Still walking within the palace, Fan Xian met several imperial concubines, exchanged some pleasantries, and received some rewards, which inevitably made him feel a little bored. However, he dared not show the slightest expression on his face. This was the imperial palace, after all. Who knew whose subordinate the little eunuch beside him was, or whose confidante the palace maid plucking willow branches over there was? If his annoyance was noticed by these people, and they whispered it to their masters, and their masters then whispered sweet words by His Majesty's pillow, would he be able to have a good time? Even if he had a friendship with His Majesty where they drank tea and chatted, he could only suffer a blow in silence without being able to defend himself.

But thinking about the important figures he was about to meet, Fan Xian's heart had long returned to calmness, even adding a hint of coldness and cruelty. Only the look in his eyes as he looked at the palace was still filled with a slight smile, as if he were very much looking forward to it. Yao Hua Palace was much larger than other palaces and courtyards, highlighting the status of the owner inside. The person who lived here was the Empress of Qing Kingdom, the one who embodied the dignity of the world.

Fan Xian did not expect that the Empress's summons would end so simply.

The Empress smiled with a gentle face, and her words made Fan Xian feel as if he were bathing in a spring breeze. Looking at the Empress's bright and beautiful face, looking at the Empress's calm and serene eyes, Fan Xian responded respectfully, and a very absurd feeling welled up in his heart. The clear, elegant, and noble woman in front of him, whose every gesture made people feel very comfortable, was actually the person who wanted to kill him four years ago!

Kneeling down and kowtowing twice, Fan Xian left Yao Hua Palace with a somewhat uneasy expression. The meeting with the Empress began so simply and ended so hastily. Seeing that the other party could hide her emotions so well, even to the point of not having any unusual emotions at all, could only mean that the Empress did not feel any unease when looking at Fan Xian. Fan Xian smiled, the corners of his lips slightly raised, but his heart was cold. Perhaps he had overestimated his importance after all. To these noble people in the palace, killing him four years ago was just a small matter.

……

……

When he arrived outside Guangxin Palace, the eunuch who had been following him all the way carefully stayed behind, not daring to make a sound. The palace maid Xing'er was also very astute, and whispered to Fan Xian, "Young Master Fan, please enter."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows, thinking that he hadn't even been summoned yet, and he was already going in. Wouldn't that be a bit out of line? What if Princess Li Yunrui, his mother-in-law, chopped him down with a sword? Who would he complain to? Lin Chong was tricked like this back then. But he knew that things wouldn't be so terrible today. These eunuchs and palace maids were just afraid of the Princess for no reason.

Princess Li Yunrui, her name had a bit of masculine energy, but she was an extremely delicate person. Of course, this was just a facade. She had many identities: the actual controller of the Internal Treasury, the old lover of the Prime Minister of that year, His Majesty's most capable political assistant, and a transcendent presence in the harem, the Empress Dowager's most beloved daughter.

But for Fan Xian, the other party only had two identities: one was an enemy who had once wanted to kill him, and the other was his future mother-in-law.

Guangxin Palace exuded a hint of coldness. In broad daylight, the palace gate was naturally not closed. Standing outside the gate, one could see some dormant winter plums, summer-disliking orchids, perennial bamboos, and unopened daisies planted inside. Inside the palace, one could see many white gauze curtains fluttering gently in the wind. The overall feeling was like a pure and innocent fairytale world. A trace of coldness flashed between Fan Xian's eyebrows, as if he was infected by the atmosphere of this palace.

A palace maid about twenty years old appeared at the door and gave a slight bow to Fan Xian. This palace maid had extremely long eyebrows, but her eyes were somewhat indifferent, but her words and physical movements were still very polite, very respectfully welcoming Fan Xian into the palace.

Gauze, all gauze. Fan Xian was a little stunned as he pushed aside the white gauze curtains that came towards him. There were far too many gauze curtains in Guangxin Palace than he had seen in the back garden of Prince Jing's residence last time. The surrounding layout also seemed a bit strange, out of tune with the solemn atmosphere of the imperial palace. It was more like the residence of a young girl waiting to be married.

At the end of the layers of gauze curtains was a low couch, and a woman wearing a light pink dress was lying there, propping her chin with one arm. A natural charm flowed between her waist, and her eyebrows and eyes were as beautiful as a painting, but her expression was timid and lovable.

This was the first time Fan Xian had seen his mother-in-law, Princess Li Yunrui. Like many people who saw Princess Li Yunrui for the first time, he was dumbfounded, wondering if the woman he saw before him was real or fake, a person in a painting or a fairy in the water.

The Princess was thirty years old this year, but her expression was like that of a sixteen-year-old girl. Her eyebrows and eyes, and the straight black hair that naturally fell on the couch, were enough to make all the men in the world yearn for her. Fan Xian's face was astonished, but his mind, honed over sixteen years in Danzhou, was calm. Still, he had to admit that his mother-in-law, though somewhat similar to Wan'er, was much more beautiful than Wan'er.

