Ink Burns

Chapter 316 Springtime
Xiao Fang is the emperor;

Emperor is equal to Xiao Fang;
Xiao Fang is not a pretty female snake;

It is a dragon;

It's a male dragon;

Oh wait, what should a male dragon be called again? A male dragon? A male dragon?

With the medical record slammed down, Shui Guang was able to free her hand and flicked Lin Yuanzheng's forehead with a "bang," a crisp and pleasant sound, clearly indicating a perfectly ripe melon.

Lin Yuanzheng covered his forehead: "Ouch! What are you doing!"

"Does it hurt?" the water-light probe asked.

"Ouch!" Lin Yuanzheng cried out repeatedly, picked up the medical record and blew on it twice, scattering the dust like falling downy feathers.

Shui Guang looked up, and the soft downy hairs, refracted by the slivers of light filtering through the windowpane, created a dazzling display of light that danced in the air, reflected in her eyes like a shimmering snowfall.

Since Dr. Lin is in pain, then it's definitely not a dream.

Shui Guang paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "The emperor's surname is Xu, so what is his given name?"

Lin Yuanzheng quickly covered his mouth: "Are you crazy! How can you just casually utter the name of the current sage?"

Shui Guang turned her head away from the hand covering her mouth: "Is your name Yue Ming?"

Lin Yuanzheng exclaimed "Oh dear!" again: "What Yueming? The current sage's generation inherited the character 'Qu', but after the sage ascended the throne, the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Rong changed it to 'Qu'."

Perhaps she's overthinking it?

The world is so vast, so what if the cases are similar?

What if, what if, Xiao Fang just happens to be the person the emperor specifically sought out who has a similar physical condition and pulse diagnosis?

This guess allowed Shui Guang to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

He then asked, "There's a high-ranking official beside the Sage, whose position is even higher than Wu Min's, surnamed Fang. Do you know him?"

Lin Yuanzheng was an honest man who had spent half his life studying the art of silver needles. Although he knew that Shui Guang was a confidant of Wu Dajian, he had never thought about what their relationship was. When Shui Guang asked this question, he assumed that she was inquiring about Wu Min's relationship with the emperor. He smiled and shook his head: "I've never heard of her. The only person with the surname Fang who has made a name for himself in the palace is Madam Fang, who is by the Empress Dowager's side. This is only because she is related to the Empress Dowager."

Madam Fang, relatives, Empress Dowager Fang
Fang Yueming.

square.

No one changes their surname for no reason.

They can take either their father's surname or their mother's surname.

Although this emperor was unconventional enough to even impersonate a eunuch, he could not escape the inertia of choosing a surname!
Shuiguang blinked, and the shimmering snow instantly returned to its usual calm. She blinked again, and the little girl, with a perfectly normal expression, complained to the head of the Lin family, "Master, the New Year is almost over. I've been guarding the courtyard alone for so long, I'm so tired! Is the vacation you promised still valid?"

******
The faint scent of pear blossoms burning in Linde Hall spread far and wide, seeping into every hole and crevice. A faint aroma could be smelled in the outer corridor, but it was indistinct and barely perceptible, which only made people more irritable.

In the corridor, one could hear palace maids moving about quietly.

The sound was very faint, like snow falling on tree branches; if you didn't listen carefully, you wouldn't notice it at all.

Such a subtle sound only made the already agitated person inside even more anxious.

"Wu Min, tell the people in the corridor to keep their voices down."

From behind the bed curtains came a cold, tense voice. After a moment's hesitation, the voice finally spoke, "Is Physician He still not here?"

In the dim, luxurious light, Wu Min paused for a moment, then bowed and stepped forward cautiously: "Your Majesty, this servant made arrangements early this morning, from Limen to Xuanmen, that if you see Physician He, you are not to be stopped, and all the doors were opened wide early on."

For an imperial eunuch, understanding the emperor's words is not the most important thing; being able to answer the emperor's questions correctly is the most crucial!

For example, right now: he can't explicitly say that Miss He didn't come; he can only say that Miss He's journey was unimpeded. If he didn't see Miss He, it only means that the young master didn't want to come, which has nothing to do with him, and certainly didn't cause the emperor to be in imminent danger.
See, the blame-shifting is evident between the lines.

After congratulating herself on her ability to escape, Wu Min became worried again: It's been seven days, even ghosts have been reincarnated, but Miss He still hasn't arrived!

