Luo Zhiheng's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that there were some kind of secret guards in Consort Li's courtyard? She quickly asked, "Then you weren't discovered, were you?" If there were secret guards, Consort Li and the others would likely have discovered Zhang Mama, but Zhang Mama was unharmed.
"Don't worry, Miss. I'm being cautious and hiding far away. Even if someone is hiding in the shadows, they shouldn't be able to find me," Zhang's mother said with a smile, her smile now radiating confidence.
"That's good. This matter must not be told to anyone else, just the two of us. Okay, tell the girl to come back to sleep. I'll sleep with Zhang Mama tonight." Luo Zhiheng didn't want Zhang Mama to be nervous, so she smiled easily.
Madam Zhang disapproved and advised, "Miss, you didn't sleep in your room last night. That's not good. The young prince is still waiting for you."
Luo Zhiheng almost burst out laughing. Mu Yunhe probably wanted her to leave. Although she had forced Mu Yunhe to ask her to stay today, Luo Zhiheng, since she wanted to train and discipline him, wouldn't easily compromise. She needed to let Mu Yunhe know that she wouldn't rush to do whatever he said. She needed to be reserved; only with reserve could she be valued in a man's heart.
Her reputation was terrible before, and she had to find a way to salvage it. Especially, she needed to win back Mu Yunhe's heart; otherwise, if she became unimportant to him, it would be very detrimental to her.
"Don't worry, Nanny, Mu Yunhe won't want me in the room today." Luo Zhiheng had made up her mind. She called the maid back, and the three of them slept on one bed, chatting and laughing, which was quite heartwarming. Luo Zhiheng had also wanted to chat with these two for a while.
Mu Yunhe waited and waited for Luo Zhiheng to return, but she didn't come back. He felt a strange sense of anxiety. After a while, Mu Yunhe had to speak up in frustration: "Xiao Xizi!"
"Master, I'm here." Xiao Xizi hurriedly ran in.
"Where's Luo Zhiheng? Why haven't you finished talking yet? You're always so slow and indecisive." Mu Yunhe certainly wouldn't tell Luo Zhiheng to come back quickly; he just asked sternly.
Xiao Xizi found her master's strange and unusual behavior that day strange, but still said in a pleasing manner, "This servant will go and see right away."
Xiao Xizi returned shortly afterward and said cautiously, "Master, the little princess... has fallen asleep at her wet nurse's. The wet nurse asked me to tell you that the little princess won't be coming back tonight and is sleeping. I won't disturb your rest, Master."
The oppressive atmosphere instantly emanated from Mu Yunhe's body, spreading along the large bed and causing the temperature to plummet. Mu Yunhe coldly snorted, "Does she really think anyone cares about her? She thinks she's something special! If she's so capable, then she shouldn't come back!"
After Mu Yunhe finished speaking, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. Xiao Xizi quickly withdrew, unaware that after he left, his master opened his eyes, glaring angrily at Luo Zhiheng's bed. He was furious. He had already compromised and allowed her to sleep in his bed today, and this woman still dared to act arrogantly? Who did she think she was? What was she? Just a cunning, shameless, and infatuated woman!
Do you really think I care about your return?
Mu Yunhe gritted his teeth, thinking fiercely, but strangely, he couldn't sleep again that night. For the past few nights, as long as Luo Zhiheng was there, she could fall into a deep sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Perhaps it was because the place she was sleeping in was uncomfortable, because every night there would be soft snoring that accompanied her breathing echoing in the room.
Mu Yunhe initially disliked it, but since they weren't familiar with each other, he was too embarrassed to say anything. However, he gradually got used to it. The sudden absence of her soft, gentle snoring felt like something was missing.
Damn woman, she's just here to torment me!
Mu Yunhe slept fitfully again that night, waking up and drifting in and out of sleep, feeling utterly exhausted. He drifted in and out of sleep until dawn, when Doctor Liang arrived early in the morning!
Mu Yunhe had just regained consciousness when he heard Xiao Xizi's voice. Then, just as arrogant as yesterday, Doctor Liang personally carried in a bowl of medicine.
