Yu Mo took the lotus pods to Xi Linxuan, who appeared listless, holding a book without turning a page.
“Your Highness, the Miss asked me to bring this to you. It was supposed to come yesterday, but she was burning with fever and forgot. She asks for your forgiveness,” Yu Mo said, carefully placing the wooden tray.
Xi Linxuan lifted the gauze covering and saw five neatly arranged lotus pods, pausing in surprise. “Where are these from?” he asked.
“Responding to Your Highness, the Miss picked these yesterday morning. She said that the lotus seeds from Huo might not be as delicious as those from the capital, but these are among the first ripe ones, and their taste is worth trying,” Yu Mo replied.
“Mm, thank the Young Lady for me later,” Xi Linxuan said.
Yu Mo returned to the room where Wei Linxia was forced to drink another bowl of bitter medicine. After eating two candied fruits, she inquired about Xi Linxuan’s message. Yu Mo smiled and brought her a cup of honey water, saying, “The Prince sends his thanks.”
Wei Linxia took out a lotus seed from a pod, commenting that while it was good in porridge, eating it raw had a taste reminiscent of sweet potatoes. Yu Mo smiled and left.
Feeling dizzy and uncomfortable on the embroidered couch, Wei Linxia witnessed two palace maids entering with food boxes. They placed delicate blue-tinted porcelain bowls of desserts on each table, bowed to Xi Linxuan, and stepped back.
The remaining four looked at Xi Linxuan, who leisurely picked up his bowl and tasted a spoonful.
“The lotus seeds from Young Lady Wei are too many for me to eat alone, so I had them prepare lotus seed, lily, and red bean soup, which is perfect for this season,” he stated.
Yan Junzhu laughed and tasted a spoonful, saying, “Indeed, Wei Linxia is far-sighted. Otherwise, we would have wasted the lotus seeds yesterday and wouldn’t have this delicacy today.”
“It seems Sister Shenbei was planning to surprise us,” Li Weiheng chimed in.
The girls loved sweets and enjoyed their desserts.
Sitting behind Yan Junzhu, Wei Zhichi observed Xi Linxuan while holding his bowl. Wasn’t this prince known for not sharing? Last time, when Wei Linxia had rock sugar sea-crabapple prepared, he hadn’t shared with them. What changed today?
Only one person’s bowl remained untouched, and he stared at it with a dark expression.
“Brother Nianghuan, why aren’t you eating?” Li Weiheng asked after finishing her portion.
“I don’t eat things that aren’t fresh to avoid stomach troubles,” Xi Zhaoting said, secretly harboring resentment. How dare Wei Linxia! Yesterday, he was exhausted and nearly drowned, yet she didn’t give him a lotus pod. Now, she was offering them to this wheelchair-bound fellow. Hmph.
After the four left, Xi Linxuan folded the paper on the table, glancing at the still-steaming lotus seed and red bean soup.
He beckoned a young eunuch to push his wheelchair and asked, “How is Young Lady Wei’s condition?”
The eunuch replied, “Your Highness, I met Maid Yu Mo. She said the Young Lady had a severe fever last night, was cold in the morning, took several doses of medicine, and is slightly better, but not eating much.”
“This is serious!” Xi Linxuan frowned, recalling Xi Zhaoting’s words about breaking a stone pillar.
Could Wei Linxia have fallen into the water? This would explain her alternating pale and flushed expressions. Furthermore, Xi Zhaoting claimed he saw her fall in the lotus pond, which raises further questions.
Wei Linxia remained ill through the Mid-Autumn Festival, missing the palace’s moon-viewing banquet. Lady Wei returned with the Empress Dowager’s reward and message to be delivered upon Wei Linxia’s recovery.
By the time Wei Linxia recovered, half a month after Mid-Autumn, the weather grew increasingly cold. When she went to the palace to pay her respects, Xi Zhaoting was there, leisurely cracking walnuts with a golden hammer.
“You’ve lost so much weight; your chin has become sharp! What happened?” the old empress dowager asked.
“It was nothing serious. My mother was just worried, which is why it took so long,” Wei Linxia softly replied.
The empress dowager cautioned her, “This illness, if not treated gradually, will accumulate and worsen. Go back and let the doctor take a look, and recuperate for a few days.”
Wei Linxia responded affirmatively, but the empress dowager then asked about Xi Linxuan.
“I heard from Princess Yan that you’re teaching the Thirteenth Prince acupuncture techniques? Have there been any developments?” the empress dowager asked.
Wei Linxia furrowed her brow slightly. “His Highness seems uninterested, and he hasn’t fully memorized the acupoint diagram, so there hasn’t been much progress,” Wei Linxia replied.
“This won’t do. Linxia, I know there’s an old doctor in the Imperial Medical Institute who has been practicing acupuncture for many years. Why don’t we let him try?” the empress dowager suggested.
Wei Linxia recalled her previous suggestion being rejected by Xi Linxuan. However, if the empress dowager proposed it, she could hardly refuse. “The empress dowager is absolutely right. I’ll ask His Highness, and if an experienced doctor can help, it would surely be beneficial.”
A “snap” accompanied the cracking of a walnut, with fragments falling onto the carpet. Wei Linxia glanced at Xi Zhaoting, who was smashing the walnut.
“Zhaoting, aren’t you supposed to go to the Grand Tutor’s residence for school today?” the empress dowager asked.
“Today, my father summoned the Grand Tutor for something,” Xi Zhaoting replied.
“These walnuts aren’t anything special. You’ve been eating them all morning. Enough. Even if the Grand Tutor is busy, he should have assigned homework. Have you finished it?” The empress dowager looked at her grandson, who was good in every way except for his childish nature. Then she glanced at Wei Linxia, who was sitting with her head slightly lowered, finding her increasingly likable.
After Xi Zhaoting was shooed away, Wei Linxia stayed to chat briefly before taking her leave. After talking to the empress dowager for a while, she felt exhausted; it was indeed physical labor.
A palace maid led her out, and halfway through, Xi Zhaoting appeared from an idle hall. Spotting Wei Linxia, he said, “Oh, I just remembered I have something to discuss with Feng Zhi. Miss Wei, shall we go together?”
Wei Linxia was puzzled and softly replied, “If Your Highness wants to find my brother, couldn’t you send someone or have me relay your message?”
Xi Zhaoting looked embarrassed and quickly said, “I have urgent matters with Feng Zhi that cannot be delayed.”
Urgent matters? What could he need with her brother? It was probably just an excuse to visit the bird and flower market or for another group of young masters to drink and enjoy music.
But if he said it was urgent, so be it. After all, he was the Crown Prince, and his matters, even if just a sesame cake, were urgent.
The two walked towards the palace gate, with eunuch Deng Ping and two guards following behind. Wei Linxia gently bit her lip, wondering when he would come to settle accounts with her.
“I don’t dare.” Wei Lindxia replied. The Crown Prince’s temper was unpredictable recently, happy one moment and gloomy the next.
“I bet you wouldn’t dare,” Xi Zhaoting said, striding forward and leaving Wei Lindxia behind.
One cannot let others get a hold on them; otherwise, they would be constrained everywhere, Wei Lindxia thought. After leaving the palace gate and boarding the carriage, the curtain was suddenly lifted, and Xi Zhaoting’s face appeared, startling her.
“No one is to know about this,” Xi Zhaoting said seriously.
Wei Lindxia nodded hard, feeling terrified—hadn’t he just left?
Returning to the Wei residence, Wei Lindxia felt exhausted. After paying respects to her mother and briefly mentioning the audience, Madam Wei urged her to rest.
