Chapter 52: Dumber Than A Donkey (1)
Rong Shuyan stayed in the medical tent for a while, silently watching Lin Xueyi work. She carefully followed every instruction Physician Liu gave her and wrote down every new piece of knowledge he shared.
Rong Shuyan would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed by her determination.
After all, many nobles would have felt insulted if a physician ordered them around or pointed out their mistakes. Lin Xueyi, however, accepted every lesson with patience, as though her noble status meant nothing compared to the chance to learn.
"Your Highness, are you hungry?" Lin Xueyi asked with a bright smile as she walked over to him. "It’s almost dinner. Should we go back to our tent? Or would you rather eat in the dining tent?"
Before Rong Shuyan could answer, she started talking to herself. "But the dining tent probably won’t be very warm." She nodded to herself. "Alright, then. Let’s go back to our tent instead!"
The moment Lin Xueyi mentioned that it was almost dinner, Rong Shuyan was a little surprised. He hadn’t realized he had spent so much time in the medical tent and he had even eaten lunch there with Lin Xueyi.
Then again, he had come because of his headache, so it was only natural that he had stayed, right?
Besides, it wasn’t as if he had anything else to do. After his argument with Rong Yunzhou, he doubted his brother wanted to see him in the command tent again today.
"That sounds good," Rong Shuyan replied.
Lin Xueyi’s smile grew even brighter. She wheeled him back to their tent and stopped his wheelchair beside the bed.
"Let’s go back and warm you up," she said.
Eunuch Shen and Physician Liu exchanged a glance before stepping forward together. "Your Highness, please excuse us."
In a moment, the two men carefully helped Rong Shuyan transfer from the bed onto his wheelchair. They made sure not to put any unnecessary strain on his body before adjusting the thick blanket over his legs.
Once everything was ready, Lin Xueyi thanked Physician Liu with a smile. "Thank you for taking care of him today."
Physician Liu nodded warmly. "His Highness’s headache has eased for now, but he still needs plenty of rest. Don’t let him stay out in the cold for too long."
"I understand." Lin Xueyi gently pushed Rong Shuyan’s wheelchair back to their tent while Eunuch Shen followed behind them.
By the time they arrived, the servants had already prepared dinner.
Several simple dishes were placed on the table beside a steaming pot of soup. Compared to the luxurious meals served in the capital, the food at the military camp was plain, but it was hot enough to drive away some of the cold.
Lin Xueyi filled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Rong Shuyan. "Drink this first. It should help warm you up."
Rong Shuyan accepted the bowl without refusing. The two of them ate quietly, occasionally exchanging a few words about the herbs Lin Xueyi had learned that afternoon.
The peaceful atmosphere made the long day feel much shorter. However, as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, the temperature dropped even further.
The wind outside howled against the tent, making the thick canvas rustle nonstop.
Although the iron stove in the corner burned brightly, it no longer gave off enough warmth to fight back the freezing night.
Lin Xueyi noticed Rong Shuyan quietly pulling his cloak tighter around himself. His fingertips had turned slightly pale, and his breathing carried faint white mist whenever he exhaled.
She frowned. "It feels much colder than yesterday."
Rong Shuyan gave a small nod. "Winter is getting closer."
[He looks so cold.] Lin Xueyi couldn’t help but worry. [If I hugged him, would it help warm him up?]
Then she quickly shook the thought away. [But he’d probably push me away if I did that.]
After all, wouldn’t that count as sexual harassment if she suddenly offered something like that? Or... maybe not? She wasn’t even sure anymore.
Perhaps it was because the cold was getting to her too, so the freezing air made it harder for her to think clearly.
"We need thicker robes to keep warm." Lin Xueyi turned to Mei Lu and Eunuch Shen, who were standing behind them. "Could you bring us a few more robes? And maybe another small brazier for His Highness?"
Mei Lu and Eunuch Shen quickly carried out the order.
Before long, they returned with several thicker winter robes lined with fur, along with a pair of thick gloves for each of them. Another small brazier was also brought into the tent and placed beside Rong Shuyan’s wheelchair.
Lin Xueyi immediately helped Rong Shuyan put on the heavier robe before wrapping the blanket more tightly around his legs.
"How is it now?" she asked.
"It’s better," Rong Shuyan replied honestly.
Only after seeing a little color return to his face did Lin Xueyi finally put on her own thicker robe and gloves.
But before they could settle down to rest, a hurried voice came from outside the tent.
"Your Highness!"
The tent flap was thrown open as a soldier rushed inside. His face was pale, and covered in sweat despite the freezing weather.
He immediately dropped to one knee. "We have an emergency report!"
Rong Shuyan’s expression turned serious. "Speak."
The soldier took a deep breath. "After Your Highness left the command tent this morning, Prince Jin gathered several generals and insisted that waiting any longer would only give the Southern Wolf Tribe more time to prepare."
"He said that since we had already discovered the hidden trail, there was no reason to keep watching them."
Lin Xueyi’s face immediately looked serious as well. She asked, "He... attacked?"
The soldier lowered his head. "Yes. Prince Jin ordered several hundred soldiers to march through the hidden trail and launch an attack on the Southern Wolf Tribe."
"The battle lasted for nearly an hour."
"At first, our soldiers managed to push the enemy back. But the Southern Wolf Tribe knew the forest far better than we did."