A few days passed like this, and the court was still full of intrigues. Duan Jing'an's neck was healed, but he was forced to kneel when he saw Duan Changchuan, and he never changed his habit.
Bai Yanyuan, the old fox, stayed drunk at home for three days, and then recuperated for another seven days before finally returning to the court.
When he came back, he saw the Regent kneeling down and his jaw dropped.
In short, Duan Changchuan has been having a very happy life recently.
After February, the weather gradually became warmer. After taking off the thick fur coats, people felt much lighter.
It was agreed before that Bai Su would be tested, but it was never put into practice. However, the perfumer that Yun Xie knew was actually called in.
I received news last night that Duan Changchuan fell ill early this morning even though he didn't have to attend the morning court.
"Cough... cough cough..."
At the beginning of the Mao hour, the sound of a young man's coughing could be heard intermittently in the room.
Changle, who knew the inside story, knocked on the door immediately: "Your Majesty? Are you awake? Why did you start coughing..."
Duan Changchuan looked at the bed by the window and felt a little hesitant.
During the days he lived with Bai Su, he would go out to wash after waking up. Although Changle was a eunuch, he was still a man after all, so he never let Changle enter the bedroom before Bai Su got up.
Fortunately, Changle was smart. Seeing that he didn't respond, the knocking on the door became louder and louder.
The quilt on the couch finally moved.
The next moment, the woman threw off the quilt and stood up.
"What are you arguing about so early in the morning?"
Uh... He was very angry and spoke in a very irritable tone. He was obviously very upset because he was woken up.
Duan Changchuan subconsciously shrank back into the bed.
I heard Changle's trembling reply outside: "I heard your majesty coughing, and I was worried about your health... I disturbed your majesty, please forgive me."
Later he realized that he was pretending to be sick, so he quickly wrapped himself in a quilt and continued coughing.
The figure blocking the door paused when he heard the voice, and then hurried over.
"What's going on... Why are you coughing all of a sudden? Did you catch a cold? Changle, is there any hot water? Bring me a glass of water to calm your cough."
As he said this, he put his hand on his forehead to measure his temperature.
Along with it came the unique scent of peony flowers from her body. It was the same as the last time I smelled it, dense and very comfortable.
Almost as a reflex, he rubbed his forehead against the man's palm.
For a moment, both of them were stunned.
"Your Majesty, Madam, I am coming in."
Changle's voice broke the awkwardness, and the two came back to their senses.
"Let me help you up first." Bai Su said in a low voice.
"Ah... OK."
-
Duan Changchuan drank a small glass of water and began to pretend to cough intermittently.
Bai Su sat beside him, stroking his back again and again, her movements gentle and slow, as if she was soothing some small animal.
Moreover, he didn’t know why… the peony scent that had previously made him unconsciously feel weak all over now smelled even more soothing than the tranquilizing scent.
Duan Changchuan felt sleepy as he sat there, and his head unconsciously kept leaning on that person.
"Is it just a cough? Are you feeling unwell somewhere else?"
The woman's voice sounded in my ears, gentle and pleasant.
Duan Changchuan lowered his eyes guiltily and whispered, "I don't have much strength... Ahem, maybe it's because the weather has been so hot and cold recently, I caught a cold."
The woman wrapped him in the quilt again and asked, "Are you feeling cold?"
He shook his head: "Not bad..."
"Well, it should be the changing seasons, plus I've been too busy lately, so I got irritated."
Duan Changchuan wanted to ask, how do you know so much about these minor illnesses and pains
This time, and last time...
I caught a glimpse of the half-hidden scar on the other person's wrist and suddenly realized: it was because he had been sick since childhood and no one took care of him that he had to master some life skills.
"Doctor Fang is here!"
The guards' voice was heard outside.
Changle bowed and asked, "Your Majesty and the Queen, do you want to put on your clothes, or just let the curtains fall and let the imperial physician come to see the doctor?"
Duan Changchuan nudged Bai Su slightly and said, "Go and put on your clothes."
"Okay, I'll listen to you," she said.
Then she piled a quilt behind him, making sure he could lean on it comfortably before getting out of bed to get dressed.
The people around me left suddenly, and a chill immediately came over me.
Duan Changchuan pulled at the quilt uncomfortably and coughed intermittently.
After Bai Su put on her clothes, she sat back beside the bed to accompany him, and then summoned Fang Moyan and his "medicine boy" to come over.
Seeing a doctor is just a superficial process. The symptoms are discussed at the beginning and the consultation is over after a casual diagnosis.
What Duan Changchuan was most concerned about was this "medicine boy"'s diagnosis of the scent.
Ever since the medicine boy started taking pulses, his eyes have been following her from time to time.
"The pulse is floating and rapid, and the pulse rate is high. Ruan Qiao, what do you think we should do?" Seeing this, Fang Moyan threw the conversation directly to her.
Upon hearing this, the woman humbly stepped forward and said, "A rapid pulse is a sign of wind-heat. Combined with the high pulse rate, your Majesty must have been tired recently and has some wind-heat, but it's not serious. I think you should drink more hot water and rest more, and you'll be fine in about two or three days."
Hearing this, Duan Changchuan couldn't help biting his lower lip and fell into deep thought.