Mu Yunhe's nerves tensed instantly, all sleepiness vanished! He calmly watched as Doctor Liang entered, a rare smile playing on his lips, a smile tinged with gloom and hypocrisy. The bowl of medicine in his hand steamed, its pungent odor filling the dimly lit room. Mu Yunhe felt death drawing near! 15409963
At this moment, Luo Zhiheng, who had formed an alliance with him, was not present!
"Did I let you in?" Mu Yunhe asked coldly.
Doctor Liang was taken aback, clearly not expecting that someone who was already on the verge of death would speak with such authority. He said arrogantly, "It is the Emperor and the Prince's order to treat you. I know what is best for you. You don't need to say anything."
Mu Yunhe's eyes sharpened, and his heart skipped a beat of unease, but despite his inner turmoil, his face remained cold: "Get out now."
"Alright, as long as the young prince drinks this bowl of medicine, I will leave immediately." Doctor Liang said with a smile, "Didn't the young princess say yesterday that the medicine wasn't working well? The young princess really cares about the young prince. He hasn't complained of pain for so many days, but the young princess is still not satisfied. Since that's the case, then I can only listen to the young princess's request and adjust the dosage for the young prince so that he can recover as soon as possible."
"You're really that kind?" Mu Yunhe instantly became wary. This guy kept mentioning Luo Zhiheng; what was his purpose? This bowl of medicine absolutely couldn't be drunk. Doctor Liang was only after something; he was just trying to profit from it, and now he was blaming Luo Zhiheng for all this...
In a flash, Mu Yunhe suddenly understood, but he was also shocked by his own thoughts as if he had been struck by lightning!
This bowl of medicine is definitely not good; it could easily kill him. And yet he keeps mentioning bringing Luo Zhiheng along, in front of all the servants in the room—he's trying to kill Luo Zhiheng! If he takes this medicine and dies, then Luo Zhiheng will be held responsible! What a vicious thought!
Even though Mu Yunhe realized something was wrong, he was unable to break free.
Doctor Liang was already in front of him, and Xiao Xizi and the others not only didn't stop him but also looked on with anticipation. Mu Yunhe was just about to yell out that he wanted this swindler dragged out and beheaded. Watching Doctor Liang personally bring the medicine to his lips, he said gently, "Young Prince, open your mouth quickly and drink the medicine. Your illness will be cured soon. Open your mouth quickly."
This is a deadly poison; drinking it will definitely lead to a terrible end! Mu Yunhe's eyes were filled with sharpness, and his clenched fist was ready to overturn the bowl of medicine at any moment...
Damn it, Luo Zhiheng, why aren't you here yet!
Second update is here, that's all for today. Please leave comments and votes! Your votes and comments are my motivation, everyone! Please support me, I'll work even harder! Mwah, my darlings!
096 Teasing and mocking! Making veiled accusations!
Updated: 2013-06-11 10:37:17 Word Count: 6662
"Come on, drink this, and you'll stop feeling pain soon." Doctor Liang smiled and approached Mu Yunhe, his large, well-defined hand reaching towards Mu Yunhe's thin, sharp chin.
Mu Yunhe's eyes twitched, his clenched fists waiting for Doctor Liang's hand to arrive so he could deliver a full-force blow! He hated himself more than ever before, hated his incompetence, hated his weakness, and hated his lack of power!
Is he even a man? At the most critical moment, he was actually hoping for a woman to save him! And what about himself? Lying here, like a cripple, even facing death, he seemed powerless to resist, just watching helplessly as the person who was going to harm him arrogantly abused him in front of him.
Mu Yunhe's eyes almost reddened, but his years of cultivated forbearance prevented him from easily uttering these words. Yet, at this moment, a powerful sense of inferiority and male chauvinism erupted; his desire to become a strong man was so intense. How ironic, this desire came as he was about to die. And his death wasn't the predictable, feeble death from illness he had imagined; he was murdered!
