Leng Yue’er supported Pei Qingmin as they walked slowly along the paths of the princess’s residence. After turning a corner, she came to a stop and lifted her shoulders slightly, signaling that it was time for him to stand on his own.
Pei Qingmin let out a soft cough, placing his hand on Minghai’s arm, who had long been prepared to support him. His expression was somewhat listless as he straightened up a little. Whatever he had originally intended to say, he no longer felt like saying anything. He knew she had just laughed on purpose.
“Master, are we returning to the Prince’s residence?” Minghai asked in a low voice.
“Not yet,” Pei Qingmin replied, glancing at the sky. It was still early.
“Let’s go to Huaji Hall.”
Lately, although his health had improved significantly, he had not visited there in some time.
“Master, it would be better to return earlier. Your body may not be able to handle it. You’ve already been out for half the day,” Minghai objected.
“I’m fine. Isn’t Shadow Guard Leng with us?” He glanced back. Leng Yue’er was following at a distance of three steps, looking completely proper and serious.
“Yes,” Minghai could only agree.
Pei Qingmin first went to bid farewell to Princess Changyu, then left the residence and boarded the carriage. Before Leng Yue’er could slip away into the shadows, he called her back.
“Shadow Guard Leng should stay in the carriage.”
If she went outside, she might wander off again just to watch some excitement. It was safer to keep her nearby.
“Alright,” Leng Yue’er agreed readily. There was no excitement to watch anyway, and she did not feel like walking either.
Huaji Hall was located on a bustling street. It was a large pharmacy with a row of physicians seated for consultations. There were four or five doctors in total, and many patients were waiting in line. Business was clearly thriving.
“This is the Prince’s pharmacy. It’s quite big,” Leng Yue’er said as she jumped down from the carriage and then reached out to support him as he stepped down, praising it sincerely.
“It’s alright,” he replied casually.
A group entered the pharmacy, and immediately several gazes turned toward them. When people recognized who had arrived, the waiting crowd stirred slightly, especially the young women.
However, under the staff’s control, the commotion quickly settled. The crowd reorganized into a long orderly queue near the counter seats. At first, Leng Yue’er did not understand what was happening, but when Pei Qingmin changed into a plain blue robe and came out to sit as a physician, she understood.
It turned out that the seemingly useless Prince Wei in her eyes was not entirely without worth.
“If you’re bored, you can go to the room in the back. There are some medical texts there. You can read them freely,” Pei Qingmin said after noticing her wandering around the hall.
“Mm,” Leng Yue’er hummed in response and went to the back without hesitation.
The attendant beside her quickly glanced at her dark guard uniform and felt that she held a somewhat special place in the prince’s eyes.
In the back room, she saw a row of bookshelves filled with medical texts. She casually pulled out a book and leaned against a soft couch, reading with great interest.
As a killer, she had long become numb to killing. Her only two interests were watching excitement and reading medical or toxicology texts.
Somewhere in the room, someone had lit a stick of incense. It was faint, mixed with a medicinal scent. She could tell at a sniff that it was meant to refresh the mind. She flipped through page after page.
When she changed to another book, Pei Qingmin entered with slightly weary steps. His face looked a little pale. He sat down beside her on the couch and leaned his body against her shoulder very naturally, very casually.
Leng Yue’er glanced sideways at him. Seeing that he had already closed his eyes, she said nothing and allowed him to lean there while continuing to read. Only her page turning became noticeably lighter.
A short while later, Minghai and a servant entered carrying food boxes.
Seeing the prince resting against Leng Yue’er’s shoulder, Minghai felt a pang of concern. In his heart, he could not help but think she lacked proper awareness as a subordinate, not offering the couch or making the prince more comfortable.
They quietly set the dishes on the table and softly called out.
“Master, it is time to eat.”
At that reminder, Leng Yue’er suddenly felt hungry.
Before Minghai could call again, her shoulders shifted.
“Hey, hey, Shadow Guard Leng, be careful, slow down… don’t let the master fall,” Minghai said anxiously.
“There’s a saying: if you don’t take eating seriously, there’s something wrong with your mindset,” she replied.
Pei Qingmin sat up then. In truth, he had not been asleep at all, only resting lightly. He had assumed she would reject his lean, but she had not reacted at all. A faint, indescribable feeling rose in his chest, something steady and reassuring.
“Let’s eat,” Leng Yue’er said as she stood up, walked to the wash basin, wrung out a towel, and threw it to him. Then she washed her own hands and went straight to the table.
Her movements were smooth and effortless.
Minghai could only glare helplessly. Pei Qingmin, however, simply smiled faintly, unbothered, picked up the towel, wiped his hands, and joined her at the table.
It was a warm and harmonious scene. Afternoon sunlight spilled across the table, scattering through their fingers and onto the food.
Time passed silently.
After recovering from his illness, Pei Qingmin had visited the palace once to pay his respects to the emperor before returning quickly to the Prince’s residence. He had not visited Consort Zhu Jing.
Thus came these verses:
The silent assassin accompanies the sick nobleman,
Leisurely moments share a quiet light.
The prince enters the clinic to practice benevolence,
While I read ancient prescriptions and fragments.
No words needed, yet understanding grows,
One cold, one warm, both naturally in harmony.
Day after day, whenever he came out to the clinic, she followed to read medical texts. Many of these contained prescriptions and poisons she had never seen before, and they were highly beneficial to her.
Gradually, she found herself no longer interested in the chaotic intrigues of noble households. It saved her a great deal of trouble.
One day, Leng Yue’er was again lazily reclining on the couch, reading books, drinking tea, and eating delicate pastries. Before she knew it, another day had passed.
Creeeeak!
The door opened. Pei Qingmin entered first. She glanced at him briefly, did not stand, did not greet him, and said nothing. Her eyes returned to the medical text.
“Fourth Miss Qu, please take a seat,” the prince said.
Only then did Leng Yue’er look up. A figure wearing a veil hat sat down, Qu Moying.
Why was she here? This did not seem to appear in the book. Perhaps she had skimmed past it, or perhaps…
At first, Qu Moying did not notice anyone else in the room. After sitting down, her gaze swept across the space. There were many books, and on the couch were two people who met her gaze.
Pei Qingmin followed her line of sight and saw Leng Yue’er looking over with a slightly puzzled expression.
A servant brought tea. Just as he was about to leave, Leng Yue’er suddenly spoke.
“The tea is cold. Change it.”
The servant quickly replaced it without hesitation.
Qu Moying looked at Leng Yue’er, then at Pei Qingmin.
“She is this king’s shadow guard,” Pei Qingmin said simply.
He leaned back slightly, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. His gentle expression inexplicably made Leng Yue’er feel a faint irritation.
“Fourth Miss Qu, there is no need to wear the veil here. It seems disrespectful.”
“My eyes are not yet fully healed. I must avoid too much light.”
“Then close the windows,” Pei Qingmin said, already gesturing for someone to do so.
“There is no need, Your Highness. It would be inconvenient.”
Qu Moying glanced at Leng Yue’er, who had been watching her the entire time. She was now almost certain this female shadow guard was the person she had sensed that day, the one with extraordinary lightness skill.
So she was his subordinate. It seemed she could not underestimate Prince Wei.
“Ha…” Leng Yue’er suddenly laughed.
Her smile was bright, her peach blossom eyes shimmering like spring water, her dimples faintly visible behind the book.
That smile made Pei Qingmin feel a chill run down his spine.
Qu Moying straightened slightly.
What was this supposed to be? A performance delivered right to her door. Then she might as well join in and play a guest role.