Proofread by Yin Jing
At dinner, Liyi and Qing’er come to serve. Yan Ling frowns and stares at Liyi.
“I’m fine now. I can’t just take the money and do nothing, can I?” Liyi giggles.
Yan Ling nods, clears her throat and asks Qing’er, “Did you bring the stove and licorice here?”
“Yes. They are in the kitchen.”
“Bring them to my room.”
“Your room, my Lady?
Looking at the faint look of Yan Ling, Qing’er is confused and turns to Liyi for help.
Although Liyi doesn’t know what Ling is going to do, she is still supportive of Ling. So Yili just says, “Just do as what the lady tells you to.”
Qing’er is in suspicion, but just bows and goes out.
Ling asks Liyi to close the door.
“Are you sick, my lady?’
Ling pats Liyi’s hand which is put on her forehead to feel the temperature. She smiles and shakes her head. “Not yet, but I will be there soon.”
Liyi has a quick mind and tries to stop Ling, “No, my lady! If you are really sick for taking medicine, you can refuse the Third Prince’s invitation. But other young men will not dare to invite you any more.”
Moving her index finger before the mouth to stop Liyi’s talking, Yan Ling glances at the door and whispers, “I know what to do. I won’t hurt myself.”
Liyi wants to continue her persuasion, Ling cuts in, “Why don’t you supervise when I decoct herbs?” With a light laugh, Ling gets up and stretches out. “You clear the table and help me to decoct the herbs.”
Just at the time, Qing’er comes in. Liyi stops talking and cleans the table with her.
As a spy of Yan Shuang, Qing’er always feels like that she has missed some big news. She talks with Liyi when they take the dishes out.
“The lady puts the stove in her room.There will be much smoke when the herbs are boiled. You should have told her about that.”
“Why should I? She is the master, and you do what she asks you to do. You have too many questions. Be careful that the master will pull out of your tongue.”
At the words Qing’er quivers a little, swallows and complains, “The medicine smells terrible… Did the lady say who to wait on?”
“You’ve been taking care of her ladyship for so long when I was on leave. Of course I have to pay back. You don’t have to worry about decocting herbs any more. I’ll do it.”
Qing’er goes away happily. When Liyi goes into the inner room and locks the door, she sees that Yan Ling is looking for something in her case.
“Where is Qing’er?”
“I sent her to bed,” Liyi lights two lights quickly and puts them on the table beside Yan Ling. “What are you looking for, my lady?”
Finding angelica, Yan Ling puts aside her case, stands up and smiles, “Sickness,Of course.”
Liyi frowns and asks uncertainly, “Angelica is for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis? Am I misremembering…?”
After adjusting the stove and water volume, Ling throws the Chinese Angelica into it, “It’s good to use it properly, but it’s hard to say if you take too much.”
“What will happen?”
Looking at Liyi’s tense appearance, Ling’s heart warms up. She smiles and explains, “I will have a fever. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine for taking it only once.”
“But the Third Prince can invite you again and again!” Liyi wants to refute, but she worries that she would take more.
Yan Ling knows what Liyi is thinking about, but she just smiles and says nothing. The invitation of the Third Prince is going to be turned down on the grounds of illness. But her real intention is to pass the message that she “is really ill” to the prime minister’s wife and Yan Shuang. It’s hard to explain her plan to Liyi, so she just gives up explaining.
About half an hour later, a bowl of heavy-tasting medicinal soup is poured out of the pot. Liyi takes out the prepared sweets to her and stares at the medicine bowl.
Passing the packet of licorice to Liyi, Yan Ling says, “Go and dispose of the licorice, I’ll take medicine by myself.”
Liyi looks at her, a little worried. But she still nods and goes out.
The next day, Qing’er comes into the house with a basin and wakes her up, “My lady, Lady Shuang has sent someone, saying that you need to be quick or you will miss the appointment with the Third Prince.”
Qing’er pinches her nose and pouts her mouth in disgust. Suddenly, she finds that Yan Ling’s face is reddened and doesn’t respond to her words. She touches Ling’s forehead nervously –– “Liyi! Call the doctor!”
So in a short while, Fanghua Court is full of people, and the doctor with white beard feels Ling’s pulse with his eyebrows knitted.
Faintly, Ling hears the voice of her “mother” Madame Su who asks what is wrong with her.
“Maybe Lady Ling was poisoned…”
“Nonsense!” Madame Su reprimands, “How could she has enemies?”
Being reprimanded, the doctor feels Ling’s pulse again and says carefully, “Lady Ling has cold. Has she been exposed to cold wind lately?”
Remembering the yesterday’s wind, Madame Su frowns, “So many people went to the Banquet, why Yan Ling is the only one that get sick?” She thinks that she knows the reason of Ling’s sickness and says to the doctor impatiently, “Give us a prescription.”
The doctor wants to leave as soon as possible, so he writes a prescription quickly and leaves.
At that moment, Yan Ling opens her eyes slowly and sees Yan Shuang covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief as if she is afraid of getting infected. “It’s all my fault. I insisted I cooked licorice soup myself when I had a soar throat. If I had seen a doctor, it won’t be like this now…”
Yan Shuang puts down her handkerchief and comforts Ling like a caring sister, “Don’t worry. Your health is the most important thing.”
“I wondered why there is the smell of medicine,” Having sent someone to fetch medicine, Madame Su frowns and stares at Yan Ling. “That’s not good.”
Quickly looking down to hide her twinkling eyes, Ling says in a shy whisper: “I cannot keep the appointment with the Third Prince. Please explain for me, sister.”
“Of course, I send someone to tell the Third Prince now.”
Shuang is reluctant to let Yan Ling to get close with the man she loves in the first place, so she is happy to see the plan fail.
After pouring the tea, Liyi goes out. Madame Su sighs and looks at Yan Ling with an unsatisfactory expression, “The Concubine De has told me many times that she likes you very much, and the Third Prince likes you, too.”
Yan Ling remains silent and avoids eye contact with Madame Su, and catches a glimpse of the angry face of Shuang.
“You’re at the age of marriage. I intend to match you two up. Who would have thought that you get sick suddenly?”
Smoke curls up from the incense burner. Ling looks at it with fascination and whispers, “I’m not that fortunate…”
“Nonsense!” Madame Su is trying to stop her talking nonsense, then the voice of Qing’er comes.
“The Third Prince sent many gifts and said that he hoped that Lady Ling would recover soon.”
“See? Your fortune is coming.” Madame Su accepts the gift list with a big smile, then she claps Ling’s hand and begins to say something good for the Third Prince.
“My Lady, the Crown Prince sent gifts in person, saying that he expects the full recovery of Lady Ling.” Liyi comes and says.
“In person?” Yan Shuang frowns. “Did he go?”
“No, His Royal Highness and the Master are talking in the study.”
Madame Su opens her mouth and then falters, as if she doesn’t know what to say. Finally she just snorts, “He is well-informed.”
Yan Ling remains silent and no one can guess what she is thinking about from her drooping eyebrows.
