After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 5

That afternoon, An Yu pulled Lu Shiyan along to begin his rehabilitation. The weather had cleared, and though the sun was out, it remained pleasantly cool following the rain. Not long after the two arrived in Lu Shiyan’s room, Mo Ying entered from the courtyard.

“General, Doctor Yun has arrived in the capital. Mo Han has taken men to receive him.”

An Yu set the rehabilitation plans aside. “Is that the military physician you mentioned?”

“Indeed,” Lu Shiyan replied, before asking, “How did Yun Liang arrive so quickly?”

“Reporting to the General, Doctor Yun has not been with the army in Wangcheng lately. He has been at the riverside manor, focused on refining medicine.”

“I see. Have him come over as soon as he arrives.”

Mo Ying then retreated, leaving An Yu and Lu Shiyan alone in the room once more.

“Since Doctor Yun is back, I’ll explain the rehabilitation methods to him and see if they are feasible.”

An Yu had originally intended to teach Lu Shiyan some basic muscle recovery movements, only to be informed that his legs were not failing because of muscle issues, but rather because they lacked even a shred of sensation. He finally realized that in such a situation, rehabilitation alone would be useless. It seemed Lu Shiyan’s physical condition was far more complex than the original novel described.

The original work didn’t say much about Lu Shiyan’s legs, offering only two faint lines:

The deposed Crown Prince’s skin was as white as snow; upon waking, his legs had lost the ability to walk. He spent his days in quiet recuperation, like a beast locked in a cage. Even after his wounds healed, he could only spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

“Little Yu is very thoughtful. However, over these past two years, I have grown accustomed to it.”

An Yu hated seeing Lu Shiyan with that disappointed, self-deprecating expression—like an eagle with clipped wings, able only to gaze at the sky all day. If an eagle has never soared through the vast heavens, it might not yearn for them so desperately. But if it once spread its wings at ninety thousand miles, forcing the petty and small to look up in awe, then the sky is the proof of its very existence.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I traveled many places with my father and learned many things.”

An Yu wasn’t lying. in the modern world, he had been frail since childhood and traveled across half the globe seeking medical treatment, witnessing the most advanced technological achievements and diverse local customs.

The youth’s eyes were bright as he sat by the window, basking in the post-rain light. Leaning lazily against his chair, he spoke words that seemed like a child’s whimsical fantasies to Lu Shiyan. Yet, the man couldn’t help but chuckle softly, letting out a gentle “Alright.”

Their time alone was as comfortable as that of old friends; they chatted occasionally without forcing a topic, yet there was no awkwardness.

“I heard Your Highness was nearly poisoned again?”

“Doctor Yun, it wasn’t ‘nearly.’ It already happened,” Mo Han replied from the side.

“You lot really aren’t careful. Although this medicine takes seven days to take effect, he’s already taken it for four. If it hadn’t been discovered, your Prince would truly have ended up a blind beauty.”

Before the newcomers even reached the courtyard, their voices could be heard from afar. An Yu recognized Mo Han’s voice, and the other chirping man was undoubtedly the highly skilled military doctor, Yun Liang.

“I heard the one who saved your Prince was the recently married Crown Princess?”

“I suppose that ‘luck-bringing’ marriage actually worked on some level, then?”

As the voices grew closer, two figures emerged from around the corner.

“Yun Liang.”

Before the man even stepped into the room, he was silenced by Lu Shiyan’s quiet yet firm warning.

As Yun Liang appeared, An Yu silently observed him. He looked to be about twenty-two or twenty-three, likely the same age as Lu Shiyan. His hair was tied high and secured casually with a ribbon, giving him the air of a free-spirited wanderer of the Jianghu. This impression deepened when An Yu noticed the weeds clinging to his clothes and the holes in his trousers at the knees.

“Greetings to the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.”

