In truth, RongCheng had no need to come here in person either; he could have simply commanded someone to come and call him.
Seeing Yan Si intending to leave the dining table, RongCheng instantly pulled his hand and shook his head, "Eat your rice quickly, and after it is finished, then you may go."
Yan Si complied and once more sat down; just as he picked up his chopsticks, he suddenly remembered a matter and spoke, "That is right, eldest brother, next time can you please not permit palace maids to come here?"
Palace maids here did not refer solely to the person from earlier but to all of them; Yan Si truly did not wish for the situation just now to occur again. Understanding his meaning, RongCheng nodded, "Very well, rest your mind and eat your rice."
Amidst this time, perhaps RongCheng's heart was on the verge of being scorched by fire, burning with impatience, yet he did not wish to urge Yan Si to eat quickly, merely remaining silent, intently observing him.
Looking at the bowl of rice before his eyes, initially Yan Si indeed possessed a bit of a craving; nonetheless, he did not know what intention RongCheng had to pick up such an entire heap of food to fill it so completely; even though it was only a little bit of each item, it made him full to the point of nearly being unable to stand up...
In the end, Yan Si had only just eaten nearly all of the portion RongCheng had placed into the bowl when he already wished to lay down his chopsticks. Seeing that he showed signs of merely picking at his food, the man asked, "What is the matter, does the food not suit your palate? Is it not delicious?"
This was also not the case; the food in the palace was naturally superior to those things in the forest, the flavor... he did not know how it should be put, but it truly was far too much... Yan Si shook his head, laid down his chopsticks, and said, "I... I am full, I will not eat further."
Ultimately, an entire table of food and rice all remained exactly as they were; RongCheng instantly knitted his brows, "Having only eaten a tiny bit like that and you are already full? This will not do, quickly finish all your rice."
Thinking to himself that his stomach had no more room to contain it, he shook his head vigorously in refusal, "But... but I genuinely cannot eat any further."
Hearing this, RongCheng appeared even more stern, saying, "No buts, it is enough as long as you finish all the rice."
Yan Si was truly on the verge of crying; just a moment ago he had missed the man to such an extent, yet now he wished only for him to depart quickly... He stole a glance across at RongCheng, only to be glared at by him, causing him to turn his face back in fright.
At times the man caused Yan Si to be truly terrified; knowing he could not evade, he had to pick up his chopsticks again to continue eating his rice.
Yan Si experienced a sensation that his belly was stretched full, imagining that if he ate a bit more, it would burst instantly like a water bubble; the time spent looking at a table completely full of food left him sick of it... He forced himself to take a few more mouthfuls, then looked at RongCheng, calling, "Eld... eldest brother..."
Knowing what he wished to say, RongCheng instantly shook his head to show disapproval; in the end, he could only let out a sigh, striving to shovel it down to finish the meal. Truly, that much refined, intensely fragrant food was not nearly as delicious as imagined.
The haunting meal having passed, the moment Yan Si laid down his chopsticks, he clutched his belly while simultaneously slumping his head upon the table, silently lamenting, "So horrific!!!"
Yan Si was beginning to feel afraid of RongCheng; seeing him like that, the man actually laughed and said, "You did very well, being able to finish it all is..."
Yet before he could even finish his words, the boy instantly stood up and ran outside, vomiting completely everything he had just eaten.
Now RongCheng was truly left speechless; in the end, his effort in sitting and waiting for over an hour had been wasted.
He let out a sigh, stepped over to stroke Yan Si's back, and asked anxiously, "What is the matter with you?"
Yan Si appeared uncomfortable and shook his head, "My belly genuinely cannot contain this much."
"It is no matter, now there is nothing left in your belly anyway, go back inside and continue eating."
"Huh!? Eat further!?" Having just heard this, Yan Si wished to faint on the spot: "Please... please spare me!"
The food within the imperial palace consisted entirely of expensive delicacies, yet he...
Amidst not knowing what to do with RongCheng, Yan Si suddenly remembered a matter and spoke, "Quickly, quickly come see how the Imperial Consort is... It... it may be that he has already awakened, do you truly not feel worried?"
Hearing this, RongCheng indeed possessed no more patience and nodded, "That will do then."
Indeed, what if during the time he was here, that person had already awakened? RongCheng felt that he needed to return immediately.
However, when RongCheng arrived back, Shang Yuan still lay entirely motionless; seeing this, his heart abruptly twisted with a sharp ache, a sensation of genuine disappointment... He hurried over to the bed, caught hold of the person's hand, and tried calling, "A Yuan... A Yuan..."
