Swallowing hard, Ji Fengyao sighed helplessly, "Your Highness, could you please close your eyes and not look at me?"

"This medicine is really too hot," Shang Xiye said through gritted teeth, whimpering like a puppy.

Hmm, is this guy trying to be cute with her?

Ji Fengyao was speechless. She reached out and covered his eyes, threatening in a low voice, "Close your eyes quickly, otherwise the medicine will cool down and lose its effectiveness, and you'll have to scald it again!"

Feeling a gentle brush of eyelashes against her palm, Ji Fengyao removed her hand, and Shang Xiye obediently closed his eyes.

She then gently said while administering acupuncture, "Silently recite the 'Gathering Spirit Technique' in your mind. This will make you feel better and help the medicinal properties of the decoction penetrate more thoroughly, allowing toxins to be metabolized out of your body more completely."

"Okay," Shang Xiye replied softly, and sat down in the bathtub to meditate as instructed.

As the silver needles were inserted one by one, and after silently reciting the "Gathering Spirit Technique" to circulate his inner energy (spiritual power) for two major cycles, Shang Xiye indeed felt much better. He felt warm and comfortable from body to soul.

Suddenly, he felt a slight ripple in his mind.

It wasn't the kind of fluctuation I felt before, where I felt something moving; it was a very mysterious feeling.

He seemed to see a world ravaged by endless lightning, with violent purple electric snakes intertwined, carrying a world-destroying pressure that made one feel suffocated at just a glance.

He felt he should be the protagonist in this world that was about to be destroyed, but he had the mindset of an observer.

He felt very calm.

"Never forget, even in death, never forget, even if you are reduced to ashes," Shang Xiye murmured unconsciously.

Ji Fengyao, who was giving him the last injection, was slightly taken aback when she heard this. What?

Has he gone mad?

Turning around to look at him closely, he remained calm and unmoved, which didn't seem like it.

Ji Fengyao felt relieved, but feeling uneasy from the steam in the bathroom, she went out to drink tea and get some fresh air.

She had just turned around, sat down, and poured herself a cup of tea.

Suddenly, Shang Xiye, inside the bathtub, parted his thin lips and uttered three words that Ji Fengyao recognized very well.

Unfortunately, she didn't hear it.

The next morning, Ji Fengyao received another secret letter from Xiong Yingxiang.

This time, he readily agreed and simplified the content, writing only one line: "Ten million taels, not approved, trial to begin today."

Ji Fengyao chuckled lightly: "This guy is quite good at taking advantage of a crisis. Isn't he afraid that the Duke of Chen and his son will come back and skin him alive?"

"The title of Prefect of the Capital may not seem high, but it's not something just anyone can hold. Although the official rank isn't high, one's words can reach the Emperor's ears directly, and one has the Emperor's backing. No matter which faction it is, they won't easily take a bite out of this seemingly unappealing but ultimately worthless piece of meat," Shang Xi said casually from behind a book, leaning back on the long couch in the middle of the night.

Finally, lost in thought for a moment, he muttered to himself, "My little wife is quite good at finding helpers."

He didn't even realize it after he finished speaking.

Ji Fengyao seemed to be frozen in place, staring at him blankly, her heart filled with a jumble of emotions.

Why didn't he say "my queen"?

How could he say "my little wife"?

How could he say such an intimate and private term of endearment so sweetly and naturally?

It was as if he had been calling her that for a long time, but she had never noticed or heard it.

Shang Xiye noticed the little bandit staring blankly at him, and belatedly remembered what he had just said. He immediately sat up from the soft pillow.