As night deepened and stars scattered across the sky, Shi Lan was half-asleep, feeling as if she were surrounded by a steamer, unbearably hot. She couldn't help but reach out to pull the blanket up, and heard the man's gentle murmur in her ear, "Bear with it, it'll be fine after you sweat it out."

Shi Lan moved impatiently and was shocked to find herself imprisoned, with something encircling her waist and locking her firmly in place.

Shi Lan was startled, her sleepiness vanished instantly, and a chill suddenly ran down her spine.

It took her a while to regain her composure and gently touch her waistline; it was a warm and strong arm.

Shi Lan tilted her head back slightly and slowly turned it around, a warm breath hitting her face.

Through her hazy vision, she saw the handsome features of the man behind her. His dark, deep eyes were closed, and his eyelashes cast long shadows on his cheeks.

This is Yue Zhan. Shi Lan was a little surprised. She remembered that after drinking the medicine, the two of them slept separately. How did they end up in this position when they woke up?

Shi Lan gently pulled his arm away and moved in little by little, trying to create distance between them.

Yue Zhan's hand reached out subconsciously, encircling her while also stroking the brocade quilt, as if to make sure she was properly wrapped up.

Shi Lan froze for a moment, then began to struggle.

She was sweating profusely and wished she could jump into the cool, icy water and splash around for a while to feel better. The brocade quilt covering her body felt like a heavy stone pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe.

Yue Zhan was extremely alert. As soon as Shi Lan moved, he opened his eyes, quickly scanned his surroundings, and touched Shi Lan's forehead. Seeing that the sweat had dampened her hair, he grabbed a cloth from the table and gently wiped it, making her clean again. Then he wrapped her up tightly again and said softly, "Fat baby, just bear with it. Once you get through this, it will be fine."

Shi Lan shifted impatiently. Yue Zhan had a strong grip, and the wrapping was so tight that there wasn't a single gap around her. Almost instantly, the only parts of her body she could move were her head and toes.

Yue Zhan stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly, burying his head in the crook of her neck. After a while, his breathing became long and deep again.

Shi Lan, forced to become a quilt post, rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that she really didn't know how to serve people. She wasn't an object, how could she sleep tied up like this?

Moonlight shone through the thin silk gauze. Shi Lan wrinkled her nose and belatedly realized that she was not acting strangely at all. Even though she was so close to him, she did not have the kind of reaction that made her feel ashamed.

Shi Lan grinned twice, then suddenly realized, "That's right, her reactions are all based on the premise that she can smell the scent. If she can't smell it, then everything will be fine."

But how could she make her nose stop working? Shi Lan was a little worried. Her sense of smell was so sensitive that even a dog probably couldn't smell it.

The bed was warm and cozy, making her body feel soft and warm. Shi Lan felt as if her brain had been turned into mush, a mess, with no clue whatsoever. She thought that being tied up like this and held in someone's arms would surely keep her awake all night, but she didn't expect to feel drowsy after only a short while and drift off to sleep.

When she woke up again, it was already broad daylight. She was still wrapped in a brocade quilt, with several large soft pillows around her, firmly surrounding her in the middle.

Shi Lan looked up and pursed her lips.

She's not a child, how could she possibly fall off the bed?

The thin curtains fluttered gently as Pearl placed a lit incense burner beside the bed. A faint, sweet fragrance drifted around the beams, passed through the curtains, and quietly filled the entire room.

Shi Lan sniffed hard, faintly smelling a familiar scent, and asked Zhu'er, "What is this?"

Zhu'er smiled and said, "This is a specially made incense that can calm the mind, refresh the spirit, and soothe the nerves. Ah Lang said you didn't sleep well last night, so lighting it will make you feel better."

Shi Lan nodded, reached her hand out from under the covers, and moved the soft pillow aside, asking, "When did Ah Lang leave?"

Zhu'er said, "The steward came to find me, so Ah Lang left."

Shi Lan struggled to climb out of the covers, and Zhu'er quickly went to help her.

As she sat half-sitting and half-leaning, Shi Lan realized that her limbs were weak and that even getting up was a struggle.

"What's going on?" Shi Lan asked, slightly out of breath. "It's just a cold, why is it so hard to even get up?"

Zhu'er lowered her eyes and tucked the blanket around her: "Lady Han said that your body is too weak and this illness has flared up suddenly, which is why you are like this. You should take good care of yourself these few days and you will recover soon."

Shi Lan frowned slightly, searching through the memories she had received. She remembered that although the original owner's body wasn't particularly robust, it wasn't exactly sickly either. So how come when it was her, she couldn't get out of bed just from catching a chill?

"I see."

Pearl lifted the curtains by the couch and then lifted several other layers near the bed to let the sunlight in.

Shi Lan squinted, feeling the light was a bit dazzling.

Pearl immediately lowered a thin veil to slightly block out the light.

A young maid with her hair in a bun walked in through the door carrying a food box. She casually lifted the heavy table and placed it in front of Shi Lan, then laid out steaming soup noodles and side dishes, and placed a bowl of bitter-smelling medicine next to it, before standing timidly to the side.

Shi Lan looked up at her, then at Zhu'er.

Zhu'er smiled and said, "This is what Ah Lang asked me to add for you."

Shi Lan nodded and asked, "What's your name?"

The little girl knelt down and shook her head, saying, "I don't have a name."

Shi Lan was a little surprised. In her understanding, the Tang Dynasty was the most tolerant era for women. Women here did not have the same status as in other dynasties. Therefore, she felt that if a girl here did not have a name, it was either because she had no relatives or because she was really not well treated. Either way, it was very pitiful.

“Then you’ll be called Dou’er from now on. You two, one a pearl and the other a bean, make a perfect pair,” Shi Lan said gently, looking at the little girl.

The little girl's shoulders trembled, and without saying a word, she immediately kowtowed, "Dou'er thanks Madam for bestowing this name upon her."

With a loud 'bang,' a solid, muffled sound, just hearing it made one feel pain.

Shi Lan twitched her lips and looked at Zhu'er, "Quickly help her up."

Zhu'er helped Dou'er up and stood her to one side.

Shi Lan stared at her for a couple of seconds, and seeing that there was only a little redness, she breathed a sigh of relief.

This kid is too honest. Even if this is the floor, he'll still get bruised from hitting it like that.

After a quick breakfast, under Shi Lan's insistence, Zhu'er reluctantly dressed her in a brocade dress that was typically worn in early autumn.

Shi Lan straightened her clothes, stood in front of the bronze mirror, looked at herself, and nodded in satisfaction.

This is what you call clothing. Can those things that are so thin that you can see a tiny mole on your skin even if you wear ten layers be considered clothing?

After dismissing Zhu'er and Dou'er, Shi Lan lowered the curtain and slowly stretched her limbs.

As the sun rose higher, beads of sweat glistened on Shi Lan's head and face. The thin, soft silk was soaked with sweat, clinging to her back, feeling icy and uncomfortable. With a few more moves to go, Shi Lan worried that her old ailment might be compounded by a new one, so she simply took off her soaked shirt and skirt, changed into an inner undergarment, and casually put on a thicker cardigan over it, continuing with the last few moves.

I thought it would only be a moment, but unexpectedly, the sound of an argument erupted outside, with Pearl trying to stop the guests. (To be continued.)