Qiao Xiuyu stared blankly at Shang Shaoyan, who was glaring at her, before turning away.
Qiao Xiuyu came to her senses, feeling both amused and exasperated. She stepped forward and tugged at Shang Shaoyan's sleeve, saying, "An'an, don't be angry."
Suddenly, he noticed a bloodstain on the back of Shang Shaoyan's skirt.
He panicked and quickly grabbed Shang Shaoyan, saying, "An'an, don't move. You seem to be injured."
Shang Shaoyan said sarcastically, "Yes, my heart is broken."
Qiao Xiuyu turned Shang Shaoyan around seriously, pressed down on her shoulders, and said solemnly, "Really, you should lie down properly. I'll go and get a doctor right away."
Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, Shang Shaoyan was a little suspicious and temporarily suppressed her anger, saying, "But I don't feel uncomfortable at all, I'm quite..."
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, causing her to wince in agony. Qiao Xiuyu became even more anxious: "An'an, are you alright? Bailu, quickly go and fetch a doctor!"
Bai Lu was also a little flustered and turned to walk outside, but Shang Shaoyan came to his senses and quickly stopped her: "Wait, no need."
She glanced at Qiao Xiuyu with a strange expression. The latter was extremely anxious, and even in this cold weather, his nose was sweating. Seeing that Shang Shaoyan had stopped Bai Lu, he immediately wanted to go out and fetch a doctor himself.
For some reason, Shang Shaoyan's heart softened, and he grabbed his sleeve, bowing his head and saying, "I'm not injured, I'm fine."
Qiao Xiuyu was stunned for a moment, then scolded, "An'an, you can't hide your illness from medical treatment."
As he spoke, he started to walk outside again.
Shang Shaoyan quickly stopped him, saying helplessly, "I'm really not sick or injured. I'm just... having my period."
Qiao Xiuyu was stunned for a moment, then asked in confusion, "What is Gui water?"
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
She stared intently at Qiao Xiuyu, and seeing that he genuinely didn't know and wasn't pretending, she could only bite the bullet and say, "This is something that all women go through; it's perfectly normal."
Qiao Xiuyu suddenly realized that when he was a child, his mother had told him that after a certain age, women would bleed every month, accompanied by lower abdominal pain, chills, and irritability.
He thought about it for a moment, then decided to head outside.
Shang Shaoyan was both anxious and angry: "Why won't you listen to my advice? I really don't need to see a doctor."
Qiao Xiuyu smiled and said, "I just wanted to ask if there's anything I should be careful about, like what I can eat and what I can't eat..."
Shang Shaoyan was stunned for a moment, then thought that Qiao Xiuyu was incredibly thoughtful.
She stared at Qiao Xiuyu's beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and found the most serious expression on his handsome face. Her face couldn't help but feel a little hot.
She cursed herself inwardly for being so weak, but still softened her voice: "Why are you asking these questions... Bai Shuang and the others will take good care of me."
Qiao Xiuyu smiled and shook her head: "How can they be the same? I am me, and they are them."
He paused, then said softly, "My mother said that when it comes to a woman you admire, you can never be too attentive."
Looking at his slightly flushed face and clear, pure eyes, Shang Shaoyan turned his head away uncomfortably and said softly, "Then you go... There is a physician in the manor, not far from your study, brother."
She thought for a moment and then added, "As soon as the Empress's decree arrived that day, my brother learned about your situation, but he has been busy lately and can't spare the time... Once he's done with his work, you'll probably suffer a lot."
Qiao Xiuyu smiled reassuringly at her and patted the top of her head: "Don't worry about me, just lie down and rest for a while."
Looking at Qiao Xiuyu, Shang Shaoyan felt inexplicably at ease, but she still sighed and refused: "I have many things to do today, so I can't rest. But don't worry, I will take good care of myself. No matter what we do, health should always come first."
Qiao Xiuyu didn't force her. Hearing this, she nodded, took the cloak and tied it for Shang Shaoyan, then put the hot water bottle in Shang Shaoyan's hand and said with a smile, "It's good that An'an knows what's going on."
As Shang Shaoyan watched Qiao Xiuyu leave, he touched his chest and found that his heart was indeed beating very fast. He couldn't help but rub his face, trying to calm himself down as much as possible.
She quickly came to her senses, pulled her cloak tighter, put away her hot water bottle, and went to find Yan Xuening.
Yan Xuening sat on the swing, and Yingge spoke to her beside her: "Miss, you may not know, but Young Master Li has an excellent reputation outside. Many daughters of minor officials want to marry him but can't."
Yan Xuening was not very happy: "My cousin also said that he has a good temper, but when I asked him to meet me tomorrow, he was not available."
Yingge comforted him, "After all, Lord Li is a marquis of a manor, and there is no mistress in his household, so it is only natural that he is busy."
Just as Yan Xuening was about to say something, she saw Shang Shaoyan approach with a pale face. She was startled: "Cousin, what's wrong?"
Shang Shaoyan rarely softened his tone towards Yan Xuening, and at this moment he actually looked like a gentle and charming young lady: "It's just that she's on her period, it's nothing serious."
Yan Xuening breathed a sigh of relief.
Shang Shaoyan asked, "Have you discussed the marriage with your aunt? What did your aunt say?"
Cheng was not in good health. It was cold in Shengjing, so she dared not go out and had been lying in her room all this time. Shang Shaoyan rarely had the opportunity to visit her.
Yan Xuening pursed her lips, somewhat embarrassed: "After talking with my cousin that day, I discussed it with my mother, and we agreed that a matchmaker would come to propose marriage on the day you entered the palace. The betrothal gifts have already been exchanged."
Shang Shaoyan raised an eyebrow, looking at Yan Xuening with some surprise, seemingly not expecting her to make such a quick decision.
Madam Cheng was a shrewd woman, though her shrewdness had a touch of pettiness, it was enough to marry Yan Xuening off to a better family. She had previously planned to marry Yan Xuening off to Shang Yunlan, not only for her daughter's sake, but also because she believed that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion could help her family in the officialdom.
Now that the old Duke Zhenguo and his wife have both passed away, her desire for "marrying into a closer family" has naturally faded somewhat. Considering all this, there aren't actually many families that meet Cheng's requirements.
Li Langxuan could barely be considered one. Even though Madam Cheng knew that Consort Zhao's situation was only superficially glamorous, she had to admit that the Li family, with its simple household, was the perfect match for her slightly foolish but very pretentious daughter.
Therefore, Madam Cheng felt that Li Langxuan was probably a good match.
Having spent most of her life confined to her chambers, she was not fully aware that the Southern Chen dynasty was nearing its end, and thus still felt that she had somehow managed to climb the social ladder by becoming a member of the imperial family.
Shang Shaoyan understood Cheng's thoughts, but she didn't point them out—in her opinion, as long as Yan Xuening liked it, she could marry whomever she wanted. In the end, the world would belong to her, and she could do whatever she wanted.
So, Shang Shaoyan suppressed his surprise and smiled, "That's fine too. But for now, we've only exchanged the betrothal gifts. I'll keep an eye on things for you to prevent the Marquis of Yongle from plotting against you like the Duke of Chengen did... Never mind, that would be an insult to the Marquis of Yongle."
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