Countless precious antiques fell from the shelf—every one of them she’d collected herself, spending who knows how much money to accumulate them. Now in just an instant, they all crashed to the ground and shattered to pieces.

Unable to catch her breath, Madam Gu’s eyes rolled back and she fainted before she could say a single word.

“Madam!” The Prime Minister hurriedly called for people. The letter in the study having half of it torn away was already enough to make him anxious, but he hadn’t expected something to happen here as well. He must have people catch that scoundrel!

“Come! Pass on my orders—everyone in the residence go out and catch him! Once caught, beat him half to death first!”

“Yes!” The household guards responded and mobilized to pursue the man in black.

But Yuwen Changqing had long since left the residence. These servants just searched randomly around the estate, pretending to be very busy to avoid being affected by the Prime Minister’s fury.

The Prime Minister instructed the maids to watch over his wife while he went outside with the steward.

Hearing that almost everyone outside had left, only then did Gu Chaobei put on a face covering and apply sleeping powder under the bed.

“When Madam wakes up, she’ll surely faint again,” said a maid looking at the fragments all over the floor. “These were her lifeblood. Now not a single piece remains. What a pity—things worth hundreds of taels of silver are just useless shards once broken.”

“Yes, normally she wouldn’t even let us touch them. Last time when Shuixian almost broke one, Madam directly expelled her from the residence.”

As they talked, the two young maids gradually felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground with darkened vision.

Gu Chaobei emerged from under the bed, took out a black cloak, wrapped up Madam Gu, covered her head, hoisted her up, and ran outside.

The household servants in the courtyard were searching everywhere for the man in black when suddenly a black figure dropped from the sky.

“The man in black has appeared! Catch him!” A timid guard who hadn’t seen anything clearly reflexively rushed forward to pin down the man in black, following the Prime Minister’s orders with a furious beating.

“Found him!” Servants from all around eager for merit rushed over and trampled on that mass of black without thinking twice.

Madam Gu was literally trampled awake. She screamed, and only then did everyone realize something was wrong. Someone boldly stepped forward to remove the head covering, and upon seeing Madam Gu’s bruised and purple face, he stumbled back three steps in fright.

“A ghost—!”

The courtyard descended into chaos. Gu Chaobei, hidden in a large tree to the side, looked down below and smiled slightly. Only now was his anger truly vented. He turned and flashed toward the northern courtyard.

What did rules and reason matter? They’d beaten his Yan’er, so he’d beat back. He disdained hitting women, but he had ways to vent his anger.

He was just that willful.

Returning to the main house, he quickly changed clothes. Just as he emerged, he saw Baoshan rushing in carrying medicine.

“I’ll do it.” Gu Chaobei smoothly took the medicine bowl.

Baoshan bowed. “Fourth Young Master has returned? Miss has developed a high fever. Since Young Master is back, this servant will continue watching over the kitchen.”

High fever? Gu Chaobei nodded and hurried into the inner chamber carrying the medicine. He’d been free of illness and disaster since childhood and didn’t know what being sick felt like, but seeing Yan’er’s furrowed brows on the bed, he knew it couldn’t be pleasant.

“My lord.” Jiang Shi was still sitting to the side. Seeing him enter with the medicine, she was somewhat surprised. “Why are you bringing the medicine yourself?”

“It’s fine. You go rest first. I’ll take care of Yan’er.” Gu Chaobei set the medicine aside and scooped Shen Guiyan up from the bed.

Shen Guiyan was half asleep, half awake. His rough movement made her face turn deathly pale with pain. She couldn’t help opening her eyes and saying weakly, “Husband, be gentler.”

Gu Chaobei, who’d never really cared for anyone before, mumbled and slowed his movements, letting her lean against his shoulder, then gently brought the medicine over.

Seeing his movements, Jiang Shi couldn’t help saying, “Perhaps this concubine should feed her?”

“No need.” Gu Chaobei didn’t look at her, only saying, “You may leave.”

Jiang Shi was somewhat unwilling, but the young mistress had just suffered a great ordeal, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to compete for attention. She could only comply and withdraw.

But as she left, she couldn’t help looking back, just in time to see Gu Chaobei’s reddened ears.

Her fingers tightened. Jiang Shi lowered her eyes and closed the door.

A spoonful of medicine was forcibly stuffed into her mouth, choking Shen Guiyan into continuous coughing. Gu Chaobei somewhat frantically set her down, pursing his lips. “Why won’t you drink properly?”

It’s you who isn’t feeding properly, isn’t it, my lord? Shen Guiyan truly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She’d thought this man was naturally romantic and should at least understand women and know how to be considerate, but who knew he couldn’t even feed medicine properly.

“I’ll do it myself.” Shen Guiyan’s voice was hoarse.

“You’re in this condition and still want to do it yourself—wouldn’t that mean I’m mistreating you?” Gu Chaobei pouted, stirring the medicine in the bowl. Suddenly inspiration struck. “I know now. Lie still and just lift your head.”

Shen Guiyan looked at him doubtfully. Based on the principle of trusting him, she still complied and lifted her head.

Then Gu Chaobei took a mouthful of medicine himself and suddenly kissed her lips, transferring all the medicine into her mouth.

Eyes widening, Shen Guiyan looked at him, somewhat dumbfounded.

“This way you won’t choke, right?” Gu Chaobei touched her chin with a completely roguish expression. “Again—the medicine isn’t even bitter anymore.”

