Chapter 14 Being Embraced
Over the next two days, the Jinwang Mansion appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging beneath.
Wang Quan and Shan Lan secretly investigated all the servants who might have come into contact with the chestnuts. Although they found two people who were dishonest and had connections with the outside world, there was no direct evidence linking them to the poisoning.
What's even stranger is that although toxins were diagnosed in Ye Xunyang's body, he never felt any discomfort. His internal energy circulated smoothly and without hindrance, and his spirit remained as usual.
Even the imperial physician said he had never seen such a reaction before, and could only instruct him to take the detoxifying decoction on time as a precaution.
Although Ye Xunyang felt it was unnecessary, he readily agreed to the suggestion in order to reassure everyone.
He spent most of his time in the main courtyard, partly to make it easier for the imperial physician to take care of the two of them, and partly because he was worried about Lou Jin's condition.
Lou Jin's vital energy was damaged by the poisoning, making him weaker than usual and often unconscious.
That evening, Ye Xunyang had just finished taking his medicine and was sitting on the couch in the outer room, performing his routine breathing exercises. His body remained calm and undisturbed.
Suddenly, a muffled cough was heard coming from inside the room.
He immediately stopped practicing, stood up, and strode into the inner room.
Lou Jin was curled up on the bed, his body trembling slightly, his forehead soaked with cold sweat, and his face was frighteningly pale in the moonlight.
"Your Highness?" Ye Xunyang's heart tightened, and he stepped forward to call out softly.
Lou Jin seemed to be in a semi-comatose state and did not respond. He just curled up more unconsciously, as if he was extremely cold.
Ye Xunyang recalled that the physician had said that this poison was cold and could cause chills.
He quickly grabbed another brocade quilt and covered Lou Jin with it, but it didn't seem to have much effect.
Seeing Lou Jin's pained expression, Ye Xunyang hesitated for a moment, recalling that when the Imperial Advisor asked the two of them to get married, he had said that his supreme yang energy might be able to restrain the yin coldness in Lou Jin's body.
He gritted his teeth, took off his outer robe, lifted a corner of the quilt, lay down next to Lou Jin, and then carefully pulled the person into his arms.
It felt icy cold to the touch.
Ye Xunyang channeled his inner energy, and his whole body felt warm, like a human-shaped furnace.
The warm embrace seemed to dispel the chill around Lou Jin. He instinctively moved closer to the heat source, his furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and his trembling slowly subsided.
Ye Xunyang remained in this position, not daring to move. He could clearly feel Lou Jin's thin bones and weak breathing.
A strange feeling spread through him; it was not disgust, nor embarrassment, but a heavy sense of responsibility and an indescribable pity.
Perhaps because of the care he had given the prince over the past few days, Ye Xunyang found that his opinion of the sickly prince had changed without him even realizing it.
"Lou Jin..."
"You'll get better, I promise."
The next morning, as dawn broke.
Lou Jin woke up first.
The moment his consciousness returned, he realized that he was being held tightly in someone's arms, enveloped by a warm and dry aura that dispelled the chill that had lingered deep in his bones for days.
He stiffened slightly, and when he looked up, he was met with Ye Xunyang's sleeping face so close to his.
The young man was fast asleep, his handsome brows relaxed, his breathing even and long, and warm breath brushed against his forehead.
Because they were so close, he could even see the faint shadows under Ye Xunyang's eyelids, clearly indicating that he had spent a lot of time and energy taking care of him last night.
Lou Jin didn't move, he just watched quietly.
This feeling of being protected in someone's arms was something he had never experienced since his mother passed away when he was ten years old.
Although his father felt sorry for him and regretted neglecting his mother, the emperor's affection was not enough to sustain him until now; he could only try his best.
In the three years since he fell ill, he has become accustomed to pain and loneliness, and has long forgotten what it feels like to be held in someone's arms like this.
Now, Ye Xunyang seems to have a miraculous effect on him, not only relieving his cold symptoms but also greatly reducing the bone-chilling pain.
Just as Lou Jin was lost in thought, Ye Xunyang's eyelashes trembled, and he also woke up.
Their eyes met, and both of them were stunned for a moment.
