Little Zhou immediately jumped back to avoid getting scolded, retreating to Wuqing and the others. The Chief Imperial Physician looked helpless: “Seventh Prince, please go first. Afterward, please allow this old minister to also take her pulse.”
Everyone held their breath. Though Lian Jie was acting mad, his hands and feet were actually very nimble. He quickly finished the examination and placed Wuyan’s hand back under the silk quilt, then promptly allowed the Chief Imperial Physician to step forward.
“Old Seventh, finally finished with your madness?” Lian Yu spoke flatly. “How is Wuyan?”
“Sixth Brother,” Lian Jie was mocked and smiled bitterly, then lowered his voice and said similar things to what Little Zhou had said, then sighed with relief: “Since it doesn’t seem like poisoning, there’s no major problem.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Imperial Physician also finished his examination and reported to Lian Yu with roughly the same assessment.
Lian Yu nodded, and Su Zhen finally felt relieved. Lian Yu had the Chief Imperial Physician return first, then said: “Lord Wang, you must have been very busy with duties in the palace today?”
“Your Majesty, this old minister was indeed entangled with affairs today, running around the palace constantly, not going anywhere else.” The Chief Imperial Physician smiled and nodded. He was a cautious person and continued: “This old minister will go back and research the young lady’s symptoms further, to see if there’s anything else wrong. After all, the dark qi floating in her yintang area is quite strange, though observing her pulse, everything else seems well.”
Lian Yu’s jade-like face showed a smile: “Much obliged, Lord Wang. Little Chu, escort the Imperial Physician.”
Ming Yanchu walked ahead, and the Chief Imperial Physician bowed low: “I wouldn’t dare presume. This old minister takes his leave.”
After the Chief Imperial Physician left, Lian Yu said to the people of the Court of Judicial Review: “Everyone has worked hard. Tomorrow you’ll still need to assist Judicial Commissioner Li with the case. Since there’s nothing serious now, you may all go rest.”
“Yes.”
Everyone responded in unison and was about to leave when Lian Jie said: “Sixth Brother, this younger brother will stay to take care of her. Having one more doctor here is always good.”
Su Zhen smiled mischievously: “Seventh Prince, do you think my Assistant Zhou is dead? She’s an excellent doctor.”
Lian Jie smiled bitterly again and bowed to the ground: “Sister-in-law, please be merciful. This humble person thanks you.”
Seeing this, everyone couldn’t help but chuckle.
Su Zhen nudged Lian Yu with her elbow: “Hey, he’s your brother – what do you say?”
Lian Yu looked at the smile at the corner of her lips: “This is your place – you decide.”
Wuyan woke up in the middle of the night, feeling her throat burning like fire, extremely dry and uncomfortable. The severe pain in her chest had eased, but her hands and feet were ice-cold and stiff as if frozen, utterly weak. She was familiar with Su Zhen and didn’t try to be strong like she had at the Huo residence, calling out softly: “Huaisu, pour me some water.”
The person seemed to be dozing at the table and immediately poured a cup of water, walking to her bedside and bringing it to her mouth. Wuyan’s hands were powerless, so she drank urgently from Su Zhen’s hands.
Because she drank too quickly, she began coughing. Su Zhen hurriedly patted her back: “Don’t worry, do you want more? But this tea has already cooled – better not drink it. There’s medicine and food simmering on the kitchen stove. I’ll go get some for you – just wait.”
The voice carried deep joy and concern, but Wuyan suddenly froze. This voice was… She suddenly looked up. Though the candle on the table was weak, it let her see the person before her clearly.
“Why are you here?” she asked in surprised doubt, a trace of unease and embarrassment flashing through her eyes.
She still couldn’t open her heart to him… Lian Jie felt stifled but pretended not to care, smiling: “I’m here taking care of you.”
“Seventh Prince, your status is noble – doing such things isn’t appropriate. Please have Huaisu come over. Wuyan thanks you here.” Wuyan lowered her eyes, remembering how she had just tightly gripped his hands while drinking water, feeling even more embarrassed. Her heart beat slightly faster.
“Taking care of someone I like is most appropriate.” Lian Jie was afraid of pressing her too hard and affecting her condition, so he didn’t say more, gently stroking her hair before going out.
Only then did Wuyan’s slightly tense body and mind relax somewhat.
Unexpectedly, it was still him who returned.
He came in carrying a tray, smiling slightly: “Eat something first to fill your stomach before taking medicine. This prescription from Assistant Zhou is quite good.”
He took a bowl, walked to the bedside and sat down, scooping a spoonful. Wuyan smelled the aroma – it was millet rice cooked with various vegetables and minced meat, fragrant but not greasy. She was indeed hungry, but without hesitation, she reached out and pushed, sending the bowl crashing to the ground, hoping to drive this person away.
She thought this Seventh Prince would be angry, but instead he first carefully brushed off the rice grains on her hand, asking if she was burned. Seeing her turn her head without answering, he casually wiped his hands, went to the small pot to fill half a bowl of rice, then came back to sit down, still scooping a spoonful and bringing it to her lips.
“This rice was made personally by Huaisu for you. She spent most of today running around for your sake, then washed and changed your clothes. Don’t you care about this sentiment at all? If you want to throw something, you should throw what I made. Tomorrow I’ll cook and prepare food for you – you can do whatever you want with it, okay? Be good, eat some rice first.”
The gentle voice like spring breeze softly scattered beside her ear, carrying his faint, pleasant scent.
Wuyan had deliberately gotten angry, hoping he would retreat in the face of difficulty. She felt guilty to begin with, and hearing this felt even more unsettled. Looking up, she met a pair of helpless yet loving eyes, clear and compelling.
