Chapter 65 Stirred Heart

The joy that had lit up Mrs. Liu’s face froze into a stiff mask. Lin Zhiyuan, seeing her silent, grew impatient. “Mother told me everything—if not for Miss Shen’s willingness to part with her rare medical book, we would never have recovered your prescription. Miss Shen helped you so much; shouldn’t you invite her over to thank her properly?”

Mrs. Liu looked up at Lin Zhiyuan before her, recalling the tenderness he once showed her when they had first wed. She could hardly believe how much he had changed. “What are you scheming? I told you, Miss Qingyun is not someone you should covet.”

“Don’t try to ascribe your sordid thoughts to me. Did I say anything wrong? Shouldn’t you be grateful to her?”

“I will send a return gift to express my thanks; you need not concern yourself.”

Seeing Mrs. Liu’s frail, stubborn, and lofty demeanor, Lin Zhiyuan couldn’t help but mock her. “Look at Miss Shen, and then look at you now—your sallow, thin face is unsightly. You don’t bother to tidy yourself, yet you go out and make a spectacle. People might think the Ministry has neglected you.”

It was as if Mrs. Liu’s heart was squeezed tight and then ruthlessly wrenched out, thrown into an icy wasteland. Hot tears crashed onto her hands, her face as pale as frost. Choking back sobs, she managed to speak with difficulty, “Do you think I wish to be this way? You care nothing for my health, and still… Forget it, do you even know I only have…”

“What can I do about it? I’m no doctor; haven’t you already seen the miracle healer?” Lin Zhiyuan cut her off impatiently. “All you do is cry. This family’s fortune has been wept away by you.”

Mrs. Liu bit her lip, pain and despair churning in her chest, threatening to make her faint at any moment.

The head maid, sensing disaster, hurried to soothe Mrs. Liu’s chest, urgently calling out, “Young master, please don’t say any more—the lady’s illness cannot withstand such agitation.”

Lin Zhiyuan snorted, slammed the door, and walked out. “Just a few words and you can’t take it—how pretentious.”

“Think of your son Yu! I asked you to invite Miss Shen for your own good. Look at yourself—if you were gone, would you really trust anyone else with your child?”

He mused inwardly: Shen Qingyun’s status is high, but she was raised in the countryside. How could the legitimate daughter-in-law of the Ministry be mistreated? That beautiful face haunts my days and nights.

With those thoughts, he left without looking back.

Mrs. Liu collapsed to the floor, finally burying her face in her hands and weeping bitterly.

Once, even the smallest ailment would make Lin Zhiyuan anxious. If a branch in the garden pricked her finger, he’d order the tree chopped down that very day.

If she shed a single tear, he’d panic and blame himself. “Darling, when you cry, my heart breaks. Tell me what I’ve done wrong—I’ll change, just stop crying. I’ll do anything.”

But now, after just a few short years, everything had changed so drastically—it was as fleeting as reflections in a mirror, as insubstantial as moonlight on water.

“Madam, please try to see things more clearly. The miracle doctor said today—if you remain so troubled in your heart, this year will be… difficult.” The head maid, seeing Mrs. Liu so distraught, was herself overcome with sadness.

The sweetness of past affection only made today’s indifference more painful.

At that moment, little Yu heard the crying and rushed over. Seeing his mother sitting on the floor in tears, he hurried to her, throwing himself into her arms. “Mother, don’t cry, hush hush.”

Looking at her lively, adorable son, Mrs. Liu remembered Shen Qingyun’s comforting words and forced a bitter smile. “No tears, Mother won’t cry.”

The miracle doctor had said that if she could adjust her mood and take her medicine regularly, she might live a few more years—enough to see Yu grow a little older.

If she truly were gone, with Lin Zhiyuan now so heartless, he would never protect Yu. When the new wife entered, Yu would become a thorn in her side—how could she possibly bear it?

Holding Yu in her arms, Mrs. Liu gazed at the sky, her heart heavy with sorrow.

Meanwhile, in the Pavilion of Healing, the miracle doctor was leafing through ancient books, searching desperately for better ways to treat Mrs. Liu.

Unable to find more, he had to go fetch medicine.

That night, a figure slipped into the Prince Li’s residence, barging straight into the study. “Mo Li, I’m missing an ingredient. Only you have it—lend me some.”

Under the moonlight, the man’s white robes were brighter than snow. His sword-like brows framed long, fox-like eyes that shimmered like spring water—gentle, inviting as a warm breeze. The smile at his lips marked him as rakish and carefree. Such youthful elegance hardly matched the image of an old master.

Who would have guessed the miracle doctor would be such a dashing young gentleman?

Si Mo Li, absorbed in military affairs, didn’t lift his head but knew it was Lian Rufen. “Who could possibly trouble you enough to bring you here at this hour?”

Lian Rufen tilted his head, thinking of the woman he’d met that day: Shen Qingyun.

Her beauty was unrivaled, her composure serene as water, her mind clear and unfettered—she radiated an undeniable brilliance.

“Brother, I think my heart has been moved this time.” Lian Rufen clutched his pounding chest.

“When has it not been? Which unlucky young lady has caught your eye now?”

“This time is different!” Lian Rufen shook his head, his mind full of Shen Qingyun’s smiling face. “This woman feels unlike any I’ve met before.”

“Oh? How well do you know her—and in what way is she different?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you.” Lian Rufen grinned. “True love doesn’t need much time to prove itself. Sometimes, it’s just a moment, a glance, a word that strikes your heart.”

Hearing this, Si Mo Li couldn’t help but recall his own encounters with Shen Qingyun.

The first was in the bamboo grove at the temple—she was cold and aloof, her words sharp. Later he heard she’d rescued Han Feng and Han Yu, so he resolved to investigate her, to understand her, and found himself watching her, seeing her intelligence and her hardships. At the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, he could not resist helping her, only to be astonished by her peerless performance on the zither.

On another occasion, when he heard Jing An intended her harm, he didn’t hesitate to rush to her rescue.

Even now, remembering the slender waist beneath his palm, he felt a tremor at his heart.

But Lian Rufen spun around suddenly, breaking his reverie. “Will you help me or not?”

“Whatever ingredient you need, just tell the steward,” Si Mo Li replied with a roll of his eyes, returning to his military documents.

Lian Rufen shook his head. “You just don’t understand the beauty of a heart stirred. If you stay a stone forever, how will you ever bloom? Do you plan to die alone?”

“None of your concern.”

“Fine, fine, I have more important matters.” Lian Rufen pulled out a fan from nowhere and waved it with panache. “Just wait for my good news.”