"All items used by Old Madam these past two days must be boiled in hot water."
Qin Guan gave another instruction, to which Lu Xiu smiled and replied, "Ninth Miss, you needn't worry. We've already followed your instructions from last night."
Qin Guan nodded and, seeing that the Grand Princess had taken her medicine and fallen into a deep sleep, turned to leave the room.
Fuling followed quietly and asked in a low voice, "Miss, why is this necessary?"
"The Grand Princess is weak from illness. The slightest unclean thing could worsen her condition. For those of us in good health, such precautions aren't needed."
Qin Guan gave a brief explanation, and Fuling nodded in understanding, committing it to memory.
As they stepped out of the inner chamber, they saw Yue Qing standing outside, pacing back and forth as if waiting for someone.
The Grand Princess's condition was still uncertain. While someone needed to remain in the room, too many people couldn't stay, so apart from Lu Xiu, even Jiang Shi and Yue Qiong only visited frequently, not daring to linger.
It was already past noon, and Qin Guan wondered what Yue Qing was doing there.
The sound of footsteps alerted Yue Qing, who turned and brightened upon seeing Qin Guan. "Ninth Miss!"
Noticing his demeanor, Qin Guan curtsied slightly and stepped forward. "Second Young Master, is there something you need?"
Yue Qing and Yue Jia had inherited the best traits from Yue Qiong and Jiang Shi—Yue Qing possessed Yue Qiong's tall, imposing stature and dignified bearing, yet with an added touch of noble elegance. Compared to Yue Jia's steady and reserved nature, Yue Qing was much more outgoing. With his bright, piercing eyes and an air of straightforward efficiency, his youthful vigor was striking.
However, facing Qin Guan, Yue Qing coughed lightly, slightly uneasy, before speaking. "Ninth Miss, I wanted to personally thank you this morning, but after the Prefect left, I went directly to Lin Daxing's home, which delayed me."
As he spoke, Yue Qing took a step back and bowed deeply to Qin Guan. "Yue Qing thanks Ninth Miss for your righteous intervention in clearing my name. This great kindness deserves my deepest gratitude."
Qin Guan quickly sidestepped the bow. "Second Young Master, please rise. Madam has already thanked me repeatedly. If you do the same, it only makes me uneasy."
Yue Qing paused, still bent, and glanced up at Qin Guan. Seeing her sincere and composed expression, he straightened with an embarrassed smile. "Well... To express my gratitude, I specially—"
"Greetings to the Crown Prince—"
Before Yue Qing could finish, voices sounded in the distance. Yue Qing turned to see Yan Chi striding toward them.
Today, Yan Chi wore a dark black narrow-sleeved robe embroidered with golden qilin patterns. His broad shoulders, long arms, trim waist, and long legs gave him a commanding presence, his every movement exuding an imposing aura that preceded him.
Qin Guan promptly curtsied, and Yue Qing clasped his fists in salute.
Yan Chi waved a hand, glanced at Qin Guan, then turned to Yue Qing. His brow lifted as he noticed Yue Qing's attendant standing not far away—and the small bundle in the attendant's hands.
"How is Grandaunt? I went to the military camp this morning and returned late."
Though Qin Guan, the physician, was present, Yan Chi directed his question to Yue Qing, who hurriedly replied, "Ninth Miss said Grandmother's wound shows no signs of festering. If she remains stable through the night, she will have passed this crisis. For now, she's asleep, and Ninth Miss advises against disturbing her."Yue Qing was two years younger than Yan Chi. They had met in the capital during their childhood, but Yue Qing had been too young to remember it now. Despite this, Yue Qing had long been awed by Yan Chi's military exploits in the Northwest Frontier. He knew that even if given five more years, he could never achieve what Yan Chi had accomplished. Thus, when he looked at Yan Chi, there was not only familiarity but also deep admiration and reverence.
"That's good to hear," Yan Chi said, his expression softening slightly. "Since we shouldn't disturb them, I'll go find the Marquis to discuss matters regarding the Northwest Frontier Army."
