Chapter 61 Don't touch fever, it's very itchy

Chen Liangyu lay half-reclined in the lotus pond, the spring water reaching her chest, with only a towel draped over her body.

The heat was oppressive, and she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

Warm groundwater flowed over my body, making a gurgling sound.

The sound of splashing water woke her up.

Chen Liangyu squinted his eyes and saw a pair of smooth and delicate ankles walking towards him on the blue brick waterway that was slightly lower than the ground.

The hem of her skirt was slightly lifted, but it still inevitably got wet.

She was about to sit up when she suddenly realized that her clothes were all on the clothes rack behind the screen.

"Not very convenient."

She meant that it was inconvenient to perform the formalities, so she excused herself from the ceremony, lay back down, and pulled the towel up a little.

Xie Wenjun haphazardly splashed a handful of water, spraying it far away. Chen Liangyu's exposed skin was immediately covered with more water droplets. "I came because I was worried you would faint in the pool."

Chen Liangyu closed her eyes and slept for almost two hours.

This is the rear quarters, separated from Guanju Tower by only a wall. It has a heated room and several secluded springs inside, forming a hot spring pool. The surrounding trees and flowers do not feel cold and grow lushly, with new flower buds already forming in the flowerbeds.

Chen Liangyu's sleeping place was a small pond, built according to the "Beauty's Reclining" of the Yanzhi Mountain Palace. It was shaped like the broad leaves of a water lily, slightly tilted, with a long jade pillow at the higher end, so that she could lie down or recline.

Jade is not nephrite; it is a type of jade.

It only grows in places in the Southern Continent where spiritual energy gathers and herbs flourish. It warms to the touch and is beneficial for treating cold-related ailments when worn regularly, hence its common name "warm jade".

Chen Liangyu said, "I didn't know you were staying at my residence tonight. Guanju Tower hasn't been repaired yet."

Guanju Tower was covered in marks from being carved and chopped, and half of the long railing had collapsed. Since no one lived there, it was only supported by stakes. It was difficult to repair in a short time, so Chen Liangyu ordered her servants to tidy up the guest rooms in the east wing.

Xie Wenjun said, "Liangyuan has more than one bedroom."

Chen Liangyu paused for a moment.

Xie Wenjun thought she was unwilling and asked, "What treasures are in your yard?"

Years ago, during her time living at the Marquis of Xuanping's residence, she was never allowed to set foot in that small courtyard. The gate wasn't wide, but it was tightly shut, as if it would never be opened for her.

“No,” Chen Liangyu said, “that courtyard really only has one bedroom.”

"It's just for one night."

"If Your Highness doesn't mind the crowd, then of course it's fine."

After walking the three-foot-long waterway, Xie Wenjun stepped down the stone steps into the water lily pond and sat on the edge of the "Beauty Recliner".

Her clothes were soaked.

The entire greenhouse was filled with a misty haze.

Nowadays, Xie Wenjun seems to have changed her appearance. She no longer cares about hairpins, jeweled shoes, or elaborate headdresses. Her former splendid clothes are now kept at a distance. Except for important occasions such as banquets and ceremonies, she prefers simple and elegant clothing. Her hair ornaments are also extremely simple, with only a willow hairpin carved by Chen Liangyu holding her black hair up.

Did she always wear that ugly hairpin?

Looking at her up close like this, Chen Liangyu's cheeks began to feel slightly hot.

That was definitely not heat from being steamed by water vapor.

For some reason, when Xie Wenjun suggested staying overnight at Liangyuan, a strange joy welled up inside her. It could be said that this tiny bit of joy was the only sweetness she had tasted in recent days. Ever since Zhu Dong brought back Chen Linjun's coffin, she had begun to fear the loneliness that would come after nightfall, and that fear had grown stronger with each passing day.

She used to dislike having people in the courtyard, but now she finds it deserted.

People are so fickle, she thought.

Xie Wenjun sat there silently, resting her chin on her hand.

Simply sitting there brought her immense comfort. It wouldn't be bad if it stayed like this... if she weren't naked.

She was completely naked. The long scarf, soaked in water, sagged along the curves of her body, revealing her entire face.

She had never seen it before, nor had anyone else.

For a fleeting moment, Xie Wenjun almost had the illusion that this person belonged to her.

After a brief moment of secret joy, she was immediately overwhelmed by an even greater sense of loss.

As distant as the moon in the sky, yet so close as the person before my eyes.

But the person before me is the moon in the sky.

Xie Wenjun quickly looked away, "I won't disturb your peace..." Just as she was about to stand up from the pool, she suddenly slipped.

Chen Liangyu was startled and sat up abruptly, grabbing Xie Wenjun's arm. The long scarf slipped off, and she hurriedly covered herself. With a grab and a leap, she pulled Xie Wenjun directly from the edge of the pool into the water.

With a "thump".

The water in the water lily pond was not deep, yet water still splashed everywhere.

Fortunately, she pulled him in at the crucial moment, preventing Xie Wenjun from falling on her instead of hitting the stone surface.

Chen Liangyu dared not move again.

When Xie Wenjun returned from inspecting the fields, she seemed to be in better health, no longer as frail as before.

