The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

Shen Huaijin paused, then rolled her eyes at her.

"I thought you were made of iron."

Despite saying that, he used even gentler force and kept rubbing her wounds.

Xu Qianhui gasped in pain and grimaced as she retorted.

"You've only been in Beijing for a short time, how come you've already picked up Uncle Wang's way of speaking? The tone of your admonition is exactly the same."

Shen Huaijin didn't reply, and carefully cleaned up the last bit of blood.

The wound, with its flesh torn open, was more than two inches long and looked extremely horrifying.

He gritted his teeth and looked up: "When are you going to be more careful?"

Xu Qianhui pouted, clearly indignant: "I never expected to run into such a troublesome situation while having a meal. Now, to make matters worse, I've been targeted by a madman."

If she could, she really wanted to hire someone to assassinate the Prince of An.

To prevent further trouble.

Shen Huaijin ignored her complaints.

He turned around and took out a bottle of strong liquor from the bottom of the medicine box.

The strong aroma of alcohol escaped as the cork was removed, completely masking the smell of blood.

He turned to the side and stretched his left arm toward Xu Qianhui's mouth.

"Bear with it."

Xu Qianhui looked at the sturdy forearm: "It's just a minor injury, why make such a fuss..."

Before he could finish speaking...

The strong, spicy liquor was poured over the wound.

A searing pain shot straight to my head.

Xu Qianhui's vision went black, and she opened her mouth and bit down hard.

Mmm!

It hurts!

It hurts so much!

The teeth dug deep into Shen Huaijin's forearm flesh, and through the thin fabric, a faint smell of blood filled his mouth.

The hand that was pressing down on her wrist had prominent knuckles and bulging veins.

He stubbornly resisted pulling away, letting her bite him.

Xu Qianhui was in so much pain that she broke out in a cold sweat, and her body trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind.

Once the excruciating pain subsided, she weakly opened her mouth and slumped against the pillow, panting heavily.

Shen Huaijin took the wound medicine and sprinkled it evenly on the wound. He then wrapped it tightly with clean white gauze, tying a neat knot.

"Do not get it wet for five days." Without looking up, he packed his medicine box, sorting the gauze and medicine bottles into categories. "Avoid spicy food and seafood. Drink some plain porridge for the next two days to rest."

The two were very close to each other.

As he bent down to tidy up his things, his sleeve brushed against Xu Qianhui's face.

A familiar, cool fragrance wafted into my nostrils.

Unlike the bitter taste found in ordinary pharmacies, this flavor is extremely mild, with a hint of herbal fragrance.

Xu Qianhui leaned closer, her nostrils flaring: "Little Huaihuai, I feel like I've smelled this scent somewhere before."

Shen Huaijin didn't stop moving, casually tossing the empty wine bottle into the bamboo basket.

"I'm a doctor, and I deal with herbs all day long, so it's perfectly normal for me to smell like medicine."

The excuse was flawless.

Xu Qianhui leaned back against the pillow with some doubt, her gaze still lingering on him, but ultimately she didn't press the matter further.

Shen Huaijin dried his hands and looked at her: "After you leave the Duke's mansion in a few days, don't go anywhere. Go straight back to your own courtyard."

Xu Qianhui nodded repeatedly, readily agreeing.

Chu Yunci's concerned voice came from outside the door.

Xu Qianhui stood up, straightened the wrinkles in her skirt, and left through the door.

The clinic became quiet.

The sand in the water clock fell in a soft rustling sound.

Shen Huaijin walked to the basin and cleaned up the used cotton cloth and leftover medicine. A flamboyant red figure emerged from behind the screen in the inner room.

Princess Fu'an, fanning herself with a round fan, sat down casually on a rosewood chair, tapping the table with the fan in her hand.

"You really dote on her."

His tone was full of mockery as his phoenix eyes scanned Shen Huaijin up and down, noticing the bloodstains seeping from his long sleeves.

Tsk tsk, it looks painful.

Shen Huaijin threw the blood-stained cotton cloth into the brazier.

The flames rolled up and quickly burned to ashes.

"Your restaurant needs a proper renovation, so that people won't get hurt or injured in this kind of thing again."

This statement is a righteous and assertive defense of one's own.

Princess Fu'an flashed a row of neat, white teeth and laughed heartily.

