"Prince Xia."
"Student Xia."
"Brother Qingyan."
All of a sudden, many people were calling out to Xia Qingyan.
Zhao Shuning got up. By this time, the teacher had already stepped down from the podium.
"Let's send him back to his room to rest first."
After some discussion among the inner - sect disciples, they escorted Xia Qingyan out of the classroom.
Back on the podium, the teacher said, "Does anyone know where Xia Qingyan went last night and what he did?"
The few young men from Yilan Courtyard stammered and couldn't say a word for a long time.
It wasn't until the teacher on the podium roared, "If even the people from the same courtyard can't explain it, then there's no need for you to attend classes anymore. All of you from the same courtyard go to Elder Zhou to receive your punishment."
"Teacher."
"Speak."
"We saw the prince coming out of Wangyue Courtyard this morning."
Wangyue Courtyard was where Luo Feiyan lived.
Wu Xuan widened her eyes.
She had no idea that Brother Qingyan had been to their courtyard last night.
Many people knew that Xia Qingyan had a crush on Luo Feiyan since they first entered the school. So when someone said this, they all turned their gazes towards Zhao Shuning.
Zhao Shuning looked around uncomfortably and said, "The prince did go to Wangyue Courtyard last night, but he left soon."
"No. We saw the prince coming out of Wangyue Courtyard early this morning. At that time, there were still morning dews on his robe. It was a bit damp."
Zhao Shuning covered her forehead.
No way. Was the prince so infatuated?
Did he stay in Wangyue Courtyard all night last night?
The men of Hailing Country were different from those of the other seven countries.
Most of them were affectionate and loyal. In their lives, they held two women in high regard. One was their mother who gave birth to and raised them.
The other was the woman they would spend their lives with.
Most men in Hailing Country only had one wife, even the royal and noble families.
Therefore, women from Tianli Country were more willing to marry men from Hailing Country.
They treated their wives very well.
"Luo Feiyan, what did you do to Brother Qingyan?"
Wu Xuan was wearing a beautiful hat today, hiding her hair inside to avoid embarrassment.
"Oh no!"
Everyone knew that Princess Wu Xuan had a crush on the prince. Once it came to Xia Qingyan, Wu Xuan would get angry easily.
Luo Feiyan was already weak. This time, she might not be able to escape.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Shuning just glanced at Wu Xuan with a slightly displeased look on her face, and Wu Xuan actually stopped in her tracks and didn't dare to take another step forward.
Strange things happened every year, but there were especially many today.
The teacher tapped the ruler, making a sound. The inner - sect disciples quickly lowered their heads and returned to their seats.
"Student Luo."
"Teacher."
"Since this matter is related to you, you should take care of Student Xia for the next few days."
Zhao Shuning pointed at herself, looking incredulous.
The teacher nodded.
"I met your mother before. She was quite knowledgeable about medicine, and she said that you were even more proficient in medicine than her. So I'll leave this matter to you."
Zhao Shuning did know about medicine.
After all, she was almost an eighth - rank alchemist.
However, although she knew about it, if she went to take care of Xia Qingyan now, wouldn't the harsh words she said last night be in vain?
"Teacher, I won't go."
It was the first time the teacher had seen a student rebel.
The teacher, who had already returned to the podium, put down the ruler, propped his hands on the lecture desk, and stared directly at Zhao Shuning.
"What did you say?"
"Teacher, men and women should avoid physical contact. This matter shouldn't be my responsibility."
"Luo Feiyan, do you have any conscience? Brother Qingyan became like this because of you. He's always been so nice to you and never made things difficult for you. He helped you solve many troubles before. Is this how you repay him?"
As soon as Wu Xuan said this, the whole classroom started chattering.
Most of them were saying that they never expected Luo Feiyan, who looked beautiful and gentle on the surface, to be such a heartless woman.
They also said that Xia Qingyan must have been blind to have taken a fancy to her.
There were even worse things to say.
The teacher didn't care and just let the students talk.
"Teacher, aren't you going to do something?"
"Student Luo, knowing how to repay kindness and having virtue are more important than having good looks."
Zhao Shuning took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face.
"Okay, I'll go."
It wasn't that she had given in. If she wasn't pretending to be someone else, she would have already flipped the table in this situation.
But if she did that now, it would bring bad publicity to Luo Feiyan. Although Luo Feiyan would eventually become Luo Qiu, before that, she couldn't ruin the good reputation Luo Feiyan had painstakingly built.
Hearing Zhao Shuning say this, the students finally fell silent.
Not long after class ended, Zhao Shuning obediently went to Yilan Courtyard.
Normally, their next class was a mental - cultivation class. Other students flocked to the class. This class was taught by Elder Ling Ruo himself. All the inner - sect disciples went, and even some outer - sect disciples surrounded the classroom, hoping to eavesdrop and learn even a little bit, which would be beneficial for a lifetime.
Zhao Shuning didn't go.
It wasn't that she didn't want to.
But at this time, the pageboy who served Xia Qingyan in Yilan Courtyard came to say that Xia Qingyan had a high fever and his whole body was hot.
Under the teacher's gaze, Zhao Shuning had to get up obediently and follow the servant to Yilan Courtyard.
When she entered Yilan Courtyard, there were many bamboo plants planted here.
A green parrot was chirping under the eaves.
"This is our prince's room. Please save our prince, Miss Luo. He's delirious from the fever and talking nonsense."
Zhao Shuning nodded slightly.
"Is the prince awake?"
"His eyes are open, but I can't understand what the prince is saying."
Zhao Shuning pushed open the door and took a glance from afar.
She turned to the pageboy beside her and said, "Go to the pharmacy outside and buy some ephedra, bitter apricot seeds, cassia twig, white peony root, dried ginger, schisandra fruit. Also get pinellia tuber and honey - fried licorice root. After you buy them, go to the kitchen and boil them into a decoction according to the dosage I'll give you, then bring it to me."
Zhao Shuning took out a pen and paper from somewhere, wrote down the dosage on the paper, and gave it to the pageboy.
"Thank you, Miss Luo. I'll go and get the medicine now."
After the pageboy left, Zhao Shuning entered the room.
When Xia Qingyan saw Zhao Shuning, a smile appeared on his face.
"You're here. I knew you'd come to see me."
Zhao Shuning found a chair and sat down. Looking at Xia Qingyan, she said, "You deliberately had someone call me, didn't you?"
Xia Qingyan didn't say a word. He just looked at Zhao Shuning tenderly, which was an admission.