Mu Yunhe's icy gaze concealed his hatred and wariness, making it impossible for Doctor Liang to see through his heart. However, Doctor Liang noticed that Mu Yunhe was resisting the medicine. Would a normal patient resist life-saving medicine? Probably not. Could it be that this kid has discovered something?
In that fleeting moment of distraction, Doctor Liang felt a tremendous force suddenly strike him from behind. Caught completely off guard, he staggered, and the bowl of medicine in his hand flew out and landed on the ground, shattering into pieces that were impossible to retrieve.
Seeing that the medicine he had carefully prepared was gone just like that, and Mu Yunhe hadn't even taken a sip, Doctor Liang was furious and turned to roar...
Behind him, a terrified voice, trembling with tears, preemptively cried out: "Oh my god! What did I do? Who did I bump into? I... I didn't mean to! I was just in such a hurry that I didn't see there was someone standing in front of me! Ah! It's Doctor Liang? You're really here! I heard you were here and rushed over. Waaah, Doctor Liang, please, please check my eyes! My eyes hurt so much, I can't see anything!"
The icy tension in Mu Yunhe's eyes instantly dissipated, and strangely enough, the noisy voice didn't seem so annoying anymore. He looked at Luo Zhiheng, who had appeared just in time, and a smile he himself didn't know appeared in his eyes.
Luo Zhiheng was in a disheveled state, her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were indeed a little red and swollen. She squinted her big eyes and leaned closer to Doctor Liang, apologizing for her 'mistake' while pleading with Doctor Liang to quickly examine her eyes, without mentioning the bowl of medicine at all.
Doctor Liang was so angry he wanted to slap the woman in front of him to death! How dare she say she didn't see him standing right there? Could she possibly lie any further? All that medicine he'd painstakingly prepared all morning had been wasted! Enraged, Doctor Liang wouldn't even bother to examine Luo Zhiheng's eyes, and said coldly, "Do you know how serious your mistake is? You spilled the life-saving medicine I carefully prepared for the young prince. If the prince doesn't drink this medicine because of you, can you, Luo Zhiheng, take full responsibility for anything except for this?"
Luo Zhiheng's face changed instantly. She stared blankly at the broken medicine on the ground, which still emitted a pungent smell. Suddenly, she threw herself in front of Mu Yunhe and burst into heartbroken sobs: "Waaaaah! Little Prince, I really didn't mean to! I was just so heartbroken last night that I cried all night. My eyes hurt so much this morning, and I couldn't see clearly. I really didn't mean to knock over your life-saving medicine! You have to forgive me! Don't die! I can't take the responsibility!"
Mu Yunhe's lips twitched as he looked at the fluffy, messy little head on his chest. For the first time, he felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. However, he overlooked the dull ache he had felt when Luo Zhiheng had suddenly bumped into his chest. He stiffly reached out and gently patted Luo Zhiheng's head, as if patting a puppy's head, his voice softening considerably: "Why are you crying so sadly?"
Strangely enough, even though he knew the woman was acting and her words were infuriating, Mu Yunhe had no interest in acting with her. But when he heard her excuse and thought of her red eyes, Mu Yunhe asked a question as if possessed.
Luo Zhiheng almost bit her tongue, cursing inwardly: "Just say you won't be angry or blame me, why ask so many questions? This grandma doesn't need your sentimental cameo!"
But she choked back tears shyly and obediently, saying, "Because...because I thought about you all night. I haven't been by your side for two nights now. I miss you so much, but I'm so afraid that if I come back I'll make you angry again, so...so I could only hide in the corner of the bed and cry, hugging the blanket. The blanket is soaked with tears..."
A strange emotion, perhaps called a smile, inexplicably filled his chest. Mu Yunhe tried his best to pull down the corners of his mouth, not wanting anyone to see his strangely upturned, sexy lips, but when he lowered his head, a smile and a hint of mockery flowed through his eyes.
Could this little girl be any more ridiculous? She cried so much her face was soaked? Why doesn't she just say her tears could flood the entire palace? And she misses him? If she really missed him, she wouldn't have run away last night. Mu Yunhe gritted his teeth, feeling utterly powerless against Luo Zhiheng's clumsy and self-defeating excuse.
