On the night of her return home, Shen Yunjiao developed a high fever.

She lay on the daybed, feeling nauseous and feverish.

Granny Lin kept wetting a blue cloth with well water to wipe her burning body.

Fu Xia looked anxiously at Shen Yunjiao, whose cheeks were flushed red from the fever: "What should we do? It's the middle of the night, and we can't call a doctor. The young master hasn't returned to the manor yet. How can we bring down the young lady's fever?"

Granny Lin was also so anxious that she was pacing around like an ant on a hot pan.

At this moment, Shen Yunjiao, who was still relatively conscious, said in a weak voice, "Don't panic. Go to the medicine cabinet in the storeroom, find some ephedra and cinnamon twigs, and cut some dried ginger. Just brew a whole pot for me."

After finishing the drink, Shen Yunjiao struggled to get up and, based on her previous knowledge, stimulated acupoints by pricking and bleeding.

After all that effort, Shen Yunjiao's fever actually subsided by more than half.

"The girl is so smart." Fu Xia looked at Shen Yunjiao with half admiration and half heartache.

Shen Yunjiao lay down wearily and casually asked, "Where is the son-in-law?"

Lin Mama tucked the blanket around Shen Yunjiao: "The young master hasn't returned yet. Even Miss Fang doesn't seem to have returned to the manor."

"real?"

That's great.

Shen Yunjiao had previously worried that Pei Zhixuan might lose some affection for Fang Ziyu because of her.

It seems I was overthinking things.

"Miss, please rest for a while."

Shen Yunjiao felt like she was delirious from the fever. The first thing she saw was Granny Lin helping her lower the curtains and blow out the candles.

After a while, she saw Granny Lin return the way she came, touching her forehead to check if her fever had returned.

But Lin Mama's hands felt much larger, and even drier and warmer.

Shen Yunjiao, who was already feeling hot, frowned and waved away the hand that was placed on her forehead.

"Oh."

Xiao Huaijin chuckled softly. This little fox is still so disobedient even when it's sick.

The pale, silvery moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating Shen Yunjiao's fair and delicate face. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat, and her lips were swollen and red, making her look like a blooming peach blossom.

Xiao Huaijin's gaze suddenly became somewhat obscure.

He somewhat regretted his decision to secretly visit Shen Yunjiao.

Xiao Huaijin secretly assigned a bodyguard named Zhuye to monitor Shen Yunjiao, and instructed him to report back to him immediately if anything major happened.

Today, through Zhu Ye's words, Xiao Huaijin learned that Shen Yunjiao not only wrote a poem to express her love, but also jumped into the water to save someone.

They also knew that she had returned to the manor alone, and that Prince Pei had disappeared without a trace.

For some reason, he suddenly had a strong urge to see Shen Yunjiao.

"Your poem was wasted."

Xiao Huaijin's slender fingertips lingered on Shen Yunjiao's delicate cheeks; her snow-white skin was tender and exquisitely beautiful.

When she had a fever, her fragrance became even more intense, a delightful scent of peach blossoms.

Xiao Huaijin's lip line suddenly straightened.

He thought she shouldn't be the wife of a prince or the daughter of a prime minister, but rather a peach blossom fairy who accidentally fell into the mortal world.

Unfortunately, the fairy's heart belonged to someone else.

Shen Yunjiao vaguely felt something crawling on her cheek.

She subconsciously turned around, revealing her fair and delicate neck beneath her loose-fitting clothes.

Xiao Huaijin gently pulled her blanket up a little and stroked her black hair with his hand.

Shen Yunjiao was snoring softly like a sleepy kitten, looking delicate and adorable.

Xiao Huaijin's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He felt that if he had enough time, he could stay by Shen Yunjiao's side and observe her all night.

pity.

He was not yet at the point where he could possess her.

Xiao Huaijin stood up, his lingering gaze lingering on her retreating figure for a moment before he nimbly climbed out the window and left.

Bamboo Leaf, who had been waiting anxiously by the window for a long time, finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her prince appear.

