Also cut one catty of peach blossoms

  Dinner was served in Li Ye's Chongxiao Hall, and the Empress Dowager ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare several delicious dishes and send them over. Li Ye's Chongxiao Hall was where he grew up since childhood, and although this courtyard was not as large as Guanghe Palace, Yan Sanbai looked around and found that the scenery here was the best in the entire imperial palace, even better than the Imperial Garden they had just visited.

  In the courtyard in front of Chongxiu Hall, there are peach blossoms planted in a large area, and a winding Jiushui River. A small red wooden bridge spans the river, with two palace lanterns hanging at the head of the bridge, making the scenery quite unique.

  In the Jiǔ Qū River, there are goldfish being raised. Xiao Zongzi likes those fish very much. With a small body leaning against the railing of the crimson bridge, she can watch them for more than half a day.

  When dinner was served, the sky had already darkened, and all the palace lanterns in Chongxiang Hall were lit up. It wasn't until then that Yan Sanbai noticed that there were also small, exquisite palace lanterns hidden among the peach blossoms.

  "I, Li Jia, was originally from Jiangnan. My uncle was worried that I would miss my hometown without my parents by my side, so he rebuilt the Chongxiao Temple in the style of our hometown. Li Yan's mouth curved into a faint smile as he pointed to the bridge, "Look, at that time the national treasury was empty, and the bridge was still made from the wooden planks of tables and chairs ordered by my uncle."

  Li Yan's uncle is naturally the current emperor, and everyone says that these two uncles are as close as father and son. It can be seen from this. However, although Li Yan was raised by the emperor, he went to Luoyang after coming of age and did not hold military power, and even rarely interfered in court affairs, so there is also another rumor among the people.

  After all, if Li Yan's father did not die, then this throne would naturally be passed down to Li Yan.

  But these rumors would never be mentioned in front of Li Yan, for once one gets involved in the affairs of the deep palace and grand courtyard, it's hard to extricate oneself for a lifetime.

  Li Yan didn't mention it again, and the two sat down at the table.

  "Is Yan Gongzi from the northern state of Yan?"

  Yan Sanbai nodded slightly, "It's just that the Yan family was destroyed in the war, and now only one old servant is left to guard the family business. I haven't returned for many years either."

  The Yan family was a renowned and illustrious aristocratic clan in the previous dynasty, with an influence in the north that rivaled that of the imperial court. However, this was all in the past, and in today's Great Zhou, few people still remembered that once-glorious household. It was a miracle that Yan Sanbai had managed to survive.

  At this time, little Zongzi ran over, climbed onto the stool and sat alone on one side, still holding chopsticks in a very likeness, like a small adult who didn't need anyone's help at all.

  Two big ones and one small one started drinking alone under the moon, Xiao Zongzi was coaxed by Li Yan to drink some wine, his cheeks suddenly became red and puffy, and his hands holding chopsticks also became unstable, but he still wanted to pick dishes for Li Yan and Yan Sanbai.

  Li Yan smiled on the side, and Yan Sanbai also couldn't help but laugh, but after all, he wasn't as unscrupulous as him, so he proactively handed over the bowl to prevent Xiao Zongzi from crying because she couldn't pick it up correctly.

  Before long, the empress sent someone to pick up Xiaozong and take him back. The vast Chongxiang Hall was left with only the palace maids and eunuchs, as well as Li Yan and Yan Sanbai. Yan Sanbai brought up old matters again and planned to bid farewell and leave early the next day.

  Li Yan no longer obstructed and smiled freely, "Then tomorrow when you wake up, let Lingding take you out of the palace. I get up late, so I won't see you off."

  Yan San Bai: "......"

  "What's wrong, angry?" Li Yan smiled and asked.

  "No."

  "I'm just not fond of goodbyes, and you insist on leaving. I, the king, am heartbroken too." Li Yan teased.

  "If fate permits, we shall meet again someday."

