Prince Heng is seriously ill
That trip to the Glazed Pavilion with Prince Zhao, Zongzheng Zhaoran, was like injecting an overly sweet honey into Jiang Wanzhi's gloomy transmigration life. She was completely dizzy, felt like she was walking on clouds, and everything looked pleasing to the eye. Even Prime Minister Jiang's stern old face seemed a bit more approachable.
“An ally…hehe, this ally is really good…” She leaned against the window, watching the sparrows chirping in the yard and giggling to herself, her mind replaying the unexpected embrace by the waterfall and King Zhao’s deep, pleasant laughter.
She even began to seriously consider the feasibility of using the combination of "obvious and obvious & evening wind" as a name to make her way in the world.
However, happy times are always fleeting. Just as Jiang Wanzhi was still immersed in the rosy bubble of "rapidly warming up the friendship between allies," a sudden message, like a needle, "poof"ed her happy bubble.
Chun Tao rushed in from outside, her face filled with panic: "Miss! Miss! Something terrible has happened! I heard that His Highness Prince Heng is seriously ill!"
"What?" Jiang Wanzhi's smile froze instantly, and she turned abruptly from the window. "Seriously ill? What happened? Wasn't he perfectly fine?"
“This servant doesn’t know the specifics either,” Chun Tao said, panting. “I only heard from people outside that the Prince Heng’s mansion invited several imperial physicians last night, and the gates are tightly closed today. The atmosphere is very tense. They say that His Highness’s old injury has relapsed, causing a high fever, and the situation… seems not good.”
Although she kept telling herself to stay away from the "big villain" in the original work, and although she had recently devoted all her attention to the gentle and considerate King Zhao, upon hearing the news of King Heng's serious illness, an indescribable worry and a trace of guilt quickly seized her.
To be fair, although Prince Heng was cold and unpredictable, he had indeed helped her many times.
Both out of consideration for her feelings and her sense of duty, she should go and visit him.
The thought was quickly suppressed by another voice: "Jiang Wanzhi, are you crazy? You're getting so close to Prince Zhao now, and you even went to Prince Heng's residence to visit him while he's ill. What's going on? What will Prince Zhao think if he finds out? Besides, Prince Heng is a very cunning person. Aren't you just walking into a trap?"
Reason and emotion were locked in a fierce battle in her mind.
"Miss...would you like to go take a look?" Chun Tao asked cautiously.
Jiang Wanzhi scratched her head in frustration. To go? Or not to go?
Ultimately, an impulse based on humanitarianism, and perhaps a little bit of concern that she herself was unwilling to delve into, prevailed.
"Get ready, we're going to Prince Heng's residence." Jiang Wanzhi took a deep breath and made her decision. She told herself: Consider it repaying the favor he did for her before! Just one look to make sure he's alright, then we'll leave! Absolutely no lingering!
...
As Chun Tao had predicted, the atmosphere at the Prince Heng's residence was indeed heavy. The gatekeeper was somewhat surprised to see Jiang Wanzhi, but still immediately went in to announce her arrival.
Soon, Yan Cheng came out to greet him personally. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes. When he saw Jiang Wanzhi, a complicated emotion flashed in his eyes, but he still bowed respectfully: "Miss Jiang."
"Guard Yan, I heard that His Highness is seriously ill, so I...I came to see him." Jiang Wanzhi tried her best to make her tone sound like she was just being polite.
Yan Cheng paused for a moment, then stepped aside: "Miss Jiang, please come with me. His Highness... is not in good condition. The physician just administered acupuncture, and he is currently unconscious."
Stepping into the Prince Heng's residence again, and walking towards that familiar sleeping chamber, Jiang Wanzhi's feelings were completely different from last time. Last time, she was flustered and at a loss; this time, there was a deliberate sense of distance and inner struggle.
The bedchamber was filled with a strong smell of medicine. Zongzheng Hengyu lay quietly on the bed, his face even paler than the last time I saw him, even with an unhealthy ashen hue.
His brows were furrowed, his thin lips were cracked, and even in his unconscious state, he seemed to be enduring immense pain. His breathing was rapid and weak, and his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
An experienced physician was packing his medicine chest when he saw Jiang Wanzhi. He nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Your Highness suffers from a chronic illness that has caused a high fever that keeps recurring and is quite dangerous. We just used strong medicine, and we hope it can bring it down."
Jiang Wanzhi's heart clenched. She walked to the bedside and looked at Zongzheng Hengyu's lifeless appearance. All her previous thoughts about "staying away" and "being a villain" were instantly thrown to the winds.
"Is there... anything I can do?" she asked instinctively, her voice carrying a worry she herself was unaware of.
The physician glanced at her, then at Prince Heng on the bed, and sighed, "His high fever persists; someone needs to constantly wipe his forehead, neck, and armpits with warm water to help dissipate heat. Additionally, it would be best if he could be given some warm water. However, His Highness is drowsy, making it difficult to give him water; it requires great patience. I still need to consider the prescription; here..."
“I’ll take care of him,” Jiang Wanzhi replied almost without thinking. She paused for a moment after saying it, but seeing Zongzheng Hengyu’s pained expression, she firmly repeated, “I’ll take care of him.”