Although Fan Xian could still remain calm, he was unwilling to call her mother-in-law in his heart. It seemed that calling her that was really incompatible with her innate beauty. The Princess glanced at Fan Xian, and this glance contained who knew how much meaning. Timidly and endearingly, she slightly parted her pale lips and said, "Find a chair and sit down yourself. I have a bit of a headache."

Fan Xian looked around uneasily, and found that the Princess had said something meaningless. There wasn't a single chair in this vast Guangxin Palace. Just as he was wondering, he heard the Princess say softly, "Fan Qingjia, I heard that you are proficient in medicine. Wan'er's health has improved greatly these days, all thanks to you."

Fan Xian quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness is too kind. It's all thanks to the careful care of the imperial physicians. I only offered some folk remedies."

"Oh?" The Princess stretched out her slender fingers and rubbed her temples. As her fingertips rubbed her head, her temples gradually turned red. "Do you have any folk remedies for treating migraines? My head has been hurting badly these days."

The Princess had a stubborn migraine, which Fan Xian had heard Wan'er mention. He had also occasionally heard the Prince mention it outside the summer resort last time. But what Fan Xian was paying more attention to at this time was the Princess's address to him and her self-reference. In a few words, the Princess addressed him as "you" and herself as "I," which seemed particularly affectionate. Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "There are many types of headaches. When my teacher taught this part, he also had quite a headache."

The words were light, but the two headaches were quite interesting. The Princess smiled faintly, and her gentleness suddenly appeared. Fan Xian knew that his relationship with Fei Jie was no longer a secret in Kyoto, let alone hidden from the Princess, so he simply stated it clearly.

"Is there really no good way?" The Princess didn't ask about anything else today, but only revolved around the headache, her face full of sorrow, and she was extremely weak. "It's really killing me these days."

Fan Xian lowered his eyes slightly, calmed his mind, and said, "I have learned a set of massage techniques, although it can only treat the symptoms and not the root cause, but it always has some soothing effect."

The Princess's eyes lit up, and she said softly, "Then come and try it quickly."

Fan Xian smiled wryly and said, "This... I'm afraid it's a little inconvenient, isn't it?"

The Princess covered her lips and chuckled: "I didn't expect the famous talent Fan Da, who is famous in Kyoto, to actually be a pedantic scholar who values etiquette. Let alone that you have to take liberties in emergency situations, just say that in a few days you will also be my son, what are you afraid of?"

Looking at the other party's girlish appearance, and then thinking about the other party's real age, he should have felt disgusted, but looking at the Princess's smooth cheeks and clear eyebrows, it was really difficult to feel disgusted. But hearing the word "son," a trace of coldness still arose in his heart, but his face was calm as he responded: "How dare I disobey the orders of my elders?"

……

……

The eunuch brought up a copper basin of clear water, and Fan Xian carefully washed his hands, then slowly walked to the Princess's side, took a few deep breaths, calmed his mood, and tried not to let his eyes fall on the strip of white neck skin that was slightly exposed under the Princess's black hair. He steadily stretched out his hands and placed them on the other party's head.

His fingers passed through the Princess's black hair, and the tips of her hair brushed gently, with a slight itch.

Fan Xian simply closed his eyes and imagined himself like Uncle Wu Zhu, wearing a black cloth, his fingertips touching the Princess's hairline, then gently moving upward, pressing his thumbs on her temples, and simultaneously tracing her eyebrows with his two index fingers, confirming the position of the center of her eyebrows.

A tap.

The Princess didn't seem to be prepared, and hummed softly. It wasn't clear whether it was pain or if he had pressed the right spot. Fan Xian calmed his mind and, relying on his knowledge of human acupoints, slowly and steadily massaged her head. Every contact between his fingers and Li Yunrui's head skin was so steady.

"Hmm." The Princess frowned, thinking that she might have been reckless. She really didn't expect that this little guy's technique was so good. His fingertips seemed to carry tiny air currents, rubbing the source of her pain. Every stroke, every press, would make her feel much more relaxed, and her spirit gradually relaxed, as if a wave of drowsiness was slowly rising.

"Did Fei Jie also teach you this technique?" She half-closed her eyes, leaned against the couch, slightly parted her vermilion lips, and asked casually.

"Fei taught me the method of identifying acupoints." Fan Xian's fingers were still steadily moving on her smooth skin, and his voice did not tremble at all: "I learned this massage technique myself." As the saying goes, long illness makes one a doctor. When he was lying in bed in his previous life, he still had a glimmer of hope of standing up again in the early stages, so the lovely little nurse often helped him massage his legs and the muscles of his whole body. But in the end, he was completely desperate, but Fan Xian remembered the massage techniques.

"Pretty good." The Princess praised him, then slowly closed her eyes again, enjoying the warm and relaxing feeling brought by the young man's hands.

Guangxin Palace was quiet. The Princess's eyes were always closed, her long eyelashes resting on her fair skin, trembling slightly. She suddenly said, "If you want to marry Wan'er, you must forget what happened four years ago."

Fan Xian's fingers paused, precisely at a certain spot under the Princess's ear. That spot seemed ordinary, but it was a deadly acupoint.