Ordinarily, Muruo appeared to be immersed in wine and luxury.

But—

He was very clearheaded.

It seemed that from the moment he got Ji Yunshu to agree to that favor, he had already prepared his plans.

Jing Xian smiled, “Although that Master Ji is clever, some things are not omnipotent. Whether I can leave the palace is truly an unknown.”

His tone was weak!

Muruo reached out and patted his shoulder, saying, “You will leave the palace.”

Very resolute!

Over these years, Muruo had said such words to him countless times.

Whoosh—

A pigeon suddenly flew to the window.

There were some scattered grains of rice on the windowsill. The pigeon paced about, lowered its head, and began pecking.

Muruo’s eyes brightened. He stood up and walked over, pinched some grains of rice, and tossed them onto the windowsill, making “tsk tsk tsk” sounds with his mouth.

Playing with the pigeon.

The pigeon wasn’t afraid of people either and continued lowering its head to peck diligently at the food.

“You’ve raised this pigeon for many years, haven’t you?” Muruo said.

Jing Xian gave a soft “Mm,” “Yes, three or four years. When it first arrived, it was always afraid of strangers. Now it’s become familiar and isn’t afraid anymore. Often, it even flies to my shoulder to be affectionate with me.”

His face full of smiles!

Muruo turned back and glanced at him, yawning, “You’re in the depths of the palace—what couldn’t you raise? Why do you have to like raising a pigeon? If one day it flies away and doesn’t come back, won’t you be heartbroken to death?”

“If it flies away, that would actually be good—it means it doesn’t like this cage either!”

What kind of logic was that!

However, Muruo understood what he meant. He knew Jing Xian was a bird with broken wings, unable to fly to the blue sky, unable to fly outside the palace.

So, he probably wanted to raise a pigeon as a form of comfort.

Serving as mutual compensation!

After playing with the pigeon for a while, the two chatted idly for a bit.

Muruo took Jing Xian’s pulse and nodded, “Mm, it’s somewhat better than before. The medicine I prescribed—you must continue drinking it. And the medicine from the Imperial Medical Bureau absolutely cannot be touched.”

“Mm!”

“The weather these past few days has also been unstable—raining one moment, sunny the next. Be careful not to catch a chill. That would be the worst thing.”

“Mm!”

Very obedient.

As Muruo was leaving, Jing Xian suddenly called for Fulu and ordered, “Go fetch the wine I warmed earlier.”

“Yes.”

Fulu bowed and immediately retrieved the wine.

He handed it to Muruo while saying, “This is what His Highness specially prepared for you, Young Master Mu. It’s finished peach blossom wine, already warmed.”

A faint wine fragrance flowed from the mouth of the wooden flask, rushing into his nostrils and filling Muruo’s heart with joy.

His eyes lit up.

He took it, opened the wine bottle cap, and immediately took a sip.

His whole person instantly became much more spirited. His eyes narrowed, his expression bloomed like a flower.

He couldn’t help but praise, “Good wine, truly good wine. In this world, the only person who can brew this kind of wine is you. And only the wine you brew suits my taste best.”

Seeing that he liked it, Jing Xian was also happy.

Looking at the sky outside, he said, “Next time you come, I’ll prepare a few more pots. It’s getting late—hurry and leave the palace.”

“Alright, then I’ll come see you again in a few days.”

Come to drink wine!

Muruo held the wine and happily left Tongren Hall.

After Muruo left, Jing Xian had Fulu withdraw. He himself struggled to rise from the rocking chair and, with powerless steps, walked to the window.

Looking at the pigeon still pecking at rice, he extended his slender fingers and gently stroked the pigeon’s feathers.

The corner of his mouth curved up slightly as he said, “Pigeon, oh pigeon, these years, I’m grateful to you.”

The pigeon cooed once in response.

Flapping its wings, it immediately flew away, quickly disappearing from his view.

He turned back to the rocking chair, his gaze lowering to look at the paper in the brazier that had already been burned to ashes.

His powerless palms actually clenched tightly together.

His originally gentle and calm gaze also instantly refracted a chilling, penetrating light.

“Mother, soon, very soon!”

…

After Muruo left Tongren Hall, he had originally intended to go to the South Gate, but halfway there, his steps halted. He changed direction and headed toward Zhaoshan Hall.

Originally, as someone from outside the palace, Muruo shouldn’t be able to casually enter the palace or freely come and go in the inner palace.

But his deceased father had once been an Imperial Physician in the palace with exceptional skills. When he left the palace in his middle years, the Emperor specially granted that the Mu clan could enter the palace at any time without needing any token.

Muruo naturally benefited from this privilege as well.

Upon reaching Zhaoshan Hall, a eunuch led him inside and served a pot of good tea, but he pushed it aside and began drinking the pot of peach blossom wine that Jing Xian had warmed for him.

Its fragrance filled the air!

“Young Master Mu, please wait a moment. Princess Huiwen went to Princess Jing Xuan’s quarters. She should be back in a little while.” The eunuch spoke in a pleasant tone.

After all, Muruo was a divine physician. What if he fell ill somewhere and needed him to save his life!

Quite a beautiful thought.

Muruo wasn’t in a hurry either. If he had to wait, he’d wait. He simply waited in the hall while drinking wine.

Who knows how long passed, but he leaned against that pear blossom wood chair and closed his eyes.

By the time he drowsily woke up, half an hour had already passed.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Kong Yu sitting not far away, holding a spoon in her hand, gently stirring the contents of a bowl.

“Awake? How did you get so drunk?”

Kong Yu’s voice was as pleasant as always.

Muruo sat up straight, pressed his temples with his hand, and asked with a frown, “How long did I sleep?”

“Not long, just half an hour.”

Kong Yu brought over that bowl of sobering soup and handed it to him while saying, “Hurry and sober up, otherwise I’ll have to have someone carry you out of the palace.”

Muruo took it and, without blinking, began drinking it.

Kong Yu said, “You really are something—how could you just start drinking while holding several flasks of wine? Aren’t you afraid of causing trouble? This is the imperial palace, not your Yuhua Pavilion, and not your world of wanderers.”

Her tone carried the complaints of a young woman.

One bowl of sobering soup went down, but it didn’t seem to clear Muruo’s head much. He lifted his heavy eyelids and glanced at Kong Yu.

He said, “This peach blossom wine was brewed for me by Jing Xian. While it’s still warm, it would be a shame not to finish it.”

“Oh? So you went to see him?”

“Mm.”

“Then, is Prince Xian’s health still alright? A few days ago, I heard some palace maids saying he fell ill again. An Imperial Physician went to see him and said it was an old ailment.” Kong Yu wore a worried expression and sat down beside him.

Muruo merely let out a soft breath and replied, “It’s an illness that has plagued him for years. It needs to be treated slowly. Sooner or later it will get better. It’s just that his temperament is too indifferent, his will to live isn’t strong. Even if he left the palace, he probably couldn’t take it.”

“Leave the palace?”

Kong Yu was slightly shocked. Her body leaned toward Muruo as she asked, “Is that possible? Years ago, His Majesty issued an order forbidding him from leaving the palace to establish his own manor.”

Her tone carried a deliberate reminder.