Chapter 22: The Sixth Prince’s Invitation
Lin Xueyi didn’t get a direct answer to her question, but she soon realized that Rong Shuyan had never once looked at her injured hand with disgust.
[He probably just has a poker face, but... maybe he really doesn’t mind it,] she thought, trying to calm herself. [That’s good. That’s good. At least I don’t have to worry about that for now.]
After treating both Lin Xueyi and Rong Shuyan, Physician Liu packed away the remaining medicine before giving Mei Lu one final reminder. "Keep a close eye on Her Highness’s hand. If the redness spreads, the pain gets much worse, or she develops a fever, send someone to fetch me immediately."
"Yes, Physician Liu," Mei Lu replied with a respectful bow.
Lin Xueyi lowered her head slightly. "Thank you for coming all the way here, Physician Liu. I’m sorry for making you leave your nephew so soon."
Physician Liu smiled kindly and waved his hand. "There’s no need to apologize, Your Highness. My nephew is already feeling much better, so I was able to leave him without worrying."
Before leaving, he offered one last reminder. "Please take good care of yourself, Your Highness."
He then turned to Rong Shuyan, who was sitting nearby. "And Your Highness, you should also look after your health. Please don’t go outside too often. The weather is getting colder every day."
Rong Shuyan let out a heavy sigh. He had probably heard the same advice countless times before.
"I know," he replied calmly.
After Physician Liu left, the room fell into silence for a moment.
Lin Xueyi glanced around awkwardly before carefully swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up slowly, making sure not to put too much strain on her injured hand.
Rong Shuyan watched her every movement. "Where are you going?" he asked.
Lin Xueyi looked at him and gave an embarrassed smile. "I... I’ll go back to my room now."
Only then did Rong Shuyan remember that she was still in his bedchamber.
He looked at the thick bandage wrapped around her hand. For a brief moment, he wanted to tell her to stay, but before the words could leave his mouth, her thoughts filled his mind once again.
[I hope Yanyan doesn’t think I’m trying to take advantage of the situation.]
[I should leave before he gets uncomfortable.]
[Besides... I should hide the real Golden Wound Medicine somewhere safe first.]
Rong Shuyan felt a dull ache in his temples because her thoughts jumped from one topic to another so quickly that even he struggled to keep up.
After a long pause, he simply nodded. "Very well."
Lin Xueyi let out a sigh of relief. "Then I’ll take my leave, Your Highness."
She gave him a polite bow before turning toward the door.
Before Lin Xueyi could take another step, Rong Shuyan’s calm voice stopped her. "Princess Consort."
She paused and turned around. "Yes, Your Highness?"
Rong Shuyan was silent for a moment, as though carefully choosing his words. "In about three weeks, there will be the King’s birthday banquet."
Lin Xueyi blinked several times because she naturally remembered that event.
In the original novel, Rong Shuyan had never made it to the King’s birthday banquet because his illness had flared up before the trip. But now that he hadn’t drunk the poisoned tea Rong Mingze had given him, there was a good chance his body would be well enough to travel to the Imperial Palace.
[But if he wants to attend the banquet, why is he telling me?] Lin Xueyi wondered. [It’s not like he’s about to ask me to go with him.]
After all, the original Lin Xueyi had said more than once that she would rather be hit by a horse-drawn carriage than attend any event with Rong Shuyan.
Because of that, it never crossed her mind that he might actually be asking her to accompany him.
On the other side, Rong Shuyan looked at her for a moment before speaking again. "By then, your hand should have fully recovered."
Lin Xueyi nodded without thinking. "It should."
He fell silent once more. For someone who was usually calm and decisive, he seemed unusually hesitant.
After a long pause, he finally asked, "Would you like to accompany me to the banquet?"
Lin Xueyi froze and her eyes slowly widened as she stared at him in disbelief.
[He actually asked me?!]
For a moment, she wondered if she had heard him wrong.
Rong Shuyan silently met her gaze. "If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to force yourself," he said calmly. "I only thought it would be proper to ask. Otherwise, people will wonder why you aren’t attending the banquet with me."
[Oh... right. It would be strange if his wife didn’t attend the banquet with him.] Lin Xueyi suddenly realized. [People might even look down on him and think our relationship is so bad that we can’t even appear together.]
[Well... that’s technically true. But nobles are basically celebrities in the public eye, so we still have to keep up appearances.]
Lin Xueyi looked back at Rong Shuyan and smiled awkwardly. "In that case... I’d be happy to go with you, Your Highness."
A trace of relief appeared on Rong Shuyan’s eyes before his usual calm expression returned. "Very well."
Lin Xueyi put her hands behind her back and tilted her head slightly. "When is the banquet exactly?"
"The fifteenth day of next month," Rong Shuyan replied. "We will leave early in the morning."
She nodded. "I understand."
[I’ve never been to the Imperial Palace before...]
[I wonder what it looks like inside.]
[More importantly... this banquet is where many important characters first appear.]
As she thought about the original novel, her expression gradually became more serious.
[Rong Mingze will definitely be there.]
[And if I remember correctly... several princes and high-ranking officials will also attend.]
[This is going to be much more dangerous than it looks.]
Rong Shuyan quietly listened to every thought. He had expected her to be excited about attending such a grand event. Instead, the first thing she thought about was the danger waiting for them.
If her knowledge of the future was correct, then this banquet would be less of a celebration and more of a battlefield.