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Chapter 36: Portrait

Under his beloved's care, the 'spoiled rotten' wangye obediently allowed his pulse to be examined. He even suppressed his plans to flay Doctor Ji alive. He coldly looked at the other, until Ji Ying removed his hand and said: "His illness was always like this. Unstable. The remaining poison has a hard time dissipating. Have someone make some more of his medicine to take."

When he finished, he looked at Song Song and said: "I see that wangfei's appearance looks drained, as if you've been exhausted way too often these last two days. Your body is already weak normally. His highness should go easy on you ah!"

Li Xiao's face turned black: "Ji. Ying!"

The latter hastily grabbed his cloak, put it on and ran out the door: "Until next time, your highness!"

(Note: I don't think I've mentioned it before so I'll mention it right here. Ji Ying, and everyone else, refer to him as , which means a Godlike Doctor. So he's not just some random guy running around for humour. He really does know his stuff.)

Li Xiao turned to look at Song Song. The latter was quietly bent over, fiddling with the incense inside an incense burning. His tender white face had a faint hint of flush. As if realizing that he was being stared at, Song Song stood up and said: "I'm going to check how the medicine is doing."

The medicine prescribed for Li Xiao takes a total of 8 full hours to make each time. Normally steward Qi was personally in charge of making it and ensuring that Li Xiao takes it on schedule, twice every month. When Song Song walked over, he saw steward Qi filtering through the different herbs. The other saw him, said smiling: "How come wangfei came over here?"

"I heard you were in charge of this medicine, so I came over to see it's made."

"Empress Zhao entrusted wangye to this servant, therefore I must give it my all. If I gave the responsibility to someone else, I won't be able to feel at peace."

The Zhao family is from the imperial tutor's estate. Steward Qi's worry was correct. If someone was able to harm Li Xiao once, then there could be a second time. Steward Qi worked by Li Xiao's side since he still lived in the palace. He must be one of the previous empress's trusted aides. Song Song knew that he'd never betray Li Xiao.

Song Song said: "Now that wangye suffers from this madness and is also married to me, he shouldn't be able to block anyone's path anymore."

"Wangfei is unaware." Steward Qi poured the different drug ingredients into the medicine pot with practiced movements, and personally added the firewood: "Before the big wedding, someone recommended wangye be sent to the frontline of the battlefield. However, wangye used the wedding at hand to decline and ended up suggesting another general to go forth in his place. After the big wedding, someone then used the excuse that wangye was not only crazy but also married to a man, to recommend that his position be lowered to a leisure king instead."

"Something like this happened? Wangye never told me before."

"Good thing the emperor adores wangye. As soon as someone mentioned wangye should relinquish his military power, wangye didn't even get the chance to say anything, the emperor already got angry for him. Who doesn't know that the emperor gave wangye troops just to give him something to do so he can maintain his clarity. Otherwise, if wangye had to stay at home all day, then he would only feel useless."

Song Song thought about that benevolent old emperor and felt warmth in his heart.

Steward Qi continued: "These last few days, he didn't want you leaving the estate because he was worried about your safety. The news about you pacifying him at the department of justice have spread all over. Everyone knows that you can cure wangye's poison, and at the same time, you are also his weakness. In addition, because of the upcoming New Years celebration, the capital is a big mess. Who knows if any foreign spies managed to mix in. If someone wanted to commit murder around this time, they really can do it easily without anyone knowing."

This explanation Song Song was vaguely aware of, but to really hear someone say it outloud, his heart felt a bit shaky. He crouched next to the fire and said: "Wangye treats me with deep emotions and great importance, so naturally I will do everything I can to take care of him well."

Steward Qi smiled and said: "Does wangfei know why his highness treats you differently?"

"Maybe it's because. I can alleviate his illness?"

"No." Steward Qi shook his head repeatedly and said: "Wangfei is confusing the cause and effect. You're already special, that's why you can alleviate his illness. Your ability to alleviate his illness is not what makes you special."

Song Song was all confused by his logic. He pondered for a short moment then said: "But we haven't known each other for very long. Could it be possible that he. "

"Love at first sight!" Steward Qi clicked his tongue and said: "When scholars fall in love with beautiful demons, it always only take one glance."

"... Books no longer write stuff like that." Song Song couldn't resist laughing, but his heart felt somewhat sweet. Just like how Li Xiao treated him special without any particular reason, this sweet feeling also arose without any particular reason. Yet it spread all the way to the bottom of his heart.

