Xiao Ling woke up.
He Yue's feelings were very complicated. The "drug" she administered would only cause people to die slowly, but it would not cause them to suddenly fall into a "coma".
Moreover, she heard very clearly that the woman named Lianji said that Xiao Ling was sick not because he was poisoned, but because he had not taken "medicine".
Why doesn't he take his medicine?
Did he discover early on that he had poisoned the medicine, and therefore didn't take it?
If you knew all along, why didn't you expose her sooner? Why keep someone who could kill you by your side?
He Yue couldn't understand it, and the more she thought about it, the less she dared to think about it.
She stood there, her head bowed, drenched in sweat, neither looking up nor down.
In her calculations, Xiao Ling would have to leave Spring Breeze City for at least some time before the poison would take effect. She had always thought she had made a perfect mistake, but now it seemed that her plan had been flawed all along.
Huo Jiaying was unaware that Xiao Ling's health was so fragile. She immediately wanted to take him to the City Lord's Mansion, but Xiao Ling smiled and declined. "It's alright!"
Huo Jiaying was very worried. He had just become friends with Xiao Ling, and he didn't want Xiao Ling to die before he could get anything in return from him.
Fortunately, Lian Ji happened to be in Chunfeng City this time, which allowed her to save Xiao Ling on the way. Otherwise, if Xiao Ling had died in Chunfeng City, how would she explain it to the emperor? The emperor is a famous ruler throughout the ages, decisive in killing and killing. It is common for new officials to replace old ones in the court. He worked hard to come from the capital to Chunfeng City and had only enjoyed a few good days. He did not want to lose everything.
Thinking of this, he extended a warm invitation to Xiao Ling to the City Lord's Mansion.
Xiao Ling wanted to continue declining, but Lian Ji turned her back and looked out the door at a patch of brown earth. Xiao Ling watched her walk straight over, pick up a clod of soil, smell it, and then frowned, a murderous aura appearing in her eyes. "I'll be staying here for a month, and I need to prepare some new medicine for you."
Koihime, you're really perceptive!
It was immediately obvious that he had poured the "medicine" onto the ground, so it should also be clear that the ingredients of the "medicine" were incorrect!
Xiao Ling remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "In that case, I'll trouble you, City Lord."
Huo Jiaying's gaze shifted between Lian Ji and Xiao Ling, and she suddenly realized that the two knew each other.
A strange emotion stirred within her. She threw her head back and laughed loudly. She immediately ordered her men to move all of Xiao Ling's belongings to the City Lord's Mansion. An exquisitely decorated carriage carried Xiao Ling toward the City Lord's Mansion.
After the carriage had gone a few steps, the servant lifted the curtain and said to He Yue, "The Emperor orders you to come to the City Lord's Mansion as well."
He Yue's face instantly fell. She had come from the City Lord's Mansion, and now she had to go back to it. She was very unwilling.
The servant stared coldly at He Yue. He wasn't stupid; he could easily guess that He Yue had played a part in his master's coma. If he didn't keep this person by his side to scare him, he would be too depressed to sleep.
He Yue's expression hardened, and she forced a cold snort as she followed slowly behind the carriage. She felt like she was going to die, but she was also somewhat unafraid of death.
She even vaguely thought that if Xiao Ling really wanted her dead, then before she died, she would find someone to take her down with her.
The carriage arrived at the city lord's mansion.
After another round of fuss, Xiao Ling was placed in the East Warm Pavilion, Lian Ji was in the courtyard next to him, and He Yue and the servant lived in the east and west wing rooms of Xiao Ling's courtyard to take care of him.
Lianji carefully took Xiao Ling's pulse.
Apart from the initial "thank you" from Xiao Ling, the two hadn't exchanged a single word, and even the servant stood aside, not daring to utter a single word.
Koihime wrote down the recipe and kept it herself.
Without even glancing at Xiao Ling, he walked out.
"I will deliver the medicine on time." This was said to the servant standing at the door, who hurriedly nodded and bowed in agreement, then bowed and saw Lianji out.
In the room, only He Yue and Xiao Ling remained.
Xiao Ling said gently, "Help me up!"
Xiao Ling's voice is very pleasant, like a spring breeze sweeping across the earth.
He Yue felt a moment of weakness, but why bother? Come on!
Every family and every nation, every grudge and affection, is ultimately a fate that no human being can escape.
She stepped forward and helped Xiao Ling up, placing a pillow behind his back.
"Bring me a book!" Xiao Ling ordered.
He Yue was getting impatient. "Why haven't you made a move yet?"
"Make a move?"
A hint of annoyance flashed across He Yue's beautiful eyes. "You already know that I tampered with your medicine, so why are you pretending like this?"
