Chapter 304 – Jealousy
Ye Zhen had by now seen the gazes on them. A person like Huangfu Chen would naturally grab attention wherever he went, especially from women. Some women even smiled shyly at him, but he continued talking to Ye Zhen as if he didn’t notice any of those.
“There’s another thing I would like to ask you, Miss Lu, but here is not the place to talk. I’ll be teaching at the School of Medicine tomorrow and will ask you again then,” Huangfu Chen said in a low voice.
Ye Zhen widened her eyes in surprise. “Mister Chen, you’re going to teach at the School of Medicine?”
Huangfu Chen sighed. “Yes, Imperial Physician Qi ordered me to, so I have to.”
“You’ll become my teacher then!” Ye Zhen was overjoyed, it was her fortune to be taught by Huangfu Chen!
“Are you that happy?” Upon seeing her delight, Huangfu Chen also smiled.
Ye Zhen said, “Naturally, I’ve longed to be your student.”
Huangfu Chen asked, “So, what do you want to learn?”
“I—” Ye Zhen hesitated and looked at him. “Could you teach me divination?”
“Why do you want to learn divination?” Huangfu Chen was quite surprised, he thought her interest was medicine.
Ye Zhen lowered her head slightly. She used to be disbelieving and uninterested in it, but her soul had been wandering for two years, and she was reborn in her sister’s body. She wanted to learn divination in the hopes she could at least foresee some hints.
“It’s my interest, but it’s completely up to your convenience.” Ye Zhen answered.
Huangfu Chen cast a deep look at her. “You are free to choose, but not everyone can learn it. Let me see your hands first.”
Ye Zhen looked at him suspiciously at the man reaching out for her hands.
Her hands were slender and white, nails clean and naturally pink, and without any nail polish. Huangfu Chen’s eyes shone for a small instant, and he gently squeezed her fingertips, and said to her with a hint of surprise, “Miss Lu, you have a pair of good hands.”
Ye Zhen asked, smiling, “Does that mean, I am qualified?”
Huangfu Chen smiled. “If you hope so, Miss Lu, I can certainly teach you, but—”
“Thank you, Mister Chen!” Ye Zhen immediately thanked him gleefully.
Huangfu Chen chuckled and looked pa.s.sionately at the little girl’s bright smile.
In a carriage not far from them, a pair of gloomy eyes witnessed everything. A killing intent emerged when the hawkish gaze landed on Huangfu Chen holding Ye Zhen’s hands.
♚
The Dragon-Head-Raising Festival was marked with prominence for the commoners and royals alike. After all, everyone wished for prosperity.
Early in the morning, Mo Rongzhan, the empress dowager and the officials of the court went to the temple to pray. On the way there, they pa.s.sed by the city moat. Looking at the bustle outside the window, his little brother expressed his desire to take a look. He was curious as to how the commoners asked for blessed waters. As such, the emperor brought him along.
But who would have known that they would see such a sight!
She had never smiled as bright and stunningly before him. The sunlight shone upon her with a dim halo. Everything around him seemed to have lost its color. He could only see her smile, as bright as the spring’s glory, and as pure as the autumn moon.
And then, he saw her reach out … and the man standing before her grasped her fingers. He didn’t know what they said to each other, but her eyes glimmered with joy.
Mo Rongzhan had lived for twenty three years, and there was only one woman he yearned for most- the little girl in the woods. He had never felt his heart stir … void of all feelings … no sourness or sweetness; bitterness or elation. However, at this moment, he could only feel a sourness rising within and a quaking fury.
Is that man the person of her heart that she had spoken about?
“Imperial Brother, I want to go down and have a look too,” Mo Rongyi said softly.
Mo Rongzhan finally withdrew his gaze and looked at his brother. “Go then, but don’t go too far.”
“Alright.” Mo Rongyi nodded in delight, and happily hopped off the carriage. Two guards hurriedly followed the little prince.
“Hm, Lu Yaoyao!” Mo Rongyi hadn’t noticed Ye Zhen standing by the big tree in the front until he got off the carriage. Now, he immediately ran over to her. “You guys are here too?!”
Ye Zhen was a bit surprised to see Mo Rongyi here. “Little Prince, why are you here?”
“Why can’t I be here?” Mo Rongyi said with his chin up. “Can I not come to pray? But why are there so many people here?”
Before Ye Zhen could answer him, Mo Rongyi had already noticed the Huangfu Chen standing at the side. He widened his eyes. “Mr. … Mr. Chen? When did you return to the capital?”
Huangfu Chen lightly smiled. “Greetings, Little Prince.”
Mo Rongyi hurriedly dodged his bow. “Mr. Chen, you don’t need to be so courteous. I didn’t even hear from Imperial Physician Qi that you have returned.”
“Why should you have to know about my uncle returning to the capital.” Qi Zixi stood behind Huangfu Chen, alertedly taking a glance at Mo Rongyi.
“What would you know, Kid!” Mo Rongyi sneered.
Qi Zixi flushed with anger. “You’re the kid! You’re only two years older than me!”
