It wasn't until the latter half of the night that Yu Jingchen was woken by the commotion beside him. Nan Zhiyun seemed to be having a nightmare, murmuring incoherently and thrashing about restlessly.
He peered over by the faint candlelight, and Nan Zhiyun appeared to be in great pain. Yu Jingchen's brow furrowed slightly. What was wrong? He lay on his side, propping himself up with his arm, as Nan Zhiyun seemed to be saying something.
"Nan Zhiyun," Yu Jingchen called out her name.
But Nan Zhiyun showed no reaction, still lost in her own world. Yu Jingchen sensed something was amiss and called out again, "Nan Zhiyun?" With his other hand, he reached out to feel her forehead.
Nan Zhiyun was breaking out in a cold sweat, and her forehead felt a little warm. Was she running a fever?
Yu Jingchen, unfazed by his own emotional shift, called out, "Someone!"
The guard on duty immediately entered, his heart pounding with apprehension at the unusual tone in the Emperor's voice. What was going on now?
"Light all the candles in the room and send someone to fetch an imperial physician," Yu Jingchen commanded.
The palace attendants dared not delay, lighting candles and dispatching messengers for the imperial physician. When Qian Xia heard that an imperial physician was to be summoned again, she worried that Yu Jingchen had punished Nan Zhiyun once more and was in a state of panic.
"Prepare some hot water and a set of dry clothes. She has a fever and is soaking wet from sweating," Yu Jingchen instructed.
Qian Xia, hearing the lack of anger in Yu Jingchen's voice, felt a slight sense of relief. However, a fever was not a trivial matter. She quickly sent for the hot water and fetched a change of clothes herself.
"Don't crowd around here. Go outside and stand guard," Yu Jingchen said, clearly annoyed by the presence of too many people. Qian Xia understood and had the extraneous individuals quickly leave.
The room was now illuminated by candlelight. Nan Zhiyun's forehead was beaded with sweat, and she remained unconscious, yet she didn't seem to be truly asleep, as if tormented by a nightmare, her entire being in a daze.
Qian Xia wiped Nan Zhiyun's body with hot water and helped her change her clothes. Yu Jingchen had been by her side the entire time, bewildered as to why a healthy person would suddenly fall ill with a fever.
Before long, the imperial physician arrived. Nan Zhiyun had mostly been tidied up, and even the bedding had been changed, making her feel much more comfortable.
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty," the imperial physician bowed.
"Examine Consort Shu," Yu Jingchen said.
The imperial physician dared not delay and immediately proceeded to examine Nan Zhiyun. Nan Zhiyun had not opened her eyes at all, but her tightly furrowed brow was enough to make anyone's heart ache. Perhaps due to the fever, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her lips were a little dry and cracked.
"What exactly is wrong with her?" Yu Jingchen asked after a moment.
The imperial physician withdrew his hand and replied truthfully, "Your Majesty, Consort Shu has been under too much pressure these past few days and has been under immense mental strain, which has led to this fever." While saying this, he thought to himself... In the end, it's Your Majesty who is too frightening, causing Consort Shu so much anxiety and fear. Her mind has been in a constant state of high alert, and she fell ill as soon as she relaxed even a little.
Yu Jingchen understood the implication – it was likely his fault that Nan Zhiyun had been so tense, leading to this sudden illness.
"How can she recover? Is it serious?" Yu Jingchen asked.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, although the Consort has a slight fever, the temperature is not particularly high. Wiping her body with warm water may help bring it down. Afterwards, she needs ample rest, to relax her mood, and to eat a light diet. I believe she will be fine," the imperial physician replied.
"Very well, you may withdraw," Yu Jingchen waved his hand after hearing this, and the imperial physician quickly retreated.
"Go and retrieve the medicine from the imperial physician, have it brewed, and bring it here," Yu Jingchen added. Although Qian Xia was worried, she dared not disobey Yu Jingchen's orders and obediently withdrew. Xing Lai, observing from the side, understood that His Majesty wanted to send them away and also excused himself discreetly.
The room became quiet. Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun, whose brow was still furrowed, and sat down beside her. He reached out to feel her forehead again; she was still feverish. He wondered if it would subside soon.
