“Why did you not stop her when she was eating the pastry?” Xuan Yanyu’s eyes darkened to a deep black.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, this servant did try to stop her. The young lady… she would not listen.” Xiao Ying’s eyes welled up with tears.

The young lady had only taken one piece because she thought the child looked adorable and did not want to upset him by refusing — she had never imagined it would become so serious.

“Once we return to Xuanzhao, you will no longer need to attend to Mianmian.”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, this servant knows she has erred. This servant knows she has erred.” The body of Xiao Ying, kneeling on the ground, trembled, even the hem of her garment quivering.

“Go and bring Imperial Physician Wen here.” Xuan Yanyu turned to look at Ye Chen.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Hearing the order, Ye Chen rushed out in a hurry.

“Go attend to her at the bedside.” Having given the instruction, Xuan Yanyu found a wooden chair and sat down.

Xiao Ying rose with a shudder, dampened a handkerchief, and crouched beside the bed to wipe the blood that was seeping from the corners of Ling Mianmian’s mouth.

Imperial Physician Wen arrived swiftly — in the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, he had followed Ye Chen to the side chamber.

“This old subject pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince…”

“Enough. Go and treat her at once.” Xuan Yanyu waved his hand impatiently.

Imperial Physician Wen took the medicine chest from Ye Chen’s hands, retrieved his silver needles, and Xiao Ying stepped aside clutching the blood-stained handkerchief. The imperial physician turned the needle shafts between his fingers and inserted them into several acupoints in succession, stanching the blood that had been endlessly seeping from Ling Mianmian’s mouth.

“Give this old one a handkerchief.” Imperial Physician Wen extended his hand toward Xiao Ying. “This old one needs to take the young lady’s pulse.”

Xiao Ying’s lashes flickered. She had already used her handkerchief to wipe away the young lady’s blood — she had no clean one left.

“What does it matter? Just look at her quickly.” Xuan Yanyu’s tone was displeased.

Imperial Physician Wen’s eye twitched several times. Wasn’t it His Highness himself who was so particular about it?

Every time he took Second Young Miss Yan’s pulse, His Highness would drape a handkerchief over Second Young Miss Yan’s wrist before he touched it.

If that were not the case, with the young lady this ill, why would he have wasted everyone’s time asking for a handkerchief?

He grumbled inwardly, but outwardly replied with respectful deference, “This subject understands.”

He placed his fingers on Ling Mianmian’s wrist. Imperial Physician Wen’s brows furrowed slightly, and his expression grew somewhat grave.

“Your Highness, with proper care, the young lady has at most three years remaining.” Imperial Physician Wen dared not look directly at the man seated in the wooden chair.

Xuan Yanyu was stunned for a moment, unable to collect himself for a long while. Three years at most?

“Is there truly no other way?” The man’s gaze lingered on the bed.

“Your Highness, you may have the young lady take the Essence-Restoring Pills.”

The ganoderma, ginseng, fleece-flower root, deer antler velvet, and other restorative herbs within the pills were all beneficial to the body, and might perhaps allow the young lady to hold on a few more days.

“This seat does not have many pills on hand.”

Imperial Physician Wen replied, “Your Highness, the young lady’s body is too weak at the moment to take too many. Having her take one will suffice.”

“After returning to Xuanzhao, this seat will have the people of the Imperial Physicians’ Academy send her a supply.” Xuan Yanyu withdrew his gaze.

The pills he had on hand were just enough for Yan Yunning’s seven-day supply — not a single extra.

“Your High… Your Highness, given the young lady’s present condition, she will not be able to travel back to Xuanzhao by carriage.” Imperial Physician Wen spoke truthfully.

Xuan Yanyu’s eyes, carrying their weight of authority, swept toward him. “If she cannot travel back to Xuanzhao by carriage, then it is your skill as a physician that falls short.”

Imperial Physician Wen’s brow throbbed repeatedly. Should His Highness not, at a moment like this, produce the pills and administer them to the young lady?

“Find a way to treat her.” The man turned toward Ye’an. “Go and send word to have someone fetch more pills from the Imperial Physicians’ Academy and deliver them to Qilan.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Ye’an bowed slightly and withdrew from the side chamber.

