Chapter 43 Delivering Medicine: Worries Shen Yunrong and the child hadn't traveled by boat...
Worried that Shen Yunrong and the child might get seasick since they had never been on a boat before, Zhao Linzhang, however, developed a fever on the first night of the voyage, apparently from catching a chill in the wind.
Fortunately, the imperial physician was brought along. After the chaos of battle, the fever subsided, and Zhao Linzhang, in a daze, pulled Shen Yunrong along, talking nonsense.
Where did you go?
Shen Yunrong went out to check on her daughter. When Zhao Linzhang woke up and didn't see her, he chased after her barefoot to the cabin door. If she hadn't come back in time, he would have had to run out. He had just worked up a sweat, and the wind would have made him feverish again.
"I went to check on the child. Why did you come out? Didn't you even stop me!"
"Child, where is the child? Are you going to take the child and leave?" Zhao Linzhang, in his illness, acted like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Your Highness, we are on a boat. Where can I go if I leave? You have a fever, and I'm afraid you'll pass on your illness to the child. Once you're better, we'll go see the child together." She had said these words countless times. If time could flow again, she would never have left last time, letting this man develop a demon in his heart.
After taking the medicine prescribed by the physician, Zhao Linzhang's fever subsided, but it would return at night. This went on for three days, and he visibly lost weight.
Shen Yunrong summoned Steward Tan: "How far is it from here to the nearest ferry? The prince's illness needs to be examined by another doctor!"
Manager Tan was so anxious that a layer of fine sweat appeared on his forehead: "Miss, the nearest ferry crossing won't arrive for another two days!"
"I'm afraid the prince won't be able to handle it if we wait another two days!" Fortunately, Zhao Linzhang is usually very strong, and even the strongest person can't withstand the fever every night.
Just as they were getting anxious, Xiao Zheng came from outside and said, "Miss, Miss Jiang sent a message through her nanny that she has medicine that can cure the prince!"
"What! The young lady from the official family whose boat is leaking?" Shen Yunrong was grasping at straws in her desperation: "Quickly, invite her aboard!"
"Miss, how could Miss Jiang, a daughter of an official, possibly know about medicine?" Steward Tan, having seen many women who tried every means to squeeze into the Prince's mansion, asked with concern.
"Perhaps she happens to have this miraculous medicine. Doing a good deed every day will always bring good fortune!" Shen Yunrong looked at the man who was drowsy in the night and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Xiao Zheng soon brought over a woman with a graceful figure and every move she made was in the manners of an official's daughter.
Approaching Shen Yunrong, she gave a slight curtsy: "This humble woman, Jiang Xinyan, greets you, Miss!"
"Miss Jiang, you are very polite. I heard from Brother Xiao that you have medicine that can relieve the prince's fever?" Shen Yunrong looked at her anxiously, hoping that the medicine she mentioned was true.
“My father works in Yongshan County, the southernmost county, where there is often miasma and heat. He prepared a lot of medicine to relieve the heat for me. On that day, thanks to the Prince and the young lady for saving me, I learned that the Prince was suffering from a fever, so I dared to offer the medicine!”
Jiang Xinyan spoke eloquently, and her words dispelled Steward Tan's doubts. He looked at the medicine she presented with both hands; it was a porcelain bottle containing a dozen or so brown pills.
Out of his usual caution, Steward Tan did not immediately accept the medicine and send it to Zhao Linzhang. Instead, he stared at the porcelain bottle and examined it carefully.
Jiang Xinyan understood their concerns. She poured out about half of the medicine bottle in her hand, tilted her head back, put it into her mouth, swallowed it, and said, "Your Highness has had a fever for a few days, so please take a few pills."
Shen Yunrong took the medicine from her. The young girl had a frank and bright expression. There were more than ten servants from the Jiang family with her, so they weren't afraid that she would tamper with the medicine. Besides, she had no right to harm Zhao Linzhang.
"Miss!" Steward Tan was still somewhat worried!
Shen Yunrong poured out a pill with a pungent, spicy medicinal smell. She had often dealt with herbs since childhood, and this one had a strong fragrance and didn't smell poisonous.
