Wasn’t Yue Ning supposed to come? Why was Yan Chi here instead?
Though hesitant inside, Qin Wan’s feet carried her toward Yan Chi.
“Greetings, Young Lord—”
Yan Chi wore elegant black formal attire, with very faint gold patterns that gleamed nobly in the autumn sun. Though he stood there appearing bored, his commanding presence had already frightened the manor’s doorkeeper into holding his breath. Seeing Qin Wan emerge, Yan Chi’s indifferent gaze swept over her, examining her…
Qin Wan felt guilty under his dark gaze.
She certainly hadn’t forgotten how inappropriately she and Yue Ning had behaved when they left after suspecting him that day!
“Let’s go.” After looking at Qin Wan for two moments, Yan Chi suddenly spoke.
Qin Wan breathed a sigh of relief, but looking up, she saw there was still only one carriage today. Wouldn’t this mean she had to share the ride with Yan Chi again?
Sharing a carriage wasn’t frightening in itself—what was frightening was that Yan Chi’s aura today was particularly intense.
Qin Wan steeled herself and boarded the carriage!
As the curtain fell, the carriage immediately darkened.
In his black clothing, Yan Chi’s face also seemed dark, making him appear even more inscrutable and unfathomable. Meanwhile, Qin Wan was looking at Yan Chi’s hands—why was he using his left hand?
“What are you looking at?”
Yan Chi’s words carried a dangerous tone, and Qin Wan immediately raised her gaze.
Yan Chi lifted his left hand, his brows slightly furrowed as he asked, “What’s wrong with my hand?”
Qin Wan’s lips pressed together slightly, and meeting Yan Chi’s dark eyes, she suddenly asked, “Can Your Highness write with your left hand?”
Yan Chi’s black pupils focused intently, showing sudden realization. His lips curved slightly, though his eyes held no mirth. “Not only can I write with my left hand, I can also use a knife…”
Qin Wan couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious, and her brows furrowed.
“Does Your Highness know that the entire Marquis’s household is looking for a left-handed person?”
Yan Chi nodded, “So what?”
Qin Wan felt secretly anxious, “Right now, Your Highness is the only left-handed person.”
The carriage began moving. Due to the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, Jing Zhou City was much livelier than usual today. The noise of the crowds filtered through the window lattice into the carriage, but Qin Wan felt the air inside the carriage had frozen.
“Are you suspecting me?” Yan Chi’s question became even more dangerous as if he would finish her off right there in the carriage if she nodded.
Qin Wan’s eyes darted around, “I wouldn’t say suspect, but Your Highness does use your left hand, don’t you?”
Yan Chi wore an expression between a smile and not, “In your heart, do you think I could be the murderer?”
Qin Wan was shaking her head internally, but her voice hesitated for a moment, “Suspecting Your Highness as the murderer—the evidence is incomplete.”
Yan Chi nodded, “At least you remember the evidence is incomplete.”
Qin Wan’s voice grew weak, slightly deflated. To suspect Yan Chi based solely on his being left-handed—even she felt such suspicion was hasty. She forced a smile, “Of course, otherwise…”
“Otherwise you would have already reported me?”
Exposed, Qin Wan felt even more embarrassed, “Your Highness need not worry. The truth is the Magistrate’s concern; I won’t interfere.” Speaking thus, Qin Wan hurriedly changed the subject, “How is Your Highness’s wound?”
Yan Chi let out a light snort, “It doesn’t seem to be improving.”
Qin Wan was startled, “How is it not improving? Did Your Highness engage in combat again or ride horses?”
Yan Chi lifted his chin slightly, “I did nothing, but the wound is extremely uncomfortable.”
Qin Wan’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that her strong medicine had been inappropriate?
Yan Chi’s injury had been extremely severe. If her prescription was unsuitable, it would not only fail to speed up the wound’s healing but might even worsen the infection. Although Qin Wan had always been confident in her medical skills, compared to that, Yan Chi’s life was more important. Thus, under Yan Chi’s assertive tone, she doubted herself for once.
Qin Wan suddenly lifted the carriage curtain, and seeing they were heading south through the city, she said, “Why doesn’t Your Highness have the carriage head to the Marquis’s mansion? Let me examine your wound. If the prescription is unsuitable, it needs to be changed.”
Yan Chi raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that Qin Wan immediately wanted to examine his wound. Meeting Qin Wan’s clear, pure eyes like a mountain stream, Yan Chi suddenly had an interesting thought.
