Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 113 You come and I go
Xue Sui smiled slightly and leaned to the side, as if to make way for Li Huan, but his wide, moon-white sleeves inadvertently brushed the swaying lantern on the bronze lampstand beside him.

There was a "clang" sound.

The lantern is about to fall down, and the candle flame is about to go out.

"careful!"

Li Huan stretched out his arm, held the lamp firmly with his slender five fingers, and took off the lampshade calmly. He raised the lamp gracefully, looked at Xue Sui's face, and smiled slowly.

"It's dry, be careful of fire. If you accidentally leak water, it will be bad."

Xue Sui raised his eyes slightly and glanced at the window frame wet by the rain. "It has been raining for two days. The prince just said that it is humid here and it is not suitable to stay for a long time."

Li Huan chuckled: "Sharp-tongued."

There was three parts of sugar in these words, and they sounded seven parts lingering.

It has a different flavor.

Xue Sui had read in storybooks that most emperors, generals, princes and grandchildren had this problem. They liked to look down on everyone and be affectionate to women. Occasionally, they would say a few sweet words that seemed to be true but were not, which aroused people's hearts. Then, some women would become intoxicated by them and think that they had gained their true love and would devote their whole lives to them. However, in the end, they ended up with a tragic fate.

She smiled slightly and stood there quietly, cold and distant.

Li Huan probably felt bored, so he glanced at her casually, then strode forward and reached out to open the door.

There was a pale face outside the door, which looked very creepy under the light.

Li Huan subconsciously retracted his hand.

Xiao Zhao was already waiting outside the door when the lantern struck the candlestick.

The whole person looks like he is ready to attack.

Seeing that Xue Sui was safe and sound, her tense shoulders relaxed a little.

"girl……"

Xue Sui half leaned against the door frame and coughed softly.

"Hurry up and meet the prince."

Xiao Zhao then woke up as if from a dream and quickly bowed.

Ruyi followed closely behind and bowed hastily.

"No need to be polite." Li Huan put his hands behind his back and said with dignity: "Pass the message on. I will stay at Liushangyangui tonight. Tell the pavilion to make preparations early."

Ruyi was so shocked that she was speechless for a moment.

Xiao Zhao's expression was not as exaggerated as hers, but his whole body was tense, like a fully drawn bowstring, full of vigilance and worry.

Seeing this, Xue Sui coughed softly again.

Li Huan lowered his head slightly, waved his wide sleeves, and held her arm unnoticeably.

"Are you feeling unwell, Ping An?"

Xue Sui's eyes swept lightly over Xiao Zhao and Ruyi, he gathered his plain brocade cloak, took the opportunity to withdraw his hand, and distanced himself from him.

"To answer your Highness, this is a disease that I contracted many years ago. It breaks out whenever the weather is humid. It has been raining for several days in the garden, and it has become more serious... I am sorry to have made you laugh."

"That day, Doctor Chen said that Ping'an was not feeling well..." Li Huan said, and suddenly reached out and pulled her wrist again.

Just as his fingertips touched the warm skin, Xue Sui "happened" to stagger a step, and his slender wrist bone turned, sliding over like a loach, and took advantage of the opportunity to grab the Panlong jade pendant on his waist.

There was a crisp "pop" sound, and the jade pendant fell to the ground and broke into two pieces.

Xue Sui quickly covered her lips with her palms and looked at him innocently, her eyes full of fear and guilt, and she slowly retreated towards the antique shelf weakly...

As he stepped back, the pottery jar on the antique shelf fell to the ground, and the perfumed powder in the jar floated out like snowflakes.

In an instant, the rich aroma filled the room, almost suffocating me.

Li Huan's pupils suddenly shrank.

Xue Sui coughed so hard that the corners of his eyes turned red, and the noise was very loud.

"Please forgive me for my misbehavior, Your Majesty."

Li Huan fanned the powder with his hands, feeling a little uncomfortable. He bent down to pick up the jade pendant on the ground, frowned at the powder blowing in his face, and then coughed a few times.

"Ping An has been ill for a long time, so you need to be more careful. Let Doctor Chen come and take a look and prescribe some appropriate medicine to help him recover."

Xue Sui pulled his cloak tighter and shook his head.

"It's just an old problem, it's nothing serious. The prince is busy with all kinds of things, and he still worries about me. I feel really bad for him."

Li Huan's eyes were bright and his smile was gentle.

"Your health is the most important thing."

Xue Sui bowed his head and saluted.

"I am not blessed enough to bear such kindness from the prince."

After saying this, she turned around and looked at the overturned powder jars.

"Mrs. Gu likes to play with these things every day. I don't know if there is anything wrong with these perfumes. I just feel dizzy and uncomfortable when I smell them... cough... cough cough..."