Yue Qing's eyes immediately lit up. "What about the Northwest Frontier Army?"
The Northwest Frontier Army, a force of one hundred thousand soldiers, was commanded by Prince Rui, Yan Lin. It was an undefeated army that guarded the western borders, ensuring no invaders could encroach upon the Great Zhou's territory. Yan Chi had previously led troops in this army, and the hundreds of soldiers accompanying him now were his personal guards from the same force.
Yan Chi smiled faintly. "Just minor matters. If you're interested, you can come along."
With that, Yan Chi turned to leave. Yue Qing's excitement was palpable—the Northwest Frontier Army was something he had long idolized.
Yet, glancing at Qin Guan and remembering the gift he intended to give her, he found himself torn.
Yan Chi paused after a few steps and looked back at Yue Qing, as if waiting for him. Realizing he couldn't present the gift in front of Yan Chi, Yue Qing decided to wait for another opportunity later in the evening.
"Ninth Miss, I'll go find my father first. I'll leave Grand Princess in your care."
Qin Guan nodded and curtsied slightly. Yue Qing hurried after Yan Chi.
From a distance, Yan Chi caught a glimpse of Qin Guan bowing her head in courtesy. His gaze flickered briefly before he turned away.
Once Yan Chi was gone, Fuling, who had been standing nearby, let out a long breath. "Miss, the Crown Prince's presence is truly overwhelming. But why didn’t he even speak to you? It was as if he didn’t see you at all..."
Her voice trailed off, clearly intimidated by Yan Chi. Qin Guan, however, remained unfazed. "He is the Crown Prince, after all. It’s only natural for him to carry himself with pride. It’s of no consequence."
Even as she said this, Qin Guan recalled the glance they had exchanged the previous night... A faint sense of puzzlement arose in her, but she shook it off. There was no need for words between two people whose paths were unlikely to cross again.
As she turned, her sleeve brushed against something heavy in her pocket, causing her brows to furrow slightly.
His Cold Moon was still with her...
"Miss, is something wrong?" Fuling asked.
Qin Guan shook her head. "It’s nothing. Let’s go to the medicine room to prepare Grand Princess's herbs. I’ll teach you some pharmacology along the way."
Fuling nodded eagerly, and the two of them made their way through the corridor toward the small courtyard’s medicine room.
Qin Guan focused on tending to Grand Princess, but as night fell, Jiang Shi arrived with a troubled expression. Noticing her distress, Qin Guan reassured her, "Madam, Grand Princess's condition is stable for now. There’s no need for excessive worry."
Jiang Shi shook her head and took Qin Guan’s hand. "It’s not about Mother. With you here, I’m already much more at ease regarding her health." She paused, her tone growing grave. "It’s about the matter concerning Miss Song."
Qin Guan frowned slightly. "That matter can only be left to the Prefect to handle."
Jiang Shi sighed. "The Prefect has no leads at all. The entourage from the Duke’s residence is still staying with us. Over the past two days, many of Miss Song’s attendants have grown restless. And when the Duke’s family arrives from the capital..."Qin Guan understood that while the marriage of a daughter from the Duke's household was supposed to be a joyous occasion, the fact that the girl had died right at the gates of Marquis Anyang Manor could easily be blamed on the Marquis's family if they encountered someone unreasonable.
Just as Qin Guan hesitated to speak, Yang Xi suddenly rushed in with a panicked expression!
"Madam, Prince Rui's heir has been injured!"
Jiang Shi's face paled. "Injured?! How could His Highness be injured?!"
Yang Xi looked frantic. "His Highness went to the Martial Arts Field with several young masters for practice. None of us knew he was still recovering from old injuries! The Second Young Master didn't realize this and struck too hard, aggravating His Highness's wounds!"
Before he even finished speaking, Yang Xi couldn't wait any longer and bowed to Qin Guan. "Ninth Miss, please come take a look!"
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