"Why are you so fragile?" Yu Jingchen muttered, then pulled the quilt up to cover her.
He was about to tuck Nan Zhiyun's exposed hands under the covers when he paused, noticing that both of her hands were injured.
Her left hand was still wrapped in a thin layer of gauze; it had been scraped and bandaged after she fell. Her right hand was red and swollen from being punished earlier that day. Having practiced martial arts for years, he had naturally exerted considerable force, and those blows might have been genuinely unbearable for Nan Zhiyun, causing her severe pain and serious injury.
He gently opened Nan Zhiyun's palm and saw that it was indeed badly swollen and bruised. A closer inspection would reveal that Nan Zhiyun's fingers had blisters. At the time of the punishment, she hadn't felt it was that serious, but looking at it now was rather disturbing.
Yu Jingchen's brow furrowed as he looked at the injuries. He had been too angry then, and Nan Zhiyun was a stubborn person. If he hadn't been firm, she might have insisted on enduring the punishment to prevent the palace servants from being penalized, foolishly persisting there.
He wasn't sure whether to call her foolish or not. Even if she could endure a few blows, if she were to receive seventy or eighty, or even hundreds of strikes, her hands might have been ruined, even if he hadn't used much strength.
"You're incredibly foolish," Yu Jingchen said.
Of course, Nan Zhiyun couldn't hear him now. Her hands, once fair and slender, were now red and swollen, a truly unsightly sight. Nan Zhiyun's pain tolerance was actually quite low. Her hands were already thin, as if nothing but bone, and the dozen or so blows she received today felt like they were hitting bone, especially since many of them landed on her fingers. It must have hurt terribly.
Yu Jingchen picked up the ointment placed beside the bed and began to apply it himself. Compared to the first application that day, Yu Jingchen's movements were much gentler. However, he was not accustomed to such tasks, and even though he tried to be gentle, the pressure was still somewhat painful for Nan Zhiyun.
"It hurts..." Nan Zhiyun seemed to have regained some consciousness and tried to pull her hand away. But Yu Jingchen held on, and she couldn't move. In fact, her attempts to pull away only aggravated the pain as she inadvertently bumped it.
Yu Jingchen could hear her cries of pain, and his brows immediately knitted together. "Still restless? I hope you get hurt even more."
Yu Jingchen seemed impatient, but he consciously softened his movements.
"It hurts..." Nan Zhiyun kept repeating the word. Yu Jingchen glanced at her and realized she wasn't awake. What was this girl doing?
Yu Jingchen once again softened his touch, carefully applying the ointment. She had a few small blisters on her hands. Yu Jingchen wasn't knowledgeable about such things and didn't know if the blisters should be popped. To be safe, Yu Jingchen didn't touch them, planning to ask the imperial physician later.
After applying the ointment, Yu Jingchen closed the jar. Nan Zhiyun was no longer sweating as much, but she was still sleeping restlessly.
Yu Jingchen looked at her. At this moment, Nan Zhiyun appeared truly vulnerable. Perhaps it was because she was ill, or perhaps she had always been this fragile, and he had simply never noticed it before.
Yu Jingchen's heart suddenly felt a pang of confusion. His mind flashed back to Nan Zhiyun as a child. She used to be so cheerful, chattering all day long, a bit annoying, but merely annoying, not with any real dislike. He wasn't sure when his attitude towards Nan Zhiyun had changed, becoming resistant, resentful… harsh, and abusive.
Perhaps it was gradual, a subtle shift over time. If Nan Zhiyun hadn't entered the palace, if she hadn't pestered him incessantly, she might still be happy and joyful as before, always smiling, carefree, pure, and beautiful.
But alas, she had chosen this path. Perhaps Yu Jingchen had come to believe in her feelings for him. However, to say that her feelings had moved him was perhaps not yet true. Long accustomed to indifference, he probably viewed everything with a greater degree of detachment. Yu Jingchen sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of confusion. He was even starting to hesitate. This was the first time he had experienced such hesitation.
Nan Zhiyun's medicine was soon brewed. When Qian Xia brought the medicine, Yu Jingchen was still by her side. Qian Xia was somewhat surprised, as His Majesty had never stayed so long before.
"Your Majesty, the Consort's medicine is ready," Qian Xia said as she approached.
