Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

Xi Yueli was still suffering from the lingering effects of the poison and spent her days lying in bed reading reports.

When Helian Jing pushed open the door to enter, carrying the bowl of freshly brewed medicine, the twilight outside the window was pressing in from the west, dyeing the shoulder line of his moon-white long robe a warm, dark gold.

The half-mask made him look like the mild-mannered and taciturn Doctor Lian, yet there was also a sharpness in his eyes that shouldn't belong to a frail itinerant doctor.

Helian Jing walked to the edge of the couch and sat down. Unlike the previous two days, he did not properly place the medicine bowl on the low table and wait for her to reach for it. Instead, he directly held the bowl to her lips.

The rim of the bowl rested against her lower lip, and his thumb gently supported her chin, allowing her to tilt her head back slightly to drink from that angle.

Xi Yueli was taken aback by his gesture of supporting her chin. The document slipped off her lap, and she reached out to catch it, but his other hand caught the rolled-up document first and placed it aside.

As she lowered her head to drink the medicine, Helian Jing did not retract his hand. His thumb was still pressed against the curve of her chin, and his fingertip exerted slight force to keep her head tilted back at a position where she could drink it all in one gulp.

The medicine spilled out of the bowl and trickled down her lips. Just as she was about to raise her hand to wipe it, Helian Jing had already reached out with a handkerchief before she could.

But instead of wiping her lips, he pressed the handkerchief directly onto the water stain on her collar. He rubbed the small patch of fabric above her collarbone back and forth a couple of times, causing the collar of her nightgown to open slightly, revealing a section of her fair collarbone.

"Dr. Lian." Xi Yueli reached out and pressed his wrist, her voice lower than his by half an octave, the "you did this on purpose" in her tone almost overflowing. "I can do it myself."

When she pressed his wrist, Helian Jing tilted his head slightly, and the eyes revealed under half of the mask curved slightly, carrying a layer of deliberate tenderness.

"The Imperial Advisor's hands are still trembling, so let this humble one do it." His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the person who pushed open the door to hear the first sentence clearly.

That's when the door was pushed open.

Xiao Yanzhi stood at the door, holding a slender brocade box in his hand. His vermilion python robe was stained a somber dark red in the twilight.

He paused for a moment as he stepped through the door when he saw the scene by the edge of the couch. Xi Yueli was leaning against the back of the couch, her collar slightly open, and the doctor in the moon-white robe was bending down to adjust her clothes, his fingertips seemingly unintentionally brushing against the side of her neck.

Xiao Yanzhi's gaze lingered on the image for a couple of moments, then he placed the brocade box on the low table inside the threshold and bowed slightly.

"The Imperial Preceptor looks much better. I've come to deliver some ginseng and deer antler tonics from the south, which I've heard are beneficial for those recovering from serious illnesses."

Xi Yueli reached out and pushed away Helian Jing's hand that was adjusting her clothes, but the force of the push carried the embarrassment of being caught, and the tips of her ears were already flushed in the twilight.

She sat up straighter, adjusted her collar, and looked up at Xiao Yanzhi: "You're too kind, Envoy Xiao. I'm already mostly recovered, so there's no need for you to worry."

Xiao Yanzhi stood three steps inside the threshold, his gaze shifting from Xi Yueli's flushed ears to the doctor by the bed who was slowly folding a handkerchief.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the doctor's face, above his eyebrows. He seemed to have seen that high, sharp brow bone somewhere before, but he couldn't quite remember.

Xiao Yanzhi withdrew his gaze and focused it back on Xi Yueli's face. "The physician beside the Imperial Advisor... takes very good care of her."

Helian Jing tucked the handkerchief into his sleeve. His frail posture deliberately softened the sharp angles of his frame, and the hem of his moon-white robe swayed slightly as he bowed his head and clasped his hands.

His voice was gentle and composed, exactly the same as when he entered the city through the west gate: "My surname is Lian, and I am a traveling doctor from the south. The Imperial Preceptor's illness still requires some time to recuperate, so I will stay a few more days."

He glanced at Xiao Yanzhi's face out of the corner of his eye. The light in those eyes, hidden beneath half a mask, had lost all its sharpness, leaving only a gentle, harmless, and respectful demeanor befitting a traveling doctor.

