Autumn colors were richly painted across Prince Zhongshan’s residence.

However, there was none of the previous liveliness inside. Prince Zhongshan’s family members were confined, awaiting deportation and exile. The servants had already been sold off.

Walking through it was very quiet.

“Your Majesty, look, there are hot springs here too,” A’Le said, pointing ahead with delight.

Now the commanding generals and officials all worked in the commandery city government office. The Empress had taken up residence in Prince Zhongshan’s residence. Though the affairs requiring the Empress’s attention were many, compared to warfare it was much more relaxed. They could stroll around Prince Zhongshan’s residence.

The previous two times they’d come, they hadn’t had this opportunity.

Chu Zhao withdrew her gaze from a nearby artificial mountain, then looked at the hot springs and smiled: “Prince Zhongshan certainly knew how to enjoy himself.”

A’Le hurried over and tested the water with her hand, saying, “Should we have A’Jiu come soak in the hot springs? Would it be good for his health?”

Chu Zhao smiled and shook her head: “Right now it’s best for him to stay in his room away from sunlight to recuperate. Put him in water and he’d pass out immediately.”

At this point she added:

“He should be awake now.”

With that, she turned to leave.

“Let’s go back and check. Time for medicine.”

A’Le quickly stood up from the hot spring pool: “Miss, you just came out—it’s not like he can’t take medicine himself!”

Chu Zhao had already walked away without looking back.

A’Le stamped her foot helplessly and glanced around at the beautiful scenery: “Living in Prince Zhongshan’s residence so many days, we haven’t even gotten a clear look at what the residence is like. As expected, this third time there’s no chance either.”

She sighed and followed.

Inside the residence’s buildings it was even quieter. Xie Yanlai slowly opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused, as if unable to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality. A strong medicinal smell reached his nostrils…

When hiding under Deng Yi’s bed, to mask the scent of an extra person and to give him medicine at any time, Deng Yi had used his own assassination injury as an excuse to fill the room almost entirely with medicines.

“How long did he sleep?”

“Which medicines are for today?”

“Is the congee prepared? Is today’s chicken soup ready? Let me taste it first. Yesterday he complained it was too salty.”

A woman’s voice murmured outside the door. Xie Yanlai’s scattered gaze gradually focused, shining with spirit. His throat itched slightly and he coughed. The murmuring stopped immediately. Hurried footsteps approached the bedside.

“You’re awake.”

Chu Zhao leaned over with a bright smile to look at him. Without waiting for a response, she turned to give instructions.

“Bring the medicine quickly.”

Xie Yanlai frowned: “Just woke up and you’re making me take medicine. Medicine all day long. These past few days I’ve taken more medicine than the entire month—might as well have Deng Yi take care of me.”

Chu Zhao sat on the bed with a smile, efficiently yet gently helping him sit up against the headboard, saying, “Deng Yi had no choice. He couldn’t have physicians examine you, so he could only randomly give you medicines to use, and couldn’t use much for fear of being discovered. That you didn’t die from the medicine shows your strong life force.”

A’Le brought over the medicine bowl and handed it directly to Chu Zhao, not saying anything like “Miss, let me do it,” knowing it was useless. She wasn’t needed here. She set up the small bed table, arranged a row of small dishes filled with dried and fresh fruits, then withdrew.

Chu Zhao held the medicine bowl and fed Xie Yanlai, then snorted: “And you’re grateful to him. He wasn’t taking care of you—he was using you as a bargaining chip. He didn’t tell me any information beforehand. If I’d killed him directly, what about you? You’d be suffering alone, eventually dying under his bed. Also, I spared his life, and the first thing he asked was whether his mother was still alive. Learning his mother was alive, only then did he say one life for another and reveal your whereabouts. If I’d said his mother was gone, you’d still be dying inside that bed.”

The woman’s voice chattered endlessly in his ear. Xie Yanlai seemed to hear it, yet seemed not to hear clearly. His mind only focused on one thing.

At that time, Deng Yi had said: Your fortune is good—you met her.

By rights he should say his good fortune was meeting Deng Yi, since Deng Yi had saved him.

Now he understood what that meant.