When they returned to the villa outside the city, they saw Nanfeng waiting at the door.

Dressed in black, Nanfeng greeted Xiao Huaijin and said with a solemn expression, "Master, a secret report has come from the capital. His Majesty intends to send you to preside over the ancestral temple ceremony in half a month."

Zhu Ye was very surprised to hear this. He asked anxiously, "But His Majesty doesn't know that the master is still alive. So who should he ask to take charge?"

They both looked at Xiao Huaijin at the same time.

Xiao Huaijin's eyes were arrogant, and his voice was as cold as ice: "It seems that Father really doesn't intend to let me live a good life."

Disguise—one of the secret arts of Southern Yue. Was his biological father, the emperor, preparing to quietly replace him?

"Your Highness, should we make preparations soon?" Nanfeng handed the secret letter in his hand to Xiao Huaijin. "This is a letter from the Prince of Runan."

Xiao Huaijin opened the secret letter, on which were only a few hastily written words: "Jin'er, things have gone as planned, and success has come naturally."

"My uncle is willing to help me now."

Xiao Huaijin put the letter into his pocket and said calmly, "Nanfeng, we will return to the palace the day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow???" Nanfeng's eyes showed hesitation. "Why don't we go back tomorrow, Master? It'll be better to make preparations if we go back earlier."

Unexpectedly, Zhu Ye nudged him with her hand, making a face at him, which puzzled Nan Feng.

Xiao Huaijin pursed his lips slightly, said "Not tomorrow," and strode into the courtyard.

"What's wrong? What did you and the master do just now?" Nanfeng asked in a low voice when Xiao Huaijin was not around.

"What do you think—" Zhu Ye deliberately drew out her words to whet Nan Feng's appetite.

"Fine, don't tell me then." Nanfeng had no interest in watching his antics and turned to leave.

But Zhu Ye grabbed him, saying, "Today I'm going to see Miss Chen with my master."

Nanfeng asked in surprise, "Are you the designated heir apparent's wife?"

“That’s right!” Zhu Yekuang nodded.

Although the Duke of Dingguo's mansion is heavily guarded, Zhu Ye and His Highness are both highly skilled in martial arts, so coming and going freely shouldn't be a problem. However... the master actually went to see the Crown Princess in person?

Nanfeng found it somewhat unbelievable that such a thing could happen to his master.

"Do you know why we're only back now? Because our master stayed in Miss Shen's room for a whole hour and did absolutely nothing!"

Nanfeng's eyes widened suddenly: "You mean, Master has feelings for Miss Shen?"

Zhu Ye shrugged: "I've had a feeling this matter is not simple for a long time."

Nanfeng fell silent, as if saying this meant that many things had already been foreshadowed.

This includes the fact that even though the master's blindness has been cured, he still pretends to be blind in front of the Crown Princess, and that the master refuses to use Nan Yue spices to treat his headaches, instead always carrying the Crown Princess's used handkerchief.

“But Miss Shen is already married. She is the Crown Prince’s wife. How could His Highness possibly do something like forcibly taking another man’s wife?” Nanfeng asked in a murmur.

"Who knows? I think Master cares about Miss Chen quite a bit. He even asked me to continue reporting on her whereabouts these next few days."

Before leaving, Zhu Ye added meaningfully, "Master has finally seen the light; even an iron tree can bloom."

At this moment, the iron tree was standing in front of the moon gate in the courtyard, looking at the bright moon in the sky that was about to be hidden in the clouds.

Xiao Huaijin's thoughts were in disarray.

From the moment he heard the news that Shen Yunjiao had fallen into the water, he began to feel restless and uneasy.

Only when he saw that Shen Yunjiao was safe and sound did he feel at ease.

This was the first time Xiao Huaijin had experienced such complex emotions.

He had never cared about matters of the heart, but today, he was acutely aware of his own desires.

He wanted Shen Yunjiao.

He didn't care whether she was a wife or the daughter of a powerful minister.

Extortion and plunder have always been his consistent methods.