Just in case, she swallowed the pill as well, which drew a gasp from Steward Tan: "Miss, you mustn't!"
It has a spicy kick at first, but once it reaches the chest and abdomen, it has a soothing and calming effect.
"Steward Tan, this medicine really works!" She felt much better after taking the pills and exhaling a breath of stale air, feeling much lighter after all the hard work of the past few days.
Being cautious, Shen Yunrong waited until it took to drink a cup of tea before entering the cabin. Zhao Linzhang, who was fast asleep, had his jaw clenched tightly. If he didn't take his medicine in time when he woke up, he would likely develop a fever again that night.
Looking at the medicine in her hand, Shen Yunrong told her maid to stand guard outside. She took out a pill and blew on it near Zhao Linzhang's ear, saying, "Good husband, just open your mouth and take the medicine, and you'll be cured!"
The man frowned, his thin lips still pressed tightly together.
“If you don’t take your medicine, you’ll die from this fever. How will we, a widow and her children, survive? If we’re bullied, there’ll be no one to stand up for us. The world is tough. I have no choice but to remarry with my children!”
Zhao Linzhang's eyelids kept twitching, and Shen Yunrong knew at a glance that he could hear her.
She persisted, saying, "I won't find a man as good as the Prince if I remarry. I might marry someone who beats his wife and children when he's drunk. Besides, I'm old and my looks have faded, so I don't have many options..."
As Shen Yunrong spoke, she felt a pang of sorrow, her voice choked with emotion. She wanted to say more, but the man suddenly opened his eyes, his chest heaving as he grabbed her hand. The small, round pill in Shen Yunrong's palm rolled to the ground. Zhao Linzhang's voice was hoarse as a broken gong: "Who dares to hit you?"
"So you can't die, who will protect us, mother and daughter, if you die!" Shen Yunrong quickly poured out three more pills and held them to his lips: "Swallow them quickly."
Zhao Linzhang was still panting heavily, seemingly in a dream, unsure whether it was real or not. His eyes were scanning her up and down, and all he could hear were her sobs and complaints: she had remarried and had been beaten.
He's not dead yet. Even if he were, he'd crawl out and chop that bastard to pieces. How dare he even think about his woman?
In a daze, he swallowed the pill in her hand and drank half a cup of warm water. He still held Shen Yunrong's hand: "Who bullied you?"
Shen Yunrong could only smile wryly. She had only tried to rouse him to take his medicine, but she had gone too far with her words. He was delirious from his illness and took it seriously. No matter how she explained, she couldn't make it clear.
"No one bullied me, you're still here, no one bullied us!"
"You cried!" After taking the medicine, Zhao Linzhang's mind wasn't so muddled anymore, and his rough fingers wiped away the tear stains on her face.
"I was scared and that's why I cried because you weren't waking up. Now that you've taken your medicine, you'll be fine after a little more sleep!"
"Someone took advantage of my illness to bully you?" Zhao Linzhang pressed on to those two words, his anger practically bursting: "Where are my guards? Bring that person to me immediately! I want to chop off his head!"
Shen Yunrong never expected that her lies would drive him mad. Without thinking, she poured out another pill and stuffed it into his mouth. Just as he was about to spit it out, she leaned down and sealed his lips with hers.
Soft, sweet lips and tongue lightly pressed against his lips, and the anger that was about to explode slowly dissipated. He didn't know if it was the medicine taking effect or the familiar lips and tongue that calmed him down.
Feeling as if floating on clouds, his body was light and airy as he responded to her kiss.
As their lips parted, Zhao Linzhang's eyes cleared somewhat. He looked down at himself and then at the cabin door: "How long have I been asleep?"
He knew he was sick. In the past, he would feel better after a good night's sleep, but this time he had to sleep several times and was still groggy when he woke up.
"It's been three days and three nights!" Shen Yunrong saw that he was finally getting better and was no longer falling into a deep sleep after drinking the doctor's medicine.
She couldn't help but lean against him: "You woke up and then fell asleep again. The doctor's medicine hasn't worked after three days, and we won't reach the next ferry for another two days. You scared me to death, boohoo..."
