Su Muge pulled out the last silver needle on Xia Houruiâs feet, and all the treatment was completely over.
Xia Hourui leaned on the golden silk cushion, feeling his body completely cleaned and instantly relaxed.
He hadnât had this feeling for a long time.
âSo far, Your Majesty, the poison in your body has been completely detoxified. From now on, please keep a light diet, thus your vigor and vitality will recover faster.â
Xia Hourui eased his eyebrows; he seemed to be in a good mood.
âSu Muge, youâve made great achievements in detoxifying me. Iâll reward you. Tell me, what do you want? Donât decline. You deserve it.â
Su Muge pondered for a moment before she stepped forward and said, âI want a death-free golden medallion.â
She had thought that Xia Hourui would reward her. If she asked him for gold, silver, and jewelry, it would be too wasteful for this rare opportunity. It would be better to ask for something that could only be given by the Emperor.
Xia Hourui looked at her with interest. âDeath-free golden medallion? You mean, you want a death-free golden medallion?â
âYes.â
âOkay, Iâll give it to you. Eunuch Yi, bring me the death-free golden medallion.â
âYes.â
In a while, Eunuch Yi carried a lacquered golden box into the hall.
âKeep it well.â
The box was opened; inside was a pure gold medallion as large as a palm, printed with the characters âdeath-freeâ.
Su Muge took over the wooden box. âThank you for your reward, Your Majesty.â
âAfter running intermittently into the palace these days, you must have been tired. Have a good rest at home.â
âYes, Your Majesty.â
âYou may retreat.â
âPlease excuse my departure.â
Holding the death-free golden medallion, Su Muge was very happy. Anyhow, she would have a double guarantee in the future.
âBy the way...â
When Su Muge walked to the door, she heard Xia Houruiâs voice behind and had to stop.
âYes?â
âHow old are you?â
âYour Majesty, Iâll be sixteen after the coming New Yearâs Day.â
Xia Hourui muttered. âSixteen, itâs time to consider marriage. You may retreat.â
âYes.â
When Su Muge walked out of the hall holding the box, Concubine Qin and Xia Houkun had already left.
Her originally good mood changed into a little upset due to Xia Houruiâs sudden and strange question.
Why did the Emperor ask her age suddenly? Could it be that he wanted to arrange her marriage?
Su Muge shook her head. Given that the Emperor was so busy, she wished that he wouldnât do so.
She walked out of the palace gate and saw a large scarlet carriage. Without a label on the carriage, she didnât know who it belonged to.
Su Muge stepped aside, waiting for her carriage to send her back home.
A woman wearing a light green silk dress came down from the scarlet carriage and walked towards Su Muge.
âMiss Su, please get on the carriage.â
Su Muge glanced at the carriage, which was extraordinary at first glance. The mahogany outside the carriage was absolutely not available to ordinary officials. And the Emperor wouldnât dispatch such a carriage to send her back no matter how thankful he was.
âI wonder which mansion are you from.â
The woman bowed slightly and replied with a smile, âMiss Su, Iâm from Second Princeâs mansion. His Royal Highness said that Miss Su had saved him. Although he has come back from the villa, he is still a little worried and wants you to go to his mansion to see if anything is wrong.â
Xia Houkun ...
âAll the imperial doctors in the palace have excellent medical skills. If His Royal Highness cannot rest assured, please invite the imperial doctors in the palace to see him.â
âMiss Su, you must be joking. You can even cure the Emperor. How can those imperial doctors compare with you? Miss Su, please donât put me into a dilemma.â
Su Muge glanced at the four guards standing beside the carriage. These guards wouldnât appear for no reason. Xia Houkun dared not to do anything outside the palace gate, but she didnât know what he would do after she left the palace.
If she escaped this time, Xia Houkun would trap her next time, and she couldnât get rid of him every time.
âPlease lead the way.â
Su Muge got into the carriage and put the death-free golden medallion on her body just in case.
Although Xia Houkun hadnât been titled yet, the Emperor had given him a mansion outside the palace considering that he had grown up. Therefore, he wouldnât live in the palace.
After leaving the Imperial Palace Street, the carriage stopped after another quarter of an hour.
When getting off the carriage, Su Muge was already in Second Princeâs mansion.
âMiss Su, this way please.â The maid led Su Muge through a moon arch.
Smaller as it was than Jin Mansion, Second Princeâs mansion appeared to be more elegant than Jin Mansion which looked empty and lifeless. However, Su Muge didnât like here at all, feeling it filled with flighty air.
âWhich lord has given this woman to His Royal Highness?â
âHis Royal Highness doesnât like this kind of skinny woman. I wonder which lord is so bad at selecting people.â
As they walked through a small garden, several pretty women in gauze dresses of various colors cast their sight on Su Muge.