"Give her the medicine," Yu Jingchen stepped aside. Qian Xia bowed slightly and stepped forward to administer the medicine to Nan Zhiyun. However… it was impossible to get her to drink it. Qian Xia was anxious.
"Consort... drink your medicine," Qian Xia said, her heart full of worry. But no matter how Qian Xia tried to feed her, she couldn't swallow it, and it all flowed from the corners of her mouth.
"Enough, put it down," Yu Jingchen said, seeing the situation.
Qian Xia hesitated, but since Yu Jingchen had spoken, she put the medicine down. Yu Jingchen stepped forward. He gently helped Nan Zhiyun to sit up, leaning her against him.
Qian Xia was surprised by this gesture but remained silent. Only after Yu Jingchen had her lean against him did he pick up the medicine bowl.
However, it was still inconvenient for Yu Jingchen to feed her in this way. Nan Zhiyun still couldn't drink it. He said to Qian Xia, "You feed her."
"Yes," Qian Xia replied. After Yu Jingchen put down the medicine bowl, Qian Xia picked it up and began to feed Nan Zhiyun.
Initially, she couldn't drink it, but later, Yu Jingchen adjusted Nan Zhiyun's position and managed to get her to drink it by gently holding her mouth.
This bowl of medicine was a difficult ordeal, and Nan Zhiyun also got dirty. Qian Xia looked at her and felt heartbroken. How much suffering had her Consort endured?
"Take it away," Yu Jingchen said, seeing that the medicine had been finished. Qian Xia obediently took the bowl away.
Nan Zhiyun leaned against Yu Jingchen, her face still very red. Yu Jingchen felt her forehead; the temperature seemed to be even higher than before.
"Troublesome," Yu Jingchen muttered, then gently laid her back down and covered her with the quilt. This time, perhaps instinctively, Nan Zhiyun lightly gripped Yu Jingchen's robe.
Her grip was very light, but Yu Jingchen still felt it. Looking at Nan Zhiyun's actions, Yu Jingchen seemed to hear her muttering something.
"Don't go..." Nan Zhiyun murmured those words.
Don't go? Yu Jingchen didn't quite understand her meaning. Who was this "don't go" referring to?
"I don't want to be alone... don't go," Nan Zhiyun said again. Yu Jingchen's heart stirred. He gently removed Nan Zhiyun's hand and tucked it back under the quilt.
Was she… afraid of being alone? Yu Jingchen sat beside her, Nan Zhiyun's furrowed brow never relaxing.
"Nan Zhiyun, what exactly do you want?" Yu Jingchen no longer knew what to do with her.
Perhaps sensing Yu Jingchen's words, Nan Zhiyun finally showed signs of slowly waking up. Her vision gradually cleared, but when she saw Yu Jingchen, she became noticeably dazed. Was she still dreaming?
"Awake?" Yu Jingchen was somewhat surprised to see Nan Zhiyun awake. Had the medicine taken effect so quickly?
Seeing that it was indeed Yu Jingchen, Nan Zhiyun's body stiffened visibly. Her lips were a little dry, and for a moment, she couldn't speak.
Yu Jingchen observed her reaction and, with a slight tremor in his heart, asked, "Surprised to see me? What kind of reaction is this? Has the fever addled your brain?" Yu Jingchen's voice made Nan Zhiyun's comprehension become increasingly clear.
She felt a headache, a sense of grogginess, her whole body felt sore and weak, and she was thirsty...
"Do you want some water?" Yu Jingchen, uncharacteristically, asked proactively. Nan Zhiyun didn't respond, merely looking at Yu Jingchen with a timid expression; her small demeanor was truly pitiable.
Yu Jingchen frowned at her expression. "If you want water, nod. What is the meaning of this?" Yu Jingchen's tone was displeased, but he still went to pour a cup of water.
Nan Zhiyun was caught off guard by this action. She couldn't believe the person before her was Yu Jingchen, or perhaps… what did he want now?
"Your lips are cracked from dryness, won't you drink?" Yu Jingchen brought the water over. Nan Zhiyun was in a defensive state, her body shrinking back.
"Sit up. How else will you drink?" Yu Jingchen said, finding the situation rather exasperating.