Warm jade also conveys warmth.

The Lingxiao Pavilion was so quiet at night that you could hear the candlelight burning. Yan Shu lay alone on the large bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The footsteps approached, steady and familiar. She instinctively gripped the corner of the blanket tighter.

Ling Yuan entered the inner room, remaining silent as always. He removed his outer robe, blew out the candle, and lay down on the other side of the bed. The entire process was smooth and effortless, without any unnecessary words or movements.

In the darkness, Yan Shu could feel the warmth emanating from beside her. She knew what was about to happen—it was a royal rule, an obligation that a princess had to fulfill.

After finishing, Ling Yuan got up as usual. The brocade quilt slipped off, revealing his well-defined back, which gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the moonlight filtering through the window curtains. He put on his nightgown and walked steadily toward the door without the slightest hesitation.

Just as his figure was about to disappear into the darkness outside the door, Yan Shu suddenly gasped softly. A sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, more intense than ever before. She bit her lower lip tightly, afraid to make a sound.

The footsteps stopped.

She held her breath, thinking she had misheard.

However, the footsteps turned back the next moment. Ling Yuan walked back to the bedside and stood quietly in the darkness for a moment.

"pain?"

One word, brief and direct, yet it made Yan Shu's heart skip a beat.

"No..." She instinctively wanted to deny it, but changed her mind the moment she met his gaze, "A little."

Surprisingly, he didn't leave immediately; instead, he sat down on the edge of the bed. The two of them remained there, one sitting and one lying down, silently facing each other in the darkness.

This has never happened before.

Usually by this time, he would have left long ago, leaving behind a room filled with emptiness and lingering ambiguous feelings. But tonight, he is here, still silent, yet his presence is exceptionally strong.

Yan Shu could feel the warmth emanating from him and smell his unique ambergris scent. At that moment, she suddenly felt her eyes welling up with tears.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally stood up again.

"Have the physician examine you tomorrow."

Only after he said that did his footsteps truly fade into the distance.

Yan Shu lay on the still-warm bed, her hand gently pressed against her lower abdomen. The pain there was still vivid, yet her heart felt enveloped by something warm.

She slept exceptionally well that night.

Since that night, Cui Yanshu clearly sensed a subtle change in Ling Yuan's attitude.

He remained a man of few words, still leaving early and returning late, but each day upon returning home, he would casually ask the maid on duty, "How was the Princess today?"

Upon learning of her recurring abdominal pain, he remained silent for a moment, then left...

Yan Shu's abdominal pain suddenly worsened during the night.

Cold sweat soaked her nightgown. She curled up on the bed, biting her lip tightly, afraid to make a sound. But the pain was too intense, and she couldn't help but groan softly.

Hearing the commotion, Chun Tao, who was on night watch, rushed in and lit the candles. Seeing the princess's pale face, Chun Tao's eyes reddened with anxiety: "Your Highness, the pain is even worse this time than last time! I'll go and inform the Prince immediately and fetch the physician!"

"Don't go..." Yan Shu grabbed her wrist tightly, "His Highness has to attend court tomorrow... I can bear this pain... I'm used to it..."

She didn't want to bother him anymore with this "woman's ailment," fearing that the slight difference that had just been revealed would be completely destroyed by her "trouble."

However, whether it was the guards on duty outside the courtyard who noticed something amiss and reported it, or whether he had been keeping an eye on things all along, within a quarter of an hour, Ling Yuan sent a trusted confidant with his token to summon the royal physician to come and examine him late at night.

The physician carefully examined her pulse and prescribed pain-relieving and meridian-warming medicine. As Yan Shu was helped by Chun Tao to drink the bitter medicine and lie down again, she faintly heard very light footsteps belonging to Ling Yuan coming from outside.

He seemed to stand in the outer room for a while, listening to the sounds inside, until her breathing gradually calmed down, before quietly leaving.

He didn't go inside to visit her, nor did he leave a single word of comfort, but this silent, behind-the-scenes arrangement allowed Yan Shu to feel a faint yet real warmth in the cold darkness of her illness.

On the evening of the third day, as darkness fell, the eunuchs in the courtyard had just lit the lanterns under the eaves when Ling Yuan once again stepped into Lingxiao Pavilion.

He walked steadily into the inner room. Yan Shu was leaning against the pillow, gazing absently at the deepening night outside the window. Hearing footsteps, she turned around in surprise and saw him already standing in front of the bed.

He held a wooden box no bigger than the palm of his hand. Without any further pleasantries, without even looking her in the eye, he simply placed the box on the bed as casually as if he were just putting down an insignificant book.

"The warm jade from the palace," he began, his tone flat and even, "is said to relieve cold pain when placed on the abdomen. Give it a try."

She placed the jade on her lower abdomen, and the warm current slowly seeped in, which actually relieved the pain quite a bit.

She answered softly, "Thank you, Your Highness."

He nodded, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment: "You still don't look well."

"It might not be fully recovered yet." She subconsciously touched her face.

"Those tonics your father gave you," he suddenly said, "you absolutely must not take them anymore."

Yan Shu was stunned.

"Your Highness, what's wrong...?"

"Just do as I say." He interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for argument.

His voice remained indifferent, but his words were like a warm current, instantly flowing through her entire body.

It turns out he always knew. He knew her situation, he knew her predicament.

At that moment, she suddenly felt like crying.

"Yes." She lowered her head, concealing her slightly reddened eyes. "Your Majesty, I understand."

He said no more, turned to leave, but stopped at the door.

"have a good rest."

Four words, light as a feather, yet they landed heavily on her heart.

He actually took her illness to heart.

This wasn't a perfunctory inquiry, nor a formulaic reward; rather, he had obtained this rare and precious warm jade directly from the palace. This time, he even explicitly ordered her to stop taking those so-called "tonics."

At this moment, Cui Yanshu finally couldn't hold back her tears.