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.
Passing through the garden, Wei Lindxia headed to Xi Linxuan’s courtyard, wondering if he had been practicing diligently.
The courtyard was quiet, with no one in sight. She softly called, “Your Highness,” and Xi Linxuan’s faint voice responded, “Come in.”
Inside, she noticed the wooden box containing the red wax figure she had given him was on the table, with a candle still burning. Wei Lindxia found it odd to see a candle lit in September when the sun hadn’t set yet.
As she stared at the candlestick, Xi Linxuan raised his sleeve and extinguished the candle. He seemed a bit strange lately.
“Done?” he asked, not inviting her to sit. Wei Lindxia took her usual seat.
“Yes, I came to check on Your Highness’s homework,” she replied. She then recalled the Empress Dowager’s words and added, “The Empress Dowager mentioned an old doctor at the Imperial Medical Institute who is extremely skilled in acupuncture…”
“Wei Lindxia, from today, I will treat my leg myself,” Xi Linxuan said.
“Ah?” Wei Lindxia was surprised. The indifferent prince was expressing such determination.
“What ‘ah’? You’ve taught me for so long. Even if I’m slow, I’ve learned,” he said.
“Your Highness, why don’t we invite that doctor to observe…” Wei Lindxia’s words were interrupted by Xi Linxuan: “I’ve pricked myself several times. Aren’t I fine?”
“Your Highness, you can’t just…”
