Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 196 Untimely
Xue Sui slowed her pace, tidied her temples slightly, and then lifted the curtain to enter, a faint smile playing on her lips as she gracefully bowed.

"Greetings to Your Highness and Your Highness, and greetings to the Concubine..."

"My sister is back." Xue Yuechen greeted her, twisting a handkerchief in her hand. The hair ornament in her hair trembled slightly with her movements, showing her great enthusiasm.

"You just came from your grandmother's. Have you eaten yet?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Xue Sui subtly turned to the side, gesturing for Xiao Zhao to put down the medicine box she had brought, before looking up at Li Huan, who was leaning against the sandalwood couch.

He was reclining on a brocade cushion, his left hand resting on the edge of a small table. Under his half-open moon-white undergarment, a patch of pale red rash was visible below his collarbone. Compared to his usual upright and dignified appearance, he now exuded a rare air of leisure and languor.

Zhang was originally weeping on Li Huan's lap, but when she saw Xue Sui come in, she hurriedly got up and almost knocked over the incense burner on the table.

"I have been disrespectful..."

She sat awkwardly on the embroidered stool, her tears still wet, her fingertips tightly gripping the edge of the handkerchief, looking nervous and uneasy.

The house was quiet.

The firelight flickered, casting the shadows of the crowd onto the screen, creating shimmering, fragmented spots of light.

Xue Yuechen looked around, then broke the silence with a smile, her face radiating feigned enthusiasm.

"Is Aunt Xue feeling much better? Why are you back at this hour, little sister?"

Xue Sui said, "Thanks to the Princess's good fortune, there is no major problem now."

He glanced at Li Huan again and said calmly, "I heard from my father that Your Highness was unwell, so I rushed back without stopping..."

Xue Yuechen lowered her eyes slightly and smiled, "My sister is still so thoughtful. Why don't you come and let the prince take a look?"

"Yes." Xue Sui said and was about to step forward, but Li Huan raised his hand and waved it slightly, refusing.

"It's just a rash, it'll go away in a couple of days." He rolled up his sleeves, revealing the still-present red rash on his forearm, glanced down at it, and said with a hint of weariness in his voice.

"You've had a long journey, sit down and have some tea first, don't tire yourself out."

Every word sounded concerned, yet every phrase was laced with hidden sarcasm.

Seeing Xue Yuechen's hesitant gaze, Xue Sui smiled faintly and calmly thanked him.

Zhang felt a lump in her throat and her eyes reddened as she listened.

"Your Highness, I've heard that Sister Ping'an is a highly skilled physician... It's inconvenient for a physician to examine my rashes, so I would be grateful if Sister Ping'an could treat me..."

Xue Sui looked up and met Zhang's almond-shaped eyes, which were filled with tears.

"I am willing to share the burdens of the concubine."

She walked slowly to Zhang's side without changing her expression, and frowned slightly when she saw the patches of red rash on Zhang's neck.

It was clear that her symptoms were much more severe than Li Huan's.

No wonder Li Huan wasn't in a hurry...

"Princess, do not worry. It may be a case of wind-itch, likely caused by blood heat and dampness..."

Xue Sui looked at the prescription given by the physician, without questioning or asking too many questions, and made the same diagnosis as the physician. He then asked Xiao Zhao to take out a box of jade-white ointment with a faint minty scent from the medical kit.

"This is an anti-itch ointment I got from a traveling folk doctor. It's a formula I made myself, and my grandmother used it and it was very effective. If you don't mind, Consort, you might as well give it a try..."

Her tone revealed her sincerity.

Zhang glanced at Li Huan, her nails, painted with henna, dug deeply into her palms, and then tears streamed down her face.

"Thank you for the medicine, Sister Ping An."

She was born delicate and beautiful, and the sight of her eyes brimming with tears made Li Huan frown slightly, and even Xue Sui felt a little sorry for her.

"It's just a skin ailment, so relax and let it heal. Why is the concubine so distressed?"

Madam Zhang clutched her handkerchief to her face, wiping her eyes with a bitter smile. Her voice choked with sobs, "Sister Ping'an, my brother has made a mistake, and I fear it will implicate the entire Zhang family... I am but a woman, and I have no other recourse. I only hope that Your Highness will show mercy..."

A startled bird suddenly flew past the window, bringing down a few withered leaves.

Li Huan suddenly interrupted, "Go back first. Your brother's matter will be decided by himself."

Xue Sui already understood.

Seeing that Li Huan's attitude had softened, Zhang knelt down again.

"Your Highness is wise. My elder brother has always been timid. How could he dare to collude with the traitors of Xiz?"

She knelt down, clutching Li Huan's sleeve, her tears soaking her crimson bodice. "His Highness the Crown Prince must have been misled by slander and deceived by treacherous people..."

Li Huan's face darkened: "The Crown Prince's men were intercepted this morning, your intelligence network is quite efficient..."

Zhang's throat tightened slightly, and she dared not say more. She could only say that she had been entrusted by her father, and that her family was in chaos because of her brother.

Seeing her like this, Li Huan sighed and softened his tone.

