Thirty-two
You Shu had been recuperating in the villa for many days, but Xiao Weixin never let him go back. He was a person who could not sit still. The arrow wound did not actually cause him much harm. He felt that he had fully recovered in just over half a month. The scar on the wound would not split again as long as there was no big movement. He just needed to let it heal slowly on its own. There was no need to be so careful.
As the moon gradually rose higher in the evening and the night was quiet, You Shu's small courtyard became lively.
Because he never went back, the brothers in the Shadow Guard Camp were somewhat concerned about him and came to visit him secretly under the moonlight. They all knew that he had made great contributions in protecting the prince this time, but it was rare for the prince to value him so much, and they had never seen the prince treat other shadow guards so specially.
Ying Si also brought fruit wine and peanuts. He was two years older than You Shu, but more lively and playful. He was good at eating, drinking and having fun. He carried a jar of wine and sneaked into the room at night, knocking on the window outside with Ying Wu and Ying Liu.
You Shu was sleeping in the house when he heard a familiar knock outside the window. He recognized it as a secret code commonly used by the Shadow Guard Camp, so he quickly got up and opened the window. Shadow Four and his men slid in like loaches.
It was a chilly night in early spring, and the three of them came in feeling cold. You Shu quickly turned around and closed the window, then carefully lit the candle in the glass lamp on the table. The originally dark room was instantly filled with dim light.
Ying Si turned around and looked around You Shu's bedroom where he was recuperating, and said enviously, "This house is so big, it's like half a master's."
"The prince is really special to you."
You Shu scratched his head. Even though he was used to his expressionless face, he could still see a little embarrassment in the dim light: "Maybe it's because I saved him, Your Majesty."
"Forget it now." Ying Wu rolled his eyes. "Which of us hasn't been through life and death in the killing field? Isn't the purpose of Master Ying Shou training us to protect the prince?"
"If we only talk about this, why don't our brothers here have this treatment?"
Ying Liu nodded hurriedly, "That's right."
You Shu was almost flattered by them, but then he remembered that he had been spoiled a while ago and said in a low voice: "Don't talk nonsense, I will go back sooner or later."
Ying Si sat under the lamp, peeling peanuts and throwing them into his mouth. Suddenly, he said, "Speaking of which, Master Ying Shou recently asked me to follow Master Li from the Ministry of Personnel? You must not know his shocking secret!"
Ying Si is the most gossipy and well-informed person in the Shadow Guard Camp. He would occasionally share what he had found out with You Shu and the others, and would only talk about harmless things as long as they did not involve leaking secrets.
"What secret?" Seeing his expression, You Shu couldn't help but feel curious.
Ying Si finished chewing the peanuts and continued, "That Lord Li, he looks like a gentleman but he is ruthless in public, but it turns out he is a pervert in private! Those girls in his house who are a little bit pretty can't escape, I think he is not as good as Prime Minister Xia's son, at least he is not hypocritical."
"It is said that he got several maids pregnant, but he was afraid of his wife's family." Ying Si said, "Aren't his wife and the prime minister's wife sisters?"
"In order to prevent those maids from causing trouble and bringing trouble to the Madam, he secretly had them strangled to death and thrown into the abandoned well in the backyard. When I was hiding in their house, I felt my hair stand on end and there was a chilly wind when I passed by the backyard. I always felt like something was crawling out of the well."
Ying Liu said with disdain, "If you ask me, this kind of person is entangled in karma, and sooner or later something bad will happen. Didn't the storybook say it all? Justice is clear."
You Shu thought of this passage in the original book. Li Liang was the Minister of Personnel, and was a brother-in-law of Prime Minister Xia. They were in cahoots with each other, but he was a hypocrite, always pretending to be very serious. He seemed to be impartial and incorruptible, but in fact, he was no better than Xia Huaizhang in doing dirty things. Ying Si was right. In a sense, he might not be as real as Xia Huaizhang.
He is also the right-hand man of Prime Minister Xia. If he can be eliminated, it will be a serious blow to Prime Minister Xia's party. However, it is very difficult to get rid of him.
The four of them drank together under the lamp. You Shu was injured and shouldn't have drunk alcohol, but Hua Chun had been keeping a close eye on him during the days since his injury. The smell of alcohol inevitably aroused his appetite, so he secretly drank a few glasses, thinking it shouldn't be a big deal.
While he was drinking happily here, Xiao Weixin tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. He didn't know if it was because he slept too much during the day and was more energetic at night, but he couldn't lie down peacefully. After being irritated for a while, he simply got up, dressed, and went out. The maid who was guarding outside the house was about to get up, but was sent away by his cold words.
Wrapping up his cloak, Xiao Weixin walked out of the yard alone in the moonlight. Ying Shi, who was lying on the roof, looked at Ying Ba in confusion: "Brother Ba, shall we follow?"
"Need I say more?" Ying Ba picked him up, and the two of them followed behind him silently like ghosts, protecting him at all times.
Xiao Weixin was walking in the yard, looking at the yard illuminated by the moonlight. When he walked to the bridge, he stopped and looked down at the koi swimming in the pond. Somehow, he suddenly thought of the face of the little shadow guard.
It's really a demon...
Xiao Weixin held his forehead helplessly. He felt like a madman now. He could think of the little shadow guard's face anytime and anywhere.