Because Deng Yi knew she would show him mercy and wouldn’t harm his mother, so he wanted to save him to repay…

Hmm… Deng Yi had only revealed his whereabouts after confirming his mother was alive. To Deng Yi, his mother’s life was most precious, so this was using what was most precious to him to exchange for what was most precious to her?

Deng Yi considered him most precious to her.

Uh, he was most precious to her?!

He—

“Oh my, so well-behaved today,” Chu Zhao said happily. “You finished the medicine so quickly.”

Not knowing if he was choked by his wandering thoughts or choked by the medicine, Xie Yanlai started coughing.

“Each mouthful wasn’t that much, was it? Choked? It’s because it’s bitter, right?” Chu Zhao hurriedly patted and comforted him, then pinched a candied fruit from the table and stuffed it in his mouth. “Eat a sweet.”

Xie Yanlai, both annoyed and amused, grabbed her arm to block her: “I’m coughing here, and you think I’m not choking badly enough? Still feeding me!”

Chu Zhao laughed: “I don’t know how—I’ve never taken care of anyone before.”

Smooth talker. Xie Yanlai snorted.

Seeing his coughing subside, Chu Zhao shook her hand—her wrist was still held by Xie Yanlai—and said, “Eat one. The medicine really doesn’t taste good.”

Xie Yanlai looked at the hand shaking near his mouth and opened his mouth reflexively, then saw he was holding her wrist. This wrist was slender and soft, held in his hand as if it could break with a little force…

He released her hand as if burned by fire, then took the candied fruit from her hand and tossed it in his mouth himself, turning his gaze away.

“Tired?” Chu Zhao stood up again to help him. “Lie down then.” She asked again, “Want to eat something more? I made chicken soup, wrapped small wontons…”

She listed in a soft voice what foods she’d made.

Xie Yanlai turned his gaze back and frowned: “Isn’t the Empress busy? Why are you at my place all day long?”

Chu Zhao said, “This Empress’s most important task right now is taking care of General Xie.”

Her lips held a smile, seemingly the same as her previous playful grin, yet somehow different… Or perhaps it wasn’t that she was different, but that his own heart was different. Xie Yanlai turned his gaze away again: “Many thanks for Your Majesty’s imperial grace.”

He paused.

“I killed Xiao Xun, not for you.”

So, she really didn’t need to treat him this way.

“I know,” Chu Zhao said softly. “You did it for yourself. Your heart made you do this.”

Xie Yanlai glanced at her, but as before, talking with her always made him want to laugh. Suppressing his smile, he said, “So you don’t need to be grateful to me.”

“I’m not being grateful to you,” Chu Zhao said, pressing her hand to her own heart with complete seriousness. “Taking care of you is also for my heart.”

Her heart! What did her heart want! Xie Yanlai’s heart skipped a beat. He made a sound: “What? What nonsense are you spouting? What does your heart have to do with me?”

Having said it, he felt annoyed.

He was the one spouting nonsense. What was he even saying?

Chu Zhao smiled with pursed lips. She didn’t tangle with him further or answer what her heart had to do with him. She said, “Alright, lie down first. I have something to tell you.”

What now? Xie Yanlai didn’t refuse, letting Chu Zhao help him slowly lie down.

Neither spoke. The room was quiet. It was rare for the two of them to be together so quietly. Xie Yanlai felt the atmosphere was somewhat strange because she was helping him lie down and they were very close—his gaze couldn’t avoid her face.

Fair, refined, her eyes and brows clean and clear like rare jade in the world, no longer resembling the girl playing dumb at the courier station.

She’d grown up…

Four years had already passed. So fast.

A hand touched his face. Xie Yanlai startled back to awareness. By his ear came another soft sigh. This girl was also examining his face.

“So thin you’re completely changed,” she said. “Not as handsome as before.”

Xie Yanlai was both annoyed and amused: “Nonsense! This young master is handsome at all times!” He then pushed away her hand in embarrassed anger: “Don’t touch so freely.”

Chu Zhao smiled and withdrew her hand, sitting down.

“These past few days I’ve been thinking about some things,” she said, her eyes and brows gentle as she looked at him. “Xie Yanlai, you should still be dead this time.”