At dawn, Feng Yinwan's condition relapsed.
The atmosphere in the tent was heavy, almost stagnant. Ye Tinglan sat by the bed, propping his knees, a dark gloom churning in his brow.
"How is it?"
Jiang Rumao retracted his brocade handkerchief at the sound and quickly stepped away from the bed.
"Your Highness, the Princess has been overexerting herself lately. Her body was already weak, and now she has come into contact with the infectious material of a seriously ill patient. I fear..."
He paused, then nodded. "This humble subject will do his best to try."
"I don't want 'do your best.' If you can't cure her, all of you imperial physicians can stop working."
A terrifying pressure erupted instantly. Jiang Rumao trembled and nodded solemnly.
"Yes...!"
Since the appearance of the malaria, the only seriously ill patient to have recovered was Feng Yiyi.
Yet, that one person was personally treated by Feng Yinwan. They had no clue whatsoever.
They had tried every possible method, but Feng Yinwan's condition showed no sign of improvement. The imperial physicians, looking at Ye Tinglan's cold, dark expression, could not stop the cold sweat from beading on their foreheads.
"Imperial Physician Jiang, what should we do now?"
Prince Mo was decisive and always followed through on his word. If they couldn't cure her, their heads might just roll!
Jiang Rumao pursed his lips, his face etched with anxiety. "For now, there is only one method left."
"What method?"
Everyone crowded around, listening as he said in a deep voice.
"A new prescription."
The prescription Feng Yinwan had revised last night had not yet been tested. With no other options, they could only try to revive a dying horse.
As soon as this was said, someone immediately objected, "How can this be permissible! The Princess of Prince Mo is pregnant. She already has many restrictions. How can she be used to test medicine!"
If something were to go wrong with her pregnancy, they would surely not be able to bear the consequences!
"Does Imperial Physician Liu have any better methods?"
"This..."
The imperial physician stammered, unable to answer. Jiang Rumao made a swift decision.
"Saving her life is paramount. Save the Princess first!"
The prescription was in the pharmacy. Jiang Rumao personally gathered the herbs and went to decoct them. When the medicinal soup was brought back, the imperial physicians were still feeling uneasy.
"Imperial Physician Jiang, will this medicinal soup be alright? If His Highness learns that we used an untested soup on the Princess, he might..."
As the imperial physician babbled on, Jiang Rumao walked past him.
Unexpectedly, Ye Tinglan did not hesitate upon hearing this. He merely asked in a deep voice.
"Is this medicine harmful?"
Jiang Rumao honestly shook his head. "Chinese medicine is mild. Even if there are incompatibilities, there will be no major harm. Moreover, this prescription was revised by the Princess herself. This humble subject believes..."
Before he could finish speaking, the soup bowl in his hand vanished. Ye Tinglan took the bowl with his large hand and leaned forward.
"I will feed her myself."
He trusted Feng Yinwan's medical skills.
With the previous doses of anti-emetic medicine suppressing her, the medicine was administered without much difficulty.
One bowl of medicinal soup was fed, amidst the anxious and doubtful gazes of everyone. Ye Tinglan casually set down the empty bowl.
"When will it take effect?"
Not even knowing if it would be effective, Jiang Rumao naturally couldn't answer when.
Shaking his head, he nodded. "Please, Your Highness, wait patiently."
Ye Tinglan frowned, but said nothing more.
The imperial physicians knelt in the tent for as long as Ye Tinglan waited.
During this time, a guard came to report that Feng Yiyi was causing trouble again. However, before he could finish speaking, he received a cold stare and immediately retreated with his head bowed.
The imperial physicians clearly sensed that Ye Tinglan's expression had grown even colder.
His patience wearing thin, he was about to speak when a faint groan from the bed interrupted him.
Ye Tinglan's body stiffened, and he immediately leaned forward.
"Feng Yinwan?"
"Cold..."
Upon closer inspection, he heard her shivering and muttering "cold."
The skin of his palm was excessively cold. Ye Tinglan's handsome face turned grim, and the question blurted out.
"Imperial Physician Jiang, what is going on? Didn't you say the medicine was harmless? Why is the Princess so cold all over?"
Jiang Rumao stepped forward at the sound.
While ordinary patients with fevers were hot to the touch, Feng Yinwan's current body temperature was clearly abnormal.
He took her pulse and his face lit up with joy. "Your Highness, the Princess's pulse has stabilized. This coldness is likely just a symptom of feeling cold."
The words "pulse stabilized" caused everyone in the tent to collectively exhale in relief.
His gaze fell on the slender figure trembling on the bed, and Ye Tinglan's brow furrowed again.
"How can the symptom of feeling cold be resolved?"
"It likely requires external aid..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Ye Tinglan had already pulled her into his embrace.
The imperial physicians were all startled by this scene, their faces suddenly turning pale.
"Your Highness, no!"
Feng Yinwan was still seriously ill. Ye Tinglan staying by her side was already the limit; how could he be so intimate!
"Your Highness, the Princess still has the illness... you..."
"Shut up."
A cold reprimand ruthlessly cut off the words of dissuasion from everyone.
Ye Tinglan tightened his arm, his face chillingly stern. "I will stay here with the Princess. You all may withdraw."
"Yes."
...
When Feng Yinwan woke up, she was held tightly, her body radiating warmth, as if wrapped in heated pads.
She looked up and met a pair of clear, handsome eyes. Feng Yinwan paused slightly, her movements momentarily halted.
Ye Tinglan?
When had he returned from the military camp?
His stern sleeping face was so close. At such proximity, Feng Yinwan could clearly see the dark circles under his long eyelashes and the fine stubble emerging on his smooth, jade-like jaw.
She pursed her lips, not wanting to wake him. However, in the next instant, those clear, icy ink-black eyes opened without warning.
"Awake?"
A moment of grogginess, and the coldness in Ye Tinglan's eyes transformed into surprise.
"I'll go call Jiang Rumao."
He said this and rolled off the bed. Feng Yinwan parted her lips, wanting to stop him, but her voice came out somewhat broken.
In an instant, she acutely realized that her body felt... wrong.
Her delicate brows furrowed. She immediately pushed herself up with her forearms. Just as she sat up steadily, the tent curtain was lifted again.
She had thought Ye Tinglan had returned, but to her surprise, it was Qin Rulian who entered.
Seeing her awake, Qin Rulian's steps faltered, and her face clearly showed a moment of astonishment.
Feng Yinwan gave her a faint glance and said coldly, "What are you doing here?"
At a time like this, she truly had no energy to deal with this 'white lotus.'
In just a moment, Qin Rulian's expression returned to normal.
"Rulian heard that the Princess accidentally contracted malaria last night and was worried, so I came to visit. I didn't expect the Princess to be awake already. Princess, are you... feeling anything unusual with your body?"
The 'little white lotus' slightly furrowed her brows, her eyes filled with concern. She truly seemed to be worried about her.
Feng Yinwan's attention, however, was only on the first half of the sentence.
"Malaria? You're saying I, the Princess of Prince Mo, have contracted malaria?"
As she spoke, Ye Tinglan returned with Jiang Rumao. Seeing Qin Rulian in the tent, he was clearly taken aback.
"Why are you here?"
Qin Rulian maintained her previous expression and bowed slightly. "Brother Tinglan, Rulian came specifically to visit the Princess."
The commotion last night had been significant, so it wasn't surprising that she knew.
Ye Tinglan's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. His ink-black eyes turned to Jiang Rumao.
"Imperial Physician Jiang, come and examine the Princess's pulse."