Zhu Yu tugged at Lu Liangwei’s hand, saying with an edge of fear in her voice, “Miss, how come the Emperor…”
Lu Liangwei shook her head, gesturing for her to stop talking.
Zhu Yu could only shut her mouth and obey her uncomfortably.
The small group walked through the busy streets and finally arrived at a secluded alley.
There was an inconspicuous house at the end of the lane.
The person who opened the door was an elderly man. Although he was advanced in his years, there was not a single strand of facial hair on his face. Lu Liangwei guessed that this man was once a eunuch of the palace and was sent here to guard this house. It was clear that this person was a close confidant of Long Yang.
Long Yang entered the house first. Lu Liangwei did not dare to dawdle and followed him inside.
After stepping in, she realized that although the house was not large, it was quiet and peaceful. There were no extra people apart from the elderly man guarding the house.
It seemed that this was Long Yang’s secret retreat outside of the palace.
Long Yang walked ahead without saying a word, as if he had already forgotten Lu Liangwei’s presence.
When they entered the living room, Lu Liangwei saw that a thin elderly man in his sixties was already waiting there.
He was leafing through a medical book and there was a medical kit beside him.
Seeing Long Yang arrive, he immediately put the book down and got up to bow to him. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“We’re outside—no need to be so formal, Chief Physician Lin.” Long Yang did not stop his stride as he spoke, making directly for the living room and sitting down onto the main chair.
Although Lu Liangwei was hesitant, she steeled herself and walked over to him. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
When they were outside earlier, it was not a good time for her to bow, but now that they had entered the house, she could not pretend to be ignorant any longer.
Long Yang glanced at her, then gestured to the chairs beside him. “You all may sit.”
Lu Liangwei waited for Chief Physician Lin to take his seat first before picking a seat slightly further away.
The moment she sat down, she felt the Emperor’s gaze on her.
She was stunned for a while, and then the Emperor’s emotionless voice echoed throughout the living room. “Second Miss Lu, are you afraid that I’ll eat you?”
Lu Liangwei glanced at the distance between everyone else and him and privately agreed. Her actions had been intentional.
She had heard that the Emperor did not lust after women and would not even allow any woman to appear within thirty feet of him.
Long Yang was downright terrifying—she thought that it was better to stay as far away from him as possible.
However, she did not expect him to see through her so easily.
Nevertheless, she naturally could not tell the truth. She blinked her eyes mischievously before saying with respect, “Your Majesty, your aura is too powerful. I’m quite timid, so I dare not get too close.”
Zhao Qian glanced at her in surprise. What a fresh and unique form of flattery Second Miss Lu had produced! It somehow made him feel a sense of inferiority.
Sure enough, a smile flashed within Long Yang’s eyes, although it lasted for just a fleeting moment.
He looked at Lu Liangwei with an unreadable gaze but did not continue to put her on the spot.
Chief Physician Lin glanced at Lu Liangwei in astonishment.
He had been serving the Emperor for so many years, but it was his first time seeing the Emperor treat a woman so pleasantly. He could not help taking a few more looks at Lu Liangwei.
“What was the deal with the longevity noodles last night? What did you add inside?”
At this moment, Long Yang suddenly spoke.
Chief Physician Lin was startled and looked at Lu Liangwei in shock and amazement.
So this girl was the one who prepared that bowl of longevity noodles?
Recently, the Emperor’s condition showed signs of worsening. If it was not controlled soon, the Emperor would probably not make it until the end of the year…
The physician’s hair had already turned grey out of anxiety. That was why he did not attend the Emperor’s birthday banquet last night and was instead devising a remedy in the imperial hospital to treat the Emperor’s illness.