boom.

The string in that gentleman's brain snapped instantly.

The suppressed fire in his heart erupted, spreading throughout his body, making him feel hot, but he became unable to move, letting Shen Wan kiss him clumsily.

This clumsiness stemmed from two reasons: firstly, her posture was poor, and secondly, Shen Wan was worried that Xie Jingyan would push her away.

This is the second time she has taken the initiative.

She was afraid of experiencing the same thing again, and she might never take the initiative again in her life.

But her kiss, though light and fleeting, was more intense than hers, yet it ignited a fire in Xie Jingyan's heart. He could no longer restrain himself, so he placed his large hand on her back, pulled her close, and deepened the kiss.

The two kissed passionately, and just as Shen Wan was losing consciousness from the kiss, Xie Jingyan suddenly released her and then grabbed her hand that was wrapped around his neck.

Shen Wan held on very tightly, and Xie Jingyan couldn't pull her away the first time. He used a third of his strength, and before Shen Wan could react, he pulled her arm away and pushed her away.

Her body was limp, and with that push, she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

Xie Jingyan tried to pull her up, and even reached out his hand, but then pulled it back and ran to the side to vomit as if his pants were on fire.

Poor guy Xie Jingyan didn't eat a single bite of food that night. Chen Feng had the kitchen prepare some late-night snacks, and Xie Jingyan ate most of a bowl, but then vomited it all up, along with the tea he drank that night.

When Xie Jingyan vomited, Shen Wan was still lying on the ground. He tried to help Shen Wan up, but when he turned around and saw her, he felt the urge to vomit surge up again, so he turned his back and continued to vomit.

Xie Jingyan waved for Shen Wan to get up, but from Shen Wan's perspective, it was a way of telling her to leave, and to leave as soon as possible.

Shen Wan's face was even darker than the sky outside the window.

Not daring to approach, or even stay any longer, Shen Wan got up and went back into the house, gritting her teeth.

Ignoring Xie Jingyan, Shen Wan simply undressed and went to bed.

Lying in bed, I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, not knowing whether it was because I was angry or because I was worried about Xie Jingyan.

In the study, Xie Jingyan had nothing left to vomit. He sat on the bed for a while to recover before returning to his room.

Shen Wan was lying in bed when she heard Xie Jingyan's footsteps. She turned around angrily, facing away from him and showing him the back of her head. Xie Jingyan stood by the bed for a while, then left without saying a word.

Hearing the door close made Shen Wan even angrier.

That's a complete bastard!

While Shen Wan was so angry about the gauze curtains above her head that she couldn't sleep, Xie Jingyan also couldn't fall asleep after returning to his study.

He wasn't used to sleeping in the study. Before, he could still say he wasn't sick, but after vomiting twice a night, throwing up whatever he ate, and feeling dizzy, he couldn't bring himself to say those words anymore.

I lay in bed for most of the hour, becoming more and more awake, and finally got up.

Xie Jingyan had been suffering from insomnia for a long time, and so had Shen Wan. She had gotten used to Xie Jingyan holding her every night while she slept, but without that faint scent of pine and cypress in her nose, she just couldn't fall asleep.

Shen Wan forced herself to fall asleep, just then the door creaked open.

The familiar footsteps returned.

Shen Wan quickly closed her eyes. Xie Jingyan lifted the covers and got into bed, hugging her from behind. They both knew the other wasn't asleep, so neither of them spoke. They fell asleep quietly and quickly.

The next day, when Shen Wan woke up, Xie Jingyan was no longer in bed. Yin Shuang brought in a copper basin, and Shen Wan asked, "Where is the Prince?"

Yinshuang sighed, "He's throwing up in the study."

Shen Wan's heart sank to the bottom.

I started vomiting as soon as I woke up this morning. It's gotten this bad, but my pulse is still steady. Even Dr. Zhao can't tell what's wrong. What should we do?

Yinshuang asked, "Is Your Highness feeling unwell anywhere?"

Yin Shuang was a little worried. She wasn't afraid that Xie Jingyan's illness was contagious, but rather that Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan lived and ate together. If someone tampered with their food, Shen Wan would have a hard time escaping unscathed.

But after asking, Yinshuang realized she had asked a pointless question. The princess looked radiant, slept soundly, and had an even better appetite, eating more than her maid. She showed no signs of discomfort and was in high spirits.

Shen Wan threw off the covers and got out of bed. She put on her dress and, without even washing up, went to the study to see Xie Jingyan. However, as soon as she stepped out, a maid came over and reported, "Your Highness, the Empress requests your presence in the palace."

Shen Wan frowned.

What did Empress Song want with her in the palace?

Wasn't she busy instructing Shen Ying, Fu Shu, and Princess Shouchun on palace rules? Why would she need to come to the palace?

Shen Wan said, "I understand. Have Steward Zhou prepare the carriage. I'll go to the palace after I finish breakfast."

Xie Jingyan walked over and frowned, asking, "Are you going to the palace?"

Shen Wan glanced over and saw Xie Jingyan. His complexion was slightly worse than the previous two days, but he still looked quite energetic.

After all, he hadn't eaten for two meals, so how could his complexion be good?

Xie Jingyan instructed the maid, "Have Steward Zhou send someone to the palace to say that the Princess Consort is busy taking care of me and has no time to come to the palace."

The maidservant curtsied and withdrew. Shen Wan called the maidservant back and then said to Xie Jingyan, "The Empress is looking for me. I won't go to the palace today, but I still have to go in a couple of days. There's no way to avoid this trip."

Xie Jingyan looked at Shen Wan, his brows furrowed.

Shen Wan felt a little guilty and didn't dare to look at him.

She didn't want to go to the palace to see Empress Song, as Empress Song couldn't possibly want anything good from her. But she needed to see the Emperor. Xie Jingyan's illness was getting worse and needed to be treated as soon as possible. If the imperial physicians in the palace couldn't cure him or find the cause, they would have to post a notice and search for famous doctors throughout the Great Chu. She didn't believe that Xie Jingyan's illness couldn't be cured.

In short, even if Empress Song didn't summon her, she would still have to enter the palace today.

Shen Wan insisted on going to the palace, so Xie Jingyan had no choice but to go along with her. The two went back to their room to have breakfast.

Although Xie Jingyan had just vomited and had a poor appetite, he hadn't completely stopped eating.

Foods I used to like now look repulsive, but foods I used to dislike are now worth trying.

This illness... is strange yet subtly familiar.

I feel like I've seen this somewhere before.

Shen Wan bit her chopsticks, unable to remember anything.

Shen Wan got up late, so after breakfast, she took Yinshuang out of Moyuxuan without delay.

Upon arriving at the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, we boarded a carriage and headed straight into the palace.

Shen Wan wanted to go see the Emperor first, but it was Empress Song who summoned her to the palace, so she had no choice but to go see Empress Song first.

The Phoenix Palace was bustling with activity. Several princesses, including Shen Ying, Fu Shu, Princess Shouchun, and Princess Shouan, were learning palace rules and etiquette. The nanny was teaching very diligently. After all, Princess Shouchun had lost face in front of the Emperor last time, and even if she learned it again, she still couldn't compare to Shen Wan. The Emperor should reprimand both the Empress Song and Shen Wan.

The more diligently the nanny taught, the more tiring it became for Shen Ying and the others to learn. When they saw Shen Wan walk over, without exception, their gazes fell on her as if they wanted to poke a hundred or eighty holes in her.