warmth
Chu Chan ignored her little glances, picked up the storybook, sat down on the edge of her bed and started reading. Zhao Youyi found the lying position uncomfortable, so she crawled under the covers and then crawled out from the side, finding a comfortable position to snuggle in his arms.
Chu Chanyin tucked her in, making sure the wind wouldn't get in, before picking up the storybook and reading to her: "Long ago, there was a fox spirit who cultivated himself into human form and decided to repay the kindness of the little girl who had helped him many years ago..."
"To repay a debt of gratitude to a little girl? Is this fox spirit a male fox spirit?" Chu Chanyin glanced back in confusion, making sure he hadn't misread it before continuing.
Zhao Youyi reached out and shook his sleeve, pointing to the millet and pumpkin porridge on the table.
Chu Chanyin patted her head and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Zhao Youyi nodded, looking at him expectantly.
Chu Chan smiled and put down his storybook to serve her porridge. He touched the porcelain bowl to check its temperature, and finding it a bit hot, he took it in his hand, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and then held it to her lips: "Try the temperature."
Zhao Youyi took a bite and gave him a thumbs up.
Chu Chanyin was very patient, feeding her the small bowl of millet and pumpkin porridge spoonful by spoonful, just like taking care of a child. Afterwards, he poured her a cup of warm salt water to rinse her mouth.
Chu Chanyin got up and touched the temperature of the licorice tea. Feeling that the temperature was just right, he brought it over for her to drink. "It's sweet. Drink some; it's good for your throat."
Zhao Youyi brought the cup closer and smelled it, only catching a faint aroma of tea. She glanced at him with some skepticism, took a small sip, and then looked up at him in surprise.
Seeing that she had taken the cup and slowly finished drinking it, Chu Chanyin poured another cup and handed it to her.
Chu Chanyin continued to read the storybook to her. His voice was especially pleasant, clear and mellow. As Zhao Youyi listened, she fell into a deep sleep.
Chu Chanyin saw her sleeping peacefully on his lap and couldn't help but smile.
Feeling the unconscious smile on his lips, he reached out and touched it.
So as not to disturb her rest, he could only lean against the bed and flip through the storybook intermittently. When Zhao Youyi woke up, she saw his smooth and fair profile, with his hand supporting his chin as he took a nap.
His lips were very red, like vibrant, dewy peonies, making one want to pluck them.
Zhao Youyi unconsciously stretched out her finger and traced his outline in the air. Chu Chanyin was undoubtedly handsome, even from this angle he was breathtaking.
"King of Chu, King of Chu, how could you be so handsome?" Zhao Youyi murmured unconsciously.
"Cousin, actually I wasn't asleep." Chu Chanyin opened his eyes and looked at her.
Their eyes met, and Zhao Youyi felt so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear. She quickly withdrew her hand and shrank into the blanket.
"Alright, cousin, I know you admire my... appearance. You don't need to be shy. I admire you too." Seeing her like this, Chu Chanyin was afraid that she would suffocate if she didn't come out, so he suppressed a laugh and comforted her.
"Shut up!" Zhao Youyi said in a muffled voice.
"Cousin, you can talk now!" Chu Chanyin exclaimed in surprise as she realized what was happening.
Zhao Youyi, belatedly realizing that she had regained her voice, peeked out and glanced at him.
"Really!" Zhao Youyi said in surprise, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
"This is all thanks to my cousin's meticulous care," Zhao Youyi said to him. Her voice was still a little hoarse, but at least she could speak.
Chu Chanyin waved his hand, "It's only right that I take care of you."
"Why?" Zhao Youyi asked him.
Chu Chan pondered for a moment and said, "Because you are a very important person to me."
He could no longer describe her as his sister, nor could he say she was his wife. He thought that if he had to make a comparison, she was the most important person in his life.
Zhao Youyi chuckled softly, "Then I must hold a very important place in my cousin's heart."
Chu Chanyin glanced at the sky outside. "It's almost lunchtime. I'll go to the kitchen and warm up the millet and pumpkin porridge."
Zhao Youyi nodded. After the two finished lunch, Chu Chanyin continued to read storybooks to her. Zhao Youyi rested her head on his lap and played with his hair absentmindedly, appearing unusually childlike.
Chu Chanyin's tone was soft and gentle, making the storybook sound especially pleasant. Zhao Youyi had never felt so sleepy before, and she fell asleep again.
When she woke up, it was already evening. Chu Chanyin brought her millet and pumpkin porridge and a few refreshing side dishes and placed them on the table. Seeing that she was awake, he said, "Rinse your mouth and eat. You slept all afternoon, so you probably won't be able to sleep tonight."
Zhao Youyi got out of bed, stretched, picked up the warm salt water next to her, rinsed her mouth, and said nonchalantly, "It's all because my cousin's voice was too hypnotic; I fell asleep instantly."
Chu Chanyin draped a cloak he had bought from the street over her shoulders, saying, "You're still sick; you can't wear so little."
Zhao Youyi obediently put on the cloak. The color she chose was white, and it was surrounded by warm rabbit fur, making her look exceptionally cute.
After the two finished their meal, Chu Chanyin asked someone to bring in water for her to bathe. "I know you'll feel uncomfortable tonight if you don't bathe, but you can't bathe for too long, and you can't wash your hair either. Just bear with it for now."
