switch
They look so pitiful.
If Lan Yunyi confronted her directly, Shen Yao could fight him head-on to the death, but Lan Yunyi's attitude was as soft as cotton, leaving Shen Yao powerless to do anything.
Shen Yao looked away and then looked at his scalded hand again.
Although she didn't know Lan Yunyi's intentions in drugging her last night, she felt no discomfort other than her limbs being weak and powerless. Therefore, her intuition was correct. Before Lan Yunyi found her fault, he would not directly kill her.
The current situation is like a well-fed cat playing with a mouse. Since the other party is hiding a knife in their mouth, Shen Yao has to stay calm and not let them lead her by the nose.
Lan Yunyi seemed to notice Shen Yao's gaze, and raised his injured hand to Shen Yao's face. Shen Yao paused, took his hand and gently touched it: "I have a bad temper when I wake up, my consort has suffered."
Lan Yunyi shook her head and smiled, "It is my honor to serve the princess her medicine. I will have someone bring another bowl over right away."
A short while after she finished speaking, Xia Guo brought in new medicine and burn ointment. Lan Yunyi was about to reach out to take it when Shen Yao said, "Give it to me first. The prince consort should treat his wounds himself."
Xia Guo placed the small tray on the table and handed the medicine bowl to Shen Yao.
Shen Yao lowered her head and blew on the medicine. After testing it and finding it wasn't too hot, she scooped up a spoonful and fed it to Lan Yunyi's lips.
Lan Yunyi tilted her head and looked at her, then slowly opened her mouth and swallowed the medicine.
Shen Yao only felt truly relieved after watching him swallow the medicine. Although Lan Yunyi had tried the medicine earlier, she still couldn't completely trust the person in front of her.
Only after she personally confirmed that there was no problem did Shen Yao feel at ease enough to drink the medicine. After the warm liquid went down her throat, Shen Yao's body broke out in a slight sweat. She turned to look at Lan Yunyi and found that the other woman was sitting motionless by the bed, smiling at her.
Shen Yao gestured with her eyes to indicate when he should leave, but Lan Yunyi remained unmoved.
His hands were on his knees, and white blisters were faintly emerging from the skin on his scalded cuffs.
Shen Yao's gaze swept back and forth between Lan Yunyi's eyes and hands before she said, "If people were to see this injury, they might think that I have been mistreating my husband at home."
Lan Yunyi raised her hand after hearing this.
Shen Yao remained silent, only to hear Lan Yunyi continue, "Isn't the princess going to wrap it for me?"
"The general should be better at treating wounds than I am."
Lan Yunyi asked, "Does the princess dislike being close to me?"
Lan Yunyi was unusually open about matters between men and women. Looking into his innocent eyes, Shen Yao even felt that she was overthinking things.
Shen Yao said, "No."
Lan Yunyi did not withdraw her hand. Instead, she rolled up her sleeve and presented her injured hand to Shen Yao's eyes again: "If the princess and I can share a spoon, then it shouldn't be considered unusual for me to bandage this hand."
Shen Yao was speechless. She frowned and glanced at Lan Yunyi, her expression anything but friendly. But Lan Yunyi didn't back down at all, and even picked up the bandage and handed it to Shen Yao.
Shen Yao felt like she was still being led by the nose.
Left with no other choice, she had to hold Lan Yunyi's hand and apply the medicine to her.
Lan Yunyi's hands were very rough. Shen Yao noticed this when she entered the family yesterday. When applying the medicine, her fingers continued to rub against his skin as she applied the ointment, and this feeling became even more profound.
She dared not use force, carefully applying the medicine so as not to break the blisters that had already formed. After an unknown amount of time, Lan Yunyi's fingers suddenly curled up, and she said, "Sister, you don't need to be so careful."
Shen Yao glanced at him, and her stubbornness suddenly kicked in. She lowered her eyes and continued applying the medicine.
It was still that spot where the medicine hadn't been evenly applied, where there was a small callus. Shen Yao insisted on spreading the medicine evenly, so she gently pressed that spot again, causing Lan Yunyi's finger to curl up sharply once more.
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, and Lan Yunyi suddenly stopped: "Princess, forget it..."
Shen Yao suddenly tightened her grip on his hand and gave him a displeased look: "Didn't you say you wanted me to apply the medicine for you?"
"I am a rough man, how could I let such a hand sully the princess's eyes..." Lan Yunyi was about to pull her hand back, but before she could finish speaking, Shen Yao pressed the switch again.
He looked at Shen Yao with a forced smile, but his fingers were already trembling slightly. He wondered if there would be any other reactions in other parts of his body.
Shen Yao smiled slightly and silently pressed the switch to finish applying the medicine for him.
After doing all this, Shen Yao miraculously regained some strength. Ignoring Lan Yunyi's mood, she said, "Call Xia Guo here, I want to take a bath."
Lan Yunyi asked, "Would the princess like me to serve her?"
Shen Yao: "I just want to wash myself."
Lan Yunyi held his hands together, remaining silent, but his eyes held a profound meaning, as if he had already seen through Shen Yao's ulterior motives towards him, and there was no need to pretend now that things had come to this.
Shen Yao thought that men were probably all like this, and didn't take it to heart.
After Xia Guo entered the room, she was about to take Shen Yao to take a bath when she saw Lan Yunyi still inside. A strange look crossed her face.
When they arrived at the bathroom door, she stopped at the entrance. Shen Yao felt that Xia Guo seemed a little confused, so she left the two of them and went into the bathroom alone.
