After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

Granny Wen stood behind her, her lips moved, but she said nothing.

Doctor Lu glanced at Tao Yao, but ultimately said nothing, took the prescription, and went out to prepare the medicine.

Changsong frowned and hurried out, leaving only Taoyao and Granny Wen in the room.

Tao Yao immediately walked quickly to the incense burner and, following Yun Xi's instructions, quickly replaced the incense ash with the kind Xie usually used.

After changing the clothes, Granny Wen carefully checked Tao Yao again before whispering, "My child, your coldness has now been cured by that Taoist physician, and you are no longer a person with a cold and yin constitution. How can you be used as a medicinal ingredient for the young master?"

"I must be the one to save my brother, the young master," she whispered in Granny Wen's ear, her voice barely audible. "Mother, go and get Afu's blood now. Knock her unconscious, and hurry."

Seeing her daughter's anxious expression, Granny Wen agreed without hesitation, "Mother will definitely fetch it for you."

She turned and quickly left the main house, walked through the corridor, returned to her own courtyard, called out her trusted confidante Wang Pozi, and the two of them walked one after the other towards Tingzhu Pavilion.

.

Inside Tingzhuxuan, Afu was squatting on the ground, taking down the last piece of old window screen.

She heard footsteps and was about to turn around when she felt her vision go black, her legs went weak, and she fell to the ground.

As she fell, her sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of her fair forearm.

Granny Wen squatted down, grabbed her forearm, and made a cut on the inside of her arm with a knife. Dark red blood flowed down the blade into the porcelain bottle, quickly filling half of it.

He quickly dragged her arm to the wire of the window screen, made another cut on the wound to make it look like it had been scratched by the wire, then wiped away the bloodstains on the ground before leaving.

By this time, the lights in Shi'an Courtyard had been on for half the night, and maids and servants were coming and going, their footsteps rising and falling, which even alerted Ci'an Courtyard.

When Lady Hou arrived, the main room was already filled with people kneeling on the floor, and the air was thick with the smell of blood and the bitterness of herbs.

Xie Xun leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, with Dr. Lu's silver needles still stuck in his wrist.

"What's going on!" Lady Hou's voice trembled as she questioned sharply.

Changsong knelt on the ground, his head almost buried in his chest: "Reporting to Madam, the young master... has suddenly suffered a stroke."

Lady Hou stumbled and was helped up by Granny Cui. She looked at her pale-faced son and her eyes reddened with heartache.

Just then, Granny Wen walked in carrying a bowl of medicine, followed by Tao Yao, whose eyes were red and swollen and whose wrists were wrapped in gauze.

The herbal decoction was dark red and had a strange, sweet, fishy smell.

When Lady Hou inquired about the matter, she learned that Tao Yao's blood had been used as a medicinal ingredient.

Changsong used a small silver spoon to pry open Xie Xun's jaw and fed him the medicine little by little.

Everyone held their breath and waited.

One incense stick, two incense sticks...

After an unknown amount of time, Xie Xun let out a very soft groan. His tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, his long eyelashes trembled, and he finally slowly opened his eyes.

"Xun'er!" Lady Hou cried with joy, rushing forward to grasp his hand. "You're awake! You scared your mother to death!"

Xie Xun's eyes were still somewhat unfocused. He turned his head to look at everyone in the room, his voice hoarse: "Mother... I'm fine."

"Good Xun'er, lie down quickly."

Lady Hou finally breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, and turned her gaze to the servants kneeling on the ground. Her expression suddenly turned cold: "The young master has had two health problems in such a short period of time, and this is how you serve him?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room lowered their heads even further, not daring to breathe.

"Get out of here and kneel in the yard!"

Changsong and the others immediately kowtowed, saying, "Your servants deserve to die!"

Lady Hou's anger had not subsided. She glanced around, but her expression softened when she saw Tao Yao.

She quickly told Granny Cui to help the person up, "Get up, this is none of your business."

"Good child, the Marquis's mansion owes you a debt of gratitude again," the Marquis's wife said, holding her hand and turning to Xie Xun, who had just recovered her senses. "Xun'er, do you know that Tao Yao saved your life?"

Xie Xun's gaze fell on Tao Yao.

