The Female Supporting Role Shows Out

Translator: NovelMultiverse| Editor: thornling

While Lin Dan and Xue Boyong finished the meal together, Li Zhong brought back the herbs. She immediately ran to the kitchen to boil medicine, personally watching Xue Boyong drink it all. Then she carried him to the bed and covered him with a few thick quilts.

"If you’re warm enough to sweat out your fever, you will have almost completely recovered. If you feel too hot later, endure it and don't kick the quilt off. Don't close the window completely. Be sure to leave a crack in case the charcoal fire is too hot and stuffy," she exhorted earnestly.

"Understood. You can go back." Xue Boyong's tone was slightly weak.

Lin Dan tucked in the corner of his quilt and watched him fall asleep before stealthily leaving. Li Zhong guarded the eldest prince's bed, watching him gradually go from flushed to pale cheeks, and sighed, "Sir, is this worth the trouble? I don't know how effective Lin Dan's prescription is. If you keep dragging it out like this and the illness worsens, everyone in the courtyard will be beaten with planks."

Xue Boyong, who was pretending to be asleep, opened his eyes upon hearing this and cautioned, "If my illness worsens too much, you can find a way to draw Lin Dan away and secretly bring the resident doctor in. Don't let anyone know. She has just started studying medicine, and it’s hard to avoid making one or two mistakes. As she sees more patients in the future, her experience will accumulate. Sooner or later, she will master it."

"Sir, don't forget that she was the one who ruined your legs." Li Zhong pointed out.

Xue Boyong closed his eyes and sighed a lingering sigh, "I haven't forgotten, but I can't bring myself to hate her. Just chalk it up to me owing her in my last life…" But before he even finished speaking, he had fallen fast asleep and small sweat drops began to exude from his forehead.

Li Zhong wiped his sweat nonstop, watching his face change from flushed to pale, then slowly regain a healthy blush. When he reached out and felt his forehead, the fever had somehow already subsided and the illness had mostly recovered!

"It wouldn’t take effect this quickly, would it?" Li Zhong muttered in disbelief.

Another hour later, when Xue Boyong woke up and lifted the quilt, he was surprised to find that he was sweating all over his body, soaking his inner clothes. But he felt very light, as if the toxins accumulated in his organs had largely been expunged with the sweat, and his entire body seemed to contain even more vitality.

"Sir, how do you feel?" Li Zhong asked tentatively.

Xue Boyong stretched his arms out and nodded, saying, "I feel very good. After sweating so much, I might actually be in better condition than before I fell ill."

As soon as he got up on this end, Lin Dan heard something on the other end. She immediately put down the medical book, running over with an expression brimming with expectations: "Brother, are you feeling better yet? Shall I check your pulse?"

This girl was seriously obsessed with checking pulses whenever she could. Xue Boyong chuckled in his heart but kept a straight face. He stretched out his hand and said softly, "Take a look. I think I’ve recovered greatly. Your prescription was extremely effective."

Lin Dan rubbed her hands together with shining eyes. She clasped Xue Boyong's hand in hers as if it were a valuable treasure, and only when she heard his deep laughter did she awkwardly loosen her hold and then gently place her index and middle fingers on his wrist to carefully examine the pulse.

Xue Boyong felt as if a feather had floated down onto his lifeline, a little ticklish and a little hot, which made him feel extremely awkward.

But at this time, Lin Dan frowned and said, "Brother, have you ever suffered from heart problems before?"

"What heart problems?" Xue Boyong failed to understand.

"Brother, your heartbeat is very rapid, which seems to be an initial symptom of heart palpitations." Lin Dan explained bluntly, in a textbook manner. She didn’t have much experience at present and could only judge symptoms according to descriptions in the book. How could she think of other causes?

Xue Boyong's cheeks turned red in an instant. He forcefully pulled back his hand and said guiltily, "My body has been strong since I was a child. How could I have had heart problems? You must have misread it."

"Then I'll take a look again?" Lin Dan stretched out her hands and looked at Xue Boyong eagerly.

Xue Boyong closed his eyes for a bit, then pressed his hand against his chest. Only when he felt that his mood was much calmer did he stretch out his wrist again. This time he didn't dare to open his eyes, but rather leaned back on the soft pillow to rest, pretending to be deaf and blind.

After a short period of time, Lin Dan finally withdrew her hand and said lightly, "Sure enough, brother, you really are better. It seems like the medicine I prescribed for you is very suitable. However, in order to consolidate the efficacy, you still have to finish drinking the remaining medicine. I'll get you a box of honeyed preserves. If you think the medicine is too bitter, you can sweeten your mouth with those."