Xiao Ling smiled. "I do know that you were the one who tampered with things, but I didn't intend to kill you. I finally managed to rescue you, so I'll let you live for a while longer."
He Yue was furious, feeling as if she were fattening a sheep before slaughtering it! "Since that's the case, I might as well kill you."
"Really?" Xiao Ling looked up at her, his dark eyes clear. "I'm afraid you won't even get a foot away from me before you're shot dead."
He Yue looked around in a bit of panic and sure enough, she saw several holes. Behind those holes, there were probably archers. "You people of Yu are so cunning."
Xiao Ling did not answer. Except for a few cases, most of the people of Wushui Kingdom who had just been subdued would not sincerely submit to Yu Kingdom. Only when this generation died would the next generation have any hope of making Yu Kingdom their own country.
He didn't want to debate this with He Yue; their positions were different, and both sides had valid points. "Give me a book!"
He Yue walked angrily to the bookshelf, her eyes darting through the pile of books, and finally selected a copy of "The Chronicles of the Emperor of Wushui". These books were confiscated from the royal family of Wushui Kingdom. The originals had already been sent to the capital, and what remained here were handwritten copies.
He Yue deliberately made Xiao Ling uneasy, so she specially selected this book and stuffed it into Xiao Ling's hands.
Xiao Ling stared blankly at the book title, a fleeting memory drifting into his mind, prompting a sigh. "A good... book!"
His voice was very soft, as if it struck He Yue's heart.
"I'll choose another one," she said involuntarily, feeling ashamed of her despicable actions.
"No need! This book is good!"
He Yue: "..."
She watched as Xiao Ling carefully and attentively turned the pages of the book. The way he read was beautiful; a gentle and refined feeling emanated from the way he turned the pages, making her heart flutter.
He Yue dared not look any longer, staring outside and sighing silently. Her people were gone, and the former prosperity had vanished like fleeting clouds. She could only eke out a living under the enemy's rule, without even the courage to kill them.
A moment later.
The servant has returned.
Seeing that He Yue ignored her and only spoke to Xiao Ling, she said, "Lian Ji seems to still be angry."
"Hmm!" Xiao Ling didn't even look up. The book in his hand was very good. He had never read this book before when he was in the royal palace of Wushui Kingdom. The book described in detail the heroic deeds of emperors throughout history, and it also contained elements of mythology and legend. He read it with great interest.
Seeing that his master was ignoring him, the servant became anxious. He looked down at the name on the page and was furious. Pointing at He Yue, he asked, "Did you give this book to Di Qing?"
He Yue was ashamed that she couldn't bring herself to be ruthless towards Xiao Ling, yet she showed no mercy to the servant. "So what? What can you do to me?"
"You, you, you! You're being completely unreasonable!" the servant glared angrily. "You harbor malicious intentions, you know perfectly well..."
The servant could only say a few words before running out of things to say. Everyone knew Xiao Ling's history clearly, so the people around him felt sorry for him and no one wanted to bring up that past. He Yue's actions were tantamount to stabbing Xiao Ling in the heart.
"Get out, everyone!" Xiao Ling frowned slightly.
He regretted it somewhat; he shouldn't have let He Yue and the servant live under the same roof. It seemed like the two of them had stirred up a hornet's nest.
He Yue had no desire to stay there any longer and strode out.
The servant, however, shamelessly stayed behind, serving tea and water, and massaging Xiao Ling's shoulders to calm him down. Only when Xiao Ling's expression softened did he whisper, "Lian Ji is still angry."
"What are you angry about?" A storm seemed to be brewing between Xiao Ling's brows.
The servant hesitated, unsure what to say.
Why are you angry? Don't you know what's going on, Master?
Of course I'm angry that you refused to marry me. Don't you have any sense of responsibility, Master?
After thinking it over, he could only say, "Master, why don't you take the 'medicine' prescribed by Lianji? That 'medicine' is so effective."
Xiao Ling then raised his head, "Have her prescribe some new medicine; the original medicine is too bitter!"
"...Bitter?" The servant naturally didn't believe this reason. His master had taken so much of that "medicine" without finding it bitter. Why did he suddenly find it bitter after arriving in Spring Breeze City?
However, that is a very good reason.
After the servant helped Xiao Ling to bed, he hurriedly relayed the news—a minor but significant one—to Lian Ji that his master was afraid of the bitter taste of the medicine.
Koihime was speechless with emotion. "I understand."
The medicine that night was brought by Lian Ji herself, who watched Xiao Ling drink it down sip by sip.
Xiao Ling's face was contorted with bitterness. He could feel that the medicine in the evening was three times more bitter than the medicine in the afternoon. One sip and his liver and gallbladder felt like they were about to burst.