Not only did she not come, but he sent someone to inquire and found out that Miss He had taken a nearly month-long leave of the palace and then went straight to her sister's residence.

These past few days, a different kind of takeout has been delivered to Xue Nan's residence every day, from Fan Lou, Bai Xiang Lou, Yue Ji, and others.
The delivery time is always at night.

So, every night, Little He's appetite would whet, his mouth agape like a dark, gaping gate, devouring everything in sight!

Physician He was living a very prosperous life, almost to the point of having two opera singers by his side for entertainment.

Wu Min lowered his eyelids, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the shadows behind the bed curtains: Little Ancestor He was overjoyed, while his own emperor was listless and weak. He had said that little ancestor was a great calamity! A great calamity for the entire Great Wei!

As soon as Wu Min finished speaking, the figure behind the curtain froze for a moment.

Xu Quyan, his face pale, asked, "Didn't Lin Mu bring my medical records back to the Imperial Hospital?"

Wu Min bowed: "I brought it back. I specifically instructed that it must be brought back to the Imperial Hospital to discuss with a trusted medical officer."

"Has she even looked at it?" The voice behind the curtain was muffled.

Wu Min pursed her lips: "Director Lin reports—"

At this point, one must withstand the pressure, abandon all social skills, and lay everything bare before the emperor.

"Your medical records have been re-copied by Dr. Lin these past few days."

Wu Min kept her head down, stating only facts and not conclusions: "Your original medical record was smashed on the ground after Physician Xiao He examined it; the corners of the pages were badly damaged." Xu Quyan's chest heaved violently, but he quickly regained his composure.

The shadows behind the bed curtains were like puppets in a shadow play; when the craftsman's strings broke, the shadows ceased to move.

Xu Quyan stared intently at the dark sandalwood bed frame, its color as thick as frozen glass.

He dared not reveal his identity openly, so he could only choose this roundabout path.

He firmly believed that Shui Guang was smart and perceptive enough, but he didn't expect that she could take things in stride.

She ran away in a flash.

The little girl, Shuiguang, who had run away, was lying half-reclined by the west-facing window, her toes pointed high. Beside her sat Zhou Liniang, who was peeling an orange for her with a loving expression.

The bright orange peel and white veins were spread all over the floor on the low nanmu table by the window.

With an orange segment dangling from her mouth, Shui Guang commented, "Speaking of which, our oranges aren't as thick as those in the palace."

Zhou Liniang likes handsome men and pretty girls. She can't let pretty girls say anything that might be out of place.

Zhou Liniang smiled and said, "Look at our second young lady, she's clever and quick-witted. Others say oranges are all sweet and honey-like, but our second young lady's words are different."

As soon as she finished speaking, a hand holding an orange segment emerged laboriously from Shui Guang's armpit and accurately reached Shui Guang's mouth.

Shui Guang lowered her head, opened her mouth, and ate it, making Zhou Liniang's smile even more kind.

Shan Yue was painting when she looked up and saw this scene. She pursed her lips, placed her brush on the Liushan brush rest, and raised her eyes slightly: "If Li Niang continues to spoil her, she will be even less willing to return to the palace."

Zhou Liniang smiled sweetly, her delicate eyebrows and bright eyes saying, "If she doesn't want to go back, then she doesn't want to. I'll support her by painting."

Shan Yue exhaled lightly, drying the ink on the forsythia flower on the floral stationery.

A gentle breeze rippled the pale ink, and the bright yellow forsythia blossoms swayed gracefully.

Shuiguang muttered, "They used to ask me when I was coming home, but now that I've only been home for seven or eight days, they can't wait to kick me out—it's clear that distance makes the heart grow fonder."

Shan Yue raised her eyelids: "There's no point in turning the tables on me. When you came back that day, I noticed something was wrong. I asked you, but you wouldn't say anything. I even tried to get someone to go to the palace to inquire, but you blocked me completely. You claimed to know nothing. If you encountered difficulties in the palace, you should have gritted your teeth and persevered. Once you start something, you can overcome every obstacle. Why should you run away after hitting a wall?"

"Oh, what do you mean by running away?" Shui Guang sat up straight and said righteously, "I shouldn't have had to endure those terrible things in the first place!"

Shan Yue nodded slightly and paused for a moment: Well, she's just that easily persuaded by her sister.

"And then what? Will you return to the palace?" Shan Yue asked.