After a moment, she said, "Your Highness, are you not going to get up?"

Xie Wenjun said, "Let go first."

Chen Liangyu then realized that one of her hands was still wrapped around and pressing on Xie Wenjun's waist.

She quickly let go.

Xie Wenjun's clothes were already soaked through, and her hair was half wet.

"Over there, move over." Xie Wenjun simply grabbed half of the warm jade pillow and soaked in the pool, lying down with Chen Liangyu.

Viewed from the opposite perspective.

Chen Liangyu asked, "Is Your Highness here to discuss matters concerning the Eastern Yin?"

Xie Wenjun said, "It's for you." She paused, "Just think of it as wanting to see you. As for why we didn't return the Dongyin prisoners of war, you can say it if you want, or you can say it if you don't. I've already told Li Hezhang to do it your way. Dongyin won't be able to take anything with them in this peace negotiation."

"Return them?" Chen Liangyu seemed to scoff, saying, "It was my sister-in-law who wanted to keep them. Otherwise, we would have used them to fill the Tianqian River long ago. The Tianqian River has been a disaster for a long time. The river course often changes direction. The terrain in the east is slightly lower. Last autumn, a flood affected half of the county. This spring, the spring flood flooded two more counties. The Water Conservancy Bureau manages the water every year, but breaches, dam collapses, and flooding of fields still happen every year."

Xie Wenjun asked, "Does Madam Yan have a good method for controlling floods?"

Chen Liangyu said, “It may not be a good remedy, but it is worth a try. The three border cities of Dongyin are connected by the same river, yet they have never suffered from disasters. Apart from the high altitude, there is another key factor: the branches of this river flow into several lakes, and the section of the Tianqian River that flows through Zhudong happens to have no lakes or marshes to store water during the flood season.”

Xie Wenjun asked, "Should we dig a lake to store water?"

Chen Liangyu said, "No, the Great Lin and the Eastern Yin are separated by the Tianqian River. Between the main channel of the Tianqian River and the three westernmost border cities of the Eastern Yin, there are 60,000 mu of barren land. My sister-in-law's idea is to build a dam at the confluence of the Tianqian River and dig several new waterways to divert the Tianqian River eastward, passing through the three border cities and converging with the river in the Eastern Yin. If this is feasible, the flood will be eliminated, and those 60,000 mu of barren land may be turned into fertile fields."

Excavating waterways was an even more labor-intensive and costly undertaking than building palaces, and every time corvée labor was levied, the people complained bitterly.

Light taxes and levies are the hallmarks of a prosperous era, while heavy taxes and levies have always been seen as the beginning of national ruin and racial extinction. Therefore, even though the Directorate of Waterways knew that dredging lakes and digging can permanently eliminate floods, no one dared to propose such an idea that would incur the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people.

Chen Liangyu said, "Since Dongyin has already sent over 100,000 laborers, there is no need to levy any more." After a pause, he added, "Let's keep that useless crown prince of Dongyin for now. Tell them that Dalin can afford to feed one more person. Once the floods are over, we can return the money to them all at once."

Xie Wenjun listened intently, then raised her hand to wipe away a drop of water from Chen Liangyu's forehead.

The moment their skin touched, Chen Liangyu felt something strange. A tingling sensation traveled from her brow down her spine and spread throughout her body. She turned her head to try and avoid the feeling of being gnawed by ants, but Xie Wenjun's fingers moved down again, touching a faint scar on her shoulder.

Chen Liangyu lowered his gaze, looking at the two-finger-long scar, and told Xie Wenjun about the origin of the scar, "Back in the Northern Border, in order to join the Eagle Head Army, I fought in the arena one after another. I forgot who hit me, and that's how I got this scar." His eyes rolled upwards, as if he had thought of something, "The last challenge was Jingming guarding the arena, it should be him."

Xie Wenjun rubbed her fingertips across the scar, and Chen Liangyu grabbed her fingers.

"Don't touch it, it's itchy."

Then, taking that hand, she brought it close to her lips and left a soft mark between the knuckles. Feeling it wasn't enough, she gently nibbled on it again.

She noticed the hand suddenly curl up, and it said mischievously, "You bit me with a row of teeth marks for no reason. Consider this your way of repaying you."

Xie Wenjun shrank back as if startled and sat up.

Turning back, Chen Liangyu's cheeks were flushed, and she looked half-dead and delirious. Touching her forehead with the back of his hand, he found she had a high fever.

Before her hand could be removed from her forehead, Chen Liangyu gripped it tightly again, pulling it down, pressing a delicate lip print against the back of her hand. She mumbled, "Your Highness, don't go."

My lips are burning hot.

Someone must have been so burned that they lost their mind to do something like this.

"Yuanrong, summon the imperial physician." Xie Wenjun called out to the outside, and received a response shortly afterward.

Xie Wenjun tried to pull her hand away again, but Chen Liangyu held it even tighter, so she had to give up. "I'll go get you some clothes. Do you want to see the imperial physician looking like this?"

"There's no need to summon the imperial physician; Zhu Ying is already in the mansion."

