwing a tantrum, smashing a porcelain bowl on the ground and spilling brown medicine all over the floor.
"Get out of here, all of you!" His voice was low and hoarse, like that of a wounded beast.
The young apprentice stood at the doorway, carrying a fresh dose of medicine, looking hesitant, unsure whether to go in.
A woman's gentle, soothing voice came from inside the inner hall.
This time, Xue Shen didn't lose his temper again, but he also didn't speak again.
After his old ailment flared up on the training ground, Xue Shen's temper became extremely bad. He had patiently drunk the medicine that the apprentice had brought him half an hour earlier. However, the medicine had probably not been effective, and he was still suffering from pain. When the apprentice brought him the medicine again, he threw a tantrum, smashed the bowl, and refused to drink it.
The apprentice and servants were so frightened they dared not utter a sound; only Shen Youying was able to say a few words.
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