Hu Shifei followed suit and politely greeted them. He continued to ask, "Where is the patient Wangfei wanted me to treat?"

"She's not in Wang Manor." After giving him a brief account of Lady Yu's situation, An Chang Qing continued, "Doctor Hu, please wait for a few more days. I will make arrangements for you to treat her."

Now that he had already been abducted here, there was nothing Hu Shifei could do except to agree.

The group finished their discussion and had dinner together. After which, the maids led Hu Shifei and Tie Hu to the guest rooms for the night.

As for An Chang Qing, he couldn't sit still and paced about in the room. What Xiao Zhige told him before weighed heavily in his mind – An Changqi will not live past tonight.

Xiao Zhige would not deceive him but without personally hearing the news, he could not rest his heart. What if An Changqi survived? This would ruin everything he had planned.

If An Changqi died tonight, not only could he use this to plant a seed of doubt and create a grudge between Madame Sun and Madame Li, but also drive apart An Zhi Ke and An Zhi Zhou. Amidst the chaos that ensued, An Chang Qing could then easily take his mother and sister away from the An Manor.

The moment Hu Shifei told him that there was something wrong with the prescription, the immediate person that came to mind was Madame Li. Qian chong jin was not a rare plant, the wealthy usually found them too ordinary for their taste and yet, they were planted abundantly at the An Manor. Particularly the land behind Rainbow Garden, a vast area was used for the Qian chong jin plantation. Every time the flowers bloomed, the petals floated with the wind, carrying its fragrance across the field. Who knew that behind the beautiful scenery was a hideous plot to kill his mother.

Madame Li was the second daughter of Count Yong Xin. Although the count did not enter the court, he was widely respected for his good deeds. Even his two daughters were quite well-known in Yejing. The eldest married the eldest son of Marquis Kang Le and the youngest married An Zhi Ke, the Marquis of Jing An and also the Prime Minister of Da Ye Empire.

After Madame Li married into the An family, she had instantly become the lead maternal figure of the An household. She was magnanimous and well-liked by all. On top of that, she was blessed with a son. No one could shake her position until Lady Yu came into the picture.

Lady Yu entered the An family after Lady Liu and as far as An Chang Qing could tell, An Zhi Ke had favored Lady Yu for a long time. During those years, the two were a harmonious couple and An Zhi Ke even neglected Madame Li and Lady Liu. By the time Lady Yu gave birth to a son and daughter, the winds were blowing her way.

But the good days did not last long. When An Chang Qing was four, Lady Yu did something that had incurred An Zhi Ke's wrath. Since then, he had never taken another step into Rainbow Garden and Lady Yu had lived inconspicuously, trying her best to stay out of trouble and raise her two children.

Although those years of Lady Yu being favored disappeared in a flash, it had lingered in the memories of many people. An Chang Qing thought that Lady Liu was the only one who had hated them since she had always openly mocked the mother and child. But as it seemed, the reputable Madame Li also held a deep-seated grudge against his mother. Her kindness and generosity were nothing but a front.

If it really was Madame Li...

A plan took shape in his mind but at the same time, he had gotten more anxious. He kept glancing at the door.

They had sent someone to watch the An Manor. The moment An Changqi died, they would immediately get wind of it.

"You will get the news in about an hour." Xiao Zhige was leaning on the bed reading a book on warfare. Seeing An Chang Qing walking back and forth, he said, "Impetuosity is a big taboo in any tactic."

An Chang Qing could only hear his previous sentence. He rushed to the bed to confirm, "Really? How can you tell?"

Being distracted, An Chang Qing was not aware of his current posture. He was kneeling over Xiao Zhige on the bed with his arms at his side. He was barefooted and his belt was loosened, opening up the neckline of his robe. Xiao Zhige's eyes were pulled towards the white fair skin that was exposed.

He held his breath and sighed mentally at An Chang Qing's unintentional seductive pose. He reached out to fasten up his collar then hugged and dragged him into bed. He covered him with the blanket and said, "Earlier in the evening, the two remaining doctors in De Ren Hall had been invited to the An Manor."

It was self-evident for whom the doctors were invited to treat. It must be that the current doctors had given up and the An family had called in the rest to give a second opinion.

Only then was An Chang Qing relieved. He laid quietly in bed for a while before sitting up again. He sulked and said, "I still can't sleep."

He was like a kid who had listened halfway through a story and could not sleep till he got to the end.

Xiao Zhige looked at him and sighed helplessly, "Don't sleep then."

An Chang Qing gave a smug smile. He leaned against Xiao Zhige's arm and probed at the book in his hand, "Why don't you tell me a bit about warfare?"

Xiao Zhige grimaced awkwardly. He had read countless books on war but had never had to read it to anyone. Facing An Chang Qing's expectant eyes, he remained silent briefly before flipping to the first page and began to read it word by word.

An Chang Qing had wanted him to tell him a story but unexpectedly, the man recited the book to him. An Chang Qing was dumbfounded for a while only to realize that it would've been even more absurd if this person could tell a story.

He rested his head casually on Xiao Zhige's broad chest with his eyes closed as he listened to his reading. Xiao Zhige's voice was low and clear. One could detect the attentiveness in his moderately slow reading speed to accommodate An Chang Qing's understanding.

An Chang Qing listened and eventually dozed off.

Seeing that he had closed his eyes, Xiao Zhige put down his book and gazed at him.

The youth was leaning against his chest with half his face covered by his long hair. Only the curly long eyelashes and straight nose were revealed. Even so, he was too adorable.

Xiao Zhige stuttered on the words of the book which he had memorized by heart. Seeing An Chang Qing deep in sleep, he couldn't control himself and reached out to touch the quivering eyelids and the lovely little nose.

Being disturbed, the youth in his embrace hummed twice discontentedly before burying his face into his chest.

Xiao Zhige withdrew his fingers and secured An Chang Qing with one arm. There was a soft smile on his lips. Although the posture was a little awkward, he did not want to let go. An Chang Qing slept in Xiao Zhige's arms for about an hour when Anfu came to report at the door.

Xiao Zhige covered An Chang Qing's ears and said softly, "Come in."

Anfu who had just returned to Wang Manor with the news from the An Manor walked briskly in. He was about to give his report when he saw the pair embracing behind the screen and his words were stuck for a long time. When he snapped out of his daze, he quickly reported, "An Changqi is dead."

"Got it. You can leave."

Seeing that An Chang Qing was sleeping soundly, Xiao Zhige put out the light on the table.

Whatever it is, let's leave it to tomorrow.

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