The moonlight cast a pure radiance like frost and snow, and the wind blew in front of the corridor.

Tanmarajiva stood in front of the stone steps, his face like the cold moon and his blue eyes cold. He listened to the intermittent voices of Yuanjue and Yaoying talking coming from the room behind him, and closed his eyes.

She's fine.

The chill creeps up bit by bit. He stands in the shadow where neither the moonlight nor the lights can reach, suppressing the fishy-sweet feeling rising in his throat, and his thoughts gradually calm down.

The waves in my heart slowly returned to calm.

With a loud bang, the gate of the courtyard was violently slammed open, and a tall man rushed in surrounded by his personal guards, his sword-like brows were furrowed and his expression was anxious. He swept through the front yard like a gust of wind, stepped onto the stone steps, and two pairs of anxious eyes met Tanmarajiva's. He paused slightly.

"Alang!" The guards rushed out of the house, "Qiniang is fine!"

Li Zhongqian's face was filled with anxiety. He looked away and walked quickly inside, asking, "What happened? Why did Mingyuenu suddenly fall ill? Did Li Xuanzhen do something?"

The guard replied, "His Royal Highness did nothing, and even blocked a knife for Qi Niang, and was injured. I don't know what happened, but Qi Niang suddenly became ill, and her condition was very serious. The Regent King invited many doctors to see her, but they all said it was useless... Fortunately, Qi Niang has just turned from critical to safe."

"Regent?"

Li Zhongqian glanced at the man standing outside the door, strode into the room, and rushed straight to the couch.

Yaoying was listening to Yuanjue telling her what happened below the platform after she fainted, when she suddenly saw his gloomy face and was stunned for a moment.

"Brother."

She said softly, feeling a little guilty.

Li Zhongqian's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, his eyes were stern, and he waved his hand, signaling everyone to retreat.

"I'm fine." Yao Ying said quickly, "Today was just an accident."

Li Xuanzhen blocked a knife for her. The punishment came and went quickly. She didn't remember anything at the moment.

Li Zhongqian said nothing, but sat down beside the couch, looked at her for a long time, and touched her forehead and palms.

My forehead is still cold, my palms are slightly warm, my pulse is steady, and I can feel the throbbing beat of my pulse with my fingertips.

"Still feeling bad?"

He put his hanging heart back and asked in a deep, hoarse voice. He rode here at full speed, and the cold wind blew in his throat, and it felt like a pair of scissors were twisting his throat.

He would never forget the time when she was ill. He asked all the doctors, even Li De, but all the doctors shook their heads and sighed, telling him that medicine was useless and advised him to prepare for her funeral as soon as possible. He stayed by her side, calling her name and asking her to come back until she woke up.

His uncle died, his mother went crazy, and he only had Mingyuenu left. If she left him too, what would he have to cling to?

Yao Ying shook her head and said, "Brother, I'm much better now. The Regent Prince has been taking care of me today."

She remembered watching singing and dancing in the audience before she fell into a coma. Tanmaraka was recuperating in the Royal Temple. She didn't expect to see him when she woke up, and he was dressed in Sultan's attire again. She was puzzled.

I just asked him a question and he got up and left without saying a word.

Yao Ying was confused. She stared at Yuan Jue next to her for a while and asked him what was going on.

Yuanjue quietly wiped away her tears and told her what happened after she fell into a coma. He also told her that she had been in a coma until dark after being injured, and her pulse had become weaker and weaker during that time. Bisa invited all the doctors over and tried many methods, almost bleeding her. Tanmaraka had been taking care of her all the time.

Yao Ying was stunned for a long while.

How come Tanmarajiva appeared so timely when the assassin was trying to kill her?

Is he also near Long Street?

He seldom leaves the temple, and now he is still ill and has prohibitions on singing and dancing, so why would he go to the city?

A guess flashed through Yao Ying's mind like lightning, but she was not sure.

No matter what, Tanmaraka has been guarding her all day.

On the way back, Li Zhongqian had heard from his personal soldiers what had happened. When Yao Ying fainted, Sultan Gu was by her side.

I heard that the assassin was from the royal court and the matter was related to a struggle in the royal court.