"Brother, instead of making me go through all the trouble of secretly helping her, why not just reveal your identity and protect her yourself?" She closed her fan, rested her elbow on the square table, and looked at him with her chin in her hand. "With the Second Prince personally taking action, who in this capital would dare to lay a finger on her?"

Shen Huaijin held his water glass, looking at the tea stems floating on the surface of the water.

After a long while, he shook his head.

"I've known her since childhood, and we get along very well; I'm used to it."

I've gotten used to it... being the person she can rely on from behind.

Princess Fu'an pursed her lips, looking just like an old nanny worrying about her children's marriages.

"I'm telling you, you really need to prepare early. We all know her current situation; she's still embroiled in a lot of trouble. If you're truly interested in her, you'd better think carefully about how to persuade your father and mother."

"Your marriage, like your brother the Crown Prince's, is by no means a trivial matter."

The room fell silent again.

Shen Huaijin twirled the empty cup in his hand, his gaze falling on the remaining tea at the bottom.

"unnecessary."

Why?

Shen Huaijin turned his head to look at the dark night outside the window and stated the facts in a calm tone.

"She doesn't like me."

"Brother, have you gone mad from studying medicine?" Princess Fu'an said, her eyes filled with exasperation. "Just because you don't like it now doesn't mean you won't like it in the future. Besides, which of the two Lin brothers can compare to you?"

She counted on her fingers.

"The only one who can rival you is probably General Chu."

"But his parents are idiots; all they want is for him to marry that darn sister-in-law. I don't think they'll make it work."

Shen Huaijin didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "Xiao Shicheng, what are your plans?"

The topic shift was abrupt, but the meaning was clear: he was afraid that the madman would cause trouble for Xu Qianhui.

Princess Fu'an smacked her lips and rolled her eyes.

"Look at you, you can't stop talking about her."

"Stop arguing, just say it."

"What else can we do?" Princess Fu'an sighed and leaned back in her chair. "We can't find a single piece of evidence on Minister Lin's side. I don't think he'll be arrogant any longer."

Shen Huaijin raised his head, his gaze deep and intense.

In the candlelight, those cold eyes seemed unfathomable.

"Send someone to find an opportunity to kill him."

Eight seemingly casual words, yet they carried an undisguised murderous intent.

Princess Fu'an jumped up in fright.

"Are you crazy?! Do you want to be beaten to death by Father? How dare you say such a thing?"

She looked around to make sure no one was listening in the next room before lowering her voice to warn them.

"Let me tell you, you can have your bodyguards protect Xu Qianhui in private, but you absolutely cannot let anyone kill Xiao Shicheng."

"Otherwise, if the Northwest falls into chaos, it will lead to widespread suffering and death."

Shen Huaijin sneered, his voice eerily calm.

"I dare not, Your Majesty."

"Yes, he wouldn't dare. But Xiao Shicheng is the only son of the Imperial Uncle, and he has many helpers by his side. Can you guarantee that you'll strike him dead without leaving any survivors?"

She took a step closer and looked him straight in the eye.

"Besides, have you forgotten Xu Qianhui's secret plan? Our dear cousin has grand ambitions. Killing him now would be like stirring up trouble."

Shen Huaijin didn't speak again, only staring at the flickering candlelight, concealing the murderous intent in his eyes.

......

The night breeze, carrying the chill of early autumn, swept into the alley.

The wheels rolled over the bluestone pavement, making a monotonous rumbling sound.

In the side courtyard of the Duke's Mansion, Ci'an Hall, several autumn insects chirped tirelessly at the base of the wall.

After getting off the car, Xu Qianhui went straight back to the side courtyard of Ci'an Hall and was about to push open the bedroom door.

"Squeak."

The wooden door was opened from the inside first.

In the dim candlelight, Fu Shi sat upright on a soft couch by the window, holding a string of sandalwood prayer beads in her hand.

The teacups on the small table next to him were empty, indicating that they had been waiting for a long time.

Xu Qianhui concealed the weariness on her face and stepped over the threshold to go inside.

"Why is Auntie here so late?"

She stepped forward and made a gesture to close the half-open window.

"It's late and the dew is heavy; Auntie, please be careful not to catch a cold."

Fu ignored the polite words of concern and stared intently at Xu Qianhui's face with scrutiny and inquiry.

"The old lady..."

"Did they send someone to harm A-Qing?"