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Chapter 10
“Sneeze…”
This was the third time Ning Yuan had sneezed in the study. It was still a hot summer day, and there was no ice basin in the room, so why had he sneezed so many times?
This body is really useless.
He could only curse quietly, after all, he didn’t know how long he would stay in this body.
He not only hoped to change back, but also wished he wouldn’t return too soon.
While lost in thought, the servant’s voice was heard from outside the door.
“Your Majesty, would you like me to call Physician Liang to come?”
Ning Yuan carefully folded the letter and put it in the envelope, then simply refused.
“No need.”
But as he was about to place the envelope into the box, he paused, recalling something, and stopped the servant from leaving.
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
The young man bent his waist three-quarters of the way, opened the door, and stood respectfully in front of Ning Yuan.
Ning Yuan looked at the young man and realized it was the same person who had guided him the previous night.
He assumed this young man must be the one who followed Jiang Huai.
He casually lowered his voice and asked, “Did you just send someone in?”
The young man couldn’t detect the tone in his voice but remembered that Lady Lu didn’t look happy when she left earlier.
He quickly knelt down and began to apologize.
“Your Majesty, please forgive me, I deserve to die.”
As he spoke, he even slapped his own face.
Ning Yuan frowned when he saw it.
This young man has a lot of ideas.
He stood up, walked in front of him, and looked down at him.
Hmm, this young man was quite chubby.
If he continued to follow him, it could become a problem sooner or later.
“Since you’re willing to listen to her, go serve her in the courtyard.”
Hearing that he might be dismissed, the young man quickly kowtowed[1]a deep bow, often done in traditional Chinese culture as a sign of respect or submission. and begged.
“Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please wait until I’m with you. For the sake of the years I’ve served, please forgive me just this once.”
Ning Yuan didn’t respond to his words but walked over to the table, picked up the food box that had just been delivered, and said softly, “It’s been two years.”
Then he pretended to be regretful and said, “I’ll reward you. After you eat, come over.”
The young man looked at the food box in front of him, his eyes filled with disbelief.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t let Lady Lu into the study before. These actions had been approved by the prince.
He knew it had to be because Lady Lu had been able to coax the prince into good health many times before, but not today.
Thinking about this, he broke into a cold sweat. Lady Lu was probably about to lose favor.
But he didn’t dare say anything and only lowered his head, picked up the food box, and exited the room.
When the door closed, Ning Yuan sighed in relief. He finally felt some peace.
It really wasn’t pleasant to have so many people in the house, constantly talking and making noise.
The weather in the summer can be unpredictable.
It had been clear just a moment ago, but now the sky was covered in clouds again.
The clouds were so thick they made the air feel heavy and suffocating.
As the wind picked up, Xu Lianqiao put down the half-mended clothes in her hands and stood up to close the window.
It was difficult. She didn’t have enough strength, so she pulled hard on the window lever with her fingers. But a strong gust of wind pushed it back open.
The window squeaked, almost as if it was mocking her.
Why was she so unlucky? Even a window was working against her.
No, she had to close it.
The wind slammed the window against the outer wall. Xu Lianqiao bent down to reach the corner of the window. She stood on tiptoe, pressing her stomach against the window frame, which hurt a bit.
Finally, after the wind blew her hair loose, she managed to close the window.
She raised her hand to smooth her damp hair and was about to take a deep breath.
Then, there was a knock at the door.
Xu Lianqiao counted the shadows reflected on the door, seeing there were more than three or four people standing outside.
“Young Madam.”
She opened the door to find five unfamiliar people: two men and three women.
Before she could react, the older woman in front spoke.
“Young Madam, the servants are here to help you move according to the prince’s orders.”
Move?
What was this about?
She was living just fine here. Why would she need to move?
Could it be because of the Heli matter? Was she being punished and sent to a woodshed?
The thought terrified her. She didn’t want to be sent to the woodshed. It was dark, full of rats and bugs, their eyes glowing red at night…
That would be too scary. She couldn’t sleep there.
“Pa!”
Not wanting to deal with it, Xu Lianqiao slammed the door shut with her back.
The five people stood outside, exchanging glances.
The leader, Nanny Hu, an experienced old woman, stayed calm and explained through the door.
“Young Madam, please don’t worry. The prince wants you to move to Cuihu Courtyard.”
Cuihu Courtyard?
That made Xu Lianqiao blink in surprise.
Cuihu Courtyard was one of the best locations in the entire Xuanwu Marquis Mansion. [2]Cuihu Courtyard is a desirable courtyard located near a lake, known for its coolness in summer and warmth in winter.
It was next to the mansion’s only lake, named for it. It had a perfect location, offering both warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer.
If it weren’t for Lu Siqing’s fear of water, the courtyard wouldn’t have been left unused.
In fact, when they first married, the old lady had arranged it as their wedding room.
But she didn’t want to follow Jiang Huai’s wishes. She didn’t want to live there, so he moved her to a different part of the house to show his authority.
Though the new courtyard was far from the main house, she actually liked it because it kept her away from everyone.
“Young Madam, the prince said this house faces east and west, and the west gets a lot of sunlight, making it hot in the summer and cold in the winter.”
Is that true?
Xu Lianqiao couldn’t believe Jiang Huai would say something like that.
And besides, it was about to rain. Moving now would just be torture.
“Where is the Crown Prince?” she asked.
“The Crown Prince went out and said he would return tonight,” the servant answered.
It was clear that Jiang Huai was just trying to make her suffer.
Maybe he planned to make her move back when he returned in the evening. He enjoyed making her uncomfortable.
“I won’t move,” Xu Lianqiao insisted. “Look at the weather! It’s not a good time to move. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
She hoped to delay it by a day.
But the servant wouldn’t give up.
“Young Madam, please don’t make it hard for us. The prince specifically ordered that we must move you today, or else we’ll have nothing to do.”
Xu Lianqiao cursed Jiang Huai silently.
How shameless.
But she didn’t want the servants to be punished, so she opened the door and let them in.
_
The servants immediately began packing her belongings.
Although she didn’t have much, after living there for over a year, there were plenty of sheets and bedding that couldn’t be moved by just one or two people in one trip.
This was the first time so many people had come into her home.
Half an hour later, the servants were seen leaving the courtyard.
But as expected, fate was cruel.
The rain started pouring heavily.
The raindrops hit her, stinging with the cold.
The rain soaked the road, and her shoes quickly filled with water.
The thin umbrella couldn’t protect her belongings.
Of course, the inevitable happened.
By the time she reached Cuihu Courtyard, she was drenched, her clothes and bedding soaked.
She was so embarrassed.
This cursed Jiang Huai!
_
Meanwhile, Ning Yuan, who had originally come to visit, was now stuck at his residence because of the rain.
He looked out at the downpour, trapped inside.
Ning Yuan couldn’t help but sigh as he glanced at the figure lying on the bed.
Everything seemed off.
At least, as a small blessing in the middle of misfortune, Jiang Huai’s soul hadn’t entered his body.
If it had, with Jiang Huai’s romantic habits, he feared that he would have been tainted too.
But the question was, where had Jiang Huai’s soul gone?
Could he be dead?
Had he been resurrected through some corpse ritual?
Ning Yuan touched his own hand.
It was still warm—at least he wasn’t dead yet.
What a mess.
***
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