"Doctor Lu said that your blood dryness condition can only be suppressed by using the blood of someone with a cold yin constitution as a medicinal guide. It was this child, Tao Yao, who cut her wrist without saying a word and used her blood to make the medicinal guide for you, which saved your life."

As she spoke, Madam Hou pointed to the thick gauze wrapped around Tao Yao's wrist.

Bloodstains still seeped into the gauze, a shocking sight.

Xie Xun's gaze fell on her wrist, and the usual coldness in his expression seemed to melt away for a moment, softening.

"Thank you, Yao'er." His voice was still weak, but it carried a genuine sense of gratitude.

Upon hearing the word "Yao'er," Tao Yao's eyes welled up with tears, and she almost shed one.

She quickly lowered her head, her voice barely audible: "Your Highness is too kind. I would give my life to save you."

Lady Hou was even more pleased with her sensible and pitiful appearance. She patted her hand and said, "Good child, you have lost blood and are still weak. Go back and rest."

"Granny Cui, you personally escort Miss Taoyao back, and also have the kitchen prepare some tonics to send over."

Granny Cui replied "Yes," and helped Tao Yao out.

After Lady Hou left, only Doctor Lu and Changsong remained.

Xie Xun leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest for a while, and when he opened them again, his eyes were clear again.

"Dr. Lu," he began, "why has my body suddenly developed a condition of blood dryness?"

After a moment of contemplation, Doctor Lu carefully spoke: "According to my estimation, although the young master has been cured of the poison he suffered from last time, the residual heat has not been cleared and has become internal heat due to its stagnation."

"Perhaps today I was triggered by some external evil, and the combination of the two has caused such a dangerous blood dryness condition. Fortunately, the Taoist doctor's prescription is appropriate, and with a few months of recuperation, it should be completely cured."

"A Taoist doctor?" Xie Xun's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Doctor Lu then invited a Taoist doctor to Tao Yao's house. The Taoist doctor only gave the prescription and refused to make house calls. He also explained the whole story about the medicinal ingredients.

Xie Xun listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the armrest.

"Is the blood of someone with a cold, yin constitution necessary?"

Doctor Lu nodded, his expression grave: "Yes. This prescription is extremely potent, and the medicinal ingredients are also very particular. Not only does it require the blood of someone with a cold yin constitution, but it must also be the blood of the same person throughout the three-month treatment course, and cannot be changed midway. Otherwise, the medicinal properties will clash, not only will all previous efforts be wasted, but the young master will also suffer an even more severe backlash, at which point... even a god could not save him."

Xie Xun nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

"Understood." He waved his hand. "Dr. Lu has worked hard too, go and rest now."

After Doctor Lu had also left, Xie Xun turned his head and looked at the tall pine tree that had been standing with its head bowed to the side.

"Investigate." His voice returned to its usual coldness. "Investigate everything that has happened at Shian Academy these past few days, including everyone who has entered or left my study."

His gaze fell on the bronze incense burner in the corner, its flame already extinguished, and his voice grew even colder: "Especially that girl named Yunxi, and the incense she wore today, I want to investigate thoroughly."

That faint, unusual fragrance was definitely not an accident.

Changsong immediately bowed: "Yes, sir."

Xie Xun pressed his temples, feeling a wave of exhaustion. He instinctively reached for a sip of tea, but when he looked up, he found the teacup beside him empty and cold.

He then remembered something, frowned, and looked around the empty room.

At this time in the past, there would always be a figure who would appear silently to bring him hot tea or a wrung-out hot towel, taking care of everything perfectly.

But she's not here tonight.

"Where's Afu?" he suddenly asked. "Where did she go?"

Changsong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "Your Highness, this afternoon, Granny Wen came to deliver a message, saying that Tingzhuxuan was going to be cleaned up, and asked Miss Afu to take Abian and Ajiao over to clean it up."

He paused, glanced at the sky outside the window, and said, "Judging by the time, it's time to change it back."

Xie Xun's brows furrowed even more.

Tingzhuxuan is located in the back mountain of the Marquis's mansion, in a very remote place.

What is she still doing there so late at night?

A strange sense of irritation welled up inside him, mixed with a hint of inexplicable displeasure.

"Have her come back to serve you." He said this, his tone carrying an unquestionable command.