Chen Liangyu finally let go, wrapped the long towel around herself, and got out of the water. Her hair was wet and stuck to her chest and back. "I just have a fever, but I'm not so badly unable to walk or put on clothes."

This time, Xie Wenjun lost her temper. "Then what did you just now...?"

Chen Liangyu: "Just now?"

Xie Wenjun: "Are you awake?"

Chen Liangyu was very puzzled and said, "You underestimate me too much."

With this level of fever, there would only be a burning sensation in her nasal cavity and a headache; how could she possibly be unconscious? If she were truly this weak, how could she march and fight? She would have died many times over.

Zhu Yinglai examined the patient, prescribed some medicine, and left a prescription for clearing heat and calming the nerves on the table before taking her leave to go to Li'an and Linxia. "Any doctor can cure a headache or fever. There is a great epidemic in the country, so you don't need me here. Princess, does the reward you asked me for last time still count? If it does, I want these."

After saying that, he spread out a sheet.

These are all common medicinal herbs, readily available in pharmacies everywhere, but Zhu Ying's demand is enormous.

"One truckload of each."

Although these are all common medicinal herbs, they are not easy to gather at the moment. Most of the medicinal herbs in all the pharmacies in Yongdu have been purchased by the imperial court and sent to the two counties affected by the epidemic.

Xie Wenjun sent someone to do their best to handle it.

Chen Liangyu said, "The Imperial Medical Academy will soon send people to Linxia, ​​escorted by guards. You can go with them."

Zhu Ying said, “I’m not going to Linxia, ​​I’m going to Li’an. This plague is raging, infecting two large prefectures at once. Linxia is the former residence of the emperor, so the court is paying more attention to it and sending medicines there first. Although the plague in Li’an is milder, no one is taking care of it, and I’m afraid it will get out of control.”

Xie Wenjun gave her another edict, "If you can't handle it, take this edict to the local government."

Zhu Ying: "Thank you, Princess."

While expressing her gratitude, she reached out to touch Chen Liangyu's face, saying, "Your face is so hot; it doesn't seem to be caused by a fever."

Chen Liangyu dodged her, saying, "I'm perfectly fine."

Zhu Ying sneered, "You're all doing just fine, so why did you call me over? Keep your medicine brewed. Judging from your condition, you're bound to have a high fever tonight."

Chen Liangyu said, "If you hadn't come, the fever would have subsided by evening."

She had unparalleled confidence in her physical condition and didn't take this minor illness seriously at all.

Those who speak too confidently will surely suffer the consequences.

At midnight, Chen Liangyu's entire body was indeed as hot as a red-hot iron.

Zhu Ying was dragged out of her bedroom by a series of urgent knocks on the door. She squatted down in the small kitchen of Liangyuan, staring at the earthenware pot for brewing medicine. Still sleepy, she forced herself to talk to the busy maid, "What did I tell you? She's a doctor and I'm a doctor! See? If you don't listen to the doctor, you'll end up like your general."

The little maidservant worked diligently and also made sure to keep in mind her role as Zhu Ying's straight man, saying, "Watch out, Doctor Ying."

Zhu Ying looked at the fire, lifted the lid of the pot to look at the medicine, and threw two handfuls of forsythia and kudzu root into the pot. "Her fever comes from her heart, not from a common cold. It looks like a minor illness, but it won't get better so easily."

The maidservant asked, "What should we do then?"

Zhu Ying said, "Make the medicine a little more bitter."

The young maid was puzzled and hesitated.

Zhu Ying coaxed her, "Would I lie to you? There's a saying, 'Good medicine tastes bitter,' isn't there?"

The maid nodded and said, "Yes."

Zhu Ying said, "The more bitter the medicine is, the faster your general will recover." After deceiving the man, she turned around and thought to herself, "I hate dealing with patients who don't listen to doctors. Let her suffer a little to learn her lesson."

Below the tent, Chen Liangyu's breath was hot, and this time she was truly somewhat delirious, groping herself into someone's arms in a daze.

The inner garment was slightly thin, and the heat quickly transmitted through the fabric. Xie Wenjun could truly feel the burning heat emanating from her body. He brushed aside her sweaty hair and tucked the blanket in.

The maid added an extra thick quilt, but Chen Liangyu still felt cold, so she snuggled closer to a warmer spot.

It occasionally makes some humming sounds.

Xie Wenjun traced her high brow bone with his fingertips, down to her eyes, and then to the bridge of her nose. It was the first time he had seen her so closely, and her facial features were so distinct and perfectly proportioned.

Chen Liangyu's eyelashes fluttered.

Before long, her narrow eyes under her eyelashes opened, then closed again, and she nuzzled against Xie Wenjun's neck.

Xie Wenjun tried her best to calm herself down, "If you continue like this, I don't know what I might do to you."

Chen Liangyu made a short, nasal sound, it was hard to tell whether it was a groan of discomfort or a response.

Xie Wenjun said, "Is it true that no matter what I do right now, you are powerless to resist?"

"Um."

This time, Xie Wenjun heard clearly a resounding reply: "In that case, wouldn't I be considered a despicable person who takes advantage of others' misfortunes?"

A moment of silence.

"No."

Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!