FID – Chapter 781

Chapter 781: The Young Beast Finds Its Wet Nurse

“Master, should we make a move?” Wei Zi furrowed his brows.

This was a big matter.

Yan Qi had actually given the imperial seal to the Princess Consort!

If this matter were to spread, the Nanling royal family would immediately be thrust into the spotlight and become the target of public scorn.

A royal family holding another country’s imperial seal! 

Not only would it stir up trouble within their own court, but even Dongyue would not let this slide.

The quickest way to distance themselves from this situation was to return the imperial seal and hand Yan Qi back to Dongyue.

Feng Qingbai narrowed his long eyes, his fingers lightly tapping the table. After a moment, he shook his head. “There is no need to make a move for now. Have someone investigate Dongyue’s current situation, and report back once the information is gathered. As for the recent disturbances in the capital, they are likely related to the imperial seal. Keep an eye on them, but don’t interfere.”

“What about Her Highness?”

“Don’t tell her anything. She doesn’t need to know about this.” Feng Qingbai’s gaze shifted toward the window, his eyes deep like the night.

Shengsheng didn’t need to worry about such things.

Unaware of the conversation in the study, the next day, the cloth workshop reported that they had received the master and servant and arranged for them to do menial work in the back courtyard of the workshop.

Over the next few days, Liu Yusheng began treating the boy’s throat inflammation, using Chinese herbs for anti-inflammatory treatment in combination with golden needles to guide the pus. After three days, the swelling in his throat finally began to subside.

Every time the young man received treatment, the middle-aged man would stay by his side, tense and anxious throughout the entire process.

“Madam, my young master’s throat swelling has gone down. Does that mean we can start treating his voice now?”

The boy also looked at Liu Yusheng with hopeful eyes.

But she shook her head. “Reducing the inflammation and swelling was just the first step—and the easiest one. His throat has suffered too much trauma. Next, we need to treat the scarring and restore the flexibility of his vocal cords. Only after that can we attempt speech therapy.”

Treating scarring and vocal cord atrophy was no easy task and would require a long recovery process.

Upon hearing this, both master and servant showed clear signs of disappointment.

“Just like eating, healing must be done step by step. There’s no such thing as instant recovery. It requires patience,” Liu Yusheng reassured them.

Realizing he had shown too much emotion, the middle-aged man quickly said, “We were too impatient. Please forgive us, Madam.”

Liu Yusheng smiled. She had treated countless patients before, and impatience was the most common mindset. Everyone hoped for an immediate cure.

It was only human nature.

Glancing around, she noted the surroundings. This was the backyard of the fabric workshop. Rolls of cloth were hanging out to dry, and the air carried the scent of dyed fabric.

Thankfully, it wasn’t unpleasant.

Even so, this place was far better than the residential alley of Dahuai Lane.

“Are you getting used to living here?” Liu Yusheng asked casually.

“We are, thank you for your concern, Madam! We help clean and carry things in the backyard. We eat and sleep here, and even receive a monthly wage—enough to keep ourselves fed and warm. If not for your help, we’d still be struggling to survive in Dahuai Lane.”

“In that case, just settle in for now. Once Xiao Qi’s throat is healed, you’re free to go wherever you wish.”

“Thank you, Madam!”

Liu Yusheng slung her medicine box over her shoulder, and just before leaving, she reached out and gave the boy a gentle rub on the head.

Since he was seventh in the family, she called him Xiao Qi.

Over the past few days, they had grown more familiar with each other. Occasionally, she would absentmindedly ruffle the boy’s hair—just like she used to do with Feng Mohan.

A classic ‘auntie’ gesture.

After that first time, it became a routine. Every time she finished treating him and was about to leave, the boy would look up at her with hopeful, puppy-like eyes—like a well-behaved Pekingese waiting for its owner to give it a loving pat.

Watching the woman walk away, the middle-aged man noticed the lingering attachment in the boy’s eyes and sighed. “Young Master, she’s the Princess Consort of the King of Nanling, not…”

Not your mother.

Besides, the Princess wasn’t actually much older than him. He couldn’t quite figure out why the boy sometimes treated her with the kind of attachment one would show a parent. Stranger still, the Princess herself looked at his Young Master like he was a child—tender and doting, like an elder toward a little one.

But, how old was she, really?

The boy cast him a sideways glance, then turned away to tidy the fabric airing out in the courtyard, leaving him with a view of the back of his head.

That meant he was upset.

But what he said was true.

The young master was just like a young beast that had finally found a wet nurse.

They had only known each other for a few days, and yet his Young Master was already so attached!

Back then, it had taken him over ten years to earn that kind of trust, for him to treat him like family.

Comparisons were truly infuriating.

After leaving the textile shop, he strolled leisurely down the midday street. He hadn’t gone far when he passed by two individuals, brushing shoulders with them.

Liu Yusheng’s eyes flickered slightly.

She sensed an aura on those people similar to that of Heilian, but not exactly the same.

Heilian gave off an air of cold, deadly menace, a killing intent so thick it could only be forged through countless lives taken.

These people, too, carried the scent of blood, but lacked that same icy ruthlessness.

Still, they were likely the same kind of people.

She didn’t look back. But in the moment they passed, she’d glimpsed a drawing in their hands.

If she wasn’t mistaken, it was a wanted poster of a young man—and even at a glance, she could tell the figure bore a clear resemblance to Xiao Qi.

Her heart tensed immediately.

“Madam?” The maid immediately sensed her tension.

“We’ll talk about it when we get back.”

The maid fell silent at once.

Liu Yusheng was beginning to understand why Xiao Qi and his servant had requested to work in the back courtyard instead of taking on more lucrative work in the shop itself.

In the back courtyard, there was no need to interact with customers or show their faces in public.

It was simply safer.

She now suspected that Xiao Qi was hiding from people who were actively searching for him.

Only now did she begin to grow genuinely curious about his true identity.

What had happened to cause him such persecution? Who were the people pursuing him?

The only thing she could say for certain was that those people meant Xiao Qi no good.

Maybe it was the time they’d spent together over the past few days, but she’d developed a certain fondness for the mute boy.

She wanted him to be safe.

Upon returning to the King’s Manor, she first gave strict instructions to her maid and to keep everything regarding Xiao Qi completely confidential. Only then did she return to her chambers to revise his future treatment plan.

Xiao Qi and his servant’s urgency toward the treatment was different from what she had seen in other patients. Perhaps they truly didn’t have much time.

Thinking of the two men she had encountered on the street, Liu Yusheng’s gaze grew heavy.

There wasn’t much she could do for Xiao Qi, but she would do everything within her power to heal him quickly. Maybe that was what he needed most right now.

At lunchtime, Feng Qingbai returned right on time.

Ever since they were married, no matter how busy he was with official affairs, he always made it a point to come back and eat with her—and nap with her afterward.

He would never let her feel the loneliness of being left alone.

“Feng Qingbai, I noticed something strange today.” As she ate the fish he fed her, Liu Yusheng couldn’t help but share what had happened.

“What was it?” He fed her another spoonful of rice before asking cooperatively.

“I saw two strange men in the street. They looked like assassins but not quite. They had a murderous aura and the smell of blood on them.” She glanced around, then leaned in mysteriously to whisper in his ear. “I saw them holding a sketch, and they’re looking for Xiao Qi! Do you think they’re people from his family, sent to hunt him down?”