People who were afraid of cold would subconsciously get close to a warmer place even when they were asleep.
Su Muge who was half-awake and half-asleep wormed like a shrimp into Xia Houmo’s arms. When she was about to fall asleep, she felt a big hand on her body and instantly woke up.
She opened her eyes and saw Xia Houmo’s exquisite profile. His eyes were closed and his breath was even. If his hand were not on her breasts, she would have really thought him asleep!
Su Muge grabbed his hand and took it out of her clothes. “Your Royal Highness, it’s dawn. Don’t you go to the morning court today?”
Xia Houmo rolled over and dropped his hand on her waist. “I’m on my day off today.”
Day off!
Su Muge was awake completely, sat up rapidly, jumped directly off the bed, grabbed her clothes on the screen, and put them on.
When Xia Houmo sat up, Su Muge had put all her clothes on.
“Your Royal Highness, even if you are on your day off, you can’t be lazy and have to go for morning exercise. Yueru, come in.”
Yueru and others, who were waiting outside, walked in with their eyes lowered down carrying the washing tools.
Xia Houmo got up and put on his robe that was put aside.
“Go to see a person with me today.”
Su Muge, sitting in front of the dressing table, blinked without asking a question. “Okay.”
After Xia Houmo returned from morning exercise, the two had breakfast, and then Xia Houmo took Su Muge out of Bamboo Courtyard.
“Where is the person you want me to meet, Your Royal Highness?”
“Just in the mansion.”
After Xia Houmo led her through the large martial arts field, they came to a courtyard, which was relatively remote and seldom visited.
“Your Royal Highness, Your Grace.” Donglin, who had been waiting outside, stepped forward.
“Okay.”
Xia Houmo and Su Muge walked into the yard, where many peach and pear trees were planted. And there were several pots of winter orchids under the eaves. Who was so elegant living here?
The door of the main room was pushed open, and Guima came out. He raised his eyebrows at the sight of Su Muge. “You have recovered so well and quickly.”
“Thanks to Doctor Gui’s help.”
Guima touched the bridge of his nose. “You don’t have to thank me; I was forced to do so.”
“…”
“How is Qingyu now?” Xia Houmo glanced at him.
“Not so good. He’s bleeding all the time.”
Xia Houmo walked in.
Su Muge looked around the room and found a lot of plants in the room. A person was sitting behind a quarto screen with bamboo patterns.
“Is His Royal Highness coming?” Qingyu moved his head slightly, turning to Xia Houmo’s direction. Su Muge found his eyes were constantly bleeding. The bright red blood streamed down along his cheeks, which looked so scary.
“Yes.”
Xia Houmo sat beside him. “Guima, tell us his situation.”
Guima leaned on the screen with his hands around his chest.
“Since last night, his eyes have been bleeding every other hour. I tried everything, but I couldn’t stop it.”
Su Muge looked at Qingyu’s complexion and his hands on the armrest. But she didn’t see any difference from ordinary people.
“He…was poisoned?”
“It’s not entirely poisoning, because there is no other abnormality in his body except for blindness and occasional bleeding. He has just been back from the miasma field in Nanban.”
Su Muge looked at Xia Houmo. “Your Royal Highness, you let me come to…” She pointed to Qingyu.
Xia Houmo nodded. “Take a look at him.”
Su Muge went over and waved her hand in front of Qingyu’s eyes. “Can you see my hand?”
Qingyu shook his head.
“Can you see the shaking shadow?”
“Shadow?”
“Yes.”
“I can feel something shaking in front of my eyes.”
“I see. That is to say, your eyes are still able to sense the light.”
Su Muge opened his eyelids, checked his pupils, and found his pupils covered by a haze like a veil.
“Doctor Gui, do you know what the miasma getting into his eyes is like?”
Guima took out a black porcelain bottle from his medical kit.
“This is what I have specially got from Nanban and it has been liquified.”
Su Muge took over the porcelain bottle and didn’t hurry to open it. “Your Royal Highness, I need some mice or more other small animals.”
Xia Houmo turned to Donglin who turned around and walked out.
Donglin quickly got a rabbit and three mice back.
“Your Grace, are these enough?”
Su Muge nodded. “Yes.”
Su Muge put them into different cages, opened the porcelain bottle, poured out the liquid of miasma, and dripped it into the eyes of a mouse and a rabbit.
“Squeak”
As soon as the liquid was dripped in, the mouse and the rabbit began to frantically jump around in the cage.
“How long did it take for your eyes to become like this after the miasma got into your eyes?”
“After returning from the miasma field, I felt my eyes extremely uncomfortable that night and then my vision became hazy. After that, they had become like this. It took probably less than ten hours.”
Su Muge caught the rabbit whose eyes had been dripped the miasma liquid and found its eyes changed. After it was released, it seemed to have calmed down slowly, but there was a problem with its behaviors. As it moved in the cage, it would hit the cage constantly.
