Chapter 92
**Chapter 92: A Collision with Doctor Mo**
Upon a sudden thought, Shen Wei immediately understood the intentions of Prince Yan. The prince was likely worried about Shen Wei being left alone in the royal residence, where she could easily become a target for the princess consort's schemes. After all, when Li Yao had been poisoned, the princess consort had repeatedly cast suspicion on Shen Wei, which had made Prince Yan wary of her.
Years ago, when the crown princess was pregnant, she had also faced covert hostility from several concubines. With that precedent in mind, Prince Yan was concerned about history repeating itself, so he had asked Princess Zhaoyang to take Shen Wei away for a few days. Out of the princess consort's sight, she could no longer secretly harm Shen Wei.
“Shen Wei, your second brother treats you so well,” Zhaoyang said, a hint of envy in her voice.
Shen Wei smiled shyly in response.
The painted boat glided away from the dock, moving slowly along the shores of Falling Moon Lake. In the distance, faint blue mountains loomed, their trees lush and green. Below, a pool of jade-green water spread out, with endless lotus leaves unfurling, swaying gently in the breeze, dotted with blooming lotus flowers. After spending so long in the Liuli Pavilion's courtyard, the bright scenery was a delightful change for Shen Wei.
“This pastry is delicious,” Sun Qingmei exclaimed, taking a bite of the lotus flower ice pastry, her eyes widening in surprise.
Zhaoyang laughed, “This is the new ‘Lotus Flower Ice Pastry’ from Wei Yan Ji.”
Shen Wei took a piece as well; the ice pastry was refreshing, with a subtle fragrance of lotus. It looked good and tasted even better. She took another piece with her chopsticks, but Zhaoyang immediately stopped her, “Shen Wei, that’s enough! Your second brother said you love ice treats in the summer, and we need to keep you from overindulging!”
Shen Wei: ...
Zhaoyang had never played the role of a supervisor before.
It seemed she had found joy in “supervising Shen Wei,” using Prince Yan’s admonition as her “command.” From then on, Zhaoyang enjoyed the scenery while keeping a watchful eye on Shen Wei. If she caught Shen Wei sneaking another bite, she would surely intervene with glee.
Sun Qingmei stifled a giggle behind her hand.
Shen Wei silently sipped her tea, feeling that even the beautiful lotus scenery had lost its charm.
The painted boat glided through the lotus flowers, creating ripples in the water. There weren’t many boats on Falling Moon Lake, just a few scattered across the surface.
Zhaoyang was in high spirits. She took a bite of her dessert and said, “The sun is getting hotter. When we return to shore, let’s have lunch at my villa. The chef there is the best at Jiangnan cuisine—”
The rest of her words caught in her throat.
Shen Wei sensed something was off and curiously looked up. Following Zhaoyang’s gaze, she spotted another painted boat not far away.
The boat was exquisitely crafted, and at the bow stood a young couple. The young man wore flowing green robes, exuding a gentle elegance; the young woman was petite and graceful, with a delicate demeanor.
It was Yan Yunting and Dantai Rou.
Shen Wei silently facepalmed, almost convinced that Yan Yunting had some sort of tracking system. He always seemed to pinpoint Zhaoyang’s location and then cleverly orchestrated encounters.
But Shen Wei never believed in coincidences.
When things lined up too perfectly, it was usually intentional.
Worried, Shen Wei glanced at Zhaoyang. Given Zhaoyang’s temperament, she should have been fuming by now, ready to send guards to capture the pair of lovebirds.
Yet Zhaoyang showed no signs of anger, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.
“Princess, it’s hot out. Why don’t we head back to the villa?” Shen Wei suggested anxiously.
Zhaoyang’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she fixated on Dantai Rou’s hairpin, murmuring, “The same hairpin...”
Shen Wei froze, then looked back at Dantai Rou on the other boat. Dantai Rou wore a light green dress, her slender figure adorned with a striking white jade plum blossom hairpin.
At Zhaoyang’s birthday banquet, Yan Yunting had gifted her an identical hairpin! Zhaoyang had cherished it, taking great care of it, only wearing it on auspicious days.
Zhaoyang had thought it was a one-of-a-kind piece.
But now, she saw the same one in Dantai Rou’s hair.
Zhaoyang’s heart sank, a dull ache settling in her chest. She wanted to confront Yan Yunting directly, but instead, she simply said, “Let’s go back to the villa.”
Zhaoyang lost her desire to enjoy the scenery, and the luxurious painted boat turned around. The speed was too fast, and as it cut through the water, it suddenly collided with a small boat hidden among the lush green lotus leaves.
Bang—
The small boat capsized.
“Princess! Someone has fallen into the water!” a palace maid named Yun’er exclaimed from the bow.
Zhaoyang snapped back to reality, gripping her fan tightly. “Quick, pull them up!”
Just as she finished speaking, a wet paper fan was tossed onto the boat.
Then, a pale hand grasped the deck of the painted boat, and with a splash, a slender figure struggled to climb aboard.
The two guards on the painted boat drew their swords, watching the drenched figure warily.
“What’s going on? I was just taking a nap on my boat, and you flipped it over!” The young man pushed his wet hair back and slowly stood up, his white robes clinging to him.
He grabbed a large green lotus leaf to cover his chest, his striking black-and-white eyes filled with anger.
Shen Wei and Sun Qingmei exclaimed in unison, “Doctor Mo?”
Who would have thought they would encounter the renowned Doctor Mo in the depths of Falling Moon Lake’s lotus flowers?
Doctor Mo wiped the lake water from his face, revealing a handsome, fair face. Though he had been fuming, upon seeing the two beautiful young women, he immediately broke into a smile. “Oh, Lady Shen, Miss Sun, what a coincidence—do you have any clean clothes I could change into?”
Realizing her boat had collided with innocent tourists, Princess Zhaoyang felt guilty.
On the painted boat, there happened to be a set of men’s clothing, specially tailored for Yan Yunting, which had yet to be delivered.
Zhaoyang assessed Doctor Mo’s build. He wasn’t as tall as Yan Yunting, and the large green lotus leaf obscured his figure, making it hard to discern his shape. However, men’s builds were generally similar, so the clothes should fit him.
Zhaoyang instructed a maid to take Doctor Mo to change.
The painted boat temporarily anchored among the dense green lotus leaves.
“Is he the Doctor Mo you mentioned?” Zhaoyang asked Sun Qingmei.
Sun Qingmei nodded, memories flooding back. “Years ago, before I was married, Doctor Mo saw my potential in medicine and wanted to take me as his apprentice. I politely declined, and he generously gifted me three antidote pills. I will always remember his kindness.”
Zhaoyang’s eyes lit up, her tone excited. “If he’s a divine doctor, his skills must be extraordinary. My brother the crown prince has been unwell this year; I want to ask him to treat him.”
Zhaoyang was unaware that Doctor Mo had already seen the crown prince.
About half an hour later, Doctor Mo emerged from the inner cabin.
The outfit Zhaoyang had commissioned for Yan Yunting was a beautifully crafted moon-white brocade robe, with intricate cloud patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs. Doctor Mo was slender and slightly shorter, so the robe hung loosely on him, clearly not fitting well.
However, having roamed the world for so long, Doctor Mo carried an air of carefree elegance, making the oversized robe look like flowing clouds, adding a unique charm.
Doctor Mo cupped his hands in greeting. “This humble one pays his respects to Your Highness.”
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