Zhao Youyi knew he was doing this for her own good, so she could only agree.
Chu Chanyin got up and went to the next room to take a shower. After he finished getting ready, Zhao Youyi had just finished dressing and was about to lie down on the bed. Chu Chanyin gave her a disapproving look, picked up a dry towel and helped her wring out her hair that was damp from the steam.
Zhao Youyi glanced at him, then at the bitter medicine on the table, and couldn't help but ask, "How many more days do I have to drink this medicine?"
Without hesitation, Chu Chanyin replied, "Three days, twice a day."
Zhao Youyi felt a headache when she tasted the spicy bitterness at the tip of her nose.
"Good medicine tastes bitter, cousin, don't throw a childish tantrum," Chu Chanyin said, looking at her.
Sick people can be a bit childish. Hearing this, Zhao Youyi glared at him but didn't reply.
Chu Chanyin tested the temperature and, seeing that it was just right, held it to her lips. Zhao Youyi took the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
Chu Chanyin quickly brought her warm salt water to rinse her mouth, and then stuffed a piece of candied fruit into her mouth.
Having finally suppressed the bitterness, Zhao Youyi said, "This medicine tastes really strange."
Chu Chanyin coaxed, "All fever-reducing prescriptions are like this, just bear with it."
Zhao Youyi glanced at him, turned over, and continued sleeping.
Chu Chanyin reached out and touched her black hair. "Once you're better, we'll visit Master Xu again. Don't worry, cousin. It's just that it's inconvenient for me to go alone, otherwise I would have done it for you."
Zhao Youyi quickly declined his idea, saying, "There's no need for you to trouble yourself, cousin."
What a joke! If the famous Prince Chu were to buy provisions for her, wouldn't all the provisions end up in the hands of the Chu army?
Although Chu Chanyin could be trusted to a limited extent, the people under his command were not necessarily so.
It took Zhao Youyi two days to recover his energy. Seeing that three days had been wasted, the two dared not delay any longer and rode their horses straight to Master Xu's mansion.
The conversation went very smoothly, probably because Master Qian had given Master Xu a message beforehand. Otherwise, Master Xu wouldn't have knelt down and called out "Your Highness" as soon as he saw Chu Chanyin, and only then noticed Zhao Youyi in front of him, and respectfully called him "General".
Zhao Youyi was only glad that these people had the sense not to call her "Princess Consort," otherwise all the reputation she had worked so hard to build would have been used to benefit Chu Chanyin.
When she faked her marriage to Chu Chanyin, she never imagined that she could revive the Zhao family army. If she had known this earlier, she would never have married Chu Chanyin.
Although Chu Chanyin was good to her, he was too perfect, so perfect that he seemed like a mannequin. She couldn't find any weaknesses in him, and his sincerity towards her made her unable to feel that he was dangerous, nor could she completely let her guard down.
She kept saying that Chu Chanyin didn't trust her enough, but in fact, she was the one who never trusted him from beginning to end.
"Cousin, I don't know what happened." Once they were alone, Chu Chanyin grabbed her sleeve and explained, his brows furrowing as he spoke.
Zhao Youyi gave him a reassuring smile, as if it didn't matter, "Cousin, do you think that my trip to Jiangzhou with you is an attempt to take advantage of your power, status, and the reputation you've cultivated over the years?"
Chu Chanyin shook his head without hesitation, then said sincerely, "I have never thought that way, and besides... I am willing to be used by you."
"Willingly?" Zhao Youyi was somewhat surprised.
“I’m willing,” Chu Chanyin said again.
“Cousin, what I’m going to do in the future may seem unorthodox to the world. Even so, will you still believe in me and support me?” Zhao Youyi asked, staring intently at him.
Chu Chanyin boldly pulled her into his arms. "It is my honor to walk alongside you. No matter what the future holds, I will stand by your side and unconditionally trust and support you."
Zhao Youyi felt his heartbeat so close to hers, and felt her cold heart melt away with his tenderness.
Matsuda Prefecture is very close to Yongliu Villa. Zhao Youyi originally planned to visit her blood cousin Chi Yuming on the way. However, while she was leaning against Chu Chanyin's chest, pondering what to do in the future, a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Niao Niao? What are you doing here?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youyi turned her head and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw Chi Yuming holding a little girl of two or three years old, staring blankly at her and Chu Chanyin not far away.
Chu Chanyin's interest was also dampened by the familiar voice. He looked at Chi Yuming with some displeasure, his once affectionate peach blossom eyes now filled with fierceness.
Zhao Youyi keenly sensed Chu Chanyin's displeasure. This was the first time she had ever seen the elegant Prince Chu show hostility towards someone. She had originally thought that Chu Chanyin was a mild-mannered person, but she hadn't expected that Prince Chu usually just endured it and was tolerant of her.
"You... why are you hugging each other?" Chi Yuming looked at the two of them with disbelief. "Is it true that you're getting married?"
“Cousin Ming,” Zhao Youyi left Chu Chanyin’s embrace and bowed to Chi Yuming. She did not answer his question, but her gaze fell on the little girl in his arms. She was startled. “Whose child is this?”
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