Xue Boyong’s eyes snapped open and he said in annoyance, "Who needs sweets? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"

"Brother is not a child. Brother is a general and big hero. Brother is the best!" Lin Dan stuck up her thumb, but her tone couldn’t be any more casual.

But Xue Boyong still couldn't stop himself from cheering up, and then covered his face and groaned. He was practically afraid of this girl. Not only did she not listen to people’s words, she also refused to accept rejection. She just minded her own business and did what she thought was right. It was precisely because she had such a simple, unsullied, and sincere heart that he couldn’t hate her, let alone tolerate her being bullied.

"Go on out. I'm going to bathe and change my clothes." He pretended to impatiently chase her out.

"Okay, okay, I'll go right away." Lin Dan walked to the doorway and stopped again. She said, "It just so happens that I recently finished making some winter clothes for you, brother. You can change into those after."

"There is an embroidery hall in the manor. Why did you have to do it personally?" Although he said this, Xue Boyong's eyes were stained with a little smile.

Presently, Lin Dan really did bring some sets of winter clothes and then retreated.

Li Zhong lifted one of the robes and his tone was very exasperated: "Miss Lin has never done needlework before. How would she be able to sew winter clothes? Look at these, sir, although the stitches are neat, they are very light and have warmth retention. I'd better take your old cotton-padded clothes back out. What a pity about this expensive material!"

"This thickness is just right for wearing indoors." Xue Boyong pinched the collar with an unconcerned expression.

"You’re actually going to wear it?"

"I’m actually going to wear it. There is a brazier in the room. I won't be cold."

"How can such flimsy clothing not be cold! Sir, don't just accommodate Miss Lin all the time, but also learn to say no! Miss Lin is thick-skinned and won't feel hurt."

The two bodyguards who came in to help the general bathe heard Li Zhong's words, and their expressions became very strange. The general needed to learn how to say no? This person seems to have a poor understanding of the general’s grandiose stature. Thinking back to the war at the border, the emperor consecutively issued three edicts to order the general to withdraw, but he ignored them all and finally led the Qin army to great victory. If he didn’t know how to say no, then there was not a single unyielding person under the sun.

As soon as they thought this, the two heard the general say coldly, "I said I wanted to wear it, so I’m going to wear it. If you say any more nonsense, you can get out of Xiaofeng Pavilion!"

Li Zhong turned pale and immediately stopped talking.

As expected, the two bodyguards secretly thought. However, they couldn’t help but take a glance at that set of clothing, and then shook their heads in their hearts: flimsy, really flimsy. Hanging on the dividing screen, it looked light as a feather, as if there was only a single layer of cotton fabric. How could such clothes keep out the frigid cold?

However, with Li Zhong as an example, the two dared not argue. They calculated that they needed to bring two more braziers in later to prevent the general from being frozen back into illness.

However, after bathing and changing into the clothes, Xue Boyong revealed an astonished expression. Seeing that his subordinates brought in two more braziers, he immediately waved his hand: "Take all the braziers away, it will be enough to leave just one. Don’t be fooled by the fact that these clothes are thin. They are very warm."

Li Zhong moved his lips but dared not speak up. The eldest young master wanted to give Lin Dan face, so he would endure it and not try to rock the boat. But he soon found that the situation was different than what he thought. The eldest young master was telling the truth, not merely shielding Lin Dan, because a layer of fine sweat soon appeared on his forehead, as if he felt extremely warm.

"Sir, did your fever return?" Li Zhong inquired with concern.

Xue Boyong didn't spare him a glance, but repeated to the two subordinates, "Withdraw the extra braziers, I'm not cold at all."

Seeing that the general's face was ruddy and his eyes were bright, not at all like the symptoms of illness, but more like he actually felt overheated, the two bodyguards finally removed three braziers, leaving only the one that burned the hottest. Xue Boyong sat by the window, every now and then raising his hands to touch the collar, then pinch the cuffs. He seemed to like it quite a bit.

"If only the soldiers at the border could wear such light and warm clothes," he sighed after a long time.

The padded winter clothes that border soldiers wore were very cumbersome. Add on dozens of catties of armor, and it felt like they had a layer of stone wrapped around their bodies, causing their mobility to be greatly encumbered. On the battlefield, if they couldn’t fight well, they would lose their lives, but if they were not dressed thickly, they would painfully freeze to death. Therefore, every winter, mortality rates increased exponentially, which broke Xue Boyong's heart.

