Xie Liangchen rolled up Song Xian's sleeve bit by bit to the elbow, revealing his strong forearm.
There was a knife wound on the arm, about four inches long. Although the wound was not deep, it was still oozing blood.
Song Xian shifted his gaze from her to the map on the table, his cold and clear eyes betraying no emotion.
Xie Liangchen did not disturb Song Xian, turning around to open the door and asking the guard outside, "Is there a medical kit?"
Chang An, standing at the door, was pondering what was going on with this Miss Xie. He and Chang Yue had been following the master all day, and they hadn't seen him associate with any woman. How did he suddenly bring someone back tonight?
He couldn't help but want to ask Chang Yue if he had fallen asleep while on duty and missed something.
"A medical kit?" Chang An came back to his senses after a moment, "Is the master injured?"
The master's mood was not good, and he had driven them all out to change his clothes. He was just thinking of finding an excuse to go in and check when this Miss Xie came.
"It's not serious," Xie Liangchen said, "but it needs medication."
Chang An looked into the room, and when the master didn't speak, that meant he agreed by default.
"I'll get it." Chang An said, personally bringing over the medical kit and handing it to Xie Liangchen.
Xie Liangchen thanked him, closed the door, and carried the medical kit to Song Xian's side.
The medical kit was well-equipped. Xie Liangchen tied up her sleeves with a strap, sanitized her hands, found the external medicine and cloth towel, and began treating Song Xian's wound.
In her previous life, Xie Liangchen dealt in medicinal herbs in the Su Family, learning pharmacology and helping her master diagnose patients in the pharmacy. A small wound like Song Xian's was easy for her to handle.
Xie Liangchen kept her head down, busy with her task. She knew Song Xian must be watching her, distrusting her. She was aware that his eyes followed her every move, but she hadn't intended to play tricks and thus was not afraid of his scrutiny.
Having bandaged the wound, Xie Liangchen put Song Xian's sleeve back down and thoughtfully smoothed out the wrinkles, making the clothes appear neat and tidy.
Xie Liangchen felt her flattery was meticulous and attentive, akin to a sycophant. After all, Song Xian believed she was the culprit responsible for his return to twelve years ago.
In truth, who really knew what the truth was? At present, whoever had the stronger fist was the one to be followed.
"Did you use poison against Ji Yuan?"
A deep voice sounded.
If these words had come from someone else, Xie Liangchen would have been surprised. However, someone as astute as Song Xian did not need to witness it firsthand to guess the general situation.
Xie Liangchen did not hide it: "Yes, but my knowledge of medicine was originally meant to save lives, never to harm. Ji Yuan killed my brother, and to avenge him, I sought mutual destruction and didn't care about anything else."
Song Xian remarked, "Ji Yuan fell for it, which shows your methods are not bad."
Xie Liangchen frankly replied: "It wasn't really any skill, just taking advantage of Ji Yuan's lustfulness."
Upon hearing this, Song Xian raised an eyebrow, looking at Xie Liangchen's face. The girl's long hair was as black as clouds, her skin white as jade, her dark eyebrows and red lips, with long eyelashes lightly drooping, showing a bit of tenderness.
Tenderness? Just like she respectfully replied to him, appearing obedient, though each word was opposing him.
Her words implied that as long as one wasn't lustful, they didn't need to worry about falling into her trap. Was this to reassure him or remind him not to be swayed by her appearance?
Song Xian said nothing, but Xie Liangchen sensed his displeasure. Too intelligent people were usually hard to deal with. If Song Xian had been the one who killed her brother back then, she would have had no chance even if she wanted to fight to the death.
Xie Liangchen continued: "In my previous life, I studied pharmacology for business purposes, so my learning was not profound. In this life, I will pay more attention and try to learn as much as possible."
Song Xian replied nonchalantly, "Why?"
Xie Liangchen said, "To be able to diagnose myself, and once I recover my memory, I'll be able to know the origin of that jade pendant."
Song Xian spoke casually, "You haven't forgotten."
Under that oppressive feeling, appearing relaxed on the surface but inwardly tense, Xie Liangchen said, "I dare not forget. The master was kind to me, and in the last moment of my previous life, it was the master who helped me avenge."