Yun Liang had followed the Prince since his second year in the army and was used to calling him “Crown Prince,” so he hadn’t changed his habit. That “Crown Princess,” however, made An Yu’s cheeks flush with heat.

Since their marriage, Lu Shiyan had clarified their relationship and instructed the guards and servants to call him “Young Master.” This was the first time An Yu had heard the title “Crown Princess” from someone else’s mouth.

“R-rise.”

Lu Shiyan smiled faintly at the youth’s reddened face and stammered response. The sentence “I have admired Your Highness for a long time” surfaced in his mind once again.

“Yun Liang, call him ‘Young Master’ from now on.”

“This one is Yun Liang. Young Master An is truly as handsome as Pan An, a man of exceptional grace.”

“And Doctor Yun is truly… unrestrained,” An Yu retorted.

Yun Liang froze for a moment upon hearing this, then followed An Yu’s gaze to his own outfit. He gave a light cough. “Khm, I was in a hurry to get to the capital. My clothes were snagged by branches while I was riding. It’s no matter, no matter.” He followed this with a couple of dry laughs.

Finally, Mo Han spoke up, braving his General’s complex expression: “General, this subordinate will take Doctor Yun to freshen up first.”

“Mm.”

Before An Yu could even finish his bowl of shaved ice, Mo Han returned with a refreshed Yun Liang. He had changed into a deep blue robe, making him look far more refined and noble.

Lu Shiyan signaled for them to sit. When he looked at An Yu, the youth also brought his shaved ice over to the table. The other three looked as though they had serious business to discuss, while An Yu sat quietly to the side, eating his ice.

Observing this strange scene, the curiosity in Yun Liang’s eyes deepened.

“Your Highness, I have identified the medicine. It is a type of voodoo from the Northern Abyss called ‘Spectral Eye Powder.’ It only needs to be administered for seven consecutive days. The victim’s vision will gradually blur, and they will go blind after half a month.”

Yun Liang continued: “Once this poison takes effect, even the Imperial Physicians cannot detect it. They will simply assume it is a natural decline in vision.”

“A hundred years ago, during the succession struggle in the Northern Abyss, a strategist produced this drug. It spread widely until it was strictly banned during the reign of Emperor Xuan. It gradually vanished from public view.”

At these words, silence fell over the table, and the air was thick with gravity. An Yu’s movements with his shaved ice slowed. He hadn’t expected it to truly be a poison for the eyes. He racked his brain, trying to remember the connection between the male lead and the Northern Abyss.

When he read the book, he disliked the male lead, so he had skimmed those descriptions very quickly. His memory of the plot was a bit of a jumble. The male lead’s mother was the original Consort Yu, who was promoted to Empress two years after the late Empress passed away. Before that, Consort Yu was the only daughter of the Prime Minister’s family.

In the original novel, the Prime Minister’s family was described as wealthy merchants who started in a small northern town. When the Emperor first ascended the throne, their eldest son became the top scholar in the imperial exams, and the family moved to the capital, eventually rising to the rank of Prime Minister.

So, the male lead’s maternal grandfather’s generation came from the North. And Consort Yu didn’t have just one brother. If the eldest son became the Prime Minister, why was the concubine-born son never mentioned again?

An Yu searched his memories for any minor details. Just as he caught a thread of an idea, he was suddenly interrupted.

“Little Yu?”

An Yu looked up, blinking at Lu Shiyan. “Your Highness?”

“It’s nothing. There is more ice; if you want more, just tell a servant to get some.”

Only then did An Yu realize he had finished the ice in his bowl long ago. The sound of his spoon hitting the bottom of the bowl must have caught the other’s attention. He quickly waved a hand. “No need. I’ve already had two bowls today. Your Highness, are you finished talking?”

“Mm. Eating too much is not good for you anyway.”

Seeing they were done discussing the poisoning, An Yu turned to Yun Liang. “Doctor Yun, I have a set of rehabilitation exercises to help with His Highness’s legs. I need your help to see if they are suitable for him.”