The bathroom was filled with steam, and a wave of heat, along with a strong scent of pear blossoms, hit the face, making one feel hot and restless.
After Shen Yao jumped into the bath and took a relaxing bath, Xia Guo and several maids came in to help her dry off and change her clothes. Through the screen, she caught a glimpse of Lan Yunyi still standing guard at the door, all alone and looking very lonely.
Shen Yao couldn't find a reason to send him away right away, so she ignored him. After changing her clothes and drying her hair, Lan Yunyi came to greet her again.
Shen Yao said directly, "I'm going to Dajue Temple today."
There were no elders in the Lan family, and even if there were, Shen Yao didn't need to follow any overly complicated etiquette. So, according to the rules, after the ceremony, she would just need to write a letter to the emperor and Consort Lan, who were far away in the capital, and everything would be fine.
However, Shen Yao decided to postpone writing the letter for a day or two until her plan took shape before writing to the emperor.
Lan Yunyi cupped her hands in greeting and replied, "I will prepare the carriage immediately and accompany the princess."
"No need," Shen Yao said. "General, please wait for me at home."
After she finished speaking, Xia Guo looked at Lan Yunyi with a hint of sympathy on her face. Shen Yao glanced at her, then quickly changed her mind and said, "Never mind, General, please see me off."
Lan Yunyi's expression brightened, and she said, "During my ten-day break, I usually spend my time working in Lingshan Village. So when the princess goes to worship Buddha, I am willing to wait at the foot of the mountain."
Shen Yao didn't insist. She knew that Lan Yunyi's reluctance to enter Lingshan Temple stemmed more from her prejudice against Master Chengxin. But this actually made things easier for Shen Yao.
Although they were husband and wife, they were more often enemies who needed to be wary of each other.
There is no such thing as genuine persuasion; it's all about life and death, or finding every possible way to dissuade the emperor from killing.
Shen Yao never pinned her hopes on someone else's sudden awakening, so she chose to fight Lan Yunyi to the death.
However, the first step in all of this is to appease the emperor.
Shen Yao's plan requires the support of a completely neutral party, so Cheng Xin is indispensable.
Chengxin was a household name in Xiliang City. He was well-versed in Buddhism and had superb medical skills, but he lived in seclusion in a temple and was never seen by anyone. He never participated in any disputes, and even in the original work, he was just a background character.
When the carriage arrived at Lingshan, the foot of the mountain was bustling with pilgrims coming and going.
The mountain is shrouded in incense smoke, and the magnificent temple stands among the trees, demonstrating the popularity of Lingshan Temple.
With Lan Yunyi's help, Shen Yao stepped down from the carriage, attracting frequent glances from those around her.
Lan Yunyi was a celebrity in Xiliang City, and she also had a very eye-catching face, so many people recognized Shen Yao's identity directly and subconsciously made way for her.
Lan Yunyi held Shen Yao's hand and said with concern, "It's windy on the mountain, Princess, please be careful not to catch a cold."
Shen Yao also touched Lan Yunyi's hand, pressing the switch on his thumb and forefinger, and said with concern, "You've worked hard, Prince Consort."
Lan Yunyi withdrew her hand, got into the carriage without looking back, and Shen Yao also turned and left.
Xia Guo leaned close to Shen Yao's ear and chuckled softly. Shen Yao glanced at her sideways before she whispered, "The prince consort and the princess were the envy of many people just now."
Shen Yao felt a chill run down her spine. She didn't reply, but on the way up the mountain, she overheard some whispers commenting on her appearance.
Besides, there were also those who spoke frankly about her demotion.
Xia Guo glared back at the man, but Shen Yao didn't take it to heart. She walked up the mountain to the main gate, past the two generals, and through the towering steps leading to the Guanyin statue. Six servants carrying offerings followed closely behind her until they stopped at the back hall.
Everyone assumed the princess had brought gold and silver treasures to worship Buddha, and they all wanted to see what royal treasures looked like, so some people followed Shen Yao's group at a distance. But when Shen Yao didn't bow to anyone and walked all the way to the back hall, everyone finally realized Shen Yao's purpose.
I have come not to worship gods or Buddhas, but specifically to see Master Chengxin.
At this moment, the man who had previously mocked Shen Yao for being demoted said again, "So the princess has come to pay her respects to Master Chengxin, but Master Chengxin has not received any guests for many years, and she never associates with officials."
Some people also said, "Yes, Master Chengxin is said to be quite dissatisfied with the current emperor and has many opinions about the royal family. How could he possibly meet with the princess?"
"The princess is definitely going to run into a wall this time!"
"It's a good thing the princess brought so many gifts, but she didn't know that Master Chengxin hates these vulgar things the most!"
In fact, Shen Yao knew that Cheng Xin probably wouldn't like gold, silver, and other valuables, but she still insisted on bringing these things.
Firstly, it was to show that she was indeed just an ordinary person, and secondly, it was to test Chengxin's attitude towards her as an "ordinary person".
If he is truly as aloof as rumored, then the cooperation is unlikely to succeed, and Shen Yao will have to find another way.
News of Princess Yao's arrival had already reached Chengxin. A young monk was sent to greet her, and upon seeing Shen Yao, he respectfully bowed.
Shen Yao returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said respectfully, "I, Shen Yao, have long admired Master Chengxin's virtue. I am sorry to bother you today, but I have a favor to ask. I hope to receive guidance from Master Chengxin. I will be eternally grateful."
The young monk put his hands together and said, "Master Chengxin does not see outsiders, much less members of the royal family. Please leave, benefactor."
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