The atmosphere in the room was a little better, and Song Xian picked up the teacup in front of him to drink.
Only then did Xie Liangchen speak of the most important matter of her visit: "Master, I will leave the Xie Family tomorrow to go to Chen Family Village in the west of the city, to live there with my grandmother and brother."
Xie Liangchen informed Song Xian of how she reclaimed her dowry and the mountainous land. Someone like Song Xian might not care about these domestic trivialities, but she had to tell him. Making things clear would reduce speculation and suspicion.
Song Xian looked at Xie Liangchen. In one day's time, she broke off the engagement and left the Xie Family, showing her deep resentment toward the Xie and Su Families.
He then thought of capturing Steward Xu, who had dealings with the bandits, among the thieves he had rounded up. Those eyesores were things he couldn't stand to keep for even a moment longer.
With nothing else to report, Xie Liangchen bowed and said, "Master, I will take my leave now."
Song Xian did not stop her, and Xie Liangchen picked up the medical kit and walked out of the room.
Upon opening the door, the cold wind blew in again, dispelling some of the shadow in Xie Liangchen's heart. She gently closed the door.
A phrase suddenly came to her mind: Accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger.
Isn't that true? Whether she was willing or not, she was associating with someone who would ascend to the throne twelve years later.
Before the door was completely closed, Chang An peeked through the crack at his master. The master seemed to be looking at documents and maps, and Chang An was astonished, becoming even more uncertain about Miss Xie's identity. The master did not avoid Miss Xie when handling official matters. What trust was this?
This sort of thing had never happened before!
Xie Liangchen handed the medical kit to Chang An: "Does anyone else need to be attended to?" The group of people in the courtyard stood there like statues, not speaking, all carrying the scent of blood.
Chang An glanced inside the room, "No need, a doctor will come later."
Xie Liangchen nodded. It was their first meeting, and naturally, they would trust their own medical workers more. Song Xian allowing her to take action was his way to probe her intentions.
As she was about to leave the courtyard, a strong smoke suddenly choked her throat, making Xie Liangchen cough. She turned to see smoke and fire coming from the kitchen.
A moment later, the chef rushed out, muttering softly, "How are things being managed? The firewood is wet, and the room is filled with smoke. When can I finish the meal?"
Xie Liangchen asked Chang An, "Can I go over and help?"
Chang An asked Song Xian's opinion, and only then was Xie Liangchen allowed into the kitchen.
"I can lend a hand."
The chef initially didn't care, but seeing Xie Liangchen pull the noodles so thin and long, she secretly thought the little girl indeed had some skills.
The noodles rolled into the boiling water, and as the steam rose, the fragrance of the noodles permeated everywhere.
Once the noodles were cooked, Xie Liangchen took off her apron and followed Chang Yue out of the courtyard.
The chef brought the noodles and side dishes into the main house.
The chef reported to Song Xian, "The young lady helped with the cooking, and it smells delicious."
However, the young lady was ultimately an outsider, so the chef added, "Both the noodles and vegetables have been tasted; there's no problem."
Song Xian said nothing, and the chef bowed and retreated.
The aroma of the food gradually spread, but Song Xian had no appetite, his gaze remaining on the official documents. Suddenly returning to twelve years ago, some details of the official matters were not very clear in his memory. Reviewing them served not only to clarify his thoughts but also to familiarize himself with his surroundings.
"Where is A Xian?"
A cheerful voice came, followed by someone pushing the door open and striding into the room.
Song Xian looked up, but before he could study the newcomer carefully, the person twitched his nose and turned his face towards the table.
"Is there a new chef in the house? It smells so good."
In a few steps, the person was at the table, then lifted a pair of sparkling eyes: "A Xian, are you going to eat?"
"No." Song Xian heard his own voice.
The person laughed and said, "It would be a pity to let it go to waste; I'll eat it for you."
Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the sound of slurping noodles came from the room. Perhaps the sound was too loud, as Song Xian's stomach unexpectedly churned with a "grumble."
He realized he was hungry.
While eating, the person murmured indistinctly, "I just saw Chang Yue leave with a woman. Which family's young lady is she?"