Even amidst the pattering rain the streets were filled with people going about their day. Oil paper umbrellas created their own canopy between the buildings. It made the gloomy weather just a little more colorful.

Even so, Riluo was never that fond of the rain. It always caused problems. Landslides, flooding, water damage, the list goes on. His distaste only grew after he met Yushi, seeing how negatively it affected him.

When they were younger, long before the idea of conquering the country even crossed Yushi’s mind, Riluo had seen Yushi at his worst whenever rain fell. Yushi was a slave to his emotions and weakened by a searing pain along with high fevers that seemed to have no remedy until Dr. Jingji progressed his research. Riluo had always done his best to help Yushi through it all since Yushi’s father was often affected as well.

Dr. Jingji had eventually done a more in depth research into those with dragon blood. After a few trials he’d found a remedy that made everything more tolerable for Yushi and his father. Years later, when Yushi and Riluo rescued Shizhe, she was able to point the doctor towards something that improved upon the remedy drastically enough that Yushi really only needed to keep his emotions in check. Amidst Yushi’s reign, he stopped needing it all together, though Riluo suspected he just endured it so as to not bother the doctor after leaving the palace. Riluo always encouraged him to rest during the rain, Yushi normally was stubborn about it. He was relieved to hear that Yushi wasn’t so resistant this time, be it the concern over the new behavior or simply the presence of Xueye, it didn’t matter to Riluo.

Even amidst his thoughts, Riluo kept vigilant for anyone following him. Last thing they needed was the Elians finding out about Yushi’s weaknesses. He’d heard that Lady Stylliani was still being quite insistent on seeing the emperor. It was sufficient to say they suspected something considering RIluo could hardly shake her spies earlier.

Fortunately, it seemed they either gave up or were still lost in search of him. He was able to arrive at the small apothecary shop without having to remain in the rain much longer than necessary. Despite the warm, humid air he was getting quite chilly being soaked to the bone.

Once he entered, he saw a young girl tending to customers with a bright smile but no sign of the doctor. The young girl spotted him and greeted him warmly, “I’ll be right with you!”

“Actually, is the doctor in today?” Riluo asked quickly.

“Oh, he has a guest right now,” she mentioned. “Is it urgent?”

“Very,” Riluo nodded with a tense expression.

“One second,” she voiced to everyone in the shop as she disappeared behind the curtain, into the back. When she returned, Dr. Jingji followed after her.

“Come, join us for some tea,” the doctor waved Riluo back with a worried smile.

“Us?” Riluo’s face scrunched up in confusion and annoyance. That was until he saw Shizhe sitting at the table with a cheeky grin as she waved at him. He sighed bitterly, joining the two at the table, “What brings you here today, Lady Guangming?”

“I just felt like visiting an old friend,” she took a sip of her tea. Riluo knew it was a blatant lie.

“Did you get tired of entertaining the emissaries?” Riluo wouldn’t blame her.

“I was bored the first hour,” Shizhe shrugged. “When I managed to slip away I thought I’d seek out much better company.”

“I just hope the other upper court members aren’t getting harrassed while we are away,” Riluo huffed. The doctor had poured some tea for Riluo who graciously accepted, holding the cup for warmth after taking a sip.

“They know how to handle themselves,” Shizhe waved it off.

“I’m aware, it’s our precarious relationship with them I’m worried about,” Riluo shook his head. “But that’s a worry for later. I have a more pressing concern.”

“This?” The doctor placed a packet he’d already prepared for Yushi.

Riluo was surprised he already had it prepared. He glanced over at Shizhe, suspecting her visit was because she foresaw this. She shrugged and looked away, knowing what was going through Riluo’s mind.

“She had nothing to do with it, for once,” Dr. Jingji couldn’t help but chuckle, seeing that nothing had really changed between them. “He visited last night with Xueye. I prepared it after they left, just in case.”

“What did they come here for?” Shizhe asked, seemingly a little worried. Clearly wasn’t something she was able to foresee.

“The Young Master was having trouble sleeping,” Riluo seemed pretty confident in his assessment. “Understandably so.”

“Yes,” Dr. Jingji nodded. “It put’s my mind at ease that Xueye is under such good care, right now.”

“You already knew the Young Master?” Riluo was a bit surprised to hear of it.

“I’ve treated him since he was young,” the doctor had a faintly nostalgic smile. “If you recall, the one I fell for was in an arranged marriage, so unfortunately we weren’t meant to be. He’s one of her sons.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“You really would put yourself through that?” Riluo was astounded. “Caring for your beloved’s children from another man?”

“Someone has to, that man is no father to those children,” Dr.Jingji’s voice was filled with bitter vitriol. It was almost startling for Riluo and Shizhe to hear. The Doctor even treated their captured enemies with a gentle demeanor, even if it was more serious. It was rather terrifying hearing him with genuine hatred toward another, as understandable as it was. The doctor took a breath to recompose himself, “Apologies. The way he’s treated all of them, Xueye especially, is truly despicable. In all honesty, when I learned that Shujing has taken an interest in him it has been quite comforting.”

“That…” Riluo’s expression turned tense. “That might be a problem right now. He wanted me to ask both of you for insight on the matter.”

“Ah, so that’s the real reason for your visit, Shizhe,” Dr. Jingji smirked over at her.

“You make it sound as though I was scheming!” Shizhe feigned offense. “There were many perks to this visit.”

