Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

As Concubine Li Shu took the jade medicine bottle, her fingertips trembled slightly. She poured out a pill and leaned over, carefully feeding it to the Sixth Prince's lips.

Xie Qingli took out a silver needle, gently burned it over the candlelight, and then skillfully gave acupuncture to the Sixth Prince.

Concubine Li stood beside the couch, clutching a handkerchief tightly, watching the silver needles pierce into the Sixth Prince's fair skin one by one. Her eyes gradually turned red, but she forced herself not to make a sound to disturb him.

The old woman stood quietly by the side, her eyes watching Xie Qingli's every move sharply. Although her brows were slightly furrowed, showing a bit of nervousness, there was no trace of pity in her eyes.

By the time the last needle had been inserted, beads of sweat had formed on Xie Qingli's forehead. Just as she was about to wipe her sweat off, she heard the old woman's hoarse voice: "Sir, may I ask how many more acupuncture treatments are needed?"

She paused and continued, "It's not appropriate for outsiders to frequently come and go in the inner palace. Why not... Young Master pass on the acupuncture techniques to the Imperial Hospital, and let the imperial physicians take over in the future, saving you the trouble of traveling so often."

The words seemed like a negotiation, but the tone of voice carried a force that brooked no refusal. What surprised Xie Qingli even more was that, faced with the old nanny's presumptuous behavior, Concubine Li Shu simply stood aside in silence, without a trace of anger on her face.

Xie Qingli couldn't help but become more curious about this old lady. She had just secretly observed that this old lady walked steadily and breathed deeply, clearly a martial artist who was hiding his true strength.

She hesitated for a moment and then said respectfully, "To answer Madam, this condition requires acupuncture once a day for five consecutive days to be effective."

She raised her eyes to meet the old nanny's sharp gaze, her voice clear but every word distinct, "As for this acupuncture technique... it is a secret of our sect. Without Master's approval, I dare not pass it on to others."

"Besides," she changed the subject, her tone gentle yet with a hint of warning, "Acupuncture requires precise control and timing. If the technique is even slightly wrong, not only will it fail to cure the illness, but it may even harm Your Highness's health."

The old nanny's face darkened when she heard this, and a hint of fierceness flashed in her turbid eyes, but she didn't say anything more in the end.

While waiting for the Sixth Prince to awaken, Xie Qingli calmly surveyed the inner chamber. Her pupils narrowed as her gaze fell on the misty landscape painting on the wall. The unique brushstrokes bore a striking resemblance to her master's treasured painting, "Cold Mountain in Misty Rain." Her master had once declared that painting to be one of a kind in the world.

Seeing her gaze lingering on the painting for a long time, Concubine Li Shu unconsciously twisted her handkerchief tightly with her fingertips. Seeing this, the old nanny coughed heavily and interrupted in a deep voice: "Sir, when will His Highness wake up?"

Xie Qingli withdrew his gaze, placed his fingertips lightly on the Sixth Prince's wrist, and said gently, "Your Highness's pulse has stabilized. I think he will wake up soon."

Before she finished speaking, her gaze turned to the painting again. The more she looked at it, the more she felt that the brushwork and charm of the two paintings were exactly the same.

"Sir, do you think there is anything wrong with this painting?" The old nanny's voice suddenly became colder, and a hint of vigilance flashed in her turbid eyes.

Xie Qingli quickly bowed and said respectfully, "Madam, please understand. Although I am not good at painting, I love it. This painting is full of free and unrestrained brushwork and profound artistic conception. It is truly enchanting. That's why I took a closer look. If I have offended you, I hope you will forgive me."

"You like this painting? You have good taste!"

A clear, young voice suddenly rang out from behind him. The Sixth Prince, who was lying on the bed, had sat up at some point, a smug look on his pale face as he gazed intently at Concubine Li.

There was a strange look in Li Shufei's eyes, which were originally as calm as water, and there was a bit of imperceptible shyness in her eyes.

