After his hand had been treated with fresh medicine, Jingrong said a word of thanks.

Mujin worried while instructing him, “Your hand absolutely must not touch water, and you mustn’t eat irritating foods either. You must watch your diet. Your Highness must pay extra attention yourself.”

“Mm.”

She swallowed a few times, “Will Your Highness be staying in Anfu these days?”

Jingrong: “Mm, there are still matters to handle.”

Hearing this, Mujin pressed her lips together and lowered her eyebrows slightly.

Gathering her courage, she asked in a soft voice, “Then, may I come often to visit Your Highness?”

This…

Of course not!

Jingrong’s eyes turned cold and resolute as he said directly, “Miss Mujin, this prince appreciates your kind intentions, but recently there have been incidents at the yamen, and this prince has much to attend to. I’m afraid I cannot receive you.”

She immediately raised her head, “Mujin doesn’t need anyone to care for her. In fact, to be honest with Your Highness, Mujin feels very compatible with Your Highness and admires Your Highness’s talents even more. That’s why I dared to speak thus. If Your Highness is busy, Mujin can just stay nearby. The yamen is full of men who naturally don’t know how to care for people. Moreover, I heard that a young master was also injured, so please let Mujin come to care for Your Highness. I absolutely won’t disturb you.”

Her eyes were full of expectation!

However, Jingrong’s attitude was firm, “There’s no need. It’s just a minor injury. Miss Mujin should go attend to your own matters, lest there be… misunderstandings.”

Misunderstandings?

Mujin’s heart jolted.

But since Jingrong had said this much, what more could she say?

She could only nod in the end!

Yet over the next day or two, Mujin still came to the yamen.

She remained by Jingrong’s side all day long.

Her man-seducing techniques were quite sophisticated.

As for Ji Yinshu, she never went to his courtyard again, constantly watching over Wei Yi who remained unconscious.

Occasionally, she would hear from the maids things like “Miss Mujin came again” and “Miss Mujin is so talented” and other such remarks.

She always pricked up her ears to listen, and in her heart, it felt as if a huge stone had sunk.

Jingrong didn’t know what had gotten into him either—he hadn’t come to see Wei Yi even once. All information about Wei Yi’s condition was conveyed to him by Muruo.

Was that man heartless?

Or did he have some other meaning?

Ji Yinshu was too lazy to guess.

She simply shut her ears and stopped listening to such matters.

As for Tang Si, she shamelessly squatted in the yamen, chattering by Ji Yinshu’s side from dawn to dusk when she wasn’t pestering Muruo instead.

She was even clingier than Li Shiyan used to be.

…

June’s fine drizzle drifted down at an angle, striking the towering red walls and green tiles, stirring up a thin layer of light mist.

Looking out, everything was hazy!

As if deep within a winding fairyland, it added several touches of vitality to the mysterious and eerie palace quarters.

In the dilapidated Tongren Hall, the weeds that hadn’t been trimmed for a long time had grown taller again. The fragile, withered branches were beaten down to the ground by the rainwater, and combined with the fallen leaves scattered all over the courtyard, everything seemed deathly silent…

Inside the hall!

Jing Xian had just emerged from the inner chamber, wearing a thin garment on his body. He walked with small, slow steps to the couch where he rested. His distinct, bony fingers picked up a piece of aloes wood and gently tossed it into the nearby incense burner. He then casually took a copy of “Zi Fu” before half-reclining on the couch to read.

The book in his hand turned page by page!

The faint fragrance of books wafted through the air in waves.

Jing Xian had loved the scent of books since childhood, often spending entire days reading because of this. Even when tired or weary, he would keep a book by his side.

As if only this way could he sleep peacefully.

“Creeeeak.”

A breeze brushed past that precarious broken window, making a jarring sound.

Then, a pigeon landed on the windowsill, lowering its head to peck at the grain there.

Jing Xian’s brow furrowed momentarily, then smoothed out again!

He supported his heavy and weary body as he walked to the window, reaching out to stroke the smooth-feathered pigeon. The pigeon wasn’t afraid of him either, and even tucked its head to nuzzle his palm.

