Under Ye Wan'er's surprised and relieved gaze, the white-robed tyrant and Senior Sister Suixing entered the inner room for a consultation, with his attendant guarding the door.
The inner room was separated from the main hall only by a curtain and a screen.
After Suixing asked him to sit down, she went to the backyard to fetch a basin of well water to wash her face, not avoiding the white-robed young master. It was only when she was wiping her face with a cloth that she realized the white-robed young master had been staring at her… at her waist.
Before she could speak, the white-robed young master's eyes moved back to her face, and he said indifferently, "My apologies."
Suixing, having dried her hands, came over, her eyes curving slightly, "Since Young Master feels he has wronged me, may I make a request?"
"Speak."
"Spare my junior sisters. It was I who instructed them before I left that if anyone came, they must wait for my return. They did not intentionally disrespect Young Master."
…
Rong Huai met her gaze.
If his ministers saw this scene, they would likely suspect that Rong Huai had been replaced—he was the only one who held the power of life and death over others; no one was worthy of negotiating with him.
Rong Huai was the seventeenth son of the late emperor. Because his birth mother committed a crime that implicated her entire family, he, too, was disliked by the late emperor and was raised in a Taoist temple outside the palace.
When he returned to the capital at seventeen, the first thing he did was clear his birth mother's name, and everyone associated with the case met a bad end.
This son was ruthless and cold-hearted. If it weren't for the poison he carried from birth, and the imperial physicians' diagnosis that he wouldn't live past thirty, the other princes would never have given him an opportunity, leading to their eventual deaths or incapacitation.
His dragon throne rested upon piles of white bones and rivers of blood. He was unpredictable, his imperial will as deep as an abyss, and he wielded thunderous methods, making the ministers qualified to stand in the Golden Hall seem like puppets.
No one dared to speak to him like this, and there were even very few who dared to look him directly in the eye.
But the young woman in green before him seemed not to notice the scent of death on him. Her clear, clean eyes were full of gentle kindness, fused with specks of starlight; even the most wicked evil in the world could be melted by her.
"Granted."
Rong Huai gazed deeply at her, slowly extending his wrist.
Soon after, those two slender, pale fingers reached out to take his pulse.
Suixing pondered for a moment, then said, "The poison in your body has been there for many years, and you have tried many remedies, but they only treat the symptoms, not the root cause—it's quite tricky. Some of the necessary herbs are not available in the capital; I'm afraid I'll have to return to Divine Healer Valley to find Junior Uncle."
…
Suixing: "Junior Uncle is that Divine Healer Mei Ruxue."
She withdrew her hand, and Rong Huai subconsciously grabbed those two fingers, causing Suixing to blink.
He lowered his brows and said nothing, nor did he release her hand.
Suixing was not angry; instead, she gently comforted him, "Don't worry, I can cure this poison. If you don't believe me, I can take the same poison; if you die, I die; if you live, I live."
Rong Huai suddenly looked up.
"…Why?" His voice was hoarse.
"I know that distinguished people like you always retain a degree of suspicion when dealing with others, which often prevents you from fully disclosing your symptoms. This is not conducive to my treatment." Suixing smiled, as if taking poison herself was no difficult feat. "Once I've taken the same poison as you, you will surely trust me a little more, which will aid in detoxification."
Rong Huai involuntarily tightened his grip on her hand, his dark eyes fixed on her face, "Are you this… kind to everyone?"
Suixing's voice was gentle, and she didn't mind her hand being gripped tightly: "Healing the sick and saving lives is a matter of course, and it is the very purpose of a medical hall. So, it's still the same request: please, distinguished sir, show mercy and do not destroy the medical hall. I am confident I can cure you."
"Good."
A flicker of light suddenly appeared in Rong Huai's lifeless black eyes: "Come with me, and I won't destroy the medical hall."
It was undeniable that for a moment, his heart pounded, fearing her refusal and that he might do something irreversible.