Yan Si stood beside him, shook his head, and said, "Step aside and let me see how he is."
RongCheng nodded, stepping to one side to yield his spot for Yan Si to conduct the examination. After a period of thorough observation, he spoke, "Eldest brother should not worry, at present the Imperial Consort is out of danger, he will soon awaken."
"If it can be so, then it is well..." Only upon hearing Yan Si speak these words did RongCheng feel at ease, "We truly thank you immensely."
Indeed, had it not been for Yan Si, surely by now the two of them would have been separated by life and death; from the depths of his heart, RongCheng experienced a sense of being indebted to him a great deal... a great deal...
Hearing RongCheng speak in such a manner, Yan Si's countenance drooped a bit; he let out a sigh and murmured in a low voice with a hint of resentment, "Eldest brother has no need to speak those words to me."
Muttering a few words, he immediately stood up, "I... I am going back."
Those words from just now, it seemed RongCheng did not hear them at all; the moment Yan Si stood up, the man sat right down on the bed to look at Shang Yuan, speaking again, "Let me have someone escort you back."
Yan Si shook his head in refusal, "There is no need, I can return on my own."
"How can that be permitted, the sky is already dark..." Fearing that Yan Si would lose his way and encounter an untoward matter, RongCheng looked at Shang Yuan once more before finally being willing to stand up and command someone to come convey him back.
The lantern in hand swayed gently with each footstep, reflecting a shadow that cast long across the corridor.
One person silent, one person confused as he departed. The night wind quietly brushed the silk curtains, sounding like the low, soft sigh of someone out there.
Returning home, Yan Si went inside, cast himself down upon the bed, and buried his face into the pillow. Having Shang Yuan, RongCheng did not look toward him even a single time; even his care was exceptionally shallow and perfunctory.
A wave of sorrow faintly surged up, a thing that Yan Si had never before experienced throughout his life; his heart abruptly twisted with a sharp ache, and he silently asked himself, "What am I to do?"
Inadvertently missing the man's warmth again, he wished once more to lie snugly in his embrace just like the days still spent inside the cave. Regrettably, from this time onward, it was no longer possible.
"Eldest brother already has a wife." That individual, from countenance to aura, was immensely outstanding. At that thought, Yan Si suddenly felt a genuine sense of jealousy. For RongCheng to love a person like that was only natural; how could he possibly need an ugly, thin, and skeletal fellow whose frame was completely covered in scars?
"I... should not cling to him, I must force myself to let go." Yet merely thinking of that matter, he immediately found himself unable to bear it.
At present, his mind was as tangled as a ball of hemp; a mere bit of attention from RongCheng was already enough to cause him to be overjoyed.
"Eldest brother, do not be good to me, do not give me hope, I beg of you!" Yan Si asked himself whether, if he had not followed him to depart on that day, he would currently have to be lucid yet tormented like this?
"Not at all." At that time, how could he still possess the capacity to think further? If anything, it would merely be dreams that were long and endless.
The next morning, at the time when Yan Si was still sound asleep, a young eunuch suddenly came to nudge and call him; the moment he saw him awaken, he spoke, "Master, quickly wake up to partake of breakfast, and subsequently follow this servant to assume your post."
"Assume a post? What does that mean?" Yan Si forced his person up, observed the newcomer for a long long time, and asked, "Who are you?"
This young eunuch was around fourteen years of age, his face looking still quite tender; nonetheless, because he had entered the palace for many years, he also knew quite a great deal of the rules of conduct.
Hearing the question, the young eunuch explained clearly and thoroughly, "This servant is Xiao Yi, commissioned by His Highness to come here; from now onward, I will be responsible for looking after master."
"Xiao Yi?" Leaving Yan Si entirely alone, RongCheng truly could not put his mind at ease, which was why he commanded someone to come. Principally, it was to assist and remind him each day.
Seeing Yan Si hesitating, not yet willing to leave the bed, Xiao Yi urged in a low voice, "The sky at present is no longer early. Master, hurry, this servant will assist you to wash your face and change clothes, and afterward you will partake of breakfast."
"No... there is no need, I can do it myself."
Even though Yan Si spoke thus, Xiao Yi still resolutely shook his head, "Master, let this servant assist you; otherwise, if His Highness finds out, he will definitely reproach me."
