Chapter 12: Her waist was a little painful from being clamped, and she felt a little shy,...
His hot breath fell on Lin Meizhu's neck, and he seemed more anxious than imagined.
Her waist was a little painful from being clamped, and she felt a little shy, so she called out softly, "Prince..."
Shen Changfeng didn't respond, but pulled her to the bed, and they both fell into the soft bedding.
Lin Meizhu's heart was pounding. She put her arm around his back, then suddenly stopped and asked, "Prince, what's wrong with you?"
Shen Changfeng half of his body was pressed on her, as if he had fallen asleep.
She hadn't fully recovered yet, and Shen Changfeng had said he wasn't injured, so she'd assumed the blood on him was someone else's. But when she felt the wet, sticky fabric on his back, she realized something was amiss. She moved his arm away, peering at his back in the dim light, and gasped.
The dark ice silk was shimmering with silver like gauze, and the dark lines of water waves on the shoulders and neck had been completely soaked in red. Shen Changfeng's eyes were tightly closed, and he had obviously fallen into a coma.
Lin Meizhu felt a little guilty, her first reaction being to call a doctor, but she quickly dismissed the thought. If anyone knew that Shen Changfeng's injuries had worsened at this time, would it get him into trouble? She didn't know what Shen Changfeng had done outside, but with the incident at Tianxiang Tower, some would definitely suspect the palace of revenge. Although he had indeed gone there to seek revenge...it was better to avoid trouble than to worry about it.
Lin Meiju acted decisively, lit a few candlesticks, and then rummaged through the mother-of-pearl inlaid dressing table, pulling out a small white porcelain jar from the small drawer at the edge.
This is the mugwort pill she made herself. Crushed mugwort can cure all kinds of diseases, stop bleeding, dispel wind and promote tissue regeneration.
Originally, there were many portable small medicine bottles like this. However, when Lin's father learned that Lin Meizhu had studied medicine in Lingnan, he was furious. If people knew that the Lin family had a medicine woman, where would the Lin family's reputation be? Therefore, he repeatedly ordered Lin Meizhu not to show off her medical skills and threw away all the pills she had brewed. The mugwort pill was spared because she lent it to Qing'er, who happened to be having her period.
She dissolved the two pills in warm water, wiped the scissors with mugwort juice, and then cut open the clothes on Shen Changfeng's back. Seeing the bloody scars, Lin Meizhu felt more guilty. She frowned and cleaned the wound. After applying the medicine, she found that he had started to have a low fever.
She helped him put on his undershirt and quickly packed up his bloodstained clothes. Then she pretended to wake up from a dream and told the servants, "The prince didn't sleep well and has a fever. Go and get a doctor."
Shen Changfeng sweated a little after drinking the medicine, but in the second half of the night he developed a high fever again, and there was no sign of the fever subsiding until the cockcrowed.
Lin Meizhu had glanced at the prescription and knew that doctors in wealthy families generally used milder medicines. As a doctor, she knew recovery took time, but her concern was distracting, and her mind was filled with uncontrollable thoughts.
High fever is the harbinger of a myriad of ailments, spreading like a raging fire or rekindling a spark, each one a matter of life and death. A high fever in a young child can cause convulsions at the mildest, or even dementia and premature death at the worst. Even in the middle-aged, high fever can lead to death from the accumulation of toxic and blood stasis.
Lin Meiju dismissed everyone, breathed a sigh of relief, and walked towards the small drawer again with determination.
At dusk, several servants held long poles and caught cicadas under a tree. Qing'er waited nearby with a bamboo basket covered with a white silk cloth. She collected the cicadas she had caught. This was Lin Meizhu's instruction; dried cicada shells could be used as medicine.
Suddenly, several children's voices came from behind: "Why are you collecting the cicadas?"
Qing'er turned around and saw that it was Chen Chali and his cousins who had just returned home from school. Qing'er rolled her eyes and replied with a smile, "Let's fry it."
Chen Chali exclaimed, somewhat unbelievingly: "Can this be eaten?"