This is the words they had discussed before...
If Fang Moyan and Ruan Qiao both smelled the fragrance on Bai Su, they would say "prescribe a medicine"; but if neither of them smelled it, they would say "drink more hot water".
They didn't smell it.
Changle and Yiman also said that Bai Su never had any perfume on her body, only the smell of soapberry from washing clothes.
"Yes, I understand." He whispered, "Changle, send Doctor Fang and the others back."
"yes."
-
In the afternoon, Duan Changchuan stayed in the study room because he was sick.
The Queen Mother came once during the trip and brought a bowl of bird's nest and pear soup. She sat for a while and then left.
The room was so quiet that only the sound of flipping pages could be heard.
Changle came back after finishing his work, knelt down beside the table and started grinding.
Duan Changchuan turned his head and glanced at him, then received a small note.
There was a dark red pattern drawn on the note, and one could tell at a glance that it belonged to Yun Xie.
He looked at Bai Su who was writing with a pen by the window, and unfolded the note calmly.
It says: [Take the other person's personal belongings, same place tomorrow.]
Something close to your body
The boy hid the note in the small mechanism on the table, and then turned his gaze to the person at the window.
She seemed to be learning to read these days. Every day, when Duan Changchuan was handling government affairs or reading in the store, she would sit on the couch on the other side to read and write.
Bai Su was still wearing a bright red dress today, with long earrings dangling from her ears, dotted with scarlet corals, making her look both cool and gorgeous.
[Is she really a poor bastard who is bullied and can't even commit suicide? ]
Looking at the calm and noble person at the table, these words popped up in Duan Changchuan's heart.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" The woman looked at him with a hint of something and asked, "Is your throat still uncomfortable?"
"Ah... I'm not feeling uncomfortable. No, I'm not feeling uncomfortable anymore."
It's obvious that he's distracted.
The other party was stunned at first, then uttered a breathy laugh.
He murmured "OK" and started writing again with concentration.
-
The next day, after the morning court session, Duan Changchuan went directly to the Imperial Observatory.
The last time I came here was more than ten days ago. The yard was bare except for the plum blossoms that were blooming in all their splendor.
Although the plum blossoms have faded, the willow trees that have been withered for a winter are sprouting tender green buds, and the yard is full of life.
The wind blows on my body, gently and softly.
The young man in black clothes sitting in the middle of the courtyard greeted with a smile: "Finally you are here. Let me introduce you. This is Miss Ruan Qiao, whom you met last time. Miss Ruan, this is our emperor."
Ruan Qiao quickly stood up, knelt down and saluted, saying, "I greet your Majesty."
"No need to be polite, just sit down."
After the three of them were seated, Yun Xie began to wash and pour the tea skillfully.
"I heard from Miss Ruan Qiao that neither she nor Doctor Fang smelled the fragrance of flowers on the queen. I'll tell you the truth, Ruan Qiao's nose is even better than a dog's. If she didn't smell it, then it's definitely not there, but Miss Ruan is more rigorous and wants to confirm it again, so I asked someone to send you a message. Did you bring the things? Let Miss Ruan take a look."
Duan Changchuan took out a piece of red cloth from his sleeve and handed it to Ruan Qiao.
"I couldn't smell anything from her underwear... so I cut a piece of cloth from her collar. It... uh, the scent is quite obvious."
Yun Xie looked at the piece of cloth that was obviously cut from a coat and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Duan Changchuan:
Poking his elbow: "What are you laughing at?"
Yun Xie: "No, it's just that the thought of you going around smelling other people's personal belongings makes the scene a little... hahahaha. You even thought of cutting off her clothes, why not just cut off her underwear? There will definitely be more scent left, and it won't be so wasteful. Look, what a nice dress, but the embroidery and fabric are so wasted."
The young man's eyes widened, and he repeatedly retorted: "I, why would I secretly cut off a woman's underwear! How can you be so vulgar?"
Yun Xie opened his folding fan with a snap and crossed his legs: "Hey, let me tell you a story about a little monk going down the mountain."
Duan Changchuan: "... I don't want to listen."
Yun Xie: "The young monk and the master went down the mountain and met a woman who wanted to cross the river. They carried her across the river on their backs. The master and the apprentice returned to the temple. The young monk asked: Master, didn't you always teach us that monks cannot touch any women? Why did you carry her across the river? Your Majesty, guess what the old monk said?" (*
The young man sat upright, expressionless. "Of course, it means that monks are out there to save all living beings. And all living beings are equal, regardless of gender."
"Wrong. The old monk said: But I have let go of that woman, the one I haven't let go of is you*." After that, he plucked a gorgeous early peach blossom from the vase and held it in front of Duan Changchuan with one hand: "I was just talking about the facts and talking about the benefits of cutting off underwear. How can it be considered vulgar? Heaven and earth are the witnesses. My mind is clear, but others may not be so."
Duan Changchuan: …
Great, you’re just finding new ways to satirize him!
He immediately picked up a whole vase and was about to smash it at him.
"Hey, don't get angry! It's not easy to make a vase, and it takes a lot of effort to make peach blossoms bloom."
"Besides, all your family's hard work will go to waste."
…
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Note: The story of the little monk going down the mountain comes from the Internet.