Chapter 41 The man was completely dumbfounded.
After returning home, Shen Panyan developed a high fever, and Lin Xiao was not far behind. Imperial Physician Lin was so busy that he lost a lot of hair.
He made up his mind that once he returned to the capital, he would resign from his position as a royal physician; he truly could no longer continue.
Fortunately, the princess did not fall into a coma this time. Although she had a high fever, thanks to the previous medicinal diet, her body was well-treated, and she survived the ordeal without serious injury. Now, apart from being a little weak, she is fine. This greatly relieved Imperial Physician Lin.
However, things are a bit more complicated with Lin Xiao.
He lost too much blood and had multiple stab wounds, the most serious of which were so deep that the bone was visible. He wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least half a month.
After Shen Panyan woke up, she originally wanted to go see Lin Xiao, but Mu Ying quickly pressed her down, "Princess!! I beg you, please don't get out of bed. Do you even know how weak you are? Lin Xiao has Physician Lin watching over him, and he's skilled in martial arts. He won't die. You should take care of yourself first..."
Shen Panyan frowned. "But Physician Lin said that Lin Xiao has an old ailment, and now he has a new injury... He is so badly injured this time, he must be going to die young again. I have to go see him!"
Just as Mu Ying was having a headache, Physician Lin walked in.
He cupped his hands and said, “Princess, I misspoke last time. Guard Linxiao is a martial artist with internal strength, unlike those of us who do not follow the path of martial arts. His blood and qi are profound. Even if his pulse is weak for a while, he can recover quickly with proper care. Don’t worry, Guard Linxiao will surely live to be a hundred years old.”
Shen Panyan didn't believe him, fearing he was lying to her. She asked a few more questions and only when she learned that Physician Lin was new to martial arts and lacked experience did she feel relieved and focus on recovering.
Once she returns to the capital, she will definitely find him a good doctor to examine him.
For three consecutive days, Shen Panyan stayed in bed to rest.
She asked Mu Ying to bring over some notes, which she flipped through absentmindedly, as if she were reading a book, but her mind had already wandered far away.
She was thinking about how to fulfill her promise, but she didn't know where to start. She seemed to have thought of many things, but in the end, it was like trying to fill a basket with water—she hadn't grasped anything.
Mu Ying brought in a bowl of medicinal food. "Princess, it's time to eat."
Another unpalatable medicinal meal... Shen Panyan sighed and got out of bed.
Mu Ying prepared the medicinal meal for her as usual. Today, the small kitchen also added a dish of milk dumplings. However, for some reason, Mu Ying suddenly accidentally knocked over the milk dumplings, which spilled all over the floor with a clatter.
Shen Panyan looked up, surprised, "Mu Ying, what's wrong?"
Mu Ying is always serious about her work, so how could she make such a small mistake today?
"This servant deserves to die, please punish me, Your Highness!" Mu Ying knelt down to beg for forgiveness, and Shen Panyan quickly got up to help her up. "It was just a bowl of milk dumplings that was spilled, it's nothing."
"This servant thanks Your Highness for your mercy."
As Mu Ying stood up, Shen Panyan noticed that Mu Ying looked haggard, with red and swollen eyes, as if she had been crying all night. Her brows immediately furrowed with worry. "Mu Ying, what's wrong?"
"Did something happen? If you're not feeling well, don't stay by my side for the next few days. Get some rest."
It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because once she did, Mu Ying couldn't hold back her tears. "This servant thanks Your Highness for your concern, but if this servant leaves, there will be no one left by your side. This servant will stay and serve you."
If she rests, she will feel even more uneasy.
Shen Panyan took her hand and made her sit down. "Is something bothering you? Tell me about it."
As she spoke, she added regretfully, "It's all my fault. I've been distracted lately and neglected you..."
Mu Ying shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "No, it's Mu Ying's fault for making the princess worry."
Seeing her tears fall, Shen Panyan quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped them away. "Don't cry. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you."
Mu Ying bit her lip, as if she was hesitating about something.
Suddenly, she knelt down. "Princess, I beg you, please let me go home! I must go home to save my father and sister..."
Amidst Mu Ying's choked voice, Shen Panyan finally understood what had happened.
It turns out that Mu Ying lost her mother at a young age and lived with her father and sister.
Her father was in poor health and had to take medicine all year round. Back then, she entered the palace as a lowly palace maid in order to save her father.
For so many years, she has sent her monthly allowance back home to pay for her father's medical treatment and to make life easier for her father and sister.
With her help, her father's health finally became treatable and he gradually recovered, which made Mu Ying genuinely happy.
In previous years, Mu Ying would receive letters from home during the New Year holidays. However, since she is not currently in the capital, the letters were delivered slowly. It wasn't until yesterday, when the purchasing manager returned, that she received the letter that she had asked him to bring back.
The letter said that her younger sister had caught the eye of a wealthy family who wanted to take her as a concubine. Her father refused, but little did he know that her grandparents had secretly accepted money from the family. When the bridal sedan chair bearers arrived at the door, her father found out about it. He was so angry that he collapsed to the ground, unable to move, and nearly died.
What should have been a joyous occasion turned into this mess. The wealthy family was furious. They ransacked her grandparents' house, forcibly took the money they had secretly collected, and then carried the empty bridal sedan chair back home.
