Nan Cheng Yao nodded slightly, and the two military doctors retreated.
"Second sister, those two military doctors were talking ambiguously, what's going on with you?"
I smiled and shook my head: "It's okay, just rest for a few days."
I saw that he still looked worried, so I quickly spoke up before he could ask again: "I'm a bit hungry, can you help me check if there's any yam porridge in the kitchen?"
He immediately stood up and raised his eyebrows, saying: "Second sister, wait for me. Even if I'm not here, they will still have to do it."
As he spoke, he strode out the door, and I watched his figure quickly disappear behind the screen. Before I could even withdraw my gaze, Nan Chengyao's voice sounded in my ear.
He stroked my long hair with one hand and said, "After you've rested for a few days, we'll set off back to the capital. There are many famous doctors in the capital city, nothing will happen to you."
"I replied gently: 'I was originally fine, why bother to trouble the imperial physician.'"
He smiled faintly: "Military doctors, they only guarantee safety, most of the time they just prescribe mild treatments, afraid to take responsibility. Now it's just a matter of circumstances, once I return to the capital, I naturally won't bother them."
I couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Your Highness should be careful with what you say, don't forget 'a doctor has a knife in his hand'."
He suddenly said: "I forgot, there is one in front of me holding a knife, it seems I should be more careful."
I gave him a slightly annoyed look, and he also smiled back at me. Fang put his arm around me and continued to speak: "Everyone thinks that the imperial physician is a divine doctor with magical healing skills, but in reality, not one of them doesn't prioritize their own life over their patients'. If they weren't in that position, getting more opportunities to 'operate' than ordinary people, then in my opinion, they would truly be useless."
I smiled slightly: "To treat illnesses for the royal family is your duty, if you succeed, it's yours to keep, but if not, then it's a matter of being beheaded, this can't be blamed on them."
"It is." He smiled faintly: "However, the truly great doctors are hidden among the people. I don't know if the princess has heard of the name 'Chun Yu Yi'. Although his medical skills can't compare to Su Hui's heavenly and divine techniques, he hasn't disappointed the reputation of being a 'Brilliant Doctor' either. He is currently in the capital, when we return, I will have him come to the palace to take a look at you."
I turned to look at him, just about to speak, but he gently pressed his finger against my lips: "I know what you're going to say, but 'a doctor can't cure himself' is an old saying, let him take a look, it won't do any harm."
She couldn't help but laugh, and gently pushed his hand away: "I wanted to ask Your Highness, this 'Miao Shou Lang Jun' is always unpredictable and has a weird personality, how can you be so sure he's in the capital, and how do you know he'll be willing to come and help me with my illness?"
He rarely misjudged my thoughts, and he couldn't help but find it a bit amusing himself. After a while, he smiled faintly at me again: "Everyone has weaknesses, as long as you grasp them, you can make him surrender completely. And Chun Yu's weakness lies in his love for beauty, one Sang Muqing is enough to make him indulge in tenderness."
The Sangmuqing in his mouth I know.
"Rather than imperial decrees, I yearn for your favor", the reputation of Sang Muqing from the Forget Worries Pavilion in the capital had already spread throughout the land.
The beauty of the young lady cannot be said to be not beautiful, and the noble consort Qing is also a national color and heavenly fragrance. However, for the people of the world, they are more like the bright moon in the sky, which can only be admired from afar but cannot be reached. Only this Miss Mu Qiang, truly and genuinely, makes all men under heaven, as soon as they think of her, become intoxicated and infatuated.
Although I have never seen her elegance with my own eyes, there was one time when I heard Yun praise her. Although his eyes only showed pure appreciation for the beauty of things in the world, without any emotional disturbance, yet he could be like this, it is definitely not something that ordinary people can do.
I recalled the open secret widely spread in the capital city, that Sangmu Qing, as the number one dancer of the Southern Dynasty, naturally had high standards and refused many princes, sons of officials, and scholars, but easily allowed the third prince of the current dynasty, Nan Chengyao, to become her patron, the first and only one.
At this time, when I was not mentally prepared to hear him mention it, he said such a thing that for a moment, I didn't know how to respond and could only hang my head in silence.
