To prevent Yin Xun from having too miserable a life in the palace and dying a quiet death, Ming Li deliberately planted two palace maids inside his quarters.
Thus, Ming Li had a thorough grasp of Yin Xun's every move.
Upon learning that Yin Xun had suffered from severe abdominal cramps for half a day after eating spoiled pastries, Ming Li wore a rather subtle expression. "Should I hire another chef and send him in?"
Had this fellow really starved to such an extent?
Eating even spoiled food.
No wonder when she touched him last time, he didn't have an ounce of flesh on him and felt terribly bony.
Xing'er, however, shook herberry-like head. "In my opinion, Seventh Highness only found it a pity because it was a gift from my lady. Otherwise, which servant would dare feed a master spoiled food? Nine times out of ten, Seventh Highness must have insisted on eating it!"
Ming Li was amused by her. "Those pastries weren't even made by me."
"Still, it seems we need to send someone over to keep an eye on him while he eats." Eating bad food was a minor issue; if he started eating whatever he found one day and ingested some poison, all her hard work would go to waste.
"Send someone over with more pastries. Since he likes eating them, send him plenty."
Realizing that her mistress was truly invested in this, Xing'er also grew serious.
Perhaps fearing that others wouldn't convey the message clearly, Xing'er went to find him herself this time. Consequently, when the words reached Yin Xun, they became, "Your Highness, Fourth Miss Jiang specially sent these over."
"Fourth Miss Jiang asks Your Highness to take good care of your health, and says that if Your Highness likes these pastries, she will have a chef sent over as well." Anyone hearing this would surely think the young lady was showing the utmost care and deep affection.
A Ruo, however, could not smile at all.
In his eyes, this Fourth Miss Jiang was simply a heartbreaker! While visiting pleasure quarters on one hand, she was still trying to deceive their Highness!
If Highness took this to heart, wouldn't he be heartbroken to death when he eventually saw Jiang's true colors in the future?
The more A Ruo thought about it, the more distressed he felt, yet not knowing how to broach the subject, he could only stand off to the side, aggrieved and cursing under his breath.
Yet in truth, his worry was completely unnecessary.
Yin Xun looked at the newly delivered pastries, recalling the last words Ming Li had spoken while pinching his chin after their intimacy. The image that flashed into his mind first was those clear, cold eyes staring at him, as if issuing a warning.
"Your Highness, be a good boy and don't do things that make things difficult for me."
Given that Ming Li harbored no aversion to his body, when the time came to make a subsequent choice, he had chosen an unorthodox path almost without hesitation, kneeling outside Xuanzheng Hall.
As a result, that person had remained unhurried, not looking angry at all—which meant: even marriage was something she wouldn't find difficult.
So, "since it's not Yin Chu, it doesn't matter who it is"—was that what she was thinking?
Yin Xun picked up a newly delivered pastry. It was the same crumbly one from last time, though this one felt slightly sticky to the touch and tasted cloyingly sweet. It didn't really suit his palate, yet he still ate it piece by piece.
Consequently, by evening, his throat ungratefully flared up with heat.
He had caught a fire.
What terrible luck.
The young man propped himself up by the head of the bed, placing a hand over his chest. Then, as if remembering something, he abruptly pulled back his collar to take a look, spotting a faint, scabbed-over scar—left behind by someone's bite.
He felt a flicker of annoyance; he should have bitten her back at the time.
With this thought, he gave a couple more coughs and looked out toward the darkness of the horizon. At that moment, a strange noise came from outside the window.
A figure flashed in through the window, carrying a dense, fishy stench and a lingering, exotic fragrance.
Yin Xun instantly bristled all over like a startled cat, every hair standing on end.
***
When news of Yin Xun's serious illness reached Ming Li, she was at a pleasure house with several fair-weather friends, watching pretty girls dance.
The original owner might have been foolish, but her taste wasn't bad. Compared to those women who willingly trapped themselves under a roof, Jiang Li seemed far more passionate about pleasing herself.
Only, why would someone like this end up in that kind of state?
Ming Li had no intention of delving deep into the original owner's memories. In her view, that was rather impolite and somewhat boring.
Just then, Xing'er hurried in with a group of people, knocking on the door and curtsying. "My lady, Seventh Highness has fallen gravely ill. It looks like he's not going to make it!"
Upon hearing this, Princess Mingyue at the side took a long moment to process it before casting a teasing look at Ming Li, her red lips curving upward. "The Seventh Prince? Isn't it a good thing if he's not going to make it? Anyway, you don't like him, Jiang Li. You might as well give up the position early so other young lords in Shengdu can vie for it, too~"
Ming Li glanced at her, knowing she was standing up for her, and spoke with a helpless tone. "My good ancestor, don't say things like that. If he dies, it'll cause a huge mess."
"You guys go on, we'll meet another time." She flicked her sleeve and followed the others out.
The physician this time was someone Ming Li had brought in from outside the palace. Because of her good relations with the two princesses, coupled with the fact that her fiancé, the Seventh Prince, was currently in the palace, it was much easier for Ming Li to enter the palace than before.
Fortunately, the palace servants had been keeping the high fever down with wet towels, and it hadn't reached a critical stage yet.
She had arrived just in time.
The physician prescribed two doses of medicine, and after it was brewed and consumed, his body temperature subsided.
When Yin Xun regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was the young lady sitting by the couch, reading his book.
Exquisite and cold, she looked like a carved jade artifact; whether reading a book or looking at people, she was icy and devoid of expression.
It made one's heart flutter with panic.
So he pressed a hand to his chest, then reached out to tug at her sleeve, squeezing out a hoarse, dry sound from his throat: "Water."
The young lady turned to look at him, put the book down, and poured him a cup of warm water.
He wanted to raise his hand to take it, but lacking even an ounce of strength, he could only look at her with embarrassed helplessness. The corners of his eyes, reddened by illness, seemed on the verge of squeezing out a few tears.
Thus, Ming Li scooped her arm around his shoulder, carefully propped him up, and held the cup to feed him a little at a time.
After he drank two cups in succession, his breathing finally eased, but his face inexplicably flared up again because of the close proximity between them.
The flush wouldn't have been obvious normally, but his skin was so fair that even a hint of color made him look like a stained piece of rice paper, glaringly conspicuous.
Ming Li touched his face and found it truly burning, then reached out with some concern to touch his neck. Before she could even make contact, she saw him shrink back inward, his entire body turning even redder.
As if finally realizing the issue of distance, Ming Li withdrew her hand and went outside to summon his attendants.
It was only after that figure vanished from her field of vision and A Ruo rushed in that Yin Xun leaned back against the porcelain pillow, gradually calming down, though weariness lingered heavily between his brows and eyes.
Yet...
"Why is Fourth Miss Jiang here?" His tone still carried the tense haste of a high fever, along with a good deal of bewilderment.
A Ruo held back his tears and replied, "You started running a fever early this morning, Young Master. When I couldn't summon an imperial physician, I had no choice but to sneak out of the palace to beg the Fourth Miss."