Chapter 36 "Your Highness, the princess is ill..."
When Yingxue went to Hanguang Palace to find Xiao Che, he was just about to leave the palace for Xiuwen Hall. After glancing at her, his gaze lingered on her for only a moment before he indifferently looked away.
He continued walking without stopping, clearly not intending to pay her any attention.
Yingxue was stunned for a moment, but before she could think any further, she quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I have something important to discuss with you!"
Xiao Che finally stopped and turned his head slightly: "What is it? If it's about your master, then there's no need to say anything."
Yingxue's face lit up with joy when she saw him stop asking questions. She was about to speak when he choked her with the second half of his sentence: "It's...it's my master's matter..."
"Your master?" Xiao Che scoffed coldly. "What does your master's business have to do with me?"
After saying that, he turned and continued walking forward without looking back.
Yingxue hurriedly followed. She was truly terrified. She had never seen Yan Jiarou in such distress before. Just thinking about her appearance made her burst into tears. She had originally intended to ask the imperial physician for help, but Yan Jiarou refused, saying that only Xiao Che could cure her illness.
She recalled that Yan Jiarou's ankle had been bitten by a fox, and the wound had not healed for a long time. The imperial physician's treatment was ineffective. It was only after using the box of medicinal ointment sent by Xiao Che that it finally healed. This showed that Xiao Che might really have some effective elixir that could cure Yan Jiarou's illness.
Without a second thought, she rushed to Han Guang Palace to find Xiao Che, but things didn't go as planned. In her desperation, her voice even trembled with tears. Although Xiao Che's attitude was clear, she still refused to give up and pleaded with him again and again, "Third Prince... I beg you... please go see my mistress, she's sick..."
Xiao Che paused, suddenly feeling a surge of unease. "Strange, your master is ill, why aren't you going to fetch the imperial physician? What are you doing here looking for me?"
"My master said that only you can cure her illness, so please come with me to see her... She is really in pain, and she wants to see you..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Che felt a surge of anger rising in his chest. He took a deep breath, turned around sharply to look at her, and said, "Ridiculous! I never knew I could cure illnesses—what trick is she trying to play now?"
"Does she find it funny to keep playing tricks on me? Does she think that I'll just walk into her trap whenever she beckons?"
"Even her excuses are so clumsy. Why can't she even muster the effort to come up with a better one for me? Ha, I'd like to ask you to go back and ask your master what she really considers me to be?"
Xue Zhi, who was standing to the side, was stunned. He had been by Xiao Che's side since he was a child. When had he ever seen him lose his composure like this?
His master was always cold and aloof to others, and indifferent to everything around him. He was never easily angered, and only the one in Chenghuan Palace could stir his emotions to this extent.
Fearing that Xiao Che would become even angrier and things would get out of hand, he quietly pulled Yingxue aside and whispered, "Hey, you should go. It seems His Highness had a fight with your master, and he's still angry. The more you talk to him, the angrier he'll get, and he'll refuse to go with you..."
"How about this, you go back first, and I'll try to persuade His Highness again when he's in a better mood..."
Although Yingxue was anxious, she was, after all, just a servant girl. How could she force the prince to do something he was unwilling to do? She had no choice but to agree for now. Before leaving, she repeatedly told Xue Zhi, "Then you must help me plead with His Highness..."
——
After Yingxue left, Xue Zhi followed Xiao Che out of the palace. He kept his head down and glanced at Xiao Che as they passed the first palace gate. He was wondering when to speak when Xiao Che suddenly stopped in front of him.
Xiao Che was tall, and Xue Zhi was looking down, so his head unexpectedly bumped into Xiao Che's shoulder. He winced in pain and looked up at Xiao Che with a resentful expression: "Master, you..."
Xiao Che: "Why did you bump into me?"
Xue Zhi: "…………" Would you like to see what you're saying?
No, we've only just passed through the first palace gate, why did you stop for no reason?
Xue Zhi: "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Xiao Che coughed, looking somewhat awkward. "I just remembered I have something to attend to. You should leave the palace first and wait for me at the Xiuwen Hall."
After saying that, his gaze drifted away, and he looked completely distracted.
Xue Zhi turned his head in the direction of Chenghuan Palace, following his gaze...
Xue Zhi asked suspiciously, "Master, you wouldn't be... going to Chenghuan Palace to visit Princess Qinghe, would you?"
Xiao Che frowned: "What do you know? What if she really is sick?"
After saying that, as if realizing something, she coughed twice with her fist to her lips, and changed her words: "What I mean is, I want to see for myself whether she is lying to me again. It's not because I care about her that I'm going to visit her, do you understand?"
Xue Zhi: "…………"
You can fool me, but don't fool yourself.
——
Inside Chenghuan Hall.
A breeze blew in from the window, and the gauze curtains swayed gently in the wind.
Occasionally, by lifting a corner, one can vaguely glimpse the shapely figure of a woman on the bed.