The soft lips carried the bitter taste of medicine—it was clearly still bitter. Shen Guiyan felt like laughing, but her face flushed completely red. That thing in her heart disobediently began pounding wildly again.

Thump—thump—

After drinking the last mouthful of medicine he transferred, Shen Guiyan lowered her eyes wanting to turn her face away, but this scoundrel grasped her chin. His unruly tongue entered again, entwining with hers, taking away even the last trace of bitterness.

The room was very quiet. Her back still throbbed with waves of pain. But looking into his eyes, Shen Guiyan’s gaze became somewhat unfocused.

This man really was gentle.

“There.” After who knows how long, Gu Chaobei finally released her. He himself was slightly breathless too, uncomfortably turning his head away. “I’m actually quite good at taking care of people.”

“Mm.” Shen Guiyan buried her head back into the pillow. “Thank you for your trouble.”

“Not troublesome at all.” Gu Chaobei’s ears were red, but his face smiled exactly like a scoundrel. “We can have another bowl.”

Gently spitting at him, Shen Guiyan said in a muffled voice, “Husband should also think about serious matters. Doesn’t the palace assassin case have a time limit?”

“Mm, but your husband is lazy and doesn’t want to investigate.” Gu Chaobei looked to the side, somewhat indifferently. “Whether I’m an official or not, I don’t really care.”

Shen Guiyan frowned. “How can you not care? The Prime Minister has been happy for several days because you might become Vice Minister of Justice. His Majesty also has expectations of you. Everyone in the realm is waiting for you to give them a result—how can you not investigate?”

Gu Chaobei sighed. “It’s not easy to investigate. The result I reach certainly can’t be spoken aloud, so I might as well not investigate.”

The mastermind behind it all must be the Empress, but who dared say so? If he said it, before the Emperor could reward him, he feared his head would be separated from his body first.

“There will be a way when the cart reaches the mountain.” Shen Guiyan’s voice grew softer and softer. “In any case, you must first walk to the mountain to see. Stopping halfway—what kind of ability is that…”

Gu Chaobei turned his head to glance at her. The beauty’s face was delicately flushed, red in a most attractive way. If only she would lecture him a bit less, she’d be even more beautiful.

Moving slightly closer to her, Gu Chaobei very much wanted to take advantage of her closed eyes to kiss her. But just as he drew near, he sensed something was wrong.

Wasn’t the breath she exhaled too burning hot?

He reached out to touch her forehead—it was scalding to the touch. Gu Chaobei’s brows furrowed deeply. He hurriedly got up and went out to call for a physician.

This time Shen Guiyan’s high fever came fiercely and didn’t subside all night. But in the residence, Madam Gu was reportedly beaten black and blue all over by the household guards. The physician didn’t dare leave the main courtyard, so Gu Chaobei had to personally leave the residence to fetch a physician himself.

“How is Yan’er?” Halfway there he encountered the person he least wanted to see—Gu Chaodong. Gu Chaobei said irritably, “You’d better go see your mother first. No need to worry about my wife.”

Gu Chaodong frowned. In just one night, his beard had grown noticeably longer. In the main courtyard, Madam Gu reportedly couldn’t get out of bed for half a month, while here Yan’er’s high fever wouldn’t break. His heart felt like it was roasting over a fire—unbearably uncomfortable.

Gu Chaobei hurried off. After thinking it over, Gu Chaodong still turned and continued toward the northern courtyard.

He couldn’t let go of Yan’er. He’d already written divorce papers because of Yan’er, and because of her, he didn’t even want to see his own mother. He felt he was devoted to this extent—why wouldn’t Yan’er forgive him?

“First Young Master.” As soon as Baoshan saw Gu Chaodong, her face darkened. “My mistress is ill and cannot receive guests.”

Fengxiao from the side hurried over, pushing Baoshan. “Good sister, our young master has been so worried about your mistress he hasn’t slept yet. Just let him see her.”

“How can that be allowed?” Baoshan frowned. “Rules cannot be broken. My mistress is in this condition because of whom? Since it’s already come to this, why are you all pretending to be good people? Leave quickly, or I’ll tell the madam.”

“Don’t, don’t.” Fengxiao pulled at Baoshan, stuffing her with her favorite pastries and adding some silver. “Sister, we’ll just stay here at the entrance. First Young Master can’t do anything anyway—he just wants to look. Sister, you know how good their relationship was before.”

Baoshan swept the items away with one motion, her face cold. “Before was before, now is now. First Young Master cannot enter here.”

Gu Chaodong grew somewhat impatient and gave Fengxiao a look. Fengxiao froze, then gritted his teeth and struck directly to knock Baoshan unconscious, then pretended to address her: “Sister, since you’ve agreed, we’ll go wait to the side.”

With that, he took Baoshan aside.

Gu Chaodong stepped into the room. There were still young maids fetching water and attending to things. Seeing that Baoshan hadn’t stopped the First Young Master, these maids said nothing more, set down their things, and stood in the outer room.

“Yan’er?” Gu Chaodong called softly.

On the bed with its half-lowered curtains, Shen Guiyan remained unconscious.

Gu Chaodong glanced at the medicine bowl beside her and sighed softly. He closed a window on one side for her, then turned to instruct a maid, “The room is so cold—how can the young mistress perspire? Go fetch some charcoal braziers.”