“What is the problem anyways?” The doctor had his fill of teasing her for the time being.

“Seems his draconic instincts lust after the Young Master,” Riluo sighed. “It’s to the point he’s struggling with self control.”

“Indeed, that is unlike him,” the doctor seemed to be turning over the information in his mind. Eventually he turned towards his stock, scanning the small drawers along the wall.

“You sure it’s not just an excuse?” Shizhe flashed a snarky grin.

“Lady Guangming, if you aren’t here to assist then it may be best for you to return to the palace,” Riluo huffed.

“No!” Shizhe voiced quickly, her playful attitude quickly fading. “I assure you I want to help!”

“If it’s important enough to make you this serious then perhaps you should take it as such,” Riluo chastised.

“Okay, okay,” Shizhe pouted. “I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Then care to share your advice then?” Riluo pressed.

“Actually, I was hoping to be the one to deliver,” Shizhe seemed to fidget nervously. “I don’t know much of the occurrences currently happening around the Young Master. Everything I foresee is vague and obscured by his brilliant moonlight. I can only assume he’s in a dire position from what you’ve said and that our Lord is personally protecting him. If I meet with the Young Master again then perhaps I can help.”

“Right, the only way you can read his stars is in person right now,” Riluo considered her words. “It may be possible you can help Lady Shanfeng and I get to the bottom of this investigation that much sooner.”

“That was what I was hoping for,” Shizhe lit up a bit more upon seeing he was thinking about it. “I was supposed to meet with the Young Master later this week but I get this feeling like things might tip in our favor if I see him sooner.”

“Very well,” Riluo nodded, pushing the packet with the remedy across the table. “I introduced myself to him as Luoshi to keep the secret of Shujing safe. When you arrive you can let them know I had other matters to attend to. Also, be sure you aren’t followed. I’ve been having a hell of a time with our nosy visitors.”

“They can’t outwit a master diviner,” Shizhe smirked. Riluo raised a brow in concern. “I will be careful. I refuse to let any harm come to them.”

“When you do return to the palace would you look into the dragon blood again?” Riluo asked. “If his circumstances are evolving, any other information you can find will help.”

“Gladly,” Shizhe nodded with a smile.

“Take this as well,” Dr.Jingji set a small glass bottle filled with small round, dark purple berries and a small roll of paper tucked inside on top. “Monk’s pepper ought to help with this new issue. I wrote the instructions and put it inside.”

“Lovely,” Shizhe beamed. She picked up both remedies, tucking them away and moved to grab her lilac colored oil paper umbrella that was leaning against the shelf by the door to the front. “I best not keep them waiting. I’ll be sure to stop by again soon, Doctor. We can have a longer chat to catch up.”

“That would be delightful,” the doctor smiled and waved as she vanished past the curtain.

Riluo sat silently sipping the warm tea. He was a bit reluctant to go back out in the rain even if there was still much to do.

“Stay for a bit longer and warm up,” The doctor wrapped a blanket around Riluo’s shoulders, realizing Riluo must have been quite cold. He sat at the table next to Riluo pouring more tea from the pot.

“Thank you,” Riluo sighed, pulling the blanket around him tighter. He was quiet for a moment but thought this was as good a time as any to get an outside opinion on Xueye from a trusted companion who seemed to know him well. He couldn’t help but hope his lingering doubts could be cleared up. “Doctor… Do you trust the Young Master?”

“Most definitely,” Dr.Jingji nodded. “He’s quite dear to me. I only wish I could do more for him.”

“Our Lord is also of the same opinion it seems,” Riluo’s shoulders slackened a bit upon hearing such genuine words from him. “I was afraid his infatuation had blinded him to danger. Everything seemed above board when I first looked into the Young Master but so is the case with his father.”

“Fortunately, Xueye takes after his mother,” the doctor huffed at the mention of Lord Meigui. “Kind and loyal, it just takes him time to trust. He’s been through a lot.”

“Is there anyone you might think of that might want to harm him?” Riluo asked.

“At this current moment, only his father comes to mind,” the doctor’s expression darkened.

“If he is involved it won’t be easy to prove,” Riluo scowled. “I feel like questioning him directly would lead to nothing.”

“Most certainly,” Dr.Jingji started tapping against the table in an annoyed manner.

“Apologies for the uncomfortable subject, my thoughts are all over the place right now but the Young Master is our biggest concern.” Riluo shook his head.

“If it helps, I don’t mind,” the doctor waved the notion off. “Especially if that bastard gets what’s coming to him.”

“To see how much you despise him makes me look forward to the efforts our Lord and the Young Master are making for his downfall in the company,” Riluo started hoping Lord Meigui would start to slip up and they could be rid of him permanently sooner rather than later. “I know this is a stretch but would you happen to know why Jianhong would have his sights set on him?”

“Can’t say I do. Xueye’s never mentioned him.” Dr.Jingji tensed, recognizing the name.

“The Young Master did say he couldn’t put a face to the name but it sounded vaguely familiar,” Riluo didn’t expect much but it didn’t hurt to ask.

“What would a man like that want with Xueye?” The doctor scowled.

“We can only hope to find out soon,” Riluo huffed. “He’s not an easy one to find either. We’ll do what we can.”

“I know Xueye couldn’t be in better hands,” the doctor said with a grateful smile.