Deep affection is always hard to refuse. She reached out to take it, but her hands were somewhat stiff, her movements clumsy. She sighed softly: “I’m troubling you.”
Lian Jie was very happy. After she finished the rice and medicine, he suddenly said: “This rice was made by me, and I personally brewed the medicine too, Wuyan.”
Wuyan was startled, her eyes widening.
Lian Jie’s heart softened as he stroked her hair: “Sleep. I’ll watch over you here.”
“Lian Jie, please leave. Don’t waste your efforts on my heart – it’s useless, not worth it.” Wuyan thought of Huo Chang’an, smiled self-mockingly, hardened her heart, and blocked him again.
Lian Jie also smiled self-mockingly: “Whether it’s worth it, I decide. Sleep – you’re tired too. Your mother’s matter is in our hands – don’t worry. Wei Chenghui won’t act recklessly for now. Getting your health back is what’s important.”
All her strength seemed to hit cotton, softly dissipating. Wuyan smiled bitterly: “With your status and position, why do this?”
Lian Jie patted her hand: “I never understood why Sixth Brother treated Huaisu as he did before. Now I finally understand.”
After patting once, he was somewhat surprised, furrowing his brow: “Why are your hands so cold?”
As he spoke, he pulled the blanket up for her, then moved over a low stool to sit down, reaching inside to hold both her hands in his large palms.
Wuyan tried to struggle free, but he held her tightly.
“Wuyan, everyone’s asleep. You can’t break free from me unless you wake everyone up. Though I lied to you earlier, it wasn’t entirely false – Huaisu is tired from running around all day. She has local documents to process tomorrow and is also preparing to handle Sixth Brother’s birth mother’s case. Do you have the heart to wake her?”
“Lian Jie, I never noticed how detestable you could be before.” This indeed hit Wuyan’s weak spot – she usually most disliked troubling others, even her best friends.
Lian Jie sighed and smiled, his gaze growing gentler and brighter: “Good progress – you’ve called my name twice tonight.”
Wuyan was speechless and simply turned her head away, deciding not to speak.
Her hands quickly warmed up, with two burning gazes constantly lingering on her.
She didn’t know how much time passed. Though exhausted, she had no sleepiness, but she heard Lian Jie’s steady breathing. She struggled with their intertwined hands, but he gripped extremely tightly – she couldn’t move at all.
She slowly turned around, looking at that handsome face resting at the bedside just inches away. Though she didn’t know when it began, they had known each other since childhood and understood each other thoroughly. Lian Jie was a gentle and self-controlled person. Compared to Lian Yu who was gentle on the surface but cold inside, he was actually easier to get along with. Being with such a person should be peaceful and happy enough.
But facing someone who might be able to give her happiness, she finally knew how deep her obsession with Huo Chang’an was.
It wasn’t because she could no longer have him, but because in that time when she first learned about love, the person she encountered wasn’t someone else, but him. She had spent all her love and hate on him and could no longer love anyone else.
More than ten days passed quickly.
During these ten-plus days, when a farewell banquet was being prepared in the palace, Miss Miao quietly returned to her country, leaving only a letter expressing gratitude to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty for their gracious hospitality.
With one rival in love gone, Su Zhen was very happy. She used unusual methods to try cases, reviewing and correcting two cases of wrongful conviction from local areas and one headless murder case in the capital. Additionally, news of the Minzhou incident somehow leaked, and her name, after being quiet for a while, became prominent again with great momentum. Meanwhile, Shuangcheng remained hidden in the deep palace, staying secluded. The matter of a woman solving cases gradually faded from people’s memory.
When news of Minzhou reached the common people, Su Zhen suspected it was Lian Yu’s doing. She asked Lian Yu, who smiled without answering.
Wuyan recovered remarkably quickly. With three experts prescribing medicine, plus Su Zhen and the people from the Court of Judicial Review joking and chatting daily, it would have been difficult for Wuyan not to regain her health. Except for the dark qi above her forehead that still faintly lingered, her body seemed to have no problems.
With Wuyan’s recovery, while Lian Jie felt relieved, he was also distressed. He no longer had an excuse to stay at the Court of Judicial Review.
This was the fifth time Wuyan had asked him to return to his residence.
He pulled Su Zhen aside, once again asking her to put in a good word. Su Zhen looked at him, smiling very cunningly: “It’s all thanks to you that Wuyan recovered so quickly. Should I help you or not?”
“Sister-in-law needn’t flatter me. For the sake of my sincere devotion, please do me this favor, and Lian Jie will be eternally grateful.”
“I really wasn’t flattering you. What I meant was, I once told Wuyan that if she wanted to quickly escape your pestering, she needed to get better quickly. Your usefulness is just this much.”
Lian Jie was stunned and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “You… you’re settling personal scores, retaliating for how I offended you in the past!”
Seeing his dejected expression, Su Zhen said again: “Come here, I’ll give you some advice. Tomorrow I’ll begin handling your brother’s mother’s case. I need to go to the Imperial Mausoleum to open the coffin and examine the corpse. Since it’s the Emperor’s birth mother, disturbing the deceased requires people of significance to go and perform rituals to appease the departed soul. In your Sixth Brother’s name, I’ve invited the Huo Chang’an couple – one representing the Empress Dowager, one representing Dowager Consort Ai. Doesn’t Wuyan want to work on this case with me? She doesn’t know they’re going yet. You go too. If you perform well and make Huo Chang’an and your sister-in-law unhappy, I’ll put in a good word for you. How about it?”