  The topic unknowingly shifted to fate again, Li Yan liked to talk about these intangible things, so he pulled Yan Sanbai to drink a few more cups. Yan Sanbai couldn't handle the wine, and when he returned to his room for dinner, his head was already dizzy, he barely managed to wash up, then crawled into the soft quilt and fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

  The next day, Li Yan really slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up. After changing his clothes, he planned to go out for a stroll and ran into Ling Ding head-on, asking him, "Where's Yan Sanbai? Have you sent him off?"

  Ling Dian looked at his master with a strange expression, "Isn't Yan Daxia also not up yet?"

  "Not up yet?" Li Yan slapped his palm with a fan and thought: Could it be that he was really drunk?

  Li Yan hastily turned back to knock on the door of the room, but no one answered. He then directly pushed the door open and entered, only to see a small bundle on the bed with several strands of black hair scattered across the pillow, but there was no face in sight.

  Li Yan shook his head and smiled, this Yan Xiao's sleeping posture was like a little kid.

  "Yan brother?" Li Yan walked over and patted the small mound.

  "Hmm..." Xiaoyan finally made some noise, the person inside slowly moved around, after a while, they struggled to reveal half of their face.

  Yan's lips were pale, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her distant mountain-like eyebrows were faintly furrowed. Her eyes were slightly open, and a hint of weakness seeped out from between her brows.

  "Your Highness... isn't it noon now?" Yan San saw the bright sunlight and suddenly realized he had lost track of time, wanting to get up quickly. But unexpectedly, a pair of large hands reached out and firmly pressed down on his shoulders, "Don't move."

  A slightly cool palm stuck to his forehead, and Yan Sanbai suddenly felt that the dizziness in his head was much better, so he remained very still.

  Li Yan furrowed his brow and turned back to say: "Ling Ding, go invite the imperial physician."

  Yan Sanbai's illness came too suddenly, and he was fine just last night.

  Before long, the imperial physician hastily arrived, thinking that something had happened to the King of Luoyang and rushed all the way. It wasn't until he entered the Chongxiao Hall that he realized the King of Luoyang was fine, but there was someone lying on the bed. The imperial physician took a rough glance and saw that Li Yan's face was not pleasant, his heart skipped a beat - this time it's good, this one must also be treated with caution.

  He hastily took out a red thread from his medicine box and handed it to the maid standing beside the bed, "Quickly tie it on her."

  The maid was stunned and didn't respond. The imperial physician frowned and urged, "Hurry up!"

  The maid gave him a strange look, then turned to Li Yan. Li Yan also looked at the imperial physician strangely, "Imperial Physician Wang, do men...also need to have their pulse taken with silk threads?"

  "Ah!" The imperial physician's goatee on his chin quivered in surprise, and he hastily turned back to take a closer look. He saw that the beautiful patient on the bed coughed slightly and stretched out her hand, "Doctor, I am a man, you can diagnose me directly."

  The imperial physician suddenly felt embarrassed, hastily sat down to take his pulse, but after glancing at that fair and delicate wrist, and then looking up at that face, it's no wonder he made a mistake!

  Yan Sanbai was also embarrassed at this moment, although he was ill but his mind was still agile, where did he not know what the imperial physician was thinking, most likely... he mistook him for Li Yan's red beauty.

  "Is Doctor Wang all right?" Li Yan asked, leaning in close.

  The imperial physician, Wang, needed to salvage his reputation in front of the king at this moment, so he stroked his goatee and said, "Your Majesty need not worry, this young man does not have a cold. His flushed cheeks and abnormal body temperature are due to drinking too much wine and sleeping under the quilt for a night. It will naturally subside after a while."

  "What?" Li Yan blinked, unable to help laughing and crying at the same time.

  Yan Sanbai's face turned bright red with anger and he really wanted to use his lightness skill to escape immediately.