Yan Cheng and the physician both looked at her with some surprise. Yan Cheng's expression was particularly complex and difficult to decipher.
The doctor finally nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Miss Jiang. Remember, the water temperature must not be too cold, and you must be gentle. If there are any changes, call for help immediately."
After the physician and Yan Cheng left, only Jiang Wanzhi and the unconscious Zongzheng Hengyu remained in the bedchamber. The air was so quiet that only his heavy breathing and the occasional crackling of the candlelight could be heard.
Jiang Wanzhi took a deep breath, rolled up her sleeves, walked to the basin stand, tested the water temperature, then soaked and wrung out a cloth. She sat on the edge of the bed and began to carefully wipe his forehead and neck.
Her fingertips touched his burning skin, and the heat sent a shiver through Jiang Wanzhi's heart. She tried to clear her mind, telling herself that she was just saving someone, repaying a favor.
Her movements were gentle and focused as she carefully wiped his flushed cheeks and neck, which were red from the high fever. Perhaps this physical cooling brought a bit of comfort, as Zongzheng Hengyu's tightly furrowed brows seemed to relax a little, but then he began to mumble in his sleep.
"Cold...so cold..."
"Mother...don't leave me..."
"Why...don't you believe me..."
The fragmented words, interspersed with painful moans, were even more broken and heartbreaking than before. Jiang Wanzhi listened, her nose stinging with tears.
She recalled the rumors about his mother's early death, and his precarious situation in the palace since childhood. How much untold pain did this seemingly strong and cold man harbor within his heart?
"It's alright...it will get better..." She unconsciously softened her voice, gently patting his chest with her other hand, trying to convey some warmth.
Time passed slowly. Jiang Wanzhi changed the water and wiped him clean again and again, and tried to feed him warm water little by little with a spoon. Water dripped down his chapped lips, and she patiently wiped it clean with a handkerchief.
Throughout the entire process, she was exceptionally focused and patient, as if she had forgotten everything in the outside world, including King Zhao, whom she had just been thinking about.
It was late at night. Jiang Wanzhi was exhausted, her back aching, and her eyelids drooping. She forced herself to stay awake, afraid that something might happen to him.
Just then, Zongzheng Hengyu suddenly coughed violently, his body trembling as he coughed, and he let out a suppressed groan of pain.
Jiang Wanzhi was startled and rushed forward, instinctively supporting his shoulder to help him catch his breath: "Your Highness? Your Highness, how are you?"
Amidst violent coughing and pain, Zongzheng Hengyu seemed to regain a sliver of consciousness. He struggled to open his heavy eyelids, and through his blurred vision, he saw a familiar face filled with worry. It was that woman… who always did things unpredictably…
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but only managed hoarse, breathy sounds. The high fever and weakness had clouded his senses, but he felt a strange sense of security from the presence of the person beside him.
He unconsciously reached out and grabbed Jiang Wanzhi's wrist as she was patting his back to help him breathe.
His palms were still burning hot, but his strength was weak, yet the sudden contact still made Jiang Wanzhi stiffen.
“Water…” he uttered hoarsely.
Jiang Wanzhi snapped out of her daze and quickly used her other hand to take the warm water and carefully fed it to him.
Zongzheng Hengyu took a few sips of water from her hand, then seemed to have exhausted all his strength and fell into a deep sleep, but he did not let go of her wrist.
Jiang Wanzhi tried to gently pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter. It was as if, unconsciously, he had made her his only lifeline.
Looking at their clasped hands, Jiang Wanzhi's feelings were extremely complicated. The warmth of his body and the slight trembling on her wrist made it impossible for her to pull away. She could only remain in this awkward position, continuing to sit by the bedside, watching over him.
The flickering candlelight cast their intertwined shadows on the wall. The bedchamber was silent, save for the mingling of their breaths.
Looking at Zongzheng Hengyu's face, still contorted with pain even in his sleep, Jiang Wanzhi felt a mix of emotions. She realized that she didn't seem to hate or fear this man as much as she had imagined, especially when he was so vulnerable.
She stayed by his side until late into the night, when Zongzheng Hengyu's temperature finally began to drop slowly, and his breathing gradually stabilized. After the physician came in to take his pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to Jiang Wanzhi, saying, "Miss Jiang, His Highness's high fever has subsided, and the most dangerous moment has passed. It is all thanks to your meticulous care throughout the night."
Jiang Wanzhi then felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion wash over her. She gently moved her numb arm and discovered that Zongzheng Hengyu had let go of her hand at some point.
The sky was already beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn. Jiang Wanzhi looked at Zongzheng Hengyu on the bed, whose face was pale but whose breathing was steady, and knew it was time for her to leave.
She quietly got up, rubbed her aching back, glanced at him one last time, and then tiptoed out of the bedchamber. Stepping out of the Heng Prince's mansion, the chilly morning wind finally woke her up completely.
Recalling the events of that night, and her complex and indescribable emotions, and then thinking of King Zhao... Jiang Wanzhi felt completely overwhelmed.
"It's all over... This is even more chaotic now..." she lamented, feeling as if she had stepped into an even deeper quagmire.
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