Qing'er replied, "Yes, it's edible. Stir-fry it with onions and garlic. It's very fragrant. Would you like some, young master?"
Chen Chali shook his head hurriedly. He had heard that people in Lingnan ate raw meat and drank blood. He didn't expect this little servant girl, who was so polite, to have been corrupted by her sister-in-law. Chen Chali felt a little more respect and contempt for this strange sister-in-law. He walked towards the main room, "Where's my brother? Is he feeling better?"
Qing'er hurriedly followed and replied, "The prince's fever subsided this morning. He just woke up for a while and is now fine."
Shen Chali replied: "Then I will go see him."
Qing'er nodded and added, "Young Master, please keep your voice down. The Crown Prince's Consort stayed up all night taking care of the Crown Prince. This morning, she went to Rongxi Hall to manage the affairs. She just came back and is taking a nap in Furong Garden..."
Chen Chali nodded indifferently and led the group forward, chattering about the rumors they heard in the Imperial College today.
"I heard that Tianxiang Tower was burned down!"
"Is this true? Isn't the shopkeeper a relative of the Imperial Concubine? Who is so bold?"
Someone lowered their voice and said, "I heard that the Crown Prince's Consort was assaulted there yesterday? Did our Crown Prince go to seek justice for her?"
After saying that, everyone looked at Chen Chali. The latter had a very strange look in his eyes and said, "How is it possible? Didn't you hear that my eldest brother just woke up? Although my eldest brother has done a lot of bad things, we can't put all the blame on him."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Shen Zhongda had dealt such a heavy blow that he would have been unable to get out of bed for several days. Moreover, Shen Changfeng did not like Lin Meizhu, so there was no reason for him to risk offending Concubine Xue, who was in the emperor's favor, for her.
Chen Chali continued, "I heard that Ding Er coveted the family business. Seeing his cousin Ding Sheng's Yijing Garden making a lot of money, he became jealous and deliberately hired assassins to kill Ding Sheng. However, Ding Sheng was very cunning and saw through his plot. He then hired a group of top assassins..."
"That's why there were such signs of a fierce fight at the scene! Severed fingers and debris were scattered all over the ground..."
The more they talked, the more excited they became. Qing'er was about to remind them to speak in a low voice again, but when she looked up, she saw a figure in pear blossom-white hair walking out of the hanging flower gate.
Qing'er no longer paid attention to the group of young men and went to greet them: "Young Madam, why don't you sleep a little longer?"
In fact, Lin Meizhu had woken up long before Shen Chali arrived. She was worried that Shen Changfeng would have a fever again, so she slept uneasily. When she heard the noisy voices in the front yard, she knew that Shen Changfeng had woken up, so she got up and went to the pharmacy to get the decocted medicine.
Qing'er took the black lacquer tray from her and said, "How can I let you do these jobs?"
Although Qing'er has been serving Lin Meiju for almost two years, Lin Meiju is still not used to ordering servants around. She always feels embarrassed. What's more, she doesn't regard Qing'er as a servant. Qing'er is the only one who gave her steamed buns when she was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall. Lin Meiju always remembers the kindness others have shown her and treats Qing'er, who is two years younger than her, as her sister.
Lin Meizhu smiled and said, "There's nothing to do anyway, and it's not any heavy work."
As they talked, they approached the main room and heard the voices of people in the room across the corridor.
"A few days ago, a group of Persian singers arrived in the capital. They were tall and voluptuous, and their waists were incredibly powerful... ahem, they had amazing voices and sang beautifully! The prince has been bored these past few days, so why don't I ask them to come and cheer him up?"
The person who spoke was Shen Dalang, the eldest son of Shen Jikang from the second house.
Chen Chali's voice was a little nervous: "No, no! If Dad finds out..."
Shen Dalang continued, "It's just listening to music and watching dances, what's the big deal?"
Shen Chali's objection was drowned out by many boos.
Lin Meiju paused. It was only two steps away, and she could openly interrupt their conversation and let the matter go, but she still abruptly stopped knocking on the door.
