He was followed by Doctor Liu. He had the Imperial Physician wait outside and entered the inner chamber himself.
Cui Lingyao was sitting by the window, brewing tea. At the sound of his arrival, she looked up.
He carried himself with an upright posture, his steps calm and steady, and the sickly pallor of the previous day had vanished from his face.
'In just one night, his grievous injuries seem to have mostly healed.'
Cui Lingyao felt a wave of relief. She poured him a cup of tea and asked with concern, "You're back? Did Father Emperor give you any trouble?"
"It was nothing." Xie Jinbai sat down across from her, picked up the teacup, and downed it in one go. "From now on, if you're summoned to the palace, I don't care who it's from—you are to ignore it."
Whether it was the Emperor, the Empress, or some favored Imperial Concubine or Princess.
She was to ignore them all.
'What's with this? It sounds like he's ready to throw everything overboard.'