Her grandparents were furious and called her sister a jinx. They forcibly seized her house and land, and drove her sister and her seriously ill and immobile father out of the house. Her sister had no choice but to take her father to live in a dilapidated temple and beg every day just to get some money for her father's medical treatment.
Upon hearing this, Shen Panyan was both shocked and furious.
How could there be such vicious family members in this world?
She helped her up and gently comforted her, "Mu Ying, you can go back home with peace of mind. I don't need you here."
Mu Ying burst into tears and knelt down to kowtow, but was stopped by Chen Panyan.
She could only say in a trembling voice, "Thank you, Princess. I will never forget your great kindness."
"I will return as soon as the matter is settled!"
Shen Panyan comforted her, "Don't rush. Go home and have a good time with your family before coming back."
"Thank you, Princess!"
Mu Ying is gone.
Before leaving, Shen Panyan gave her some silver coins to take home and settle her family.
After thinking it over, fearing that Mu Ying, a woman, would be bullied by her wicked grandparents again if she went back alone, he wrote her another letter. He told her that if necessary, she could take the letter to the government office for help, and they would not ignore her.
*
With Mu Ying gone, Shen Panyan no longer had a personal maid. She was unfamiliar with all the new palace maids, and now, after Lin Xiao's injury, she couldn't trust anyone from the palace. So she simply stopped having anyone serve her.
She sat by the window, watching the light rain pattering outside, and her thoughts drifted back to that rainy day.
Lin Xiao lay on the ground, barely alive... She knew who did it, but there was nothing she could do, and no way to avenge Lin Xiao.
Revenge?!
As soon as the thought came to mind, Shen Panyan belatedly realized what it meant and looked somewhat dazed.
When did such thoughts begin to cross her mind?
She was used to accepting whatever came her way, but perhaps it was because Lin Xiao's body temperature was so cold that day, chilling her to the bone. It was the first time she had faced death so closely, and she was terrified that he would truly die, and that from then on, Lin Xiao would cease to exist... She would never see him again...
Shen Panyan bit her lip, suddenly stood up, her pale fingers clenched tightly.
No, she refused to continue to passively accept her fate.
Under the protection of her father and Lin Xiao, she could remain a coward, staying in this royal villa, oblivious to the world around her, secretly grieving over the unpalatable food and trivial matters... But was that meaningful?
Just like Mu Ying's family, if her grandparents were so vicious, wouldn't her family be the same?
Chen Panyan lowered her eyelashes.
It's not necessarily true that the Emperor is protecting her. Lin Xiao wouldn't hide anything from the Emperor. Even she can see the truth, so how could the Emperor possibly see it?
Everything was just tacit agreement.
When she was young, the Empress only used her as a tool to win favor and had no real affection for her adopted daughter. Did her father really not see that?
If you can't see it, then why did you move her away from Kunning Palace and choose Fanghua Palace, the furthest one, as her palace, and make her come to this royal villa to recuperate every year?
It was all so that she could avoid the Empress.
She was just a princess. Compared to the empress who would rule the world, or the crown prince who would one day rule the land, what was a mere princess...?
Suddenly, Shen Panyan turned around and hurriedly went to Lin Xiao's room.
Lin Xiao had already woken up from his coma, but due to excessive blood loss, he was very weak and had been sleeping.
Upon entering the room, seeing Lin Xiao's tightly closed eyes and pale lips, Shen Panyan hesitated... Well, Lin Xiao was so badly injured, let him rest. She would find the place herself.
Shen Panyan began searching through his room.
Lin Xiao said that he brought back the silk left behind by Qiu Shuang, which must have been kept in this room.
She wanted to know what Qiu Shuang had left behind. Qiu Shuang had served the Empress for many years and must know a lot.
However, Lin Xiao's room was very simple, with nothing but a table, chairs, and a few cabinets.
Shen Panyan searched through all the cabinets but still couldn't find the silk. Her brows gradually furrowed with anxiety. Where did Lin Xiao hide the silk?
Could it be on him?
But his clothes had already been changed, so they couldn't have been hidden on his person; they must have been inside the house.
No, there's one more place she hasn't searched.
His bed.
Shen Panyan got up and walked over. She looked at the unconscious Lin Xiao, hesitated for a long time, but finally decided to start searching.
She gently lifted his blankets and reached inside.
Lin Xiao wouldn't be so foolish as to hide the silk outside; it would have been discovered long ago. So he must have hidden it inside the bed.
So, she carefully circled around his body and reached inside, but she still couldn't help but touch his body, warm and firm... Shen Panyan's face flushed red, and she tried her best to ignore these strange sensations, continuing to explore inside.
But the bed was soft, so even if she touched the silk, she wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Shen Panyan felt a little silly. She propped herself up with one hand, arched her body, and tried to stick her head over to take a look.
She was in such a hurry to find the silk that she didn't even notice the eyelashes of the person beneath her tremble.
After searching for a long time without success, Shen Panyan was sweating profusely with anxiety. There were only so many places to hide things, so where did Lin Xiao hide the silk?
She refused to believe that she wouldn't find it even after searching the entire bed.
Shen Panyan began to search around the bed, first in the corner, but there was nothing there, then under the pillow, her upper body, and her lower body... Just as her hand reached down, suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist tightly, and a deep, husky voice fell into her ear.
"Princess, what are you doing?"
Shen Panyan paused, slowly turning her head to see the person who had been unconscious now looking at her with open eyes.
The person was completely dumbfounded!
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