She really wanted to hear his answer.
A low laugh came from inside the door, and Shen Changfeng said in a relaxed tone: "How difficult is this? The peach blossom garden in the backyard is still empty, just bring them in."
Facing Qing'er's worried gaze, Lin Meiju smiled awkwardly and forcedly, her fingers unconsciously curled up her sleeves, as if trying to grab something to hold on to prevent herself from falling.
Qing Er felt indignant and cursed in her heart: The root of men's bad nature is there! It's really weird just to listen to the music and enjoy the dance! In the end, she couldn't help but whispered: "It's obvious that the Second Madam found out and wanted to hide those singing girls here. It's really Ximen Qing inviting Wu Dalang!"
Shen Jikang was a playboy, and his wife, Zhang, feared that his sons would be corrupted by his father's corruption, so she kept a tight rein on her sons. However, the devil was always stronger, and those unruly sons set their sights on Shen Changfeng. Zhang was sure she wouldn't dare say anything against him.
In reality, it was perfectly normal for aristocratic families to keep singing girls. Lin Meizhu knew she would have to face these things sooner or later in her position, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon, less than five days after entering the family. She remembered what Ye Chen Changfeng had said in the bridal chamber: he had promised to treat her with respect, so she had to keep that promise and learn to be magnanimous. She ignored the pain in her heart, patted the back of Qing'er's hand, and said soothingly, "Okay, it's nothing serious. Give me the medicine."
She stepped over the threshold and the noise in the room instantly quieted down.
Shen Changfeng also raised his eyes. The person who came was wearing a sky-blue narrow-sleeved shirt with a light cloud-colored main belt underneath. There was only a plain hairpin with flowers and pearls on his butterfly bun. This was a very ordinary outfit.
The faces of several young men in the room suddenly turned red. Shen Dalang didn't know how much Lin Meizhu had heard, and even his greetings became halting. He didn't dare to look at her any longer, and hurriedly ran away with his younger brothers.
Shen Changfeng was calm and collected: "Did you hear everything I just said?"
Lin Meizhu's face was calm: "I will order people to clean up the rooms in Taohuawu later."
Shen Changfeng nodded, noticing the dark circles under her eyes, and thinking she must have been busy all night. He couldn't remember who had stayed by his side the last time he was sick, or perhaps there hadn't been anyone. He wasn't used to her kindness, nor did he like the strange, sour, and numb feeling in his heart.
As if desperately needing to dispel the strange feeling in his heart, he quickly asked another unnecessary question: "Did you call a doctor last night?"
Lin Meizhu hummed, "They called at a different time, and I prescribed some medicine to reduce the fever."
Shen Changfeng's memory of last night was a little vague. He only remembered that she seemed to have been by the bed. He asked again, "Why do I remember that I also had acupuncture?"
There were a few painful acupuncture points, but I felt much better afterwards.
Lin Meizhu paused for a moment as she stirred the cooling medicine, then quickly returned to normal. "Yes, I had a high fever in the second half of the night. The doctor came again, and the fever subsided after acupuncture."
Shen Changfeng thought she was doing a good job, but he also thought she was pretty stupid. Who told her to be so defensive? Did she think she could please him this way?
"It's just a superficial wound. There's no need to mobilize so many troops."
Shen Changfeng was originally leaning on the Golden Money Python Pillow. When he saw Lin Meiju approaching with medicine, as if she wanted to feed him, he felt very uncomfortable. He felt that he had a shoulder injury but was not disabled. He couldn't help but frowned and took the bowl of medicine and drank it all.
He put down the medicine bowl, and the jade spoon hit the wall of the bowl with a crisp clang sound.
"There's no need for you to be so obsequious. This won't change anything."
In this way, he missed the first and last chance for Lin Meiju to feed him actively.
Lin Meiju's eyes moved to the porcelain white jade spoon on the medicine bowl, and she suddenly felt that it was redundant, and she felt the same way.
An irresistible sour feeling rushed to her nose, and she replied softly, "Yes."
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