He saw me silent, seemingly puzzled, but suddenly smiled, hugged my waist from behind and leaned in, warm and smiling breath brushing against my ear: "Why isn't the princess speaking? Is there nothing you want to ask me?"
My face slightly flushed as I awkwardly opened my mouth to say, "Your Highness said that everyone has weaknesses. Then surely you must also be aware of Miss Mu's weakness?"
Otherwise, how could such a proud and renowned woman be persuaded to accept an offer from someone as humble as Xun Yu.
He burst out laughing, his tone once again carrying its usual carefree air: "Yes, Sang Muqing's weakness lies in her having true feelings for me. However, Your Highness is certain that this is all you wanted to ask?"
I lowered my eyelashes and didn't speak, but in my heart, a thread of chill suddenly surged up.
How many people in this world dream of meeting Sang Muqing, yet the person in front of her only sees her sincerity as a tool to be used. He uses her to win over people's hearts, and perhaps even uses her to gather information from all sides. I don't know what it is that he truly cares about in this world.
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to sit up straight from his embrace, turned my head to look into his eyes, and spoke in a soft voice, yet enunciating each word clearly: "Then what about me? In your opinion, Your Highness, what is my weakness?"
His eyes deepened, staring at me for a long time before speaking in a light tone, with only four words: "Too heavy emotional debt."
I was taken aback and didn't know what to say.
The smile on his lips gradually faded, and he looked at me deeply for a long time before speaking again. His voice had a hint of imperceptible sigh: "Princess Wang is wise and elegant, with a temperament that surpasses even the most talented scholars. However, women who are too intelligent often do not find happiness easily. They must be aware of the larger situation, consider the greater good, and then yield to circumstances."
I gently lowered my eyes and looked at my bandaged hand, without speaking, but his voice still came quietly.
"Your brother is right, you married into the Third Prince's Manor, I owe you a lot, but you never said anything wrong about me. On the contrary, you went all the way to Mobei and maintained my reputation everywhere."
"As I have married Your Highness, I should share the same fate. The principle of sharing honor and shame together is something I understand."
I didn't look at him, I just opened my mouth lightly, but he stretched out his hand to hold my chin, exerting a slight force, forcing me to lift my head and look into his eyes.
"What you just said is the profound righteousness of being one of the three princesses of the current dynasty and the daughter of the Chancellor's mansion, for which you gave up a wife's most basic hope and request."
He released his hand, but still looked into my eyes and said: "Just this once, I don't believe you didn't notice at all, why I wanted to keep you in this city. But you didn't ask a single question, knowing the danger yet still stayed behind. I let you lie in bed with injuries for a whole day and night, but when you woke up, you didn't even utter half a complaint. Is the princess not caring at all, or is she too self-torturing?"
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then spoke: "As General Qin said, Your Highness would do this only if you were certain that you could rescue me, I trust in Your Highness."
"If I told you, I might not have made this move if it were someone else, what would the princess do? In my calculations and determination, you are one of them. Because it's you, so I believe that with your intelligence, you will definitely wait for me to come, but this is actually a gamble."
I slowly raised my eyes to meet his dark, profound gaze, then forced a gentle smile: "But we did win the bet, didn't we?"
I used "we", and then saw his body, slightly, almost imperceptibly, shake.
I continued to gaze quietly into his eyes, my voice calm and firm: "If it were someone else, Your Highness might not have taken this step, but you wouldn't necessarily care about the life of a discarded pawn. But now that I'm safe and sound, I believe that in your determination, aside from my own factors, there must be other careful arrangements, so I don't have any resentment."
He looked at me deeply, without saying a word, and I still couldn't hold back the lingering unease in my heart. I turned away, opened my mouth softly and said: "It's just that next time something like this happens, I hope Your Highness will inform me early on. As long as it's your intention, I won't utter half a word of refusal. I just don't want to be kept in the dark until the very end."
"There won't be a next time," as soon as the words fell, I was tightly wrapped in his arms, and his voice had a low and trembling tone that was different from usual: "That day under the city wall of Ye Cheng, I saw your blood dripping on the snowy ground, only then did I realize, I actually cared."
∞ Ink Pavilion ∞ No Pop-up Window ∞