Li Zhongqian's eyes flashed with the scarred face of Sultan Gu, and he frowned and said, "You are weak, take a good rest."

Then he stood up.

Yao Ying pulled his sleeve and said, "Brother, are you going to look for Li Xuanzhen?"

Li Zhongqian had a cold expression, with a chilling light flashing in his eyes.

Yao Ying held him tightly and said, "Brother, Li Xuanzhen is seriously injured now. You can't get anything out of him if you go to him. I will handle his affairs. We agreed on that."

Li Zhongqian's face darkened.

When he was in Gaochang, he promised Yao Ying that he would not act impulsively.

"Li Xuanzhen is gloomy and strange, and unpredictable. We must be wary of him..."

Li Zhongqian sat back on the couch, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Li Xuanzhen was gloomy and deep. He suspected that Li Xuanzhen wanted to do something to Mingyuenu. As early as when he was in Chang'an, he found that Li Xuanzhen looked at Mingyuenu with a particularly vicious look. Beirong was defeated, Zhu Luyun and Princess Yiqing were missing, but Li Xuanzhen did not lead his troops to look for Zhu Luyun himself, but only let his personal guards to inquire about the news. The more he thought about it, the more strange it seemed. He took the opportunity of the diplomatic mission to bring Mingyuenu to the royal court because he was worried that Li Xuanzhen would take action when he was away.

Unexpectedly, Li Xuanzhen secretly followed to the royal court and lurked beside Mingyue Nu.

Although he saved Mingyuenu, Li Zhongqian still couldn't let down his guard, and the uneasiness in his heart became stronger.

The time that Li Xuanzhen spent with him in Beirong was a life-and-death experience. Was it really just to atone for Mingyuenu's mistakes that he risked his life for her?

Li Zhongqian didn't believe it.

"I will be on guard against Li Xuanzhen..." Yao Ying thought of Li Xuanzhen's bloodshot eyes before he fainted, frowned slightly, and said, "Brother, I know what I am doing."

…

After Li Zhongqian arrived, his personal guards surrounded the courtyard, and Bisu, Yuanjue and other people in the royal court retreated.

Bisa walked towards Tanmaragha.

He stood in the shadows, looking at the dim light reflected in the window.

"The princess is much better... The princess asked about you, why didn't you go in?"

Tanmaraka shook his head.

With what identity can you enter?

She has a brother who cares about her and loyal subordinates who serve her.

He said calmly, "Let the doctor check on her again."

She has just recovered and may have relapses.

Bishuo responded, walked away, and led the doctor into the house.

The doctor was amazed after checking Yaoying's pulse. Li Zhongqian was worried and followed the doctor out of the house to ask about Yaoying's condition. The doctor did not understand Chinese and he did not know the royal court language. After talking for a long time, he suddenly realized that he had followed Yaoying all day and learned some Chinese.

After a while, Bishuo came back with a doctor.

The doctor spoke a lot, exclaimed in amazement, and finally said with a smile: "The princess is fine."

Tanmarajiva nodded, went down the stone steps and gave instructions to Bishuo.

"Find out which family the assassins today are from. They have been in the Holy City for a long time, so it is impossible that they did not leave any traces."

"Send the Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guard to see me at the Royal Temple tomorrow morning."

Bisha responded.

He gave several other instructions, and Bisa complied with them one by one.

The night is dark.

Tanmarajiva fell silent, with the front of his clothes covered with silvery moonlight, and walked out of the courtyard.

Footsteps came from behind, and Yuan Jue ran up to the two of them breathlessly, bowed, and said, "Regent, the princess wants to return to the royal temple."

Tanmaraka frowned and said, "She is not feeling well today. She should stay here and rest. Don't get up and walk around."

Yuan Jue responded, saying, "Princess, I have something to tell you."

Tanmaraka stopped and turned his back to him.

"What?"

Yuan Jue said: "The princess said it's time for you to take the medicine, remember to take it."

Tanmaraka was silent for a long time.

"How is she?"

"The princess is much better now. She said that although her illness is very severe when it strikes, it is actually not a problem, so don't worry. The maid just brought some food over, and the princess ate it."

"You stay and look after her. Don't go out with her. If there is any emergency, send the carrier hawk to report it."

