Get ill

It takes half a day's ride south from Yangzhou City to reach this small county town.

It's a small city, not as prosperous as Yangzhou, but it's also bustling with people coming and going.

However, at this time, the streets were empty.

Because of the epidemic, every household, like everyone in Yangzhou, stayed indoors.

Inside Xu's Cloth Shop, the huge black and gold-plated plaque had not yet been hung on the door, but the inside was already in chaos.

In the front hall, the flames in the copper basin suddenly jumped up, and the gradually warming spring day made people sweat.

Qi Qinghe stepped aside slightly and looked at the copper basin. Flames were billowing, and fabrics of various colors and exquisite patterns were thrown into the basin and turned into ashes in the blink of an eye.

All the fabrics that Li Niang had handled were gathered here and destroyed under the supervision of the county magistrate.

"The epidemic has been serious these days, so it's better for young ladies not to go out unless necessary." The county magistrate, who was nearly fifty years old, stroked his beard and said with a stern face, his words were extremely serious.

"Thank you for making this trip, sir." Qi Qinghe nodded. The county magistrate came here not just to watch her destroy these things, but also told her a lot of things about the county.

For example, half of the people in the city were infected with the epidemic, including Aunt Li, who was familiar with Qi Qinghe. She had a high fever for two days and only felt better last night. The county magistrate had reported it to Yangzhou City and the capital, requesting medical help.

Anyone who was sick in the county was placed in the palace of the post station. They were not allowed to interact with others and their relatives were not allowed to visit them.

The only exception is Li Niang.

Qi Qinghe understood the county magistrate's implication, thanked him repeatedly, sent the man away, and then went to the backyard.

This is the second day that Li Niang has been ill. The prince sent someone to see her yesterday, and Li Niang has improved a lot.

When Qi Qinghe pushed the door open, Li Niang was leaning on the bed, eating porridge and drinking medicine. Seeing the girl from the east side come in, she lifted the quilt and was about to get up, but was held down by the people beside her.

Qi Qinghe walked over quickly, "How are you feeling today, Li Niang? Are you feeling better?"

"Much better." Li Niang nodded repeatedly, tears welling in her eyes. She listened to Miss Qin'er's story about the past few days, how Miss Dong had been by her side day and night, taking care of her and hiring doctors and giving her medicine. She was so excited that she spoke incoherently, "Thank you so much, Miss Dong, for taking care of me these past few days. I'm so grateful and have no way to repay you. I wish to be at your disposal for the rest of my life."

"That's not necessary." Qi Qinghe was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and hurriedly supported the person who was about to kneel down. "What can I do for you? Just take a good rest. There's no rush for anything else..."

The corners of her mouth curved up, her round almond eyes were like moonlight, and she gently held Li Niang's hand. Just as she was about to say a few words to comfort Li Niang, her body swayed, her head ached, and her vision suddenly went black, and she fell straight on Li Niang.

Li Niang was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly supported the girl from the east family. The doctor who was guarding Li Niang beside her kept calling for people. The servants and maids brought by Cheng Xi came in one after another, half-lifting and half-supporting the person back to the girl's bedroom.

…

After an unknown amount of time, Qi Qinghe felt sore all over, his head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, and he couldn't lift his heavy eyelids.

There were people walking around me, their footsteps were noisy and chaotic, mixed with excited words, which gave me a splitting headache.

She opened her mouth, but her throat was burning with pain and she couldn't speak. Her fingers moved slightly, but she was wrapped in thick blankets, and she was sweating all over, feeling very hot and wet, which was quite unbearable.

Soon, her hands were held by someone. The palms of the hands holding her were covered with calluses, and the round fingers were rough, scratching her and making her feel a little itchy, but not painful.

This is her mother, Qi Xu. Qi Qinghe would not mistake her even with her eyes closed.

The bitter medicine was fed spoonful by spoonful, flowing down the throat into the body. Only when it was finished did the soreness ease a little. The crow-feather-like eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.

What caught my eye was A'niang's red eyes, the corners of which she kept wiping away tears. Turning her head to the side, she saw her younger sister Qi Qingyu, Qin'er and Chengxi, and a doctor taking her pulse. Apart from them, there was no one else.

"Sister, you're finally awake." Qi Qingyu patted her chest and together with Qi Xushi, helped her sit up. They gave her some water and looked at her eagerly, "How do you feel now, sister?"

"Luckily, the doctor was here and treated me promptly, so I didn't get any further delays." Qi Xu wiped the tears from her eyes and choked up, "I always told you that you didn't need to do these things yourself, but you didn't believe me. Now look what happened, you've fallen ill too."

"Fortunately, nothing happened. What should I do if something went wrong?" Qi Xu said, unable to hold back her tears.

Qi Qinghe opened his mouth, but his hoarse voice still made him unable to speak. He could only hug his mother tightly. His head was dizzy, and he saw overlapping figures in his eyes, which he could not see clearly. He subconsciously comforted his mother.

After a while, Qi Qinghe felt his throat was better, and he explained in a hoarse voice: "Don't be afraid, mother. With so many doctors here, everything will be fine."

Having said that, she felt a surge of fear in her heart. The epidemic was so severe that she never thought she would fall ill. After all, she had rarely been sick since she was a child.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Qi Qingyu pulled the two apart to prevent them from hugging each other and crying. "Don't worry, auntie, there are so many doctors here, my sister will be fine."