There were few people in the world as noble and kind as her. He didn't want to stain her clothes or cause her eyes to show resentment or fear towards him.
He wanted her to be willing.
Suixing nodded, "Since I am to cure your poison, I should naturally stay by your side to observe you daily. Please wait a moment, distinguished sir; I need to give some instructions to my junior sisters. Some of the herbs we just gathered are quite rare and require special preservation methods."
Rong Huai nodded.
Suixing pointed to his hand, "Please release me first."
… Rong Huai slowly loosened his grip, looking somewhat reluctant.
Rong Huai did not remain seated. As soon as Suixing stood up, he also rose, staying almost glued to her side.
He noticed a few finger marks on Suixing's slender, pale wrist, yet her smile remained, as if she wasn't the one in pain.
She even noticed his gaze and pulled her sleeve to cover them.
Was she afraid he would feel guilty? Rong Huai's eyes deepened.
…Yet, he was the one who started it all.
In the main hall, the female disciples pretended to be busy with their own tasks, but their eyes occasionally darted towards the inner room, worried about their Senior Sister.
Senior Sister's medical skills were exceptional, she was kind-hearted, and she possessed a beautiful appearance. Even some distinguished patients who developed feelings for her would remain cheerful after being rejected, as if merely speaking a few words with her was an honor, leaving her junior sisters wide-eyed and filled with even greater admiration for her.
Seeing their Senior Sister emerge with her clothes neat and tidy, all the sisters breathed a sigh of relief and then rushed forward, surrounding her and chattering excitedly.
"Senior Sister, why didn't you take me with you to gather herbs this morning? Wuwu, if only I hadn't slept in so late."
"I want to gather herbs too, Senior Sister, will you take me next time? I can help you carry the bamboo basket!"
"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, I've mixed up a few pharmacological principles, how can I remember them better? Senior Sister, please give me some guidance—"
With so many voices, Suixing still managed to clearly hear and answer each of their questions, showing how well she treated this group of sisters on a daily basis.
For anything they truly didn't understand, she could even directly cite the exact page in a medical book for them to look up.
Rong Huai watched her silently from behind, an almost imperceptible possessiveness slowly gathering in his eyes.
The guard shivered. Whenever his master had that expression, it meant someone was about to die…
"I'll be leaving the medical hall for a few days." As soon as Suixing said this, the female disciples' faces all turned pale: "Why!"
"Where are you going, Senior Sister! What will I do without you, wuwu, Master will scold me to death!"
Suixing's gentle eyes turned to Ye Wan'er, who looked upset behind the counter: "Second Senior Sister is here too; you can ask her if you don't understand anything."
The female disciples looked doubtful.
One of them said directly, "Second Senior Sister herself can't even memorize a few medical books; I'm better than her."
Ye Wan'er's face alternated between white and green, and her hand, pounding herbs, trembled with effort.
In her previous life, in front of Rong Huai, these sisters would have been eager to say good things about her to gain Rong Huai's favor. In this life, seeing Suixing cling to Rong Huai, they insulted her like this! This was simply…
"Nonsense, Wan'er knows no less than I do." Suixing's brow furrowed slightly. "I'll punish you by making you copy the rules three times."
The female disciple hugged her arm and swayed gently, "Copy, then! Senior Sister, don't be angry with me, I know I was wrong."
The sisters, affectionate and reluctant to let Suixing go, only released her to board Rong Huai's carriage after much persuasion.
Ye Wan'er watched the carriage disappear into the distance, her two hands clutching a handkerchief, almost tearing it to shreds.
It was a pity that Suixing, that fool, could still smile. She had no idea how terrifying a person Rong Huai was! Thinking of Suixing enduring the same suffering she had in her previous life, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Ye Wan'er's eyes.
But then, thinking of the dark guard brother she was going to rescue, Ye Wan'er felt a pang of sorrow and sighed.
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