Under He Yunxiao's shocked gaze, Xing'er poured out all the medicine used to counteract the Soul-Devouring Pill, leaving not a single drop, onto the ground.
She said, "Young Master He, even if His Highness is angry with you, even at night, he will find a way to ask Physician Wei to send you the medicine. This medicine is surely indispensable, isn't it?"
He Yunxiao looked at the soil on the ground, still steaming from the medicine, and replied, "Yes. She said she has to take it every day, and it has to be hot."
Xing'er smiled and said, "I guessed that was the case. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gone to such lengths to keep it warm with charcoal. Now that the hot medicine is gone, Young Master He, if you want to drink it again, you'll have to ask His Highness to make you a fresh one."
He Yunxiao suddenly understood and said, "Xing'er, I see! I know what you're thinking. If you throw away the medicine, Nanzhu can only make another one for me."
Xing'er said, "That's not enough. Your Highness can cook it and send it out, but that way, the young master still won't be able to enter. The medicine is out now, and we can't make any more for a while. Taking advantage of this time difference, the young master just needs to pretend to be sick at the door, acting as if he's feeling unwell, and then Xing'er will go and invite Your Highness out. Knowing Your Highness's soft-hearted nature, and with the night air being cool and the young master feeling unwell, he will definitely invite the young master in."
Upon hearing Xing'er's suggestion, He Yunxiao hurriedly said, "No way!"
Xing'er asked in confusion, "Why?"
He Yunxiao quickly explained, "I can't fake being sick. I told her I would never lie to her again."
Xing'er had only considered that He Yunxiao's feigned illness might not be convincing, but she hadn't expected him to be unwilling to even pretend. Now that the medicine had been thrown away, Nan Zhu needed to make another batch. However, He Yunxiao didn't want to lie, so he refused to cooperate, which explained why the medicine had been thrown away.
The situation became tense, and Xing'er had no other choice but to comfort He Yunxiao, "Young Master He, you do need to drink the herbal medicine to treat your illness. Now that the medicine is gone, it's normal that you're not feeling well. It's not like I'm lying to you."
Although He Yunxiao's tone was soft, his eyes were resolute. He understood that Xing'er's method was indeed effective, quickly closing the distance between him and his wife, Nanzhu. In the past, He Yunxiao would have readily accepted, but not now.
“Miss Xing’er, thank you very much. But today’s He Yunxiao is not yesterday’s He Yunxiao. I have figured it out. To have feelings for a good girl like Nan Zhu, you have to exchange sincerity for sincerity. This is more important than anything else. In any case, I will never lie to her again.”
Xing'er was very happy for her prince after hearing He Yunxiao's words, but this put her in a vicious cycle.
You are sincere, that's true, but how can Nanzhu know if you are sincere? You are honest with her, that's true, but how can she know if you are lying to her?
“Young Master He, you don’t want to lie to His Highness, but you can’t get in the door. If you can’t get in the door and can’t see His Highness, there’s no use saying anything. Young Master He, this matter can’t be delayed. If it’s delayed too long, even the deepest feelings will fade.”
He Yunxiao cupped his hands in thanks to Xing'er and said, "Miss Xing'er, thank you very much. When you get back, please tell Nanzhu the truth about what happened. Just tell her the truth and don't say anything good about me."
I also bought her a few boxes of pastries; please take them to her as well. There are also some jewelry… I originally intended to use them to curry favor with Miss Xing'er and the other palace maids, but now that I understand the young lady's feelings, I no longer wish to do so. Consider it a token of my gratitude. Thank you very much to the ladies of Linxuan Palace for taking care of Nanzhu over the years. He Yunxiao thanks you.”
This time, Xing'er accepted the jewelry from He Yunxiao without smashing it. Instead, she said, "On behalf of the other maids of Linxuan Palace, I thank you, young master."
Before returning to the palace, she asked, "Young Master He, don't you have anything to say to His Highness?"
He Yunxiao smiled helplessly, "There are many things I want to say to her, but what I want to say most is 'I miss you, I want to see you.'"
Xing'er said, "Young Master He, it's getting dark. Here, take this lantern. I know the way back well, so please don't refuse."
Since Xing'er had said so, He Yunxiao didn't stand on ceremony. He put away the lantern, thanked her, and watched her leave before immediately sitting down cross-legged to begin his cultivation.
After He Yunxiao completed his enlightenment, his desire to become stronger had never been so urgent.
He understood perfectly well that in the original novel, the reason Chu Fan could amass such a harem despite his seemingly wooden emotional intelligence, aside from the protagonist's halo, was primarily because Chu Fan was incredibly strong. Chu Fan's exceptional martial arts talent and strength made him worthy of all the female leads, even the "Empress" Meng Qingqian of the Qi Kingdom.
He Yunxiao sighed inwardly. Fortunately, Meng Qingqian was not currently within his target audience, otherwise he really wouldn't know how to win her over.
Meng Qingqian doesn't even put Yang Zhe in her eyes.
He Yunxiao knew that he was of extraordinary status, but compared to Yang Zhe, he only had an advantage in appearance. Apart from that, he was inferior to Yang Zhe in every aspect, including family background, talent, strength, and connections.
Therefore, even He Yunxiao himself felt that even a genius like Yang Zhe, who was second only to Chu Fan, could not get Meng Qingqian's attention. If one day he really needed to win her over, he would have no chance of winning her affection.
Ultimately, we still need to become stronger, whether it's in terms of power or influence.
He Yunxiao quickly abandoned his useless random thoughts, held his breath, focused his mind, and concentrated on cultivation.
The night pressed heavily on the land, and beside He Yunxiao, only a lantern left by Xing'er provided him with a small ray of light.
...
The Linxuan Palace is more lively at night than during the day.
During the day, the palace maids would be busy both inside and outside the palace. At night, they would stay in their rooms and entertain themselves. Their entertainment consisted mainly of chatting and gossiping, sewing and embroidering, and sometimes homemade toys such as pitch-pot and wooden tokens.
However, these were all games played among the palace maids.
Apart from Xing'er, no one else dared to mess around with their mistress, Princess Nanzhu.
So when Xing'er went out to ask Physician Wei to deliver the medicine, Meng Qingrou was left alone in her bedchamber.
Meng Qingrou sat quietly in the chair, making sachets with her head down, without singing.
The jewelry and pastries that He Yunxiao bought were still in their original places. None of the boxes of pastries had been touched since their argument yesterday.
There was a gentle knock on the door. Xing'er's voice came into the room.
"Your Highness."
Meng Qingrou was embroidering a sachet with her head down when she heard Xing'er's voice. She looked up at the door and said happily, "Xing'er, you're back! Come in quickly, are you cold at night?"
Xing'er went inside, said "It's not cold," and then closed the door behind her.
When Meng Qingrou saw Xing'er returning carrying a food box and other things, she asked in confusion, "Xing'er, isn't Physician Wei here?"
Xing'er first put down the food box containing the medicine and the snacks given by He Yunxiao, then sat down opposite Meng Qingrou.
She took the half-finished sachet and silver needles that Meng Qingrou was holding, which could potentially cause injury, and placed them on the table beside her.
Meng Qingrou's big, beautiful eyes blinked, and she became more and more puzzled by Xing'er's actions.
"Xing'er, what's wrong?"
After everything was ready, Xing'er finally spoke, "Your Highness, when I went out to deliver the medicine, I ran into Young Master He Yunxiao. He was waiting for you at the entrance of Linxuan Palace."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com