Although the guest behaved strangely, the host could not just stand by and watch him suddenly faint in the snow.
Tian Yuerong asked people to help Guan Liu to help him lie down in the side room, and then sent servants to go on horseback to invite the best doctor in the city.
Not long after, the doctor came and felt Guan Liu's pulse. He asked Guan Liu a few questions and his face became serious: "This young man caught a cold. He didn't get treatment and rest in time, but continued to travel in the wind and snow. It was originally a minor illness, but now the evil spirit has settled in his internal organs. He is in danger of death..."
Guan Liulang was shocked and said, "Please do your best to treat my son. If you can cure my son, I will reward you handsomely."
Tian Yuerong said: "Doctor Shen is a master doctor, he must cure the patient."
The doctor said: "I will do my best in my medical practice, but whether I can cure you depends on your luck..."
Then he put his finger on Huan Xuan's wrist again and said, "This young master practices martial arts, right?"
Guan Liulang said yes.
The doctor pondered and said, "Originally, his health was very good, but he seems to have liver depression. What happened?"
He paused and said, "As the saying goes, 'The liver stores blood, and blood houses the soul. Sorrow will hurt the soul, and a hurt soul will lead to arrogance, and the spirit will not be able to be preserved.' Even if the cold can be cured, if the liver qi cannot be relieved, the spirit will be exhausted in the long run, and illness will surely occur. The family should find a way to relieve it."
Guan Liulang nodded silently, but how could others persuade him in such a matter
After the doctor finished writing the prescription, Huan Xuan woke up, thanked Tian Yuerong, and said goodbye to return to the inn.
Tian Yuerong knew that it was impossible for Huan Xuan to stay in a stranger's home to recuperate given his status, so she lent them a carriage and asked the servants to help Guan Liu help Huan Xuan get into the carriage.
Guan Liulang had to drive the car, and in a hurry he had no time to take care of the two horses in the stable. He could only leave a silver ingot for fodder and ask the owner to look after the horses for a day or two.
Tian Yuerong naturally agreed: "Don't worry, my guest. I have horse servants to take care of the horses. You can come and get the horses when it's convenient for you."
Having said this, he walked them outside and watched the carriage drive into the narrow alley in front of the door. Then he turned around and closed the gate.
As soon as the carriage left the market, the guards hiding in the dark followed. Guan Liu arranged for people to get the medicine according to the prescription, and the rest of the people escorted the King of Qi back to the inn.
…
After the King of Qi and his party left, about half an hour passed before Sui Sui came out from the secret room between the back hall and the side room.
The sick man in the bedroom heard the noise, stood up, put on his clothes, walked to the hall, and saluted to Sui Sui: "Cheng greets the general."
Sui Sui helped him up and said, "Mr. Cheng, there's no need to be so polite. Thank you for your help this time."
The man surnamed Cheng raised his eyes slightly, and his gaze fell on Sui Sui's face, then he immediately lowered his eyes, his pale cheeks and even his ears were flushed: "This life of Cheng was saved by the general, and it is a blessing for Cheng to be able to do a small service."
His voice was as clear and melodious as his appearance, like newly melted snow flowing over the spring mountains.
Sui Sui said, "Master Cheng, please rest here and recuperate. When I return to Wei Bo, I will definitely help your father clear his name."
The man bowed deeply to the ground and said, "General, I am so grateful to you. Even if I were to break my bones and stab my body, I would still not be able to repay you."
"Mr. Cheng, you are very serious," Sui Sui said, "I have heard for a long time that Mr. Cheng's writing is as good as brocade, stunning and extraordinary. When his grievances are redressed and he goes to Beijing to take the imperial examination, he will surely make a stunning debut and become famous all over Kyoto."
The man said, "If my father's unjust imprisonment is cleared, I would like to serve the general and do my best to serve him."
Sui Sui smiled and said, "Young Master has a talent that is unparalleled. It would be a waste of his talent to be my staff member."
The man said firmly: "General, thank you for your praise. I am not good at literature and martial arts. If you don't abandon me, it will be a great honor for me."
Sui Sui pondered and said, "Master Cheng, please rest and recuperate first, we can discuss this matter later."
After saying that, he said "excuse me" and walked towards the study.
After a moment, Tian Yuerong walked in through the curtain.
Sui Sui put down the chessbook, threw the white piece in his hand back into the chess box, raised his eyes and said, "Are you gone?"
This was a pointless question. If she hadn't confirmed that Huan Xuan had left, she wouldn't have come out of the secret room.
Tian Yuerong told her how the King of Qi broke into the inner courtyard to search for people and fainted in the courtyard. She glanced at her face and said, "I didn't expect the King of Qi to be so infatuated that he would travel thousands of miles to Youzhou to chase her."
Sui Sui did not expect Huan Xuan to come to Youzhou in person, and to come so quickly. Calculating the time, he must have been traveling day and night.
Tian Yuerong continued, "I really didn't see what he looked like just now. When he saw me, he was completely stunned. His face was pale, and only his eyes were red. He looked so pitiful."
He paused and said, "He is so seriously ill, are you really not going to go and see him?"
The King of Qi is guarded by guards day and night, but if he really wants to see him, there is always a way, and it is not a difficult task for Sui Sui.
But Sui Sui said without hesitation: "I am not a doctor, what's the point of seeing him?"
Tian Yuerong asked: "Does the general not want to see him, or does he not dare to see him, fearing that he will be reluctant to see him?"
Sui Sui raised his eyelids: "What's the difference?"