Thinking of this, he immediately waved his hand: "Please invite Lin Dan over. I have something to ask her."

Presently, Lin Dan followed the two bodyguards in with a perplexed expression.

Xue Boyong rubbed the hem of the clothing and asked, "What are these clothes made of? They’re clearly so thin, yet so fluffy and warm. If they can be mass-produced for the barracks, many lives will be saved."

Lin Dan suddenly realized what this was all about and said frankly, "Brother, I'm afraid your idea is difficult to accomplish. The layers of this outfit are not cotton, but silk. The state of Qin is located in the northwest and silkworms are rare. The cost to make this jacket is exorbitant, and to mass-produce it for the army would be an unimaginable expense. Additionally, silk jackets cannot be washed with water. As soon as it enters the water, the silk pocket inside will collapse and no longer be able to retain heat. Usually, meticulous care must be taken. Soldiers are busy with military affairs, so how could they split their attention to take care of a piece of clothing? Brother, look," she opened the hem to demonstrate as she spoke: "I have set up a lot of hidden buttons in the lining of your clothes to hold the silk interior in place. It can be removed when cleaning. The workmanship is exacting and intricate, and almost impossible to mass-produce."

Xue Boyong’s hem was being pulled by Lin Dan, and he felt awkward from head to foot; yet at the same time, he was filled with admiration for her ingenuity.

Li Zhong said with shame, "It turns out that such a thin set of clothing hides so many profound principles. I was actually so ignorant and narrow minded!"

Although Xue Boyong felt a little regret, he could only drop the idea. He gazed at Lin Dan seriously and asked, "How did you come up with such intricate clothing?"

Lin Dan said straightforwardly, "I noticed that when you changed into such heavy winter clothes, it was much less convenient for you to move around. Many times when you moved from the bed to the chair, you almost slipped and fell. Brother, you are stubborn and don’t want me to carry you. I just wanted to make some light and warm clothes to make movement more convenient for you. One day, when I saw Aunt Fang's grandson playing with a silk cocoon, I patted my forehead and thought of a method to create this type of clothing."

Hearing this, Xue Boyong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so he teased, "You can innovate just by patting your forehead? You really are a genius."

"To be honest, brother, I do seem to be quite talented. When I entered the kitchen and patted my forehead, I knew how to cook. When I entered the embroidery hall and patted my forehead, I knew how to sew clothes…" Lin Dan was simply telling things as they were, but unexpectedly made everyone in the room laugh.

Xue Boyong pressed his fist against his lips and tried not to laugh too obviously in an attempt to not hurt the girl's face. The previous disappointments had disappeared like smoke and clouds. It was all right. Now that he had left the battlefield, he didn’t need to concern himself about military matters, otherwise he would be suspected of overstepping. He just felt that these past few days had really been hard on Lin Dan, to turn her from a delicate lady to her current hardworking appearance.

Thinking about this, Xue Boyong felt that his whole body was suffused with warmth and his heart started to boil. He ordered the bodyguard to bring a brocade box hidden in his study, handed it to Lin Dan, and seriously told her, "This is a trophy of war that I have collected. You can amuse yourself with it. Sewing clothes takes time and energy. It's okay if you only make a few sets every once in a while. There is no need for you to constantly do it yourself. If you have the time, why don’t you read a few more medical books? I naturally have people who can take care of it. How can I make you care about me?"

"Thank you, brother. If I don’t care about you, who am I supposed to care about?" Lin Dan calmly received the brocade box. She opened it to find a dagger inlaid with jewels. She was immediately fond of it and didn't notice in the slightest that her last sentence made Xue Boyong blush.

"Speak less nonsense, hurry up and go study." Xue Boyong waved his hand to drive her away, as if he was very impatient, but after Lin Dan left, he revealed a faint smile.

Two bodyguards looked back and forth at each other, confirming again that the general treated Miss Lin differently. It should be known that that dagger was the first trophy of war he had earned on the battlefield and was a witness to his military career. Usually he treasured it very much, so how could he be willing to give it away? Did he have a sibling relationship with Miss Lin or a romantic one? But Miss Lin used to be the fiancée of the second young master, right? This matter looked more and more complicated…

Xue Boyong actually didn't think much about it. He was touched that Lin Dan took care of him with all her heart and had wanted to give her a gift for a while. When he thought that, the first thing that came to mind was this dagger, so he sent it out, and that was all.