In the backyard, Ji Ying took off his shoes and climbed into bed, curling up in the warm soft blankets reading a book. In this kind of weather, his laziness was overflowing. He didn't want to go anywhere.

When the sky started to darken, there was suddenly movement outside the room and he heard servants say: "Greetings to your highness."

Ji Ying immediately threw away his book. He didn't get a chance to get off the bed when the door of his room was kicked open by Li Xiao. Cold wind whistled as it entered as well. Doctor Ji sneezed and said: "Don't mind me saying, but aren't you making a big fuss out of nothing, your highness? Didn't I say that stuff during the day because I was praising how intimate you and wangfei are with each other? There's no need to come in the middle of the night to seek revenge right?"

Li Xiao glanced at his room and counted one, two, three, four. A total of seven fire heaters placed around the bed in a half circle formation.

"No wonder wangfei said this winter the food and lodging spending were quite a bit. Who got you seven fire heaters?"

".... Wangfei got them." Ji Ying ascertained that he wasn't having an outburst, so didn't feel as panicked. He walked over quickly to close the door: "Your highness, please sit."

"Your room is warmer than wangfei's."

"It's not like you don't know. I have frost poisoning. If there's no fire heaters, I won't be able to live."

He let Li Xiao sit on the stool while he crawled back into bed and covered himself up in the blankets: "Did wangye come over to punish me?"

Li Xiao felt overheated in this room and removed his cloak, asking: "Do you know any techniques that can allow someone to change their appearance without being discovered?"

"One of your subordinates, Yuan Yuan is it, wouldn't she know better than me?"

"What if it's something even she doesn't know?

Ji Ying paused, and replied after a long while: "Then it's sorcery."

"Do you know anyone?"

"Just one. He learned both medicine and sorcery, can make divinations, and also knew some techniques to expel ghosts and ward off evil. Played around with a lot of crooked stuff. Anything that deviated from the norm he researched. He even said he'd eventually figure out a medicine that can allow men to give birth but he died already."

Li Xiao asked: "When did he die?"

"About two years ago." Ji Ying said: "Coincidentally, last time I went to check wangfei's pulse. He suddenly wanted to know if he was pregnant. Good thing he wasn't, otherwise I would have thought this person was still alive."

"Who was he?"

"... My shixiong. I don't want to spread my family shame about so just don't ask anymore, your highness."

(Note: If you read enough wuxia, you know that shixiong is the older two apprentices who study under the same teacher. Senior apprentice brother or something like that.)

"It's extremely possible that he's still alive."

Ji Ying jolted: "No way. Back then, I watched as he fell off a cliff. Later my martial uncle ordered someone to search. His body was pretty much devoured by wolves."

"What did he do that made you guys want to kill him?"

"He killed my teacher, changed his face into my teacher's.How did you know we killed him?"

"You called him a family shame."

".... " Ji Ying looked sullen: "If he were still alive, then with his abilities, he could change to look like anyone. Even you, me, wangfei. As long as he can trap the person's spirit by his side, he could trick the reaper. This is a combination technique that changes the face and provides a smokescreen. Unless someone has the 3rd eye opened, normal people would never realize anything was amiss."

He finished, suddenly felt like Li Xiao's expression seemed off. Quickly, he went up and stuck some needles in Li Xiao and said to a servant: "Go, call your wangfei quickly to bring him back!"

(Note: Needle for acupuncture and old secret healing techniques!)

Having a conversation with a lunatic was too tiring. You never know how long he can maintain his sanity. Good thing Li Xiao is able to somewhat control himself after all these years of treatments. Otherwise, if he just exploded like before, then it would really be impossible to guard.

For the first time, Ji Ying saw the lunatic family's dumb wangfei at work. When Song Song came over, he just softly called Li Xiao twice and the other immediately quieted down and obediently let himself be led away. Ji Ying watched the whole thing with wide eyes and tongue tied.

Everyone said Li Xiao was a natural prodigy in literary and martial skills. He displayed extraordinary skills at a young age. Therefore, the emperor especially invited a Master ranked martial artist, Yan Tianya, to come teach him how to fight. At first, Yan Tianya thought Li Xiao was too young to learn, but not long after they met in person, he agreed to take Li Xiao as his apprentice and transfer to him all of his knowledge and techniques.

Although Li Xiao was later poisoned and subsequently had his illness, Yan Tianya never thought about expelling this apprentice of his. He even transferred his own vital energy to help suppress Li Xiao's madness and poison. He was the reason why when Li Xiao lost control, no one could stop him.