She coughed up tears and looked like she was about to vomit.

Li Huan also felt uncomfortable watching this, and stepped out of the door with his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind. "Let's go, go back and rest early."

The girl walked carefully in front, holding a lantern. The light flickered in the rain, as if it would go out at any time.

Li Huan and Xue Sui walked behind with their own thoughts.

The atmosphere was oppressive and tense.

The drizzle outside the eaves became heavier, wetting the stone road.

When passing by the lotus pond, Xue Sui paused slightly.

The remaining lotus leaves in the pond shivered in the wind and rain, making a rustling sound, as if someone was walking behind them, making people feel inexplicably tense.

Xue Sui stopped.

Li Huan looked back and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xue Sui said: "The lotus was in great shape. Two days ago, it was still standing tall and graceful, competing for beauty. Who knew that fate would be so unfortunate? After a heavy rain, it was destroyed and it was defeated..."

Li Huan looked at her, a subtle emotion flashed in his eyes, but his voice was full of laughter: "Flowers fade, but they will bloom again. If you like, I will accompany you to see it when the weather is clear."

Xue Sui didn't say anything.

It only took a cup of tea from the moment he climbed the jade steps to the moment he returned to the willows in the smoke. However, Prince Duan's high profile alarmed everyone in the entire villa.

When they returned to Liushangyangui, Li Huan's good medical officer Chen Henian hurried over.

He had just seen Xue Yueying's illness in the morning, and now he came to treat Xue Sui. He was so nervous that his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, which he wiped with his sleeve from time to time.

"Madam, your body is weak and your qi and blood are insufficient. You should rest and recuperate. Don't overwork yourself..."

As he said this, Chen Henian looked at Li Huan cautiously.

On that day, he had informed Li Huan of Xue Sui's physical condition, and bluntly said that Madam Ping'an was not suitable for serving the emperor and giving birth. However, as a medical officer, he had the responsibility to remind her, but he could not influence the prince's decision.

Li Huan understood what he meant and nodded slightly.

"Once you have written the prescription, please leave."

Chen Henian responded as if he had been pardoned, "Yes."

Xue Sui's red lips curled slightly, with a perfect smile on her face.

"Thank you, Doctor Chen."

After Chen Henian left, she stood up and rummaged through the boxes, calling Ruyi again, "Come and find some clean bedding for me in the room. Find it and change it so that the prince can settle down earlier..."

Li Huan smiled slightly.

Of course he knew why Xue Sui subconsciously avoided the touch just now.

She didn't want to sleep with him.

And why would he be willing to do that?

The two of them interact with each other, and on the surface, it seems calm, but in fact, there are hidden tricks. It depends on who can keep calm and who has greater composure.

After a while, seeing that Xue Sui was really going to make the bed and fold the quilt despite his sick body, Li Huan frowned slightly, suddenly sighed, and gave up.

"Ping An, you should take care of yourself first, and we can talk about other things later. You don't need to be nervous. I am not a frivolous person and I will not ignore your health. Tonight, just treat it as a place to stay."

Xue Sui knew in his heart that he did not want to favor her, but wanted to create the illusion that he "favored Madam Ping'an" to the outside world.

As for Li Huan's purpose in doing this, whether he wanted to praise her to death or use her as bait to lure Li Zhao into the trap, she was unable to figure it out for a while.

She pretended to be surprised and was stunned for a moment before bowing.

"Your Majesty's mercy is truly a blessing for Ping An. Ping An should keep his mouth shut and never say a single word to anyone."

Smart people speak simply.

Li Huanfang smiled, and urgent shouts were heard from outside, accompanied by dense raindrops and a sense of panic.

"Your Highness, something serious has happened!"

Li Huan's face darkened and he asked sternly, "What's the matter?"

The other party seemed to be afraid of Xue Sui's presence and lowered his voice a bit.

"This is the news from Xiangyang in Shangjing..."

Li Huan's expression changed slightly, "I know, let him wait for me in the study."

The man responded with a "yes" and ran away quickly.

Xue Sui looked at Li Huan and said softly, "Your Highness has something to do. I am not feeling well, so I will go back to my room to rest."

Li Huan waved his hands, obviously upset by the sudden news and unable to take care of her for the time being.

"I will stay in the study at night. If you need anything, send someone to find me."

Xue Sui bowed slightly and sent him to the door, then kindly instructed the maid to prepare bedding and toiletries and send them to the study.

Li Huan turned his head, looked at her deeply, and without saying anything more, he strode away.

As soon as he left, Jinshu slowly came in from the outer room and shook his head at her.

"Girl, I can't find Qiao'er's whereabouts."