Their comments seemed to be humiliating an unqualified product.
Su Muge kept walking without squinting. Even if those flirty women had already come close to her, she pretended not to see them.
âWhat a bad temper! She has just entered the mansion. I wonder how grumpy she will be in the future!â
A woman in a light blue gauze dress with a pair of flirtatious eyes came forward and stopped the two.
The maid leading the way revealed a contemptuous look in her eyes but had to reply with a smile, âLadies, donât mess around. This is a distinguished guest invited by His Royal Highness. His Royal Highness is waiting for her.â
âWhat distinguished guest is so precious that His Royal Highness will wait for her in person?!â A woman in a pink gauze dress walked to Su Muge.
While going outside, Su Muge would usually cover the birthmark in the corner of her eyes with her bangs, making her look like ordinary people.
She raised the corner of her lips coldly and suddenly looked up at the woman in pink while speaking in a gloomy tone, âGo away.â
As the woman in pink was about to see Su Mugeâs appearance, she suddenly saw her cold eyes with the scary birthmark. She let out a scream in shock and took a few steps back with a frightened face.
âAh! Monster!â
The rest women were also taken aback, looking at Su Muge in surprise.
Su Muge turned her eyes slightly to the leading maid who was also frightened. âLetâs go.â
The maid nodded in a daze.
âYes, yes.â
Xia Houkun didnât stay in his chamber but rested in a waterside pavilion in his mansion.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âHis Royal Highness is inside. Miss Su, please go in.â
Su Muge glanced at the waterside pavilion with soft gauze dancing in the wind and walked in.
Through the soft gauze, Su Muge could faintly see the figure lying inside.
âPay my respects to you, Your Royal Highness.â
In a while, Xia Houkun let out a lazy voice in the waterside pavilion.
âCome in.â
On entering, Su Muge smelled a strong scent of rouge. Thinking of the pretty women she met on the way, she believed that they had just left here. Xia Houkun couldnât wait to have fun with pretty women as he had just recovered.
âI heard Your Royal Highness was unwell and asked me to come to see you.â
Hurry up if you want to see a doctor!
âWell, Iâm a little uncomfortable. Come to see me.â
âYes.â
Su Muge bypassed a screen made of bamboo leaves and walked to Xia Houkun who was leaning on a bamboo chair.
Xia Houkun was only wearing a large and loose orange front-opening robe, with the belt around his waist loosely tied on his robe. Since he was leaning against the chair, his chest was mostly exposed.
Although Xia Houkunâs figure was worse than Xia Houmoâs, it was still outstanding in men.
Su Muge squatted down. âYour Royal Highness, please reach out your hand.â
Xia Houkun put his arm on the small tea table.
With a faint smell of alcohol, he narrowed his eyes and seemed to be half-drunk.
Judging from his pulse, Xia Houkun had no problem; he had recovered quite well, and the injury on his back had little impact on him.
âYour Royal Highness, youâve recovered very well without any problem.â
âBut I always feel the injury on my back ache at night. Whatâs wrong?â
It was normal to have some discomfort during the recovery. Cheesy!
âYour Royal Highness, donât worry. Itâs a normal phenomenon. There is nothing wrong with it.â
âYou havenât seen me yet. How do you know thereâs nothing wrong with it?â
â...â
How Su Muge wished to leave right away!
âExcuse me.â
Xia Houkun laughed, stood up and turned around. He took off the robe which didnât cover his body at all in front of Su Muge.
Su Muge saw the scar on his back at a glance. She had to admit that the attack of the black bear was quite fierce and she still remembered that his bones were exposed at that time.
New flesh had sprouted on Xia Houkunâs back. As she said, he had recovered quite well.
âCome closer to me to see more clearly.â
Su Muge frowned but didnât move.
Xia Houkun wasnât annoyed but took the initiative to move closer to Su Muge.
âNow, can you see it clearly?â
âYour Royal Highness, your wound has recovered very well without any major problems.â
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Houkun suddenly turned back, meeting Su Mugeâs eyes.
Su Muge subconsciously attempted to step back to get away from him.
But Xia Houkun immediately reached out and grabbed her.
âYour Royal Highness, what are you doing?!â Su Muge gritted her teeth, trying to control her temper.
After a glance at her vermilion birthmark, Xia Houkun fixed his eyes on her tightly closed red lips.
âDo you know you are most beautiful when you frown slightly?â
Su Muge felt even more disgusted. This man was so sick!
âLet me go!â
Xia Houkun tilted his head and took a deep breath in Su Mugeâs neck with his eyes slightly darkened.
âIâve been thinking why you always look so familiar ...â
Xia Houkun said and laughed out loud. âIt turns out to be you, Lord Su ... You are so good at being in disguise.â