"Don't, your subordinate will go right away!"
Li Yang sprinted away with lightning speed.
Beside him, Li Jin watched with schadenfreude. Lu Qingwan looked over with a bright smile, "The Hundred Apricot Grove has been extremely busy these past few days. You should go help out too. The pharmacy is desperately short of staff, so I'll leave the task of decocting medicine to you."
Li Jin's smile instantly froze. He didn't try to get out of it, "Yes, Your Highness. Allow your subordinate to call back Li Qing and Li Su to serve you and His Highness. Your subordinate will report to the Hundred Apricot Grove immediately."
Lu Qingwan snorted, considering it an agreement.
Feng Xiwu remained as quiet as a chicken beside her. Lu Qingwan deliberately asked him, "Doesn't Your Highness want to ask me why I'm punishing them?"
The internal medicine department of the Hundred Apricot Grove was full of patients with mobility issues, requiring care for all their basic needs. Li Yang was the most impatient with such matters, so she had assigned him to attend to those patients. Li Jin was afraid of bitter tastes; he would avoid medicine if injured, preferring pills as a last resort. Making him drink decoctions would only be for a severe injury. Lu Qingwan deliberately assigned him to the pharmacy to decoct medicine, exposing him to the steam of the decoctions, a truly targeted punishment.
Feng Xiwu offered a wry smile, "The fewer people who know about my background, the better. They are afraid of causing me difficulty and do not wish to upset you, hence their use of this ruse."
Lu Qingwan scoffed, "When I asked His Majesty, he was so rational and devoted to Da Qian. He then injured his thumb. They are truly going to great lengths for you, their master."
Feng Xiwu was also speechless by his two incredibly foolish subordinates.
"I told you I was being pursued with my elder brother to Da Qian and was saved by the Emperor and the late Empress Dowager. Why didn't you ask me where my elder brother is? Or perhaps ask who we are if I am not the son of the late emperor and not from Da Qian? Aren't you curious at all?"
Snow was still falling from the sky. Lu Qingwan helped Feng Xiwu stroll aimlessly down the corridor. Hearing his words, she chuckled softly, "Curiosity is human nature, but as you said yourself, there must be some reservations? Aren't your and your elder brother's identities and origins precisely what you need to reserve?"
She clearly told Feng Xiwu that she was indeed curious, but because it would make him difficult, she was holding back from asking. Such understanding and consideration made Feng Xiwu's heart fill with affection. He suddenly turned sideways, and Lu Qingwan, caught off guard, bumped into his embrace. Her nose hit his rather hard, and she couldn't help but chide him, "Why did you stop so suddenly?"
"It's my fault. Did I hurt your nose?" Feng Xiwu gently rubbed her nose and said, "I didn't intend to keep this from you. It's just that the enemies who pursued my brother and me are still unknown, and they are now even more powerful. If you were to know, it would only drag you into greater danger with no benefit whatsoever. I hope you can understand."
Lu Qingwan playfully nudged Feng Xiwu's finger with her nose and said, "If you don't tell me, I can still control my curiosity. But now you've told me half of it, leaving the other half untold. How can I resist? Moreover, if there is real danger, wouldn't that danger still exist even if I didn't know about it? If you don't tell me, and danger truly arrives one day, wouldn't I be completely unaware and unable to prepare in advance?"
Feng Xiwu looked at her eyes darting around and pinched the tip of her nose lightly, "Don't try to play games with me. The enemies don't know I'm alive, nor do they know that you are by my side. Not telling you is truly for your own good..."
"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't. I won't force you." Lu Qingwan actually didn't quite agree with the saying "I'm hiding it from you for your own good," but since it was Feng Xiwu, she decided to believe him for now.
After walking around for a while, feeling less stifled, Li Su arrived. "Your Highness, Miss Chi has come to visit you. She also brought a large box of delicacies from Buye Zhou, saying she wants to share dinner with you."
Lu Qingwan was slightly surprised, "At this time, why would the Chi family allow her out?" Something just happened in the palace, and Grand Tutor Chi was privy to it. Why would he not restrain Chi Yaoyao at all?
"Let her in first," Feng Xiwu signaled Li Su to bring her in. Then he said to Lu Qingwan, "Grand Tutor Chi has always been on good terms with Wen Xiang and maintains a neutral stance. If he is indulging Chi Yaoyao's visit to the Prince's mansion at this time, it is likely intentional, so she can convey a message to you and me."
Lu Qingwan agreed wholeheartedly. Otherwise, she couldn't think of any reason why Grand Tutor Chi would disregard Chi Yaoyao's safety and allow her to flaunt herself in public at such a time.
Chi Yaoyao hadn't seen Lu Qingwan in a long time. As soon as they met, she ran over boisterously, "A'wan, I've finally seen you!" As she spoke, she reached out as if to hug Feng Xiwu. As she approached, she noticed Feng Xiwu was also there and quickly withdrew her hand, bowing respectfully, "This humble subject pays her respects to His Royal Highness the Regent, and Her Highness the Regent's Consort!"
Lu Qingwan chuckled, "Alright, we're not outside, so there's no need for such grand gestures."
Chi Yaoyao grinned playfully, "My grandmother said..."
"Rituals must not be abandoned. I've noted it!" Lu Qingwan picked up her words, "If the Prince and I don't report your behavior to your grandmother, how will Old Madam Chi know if you were polite or not in the Prince's mansion?"
The two shared a kindred spirit and were not people who liked to engage in insincere pleasantries. Lu Qingwan invited her to sit and got straight to the point, "It's still snowing outside, why did you choose to visit in such weather?"
"My grandfather said you were startled in the palace today, and there's no elder at home for you to speak with, so he asked me to check on you. Oh, and grandfather also asked me to give this to His Highness." Chi Yaoyao said, taking out a brocade pouch from her embrace. As she presented it to Feng Xiwu with both hands, she couldn't help but explain herself, "I'm not taking this opportunity to have a private exchange with His Highness. This brocade pouch was given by my grandfather..."
"I haven't said anything about you, so why are you so nervous?" Lu Qingwan said with a laugh, "Besides, you don't have the nerve for private exchanges in your head, otherwise, the two madams wouldn't be so worried about your marriage!"
"That's enough! I know you and His Highness have a good relationship, but don't make fun of me!" Chi Yaoyao playfully stretched out her hand as if to hit her. Lu Qingwan quickly pleaded for mercy, and after a period of playful banter, Feng Xiwu had also finished looking at the contents of the brocade pouch.
Seeing this, Chi Yaoyao's face showed a rare hint of shyness and doubt. She looked just like a maiden in love, which startled Lu Qingwan. To her surprise, Chi Yaoyao shyly said, "I heard His Highness has just returned from the northern front. May I inquire about someone from His Highness?"
Feng Xiwu's expression was one of icy indifference, "Who do you wish to inquire about?"
"The strategist of the Xuanjia Army - Young Master Lian Yu."
Hearing someone inquiring about his strategist, Feng Xiwu instinctively frowned. However, his gaze inadvertently met his little princess consort's gossiping expression, and he suddenly found it amusing. The cold expression couldn't be maintained.