“The Imperial Princess has also come out today and is waiting for you. Let’s not go back.” Yan Chi’s voice was indifferent but carried a pressing coolness. After a pause, he continued, “Besides, my wound is not worth mentioning.”
Qin Wan’s expression grew serious, “Your Highness’s wound is very severe. If it worsens, it could be life-threatening; at best, it will leave lasting effects. Your Highness is still young—in a few years, you might start suffering constant pain. How would you take to the battlefield then?”
When Qin Wan spoke of serious matters, she always had a meticulous solemnity, and this solemnity most fascinated Yan Chi. He pondered briefly before reluctantly saying, “If that’s the case, you can examine it here in the carriage.”
Qin Wan raised an eyebrow—in the carriage? The light was dim, but if they really couldn’t return to the Marquis’s mansion, it would have to do. After all, once they reached Li Shui Lake, it would be even more impossible to examine his wound in front of the Marquis An Yang’s family.
Qin Wan was entirely serious, not noticing the strange glint in Yan Chi’s eyes.
“Very well, please undo your robes.”
Qin Wan had compromised, but Yan Chi moved with deliberate slowness, seemingly very reluctant to have his wound examined in the carriage. Seeing this, Qin Wan didn’t rush him. For some reason, ever since suspecting Yan Chi, she had felt somewhat guilty in his presence.
As Yan Chi undressed, the carriage galloped on. Qin Wan calculated the time—it would take less than half an hour to reach Li Shui Lake. Before then, she could certainly examine Yan Chi’s wound and even change his medicine!
Just as Qin Wan made up her mind, Yan Chi had languidly removed both his outer robe and inner clothing down to below his chest.
Only then did Qin Wan suddenly feel something was amiss.
The carriage compartment was cramped and small, and Yan Chi was essentially half-naked before her. While this would have been nothing in a room at the Marquis’s mansion, here it made one’s face heat up. Though Qin Wan was a physician and the feeling wasn’t too strong, there was still a hint of ambiguity. She steadied herself, “Please turn around…”
Yan Chi obligingly turned to the side. As he did so, Qin Wan discovered the situation might not be as bad as she’d thought.
When Yan Chi said the wound hadn’t improved, he probably meant it hadn’t healed completely. But with such a severe injury, it naturally wouldn’t heal completely in just a few days. But why did he say the wound was extremely uncomfortable? Qin Wan looked carefully, her fingertips lifting a corner of the well-bandaged wound. She lifted a corner of the window curtain to see better—there was no bleeding, no further infection, and even pink new flesh had formed at the wound’s edges. Her medicine was working well…
Qin Wan concentrated, “What kind of discomfort did Your Highness mean?”
Yan Chi remained turned to the side, pausing before saying, “It’s unbearably itchy.”
Qin Wan’s eyes widened slightly, “Your Highness has been on many battlefields and this isn’t your first injury—how can you not know that healing wounds itch?”
Yan Chi spoke seriously, “This itching is different from before.”
Qin Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “That’s because my medicine is different from others.”
As she spoke, Qin Wan felt the galloping carriage slow down. With people coming and going on the main street today, Qin Wan paid no attention to the carriage’s slowing. Seeing that Yan Chi’s wound showed signs of improvement, her heart settled. She lowered the curtain and backed away, “Your Highness’s wound is fine, you can rest assured. I’ve brought new medicine today that will work even better.”
As she backed away, Yan Chi turned and continued deliberately dressing himself.
Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Qin Wan raised an eyebrow—what was happening? It couldn’t possibly be Li Shui Lake already.
Just as this thought settled, Qin Wan suddenly heard footsteps approaching the carriage. Qin Wan thought Yan Chi must have other arrangements along the way, but before she could complete this thought, someone suddenly threw the carriage curtain wide open!
“Ninth Young Miss has arr—”
The word “arrived” couldn’t be completed as Yue Qing stood frozen like a wooden puppet outside the carriage.
He saw Yan Chi inside the carriage, fastening his opened robes. His outer and inner robes were completely undone, and although his expression remained as proud and imposing as usual, this scene in the carriage inevitably led to wild speculation. Meanwhile, Qin Wan sat to the side, her face as composed as if nothing was wrong. Yue Qing stood frozen, still holding the curtain high, and thus not only did he see, but the Imperial Princess and all the women of the Marquis An Yang’s household standing a zhang away behind him also saw this scene.
Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi, then at the expressions of the Yue family members, and suddenly realized this was quite a major misunderstanding.