Yun Liang was a bit puzzled when An Yu turned to him, but the confusion vanished as the youth finished speaking, replaced by a playful smile. “Young Master actually has quite an understanding of medicine. I am free anytime; you may call for me whenever you have need.”

Finished, Yun Liang turned to Lu Shiyan. When the Prince looked back, Yun Liang swept a gaze over his legs, only to be promptly ignored.

“I shall trouble Doctor Yun then.”

Once the others left, An Yu stood up to return to his room. “Your Highness, I need to go back and draw out some of the rehabilitation movements.”

“Could Little Yu stay here to draw? I have nothing to do this afternoon and I’m quite bored. Consider it staying to keep me company?”

An Yu thought for a moment and agreed without hesitation. The ink and brushes were placed on the tea table near the window. The post-rain sunlight wasn’t harsh, and the breeze was incredibly pleasant. An Yu sat at the table, recalling the rehabilitation steps and recreating them on paper.

He had dabbled in calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, and sketching in his past life, but this was the first time using a brush to draw the human body. He practiced on two sheets before he began the final drawings.

Lu Shiyan sat not far away. They didn’t speak; one focused on his rehabilitation diagrams while the other read a book. The sunlight gradually softened, and the evening breeze grew cooler.

Time slipped away unnoticed during the painting. An Yu looked at his finished diagrams and finally smiled with satisfaction. Indeed, those hobby classes were not in vain.

Just as he was about to tell Lu Shiyan, he looked up and saw the man asleep, leaning his head on one hand at the table. This was the first time An Yu had seen Lu Shiyan sleeping. Ignoring the wheelchair beneath him, he looked exactly like the sharp General on the battlefield, merely resting in his room after a long day, preparing to head back to the training grounds.

The sun was setting, casting a reddish-orange glow into the room that illuminated the hem of Lu Shiyan’s robes. An Yu felt this man was different from the one he saw in the rain this morning. The Lu Shiyan in the rain possessed a trace of decadence that comes after a long illness—the loneliness described in the book. But the man before him now felt more alive, more free from the shackles of the plot.

An Yu picked up the brush he had just set down. This drawing felt smoother than any he had done all afternoon. The sword-like brows and starry eyes were sketched out bit by bit. He captured the man’s current appearance on paper, and as the last stroke fell, the ink dried perfectly in the breeze.

This painting satisfied An Yu more than all the previous diagrams combined. When he looked up again, the man had awakened and was looking his way.

“Your Highness is awake.”

“Is Little Yu finished?”

“Mm. I’ll have someone deliver them to Doctor Yun later. Would Your Highness like to see?”

Lu Shiyan nodded, wheeling himself to the tea table. He took one of the diagrams An Yu handed over and studied it carefully. “Did Little Yu study this technique under a master?”

An Yu shook his head and laughed. “Is Your Highness praising me?”

Lu Shiyan admitted it openly: “Mm. I am indeed praising you.”

As he moved to put the drawing back, Lu Shiyan caught sight of the freshly finished painting on the table.

“I saw Your Highness was asleep, so I couldn’t resist sneaking a quick sketch. May I give it to Your Highness?” An Yu explained with a hint of embarrassment as he handed it over.

Lu Shiyan didn’t speak for a long moment after seeing the painting. The man in the drawing was handsome and dashing, in the prime of his youth; even in sleep, one could see his unique vitality and pride. This was how he had been back when his mother was still alive.

The youth stood by with some shyness, unaware of why he felt this way. Lu Shiyan said softly: “I shall have someone hang this here shortly.”

“Alright.”

Just as An Yu was about to call someone to deliver the diagrams to Yun Liang, he heard Lu Shiyan speak again:

“What is this?”

An Yu gave a subconscious “Hmm?” and turned to see Lu Shiyan picking up the two practice sheets from earlier. On them were drawings of “chibi” Lu Shiyan with various expressions.