“Ye Chen is to remain at the inn. Once Mianmian wakes, come and inform this seat.” With those words, Xuan Yanyu turned and left the side chamber.

Ye Chen scratched his head. His Highness had no pressing business to attend to — wouldn’t it have been fine to wait until the young lady woke before leaving? Why was it necessary to leave and then come back when she woke? Wasn’t that more trouble?

On the other side, Yan Yunning slowly regained consciousness. She looked around — piles of dead grass were heaped everywhere, and the air in the roofless structure was thick with the smell of mildew.

Yan Yunning wrinkled her nose, then met the gaze of a young woman seated in a wooden chair, dressed in an alluring manner.

Very familiar!

“Older Sister Ningning, you’re awake.” The young woman touched her own face and smiled coquettishly.

Yan Yunning swallowed. “Xiao Shi?”

The young woman pressed her red lips together lightly. “Older Sister Ningning, my cheeks really hurt.”

“Is that so? Who hit you? Don’t worry — Older Sister Ningning will hit them back for you.” Yan Yunning put on the air of someone ready to avenge her.

Xiao Shi: “…”

After a moment of speechlessness, Xiao Shi picked up the dagger lying on the ground and, with a hooked smile, said, “Older Sister Ningning, you don’t need to help Xiao Shi. Xiao Shi will get back at them herself.”

Yan Yunning shifted her bound hands. “Fafa! Fafa!! Fafa!!!”

Fafa: “Master, would you like Fafa to block out the pain for you?”

“…” Yan Yunning suppressed the urge to grumble and shouted inwardly, “Help me undo the ropes.”

Fafa: “Master, how am I supposed to help with that?”

Yan Yunning: “…”

Completely useless!!

Xiao Shi crouched in front of Yan Yunning, reached out, pinched her chin, and patted her on both cheeks dismissively.

Yan Yunning suddenly leaned forward and drew close, giving a sweet and beautiful smile. “I never mentioned this, but you’re actually a few months older than me.”

Xiao Shi stared at the small face approaching hers, not understanding.

The next second, Yan Yunning blinked her clear eyes and said softly, “Older Sister, won’t you let me go?”

From the time she was small, no one had ever slapped her face — and to do it dismissively, twice at that. It was too humiliating!

Xiao Shi’s mouth twitched.

“Older Sister, please, I beg you.”

Xiao Shi looked at her with complicated feelings. Having stayed by His Highness’s side, she had witnessed more than a few people begging for mercy — not a single one had been like her. She hadn’t even started yet, and already Yan Yunning was this shameless in her pleading!

And acting coy with her, of all things. She was not a man!!

“Older Sister, please let me go.” Yan Yunning rubbed her small head against Xiao Shi’s palm.

Xiao Shi snatched her hand away abruptly, and the dagger in her grip accidentally sliced across the back of Yan Yunning’s hand.

The girl’s eyes suddenly reddened. “Older Sister, it’s bleeding. It really hurts.”

Fresh blood dripped one drop at a time down the back of her hand and disappeared into the pile of dead grass.

Xiao Shi looked at the girl sitting in the dead grass — lips pouting, a face of incomparable beauty, eyes rimmed with tears that would not fall, looking utterly pitiful.

How was she supposed to slap her now?

But if she didn’t slap her, then all the effort she’d gone through — knocking her out and sneaking her out of Yuan Jing Manor — had it all been for nothing?

“Older Sister.” Yan Yunning bit her lip and flashed Xiao Shi a smile.

Fafa: “Master, is this act actually working?”

“Shut up! Would you rather I be stubborn with her and then get beaten? Or get stabbed by that dagger of hers??”

Her hands and feet were bound — apart from putting on an act, what else could she do?

Useful or not, it was worth trying first. At least it would buy some time — what if someone noticed she was missing and came looking?

Fafa: “…”

Xiao Shi closed her eyes and raised her hand. When she had hit her back then, she hadn’t held back — her face had hurt for several days.

“Older Sister! Wait a moment.” Yan Yunning said urgently. “Can we bandage my hand first, and then you hit me?”

“Shut your mouth!” Xiao Shi raised her hand — and then let it fall back down.