Yan Jiarou curled up on the bed in pain, her face flushed and her body burning hot.
She was only wearing a thin gauze dress, which was already soaked with sweat and clung tightly to her body.
It felt as if hundreds of insects and ants were gnawing at my body, and a strong longing arose from the depths of my soul.
She wants something.
She had never had such a clear understanding of something like this before.
She finally knew what she wanted.
Xiao Che's blood.
Only Xiao Che's blood can soothe her current restlessness.
Ever since I tried it once, I've been unable to quit.
Unfortunately, she was too optimistic. After tasting his blood, she felt so good that she thought the strange disease had been cured by his blood.
She had thought everything was over after so many days without any recurrence, but who would have thought that her body would start feeling strange again starting yesterday.
She refused to believe it was a sign of the onset of her illness, so she stubbornly endured it until the symptoms became more and more obvious. Only then did she have to admit that her strange illness had not been cured at all. Moreover, since she had tasted Xiao Che's blood last time, her threshold had been greatly raised, and ordinary objects with Xiao Che's scent could no longer soothe her.
Only Xiao Che's blood can have an effect on her.
She said that last time was like drinking poison to quench thirst, and she was right!
Unfortunately, it was all too late to understand.
Now her old illness has relapsed, and the reaction is more intense and violent than ever before, but she is helpless.
Items bearing Xiao Che's aura can still be obtained by some means.
But to obtain Xiao Che's blood, unless he himself is willing, how can she get it?
But how could he possibly agree?
She'd rather die than beg him!
Besides, they parted on bad terms last time, and Xiao Che has never spoken to her since. He's probably still angry with her. Even if she were to lower herself and beg him, would he really give in?
He definitely wouldn't, he hates her so much...
Since the hope was slim, she decided not to humiliate herself.
However, her body's reactions became increasingly intense, and her reason teetered on the brink of collapse. Her already weak will could not withstand such torment. She felt that she was about to die, and in the end, she had no choice but to give in and asked Yingxue to beg Xiao Che.
But she really wasn't sure whether Xiao Che would come or not. She thought he probably wouldn't want to come. He didn't like her to begin with, and now he was still angry with her. Even if he knew she was dying, he probably wouldn't want to come and see her.
If that's the case, then there's nothing that can be done about it.
Then all we can do is try our best and leave the rest to fate.
Suddenly, she heard hurried footsteps. She struggled to open her eyes, propped herself up, and reached out tremblingly to lift the gauze curtain: "Yingxue?"
Yingxue sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes red, and said, "Master, I..."
Seeing her like this, Yan Jiarou already understood: "...He refuses to come, doesn't he?"
Yingxue nodded: "...I heard from Xue Zhi that you and the Third Prince had another argument last time, and he's probably still angry with you, so he refused to come..."
“I knew it…” She slumped down, loosened the gauze curtain, and lay back down.
Her physical discomfort worsened, and the unbearable itching felt like maggots crawling on her bones. Because she hadn't received Xiao Che's comfort for a long time, she felt that she had reached her limit.
Sweat had already soaked his temples, sticking stickily to his sides, making even breathing difficult: "Yingxue, I feel like... I'm dying from the pain..."
"Pah, pah, pah, Your Highness, you mustn't say such unlucky things... If the Third Prince refuses to come, we can always try to see the imperial physician..."
“It’s no use… I told you, just like that box of ointment, only Xiao Che… only Xiao Che can help me… he is my cure…”
"But... I'm afraid the Third Prince won't be coming anytime soon..."
Yingxue then remembered what Xue Zhi had told her before he left, and her eyes lit up. She quickly comforted Yan Jiarou, saying, "But Xue Zhi said he would try to persuade him. Maybe he can convince the Third Prince to come over soon. My lady, please bear with it a little longer..."
Yan Jiarou had given up all hope for him: "He won't come... He must still be angry with me, and I'm afraid he'll definitely leave me to die..."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a lazy voice came from the side: "Who is Your Highness saying is refusing to help someone in distress?"
Yingxue was startled and quickly turned her head to look. She saw Xiao Che slowly walk around from behind the screen into the inner room and walk towards them step by step.
Yingxue was overjoyed and quickly stood up to greet him, saying, "Third Prince." Then she tactfully withdrew.
For a moment, only the two of them remained in the inner room.
Xiao Che walked to the bedside and stood with his hands behind his back: "I heard that my younger sister has contracted a strange illness that only I can cure. In that case, I must come and see her, so that if anything goes wrong, she won't blame me."
After speaking, he waited for a long time without receiving a response from Yan Jiarou, so he tentatively asked, "Royal sister?"
Little did they know that Yan Jiarou was biting her lip tightly to prevent any strange moans from escaping.
—From the moment she heard Xiao Che's voice, her body seemed to have gained its own consciousness.
Her blood surged and roared, pushing her closer to the source of the sound. Every nerve felt like it was being run over by tiny electric currents, sending a tingling tremor through her most sensitive spot.
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