Chapter 120 Cutting the Gordian knot
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Zhong Min did not argue too much with Xier. You know, it is almost impossible to change a person's habits and thinking since childhood. What's more, it will not be long before she will leave this place and these people. So there is no need to be too serious about it. Since Xier wants to do this, just let it go.
When Xi'er arrived, she seemed to have just seen Liu leaving Zhong Min's room. So after thinking for a moment, she asked Zhong Min, "Jin'er, did Concubine Liu give you any trouble when she came over just now?"
Hearing Xi'er calling Zhong Min "Jin'er" more than once, Zi Yan couldn't help herself and tilted her head to ask Jin'er with curiosity, "Xi'er, why do you always call Miss Min'er "Jin'er?"
Xier had originally noticed Zi Yan standing aside, but she was busy talking to Zhong Min and had no time to ask about this. When she heard Zi Yan ask this, she was about to speak, but Zhong Min answered for her.
"My original name was Jin'er, but I changed it later. I'm used to calling her Xi'er." Zhong Min explained to Zi Yan first, and then introduced Xi'er, "This is Zi Yan. I was very grateful for her care on the way back from the capital."
"Miss Min'er, you are really embarrassing me by saying this." Zi Yan said quickly, "Taking care of you is my duty. Besides, if it weren't for you, I would have died long ago."
"Alright, let's stop talking about that. You two should go find your own places and clean up. I'm a little tired, so I'll get some sleep first." Zhong Min smiled and raised his hand, "Go ahead. You don't have to stand in front of me all the time. It makes me uncomfortable."
When Xi'er heard this, she quickly said, "Let Miss Ziyan go and rest first. She's tired from the journey. I'll just stay here and watch over her."
Seeing this, Zi Yan naturally felt embarrassed to slack off right away and let Xi'er take over the job, so she quickly said, "I'm not tired. Miss Xi'er, you go first. I'll..."
"You all go. I'm not so disabled that I can't move. Why do I need people to guard here? Besides, if something really happens, there are guards outside the yard. Just shout them. What's more, I really can't sleep with people here. You don't want me to hide in bed and stare blankly, do you?" Zhong Min didn't have so many things to do. As he spoke, he pushed the two people out, not giving them any chance to refute.
Seeing this, Xi'er and Ziyan had no choice but to retreat. However, they didn't dare to leave. While Zhong Min was indeed fine and had good intentions, if the prince found out, there was no telling how he would punish them. So, after closing the door, the two of them quietly discussed it and decided to have Xi'er wait outside while Ziyan came in later.
For three days, Xiao Mingzheng didn't return to the palace, but he did send a letter back, saying he had urgent matters to attend to in the army and couldn't spare any time, and asked Zhong Min to rest well. Butler Liu, on the other hand, was even more frequent, coming every morning and evening, paying his respects, which really annoyed Zhong Min. He refused to change his mind, as if he was afraid she would suddenly die or disappear.
On the fourth day, the injury on Zhong Min's shoulder was basically no longer serious, but he could not use too much force on his arm, and there was a large scar on it, which looked a bit scary.
The court doctor sent some scar removal ointment and told Zhong Min to apply it once every morning, noon and evening, saying that the scar could be completely removed in a month at most.
Xier and Ziyan were very happy and applied the ointment to Zhong Min on time every day. They were very attentive. Zhong Min, on the contrary, did not care too much. Firstly, she did not quite believe that these small ointments could have such magical effects. Secondly, in her opinion, scars were not a big deal. They were not on the face anyway. After a long time, the color would fade and it would not have any impact at all.
"Jin'er, don't disbelieve me. When I was serving Zheng Ruyu, I heard her speak of the miraculous effects of Yan Xi Cream. It's said to be very difficult to make, and because the raw materials are very rare, it's extremely precious. Back then, Zheng Ruyu was so famous, yet she only heard of it and never got her hands on it. Now, the prince is really kind to you, having the palace physician send you so much."
Xier smiled happily, "I heard that this thing can not only eliminate any scars, but also maintain beauty. Therefore, the concubines in the palace are very fond of it. However, unless you are of a particularly prominent status or extremely favored, ordinary ladies can't get it."
After hearing Xier's words, Zhong Min didn't say anything, but just nodded slightly to indicate that he understood, but he didn't look particularly happy at all.
Now, the more Xiao Mingzheng treated her well, the more annoyed she became. Although he hadn't shown up at the palace in recent days, he seemed to have never stopped paying attention to her affairs. Now, not only Xier, Ziyan, and Butler Liu, but also all the other servants in the palace treated her like their master, being disrespectful and respectful in every way.
But she didn't like this. She just wanted Xiao Mingzheng to come back soon so that she could propose to leave the house as soon as possible to prevent the misunderstanding from continuing to escalate.
