ASTRP -Chapter 89 The Long-Winded Physician

Zhi Liao nodded. “That woman only gave me those two items.”

Xiao Jinghan: “…”

“Take a few people and keep watch on that family in secret.”

Zhi Liao frowned in confusion and couldn’t help asking, “Hasn’t Xi Liyue’s identity already been confirmed?”

Xiao Jinghan’s icy gaze landed on Zhi Liao.

Zhi Liao immediately changed his tone. “Understood!”

With that, he vanished in a flash.

Soon after, Ning An went to Prince Yu’s residence and informed Prince Yu about Xi Liyue’s identity.

After Ning An left, the study fell silent once more.

Xiao Jinghan reopened his book, but no matter what, he couldn’t focus on the words.

Closing the book again, he shut his eyes to rest for a while before getting up to look for Feng Jingge.

Halfway there, Xiao Jinghan spotted the residence physician emerging from a side path with a medicine box on his back.

Thinking of the physician’s incessant chatter, he silently turned around, intending to avoid him.

However, Xiao Jinghan had only turned halfway when the physician’s voice rang out.

“Miss Feng!”

Xiao Jinghan’s body stiffened. Pretending not to hear, he turned and continued walking away.

The physician’s voice only grew louder and louder until he was practically shouting.

“Miss Feng! Miss Feng…”

“MISS! FENG!!!”

Xiao Jinghan: “…”

The physician’s booming voice was so loud that half the residence could probably hear it.

If Xiao Jinghan kept pretending not to hear, rumors that Feng Jingge had gone deaf would spread throughout the entire prince’s estate.

Pressing his lips together, Xiao Jinghan had no choice but to stop and turn around.

The physician stood not far ahead, waving at him.

Xiao Jinghan pursed his lips and walked over.

The moment he approached, the physician’s eyes began sizing him up repeatedly from head to toe.

Xiao Jinghan remained expressionless. His lips moved slightly as he was about to speak, but the physician beat him to it.

“Miss Feng, would you like this old man to examine your ears?”

Xiao Jinghan frowned. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?” the physician snorted coldly. “I called you no fewer than six times just now!”

“And you didn’t hear a thing.”

“Your hearing is far too bad!”

“…”

Xiao Jinghan calmly began lying through his teeth. “The wind was probably too strong earlier. I didn’t hear clearly.”

The physician blew on his beard and glared. “This old man may be old, but I’m not blind.”

Xiao Jinghan responded lightly, “Mm.”

“…”

The physician had no way of dealing with “Feng Jingge,” so he could only mutter under his breath, “As expected of someone that brat took a liking to. Their personalities are practically identical.”

Xiao Jinghan pressed his lips together, his gaze deepening.

That brat?

Was he talking about him?

After muttering his complaint, the physician looked up again and asked Xiao Jinghan, “Going to see the prince?”

“This old man is just about to change the prince’s medicine.”

Before Xiao Jinghan could respond, the physician directly reached out, grabbed his sleeve, and forcibly dragged him away.

“Come, come, come! Let’s go together! Go see that brat!”

Xiao Jinghan: “…”

Since he had already decided to drag him away directly, what was the point of asking in the first place?

After being dragged forward a few steps, Xiao Jinghan said, “I can walk by myself.”

The physician halted, loosened his grip on the sleeve, and turned back to look at him. “Then you walk in front.”

Xiao Jinghan: “…”

Was this old man afraid he would run away?

Xiao Jinghan swept a glance across the physician’s face before lifting his leg and walking ahead.

The two arrived one after the other at Feng Jingge’s room. Just as they reached the door, the physician spoke.

“Miss Feng, you knock.”

Xiao Jinghan raised his hand, but before it could touch the door—

Thunderous snoring erupted from inside the room.

“…”

Xiao Jinghan’s hand froze midair as he stared blankly at the door within arm’s reach.

The physician frowned deeply. “I remember the prince doesn’t snore in his sleep. Why has he started snoring now?”

“Could it be he’s been too exhausted lately?”

The physician’s muttering fell into Xiao Jinghan’s ears.

He recalled the days after becoming “Feng Jingge”—

Secretly gathering information, practicing swordsmanship, reading books, solving problems together with Feng Jingge.

The days had actually been simple and comfortable.

But Feng Jingge, who had taken his place, was living just as he used to—

Leaving early and returning late, spinning nonstop like a top.

She barely had any time that belonged to herself.

For him, the only time truly belonging to himself was during the dead of night, when he gazed up at the star-filled sky overhead.

For Feng Jingge, it was probably sleeping.

After all, she was either sleeping or on the way to sleep.

Xiao Jinghan lowered his eyes and withdrew the hand suspended in midair.

“The prince is resting. We’ll talk after he wakes up.”

After speaking, he turned and left before the physician could say anything.

Passing by the physician, he went into the outer hall and sat down.

No sooner had Xiao Jinghan sat down than the physician also walked over.

He glanced at Xiao Jinghan before taking the seat opposite him.

Xiao Jinghan frowned slightly. Had Feng Jingge offended this physician before?

Otherwise, why did the physician keep staring at “her”?

And with such a confrontational look too?

The physician stared at him for a while before opening the medicine box.

Three small porcelain medicine bottles, a roll of gauze, and a wooden pair of tweezers.

One by one, he placed the items neatly on the table.

“This old man will speak. You listen.”

Xiao Jinghan was full of question marks. “Listen to what?”

The physician pointed at those items. “Listen to how to apply medicine to the prince.”

Xiao Jinghan was puzzled. “You’re the one applying medicine to the prince. Why should I listen?”

The physician was momentarily speechless, so angry that he blew on his beard and glared. “Why are you so dense?!”

Xiao Jinghan: “?”

Pretending not to know anything or understand anything, he asked back, “Dense about what?”

Physician: “!!!”

The physician got so angry that he directly laid everything out.

“Do you like the prince or not?”

Xiao Jinghan stared at the physician for a moment and was just about to speak when the physician interrupted again.

“Don’t try denying it in front of this old man!”

“If you didn’t like the prince, why would you push him into the water just to attract his attention?”

“And then, when the prince was furious and about to punish you, you used a suffering tactic so the prince would sentence you to work in the residence as a maid.”

“As long as you entered the prince’s estate, you’d have more chances to interact with and meet the prince.”

“Then you could build up goodwill in front of him, and the prince would notice you, become interested in you, pay attention to you, and so on.”

“Just like now—aside from attending court, the prince takes you along every time he leaves the residence.”

“So your wish has already come true.”

“And now, this old man is giving you a chance to gain more favor with the prince, yet you’re asking me why.”

“Do you know how many people would beg for an opportunity like the one I’m giving you?”

The physician rambled on and on.

Xiao Jinghan: “…”

“How about you stop being a doctor and go write storybooks instead?”

Xiao Jinghan said calmly.

“With such colorful imagination, it’d be a waste not to write romance tales.”

The physician curled his lips. “Storybooks? Those things are for three-year-olds.”

“This old man is already at my age. If people found out I was reading those things, wouldn’t they laugh their teeth off?”

“What storybooks? We’ve gone off topic! Off topic!”

The physician suddenly reacted.

“This old man is talking. You listen carefully.”