Xie Qingli's heart was shocked, and an astonishing guess came to his mind: Could it be that this painting was actually created by Concubine Li Shufei?

The old nanny knew nothing about painting; to her, this landscape painting looked no different from any other decoration in the palace. She carefully examined the Sixth Prince's complexion and, seeing that he was alright, breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to Concubine Li Shu, she said, "Your Majesty, now that His Highness is alright, it's time to let Young Master Wuwang leave the palace."

As she spoke, she pulled out a brocade bag embroidered with golden auspicious clouds from her bosom and said in a deep voice, "This is the consultation fee, young master. Please come to the palace on time tomorrow to continue your acupuncture treatment for His Highness."

Xie Qingli respectfully took the brocade bag and when he was leaving, his eyes still lingered on the painting involuntarily.

"Wait a minute." The Sixth Prince suddenly spoke, his voice soft but filled with an unyielding authority. "This young man saved my life and is a true friend of mine who understands painting. How can mere gold and silver ever equal the life-saving grace?"

He turned to Concubine Li Shu, with a pleading look in his eyes: "Mother, I would like to give this painting to the young master as a token of my gratitude, is that okay?" Although he was speaking to Concubine Li Shu, his eyes inadvertently glanced at the old nanny.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Li Shu's expression suddenly changed. She looked at the Sixth Prince with a hint of reproach, her red lips trembling slightly but she said nothing.

The palace was silent for a moment. The old nanny pondered for a moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly. Concubine Li Shu then said gently, "Let's do as Hong'er says."

The old nanny took the painting down herself and examined it carefully. After confirming that there was nothing special about it, she handed it to Xie Qingli.

Xie Qingli suppressed his inner excitement, solemnly took the scroll with both hands, and bowed deeply: "I thank the Empress and Your Highness for their generous gift. This painting will be treasured."

As he stepped out of the gate of Jinxiu Palace, Xie Qingli unconsciously stroked the scroll with his fingertips, wishing he could fly back to his master immediately to find out what was going on.

There were the sounds of footsteps on the palace path, and a handsome young eunuch came forward quickly, saying in a low voice, "The young master has finally come out. I, your servant, have come here on the orders of His Highness to escort you out of the palace."

Xie Qingli immediately understood that this was someone arranged by Chu Yuncang. He calmly gathered his sleeves and asked softly, "Where is His Highness now?"

The young eunuch pretended to lead the way, but his eyes were warily scanning the surroundings. He replied in a whisper, "Your Highness has been urgently summoned by the Emperor to the Imperial Study...regarding the assassination attempt at last night's Lantern Festival."

Xie Qingli's heart tightened. Emperor Yingtian was known for his stubbornness. Something like this had happened during the Lantern Festival, and he would surely be furious. She silently prayed that Chu Yuncang wouldn't be the one to bear the brunt of his wrath.

The two of them hurried along the deep palace path, surprisingly having no obstructions. When they reached the palace gate, the young eunuch respectfully stepped aside while Xie Qingli boarded the carriage that had been waiting outside.

The wheels rumbled as the carriage drove straight out of the city gate and arrived at a farm in the suburbs of Beijing.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, a group of children happily surrounded him. They had grown considerably taller after not seeing him for a while. Xie Qingli exchanged a few pleasantries with them, then hurried off to Zouping's study.

When they pushed open the study door, they saw Zou Ping sitting with Han Jue, Zou Yi and others discussing matters. When they saw Xie Qingli come in, they were all startled.

"Master," Xie Qingli's voice was filled with excitement. "Didn't you say that the painting 'Cold Mountain Misty Rain' is a one-of-a-kind piece in the world? I, your disciple, have also obtained a copy today!"

Zou Ping snorted disapprovingly: "Nonsense, that painting is unique in the world..."

Before he finished speaking, Xie Qingli had already slowly unfolded the scroll.

As Zou Ping's eyes fell upon the painting, he froze in place as if struck by lightning. He reached out his hand, his voice trembling, "How...how is this possible? That's Jiaojiao's original technique..."