Chapter 23: Afflicted with a Strange Illness (3)

As soon as the man entered the room and saw Lou Xiyan sitting halfway up, leaning against a cushion, his face sank, and he roared: "Lie down properly; what are you sitting up for!"

"Where is the Imperial Physician?" In the huge room, only Mo Bai and a maid could be seen. The man immediately flew into a rage: "You reckless things, where did you run off to at a time like this?!"

Zhuo Qing lightly picked at her ears. Was this the so-called kingly aura and royal ceremony?! This Emperor's temper didn't seem very good; she had better be sensible. Lowering her head, Zhuo Qing closed her eyes to rest.

Lou Xiyan lightly stroked his forehead and laughed low: "I just drank the medicine and am already a bit better; you are shouting so much that my head hurts!" Not only was his temper bad, but his voice was also loud!

Glaring at him, Yan Hongtian snorted coldly: "You ungrateful thing, as soon as I heard you were ill, I rushed over without stopping, and you..." In all of Qiongyue, or rather the Six Kingdoms Continent, he was probably the only one who dared to speak to him like this.

Lou Xiyan immediately sat up straight, cupped his hands, and replied sternly: "This subject is terrified and dare not trouble the Holy One."

"Lou—Xi—Yan!"

Lou Xiyan raised an eyebrow lightly, and Yan Hongtian's cold eyes narrowed slightly. The two stared at each other like this. Zhuo Qing secretly guessed that the relationship between these two as monarch and subject was truly unconventional; were they going to have a fight next? Unfortunately, she was disappointed, only seeing Yan Hongtian suddenly sit on the bed. Seeing that Lou Xiyan's complexion was indeed improving, he asked in a low voice: "Are you satisfied with that gift?"

"What gift?" Lou Xiyan was stunned!

"Qingfeng."

"She..." Lightly raising his eyes, looking past Yan Hongtian's shoulder at Zhuo Qing, who seemed to be standing obediently in the back, Lou Xiyan smiled and replied: "Very good."

Very good? Xiyan rarely evaluated women like that. "Have you enjoyed her?"

Enjoyed!?

Was she a pork chop rice?! What did he treat women as?! Zhuo Qing had black lines all over her head.

Zhuo Qing's depressed appearance amused Lou Xiyan. With a misstep, Lou Xiyan coughed in a suppressed low voice: "Cough, cough, cough!"

"Why are you coughing again!" Yan Hongtian frowned, patted his back, and said: "You are not young anymore; you should have a principal wife so that you can leave an heir for your Lou family! Your affair with Xuan'er..."

Before Yan Hongtian could finish speaking, Lou Xiyan sighed and replied: "In my state of being neither dead nor alive, anyone who follows me will suffer. Let's put the matter of a principal wife on hold for now."

Lou Xiyan's casual remark provoked Yan Hongtian's slight anger: "What nonsense are you talking about? It is Xuan'er's blessing to be able to follow you. If you don't like Xuan'er, then choose another."

Unwilling to pick up this topic, Lou Xiyan used an excuse to divert the subject: "Beiqi and Dinu have been in constant war for years. This time, Beiqi coming to Qiongyue to pay tribute is, I see, to ask for help."

"They deserve to be beaten! If Beiqi wants Qiongyue to take action, it depends on what price they are willing to pay. Don't worry about this matter." Knowing he didn't want to talk about his marriage with Xuan'er, Yan Hongtian didn't force him. In this world, he could force anyone, but not Xiyan. Patting Lou Xiyan's shoulder, he stood up and said: "Rest well and recuperate your body. I am leaving first; do not attend court for these few days."

"Mm."

Yan Hongtian stood up and walked to the screen, then suddenly stopped and glanced at the maid in the corner. There had always been only Mo Bai by Xiyan's side; when did he get a maid? The woman kept her head lowered, and Yan Hongtian didn't look closely and walked away.

Zhuo Qing sighed secretly. This person's aggressiveness was truly strong; he had only glanced at her just now, and she could already feel the murderous aura brought by those black eyes.

Confirming that Yan Hongtian had left, Zhuo Qing immediately put down the tray in her hand. Lou Xiyan thought she would at least ask something, but he didn't expect her to ask nothing at all, walking toward the outside of the door in a hurry. Lou Xiyan asked anxiously: "Where are you going?"

