Chapter Eighty-Nine: It Is Far From Over—You Still Owe This King Much!

The room had been quiet for a while before Chu Liuchen finally asked, "What is it?"

"Moon-scented orchid!" Qin Wanru relaxed at once. It was enough that he would listen to her. She looked at Chu Liuchen's back with a bright smile. When she first saw the medical text that day, it had only seemed vaguely familiar. It was only after thinking it over again and again that she remembered the Empress Dowager suffered from weakness of the vital energy and a cough that brought up blood, and that one of the principal herbs often needed for her condition was moon-scented orchid.

Because of the soil and climate, the capital did not produce this herb. Its proper growing ground was in the Jiangzhou region, but even there it was rare, something one could only chance upon and never seek out, and there were often not enough of it from year to year.

"What do you mean?" Chu Liuchen turned his head and slowly sat up. Qin Wanru hurriedly placed a cushion behind him.

She was not surprised by his reaction. In her previous life, she had heard that the Empress Dowager in the palace cherished this grandson above all others, preferring him even to the princes born to the current emperor. Because of that favor, this Prince Chen, though nominally the discarded crown prince, acted with utter disregard for everyone in the palace. No one dared offend him lightly.

His bond with the Empress Dowager was surely a close one.

The medicine bowl in her hands was no longer so hot. Qin Wanru handed it to Chu Liuchen. Her clear, black-and-white eyes blinked as they shifted from his face to the bowl, then blinked again in silent prompting.

The broth gave off a strong, pungent smell; one glance was enough to tell it would not be pleasant. Qin Wanru leaned back a little in distaste. In truth, she was the one most afraid of drinking such medicine.

Someone tapped her head lightly. Whether it was because her words had worked, or because of the look of revulsion on her face, Chu Liuchen took the bowl and drained it in one gulp.

After drinking it, he handed the bowl back to Qin Wanru and tapped her head again, glancing sideways at her. "Truly useless."

Qin Wanru silently took the bowl and set it aside, inwardly pouting. He had thrown a tantrum and refused to take his medicine, yet now he wanted someone as small as her to coax him. And he still had the nerve to call her useless.

"Have you found moon-scented orchid that has aged properly?" Chu Liuchen snatched her handkerchief from her, wiped his mouth carelessly, then tossed it back to her. His expression was perfectly natural, as though the handkerchief in Qin Wanru's hand had always belonged to him.

Such an arrogant and awkward temper.

Qin Wanru stared speechlessly at the handkerchief, now stained with a large blotch of medicine residue. She simply crumpled it in her palm, pretending not to see it, and nodded. "I found some good moon-scented orchid."

The longer it had matured, the better its medicinal effect.

Whatever reason had brought Chu Liuchen to Jiangzhou, moon-scented orchid must surely be one of the aims of his journey.

"Where is it? How much is there?" Chu Liuchen asked.

"About five plants, all around a hundred years old," Qin Wanru said with a smile.

"Where?"

"There's some at Quiet Heart Nunnery." Qin Wanru did not hide it. In fact, it had been a gift from the abbess of Quiet Heart Nunnery, a meeting gift from her as an elder, though the plants were still in the abbess's keeping for the moment.

"The abbess of Quiet Heart Nunnery?" Chu Liuchen stroked his chin with interest.

"Yes, the abbess of Quiet Heart Nunnery." Qin Wanru nodded, then her eyes swept lightly to one side, bright and shimmering. "If Your Highness gets it, don't forget to count it as a great merit for me."

Since there was such a chance to claim credit, Qin Wanru would not forget to seize some for herself.

"Enough. I know. Take this back." Chu Liuchen said impatiently. He reached beneath his pillow, felt around casually, then drew out an object and tossed it to Qin Wanru as though it were trash.

Qin Wanru caught it by reflex. When she looked down, it was her own seal. She raised her head and glanced at the pillow he had stirred into disorder, utterly speechless.

One would think this seal were something of great importance to him, the way he had even hidden it under his pillow while lying in bed.

Still, being able to recover her seal made Qin Wanru very happy. She stood and curtsied slightly. "Many thanks, Your Highness."

"Qin Wanru, you still owe this prince quite a lot. This is not over yet." Chu Liuchen lifted his brows with a faint smile. His handsome face was again gentle and elegant. Even though his complexion was pale, without the slightest trace of blood, he remained outstanding and radiant, like jade and pearls, with deep, dark eyes beneath his long lashes.

"Yes, thank you for Your Highness's repeated kindness," Qin Wanru said helplessly, bowing again.

This Prince Chen truly bore grudges down to the last detail. Even sick to this state, he was still settling accounts with her, unwilling to suffer the smallest loss. She could not understand why someone of such noble status, a prince of boundless future prospects, would make things so difficult for a little girl like her, always determined to have the upper hand before her.

This time Chu Liuchen gave a weak, dissatisfied hum, which counted as his reply. Then he glanced sidelong at Qin Wanru and afterward at the small table by the bed.

Qin Wanru understood and had no choice but to sit back down at the table. She had originally intended to withdraw.

"Aren't you going to bring up the meal? This prince is hungry." Chu Liuchen called irritably toward the doorway. Qin Wanru turned her head and caught sight of a familiar corner of fabric there; Little Xuanzi was actually hiding behind it.

He was worried that talking with Chu Liuchen might agitate the prince.