Suddenly, he felt a playful urge, and a teasing ripple stirred in his calm heart. He said calmly and casually, "Oh, you miss me so much? Then move back to sleep here tonight. I'll have someone put an extra layer of bedding on your couch so you won't feel uncomfortable."
As soon as Mu Yunhe finished speaking, he saw Luo Zhiheng suddenly look up, her big red eyes wide open as she stared at him. Her puffed-up little face looked...cute? He wondered if it would break with the slightest poke. Mu Yunhe thought to himself, and actually reached out and pinched her cheek, bestowing upon her a smile-like expression as a favor, and said shamelessly, "Don't thank me, it's just that I'm soft-hearted."
What a repressed, lecherous man! And she's thanking you? Watch out, she might tear down your bed tonight and make you sleep on the floor!
Only Mu Yunhe could see the emotions on the little face in front of him. It was clearly anger, resentment, and accusation. Mu Yunhe knew that he was bullying her a bit. Luo Zhiheng was clearly there to help him, but he couldn't help but want to bully her. Who told her to be so cunning?
The two of them were completely oblivious to everyone else. In the eyes of Doctor Liang and Xiao Xizi, this was just a flirtatious exchange that left everyone bewildered.
At this critical moment, Mu Yunhe surprisingly relaxed completely because of Luo Zhiheng's appearance. It seemed that with this woman in front of him, all problems ceased to be problems. Mu Yunhe also noticed the change in his mood. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Suddenly, Mu Yunhe realized something he couldn't accept: it seemed as if Luo Zhiheng was protecting his life! How could a man like him need a woman to protect him? Mu Yunhe's expression instantly changed, his face darkening.
"Indecent and immoral! This divine physician doesn't care anymore. You can live or die as you please. You don't know what's good for you." Having failed to administer the poison, Divine Physician Liang angrily turned and left.
Luo Zhiheng and Mu Yunhe both gasped for breath. Luo Zhiheng slumped weakly to the bedside, thinking with lingering fear, "If I had arrived a moment later, would Mu Yunhe have been killed?"
Seeing the servants trying to clean up the mess, Luo Zhiheng had an idea and said to Xiao Xizi, "Go catch a bird or a mouse or something, hurry up and be careful not to attract attention. You don't need to clean this up."
Xiao Xizi glanced at Mu Yunhe, and seeing his master nod, he quickly left, muttering to himself how strange the little princess was.
The servants in the room were dismissed, and Luo Zhiheng glared angrily at Mu Yunhe, gritting her teeth in a low voice, "What do you mean? I helped you and you played me?"
Mu Yunhe's face darkened. He pinched her chin and said with amusement, "Play with you? What do you have that's worth playing with?"
His gaze lingered on Luo Zhiheng with a flirtatious yet cold intensity, filled with contempt and disgust.
Luo Zhiheng slapped his hand away and sat on the soft couch, ignoring him in anger.
After a moment of silence, Mu Yunhe felt inexplicably irritated. He glanced at the silent Luo Zhiheng and finally spoke: "What's wrong with your eyes?"
Luo Zhiheng sneered and said self-deprecatingly, "In order to save some heartless bastard, I gouged out my own eyes and made myself half-dead, but in the end I ended up being played and humiliated. Your Highness, don't you think I'm particularly despicable?"
Mu Yunhe's face turned ugly as he was choked by her words. His narrow eyes gleamed with a cold light as he stared at her fiercely: "How dare you say that I am heartless and ungrateful?"
Luo Zhiheng was not afraid and continued to sneer: "Don't take it personally. Did I name you by name? I've seen people pick up money, but I've never seen anyone pick up a scolding."
Mu Yunhe snorted coldly, his hoarse voice carrying a hint of danger: "Sharp-tongued! Not going to keep pretending to be weak and pitiful? If you keep pretending, I might take pity on you and allow you to continue sleeping outside tonight."
Luo Zhiheng didn't say anything because Xiao Xizi had returned with two sparrows.