It had only been less than a quarter of an hour.
Su Muge closed her eyes and smelled the miasma liquid, which had a pungent and sour smell.
“The eyes of the mouse are bleeding,” Donglin said in surprise.
Su Muge looked back and found the mouse’s bleeding eyes.
“Your Royal Highness, I think I have to dissect these little animals in order to give you a more definite answer.”
“Okay.” Xia Houmo stood up. At this time, Qingyu’s eyes were no longer bleeding.
Su Muge asked Donglin to prepare a separate and clean room for her and asked Yueru to fetch her medical kit.
“Yueru, go tell Wang Yi and Wang Nuo that I will go over later today. Let them take care of it and come to me immediately if there is any problem.”
“Your Grace, rest assured. I see.”
As soon as Su Muge turned around and entered the room, Liu Rumeng came to the courtyard with a hamper.
The guards saw Liu Rumeng and greeted, “Miss Liu, you are here.”
Liu Rumeng nodded with a smile. “I’m here to see brother Qingyu.”
“His Royal Highness is inside now. Miss Liu, please go in.”
His Royal Highness was inside!
Liu Rumeng slightly tightened her hand holding the hamper, nodded, and walked in.
“It’s Miss Liu. If you don’t come, Qingyu won’t have breakfast today.” Donglin saw Liu Rumeng come in and said jokingly.
Liu Rumeng covered her lips and chuckled. “Brother Qingyu always loves to joke. How can he be so self-willed with his health?”
“But he doesn’t listen to us. He has to be persuaded by you.” After finishing his words, Donglin left the yard.
Liu Rumeng looked at the door of the room. Thinking that Xia Houmo was inside, she couldn’t wait to walk in and almost hit Xia Houmo who was to go out.
Xia Houmo stopped quickly and took a step back.
“Your, Your Royal Highness, I’m sorry. I almost hit you.”
“It’s okay.”
“Rumeng, you are here.” Qingyu’s rejoicing voice came out from inside.
Xia Houmo didn’t look at her again. “Go in.” After finishing speaking, he stepped out of the room.
“Your …” Liu Rumeng watched him walk into the next room.
“Rumeng, what delicious food have you brought to me today?” Qingyu got up from the chair and groped with both hands to get to Liu Rumeng.
Liu Rumeng was still looking at the door where Xia Houmo was entering. She didn’t notice Qingyu until he accidentally stumbled by the chair and nearly fell to the ground.
She went to the table, put the hamper down, and went to hold him.
“Your eyes haven’t recovered yet. Don’t move around. What if you hurt yourself again?”
Listening to Liu Rumeng’s scolding, Qingyu smiled like a child and grabbed her hand.
“I want to be closer to you.”
Liu Rumeng seemed to have not heard his words. She held him up to the chair, and quickly released her hand to open the hamper.
“I made vegetable and meat buns you like today. I have also stewed some egg porridge. It’s still hot. Hurry to eat it before it gets cold.” Liu Rumeng put the spoon into Qingyu’s hands and let him know the buns’ position before standing up. “I’ll pour some hot tea for you.” After finishing her words, she went out.
“Rumen, I don’t want to drink tea…” Before Qingyu could finish his words, Liu Rumeng had disappeared.
Liu Rumeng walked outside the room where Xia Houmo had just entered. Just as she wanted to go in, she saw a pretty figure standing beside Xia Houmo.
“Your Royal Highness, although you are on your day off today, you must be busy with many other things, don’t you?” Seeing that Xia Houmo had no intention to leave, Su Muge said helplessly.
Being stared at by someone all the time, she couldn’t feel at ease and focus on her study at all.
“I want to know what you are doing.”
Considering that this is his territory, Su Muge had no way to drive him away.
Su Muge turned around and found Liu Rumeng standing outside the door. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Xia Houmo.
“Your Royal Highness, it seems that someone is looking for you.”
Xia Houmo turned to look at the door.
Liu Rumeng suddenly met Xia Houmo’s cold eyes and shuddered subconsciously. She took a deep breath, stepped in, and bowed to Su Muge.
“Your Royal Highness, Your Grace, pay my respects to you.”
“Miss Liu, don’t be over-courteous.”
Xia Houmo withdrew his gaze from her. “What’s the matter?”
“I have heard that the Rani has excellent medical skills, so I’m wondering if she can cure brother Qingyu’s eyes?”
What a difficult question she had asked!
“Doctor Gui’s medical skills are also excellent, but he can’t cure him either.”
Just as Guima was about to enter, he heard Su Muge’s words and stared at her with dissatisfaction.
“Well, be careful not to fall if you are so proud. To be a man, we should be humbler!” Guima gritted his teeth.
Su Muge nodded deeply. “Well, I agree with you, Doctor Gui. So, I won’t give the patient any unrealistic promises at will until I am sure about his condition. In other words, I can’t answer your question now, Miss Liu.”