When eating, he is in the soup; when sleeping, he is in the bed curtains; when reading, he is in the ink.
At all times and everywhere.
Whenever he has free time, he'll always be in front of me and I can't get rid of him.
Xiao Weixin raised his hand and pressed his chest, which was still beating irregularly. It was always like this these days whenever he thought of him.
Why
"Your Majesty?"
Hua Chun held the lamp and looked at the person who was still awake at night and was staring at the pool in surprise. He walked over quickly and asked, "Why are you here alone?"
Xiao Weixin looked back at her but didn't say anything, just continued to stare at the pond. Huachun came forward a few steps. She had just fallen asleep when she heard the maid come to report that the prince had gone out alone late at night. Huachun, who had been diligently taking care of his daily life, was worried, so she simply put on her clothes and went to look for him with a lantern.
"Your Highness, it's still chilly in spring, we should go back." Hua Chun stuffed the hand warmer she brought into his hands and respectfully took two steps back. She lowered her head to look at the water surface that was gleaming with silver waves in the night, but she really didn't understand what there was to see.
Xiao Weixin held the stove and pondered for a long time, then suddenly asked in a low voice: "You are a female doctor. If I am ill, can you help me solve my problem?"
"What?" Hua Chun was shocked and hurried forward to feel his pulse. She carefully took care of his body every day and never stopped over the years, so how could she not know that he was ill
Xiao Weixin obediently handed over his wrist. Hua Chun carefully checked his pulse through a thin layer of inner clothing. "The pulse is strong and firm, doesn't seem to be a problem?"
"No." Xiao Weixin said seriously, "It jumps very fast."
Hua Chun was a little confused: "It is indeed a little fast, but it won't cause any problems."
"Where exactly is the prince feeling unwell?"
Xiao Weixin hesitated for a while, raised his hand and tapped his heart, frowning: "Hua Chun, I have no one to ask."
"I've been thinking about someone all the time lately. He always disturbs me and pops up from time to time. I've never been so confused in all these years."
"I feel happy when I see him, and I can't sleep day or night when I don't see him."
“My heart beats faster when I think of him.”
"Tell me, why is this?"
Hua Chun was stunned after hearing his words and stared at her prince's face for a long time without reacting.
Is this really their dull, cold and self-contained prince
Look at his bewildered face. How is he different from a young boy who is just beginning to fall in love but is unaware of it
Although Hua Chun was so shocked that she couldn't take care of herself, she still had to pretend to be calm on the surface. After all, if she laughed out loud now, the prince, who wanted to save face, would fine her salary.
"Your Highness, this is indeed a disease." Hua Chun said softly, "Have you ever heard of 'lovesickness'?"
Xiao Weixin's heart beat violently, his eyes flickered, he pursed his lips and then asked, "Why?"
"There is no solution." Hua Chun sighed, "If Your Majesty wants to cure this disease, seeking medical advice will not yield any results. What our ancestors have been unable to solve for thousands of years, I, a mere female doctor, cannot possibly solve."
"However, if the prince really wants to see me, then go ahead and see me." Hua Chun had accompanied him for nearly ten years and witnessed the pain and loneliness of his life. Deep down in her heart, she hoped that he could be happier, even if it was only for a moment. "If there is no cure, then we can only follow his heart."
Xiao Weixin looked down at the pond and pondered for a while, "So, I really do... "
He stood on the bridge for a while, looking at the waves reflected on the water. A gust of night wind blew by, and he suddenly had an idea, and the last bit of entanglement was resolved.
"Come with me to take a look." Xiao Weixin turned around, "You may want to see it first."
Hua Chun actually had a vague premonition. She had only seen him be so special to one person. If her guess was correct, it must be...
The two of them walked towards the side courtyard under the moonlight. Xiao Weixin's steps were a little excited along the way, as if he was a silly boy who was secretly going to see his sweetheart under the cover of night.
You Shu was completely unaware of this and was still drinking with Ying Si and the others. He couldn't remember how many glasses he had drunk, but he had a good alcohol tolerance and the alcohol content of ancient wine was not that high, so it was not intoxicating.
When there was a knock on the door, You Shu was stunned.
Ying Si and the others were also confused.
"It's me." Xiao Weixin also felt strange. Why was the light on in the middle of the night? Aren't they sleeping
You Shu was extremely panicked, as if he was caught reading comics by his homeroom teacher when he was in school, while Ying Si and Ying Liu were almost frightened to the point of fainting, and they wanted to crawl under the table.
You Shu stood up and went to open the door, trying to remain calm. When the door opened, it was indeed Xiao Weixin, "Your Majesty."
"Yeah." Seeing that he was quick-witted, Xiao Weixin felt that he liked him no matter how he looked at him.
He was about to say something when he suddenly smelled the alcohol on him and immediately frowned in anger: "How dare you drink?"
Hua Chun's eyes suddenly flashed with ferocity behind him. As a doctor, he could not tolerate disobedient patients the most!
You Shu's scalp tingled, and he pointed at the little hamsters behind him and said, "They are all brothers who came to visit."
Xiao Weixin was very unhappy. He couldn't sleep at night because of him, but the little shadow guard was enjoying a good life with his brothers.
It's really infuriating.
Yingba, who was following Xiao Weixin, was also furious. How dare these bastards eat alone? ?
Only the youngest Ying Shi was not in the situation.
What happened to them