The group fell silent upon hearing about the concubine's death. It was a depressing story that angered anyone who heard it. Regardless of status, everyone was born of parents; who would want to see their child end up like that?
Back at her courtyard, Lixia prepared the ingredients for Mo Chen's promised Douhua. Afterward, she bathed and sat in her room with damp hair, pondering how to improve the medical knowledge of the common people in Great Yu.
Most medical books were about herbs or secret family recipes that were never shared. The common folk knew little about basic healthcare. Lixia decided to write a book: "Daily Health Management." She would start with the stomach, as "nine out of ten people have stomach issues."
The Night Visitor Returns
While Lixia was focused on writing her draft under the dim candlelight, Yi Junlan silently entered her room. He had missed her and couldn't resist visiting. Seeing her straining her eyes, he wheeled up behind her and snatched the brush from her hand.
"Don't read or write at night; it hurts your eyes," he scolded gently.
Lixia jumped. "You scared me! Are you a ghost?"
"You were just too focused," Yi Junlan smiled. "I missed you."
He spoke so naturally that Lixia blushed. He pulled her onto his lap. "I wish I could marry you right now."
He proposed moving the wedding date forward from the 8th of the 8th month. Lixia rolled her eyes, but Yi Junlan confessed he had missed her for three years. He explained why he hadn't sought her out immediately—political instability and his own disability.
"If you found me back then, would you have married me?" Lixia asked.
"Yes. Marry you first to secure the spot, then raise you until you're ready to be 'eaten,'" he teased.
They shared a clumsy but sweet kiss. Yi Junlan, inexperienced, awkwardly placed his hand on her stomach instead of her chest, asking, "Where do men usually put their hands?"
Outside, his guard Han Feng fell out of a tree from laughing.
Lixia pushed him away, embarrassed. "You're royalty, don't you have concubines to teach you?"
"I refused them when I was Crown Prince. I didn't like them," Yi Junlan admitted. "I'll learn from books when I get back. Or... we can learn together?"
The Collaboration
Lixia showed him her manuscript. She wanted to include illustrations but wasn't good at drawing. Yi Junlan offered to be her illustrator.
Lixia drew a crude stomach. Yi Junlan immediately replicated it perfectly.
"This is the stomach," Lixia explained, pointing to his abdomen. "I think many soldiers suffer from stomach pain due to irregular eating. Once I finish this section, we can print copies for the army."
"Okay. But you have to pay me."
"With what?"
"The entire Prince Kang's Manor. After we marry, I am yours, so the manor is yours too."
Lixia laughed at his logic but warned him, "If you ever have a change of heart, I lose everything. So you better behave. If I catch you flirting with other women..." She made a snipping motion with her fingers.
Yi Junlan laughed. "You are fiercer than my mother."
He stayed late, refusing to leave. Eventually, he lifted her onto the bed and lay down beside her, wrapping her in a quilt like a burrito and holding her until morning.
The Morning After
Lixia woke up early to find Yi Junlan still asleep. She admired his face and checked his legs—muscles still full, no atrophy. Good sign.
She went to the kitchen to make Hu La Tang (Spicy Soup) and Youtiao (Fried Dough Sticks), as well as the promised Douhua. She made extra for her maids, showing her lack of pretension.
When she brought breakfast to Yi Junlan, she helped him dress and brush his teeth with the hog-bristle toothbrush she made. Yi Junlan loved the breakfast and suggested selling it at his restaurant, Julong Zhai.
After he left (via window, courtesy of his guards), Lixia served breakfast to her family.
Leng Xue loved the spicy soup and added extra vinegar. Madam Mo immediately suspected pregnancy, but Mo Chen's pulse check revealed it was just a "deficiency," embarrassing everyone.
Mo Chen's "Field Trip"
Mo Chen had been missing school for days. When he finally returned, dirty and accompanied by a reluctant servant, the family interrogated him.
It turned out Mo Chen had been going to the mass graves (Luan Gang) in the West City to dissect corpses.
"The monkey is different from humans," Mo Chen explained. "I asked them first and burned paper money for them!"
Lixia was horrified by the disrespect to the dead and the hygiene risks. "We are doctors, we save lives, we don't desecrate bodies!"
However, Mo Wushang and Zhanchen were surprisingly supportive. They saw it as dedication to his craft and useful for treating war wounds. They even suggested taking him to the military camp to practice on real soldiers (hopefully alive ones).
Lixia was outnumbered but made Mo Chen promise not to go to the graves again and to focus on his studies.