In the afternoon, the kitchen sent over some snacks, porridge, and water. The portions were more than twice the usual amount. Zhong Min was puzzled. Normally, she couldn't finish the portions, so she secretly asked Xi'er and Ziyan to share them. Why was there so much more today? She casually asked the maids who brought the food, but they simply said they didn't know and were just delivering it as instructed.
Zhong Min didn't ask much. Those people had just gone out, but they didn't expect that Xiao Mingzheng, who had not appeared for several days, would come back. When he saw him, Zhong Min immediately reacted. No wonder there were so many extra snacks today. It turned out that they were prepared for him.
Xi'er and Ziyan hurriedly saluted Xiao Mingzheng as he strode in, and Zhong Min also stood up to greet him. However, before he could squat down much, Xiao Mingzheng supported him and said, "You're not fully recovered yet, so let's skip these formalities."
As he spoke, he waved to Xier and Ziyan beside him, signaling them to leave first. The two girls immediately understood what he meant and quickly retreated, closing the door quietly.
"Your Highness, is there something serious that has happened that has caused you to come here in such a hurry?" Zhong Min saw that Xiao Mingzheng's beard had grown long and his complexion was not very good-looking. She could tell at a glance that it was because he had been overworked in the past few days. He was a person who loved cleanliness and tidiness, but now he looked like this. It was likely that he came straight to her after returning and didn't even have time to wash up.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mingzheng smiled and said, "Everything has been taken care of. There are no troubles for the time being. However, I was worried about your injury, so I came straight here after returning. I didn't have time to sort it out, so I guess you misunderstood."
"My injury has healed long ago. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Zhong Min breathed a sigh of relief. As he spoke, he unnoticeably broke away from Xiao Mingzheng's hand and slightly increased the distance between them.
Xiao Mingzheng immediately noticed Zhong Min's distance. He paused, looked at Zhong Min and said, "There's no one around here, so just call me by my name. I haven't seen you for a few days and you seem quite unfamiliar."
Seeing Xiao Mingzheng say this, Zhong Min didn't want to ignore the past any longer. It was best to cut the Gordian knot. She shook her head slightly and said, "Your Highness is still Your Highness after all. It's better for me to call you Your Highness."
Hearing Zhong Min's words, Xiao Mingzheng frowned slightly, but soon relaxed: "You can call me whatever you like. It's just a name after all."
Xiao Mingzheng naturally noticed Zhong Min's change in attitude. In fact, he had sensed it since they'd safely returned from the mountain. During the few days back in the palace, the girl hadn't said or done anything in the carriage, but she had subconsciously been avoiding him. At first, he hadn't thought much of it, thinking she might be tired or needing to rest from an injury. But now, the distance between them was becoming more and more obvious, making him feel that she hadn't been real during those two days on the mountain.
Perhaps it was the change in environment that had made her wary, no longer as relaxed as she had been that desperate time when they were alone. Xiao Mingzheng secretly wondered, perhaps he needed to reassure her as soon as possible, to make her understand that some things remained the same, whether on the mountain or anywhere else after descending.
"These snacks look quite appetizing. I didn't eat much at noon, so I'm a little hungry now." Xiao Mingzheng said as he sat down and casually picked up a piece of cake and started eating. "Come over and have some too. They taste pretty good."
Seeing this, Zhong Min didn't feel awkward at all. She nodded and sat down with him. "If your Highness is hungry, please eat more. It just so happens that the kitchen sent over a lot today."
"You should eat more, you're too thin." Xiao Mingzheng said as he handed Zhong Min a bowl of bird's nest porridge. "You look a little better these past few days, but you still need to take good care of yourself, otherwise you'll easily develop a root cause of illness."
Xiao Mingzheng's voice was soft and delicate, seemingly casual, yet it couldn't conceal the deep concern that filled it. Zhong Min felt a pang of pain in her heart. The more he spoke like this, the more uncomfortable she felt. Sometimes, even when you know something doesn't belong to you, you can't help but be moved.
Seeing this, she didn't want to drag it out any longer. Xiao Mingzheng was truly frightening to her. The longer they were together, the more she feared she would become attracted to him, which would only make her even more embarrassed. Therefore, she had to make things clear with him quickly, leave this place and this person behind, so she wouldn't be trapped in a situation that would cause her chaos.
Seeing that Zhong Min was just staring at the bowl of porridge without eating for a long time, Xiao Mingzheng patted her gently and reminded her, "What are you thinking about? Eat quickly. After you finish eating, I have something to tell you."
After hearing what Xiao Mingzheng said, Zhong Min finally reacted. Without any hesitation, she picked up the bowl and ate the porridge in one go. Then she said to Xiao Mingzheng, "I'm done. Your Highness, please tell me what you want to say now. I also have something to tell you."
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