"Little Princess, there are no rats in the palace, only two birds were caught," Xiao Xizi said with a smile.
"Give it to me, you can go now." Luo Zhiheng took the sparrow; it was a young sparrow that hadn't yet developed its wings, but judging from its wings, it was almost ready to fly. After Xiao Xizi left, Luo Zhiheng picked up a piece of broken bowl with some medicine still on it. Just as she held the medicine to the sparrow's beak, the little sparrow seemed to sense the danger and began chirping anxiously.
Luo Zhiheng steeled herself and pried open the beak of a sparrow, pouring a little medicine into it. She had just put the sparrow down to pick up another when the little sparrow twitched a few times, then blood-like liquid flowed from its mouth, and it lay there motionless. 12.
Luo Zhiheng's hand trembled, and she dropped the shards, refraining from harming another small creature. She looked at Mu Yunhe with a serious expression, while Mu Yunhe's expression was equally grim.
"Very well, very well indeed! So you're already trying to make a move against me so soon." Mu Yunhe's eyes gleamed with a wolf-like light, sinister and ferocious.
Luo Zhiheng was equally alarmed, but even more so. She feared that Consort Li was impatient; otherwise, Doctor Liang wouldn't have come to harm Mu Yunhe today, just after leaving Consort Li's place last night. They needed to think of a plan quickly, otherwise they wouldn't be able to defend themselves effectively.
The oppressive atmosphere didn't last long. Just after dealing with the little sparrow, someone brought Mu Yunhe's medicine. As always, Luo Zhiheng wanted to take it, but the maid who had brought the medicine recently avoided Luo Zhiheng's hand and said with her head down, "Let me do it. Doctor Liang instructed that this bowl of medicine must be personally watched by the young prince. Recently, the young princess broke a bowl of medicine, so we dare not trouble the young princess again."
"I never thought that an outsider would be in charge of this family? Who is he to you? How dare you listen to him and not me? Do you even want to live?" Luo Zhiheng suddenly attacked, roaring fiercely.
The maid was startled, but she quickly said, "My life belongs to Consort Li, and it has nothing to do with you."
It's Consort Li's people again! Consort Li really doesn't bother to hide it anymore!
The maidservant carried the medicine bowl toward Mu Yunhe. Luo Zhiheng reached out to grab her arm, but to her surprise, the maidservant dodged away and even tried to push Luo Zhiheng away.
Mu Yunhe, with his sharp eyes, instantly shouted in a low voice: "How dare you!"
Luo Zhiheng wasn't some pushover; would she really take a little girl seriously? Without dodging or flinching, she grabbed the girl's wrist and, seizing the opportunity, shoved her away, shouting angrily, "How dare you ambush me! Tell me, who sent you to assassinate me!"
The young girl hadn't expected Luo Zhiheng to have some skills; she lost her balance, and the bowl of medicine fell to the ground and shattered. Enraged, she suddenly heard Luo Zhiheng's question and was startled. She tried to stop her, but it was too late.
"Guards! Seize this audacious woman! She's trying to assassinate me!" With Luo Zhiheng's shout, many maids and servants rushed in. Among them were a few loyal ones without powerful backers, so they naturally obeyed. Combined with the strong maid, they quickly subdued the woman.
Luo Zhiheng shouted this to remind Consort Li not to go too far, and also to embarrass Consort Li. Didn't this person claim to be Consort Li's person? Then she would ask Consort Li why Consort Li's person dared to ride on the little princess's head and act arrogantly.
"You say you're Consort Li's person? Did Consort Li send you here to be in charge of our household? What are you? I absolutely do not believe you are Consort Li's person! Consort Li is a very gentle and kind person, how could she use someone as vicious as you? You even dared to attack me! Tell me, who exactly are you? What is your purpose?" Luo Zhiheng questioned loudly.
The expressions on everyone's faces were varied.
The maidservant, however, said with disdain and mockery, "I am Consort Li's person. You don't need to make such a fuss. Consort Li will definitely protect me. I am here to take care of the young prince. You have no right to touch me. You'd better let me go right now, or else..."