Although Ji Ying didn't know much about what went on in court, he knew that during the period of time when Li Xiao used to have many outbursts, there were plenty of people who wanted to steal him away. If it weren't for the emperor, who never gave up on treating his illness, and also because he was guarded and protected too heavily by soldiers from the Imperial Tutor's estate, Li Xiao might have already become a weapon in someone's hands by now.

But who would have thought, the crucial person who ended up controlling Li Xiao's temperament was this little wangfei. He can pacify Li Xiao, but if he wanted to, he can also use Li Xiao as a tool. A berserking Li Xiao was the most powerful and destructive weapon.

(TLDR because the writer went on one of their random tangents again. Li Xiao learned how to fight from a master when he was young. That's why no one can stop him when he loses control. At first people wanted to use him as a weapon but the emperor and his family stopped that. Ji Ying is just commenting on wow can't believe someone like Song Song claimed Li Xiao in the end..)

Song Song didn't dare to ask Li Xiao what he chatted to Ji Ying about. When they returned to their room, he gave the other some tea to soothe his nerves, then helped get him in bed. The second day, he gave the just finished medication for Li Xiao to drink. His face was full of worry.

"I'm fine." Li Xiao drank all of the medicine in one go and said: "Today I'm going to go to Dongwei to take a look at how 'Tao Tie' is doing. It's not anything important. Don't worry."

"You're going to Dongwei camp? That place"

"It'll be fine. This king is aware of what's appropriate." Li Xiao supported his shoulders and asked: "What about you? Spending all these days inside, you must be terribly bored. Do you want to go out and play?"

Song Song said: "These days I will stay in. I won't go anywhere. You don't need to worry about me."

Li Xiao understood what he meant: "Steward Qi told you that I'm not allowing you to outside?"

"I know everything. Your highness is doing it for my own good. The estate is huge anyways. I can do whatever I want inside. Outside there are subordinates managing my businesses so I just have to instruct them, that's all."

"Steward Qi only knows one of the reasons, not the rest. I'm not really preventing you from going out, but "

"I know." Song Song smiled a little sweetly: "It's chaotic outside."

".... ." A well behaved and clever beloved was pretty cute. Li Xiao thought, but still explained: "The last few days I didn't want you going out because we were busy reading. And also, during those days, it was snowing nonstop. The weather was too cold. The fact that it's chaotic outside is just one of the less significant reasons."

"Ah?" Song Song didn't understand.

Li Xiao rephrased it for him: "The most important reason was that the weather was too cold, not because the city is chaotic. If you want to go out of the estate, you can go out anytime. If this king can only protect you by keeping you trapped in my estate like a prisoner, then how can I sit steadily on the throne in the future?"

Song Song covered Li Xiao's mouth again in fear: "Your highness, can you stop mentioning this?"

Li Xiao held his hand and said calmly: "As long as the weather is good, you can go wherever you want. Freedom is your right. Protecting you is my duty. We must be clear of our responsibilities."

Song Song's heart jumped wildly under his gaze. It took him a while before he could calm down and nod.

Li Xiao kissed his hand, then turned and walked through the snow.

Hanging around the corner, Ji Ying watched until Li Xiao left completely. Then, making sure he was wrapped up well in his cloak, he held a stack of paper and walked over grinning widely: "Greetings to wangfei."

Song Song looked at him suspiciously: "Why are you here?'

Because yesterday Li Xiao suddenly became unstable as he talked, Ji Ying still wanted to ask more. However, this kind of thing, the less people knew the better. Best not to get Song Song involved in this.

Therefore, Ji Ying replied.: "Wangye's illness is frequent and dangerous. I racked my brains but was only able to treat the symptoms, not the root of the cause. I never thought that I'd be able to meet an unique cure such as wangfei. Yesterday I saw wangfei calm wangye using only a few words. It really made this doctor feel ashamed for my lack of skills."

Song Song felt baffled: "Can you speak normally?"

Ji Ying was not even a tiny bit angry. He held a brush and papers, sat down at the table and said smiling: "Let me draw a portrait of you. Next time if wangye loses control, I'll just wave this portrait in front of him. It'll save you a trip coming over."

"........" All of the servants to the side looked at each other.

No wonder he's a godlike doctor. Galaxy brain.

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The writer has something to say:

Godlike Doctor: Everything in this world can be considered medicine. Even portraits.