  "However," said the imperial physician, "this young master's stomach is not good. He has been eating irregularly for a long time and hasn't taken care of himself. Last night he must have eaten too much and drunk a lot of wine, so his stomach can't take it. That's why his complexion isn't good. Is he still feeling unwell now?"

  Facing Wang Taigong's efforts to make himself look benevolent and kind-hearted, Yan Sanbai wanted to die on the spot.

  Such a cause is no better than wind and cold.

  Sneaking a peek at Li Yan, sure enough, his face had turned stern.

  "With a face so bad, how can you feel good?" Li Yan directly asked Yan Sanbai and instructed Wang Taai to open the medicine for conditioning. Yan Sanbai wanted to speak, but he was met with a cold gaze that made him shut up, his every move showing a strong and unyielding attitude.

  The imperial physician was ordered to prepare the medicine immediately, and when he was sent out of the Chongxiao Hall, he looked back at the side house where he had just been. In his heart, a new idea emerged - previously, he had never heard that the king of Luoyang brought anyone back to the palace, so he had just made an exception. But now, seeing the king's extremely caring attitude, he couldn't help but wonder... could it be that the king has a fondness for men?!

  The imperial physician was suddenly enlightened, this is unbearable, must hurry up and forget, forget!

  In the room, Yan Sanbai touched his nose, thought for a moment, and then opened his mouth to speak to Li Yan who was sitting at the table with his back to him.

  "Prince..." But he was interrupted after just two words.

  "What else do you want to say?" Li Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at him, throwing the medical book on the table with a "slap" sound. "Do you still think of yourself as a six-year-old child? As the top scholar in literature and martial arts, and the imperial appointed detective, how can you be so careless with your own body?"

  If you say catching a cold is just an accident, then this stomach problem is entirely self-inflicted.

  Yan Sanbai was scolded by one letter, this is still the first time walking in Jianghu, it's hard to calm down in his heart, "Actually, I'm not very uncomfortable..."

  "Want me to find a mirror for you to see?" Li Yan narrowed his phoenix eyes and glanced over, with a somewhat captivating charm.

  "This is... nothing more..." Yan Sanbai's voice trailed off. He knew his face must not look good, but saying it was hard to bear, wasn't really that hard to bear. The reason being, he had gotten used to the pain.

  However, after a while, the maid brought in the medicine, and Yan Sanbai saw Li Ye stretch out his hand to test the temperature of the bowl. The suffocation in his heart dissipated again. When Li Ye handed over the bowl, he cooperated very well, holding his breath and taking a sip, and Li Ye's face looked better.

  Ling Ding secretly wiped the sweat for Yan Sanbai behind his back - his master, the king, was actually a kind old man who liked to interfere in all trivial matters. Yan Daxia was also someone he favored, so how could he not care about his own body? The king would certainly not let him be.

  Yan Sanbai wisely stopped mentioning going on a trip, because Li Ya smiled and said to him - Travel? With this appearance of yours, do you want to return to the Western Paradise?

  With this, Yan Sanbai completely retreated and ceased all activities.

  In the afternoon, Xiao Zongzi came over. Hearing that Yan Gege was bedridden with illness, he brought a small basket of food to visit him and sat by his bedside, touching Yan Sanbai's head, "Yan Gege must eat well."

  Yan San Bai: "......"

  Who can understand my heartache?

  It was as if Xiao Zongzi had triggered some sort of strange seal, and one afternoon, Yan Sanbai welcomed several waves of visitors.

  The Empress Dowager, the Empress, and all the ladies of the palace, although they did not come in person due to the distinction between men and women, their good intentions were conveyed, and even the Emperor sent a message of condolence from the imperial study.

  Yan San Bai himself was also very surprised when he had such a good relationship.

  In the following days, Yan Sanbai stayed in Chongxiao Hall to recuperate from his illness, fed various bitter medicines by Li Ye, and then supervised three meals.