Zhuo Qing didn't look back, only a sentence floated over idly: "Looking for food."

Lou Xiyan was stunned, and it took a long while for him to come to his senses, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She was in such a hurry just to find food?!

After Zhuo Qing went out for a while, Jing Sa, holding a scroll of paintings, pushed the door and entered, standing outside the screen and saying in a low voice: "Master, it has been investigated."

A low groan filled with exhaustion came from the inner room: "Come in and speak."

Jing Sa entered the inner room and, while unfolding the scroll in his hand, said: "The Qing sisters have long been famous, and many people in the capital collect their portraits. This one was painted by the scholar Zhang Hanxi when the three Qing sisters were composing poems at the Haoyue Poetry Gathering last year." On the scroll, three women stood in front of a low table. The woman in blue held a fan in one hand and was grinding ink lightly with the other, her posture light and her smile elegant; the woman in purple in the middle was holding a brush, wanting to write something, her flying eyes full of confidence; behind her, there was also a petite woman in green holding a silk handkerchief, covering her face and smiling, charming and fascinating. The three were of three different styles, yet each was stunningly beautiful. Just one painting was enough to make people unable to stop looking.

Judging by her appearance, the woman in the middle should be Qingfeng. In the painting, she was proud and self-assured, her face beautiful. In reality, she was unruly, cold, and self-restrained. Looking at the woman in the painting with a smile like a flower, Lou Xiyan's complexion became increasingly cold, and his calm voice asked with a chill: "Who scarred her face?"

Jing Sa exchanged a glance with Mo Bai, and in the other's eyes, he also saw a trace of very faint surprise. His master, who had always been calm and unruffled, seemed to have been too emotional tonight. His heart was somewhat clear, and Jing Sa lowered his head slightly, replying truthfully: "It was herself. The three Qing sisters were unwilling to be sent to Qiongyue as gifts, so the Haoyue King captured their parents to threaten them. Unexpectedly, the two Qing elders died in prison. Before departing, they destroyed their own faces and even tried to hang themselves, but they didn't succeed and were saved and sent directly to Qiongyue."

Suicide? He didn't believe Qingfeng would commit suicide. At least the calm and proud woman he had met would never choose suicide when encountering such things! Pondering, Lou Xiyan asked: "Are there any other characteristics of the Qing sisters?"

"Madam Qing is a famous tattoo artist in Haoyue. Almost all noble daughters in the Haoyue Kingdom, upon reaching the age of fifteen, would invite Madam Qing to tattoo their favorite floral ornaments on their brows. Madam Qing tattooed the last character of their names on their bodies when the three misses were a month old. So, if she is really Qingfeng, the character 'Feng' should be tattooed on her body."

"Tattooing a 'Feng' character on the body is the simplest thing in the world, right?" Mo Bai frowned. What kind of characteristic was this? Jing Sa could find it, and others could find it too.

Jing Sa shook his head and replied firmly: "This characteristic only the Qing sisters have. It is said that Madam Qing has a unique skill that makes the characters tattooed on the body invisible at ordinary times, and they only appear when the emotions are agitated or the body temperature rises. And she only used it on her own daughters."

"Find an opportunity to verify if there is a 'Feng' character on her body." This woman's behavior was different from ordinary people; he at least had to determine if she was Qingfeng.

Jing Sa's face stiffened, and he didn't reply for a long time. Lou Xiyan felt Jing Sa's abnormality and asked in a low voice: "Where is the tattoo located?"

"On the chest..."

The spring morning light was beautiful and warm, gently sprinkling on people, feeling very comfortable. It was dark last night, and there was no opportunity to look at this small courtyard properly. Looking closely, Zhuo Qing had to say that Lou Xiyan's taste was very good. The small building was located at the back of the courtyard, and in front of the building was a small open space with stone tables and stools. Looking at the scenery here made one feel refreshed. Because looking up, it was a large lake that was almost boundless, connecting with the azure sky, vast and calm. Zhuo Qing sighed secretly—truly extravagant. In the 21st century, land was worth its weight in gold; who would dig such a large lake at home? However, it had to be said that Lou Xiyan truly knew how to enjoy himself. Being able to see such a clear and vast expanse of water upon waking up, it would be hard not to be in a good mood.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 24 =====