Beholding Xiao Yi's demeanor, he was clearly very afraid of RongCheng, not daring to act contrary to his words in the slightest. Recalling the matter of the palace maid yesterday, Yan Si feared encountering new troubles, so he let out a sigh and nodded, "Very well then."
At the time when he noticed that it was still very dark outside, Yan Si asked, "What watch is it currently?"
Xiao Yi replied, "Reporting to master, currently it is nearly the fifth watch."
"Still this early?" For some unknown reason he had to wake up this early; Yan Si felt his person still tired, not wishing to rise at all...
Meanwhile, Xiao Yi nimbly brought warm water over for Yan Si to wash his face, and subsequently assisted him to change his garments.
"These clothes are..." Yan Si felt that they appeared somewhat familiar, seemingly resembling those of the individuals kneeling the other day.
While assisting Yan Si to put on the clothes, Xiao Yi replied, "It is the official uniform."
"Official uniform?" Ah, that was right; the other day the Emperor spoke of conferring upon him the position of an Imperial Physician; he had nearly forgotten it again.
This official uniform was a bit heavy; Yan Si felt somewhat uncomfortable and knitted his brows, but when thinking of RongCheng's attire, he stopped; it looked even more cumbersome and heavy than his own by several times over.
"If he can wear it, for what reason can I not?" Even though he spoke thus, he still wished to wear ordinary cloth garments more.
After changing into the official uniform, Yan Si followed the young eunuch to the table to partake of breakfast.
Here, although it was not as abundant as yesterday, it appeared quite eye-catching; for the most part, it consisted of sweet things and light snacks.
Yan Si tasted a piece, his brows lifting slightly as the elegant sweetness spread, causing him to exclaim, "Truly delicious."
Finding it to his palate, Yan Si hurriedly stuffed himself to eat continuously, to the point where he choked; he immediately laid down his chopsticks and clutched his own neck, groaning...
Discovering something abnormal, Xiao Yi was alarmed and hurriedly poured water, handing it to Yan Si to drink straight away, while simultaneously stroking his back, "Master, quickly—quickly drink the water down!"
The matter occurred beyond anyone's expectation—that eating cakes could also carry the capacity to choke a person to death. Yan Si felt frightened and suddenly stood dead up, saying, "I am full, I am not eating further."
With that single meal from last night, he could sustain himself for two to three days; what requirement was there to keep eating endlessly like this?
Thinking thus, Yan Si immediately turned away; Xiao Yi hurriedly ran after him, calling, "There, you have only eaten a tiny bit... master... master, wait for this servant!!!"
In the final analysis, only RongCheng alone was capable of forcing him to eat.
These things, merely looking at them at first caused a craving, and tasting a few bites he could still perceive a bit of flavor; but from childhood to adulthood he had not been fed or given drink properly, so at present, forcing it into his stomach only made him sick to his throat.
No matter how delicious the food of the imperial palace was, Yan Si's body could not accept it; the indigestion caused him to be very uncomfortable.
Afterward, Xiao Yi brought Yan Si to officially assume his post as an Imperial Physician; he was assigned to look after the Inner Palace Pharmacy, which could be considered the most leisurely task.
At the time he arrived to take up the work, there was another imperial physician waiting ready. The moment he saw Yan Si, this person stepped out, warmly clasped his hands, and bowed in greeting, "My Lord has arrived, this humble servant is Qiong Liu Yu; from now onward, I hope to receive much of your guidance!"
"Guidance?" Yan Si seemed not to understand what was happening, and asked, "Who are you?"
At this time, Xiao Yi, standing behind Yan Si's back, nimbly replied, "Master, this is Lord Qiong, who is also an imperial physician looking after this place together with you."
"So that is how it is!" This Qiong Liu Yu was tall of stature, and appeared somewhat handsome as well.
Yan Si repeated exactly according to Liu Yu's actions and words, "Lord Qiong, in the future I hope for your guidance."
Xiao Yi had enjoined him beforehand; regarding the rituals of greeting, it was best that whatever he saw other people do, he should just mimic it exactly. He never expected that this action would cause Qiong Liu Yu's face to stiffen momentarily; the fellow forced a smile and replied, "How can that be... how can that be... it is I who ought to rely upon My Lord instead."
A creature like Yan Si, yet he was favored by the Eldest Prince with his entire heart; it truly caused people to feel both disdainful and jealous.
Immediately afterward, Liu Yu guided Yan Si to each compartment holding medicine...
Xiao Yi, who had inherently been following beside them, saw that Yan Si was already being guided well by Liu Yu, and thus withdrew.