"It's so bitter!" Xiao Ling laughed.
"My 'medicine' is never not bitter!" Koihime still wore a veil, which revealed a hint of coldness and self-restraint, yet a smile still emanated from her.
Hearing Xiao Ling say he was suffering with my own ears felt wonderful!
He put away the bowl of medicine, turned around and left, quick and decisive.
Xiao Ling gazed at her graceful figure, lost in thought.
Koihime is beautiful!
"She looks like a fairy," was his assessment of Koihime. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, even more beautiful than Jiang Xinwei.
Jiang Xinwei's beauty is grand and dignified, carrying the unique majesty of royalty.
Koihime's beauty is graceful and vivid, like a bright moon or a clear spring, noble and pure, and cannot be defiled.
As if realizing he had been too aloof, Xiao Ling looked at her retreating figure and asked, "Why have you come to Spring Breeze City?"
Koihime stopped, but didn't turn around. "I came here to gather herbs, unaware that you were here too."
"Oh, so that's fate!" Xiao Ling lowered his head.
"Fate?" There was a slight sigh in Koihime's voice, as if even she didn't understand whether it was fate or not.
Xiao Ling felt a pang of pain in his heart and didn't know what to say.
Koihime didn't wait for his words. She walked forward, then stopped after a few steps. "Don't take any medicine that wasn't brought by me!"
Xiao Ling smiled: "Okay!"
Koihime lowered her head, her heart churning with bitterness.
She really wanted to stop and ask Xiao Ling why he didn't say anything when he knew someone had poisoned him, why he kept it a secret, because that woman was the one he admired.
But she couldn't get an answer. Since she couldn't get an answer, she decided not to ask anymore. That's it!
In the days that followed.
The servant had been deliberately wary of He Yue, preventing her from getting close to Xiao Ling. Now, belatedly, he realized that He Yue's ill intentions were far too obvious. He had even allowed He Yue to serve his master "medicine" several times. Thinking back on it now, he wanted to slap himself a few times. He had been so careless and negligent.
He Yue was proud and arrogant. Knowing that she couldn't bring herself to harm Xiao Ling, she simply stopped coming and locked herself in her room. She would only reluctantly move around the city lord's mansion if she had to go out for something.
Lianji really went to gather herbs every day. Before leaving, she would prepare the medicine for Xiaoling. One dose of medicine was divided into three doses. For the remaining two doses, she only needed to heat the medicine up. She personally instructed the servant not to leave her side for even a moment.
The servant naturally understood the gravity of the situation, and his hatred for He Yue intensified.
Therefore, He Yue was beaten up.
That day, the servant returned home with a bruised and swollen face. He snorted coldly, and the anger that had been building up inside him for so long finally dissipated.
However, his pleasure lasted less than a day before he was punished by Xiao Ling.
The people from the city lord's mansion who participated in the beating were all given a beating.
The servant stood in the corner, holding a book and reading aloud. Xiao Ling sat in the sun, covered with a blanket, listening quietly to the servant read. When the servant mispronounced a word, Xiao Ling would raise his hand and carefully correct him.
If it weren't for the element of punishment, it would have been a rare peaceful afternoon.
Finally, the servant finished reading the book.
Xiao Ling asked, "Do you know you were wrong?"
The servant lowered his head, wanting to speak, but then softened and said, "I shouldn't have let people hit her."
Xiao Ling shook his head. “You’re wrong. It’s not that you shouldn’t have hit her. She poisoned me, and you were loyal to your master, so it was right for you to hit her. Your mistake was using the people from the City Lord’s Mansion. The people from the City Lord’s Mansion are not people we can use. To usurp someone’s place is to make enemies for yourself. We are just guests here.”
The servant stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, unable to believe that he was being punished for using the wrong person.
Xiao Ling sighed, “You need to be more careful when employing people in the future. You need to know who you can use, who you can’t use, and who you can only use half of. You should know this in your heart. You said that He Yue wanted to harm me, so you had someone beat her up. In this way, I should owe her some favor. Use some other excuse so that I won’t be implicated. I can’t just owe anyone a favor, otherwise the favor will be worthless.”
The servant lowered his head thoughtfully, and then he fully understood why he was being punished, and that the punishment was truly deserved.
"It was my fault."
“You’re not entirely wrong!” Xiao Ling’s brows furrowed thoughtfully. “I originally intended to keep her by my side and teach her a thing or two, to reduce her resentment and help her live a better life in the future. But now it seems I can’t teach her anything.”
The servant looked up at Xiao Ling, suddenly eagerly anticipating the words that Xiao Ling would say.
Sure enough, Xiao Ling said, "Go and call her, I have something to say!"
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