The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, making the Buddhist bells in Hanyu Temple buzz.
A team of black-armored cavalrymen were approaching like a dark cloud. On the leading horse, a man wore a gauze hat, and the dark dragon pattern on his dark blue brocade robe was faintly visible in the twilight.
Sheng Xiyan was discussing the prescription with the doctor when he suddenly felt a gust of wind coming.
She turned around and saw a tall and slender man walking towards her like lightning.
...Isn’t this my enemy?
Her heart suddenly trembled, and her mind went blank for a moment. She stared at him as he strode towards her.
The man was wearing a mask under his black gauze hat, and only his hawk-like sharp eyes were staring at her, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
A pair of peach blossom eyes with slightly upturned corners under the gauze hat also looked at him,
Sheng Xiyan could hear the man's heartbeat in his chest, as if it was his eager concern for her.
"Xuan Lang, why are you here?" Her voice was a little hoarse.
Xuan Ling's brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on her cracked lips: "How long has it been since you last had water? Have you eaten yet?"
He reached out to lift her gauze hat, but stopped in mid-air - this was her protection.
He turned to hold her hand, but Sheng Xiyan hurriedly took a step back.
Xuan Ling forgot the circumstances, only one thought occurred to him: Is she avoiding him again? Isn't she letting him touch her again?
He took a step closer, like an impenetrable mountain, enveloping her:
"You're not allowed to touch me again? Huh?"
The voice was low and contained a hint of questioning.
Sheng Xiyan was forced to take another step back by him.
The fire made the face under the gauze hat appear and disappear, and the peach blossom eyes were shining with water.
She held out her white gloves, which were stained with medicine:
"It's not clean... Xuanlang, the epidemic spreads very quickly..."
Urged: "It's dangerous here, leave quickly..."
"Danger?" Xuan Ling sneered, "How can I not come when you are here?"
The emperor looked around at the makeshift huts where refugees huddled in the cold wind, coughing one after another.
These are his people, who were forced to leave their homes by the plague and fled here.
"Your Majesty, please go to a safe place quickly. It's too dangerous here."
The black boots rolled over the frosty dry grass and walked towards the crowd unknowingly.
"Your Majesty, be careful!"
The prefect, Lord Zhang, hurriedly stopped the emperor from touching the sick child's hand.
Xuan Ling's dragon-patterned cuffs hung in the air, the golden threads trembling in the wind.
He turned around and looked at Sheng Xiyan who was three steps away. The woman was wearing a plain gauze veil and refused to let him touch even the corner of her clothes.
"You must return to the palace with me immediately."
He emphasized the words, his eyes tracing the beads of lips that were faintly visible under the veil.
Sheng Xiyan, holding up her skirt, retreated to the stone steps and said, "Xuanlang, you are traveling incognito. Let's go to the tile courtyard to talk."
She turned and led the way, deliberately keeping her distance.
Xuan Ling followed with great strides, and at the same time said sternly to Master Zhang behind him:
"The refugees are now being housed outside the city. You will lead your men, using Hanyu Temple as a route, to distribute porridge and quilts at designated locations along the way.
If I hear that a refugee has died of starvation or freezing, your head will be hung at the city gate.
Zhang Daren said with great fear and trepidation, "Yes, I will certainly fight to the death. Your Majesty, please rest assured."
In Hanyu Temple, Sheng Xiyan was in front, always keeping a distance of ten feet from the emperor.
Xuan Ling quickened his pace, but she trotted like a frightened rabbit.
Hua Xia and Mei Xiang came out with steaming buns and exclaimed, "My lady, you can't run! Be careful!"
Sheng Xiyan turned around and said angrily: "My darling, you told me not to touch you, but you insisted on touching me!"
As soon as she turned around, the man carried her on his shoulders without saying a word.
She exclaimed, but did not forget to stretch out her white gloves, for fear that they would touch his robe.
The veil was tilted, revealing half of her beautiful face; the red blush at the corners of her eyes was blurred into a peach-blossom color by a thin layer of sweat.
Xuan Ling grabbed the lower back and was about to scold, but his palm felt something unusually soft.
"Xuanlang, are you so presentable?"
"Why is it not presentable?"
Xuan Ling could feel the warmth and softness there even through the brocade.
"You've taken the wrong path, turn left!" Sheng Xiyan directed over the man's shoulder.
The nuns watched the scene in amazement.
The man was wearing a black brocade robe, tall and majestic, with a slender waist, and wearing black-bottomed gilded black boots.
"Is this my uncle's ex-husband, Marquis Wu'an?"
"No, the Marquis of Wu'an came yesterday, the one in the blue robe."
"So this is the Son of Heaven?...!!"
Shhh....
In the tile courtyard, Xuan Ling put the person down, glanced at the simple courtyard, and frowned.
The male and female demons knelt and saluted: "Master, Master, good luck."
"Get up."
On the porch, Aunt Zhang took off Sheng Xiyan's white gloves and brought her hot water.
Xuan Ling walked quickly forward, took her hand and put it into the basin of water.
The warm water washed over the two people's intertwined fingertips, and before they knew it, their fingers were intertwined.
Their eyes met charmingly, as if they had kissed countless times.
The male and female demons took off the gauze hats for the two of them.
Xuan Ling looked down at the person in front of her, her eyes slightly raised, her red lips lightly bitten, and she looked naturally charming.
"Xuanlang, if we keep soaking in it, our hands will get wrinkled." Sheng Xiyan said with a wicked smile.
Xuan Ling held her hand out of the water, then took the soft cloth and wiped it carefully.
These hands are rough, not as delicate as they were in the palace.
He held her hand to his thin lips and kissed it knuckle by knuckle, his burning gaze almost melting her.
The green bamboo curtains in the tile courtyard rustled softly in the wind.
Inside the house, Xuan Ling pressed Sheng Xiyan against the door and stroked her cheek with his palm.
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