End
Inside the Prince Ning's Mansion.
Rong Xuan was lying down, wearing only a plain white undergarment, which made the red rash on her body look even more frightening.
"Your Highness is fine now and will recover in a few days. However, you must not eat anything containing peanuts in the future."
The imperial physician gave him a few instructions and then began packing his things.
He was sent by Consort Shu in a hurry after hearing that Rong Xuan had developed a rash again. He was about to leave after packing up to report back to Consort Shu.
As he was about to leave, Rong Xuan asked, seemingly unwillingly, "Can't I touch it at all? What if I eat just a little bit each time?"
Everyone present fell silent upon hearing this. Although the imperial physician felt helpless, he still respectfully replied, "For those with milder symptoms, eating a small amount is not a big problem. However, Your Highness has developed a condition known as 'food wind syndrome,' which could be life-threatening. It would be best to avoid it entirely."
The Imperial Pharmacy had given the same explanation before. Hearing the same result, Rong Xuan was in a terrible mood and waved his hand to dismiss everyone.
When sending the imperial physician back to the palace, she reminded him not to mention his problem to Consort Shu, but the reminder would be futile.
These words still reached her ears, and as soon as Rong Xuan recovered, Deng Anhua summoned him to the palace and gave him a good scolding.
"What kind of pastry is so delicious that you'd risk your life for it?"
As soon as Rong Xuan stepped into Chenhua Palace, Consort Shu's angry words came straight at him.
Knowing he was wrong, he didn't say anything, but simply walked towards her.
When he reached Consort Shu, her anger had already outweighed her worry.
She grabbed his hand and began to examine it carefully from top to bottom until she was sure the rash had faded. Only then did she angrily shake off his hand and turn away from him.
Rong Xuan knew that he had acted rashly and without proper consideration, but that was what he did at the time, and he did not regret it.
But in front of Deng Anhua, he still lowered his head and said, "I was wrong about this. I'm sorry, Mother."
He spoke earnestly, as if he truly felt sorry for her, but the more he did so, the angrier she became. "Are you sorry to me? You're sorry to yourself! Have you forgotten that thing almost killed you when you were little? You can even ask about it when you eat a little bit. If that's the case, you might as well find some poison to eat instead."
Rong Xuan tried to speak several times, but still couldn't utter a word. He just lowered his head and accepted the scolding.
The nagging was nothing more than a few old sayings. Deng Anhua sighed, feeling troubled.
She understood Rong Xuan less and less. From childhood to adulthood, all she hoped for was that he could grow up peacefully and have everything go smoothly. That way, she could be considered to have done right by him and not have been unworthy of being called "Mother Consort".
But ever since he was granted the title of king and established his own residence, an invisible yet real barrier seems to have appeared between the two of them.
This barrier made her uneasy, so she frequently summoned him to the palace, but their relationship did not improve, and even worsened.
Rong Xuan became even more taciturn, and many of her words were difficult to utter because of his silence.
Now, Rong Xuan seems like a completely different person, doing things that are increasingly unfamiliar to her.
Rong Xuan's appearance was becoming more and more different, and her heart was becoming more and more panicked. But when she heard that Rong Xuan had developed hives again, she felt as if she had been pulled back to more than ten years ago. The feeling of possibly losing him was indescribable. At this moment, all the barriers were swept away like dust.
She is his mother.
This will not change.
She reached out and straightened his head, saying, "You can do whatever you want, but you must prioritize your health, okay?"
Rong Xuan's eyes flickered, and he nodded earnestly.
Even if concern is expressed in the guise of concern, Deng Anhua still hasn't figured it out, so he could only say that he was tired and let Rong Xuan leave first.
Jingyuan recently opened for business and has been transformed into a cat city, complete with shops and stalls, all built in the shape of cats. Entering it feels like stepping into a cat kingdom.
But the local residents are a bit too unruly. The active ones will transfer their shops at the drop of a hat, while the quiet ones will just guard their little shops and ignore the customers who come to them.
Such a spectacle attracted everyone in the capital to want to find out more.
Yan Qing has been staying in Jingyuan these past few days, and every time he does, he can't help but sigh that handing the business over to He Yi was absolutely the right decision.
Just as he was about to nod in approval of his decision, looking at the bustling garden, He Yi suddenly appeared from the side.
"How is it? This peanut brittle is delicious, isn't it?"
Yan Qing glanced at the pastries on the table, then picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, demonstrating her satisfaction through her actions.
The aroma upon tasting it reminded Yan Qing of Rong Xuan, or more precisely, of the day Rong Xuan brought peanut brittle back to the mansion.
Yan Qing had been keeping an eye on him ever since he left, but nothing noteworthy had happened even after he had been back at the manor for a long time and had been eating peanut brittle. So she decided to call the cat back.
At this moment, the Ning Prince's mansion suddenly became noisy. Upon closer inspection, Rong Xuan was covered in a dense rash, and his face was also flushed.
After a period of chaos and turmoil, his condition improved.