"I scared you. Look, I'm all better now. Stop crying, stop crying!" Zhao Linzhang thought he had only been sick for one day, but it turned out he had been sick for three or four days. No wonder this little woman was crying so hard. He hugged her tightly with heartache.
"Your husband is strong and healthy, he'll be fine!"
"You even said that if it weren't for Miss Jiang bringing you medicine, you don't know how long you would have been sick?" Shen Yunrong never imagined that Zhao Linzhang would fall ill and leave her.
The terrible thought brought tears to her eyes; she had thought they had a lifetime together.
"What Miss Jiang?" Zhao Linzhang thought it was because he was in good health.
Shen Yunrong raised her tearful eyes and briefly recounted the matter of Jiang Xinyan delivering the medicine.
"It's fate. You saved her, and she saved your man!" Zhao Linzhang gently kissed away the tears on her face. A strange and uneasy feeling fermented in his heart. It wasn't what he thought. He could protect the mother and daughter for a lifetime, but it turned out that he could also fall ill.
"You get some sleep first, I'll go thank Miss Jiang!" Shen Yunrong coaxed him to sleep, then quietly went out to close the cabin door.
The man, who had been keeping his eyes closed, immediately opened them and stared intently at the white porcelain vase on the small table.
As soon as Shen Yunrong came out, Jiang Xinyan, who had been sitting, hurriedly stood up and asked anxiously, "Miss Shen, how is the Prince?"
"Thank you for the medicine, Miss Jiang. The prince has woken up!" Shen Yunrong didn't know how to thank her, so she asked Steward Tan to present her with a small box of silver ingots.
"His Highness is still ill, and I don't know how to thank you. Miss Jiang, you've accepted it without hesitation, so the medicine must be extremely valuable. I'll thank you again once His Highness is better!"
"You flatter me, young lady. The lives of more than ten people on my boat were saved by the prince and you. These few pills are nothing compared to the life-saving grace. It is my honor that you were able to cure the prince's fever!"
“I should be older than you, you can call me Sister Shen.” Shen Yunrong knew that a nanny had told her to address her that way, since she was not yet married into the family.
"If Sister Shen doesn't mind, you can call me Sister Xinyan!"
“How could I possibly mind? I have another favor to ask, Sister Jiang. The Prince is not fully recovered yet. Could you stay on this ship and wait for him?” Shen Yunrong asked, both troubled and determined. She couldn’t bear to see Zhao Linzhang’s fever return, so she had to ask for his help.
"This is my sister's good fortune; she is able to repay the life-saving grace!"
Seeing that she didn't seem to be faking it, Shen Yunrong called Steward Tan to arrange her accommodations, and then hurriedly said goodbye and went inside to take care of Zhao Linzhang.
By the next day, Zhao Linzhang had no fever and was in much better spirits. If Shen Yunrong hadn't stopped him, he would have gone out of the cabin for some fresh air.
By the next day, Zhao Linzhang was full of energy. To reassure Shen Yunrong, he pulled her out of the cabin to perform a set of boxing moves for her to prove that he was fully recovered.
Shen Yunrong refused to play along with his nonsense: "If you get better, go see Miss Jiang. We owe her the medicine!"
"Yes, thank you. But before I thank you, I think I heard someone say that she is going to remarry?" Zhao Linzhang took off the inner garment he had just taken a bath in and put on.
"You must be delirious from your illness! Who said that?" Shen Yunrong quickly denied it. She had deliberately provoked him in her anxiety, thinking he had forgotten.
"Since you won't let me box, then I'll do something else and show you that I'm completely healed!" Zhao Linzhang said through gritted teeth. This little ingrate dares to talk about remarrying even before we're married.
Shen Yunrong watched as he took off his undergarment and casually tossed it onto the screen, her throat dry: "No need, no need, I believe you, I believe you!"
The cabin was cramped, and Shen Yunrong had nowhere to retreat, so she was pressed under the small window.
The moonlight outside the window was torn apart, falling on her sweat-dampened shoulders, while the sound of rushing river and a man's heavy breathing filled her ears.
"I will not let you marry someone else!"
With a final low growl, Zhao Lin hugged her tightly, as if trying to press her into his body and become one with her.
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