"Since it is the Crown Prince who is investigating, there are the laws of the court. If your brother is guilty, no one can save him; if he is innocent, the Crown Prince will clear his name..."

Zhang was unwilling, but she knew Li Huan's character very well, so she dared not say anything more. She could only curtsy, wipe away her tears with red eyes, and leave with Cuizhi.

Xue Sui observed coldly, sighing inwardly. Li Huan was usually indifferent and aloof towards everyone else, but he showed a surprising amount of patience towards this Zhang Shi…

Perhaps it's true that men naturally pity delicate women? Even though his fingertips were trembling from the itching, he still patiently and gently comforted Zhang. If it were Xue Yuechen or her, they probably would have already lost their temper and stormed off...

She silently slipped a box of ointment from the medicine box into Xue Yuechen's hand. As she was about to take her leave, Li Huan said:
"Ping An stays; the rest of you, leave."

Xue Yuechen was slightly taken aback, "Your Highness?"

Li Huan glanced at her, "I have something to say to Ping An."

"Yes." She lowered her eyes and tucked her sleeves, her fingertips clearly clenching the handkerchief slightly, yet she still maintained a proper smile.

"Sister, I'll go back to my room first and ask the kitchen to prepare some food. When you're done with your work, come to Yingyue Residence and we can chat."

Xue Sui nodded, watched her leave, and then turned to sit down diagonally opposite Li Huan.

"I wonder why Your Highness has kept me here..."

"Come and apply the medicine for me..." Li Huan stretched out his arm, his sleeve pulled down to his elbow, revealing a red rash on his forearm.

"Yes."

Xue Sui lowered his eyes and curtsied, took the medicine bottle from the table, and then took out a smooth, round bamboo strip from the medicine box. He bent down gently, scraped some ointment with the bamboo strip, and applied it evenly to Li Huan's reddened skin.

My fingertip accidentally touched his skin, and instantly, I felt him tremble slightly.

But Li Huan didn't move. Instead, he pulled his clothes off a little more, revealing more skin covered in red rashes...

Xue Sui seemed unconcerned, as calm as the ink bamboo on the celadon porcelain on the table.

The autumn wind outside the window rustled against the window paper...

In the silence, Li Huan gazed at her sparse eyebrows, feeling somewhat dazed.

Those eyes are captivating, like a clear mountain spring; who could know the hidden depths within them...?

Li Huan's heart stirred slightly, and he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Did you provide Minister Xue with the evidence of Lord Zhang's collusion with foreign enemies?"

His voice was gentle and soft, not like an interrogation, but more like a casual chat between old friends, carrying a hint of barely perceptible helplessness.

"Forgive my ignorance, but I do not understand what Your Highness means by these words?"

Xue Sui withdrew his hand, applied the ointment to the rash, and said in a calm voice, "I live deep within the inner chambers and have no idea how the Ministry of Justice handles cases. If Your Highness has any doubts, you might as well ask my father yourself..."

Li Huan suddenly chuckled, leaned closer to her, and his breath brushed against her cheek.

"You're quite adept at playing dumb? Without the spies from the old mausoleum, where would Lord Xue have gotten this information?"

A wisp of styrax fragrance brushed past my nose, mixed with an indescribable undercurrent.

His palms were burning hot, and the rash had spread to his wrist bones. Xue Sui could feel his pulse beating rapidly under the thin skin.

Such intimacy is extremely ambiguous.

Xue Sui suddenly felt a burning sensation from the ointment on her fingertips, which caused a light sweat to break out on the back of her neck.

"Tell me, just how many pawns did Jiulingzhao plant in Shangjing?"

"Didn't Your Highness consult Mr. Qiu last time? Didn't he give Your Highness the answer you wanted?" Xue Sui raised her eyes to meet his gaze, and asked with a smile, "Since Your Highness suspects me so much, why not imprison me and interrogate me severely?"

Their eyes met, a sharp edge surging within them...

Neither of them looked away first.

The atmosphere was extremely tense, as if some dormant sharpness was about to burst forth.

Suddenly, a commotion arose.

"Second brother, second brother..."

"Princess, the Prince is in a meeting; you cannot enter..."

The guards, Xiang Yang and two maids, reached out to stop Princess Ruihe and tried to persuade her gently.

Princess Ruihe didn't care at all, and with a flick of her sleeves, she charged forward.

"Hurry up and announce my arrival, I have urgent business with the Prince."

Li Huan frowned deeply, not letting go of Xue Sui's hand, but instead pulling her closer with a slight force, and said in a deep voice, "Let her in."

Xue Sui sat down on the embroidered stool, raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly.

"Does Your Highness intend to infect me with the rash?"

"Don't move!" Before Li Huan finished speaking, Ruihe lifted the curtain and came in.

She wore a smoky pink brocade dress, which reflected the candlelight and gave off a jade-like and noble feel. However, when she entered, she saw Li Huan and Xue Sui sitting opposite each other. The fragrance of medicine filled the air, and the ambiguous temperature was overwhelming. She felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. The heat that had just ignited in her eyes instantly cooled down.

Clearly, her arrival was ill-timed.