"Yes, madam, the young lady has just woken up and is still weak. She shouldn't get too excited. You have been with her for so long, why don't you go and have a rest first and come to visit her tomorrow." Cheng Xi interrupted at the right time, glancing out the window with the corner of his eyes, and then retracted his gaze in an instant.

Qi Xu woke up as if from a dream and nodded hurriedly, "Then you should rest well. I'm in the bedroom next door. Call me if you need anything. Don't try to be so stubborn."

Qi Qingyu also agreed, "I'll ask the kitchen to send some light porridge over later. Sister, remember to eat something before going to bed."

Qi Qinghe was stunned and looked outside the house. The dark night was hazy, and a few bright lights hung high, illuminating the small courtyard.

Several helpers in the yard were guarding the place, pacing back and forth and peeking inside from time to time.

Qi Qinghe was stunned for a moment, then quickly withdrew his gaze, lowered his head to hide the tears in his eyes, and answered yes.

Qi Qingyu supported Qi Xu and slowly walked out of the house.

In a moment, the closed window was pushed open with a creak. She looked over and saw a familiar person.

Xiao Junbai didn't realize anything was wrong. He strode over, hugged her in his arms, and reached out to touch her forehead.

The scorching temperature made the prince frown, "How do you feel now? Are you feeling better?"

Qi Qinghe seemed to have not heard anything. Seeing him enter the place as if it were no one's home, he walked in freely and easily. The corner of his mouth curled up with a mocking arc, "Your Highness came just in time. I am fine."

Xiao Junbai managed to hear a hint of complaint in these sarcastic words. The corners of his mouth curled up for a moment, then straightened again. He pressed Qi Qinghe's shoulders and told her to lie down.

Qi Qinghe stared at him, her thick eyelashes trembling slightly, and her dark eyes were full of confusion.

"I had something to do today, so I'm late." Xiao Junbai said calmly, picked up the tea bowl beside the bed and fed her water.

He really couldn't get away. He came to Yangzhou to investigate a case, and his royal brother was injured. He only woke up around noon today, so he rushed here without stopping.

But there was no need to say it, for fear that Qi Qinghe would misunderstand him as making excuses.

Qi Qinghe frowned slightly. Is that what she was asking? Even so, the spoon was brought to her lips, and she subconsciously opened her mouth.

The warm tea slides down the throat, and after the bitterness, there is a hint of sweetness.

Xiao Junbai put down the empty bowl and carefully tucked in the quilt for the man. "I can't stay here for long. Tomorrow I'll have Chengxi take you to Yangzhou City."

It is said in an affirmative manner, not a question.

Qi Qinghe had been with the Crown Prince for several months and was quite familiar with his tone. Perhaps it was because he was ill, and since she wasn't the Crown Princess at the moment, she immediately replied unhappily, "Whatever His Highness says is what it is. It's not my place to comment."

The sarcastic words made Xiao Junbai frown even tighter. He moved the person inside and lay down on his side, speaking as slowly as possible, "I have official business to attend to. I can take care of you in Yangzhou."

Is this an explanation? Qi Qinghe had never heard the prince speak in such a gentle tone before. Even so, her tone was not very good. "I can be taken care of well here."

Xiao Junbai stared at her with his deep eyes and did not say anything for a long time.

Seeing this, Qi Qinghe's heart was beating like a drum and he became nervous instantly. Only then did he realize what he had said.

If he really was ill and unconscious, he could still say such nonsense. He even dared to throw a tantrum at the prince. He was really audacious.

She smiled awkwardly, "Thank you, Your Majesty..."

Qi Qinghe was about to speak when he was interrupted by the prince.

Xiao Junbai leaned over and held her in his arms, his strong arms tightly around her. He leaned close to her red ear and sighed softly, "I want to take care of you, I want to be closer to you."

"I've thought carefully about what you said. There must be some misunderstanding between us." Xiao Junbai's broad palm fell on the man's back, patting him gently to comfort him. His voice became softer, "Why don't we take this opportunity to get along well and resolve the misunderstanding."

Qi Qing's heart was beating so fast that it seemed to jump out of her throat. The huge sound of drums exploded in her ears, making them buzz.

She couldn't believe what she heard. Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding could there be between her and the prince?

In a trance, what my younger sister had said, that the prince liked her, came back to my mind.

But how is this possible? !

Qi Qinghe's eyes were wide open, filled with surprise, and she looked very cute. Xiao Junbai raised the corners of his mouth slightly and raised his hand to rub her cheek.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Qi Xu stood outside the door, holding a food box. Worried that her daughter had already gone to bed, she lowered her voice and asked, "Qinghe, are you ready for bed? There's some food in the kitchen. Why don't you eat something to fill your stomach before going to bed?"

Qi Xu's sudden voice broke the strange silence between the two.

Qi Qinghe hurriedly tried to respond, but she found her voice was hoarse and her throat was still sore. "Mother, I'll be right there."

As he said this, he ignored the prince's deep eyes and gently pushed him, wanting him to hide.

Unexpectedly, the prince grabbed her wrist and she fell straight onto him.

The two faces were very close to each other, their noses touching, their breath mixed and sprayed on their faces, burning their cheeks red.

Xiao Junbai's voice was very soft, almost like a breath, "Do you agree?"