“So well-behaved!”

He smiled, slowly unwinding the band tied to the pigeon’s foot, removing the small bamboo tube and holding it in his hand without immediately opening it.

Instead, he pinched some grain from the small cup nearby and scattered it on the windowsill.

“Little one, don’t rush, there’s plenty.”

As a reward!

“Coo coo…” The pigeon seemed to understand human speech.

Jing Xian found it extremely amusing!

Only then did he slowly open his palm, taking out the paper strip from the small bamboo tube and unfolding it.

On that paper were written two lines!

After reading it, he fell silent for a few seconds. Those originally hollow and empty eyes gained much more spirit. He raised his gaze to look at the towering tree outside the window, and actually smiled.

That paper strip was then crumpled into a ball by him and tossed into the brazier, where it burst into flames.

Just at this moment, Fu Lu entered carrying medicine.

“Your Highness, you’re awake?”

“Mm!”

“This servant has finished brewing the medicine. Please drink it while it’s hot.”

Fu Lu set down the medicine.

He exclaimed again, “It’s drizzling outside and the weather is quite cold. Your Highness should close the window.”

He paid no heed and remained standing there motionless.

Only after the pigeon had finished pecking the grain on the windowsill and flew away did he close that somewhat worn window.

He asked, “When will the palace repair workers come?”

Fu Lu said, “We’ve already urged them. They say the palaces in the north and south sections are leaking and they need to finish repairing there before coming over.”

“Everyone went there?”

“That’s what they said.”

Both master and servant knew in their hearts that with so many eunuchs in the palace, it was impossible for all of them to have gone to repair the leaking palaces there. It was just that the palace people felt Tongren Hall was unlucky, housing a sickly and unfavored prince, so they all found excuses to delay. Even when they really couldn’t delay any longer, they would only send a few eunuchs who had made mistakes to take a look, do some perfunctory work, and leave.

But Fu Lu felt strange!

In the past, his master didn’t care at all whether anyone came to do repairs. Today, why did he suddenly ask about it?

Just as he was puzzling over this, Jing Xian turned and asked him another question, “The palaces leaking in the north and south—is that where Consort Zhao lived before her death?”

“Exactly.”

Jing Xian was surprised!

Consort Zhao was Jingrong’s birth mother. Ever since being consigned to the Cold Palace, over these years, Consort Zhao’s palace had long been abandoned. Forget about repairing the leaking roof—even palace maids and eunuchs all took detours to avoid it.

Consort Zhao’s palace and Tongren Hall were practically two peas in a pod.

“Was it Father Emperor’s order?” he asked.

“No, it was Consort Xiao. She said that although Consort Zhao committed wrongs while alive, since the person is already dead, there’s no need to let Consort Zhao’s palace remain abandoned. That’s why she sent people to repair it. I heard it also received His Majesty’s approval.”

“Oh?”

Strange!

He sat back on the couch, pondering for a while, murmuring to himself, “What does Consort Xiao want to do?”

Fu Lu didn’t hear his words.

Instead, he urged worriedly, “Your Highness, please drink the medicine quickly. This is medicine that Young Master Muruo had his young attendant deliver before leaving the capital. Not a single dose can be missed. Please take it quickly.”

Jing Xian glanced at that bowl of medicine and said, “Leave it. Go out first.”

“Your Highness…”

“Out.”

Fu Lu couldn’t persuade him otherwise and could only withdraw. To prevent wind from entering, he closed the door as well.

When the door was shut, Jing Xian picked up that bowl of medicine and gently swirled it, his eyes deepening…

The medicine in his hand was then poured into a nearby potted plant.

The soil of that paulownia tree had originally been orange-yellow in color, but from being watered with bowl after bowl of medicine, the yellow earth had become increasingly reddish, as if stained with blood. Oddly enough, the paulownia tree grew more and more luxuriantly, and on it had even formed a small fruit.

The bowl was heavily placed back in its original position by him!

“Soon, really soon!”

…