Yan Qing naturally heard every word of his conversation with the pharmacist at the Imperial Pharmacy.
She didn't know how to describe her feelings at that moment, but a sense of certainty arose in her heart that Rong Xuan could entrust his life to her. The emotions that arose from this were even more complicated, and upon closer examination, there was even a hint of pleasure.
She had never experienced this feeling, neither in her original world nor in the days since she transmigrated here.
This made her feel novel and gave her a new understanding of herself.
Rong Xuan's behavior was abnormal to begin with, and she would feel a subtle pleasure from it.
This is not normal.
Reason told her that she should stay away from Rong Xuan and anything that made her feel like a stranger. Only in this way could she completely control herself.
But because of this incident, Yan Qing's opinion of Rong Xuan changed, and she found herself paying more attention to him.
Rong Xuan always acts behind the scenes without saying a word. Rong Xiao describes him as reserved and wanting people to guess his intentions, but if Yan Qing from a month ago were to interpret it, he would be described as insidious and cunning.
After setting aside her preconceived prejudice against Rong Xuan, she began to find that Rong Xiao's words were somewhat convincing.
After returning to the capital, Yan Qing had no public identity; she was just an ordinary citizen. However, those in the court who were more astute assumed she was Rong Xiao's confidante, and that was their guess about her true identity.
Having such a status brings Yan Qing many conveniences, but even more troubles. Yan Qing has heard countless stories about such things, but none have actually come to her.
I initially thought Rong Xiao had arranged for someone to handle it, but one day I watched the whole thing on a whim and realized it was Rong Xuan.
That day, his figure stood tall in the night, his expression and movements obscured by the faint moonlight, yet he appeared all the more terrifying.
He swiftly snapped the other person's neck.
He was protecting her, Yan Qing knew it, but she was still frightened.
Because this scene was the same as the action he took when he killed Yan Congjin in his dream, this incident greatly shocked Yan Qing.
As time goes on, one gradually becomes familiar with the rules of this world, or rather, the rules of power.
If you don't kill him, you'll be the one who gets killed.
Therefore, Rong Xiao's actions should have attracted many enemies, but he has never encountered any danger, probably because his martial prowess inspires fear.
Yan Qing did not accept these rules, but she was powerless to change them; she lacked the power to alter the situation.
All she could do was stay away from such behavior, and she had to admit that it was a kind of arrogant "I'm the only one who's sober in a world of fools" attitude.
But if someone wants to kill her, she can't help but fight back. Her deeply ingrained beliefs wouldn't allow her to kill with her own hands.
So she could only become a despicable intermediary.
She used to borrow Fangbi's knife, but now Rongxuan is taking the initiative to draw it for her. No matter what, she can only continue in this awkward way until she can leave this world and break free from these rules that she does not agree with.
This vision cannot be realized in the short term, but Rong Xuan...
It's time to deal with this.
Regardless of their current stance or their recent interactions, she and Rong Xuan are no longer enemies.
However, not being hostile does not mean that the relationship should be closer; a nodding acquaintance is the most appropriate and suitable relationship between the two.
It's time to put an end to this strange relationship.
"Hey, hey, what are you thinking about again? You're always daydreaming." He Yi nudged her a few times with his elbow, clearly displeased.
Before Yan Qing could respond, he quickly pointed to the side and said in a teasing tone, "Look, here we go again. I'm going to slip away now."
Yan Qing looked in the direction He Yi pointed and saw Rong Xuan.
They've come at the perfect time. Regardless of the past, the two of them shouldn't continue like this; it's time to put an end to it.
She gestured for him to follow, then walked out of Jingyuan.
Yan Qing took him back to the Cat Tea House. After they sat down opposite each other, she personally poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him.
Seeing Rong Xuan looking somewhat bewildered by this action, she smiled easily.
This only confused Rong Xuan more, and she also began to feel secretly pleased, thinking that she was finally starting to soften her stance.
Unexpectedly, Yan Qing's first words were a more formal refusal: "Don't follow me anymore."
Rong Xuan lowered his head slightly and did not reply.
Yan Qing then said, "This time I'm serious. Although I don't know what you're asking for, it's time to stop."
“You, only you.” Fearing further misunderstanding, Rong Xuan quickly explained, “This time, I have no other requests. You said you could get all the information you wanted to know. This time you should know, I really have no other schemes.”
Yan Qing nodded, agreeing with his statement. "In any case, your previous suggestion was not suitable. If you are willing, we can get along as friends from now on."
To Rong Xuan, these words were a more direct and harsher expulsion than before. Yan Qing had thrown out a thorny temptation, and he had no choice but to accept it.
After saying these words, Rong Xuan indeed disappeared.
Only in the open.
It wasn't difficult to find out Rong Xuan's whereabouts, so Yan Qing knew that Rong Xuan hadn't left.
She stopped paying attention to her; that was enough. Chasing her away again wouldn't make a difference.
Only time can erase these unwanted connections.
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