Chapter 176 A toad crawling on the instep, disgusting.

Shen Yiqiu awoke from her daze to find herself in a room with furnishings that were both strange and familiar.

She was stunned for a moment, not quite regaining her senses, when she heard Xiao Yongjing's voice filled with surprise:

"You're awake?"

He was carrying a bowl of thick, dark medicine when he saw her open her eyes. He quickened his pace and carefully sat on the edge of the bed.

Shen Yiqiu did not answer immediately, but slowly looked around.

The carved window frames, the old bow hanging on the wall, the faint scent of wood in the air… A hint of nostalgia flashed in her eyes, and she whispered:

"Shen Mansion...you're the one who brought me back?"

He gave a wry smile as he spoke.

"It's laughable, having inherited the title for so long, I haven't even had a proper stay in this manor for more than a few days. I never imagined I'd return in such a wretched manner..."

Xiao Yongjing frowned slightly and pushed the medicine bowl forward a little further:

"You just woke up, don't overthink it. Here, drink your medicine first."

He naturally scooped up a spoonful, carefully blew on it to make sure the temperature was right, and then brought it to her lips.

This was the first time Shen Yiqiu had been cared for so meticulously by a man. Looking into his focused eyes so close to hers, she looked away uncomfortably and reached out to take the bowl.

"I can do it myself."

Xiao Yongjing easily dodged her hand by raising his wrist:

"You want to do it yourself? Look at yourself now, you could be blown away by the wind. Listen to me, drink it now."

There was a strange magic in his voice that left Shen Yiqiu, who was used to shouldering everything on her own, unable to muster the strength to refute him.

She had no choice but to open her mouth slightly and obediently swallow the spoonful of bitter medicine.

She had just finished taking a sip when Xiao Yongjing, as if by magic, pulled a candied plum from his sleeve and gently placed it into her mouth.

Shen Yiqiu's mouth was instantly filled with a sweet and sour taste, and she was somewhat surprised: "Plum?"

She took two small bites, and the familiar taste stirred up almost forgotten memories in her mind, causing her eyes to involuntarily well up with tears.

She looked up at him, staring at him in disbelief:

"Where...where did you find this?"

Xiao Yongjing's lips curled slightly as he casually spoke:

“Since I’ve decided to bring you back to the Shen residence, I naturally need to do my homework. I’ve inquired with the elders in the household, and they all say that your grandmother always kept this in the small kitchen when she was alive. She herself didn’t like sweets, so I suppose it was prepared for you.”

Shen Yiqiu smiled and said, "You've gone to a lot of trouble."

Then she found it a little funny, "But I've only taken a sip of medicine, isn't it a bit too early to eat plums now?"

Xiao Yongjing stared intently at her, his tone more serious than ever before:

"What does it matter if it's sooner or later? I only hope that from this moment on, every moment of your remaining life will be sweet."

These straightforward yet affectionate words startled Shen Yiqiu, and a strange bitterness welled up inside her.

She knew her own body well. Although the imperial physicians hadn't explicitly stated it, she knew that her recent vomiting of blood and weakness had taken a heavy toll, and whether she could survive the next month was uncertain.

She instinctively wanted to refuse, but Xiao Yongjing seemed to read her mind and grabbed her wrist before she could speak.

"Shen Yiqiu, don't speak."

He gazed into her eyes, speaking each word as if making a vow, "Take good care of yourself. You will live to be a hundred."

Whether it was her imagination or not, Xiao Yongjing's expression was unusually serious at this moment, and the taste of medicine in his mouth seemed to rise again, mixed with a faint smell of blood. She couldn't help but cough lightly twice.

In that instant, she keenly noticed that when she coughed, Xiao Yongjing hunched over slightly and his brows furrowed rapidly.

She instinctively reached out and touched his chest:

"Are you injured?"

"When did this happen? Have you seen the imperial physician?"

