The Third Prince’s laugh triggered roaring laughter around the room.
Si Zhan’s gaze darkened, shooting a glare at the Third Prince.
The Third Prince, still laughing, suddenly shivered, instinctively glancing at Si Zhan.
Si Zhan stood up and left.
The Third Prince nudged the Fifth Prince, saying with lingering fear, “I just noticed that the Fifteenth Uncle looked at me as if he was about to eat me.”
The Fifth Prince followed the Third Prince’s gaze, seeing only Si Zhan’s proud departing back, and teased, “You’re being self-important. The Fifteenth Uncle looks like he wants to eat everyone.”
The Third Prince laughed awkwardly and nodded, “True, he’s quite a freak.”
Si Zhan softly asked, his voice slightly trembling, “Did you make these?”
“Yes, I made them during my days off for the New Year holiday,” Ning Wanwan replied. “It was a bit rushed, so the stitches aren’t perfect.”
Si Zhan’s gaze fell on her jade-like fingertips, where faint needle marks were still visible. His heart contracted painfully; she had done so much for him.
Seeing his silence, Ning Wanwan hurriedly explained, “I wanted to buy a pair, but those didn’t have layers for medicinal cores, so I made two myself. These have layers with medicinal cores containing herbs like Angelica, Cyathula root, Gastrodia, Clove, and Safflower. They can dispel wind, warm the meridians, and keep the knees warm.”
Her clever, beautiful eyes, clear like translucent glass, sparkled as she looked at him, causing his heart to tremble at her unintentional provocation. He handed the hot water bottle to Yuan Bi behind him.
Yuan Bi frowned slightly when he took the bottle, noticing it was as cold as stone. Why was the master holding it?
Si Zhan took the knee guards, tracing their pattern and sincerely saying, “Thank you, they’re very well made. I really like them.”
Ning Wanwan smiled happily in response.
After parting ways and boarding their respective carriages, Si Zhan eagerly tied the knee guards on, his hands lingering over them. At the mansion, he wore the knee guards constantly, except when bathing. That night, it felt like warm hands were covering his knees, and he finally sensed some warmth.
The next day, Ning Wanwan asked him to meet at the Ying Yue Pavilion after class. Si Zhan, full of smiles and unconsciously touching the knee guards on his knees, felt the day was passing too slowly.
Si Zhan, unaware of any ulterior motives, smiled and nodded while drinking warming soup. Yuan Bi stood outside, tense as if facing a great enemy. After Si Zhan put down the empty bowl, Ning Wan Wan asked, “Uncle, do you feel warmer after drinking?” Si Zhan smiled softly, “Yes, it’s a bit warmer.” Ning Wan Wan instinctively reached out to check his temperature by touching the back of his hand on the table.
Unexpectedly, when her hand touched Si Zhan, he jerked back as if stung by a scorpion.
Ning Wan Wan froze, and Si Zhan’s expression turned unnatural. “I’m sorry, I…” he began, but Ning Wan Wan quickly withdrew her hand and laughed. “Uncle, no need to explain. It was my impropriety, forgetting the boundaries between men and women…”
“No, it’s not you…” Si Zhan attempted to explain but abruptly changed his demeanor. Standing up hastily, he said, “I have urgent matters at the Fu Ning Palace and need to leave first.”
The Fu Ning Palace was where the Emperor held private discussions.
Ning Wan Wan nodded, “Yes, Uncle, take care.” Before leaving, Si Zhan added, “Thank you for the warming soup. This is the most delicious soup I’ve ever had.”
Ning Wan Wan’s dejected face brightened at his words.
Fu Yi watched Si Zhan depart and hesitated before speaking up. “Miss, I might be out of line, but I need to express my thoughts…”
Ning Wan Wan interrupted, “You think I’m too good to the Duke of Yi, right?”
Fu Yi’s eyes widened, “Not just good, but excessively so.”
Ning Wan Wan turned her head, gazing at the vast lake, and spoke softly, “If it weren’t for the Duke of Yi back then, I might have died. Everything I’m doing now doesn’t come close to what he did for me; it’s nothing.”
She lowered her eyes and said, “Because… you saved me…”
Suddenly looking up, she stared at Sihan seriously: “Because Uncle saved me.” Not just during the Lantern Festival, but in countless past lives.
It was Sihan who carried her out of that cold palace, stained his hands with blood for her, and transformed her from past hatred into a person of gratitude. He not only saved her life but also her heart, creating the unperturbed Ning Wanwan of today.
However, the smile on Sihan’s face gradually faded with her words. So, it was just repayment.
He smiled self-deprecatingly, lowering his eyes to the empty bowl, bitterness surging in his throat.
“Uncle, what’s wrong? Why are you sweating so much?” She took out a handkerchief, hesitating before handing it to Sihan.
“Please wipe yourself, Uncle.”
Sihan glanced at Ning Wanwan’s delicate hand holding the handkerchief, and his blocked emotions suddenly cleared. He realized that no matter her purpose, her care for him was sufficient. He had been too greedy and shouldn’t obsess over her feelings.
“I just drank some warming soup, probably dispersing the cold,” Sihan said as he took the handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face.
After a brief conversation, Sihan got up to leave, knowing he should go first to avoid suspicion, with Ning Wanwan following afterward. However, he soon found another secluded spot and began to vomit again.
“Master, I seem to have left my money pouch in the pavilion. Please go ahead; I’ll be right back.”
“…Okay.” Sihan, having just finished, felt a bit breathless.
Ning Wanwan left the pavilion and was soon blocked by Yuan Bi. She hurried back to Chuyun Yuan, where she buried herself in medical books, piling them around her like small mountains.
Zhan Xiang entered the room, startled by the scene. “Miss, are you planning to become a doctor?”
Fu Yi glared fiercely at Zhan Xiang. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Zhan Xiang quickly covered her mouth and cheerfully placed the dishes from the food box on the table.
“Miss, you’ve been locked in your room reading since noon, and your stomach has been empty. I asked the kitchen to prepare your favorite snacks. Please eat something.”
“I’m not hungry,” Ning Wanwan replied, not looking up from her books.
“How can the miss not eat anything?”
Zhan Xiang’s question received only the sound of pages turning. Anxious, she looked to Fu Yi for help, but Fu Yi’s helpless expression indicated she had already tried to persuade her.
Illiterate and unable to assist Ning Wanwan with her search, Zhan Xiang and Fu Yi could only wait anxiously until evening. A rumble from Ning Wanwan’s stomach made her realize she was hungry. She hastily ate dinner and then resumed her reading by lamplight.
Si Zhan’s sensitive identity and awkward situation kept him under strict surveillance by the Emperor and Empress Dowager. Ning Wanwan even suspected that the doctors treating him might be their spies or at least under their control.
Therefore, if Si Zhan’s short life was due to poisoning rather than natural weakness, it could arouse the Emperor and Empress Dowager’s suspicions, potentially leading to thoughts of complete elimination. While destiny cannot be violated, poison can be neutralized.
To investigate what poison Si Zhan was suffering from without being discovered, she needed to study medical books and learn medical skills. While she couldn’t become an expert overnight, gaining some understanding was essential.
The most urgent task was to find a way to solve Si Zhan’s inability to take medicine.
At first glance, it was clear that she was more interested in reading romantic novels than studying.
