With her deceased husband as her dowry, would Your Highness dare to marry her?

The Yan Emperor was playing chess with Lin Ci.

On the sandalwood chessboard, the black pieces resemble ink dragons, while the white pieces are like shattered jade, locked in a fierce battle.

Emperor Yan held a black chess piece in his hand, his hand hovering in the air for a long time. Just as he was about to place the piece, he withdrew it. He stared at the chessboard for a while, finally shaking his head and smiling bitterly, before tossing the black piece back into the chess jar.

"Ghost Hand's apprentice is not only skilled in medicine, but also incredibly adept at chess. I have lost."

Lin Ci smiled and lowered her eyes to pick up the remaining pieces from the chessboard one by one and put them back into the jar, saying, "If His Majesty hadn't left some room for maneuver, how could I have won even a single point?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Yan burst into laughter, but before his laughter subsided, he coughed again.

Lin Ci's hand paused. She quickly put down the chess piece, walked around the chessboard and sat down next to the Yan Emperor. She gently pressed two fingers on the Feishu acupoint on his back, applying just the right amount of pressure, and slowly massaged it.

Emperor Yan coughed and waved his hand, "It's nothing, I just choked."

Lin Ci didn't reply, but instead brought over a teacup from a warm plate. Inside the cup was ginger soup she had brewed, mixed with brown sugar and dried tangerine peel, steaming hot.

"Your Majesty, please drink it while it's hot."

Emperor Yan raised his hand to take it, his fingertips accidentally brushing against the back of her hand. He paused for a moment, then took the teacup, lowered his eyes, and took a sip.

"I apologize for my rudeness." He was slightly embarrassed, and his tone was somewhat awkward.

Lin Ci didn't seem to think anything of it. She took the empty cup from the Emperor and placed it back in the warming dish, bowing slightly as she said, "Your Majesty's pulse is weak and rapid, and the coldness is still lingering in your skin. Did Your Majesty miss a dose of the medicine I prescribed?"

Emperor Yan was slightly taken aback, then lowered his head and smiled, "Nothing can be hidden from you."

At this moment, Eunuch Gao bowed and entered, taking small steps to stand before Emperor Yan, and said with his head bowed, "Your Majesty, Prince Jing'an requests an audience."

"Prince Jing'an?" Emperor Yan frowned, seemingly puzzled. "Didn't he ask for leave due to illness?"

"This..." Eunuch Gao glanced at Lin Ci, then lowered his head further. "Prince Jing'an said he has urgent business to report."

Emperor Yan's gaze shifted to Lin Ci's face, and he suddenly understood. He relaxed his brows, raised his hand, and said with a smile, "Let him in."

"Yes, sir." Eunuch Gao lowered his head and quietly withdrew.

A short while later, Pei Jinxuan arrived.

His face was deathly pale, and he coughed a few times after taking a few steps. His steps were much heavier than usual, but his back remained straight, and even though he was sick, he did not show the slightest sign of dejection. As soon as he stood in the hall, his gaze unconsciously swept towards the curtain. Through the gauze curtain, he could only see two blurry figures, one sitting and one standing, very close together.

Lin Ci frowned upon hearing his cough. The Yan Emperor was already in poor health and easily susceptible to illness, so she got up and deliberately lowered the curtain again, separating Pei Jinxuan on the other side.

When Pei Jinxuan looked up, the curtain had already fallen.

Behind the curtain, shadows flickered, revealing Lin Ci and the Yan Emperor's figures overlapping.

He felt a pang in his heart, uncomfortable but unable to express it, so he could only purse his lips.

He lowered his eyes, bowed, and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

"Wasn't Prince Jing'an ill? Why is he here again? Is there something you're worried about?" The Emperor Yan's voice came from behind the curtain, tinged with a hint of sarcasm.

Pei Jinxuan was already suffering from a headache and fever, and upon hearing this, his face also flushed.

His gaze lingered on another figure behind the curtain for a moment, then he said in a low voice, "It's nothing serious, just a chill from last night. I heard that Your Majesty is unwell, so I came to check on you."

"With Physician Lin here, I need not worry about my health."

Behind the curtain, Emperor Yan turned his head to look at Lin Ci, the deep meaning in his eyes self-evident.

He admired this aloof woman, her superb medical skills, her insightful personality, and how talking to her was like a gentle breeze. This admiration, if kept in his heart for too long, could easily turn into something else entirely.

