The following day, during the morning meal, Xiao Yi stood by Yan Si's side and hesitantly asked, "Master, was the matter... the matter you spoke of last night, true or false?"
If it were true, it was truly terrifying, and he would never dare approach that lotus pond again.
This fellow reported everything to RongCheng; he truly could not be trusted. Thinking this, Yan Si immediately shook his head: "Ask no further."
Xiao Yi nodded, looking slightly dejected. After a while, he said, "Master is much recovered now. Why not visit the pharmacy today and assist Supervising Official Qióng with some tasks to alleviate your boredom?"
Indeed, excessive leisure easily bred melancholy and led one to dwell on trivial matters. Hearing Xiao Yi's suggestion, Yan Si thought it reasonable and nodded: "Very well."
The morning meal passed uneventfully. Today, Yan Si had consumed all the refreshments brought by Xiao Yi, without leaving a single piece, which pleased the servant greatly. Afterward, the two proceeded together to the pharmacy.
When Yan Si appeared, Liú Yu, who was examining the drawers of medicine, saw him approach and greeted him with apparent astonishment: "Ah... Supervising Official Yan, why have you come here today?"
Seeing the man freeze, Xiao Yi quickly nudged Yan Si and winked. Thus prompted, Yan Si stammered in reply: "I... I wished to see if there was anything I could assist with."
"Oh..." Liú Yu smiled widely and said, "Is that so."
He pointed toward the messy sacks of medicinal herbs near the cabinet at the front, saying: "Then I shall trouble the Supervising Official to help me categorize these sacks of herbs and put them into their proper places in the cabinet."
"Understood." Yan Si nodded and proceeded to follow the instruction.
Seeing that all seemed well, Xiao Yi did not wish to intrude further and asked leave to withdraw temporarily.
Once the servant was out of sight, Liú Yu slowly moved toward Yan Si, as if he coincidentally needed to attend to some task near the boy.
His gaze lightly swept over the person beside him for a moment, and he said with a smile, "I see that Supervising Official Yan's countenance is very good today; you have begun to gain some flesh."
Yan Si nodded and replied, "I thank the Supervising Official for his help."
Liú Yu suddenly laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "Nonsense! This one was of no help whatsoever... When it comes to medicine, this one lags behind the Supervising Official by a thousand li."
The man's words caused Yan Si discomfort; he slightly frowned and did not reply. He did not know why, but though Liú Yu was all smiles and cordiality, Yan Si always felt a strange, hidden danger.
Although Yan Si had begun to show his displeasure, Liú Yu was not done with his jesting and continued: "The Supervising Official truly caused the entire Imperial Palace to lose sleep last night."
"Last night..." Yan Si slightly furrowed his brow and asked, "Was the Supervising Official present last night as well?"
"Naturally." Liú Yu immediately nodded: "With such a major incident, how could this one, being an Imperial Physician, stand idly by?"
Suddenly, he nudged Yan Si lightly and said with a smile, "Let this one tell you, when His Highness pulled you from the pond, everyone was utterly horrified..."
"No one dared to step forward and say: 'Quickly administer resuscitation to help him expel the water.' Because they feared being forced to perform the act themselves, they merely stood there looking at each other..." Liú Yu continued: "The Supervising Official should truly be grateful to His Highness. If it were not for him, no one else would have dared to do such a thing."
Just thinking about it was nauseating, let alone...
Hearing this, Yan Si truly could not tolerate it any longer. He tightly clenched his teeth, said not a word, and immediately departed.
The man's words were not wrong at all. If even he felt sickened by himself, how could he blame others? In the end, only RongCheng had not scorned his filth, nor minded his stench... only he could do such a thing.
When Yan Si returned, he went straight to the mirror to examine his own reflection. The image of Shan Yuan unexpectedly appeared in his mind, creating a stark contrast, like an ugly duckling against a swan, which made him feel profoundly ashamed.
A short while later, Xiao Yi rushed back in a flurry. Seeing Yan Si sitting before the mirror, he happily stepped in and said, "Master, why have you returned? You had this servant searching for you frantically."
Yan Si remained silent, offering no reply. After a long moment, he hesitantly asked, "Do you... do you find me... very ugly?"
Xiao Yi seemed somewhat surprised, wondering to himself: "Why would Master suddenly ask such a thing?"
After a moment of careful thought, he replied, "Master is not ugly. It is only because you are too thin and frail. If you are well nourished and gain some healthy flesh, you will surely look different."
"Is that true?" Yan Si truly did not believe it.
Xiao Yi replied with a forced, slightly contorted smile: "Of course."
How could he possibly dare speak the truth...
Though he knew it was a lie, Yan Si continued to ask: "Then, how do I compare to The Male Imperial Consort?"
Xiao Yi was momentarily speechless. How could one possibly compare? He sighed reluctantly and said, "You simply cannot compare, Master... you should not dwell on it."
He knew he would say as much.
Do not call him foolish or ignorant; The Male Imperial Consort's beauty and demeanor were truly peerless. If he were not RongCheng's consort, he would still captivate countless others. However...
Yan Si sighed, unwilling to speak further. Seeing this, Xiao Yi gently comforted him: "Master should not fret. Each person has their own charm... Ah, that's right, His Highness said that Master should come to dine with him at noon today."
"Is that true?" That was wonderful! It had been so long since he had eaten with him.
Xiao Yi nodded: "It is true. It is almost the hour now, Master; you should prepare quickly."
"Very well." He hurriedly stood up and left right away.