Xiao Yongjing's body stiffened, then he quickly took half a step back to create distance, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"Injured? Are you worried about me?"

He grabbed her outstretched wrist and made as if to pull her into his arms.

"Whether you're injured or not, why don't you come and feel it for yourself and you'll know?"

Caught off guard, Shen Yiqiu was pulled into his arms, enveloped by his warm breath.

But the feeling lasted only a moment before she jerked away from his embrace as if burned, sitting back on the bed, her ears slightly red, and coughed a few times to cover it up.

"I...I'll take my medicine."

Seeing her unusual panic, Xiao Yongjing's wicked smile deepened, but he didn't approach her any further. He simply handed her the medicine bowl again.

After she silently finished drinking her medicine, Xiao Yongjing took the empty bowl, his expression returning to seriousness, and asked:

"Why didn't you just kill Consort Zhao that day? If she were in the Song residence, you could have killed her and I would have taken care of it for you. But now that she's back in the palace, it's as difficult as climbing to heaven to make a move. Isn't taking revenge on your enemies your long-held obsession?"

Shen Yiqiu put down the medicine bowl, wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and her expression became solemn.

"She gave me a reason not to kill her on the spot."

Xiao Yongjing raised an eyebrow, his tone becoming somewhat amused:

"Oh? What reason could be more important than a blood feud?"

"She mentioned two things. The first was about the death of Consort Jia."

Xiao Yongjing's hand holding the medicine bowl trembled slightly, then his expression became serious.

"Go on!"

"She said that Consort Jia's death was not an accident. Moreover... most of the people who knew about this are dead, but she is the only one still alive."

Xiao Yongjing's face darkened:

What else did she say?

"The second thing is about Zhao Ke'er. She said that Zhao Ke'er's son, who was rumored to have died young, may not have died, and she... knows the whereabouts of that child."

Looking at his reaction, Shen Yiqiu slowly said:

"She used these two secrets to get her back to the palace safely. She said that as long as she was safe, she would tell me the whereabouts of that person later."

Xiao Yongjing remained silent for a moment, then looked up at her, his eyes swirling with emotion.

"So...you let her go because of...the truth about my mother, and that possible...child?"

Shen Yiqiu met his gaze, frank and calm:

"Yes, and not entirely."

She frowned slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"I've thought it over and over again. Back then, Consort Zhao was just a palace maid. Even if she later gained favor, how could she have had such power and audacity to plot against a border general like my grandmother?"

“I always felt that there might be someone behind her. A bigger fish hiding in the deeper, darker places. Keeping her alive might be the chance to lure out the real mastermind behind it all.”

Xiao Yongjing raised his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them:

Whom do you suspect?

Just then, Qingzhu's respectful voice came from outside the door:

"Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince, those young masters from the Song family have arrived and are making a fuss outside the mansion gate, demanding to see you."

Bai Mei quickly followed up, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction:

"Miss! Your Highness! Those scoundrels from the Song family are blocking our gate and making a scene!"

She didn't even wait for a proper response from inside before pushing the door open and walking in, hands on her hips, her face full of disgust:

"I tried so hard to tell them that you were sick and needed to rest, but they all ignored me! Especially that fourth young master, he just sat down on the ground and started yelling that if he couldn't see anyone, he would be a beggar at the gate of our manor for the rest of his life. Bah! He's like a toad on my foot—he doesn't bite, but he disgusts people!"

She grew angrier as she spoke, her fists clenched tightly.

"In my opinion, why waste words with them? Just have the guards pick them up and throw them out of the alley! But Qingzhu insists on asking for your permission first. If you give the word, I'll take people to take them away and make sure they're gone cleanly and never come to bother you again!"

Xiao Yongjing's face instantly turned frosty, clearly displeased.

Shen Yiqiu smiled. Seeing Bai Meineng cursing with great vigor, she figured he must be feeling much better, and she felt relieved.

He calmly straightened his sleeves:

"Let them in."