Ye Xunyang was the first to react, and as if he had been burned, he suddenly let go of his hand, sat up abruptly, his face instantly turning bright red, and he stammered, "Your Highness."
"You're awake? How are you feeling? I... I didn't mean to!"
“You looked so cold last night, so…”
Seeing his helpless appearance, Lou Jin's subtle unease dissipated.
He tried to sit up, but swayed due to weakness.
Seeing this, Ye Xunyang disregarded his embarrassment and quickly reached out to support him, placing a soft pillow behind him.
Be careful.
"It's alright."
Lou Jin sat up straight, his voice still weak, but much better than last night.
"Thank you for last night."
Ye Xunyang scratched his head and chuckled, "No need to thank me, it was nothing. Your Highness, are you feeling warmer? The imperial physician said your poison is aggravated by cold."
"Hmm, much better."
Lou Jin nodded, his gaze falling on Ye Xunyang's face with scrutiny.
"The poison in your body... is it really harmless?"
The physician had mentioned that the toxin was strange, and he remained somewhat uneasy about it.
"I?"
Ye Xunyang tried to stretch his muscles and bones.
"I don't feel anything at all! If the imperial physician hadn't insisted, I would have doubted whether I had been poisoned or not. Your Highness, rest assured, I'm in excellent health!"
At this moment, Wang Quan quietly entered carrying a bowl of medicine and saw that both of them had already stood up.
The prince seemed to be in better spirits than the previous two days, and a look of joy immediately appeared on his face: "Your Highness, Your Highness, it's time to take your medicine."
Ye Xunyang naturally took the bowl of medicine from Lou Jin, tested the temperature, and then handed it to him, saying, "The temperature is just right."
Lou Jin glanced at him and silently took the medicine bowl.
The bitter medicine went down his throat, but he felt that it wasn't as hard to swallow as it used to be.
After breakfast, the physician came to take my pulse again.
After a careful examination, the physician was surprised: "Although the prince's pulse is still weak, the cold and evil influence has indeed been contained, and there are even signs that it is slowly receding."
"The princess's pulse is still strong and steady, and the poison has not been found at all. This is unheard of! If it weren't for the fact that her pulse was so accurate on the day of her death, I would have almost thought that the diagnosis was wrong."
This result relieved everyone, but also surprised them greatly.
Wang Quan looked at Ye Xunyang with a mixture of surprise and gratitude.
After the physician left, Lou Jin said to Wang Quan, "Continue to investigate the poisoning matter secretly, but suppress it publicly for now. Just say that my old illness has relapsed."
Wang Quan immediately understood: "This old servant understands. It would be unwise to alert the enemy."
Ye Xunyang was puzzled: "Why not investigate more openly? Are we just going to let the mastermind behind the poisoning get away with it?"
Lou Jin looked at him with deep eyes: "To be able to poison someone so silently in the Prince's mansion, and with such a secretive method, is no ordinary person."
"Taking rash action will only make the other party hide deeper, or even resort to desperate measures. It is better to show weakness to lure them out."
Ye Xunyang suddenly realized and said admiringly, "Your Highness has thought things through thoroughly!"
He thought for a moment and said, "In that case, from today onwards, Your Highness, I will test all your food and medicine on your behalf! Anyway, I don't seem to be afraid of this poison."
Lou Jin's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.
He was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, "...There's no need for that. I have my own precautions."
He didn't want Ye Xunyang to be in danger because of him, even though he seemed immune to all poisons.
"Yes, yes!" Ye Xunyang insisted.
"Better safe than sorry! Besides, I'm your queen now, isn't it my duty to protect you?"
Looking into his bright and determined eyes, Lou Jin finally didn't object anymore, but simply changed the subject: "I feel better today and want to go to the study to deal with some backlogged matters."
Ye Xunyang immediately objected.
"no!"
"The physician said you need to rest! Can't we leave those matters to Wang Quan and his staff?"
"There are some things that I must see in person," Lou Jin said firmly.
Ye Xunyang couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he had to compromise: "Alright then, I'll push you over there, but it's agreed that you can only handle this for one hour! After that, I'll push you back to rest!"
"Alright, whatever the Princess says."
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