She might have misjudged Huan Xuan's feelings for her, or he might have transferred some of his obsession with Ruan Yuewei to her, but even so what? In any case, they were over. If she had known that he would fall in love, she would not have provoked him in the first place.
Tian Yuerong saw that she was indifferent, and thinking of the pitiful appearance of the King of Qi, she felt a little reluctant: "The King of Qi has a serious cold, and Doctor Shen said that it is extremely dangerous."
Sui Sui lowered his eyes slightly: "Ask Doctor Shen to take good care of him."
After a pause, he said calmly: "He can get through it."
If he was the Huan Xuan she knew, he would not be devastated by this blow.
Tian Yuerong couldn't help but think of the time when the news of the late crown prince's death reached Wei Bo, and she secretly sighed. Perhaps she really had to rely on herself to get through this kind of thing. After all, the general knew the King of Qi better than she did.
The two were silent for a while, then Tian Yuerong suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right, the King of Qi rode a black horse when he came. At first glance, I thought it was Jianying, but the horse has a bad temper. Just now, when I wanted to touch it, it kicked its hoof at me. If I hadn't dodged quickly, I would have been kicked by it."
Sui Sui raised his head in surprise: "Little black face?"
Huan Xuan actually brought her little black face with him.
"That's the horse I raised in Chang'an." Sui Sui said.
Tian Yuerong sighed and said, "This horse is indeed a good one among thousands, but its temperament is very different from that of Xunying."
Sui Sui asked, "Is the horse still there?"
Tian Yuerong said, "Yes, the guard drove away and the two horses are left here."
Sui Sui said: "I'll go take a look at it."
After saying that, he stood up and walked towards the stable in the front yard.
The little black-faced cat was pacing around the stable bored. When he suddenly saw Sui Sui, he was stunned at first, and his slightly wide-open eyes gradually became moist. Then he neighed loudly and raised his front hooves high, as if he wanted to run towards Sui Sui. However, the reins were tied firmly to the pillar, so he turned back and bit them hard.
Sui Sui walked up quickly, hugged the horse's neck tightly, and rubbed it gently: "Little Black Face, you are so good..."
The black horse whinnied twice, as if expressing its grievances.
Sui Sui held it for a long time before releasing its neck and stroking its back: "How come it has lost so much weight and its fur has dried up..."
She stroked its ear and whispered, "Silly horse, you've been gone for so long, what else do you want from me?"
The dark horse nudged his head gently against her, whimpering.
He asked someone to fetch water and a brush, and carefully brushed its entire body. He also cleaned its hooves and ears, and fed it beans and hay.
The little black-faced boy was chewing beans and gently wagging his tail. He looked so comfortable and relaxed.
The guards watching from the side were all amazed: "This horse really understands human nature. Before, it was stubborn and refused to eat grass or drink water, but now it immediately obeys the general."
"I really want to keep you here, but unfortunately I can't," Sui Sui touched the horse's back with a look of disappointment, "Go back to Chang'an and be a good boy, eat your grass well, you're so pretty and shiny, don't miss me anymore."
The little black-faced man stared at her face with a confused look in his eyes. He seemed to understand, but also seemed not to understand.
Sui Sui sighed, feeling a little reluctant to let it go, so he simply untied the reins and led it into the inner courtyard, without tying the reins either, letting it walk around the courtyard.
…
In the inn in the north of the city, Huan Xuan had been lying in bed for three days. He was covered with thick bedding and there were several charcoal braziers burning in the room, but he was still shivering from the cold.
After drinking a bowl of sweat-inducing medicine, he did not sweat, but his forehead became hotter and hotter.
Guan Liulang and his guards were extremely anxious, but there was nothing they could do - they invited the best doctors in Youzhou City, changed the prescriptions again and again, and used stronger and stronger drugs, but the condition did not improve.
He was in a coma most of the time, but even when he was in a coma, his sleep was not restful. Fragmented and chaotic dreams came one after another, tormenting him, as if they were going to drain his soul and body dry.
Guan Liulang and other guards took turns guarding by the bed and heard him mumbling in his sleep from time to time. He kept calling "Sui Sui" over and over again, full of regret and remorse.
Occasionally, when he was clear-headed for a moment, he pursed his dry lips and stared blankly at the ceiling of the tent.
In his hand he held a crude sachet with a silver-grey bottom and a bamboo branch embroidered on one corner. He found it in her box. The sachet was a little dirty and contained a peace amulet and incense pills. He remembered that this was the amulet she had asked for for him at the Qinglong Temple's relic ceremony.
He still remembered how she held the sachet carefully, as if it were her own body, and presented it to him, her eyes full of hope and tenderness.
What did he do then
Huan Xuan remembered that he was too lazy to even look at it and placed it beside the couch like a worn-out shoe. He remembered that night when she was helping him untie his belt, she accidentally touched Ruan Yuewei's old sachet, and he waved her hand away in annoyance.
He remembered what he stepped on when he walked out of the room the next morning. Looking back, he saw that it was the sachet embroidered by Lu Suisui. He was too lazy to even pick it up.
This is how he trampled on her wishes as if it was a matter of course and fearlessly.
In order to please him, she even filled the sachet with Ruan Yueweihe's Yuexia Haitang fragrance.
Huan Xuan didn't dare to think about how she picked up the sachet, how she put it back into the box, and how she took it out again and again for him to continue to trample on it.
He never treated her well, and until they parted, he still said one thing and meant another, unwilling to say a single nice word to her, as if he would lose if he said it.
Now he really lost, lost everything. Maybe until the last moment, she still thought she was just a substitute.
Huan Xuan clenched the sachet tightly, and his penis continued to contract.
He never had the chance to treat her well again.