Shuiguang shook her head like a sieve: "I'm not going back, I'm not going back."

Xiao Fang is the emperor, and she is the imperial physician. So she lives under Xiao Fang's watchful eye. If Xiao Fang tells her to go east, she can't go west. If Xiao Fang asks her to take his pulse, she can't kill a chicken.
But once she leaves the palace, things will be different. The Great Wei Dynasty is vast, with nine provinces. She can go north to collect ice flowers and go to Lingnan to process tea. Where can't she go? Where can't she do?
She and the emperor had only kissed a few times, so it was unlikely that the emperor would go to such lengths to find her—if he did, it would be embarrassing, and what kind of emperor would make such a big fuss about finding a lowly doctor? The emperor being gay is just being gay, but I've never heard of anyone doing it with fanfare.

If she's going to run, she has to do it now.

Before the seeds of love had even taken root, pulling them out was like squeezing a lump on your back—a sharp prick, then a gush of pus, followed by a feeling of relief. It was a simple matter of going her separate ways, with no one owing anyone anything. She admitted she had ulterior motives when she entered the palace, but the emperor wasn't a good person either! Disguising himself as a eunuch to tease her—what dynasty had ever been so absurd?!
Tsk tsk, to be honest, she's the one who lost out: it took her a lot of effort to convince herself that Xiao Fang was a eunuch! Not to mention the nightmares she had for days on end!
"In a few days, please report to the Six Departments that he has suddenly died from a cold, and while you're at it, cancel He Shuiguang's registration." Shuiguang had already planned how to get away when she left the palace: "Prepare a simple coffin for burial, and then He Shuiguang will no longer exist in this world."

She ran while doing this, and by the time the emperor reacted, she had long since disappeared.

The brother-in-law is the backbone, and the sister is the great hero who eliminated "Qingfeng". As long as the emperor is not out of his mind, he would not force them too hard for a woman he has only known for half a year. There are so many concubines, consorts and noble ladies in the harem. What kind of woman does he not want? A country girl who is curious and expresses her feelings cannot make him so obsessed that he loses his composure.

It's not too late for her to come back and reunite with her sister once the storm has died down.

Fortunately, she grew up in the mountains. As long as there is soil, grass, and water, wherever you leave her, she can take root and flourish like a calamus, never ceasing to live!

Shan Yue was taken aback: "What trouble have you gotten yourself into?"

It actually requires a clever escape!
"Cause trouble?" Shui Guang put her hands on her hips: "What does He Shui Guang's trouble have to do with me, Wei Ruchun!"

That would be causing trouble.

Shan Yue pursed her lips, wiped her hands, peeled an orange and stuffed it whole into her sister's mouth, then gathered her skirts and went outside to summon Ji Feng, instructing, "Prepare a coffin. The funeral will be held at the manor in the east of the city in two days. Write He Shuiguang's name on the memorial tablet."

Regardless, the priority should be settling things down first, and of course, my own sister is trusting me unconditionally.

Further inquiries revealed the reason: "The book has been traveling north for ten days. Try to find out what happened by asking around in the Six Ministries and the Imperial Hospital."

Jifeng wrote: "Should we seek out Grand Supervisor Wu?"

Shan Yue was about to nod, but after thinking for a moment, she shook her head: "No."

Shuiguang chose to slip away rather than fight to the bitter end, probably because he was trying to avoid these people.

“Shuiguang has a friend in the palace named Xiao Qiuyin. See if you can ask the master about him.” Shanyue added, “If you can’t find out, then so be it. The relationship between his book and the emperor is currently delicate, so it’s not good to cause trouble at this time.”

The swift wind shrugged and retreated.

Under the eaves, the roof ornaments are endearingly clumsy.

Beneath the beast's feet, Shan Yue slowly raised her eyes, gazing towards the north where the sun was setting.

Xue Xiao has been gone for ten days, and we do not know where he went or where he went.

As the sun sets in the west, some contradictions hidden beneath the halo of light and nature, once dusk falls, are like shadows on the ground and puppets underground breaking free from the darkness, tearing apart the facade of harmony and peace.

Where is your book?
Where is your book?!

On the high slope north of the city, the sound of hooves rang out. Xiao Po rode a black horse and galloped from beyond the twilight. Holding a torch, kicking the horse's belly, he lowered his head and frowned as he searched for Xue Xiao's figure in the bushes!