"Y-yes... this servant will bring it right away!" Hearing that Chu Liuchen had taken the initiative to ask for food, Little Xuanzi was overjoyed. He hurried in from the doorway, all smiles. He had never expected Miss Qin to have such ability, not only persuading His Highness to take his medicine obediently, but also getting him to eat!

He had truly been afraid the whole matter would be ruined.

"You've been listening outside for a while, haven't you?"

Little Xuanzi's smile froze. Then he waved both hands in panic. "N-no, Your Highness, this servant just came over. I didn't... didn't hear anything!"

"Really didn't hear anything?" Chu Liuchen asked darkly.

Little Xuanzi no longer dared lie. He lowered his head and said timidly, "Your Highness, this servant was only worried... worried about you, so I listened a little with one ear... really, just a little!"

"Only one ear?" Chu Liuchen laughed. His smile was gentle, yet it carried a chilling edge.

"Y-yes... one ear!" Little Xuanzi stammered.

"Since you only listened with one ear, what do you need the other ear for? Cut it off." Chu Liuchen's smile grew even brighter.

Little Xuanzi began to tremble. His teeth chattered. With a thud, he dropped to his knees. "Your Highness... spare my life! Spare my life!"

"Fine, go down. Set the meal. Remember, next time if you want to listen, listen with both ears." Chu Liuchen reached out and patted the edge of his blanket, deciding that his mood was good enough not to torment his personal eunuch further.

"Yes, Your Highness!" By then, Little Xuanzi could also tell that his master had been teasing him. Joy returning to his face, he rose at once and hurried off to have the meal arranged.

Qin Wanru looked helplessly at the handsome youth before her, basking in his own amusement. That mischievous look bore no resemblance at all to his earlier lifeless appearance.

The meal had already been set: four dishes and a soup, all very suitable for someone recovering from illness, light and plain.

Chu Liuchen seemed to have very little appetite. He picked at the food with a few chopsticks' worth and soon no longer wished to eat. When he raised his head, he saw Qin Wanru watching him eagerly and laughed.

"Have you eaten?"

Qin Wanru shook her head. She had been waiting to use the meal herself when Little Xuanzi came, and watching him eat now made her hungry too.

Her rosy lips pursed slightly as she lowered her head. She really was hungry. She had missed the meal time, and the dishes looked rather good.

"Would you like some?" Chu Liuchen asked with amusement. Suddenly, he thought this was a fine idea and said to the attendant beside him, "Bring Qin Wanru a set of chopsticks and bowls. This prince will dine with her."

"Your Highness..." Little Xuanzi froze. His master disliked dining with others the most; even with the Empress Dowager, he rarely ate together with her.

"Why are you still standing there?" Chu Liuchen glanced at Qin Wanru. His gaze moved from her fair skin to her rosy lips. Because she had been thinking over his words, her upper lip was caught between her teeth, the lower lip looking slightly flattened, and with both cheeks puffed out, she looked as though she would be a round little goldfish if someone drew two bubbles beside her mouth.

It was a very amusing sight.

And he found her lip color pleasing as well.

Compared with his own perpetually pale lips, hers looked lively at a glance. Such an enviable color.

Feeling Chu Liuchen's gaze settle on her face, Qin Wanru quickly released her upper lip.

Little Xuanzi brought her another set of bowls and chopsticks, along with a small half bowl of rice. Looking at the dishes, Qin Wanru decided not to refuse. This one did not seem like someone who would tolerate being refused anyway.

Besides, she was hungry too, and today she could count as having rendered some service.

Once she accepted, she found that the meal was delicious. Only after finishing did she realize that Chu Liuchen across from her had been staring at her the entire time.

Qin Wanru blinked, not understanding why he was looking at her. She subconsciously reached for a handkerchief to wipe her face, only to see the expression on Little Xuanzi's face opposite her, twisted nearly beyond recognition, and Chu Liuchen laughing so hard he almost overturned the bowl in his hand.

Beneath his long, curled lashes, a pair of bright black-and-white eyes flickered. Qin Wanru followed Little Xuanzi's gaze in a daze and looked down at her handkerchief.

On it was the medicine residue Chu Liuchen had just wiped off. Her face instantly flushed bright red. She flung the handkerchief aside, pressed a hand to the place she had just wiped, and stood up to walk out.

Chu Liuchen had definitely done that on purpose. He was truly devious, tricking her into wiping her face with the soiled handkerchief. Needless to say, there must now be dark brown medicine stains on her face.

Behind her came Chu Liuchen's unrestrained laughter.

"Miss!" Qingyue had been waiting obediently outside. Seeing Qin Wanru emerge with her face covered, she was shocked and rushed over at once.

"The handkerchief." Qin Wanru gritted her teeth inwardly.

Qingyue hurriedly handed over the handkerchief in her hands. Qin Wanru took it and rubbed her face hard as she walked, feeling increasingly that the laughter behind her was hateful.

That man had calculated her instinctive reaction, deliberately making her smear dirt across her face. He was simply too cunning.

Or perhaps he had already thought of this the moment he asked her to dine with him, waiting for her to make a fool of herself.

Qin Wanru hurried back to Quiet Heart Nunnery, but she did not return to her own courtyard. Instead, she went straight to the thatched hut of Abbess Mingqiu. There were some matters she had to report to Abbess Mingqiu in advance.

The reason she had not told Chu Liuchen that those few stalks of moon-scented orchid had been a gift from the abbess of Quiet Heart Nunnery was that she had suddenly remembered a disaster that would befall the nunnery. She had to help Quiet Heart Nunnery escape that calamity.