Lin Ci understood the meaning in that gaze, but she simply nodded and smiled, saying, "It is my duty to share Your Majesty's burdens. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and is naturally blessed by Heaven. If you take your medicine on time, you will surely recover faster."

"Take your medicine on time?" Pei Jinxuan frowned. "Your Highness forgot to take your medicine? This is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly."

The Emperor of Yan laughed and said, "It's not that I forgot, it's just a little late. I just received the memorial from the north this morning, and then Minister Zhao of the Censorate chatted with me for more than an hour."

As he spoke, he sighed, and this sigh triggered another series of coughs. This time it wasn't choking, it was a real cough, one after another, that he couldn't suppress.

Lin Ci placed one hand on his tiger's mouth and the other on his back. The two were so close that, when viewed through the curtain, their figures almost blended into one.

Pei Jinxuan saw it, and the corners of his mouth turned up even higher.

Suddenly, he realized that Judge Xu was not entirely without merit. If the old man could learn even a little bit of Lin Ci's skills, then Lin Ci wouldn't have to stay in the palace every day, never leaving home.

He made up his mind that next time he went to Cheng'an Hall, he would have Lin Ci teach Judge Xu a good lesson.

"Prince Jing'an." The Yan Emperor's voice brought him back to reality.

Pei Jinxuan quickly cupped his hands in greeting, "Your subject is here."

"I heard you posted something recently?"

The Emperor of Yan asked the question as if it were just a casual remark.

Pei Jinxuan, however, became serious, and even his voice deepened, "I was just about to tell my brother."

"Is that so?" The Emperor Yan's smile faded, and his expression gradually turned serious. He nodded to Lin Ci. Lin Ci immediately understood and quickly rose to take her leave.

A palace maid lifted the curtain, and Lin Ci emerged from behind it. Today, she was not dressed in men's clothing, but instead wore a moon-white brocade jacket with a dark floral pattern, and a dark blue skirt that trailed on the ground. She wore only a plain silver hairpin in her hair, which trembled slightly as she walked, adding an indescribable gentleness to her cool demeanor.

Pei Jinxuan smiled at her, her peach blossom eyes crinkling.

Two coughs suddenly came from behind the curtain. He snapped back to reality, realized his rudeness, quickly lowered his head, and took two steps forward.

The onlookers dispersed one by one, leaving only Emperor Yan and Pei Jinxuan in the hall.

Lin Ci left the hall and stepped outside. The corridor was cool, and she tucked her hands into her sleeves. She had already guessed most of what was going on; the two must be discussing the Prince of Liang.

Just then, Consort Chang walked over. In just a few days, her complexion had improved considerably. Her begonia-red palace dress made her skin appear even more radiant than snow, and the pearls and jade ornaments on her hairpins swayed gently with her steps. She was so beautiful that she seemed to have stepped out of a painting, outshining even the plum trees under the corridor.

Lin Ci was momentarily dazzled by her radiance. After regaining her composure, she quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine."

Consort Chang's gaze fell on Lin Ci, scrutinizing her carefully before she smiled and said, "So it's Physician Lin. This is the first time I've seen you dressed as a woman; I almost didn't recognize you."

Lin Ci raised her head and smiled, "Your Majesty is too kind. I haven't seen Your Majesty for several days and I've noticed that Your Majesty has changed."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Consort Chang subconsciously raised her hand, her fingertips lightly touching her cheek. "What has changed?"

"You've become more beautiful," Lin Ci admitted. "Your Majesty's complexion is different from before; your face is as rosy as a peach blossom. It must be because you're in high spirits after such a happy occasion."

Consort Chang smiled, her eyes sparkling with girlish charm.

"It's Physician Lin's prescription that's so good." As she spoke, her gaze fell on the plain silver hairpin in Lin Ci's hair. "This hairpin is quite exquisite. Was it a gift from His Majesty?"

"Oh, this was a gift from Princess Yongle." As she spoke, Lin Ci glanced at the palace gate and said, "His Majesty is currently in a meeting."

"Oh dear, I've come at an inopportune time." Consort Chang glanced towards the palace gate, following her words. "His Majesty's meeting is scheduled for some time. I'll come back later."

As she spoke, she bowed.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Lin Ci kindly added, "Your Highness, would you like me to take your pulse again? Let me see if the prescription needs to be changed."

"No need for you to worry, I've been doing well these past few days."

After Consort Chang finished speaking, she left. Her figure turned the corner of the corridor and disappeared in a flash, as if she was afraid of being caught by something.

Lin Ci was a meticulous person and felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, so she followed them.