Ye Zhen watched them in surprise. She turned to look at Huangfu Chen. She hadn’t known that Mo Rongyi was known to him. And from the looks of it, his nephew also seemed to have been old acquaintances with him.
“Little Prince lived at my place for a period of time before.” Huangfu Chen softly explained.
Ye Zhen suddenly recalled what Mo Rongyi had said … that he had been saved by someone after being poisoned. It seemed that that someone was Huangfu Chen.
Mo Rongyi was still arguing with Qi Zixi. They seemed to be prepared to battle it to death. Ye Zhen amusedly said, “Little Prince, weren’t you here to get some blessed water? I’ll go with you.”
“Xi, we should be going back,” Huangfu Chen said to his nephew.
“Mr. Chen, are you still living at your old place? I’ll go visit you tomorrow,” Mo Rongyi hurriedly said to Huangfu Chen.
“I’m still living next to the bamboo forest. Little Prince, you can come anytime you like,” Huangfu Chen lightly said.
Mo Rongyi beamed with delight. “Mr. Chen, I’ll go see you tomorrow.”
“It’s allright if you don’t come!” Qi Zixi immediately said.
“I wasn’t going to see you!” Mo Rongyi shouted.
“Xi, don’t be impolite.” Huangfu Chen lightly scolded Qi Zixi.
Qi Zixi pouted, unhappily lowering his head.
“Miss Lu, Little Prince, I bid my farewells,” Huangfu Chen quietly uttered.
Only after sending off Huangfu Chen did Ye Zhen whisper to Mo Rongyi, “When you were poisoned, it was Mr. Chen that cured you?”
“That’s right. If it weren’t for him, I would be long gone.” Mo Rongyi stated, looking at Ye Zhen from the corner of his eye. “Mr. Chen has the best medical skills I’ve ever seen. He’s also extremely skilled in divination. Before, he had always said that Imperial Brother would rise to a position of great honor. At that time, I took it as a joke. But who would have thought that it would be true.”
Then could Huangfu Chen divinate her future? Would it be Ye Zhen’s, or Lu Yaoyao’s?
“Is he really that great… .” Ye Zhen muttered, her interest in divination growing.
“Yes, he’s really that great!” Mo Rongyi simply declared.
Ye Zhen’s brow twitched as she took a look at Mo Rongyi. “So are you going to get the blessed water or not?”
“I just wanted to see how other people got their blessed water. Just then, in the temple, the High Priest already prayed for us.” Mo Rongyi looked at the commoners standing next to the city moat. There were many people crowded by the river. It was best for him to not join them.
Ye Zhen smiled, shaking her head. A kid would be a kid.
“This is for you.” Mo Rongyi brought out a black wooden tablet. It was about the size of a thumb, marked in Sanskrit, a script that Ye Zhen couldn’t understand.
“What is this?” she curiously asked.
Mo Rongyi said, “The High Priest gave it to us. I asked for an extra one. If you wear it, it can help protect you.”
Ye Zhen was moved, reaching out to rub Mo Rongyi’s ears. “Thank you then, Little Prince.”
“Let go! Is this the att.i.tude with which you will thank me? Impudence, where is your etiquette!” Mo Rongyi blushed as he spoke.
“Stop trying to act like an adult, little kid.” Ye Zhen took the wooden tablet, smiling as she watched the little boy blush with embarra.s.sment.
Mo Rongyi glared at her. “You….”
“Help! Someone’s fallen into the water! Help….”
Suddenly, a scream sounded from the crowd at the riverside.
Ye Zhen and Mo Rongyi exchanged a glance, and the latter ordered his guards to go rescue the person and headed towards the river with her.
Watching them from within the carriage Mo Rongzhan frowned. He had also heard the cry for help. When he saw that Ye Zhen and Mo Rongyi hadn’t gone with the crowd, he couldn’t resist getting out of the carriage.
The person that had fallen into the water was a little girl. She was quickly saved, but, because she had choked on the water, she was still unconscious.
“My child, my child!” A woman ran out from the crowd, and sobbed, holding the girl.
“Hurry for a doctor.” Someone shouted.
Ye Zhen wanted to hurry to their aid, but stopped after taking two steps near. She stopped Mo Rongyi too who had wanted to rush over, whispering in his ear, “Let’s not be nosy and meddle in these matters. Just watch from the side.”
Only
“What?!” Mo Rongyi looked at Ye Zhen with surprise.
Ye Zhen grabbed him, wanting to run in the opposite direction. But suddenly, the woman stooped over the little girl jumped up. A sword had, at some time, materialized in her hands. She moved straight, stabbing it towards Mo Rongyi.
“Careful, Little Prince!” Ye Zhen shouted, forcefully pus.h.i.+ng him aside.
The sword didn’t retract with Mo Rongyi’s retreat but continued onwards to Ye Zhen.
Just as Ye Zhen thought she was about to be struck, someone grabbed her arm, and firmly pulled her into his embrace. The sword was stopped between his fingers, trapped in midair.