Xiao Yanzhi looked at him, a slight smile curving his lips. He then shifted his gaze from Helian Jing back to Xi Yueli's face.

"Grand Preceptor, I have another matter to discuss today. Please dismiss everyone else."

Xi Yueli raised an eyebrow and looked at Helian Jing, only to see him suppress his anger for a moment, lower his head and bow his hands obediently, "This humble subject will come to deliver medicine to the Imperial Preceptor later."

After the physician left, Xiao Yanzhi took a few steps closer to the Grand Preceptor's bed and whispered, "The Empress sent two urgent secret letters urging me to postpone my return to the capital, saying that the affairs of the Great Ying court are very busy and that we should discuss it again after winter."

He paused, looking into Xi Yueli's eyes, "The Grand Preceptor should know that the longer she keeps me occupied, the longer the threads she's laying in the shadows of Beishuo will be. The Grand Preceptor should be aware of this."

Xi Yueli leaned back against the couch, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. She understood Xiao Yanzhi's meaning: an envoy detained in another country, whose return was not in her hands, should be asked not to take her anger out on him.

"I understand. Envoy Xiao, please be careful in Beishuo."

Xiao Yanzhi looked at her, took half a step back, cupped his hands in greeting, and then turned to walk out. When he reached the door, he turned his head slightly, his gaze lingering on Helian Jing for less than a moment before he looked away and stepped across the threshold.

The door closed behind him, and the side hall fell silent again, the twilight bathing the window paper in a gentle orange-gold hue.

Helian Jing appeared outside the window, his frail figure leaning against the windowsill as he looked over from the outside.

"The Imperial Advisor just said 'be careful,'" he began, a hint of bitterness tinged by her concern. "It sounded quite heartbreaking."

Xi Yueli glanced at him, the thin blush on her ear tips not yet completely faded, but her lips hardened before her face: "He is an envoy of Da Ying. If something happens to him, it will be more troublesome for me in the royal court."

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized how harsh her words were. She turned her head away from him and reached for the roll of border affairs documents that were placed to the side.

Helian Jing climbed in through the window, bent down to pick up the scroll of documents and placed it on a more distant corner of the table. Then he sat down again on the edge of the couch and reached out to feel her wrist for pulse.

When he took her pulse, his fingertips lingered on the inside of her wrist for a couple of breaths. He then withdrew his hand and picked up the empty medicine bowl from the low table, setting it aside.

"You haven't had your acupuncture today yet," he said, the deliberate tone less pronounced than when he entered the hall, revealing a stubborn and self-righteous demeanor beneath, "This humble subject does not rely on others."

Xi Yueli looked at him. Twilight shone through the window paper and fell on his half-mask, illuminating the part above his eyebrows and eyes clearly. She readily offered her wrist and leaned down a little.

He took her wrist and twisted the needle more slowly than the previous two days, as if deliberately prolonging the duration of each movement.

Xi Yueli was unable to move because of the acupuncture points being pricked by silver needles, and could only watch his profile as he bent down and twisted the needles.

As the third needle was inserted, she spoke up: "Dr. Lian, you did that on purpose when you were feeding me the medicine just now."

Helian Jing's hands, still twisting the needle, continued, and his voice came from above, "What did I do on purpose? He carried you into the tent, and I only wiped your collar; that was already very magnanimous."

Xi Yueli was speechless at his words. She wanted to say something in rebuttal, but the force of the silver needle piercing the Fengchi acupoint blocked her breath just right. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, finally turning her head to look at the darkening sky outside the window.

The aroma of herbs seeped in from the cracks in the window of the side courtyard, mingling with the dry, cold air of the winter night.

The lights in the Imperial Preceptor's bedroom were on. Liu San Niang, who was on night duty in the corridor, had moved the shift changers a short distance away. The entire area around the bedroom was so quiet that only the occasional sound of the wind chimes on the eaves could be heard.

The rumors that the king spread were slowly fermenting in the teahouses and taverns of Shuojing City.

—"The Imperial Advisor left behind a doctor of unknown origin, who stayed by his side day and night."