Tanmarajiva gave an order and walked out quickly.

Yuan Jue thought so, and returned to Yao Ying's room, saying, "The Regent Prince has returned to the royal temple."

Yao Ying murmured, "He just left?"

She knew he would not stay, but she thought he would come and say a few words to her before he left.

Yuan Jue nodded and said, "The Regent said that you are weak, so don't go out today. General Ashina will take care of him."

Yao Ying was distracted for a while, called her personal soldiers, and ordered: "Brother will return to the post house tomorrow. He has important matters to attend to these days, so he should not go anywhere else... You keep an eye on him. If he has a conflict with Li Xuanzhen, you must stop him."

The personal soldiers should be.

"How is Li Xuanzhen? Is he seriously injured?"

The guard replied, "It's very serious, not only the wound I blocked for you today... His Royal Highness has other wounds on his body. When the prince rushed to Gaochang from Shazhou and Yizhou, he had been carrying wounds on his body. The old wounds have not healed yet, and new wounds have been added. There is not much good meat left on his waist and back. The prince wants to see you, and the regent has someone to hold him back. The prince has fallen asleep."

"Why did the prince suddenly appear in the royal court? Are there his personal guards in the city?"

"Yes, the young man has brought the people here. They said..."

"What?"

"They said that the Crown Prince came for the princess. As soon as the princess left Gaochang, the Crown Prince followed right after her. No one could persuade him to leave."

Yao Ying frowned.

At first, she was surprised when Li Xuanzhen and Li Zhongqian came to rescue her together, but that was all. She didn't want to have any other connection with him.

Last time, Li Xuanzhen was seriously injured and lived in her tent. He returned to Sand City with her. Along the way, she didn't say a word to him, didn't even glance at him, and when he left, she didn't see him off.

After that, the Western Army and the Liangzhou Army could not avoid correspondence, and his personal letters were often included in official documents. In almost every letter, he would ask about her, but she ignored him.

I thought that this would mean that the two of them would never have any contact again.

When Gaochang was besieged, he ignored the opposition of his subordinates, hurriedly traveled thousands of miles, and appeared outside the city with only 2,000 soldiers and horses, almost seeking his own death.

He had already been seriously injured in Shazhou. If Li Zhongqian and Mo Biduo had not joined forces with him, he would have had no chance of winning against Shanghai Du Aling.

Yao Ying thought at the time that Li Xuanzhen was still very loyal to his allies.

But the ally would not quietly follow her to the royal court and step forward to block the knife for her when she was in danger.

Does Li Xuanzhen want to make up for her?

Yao Ying said calmly: "When the prince wakes up, come and report the news."

At this point, there was no way they could go back to the time when they first met. She didn't care what he was thinking and didn't need his regret. She just wanted to stay away from him.

After giving instructions, Yaoying lay down to rest. Perhaps she had slept too much during the day and tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

In the middle of the night, she got up, walked barefoot to the window, opened a thin slit and looked out.

The corridor was empty, the wind was howling, and the ground was sparkling with silvery moonlight.

He is not here.

Yaoying waited for a while, shook her head and laughed, then turned back to the couch.

He is so busy, of course he won't come.

He must have used his internal energy to save her today. I wonder if he took his medicine on time. She is not with him tonight. Can he do it alone?

Yaoying turned over, her sleeves slipped down, and the Buddhist beads on her arms felt cool and warm.

She took off the Buddhist beads, held them in her hand, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

…

Wang Temple.

Bi Suo stood outside the felt curtain with a solemn expression.

A series of hurried footsteps were heard in the quiet night, and Bami hurried over, holding the doctor's collar.

The doctor had just rushed back from Yao Ying and was summoned to Wang Temple. He stood in front of the felt curtain, gasped a few times, and then opened the curtain.

A few candles were burning in the room, making it seem like daylight. A man was lying on the couch, with the candlelight shining on his face. His face was as pale as gold paper, his eyes were closed, and he looked haggard.

The doctor's expression changed slightly: "It was fine just now..."

Bi Suo said anxiously, "I'm like this now after coming back. My energy is gone and I can't even walk."