  Li Yan often sat in his room's chair, fiddling with the folding fan or jade stone in his hand, a smile playing on his lips as he admired Yan San Bai's elegant demeanor while drinking medicine.

  Fortunately, Li Yan was not in Chongxiao Hall all day long, and he was not there for half a day.

  Yan Sanbai woke up a bit late that day, the pain in his stomach had gradually disappeared, so he put on a white robe and got out of bed, pushed open the window, and heard the rain hitting the roof, the sound of dripping water was endless.

  Outside, a gentle spring rain was falling, and the peach blossoms in the courtyard had bloomed without anyone noticing. A refreshing fragrance wafted through the air.

  Li Yan seemed to be gone, and Yan Sanbai smelled the long-lost taste of freedom in the air.

  He pushed open the door and walked along the wooden corridor, with crimson carved windows on one side and eaves hanging with rain threads on the other, which was quite poetic.

  Just a few steps away, freedom was gone.

  He saw Li Yan sitting cross-legged in the corridor ahead, with the open gate of the main hall behind him and a small desk in front of him. He would occasionally raise his eyes to gaze through the sparse rain curtain at the peach blossoms filling the courtyard, and then lower his head to hold a brush and write something.

  Li Yan has always given people the feeling of being carefree and playful, but Yan Sanbai had never seen him with such a focused expression before, as if he were alone in his own world, with nothing else existing outside of himself.

  Yan Sanbai couldn't help but curiously look at the Xuan paper spread out on the case table, and saw a painting of ink-colored trees, light-colored rain, with just a few strokes yet having a lot of charm. Next to it was also a sentence - "Cut a pound of peach blossoms for now."

  The characters are neat and elegant, with a hint of wildness, and the peach blossoms are cut to perfection. The beauty is tempered with a touch of heroic spirit, worthy of Wang's brushwork from Luoyang. However, he seems still somewhat dissatisfied, and suddenly asks: "A catty of peach blossoms, paired with how many coins of fine wine?"

  Yan Sanbai paused for a moment, and during this time, there was no one else around. Li Yan must have sensed his arrival early on.

  Yan Sanbai thought for a moment before answering: "Three coins."

  Li Yan's eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up his pen and wrote down the next sentence - Three coins for fine wine in exchange for a fleeting reputation.

  "How's that, Zhuangyuan Lang? Can these two sentences meet your expectations?" Li Yan asked with a smile.

  Yan Sanbai had already given up correcting him on the "Zhuangyuan Lang" issue, so he ignored it. From just the poem itself, he liked the atmosphere of these two lines, and simply nodded in agreement.

  "Wait, let me show you a trick." Li Yan was delighted by Yan Sanbai's honesty and changed to another brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and lightly dotted the Xuan paper with a flowing motion.

  Yan Sanbai looked carefully, and saw that on the ink-colored peach tree, blossoms of varying intensity gradually opened one after another, small and delicate. Li Yan's pen in his hand seemed to have come to life, jumping on the paper, each time it touched down, a flower bloomed.

  A brilliant brushstroke. The phrase suddenly popped into Yan Sanbai's mind, and Li Yan's skillful painting was not a magic trick, but it seemed even more magical, making him unable to look away.

  The painting was finished, Li Yan put down his brush and pushed the rice paper in Yan Sanbai's direction, "It's for you."

  Yan Sanbai was stunned, "Send me?"

  Li Yan smiled, "In the future when you roam the world, if you have no money, you can still take it out to sell. This way I won't receive news of an old friend dying from a stomach illness in a foreign land."

  Yan San Bai: "......"

  How much longer do you want to talk about this?

  At this time, Lingding rushed in with an umbrella, his footsteps hurried, and he trampled the peaceful courtyard.

  "Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! Qin Sang's daughter fell from the building and died!"

  P.S. I missed a part in the previous case, which is about Guan Ying's search for the crime scene, because the truth has been revealed and I forgot to write it down. It has been revised now, but just a few sentences were added, no need to re-read from the beginning.

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