Nianyao had only taken a few steps when Li Fuquan caught up to her, panting heavily.
“Miss Nianyao! Miss Nianyao!”
Although the palace corridors were quiet in the early morning, there were still palace servants coming and going.
Li Fuquan’s voice was shrill, causing many palace servants to instinctively turn and look at him.
Nianyao’s heart tightened.
As the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace, Li Fuquan was not an unfamiliar face in the palace.
She quickly turned to face Li Fuquan, her lips pressed tightly together, hoping that once he saw her, he would stop shouting like this.
Fortunately, Li Fuquan’s original intention was not to attract everyone’s attention.
After Nianyao turned around, he also breathed a sigh of relief and jogged forward.
Nianyao felt somewhat impatient, but facing Li Fuquan, she forced a smile and spoke gently.
“Does Eunuch Li have something?”
Li Fuquan pulled out from his robe…
One, two, three, four…
Seven packets of medicinal herbs wrapped in oil paper.
Nianyao was stunned, her expression tinged with confusion.
Her lips moved: “What is this?”
Li Fuquan explained: “Miss Nianyao, these are medicines specially ordered by our Crown Prince from the imperial physician for you. Since you cannot come to the Eastern Palace every day, the Crown Prince instructed me to deliver these directly to you. You can decoct them yourself and take them on time.”
He paused: “Oh, right, remember to take them every other day. The imperial physician said your body has suffered significant depletion and needs proper nourishment.”
Nianyao’s hands suddenly felt heavy as Li Fuquan placed the medicines into them.
She was somewhat dazed; even if she had thought of other possibilities, she had never expected this.
Nianyao hesitated.
“This… this was ordered by the Crown Prince?”
Li Fuquan nodded, looking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“If not the Crown Prince, who else could summon Physician Zhao?”
Nianyao had heard of Physician Zhao’s reputation. He was the physician exclusively serving the Crown Prince, proficient in all areas, and a senior veteran of the Imperial Hospital.
Even when she was still a young lady of the Jiang family, she might not have been able to secure his services.
Nianyao’s gaze grew distant. She pursed her lips and stared fixedly at the items in her hands.
Heavier than a thousand pieces of gold.
Yet Nianyao knew her current physical condition was indeed far from good.
Even going a day without food could cause her to faint while walking.
These medicines were truly timely aid for her.
Nianyao accepted them without further hesitation.
She bowed slightly to Li Fuquan.
“Eunuch Li, please convey my thanks to the Crown Prince when the time comes.”
Li Fuquan deftly avoided her gesture.
Ridiculous. The Crown Prince’s actions clearly indicated he had taken a liking to this palace maid.
He would have to be tired of living to accept a bow from the Crown Prince’s woman.
Li Fuquan nodded slightly: “Rest assured, Miss Nianyao. I will definitely convey your gratitude.”
Nianyao pursed her lips and said nothing more.
She watched Li Fuquan’s retreating figure.
But the medicine packets tucked into her clothing felt inexplicably heavy.
So heavy she could hardly breathe.
Nianyao quickened her pace toward the Buddhist hall.
However, as soon as she pushed the door open and entered, she bumped into Xu Mo.
But Xu Mo only paused slightly in his movements, then walked straight toward the rear hall as if he hadn’t seen Nianyao.
Nianyao’s heart tightened. Only after he left did she let out a long sigh of relief.
She gently stepped into the Buddhist hall and quietly closed the door.
It carried a somewhat guilty conscience, like a thief.
She did not head to her own room but went directly to the small kitchen.
Pan’er, rubbing her sleepy eyes, was barely watching where she was going and almost bumped into Nianyao.
Nianyao quickly reached out to steady her.
“Hey, careful not to trip.”
It was just past the hour of Chen. Pan’er opened her eyes upon hearing Nianyao’s voice.
She was somewhat surprised: “What are you doing here?”
Nianyao took out the oiled paper from her bosom and pursed her lips: “This… this is medicine sent by someone from my hometown. They said I should brew a few doses to nourish my health.”
Pan’er looked at Nianyao’s pale face, then at her frail, willow-like figure.
She nodded in agreement: “Mm, I also think you should take some.”
Nianyao smiled and found a spot Pan’er wasn’t using: “Then, I’ll brew the medicine here. Will it disturb your work?”
Pan’er waved her hand with great boldness.
“No problem, no problem. Brew your medicine—it won’t take much time.”
Reassured by Pan’er’s promise, Nianyao relaxed.
Brewing the medicine would take over half an hour.
Warm by the stove, Nianyao, who hadn’t slept well all night, began nodding off as she fanned the flames.
Xu Mo entered and saw this scene.
He instinctively clenched his fist, ignored Nianyao, and walked over to Pan’er.
Seeing him, Pan’er said: “Hey, you’re here.”
She paused, looking at his hands: “Why did you bring a bowl?”
Xu Mo’s ears inexplicably flushed red.
He spoke coldly: “Just happened to have it.”
Even Nianyao, who had been dozing off moments before, couldn’t help but glance at him now.
After Xu Mo left, Pan’er covered her mouth and giggled.
Seeing Nianyao’s puzzled look, she tiptoed over and whispered:
“I saw him last night.”
Nianyao: ?
“Last night, I saw him tap on your window and leave a full bowl of food by it.”
Nianyao was stunned, her gaze instinctively drifting outside.
Xu Mo’s figure was already out of sight, but Nianyao inexplicably felt a warmth in her heart.
Pan’er sighed: “Xu Mo is all tough talk but a soft heart. Don’t take it to heart.”
Nianyao’s gaze softened: “I won’t.”
Even if she held grudges against anyone, she would never hold one against Xu Mo.
He…
had suffered far too much.
A trace of sorrow flickered in Nianyao’s eyes, leaving Pan’er suddenly flustered, unsure what she had said to stir such melancholy.
Nianyao snapped back to reality, sniffed, and carefully poked Pan’er. Hesitating slightly, she whispered:
“Pan’er, why do I smell something burning?”
She sprang up and rushed back to the stove, stirring the pot.
Pan’er turned around, looking at Nianyao with a crestfallen expression.
“Oh no, the porridge… it really burned…”
During breakfast, Xu Mo stared silently at the bowl of porridge with some black, unidentifiable bits in it.
He looked wordlessly at Pan’er.
Pan’er, deeply embarrassed, hid her face behind her bowl.
Xu Mo lowered his gaze, brought the bowl to his lips, and took a small sip.
…
It tasted awful.