The doctor shook his head and sighed, rummaged through the medicine box, took out a set of silver needles, washed his hands, and gave acupuncture to Tanmarajika.

Half an hour later, the doctor was exhausted and sweating. Tanmarajiva's complexion recovered a little. He opened his eyes and looked at the doctor's face.

"How long?"

He asked, his breath barely audible.

The doctor replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, you will soon be well."

Tanmarajiva shook his head, and the densely packed silver needles on his body swayed slightly, flashing like silver scales.

"I ask you, how long?"

He asked again, and although his breath was weak, his demeanor was still graceful.

Bisahhun, who was sitting beside the couch, shuddered.

The doctor shook the silver needle in his hand, not daring to look up, and whispered: "Wang got better a few days ago. If he can continue like this, maybe he can live for a few more years..."

With a slight ding sound, the silver needle in his hand fell to the ground.

The doctor trembled and knelt down.

The room fell silent, as still as dead water.

Tanmaraka's expression remained calm, his eyes fixed on the flickering candle flame, and he said calmly, "Continue."

He had known this would happen, and the water hyacinth could only last for a few years.

The doctor sighed inwardly, mixed with admiration and pity, then stood up and continued to give him acupuncture.

A bean-sized bead of sweat rolled down Tanmarajika's cheek. He half-leaned on the pillow and asked, "Have you sent someone to investigate?"

Bi Su came to his senses and said hurriedly, "We have sent people. The captain has personally led people to search everywhere. There should be no accomplices in the city."

He hummed, "Remember to send more people."

There are too many people who want to kill Sultan. If all those people vent their hatred on her, no matter how many personal soldiers she has around her, it will not be enough.

Bi Suo clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, we are sending the guards. The princess's personal soldiers cannot distinguish between the royal court and the guards. The guards often deal with them and react faster."

Tanmarajiva nodded slightly.

The needle in the doctor's hand pierced his fingers.

His fingers were connected to his heart and his arm muscles were trembling, but he just frowned slightly, as if he didn't feel any pain.

If she were here, she would definitely look at him with worry, talk to him, and try every way to divert his attention. If he frowned, she would also frown slightly.

He was used to it and didn't feel any pain.

But being stared at by her with such concern, the pain seemed to become more acute.

…

The next morning, Li Zhongqian got up and went to see Yao Ying.

Yaoying got up earlier than him, changed her clothes, ate something, and walked around in front of him, her face rosy and full of energy: "Brother, I'm fine."

Li Zhongqian was still worried and forced her to drink several bowls of tonic medicine. After the doctor in the mansion examined her pulse and said that she was indeed fine, he felt relieved. He instructed his personal soldiers to look after the seriously injured Li Xuanzhen and left in a hurry.

"I'll be back as soon as I'm done. Be careful."

"I know."

Yaoying watched him leave, asked Yuanjue to find pen, ink and paper, and sat at the desk to write a letter.

The guard came to report: "Princess, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has woken up."

Yaoying put down her pen.

Li Xuanzhen's shoulders, waist, chest, thighs, and arms were wrapped in thick gauze. He lay on the couch with a pale face.

The personal soldier carried Yao Ying into the house. His dull and lifeless eyes immediately lit up with a few flames, like bright sparks bursting out from the ashes after a burn. His two gloomy eyes were fixed on her face.

Yao Ying frowned, motioned for others to leave, and glanced at the edge of the couch.

The copper basin was filled with blood, and next to the couch was a large piece of gauze soaked in blood.

She raised her eyelids and looked at Li Xuanzhen.

"Why save me?"

The tone is flat.

Li Xuanzhen twitched the corner of his lips, struggled to get up, and sat back.

"Because I don't want anything to happen to you."

There was no expression on Yaoying's face.

Li Xuanzhen covered the knife wound and twitched his mouth: "Qiniang, do you still hate me?"

No matter what he did, she remained indifferent.

Yao Ying shook her head, met Li Xuanzhen's gaze, and said, "Li Xuanzhen, I just want to stay away from you."

Li Xuanzhen felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his hands and feet were icy cold.

She hated him so much that she didn't even want to hate him.

The author has something to say: There was a power outage today, luckily my laptop keyboard has a luminous function.