Her eyes were soaked with tears until they were sore and painful, and her heart was even more bitter, as if soaking in bitter herbs. Song Chuyi clutched the blanket and counted the time, waiting for Zhou Weizhao to leave in anger—in the past, whenever she said something that made Shen Qingrang unhappy, Shen Qingrang wouldn’t spare her even half a moment and would directly storm out. Although Zhou Weizhao was different from Shen Qingrang, good-tempered people were even more frightening when angered. She had already prepared herself.

There are always some people in this world who act without fear because they rely on others’ favoritism. Zhou Weizhao looked helplessly at her back. He had originally wanted to lift his foot and leave, to teach Song Chuyi a lesson and let her know how hurtful distrust could be, but in the end he couldn’t bear to.

He knew Song Chuyi’s temperament—getting close was difficult, but distancing herself was far too easy.

Who told him to love her? He could only endure and suffer more losses. He sighed, bent down to blow out the candle, lifted the bed curtain, and lay down beside Song Chuyi, slowly reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her into his embrace.

“Sleep,” he said, holding Song Chuyi in his arms. He reached out to wipe away her tears, kissed her forehead, circled her with both arms, and patted her back bit by bit. “You’ll feel better after sleeping.”

Song Chuyi’s tense nerves instantly relaxed. She clutched Zhou Weizhao’s front lapel and cried like a small child.

Outside the hall the wind howled, but inside the bed curtains it was warm as spring. Song Chuyi’s forehead burned hot and her consciousness was not very clear, but there was one thing she could understand completely without needing reason—she no longer had to be afraid. No matter when, the person beside her would never let go and make her walk alone.

She slept more soundly than ever before in this night. She perspired profusely all over, and after washing in the morning, she felt her entire body lighten, and even her complexion looked much better.

Nanny Xu had nearly been frightened half to death last night—she knew yesterday that Song Chuyi and Zhou Weizhao had quarreled. She and Qing Tao had both kept night watch in the outer chamber yesterday. Though uneasy about Song Chuyi, and though Zhou Weizhao had instructed that attendants were not needed, they still didn’t dare leave. Precisely because they didn’t dare leave, they heard the commotion the two had made.

She had advised Song Chuyi to be magnanimous and not give others grounds for gossip, but when Song Chuyi truly spoke to His Highness the Crown Prince, her heart swayed up and down violently. She also feared His Highness the Crown Prince would immediately agree to the suggestion of adding people for him—she knew her young lady’s temperament best. If His Highness the Crown Prince truly did this, she wouldn’t speak of it outwardly, but her heart would be unbearably pained.

She hadn’t expected that Zhou Weizhao would truly treat Song Chuyi with such sincerity. Her old heart was comforted. After attending to Song Chuyi emerging from the pool, drying her hair and dressing her properly, only then did she say: “Miss, from now on regarding this matter, I won’t advise you anymore.”

Song Chuyi turned her head to look at her, and heard Nanny Xu while arranging her fragrance pouch and waist belt, murmur: “If you don’t mention adding people for His Highness or forbid him from adding people, that would be your lack of virtue, and those with ill intentions could find fault with you. But now it’s not that you won’t give—it’s that His Highness doesn’t want it. This no longer concerns us. Surely we needn’t rush forward just to make His Highness unhappy?”

She looked at Song Chuyi, her face full of smiles. “This is a good thing, Miss. His Highness truly treats you well. Your blessings are still to come.”

The sentimentality brought by illness was swept away completely. Song Chuyi unloaded the great stone from her heart. Even though the matter of Lu Chonghua and the Lu family still weighed on her mind, she felt her shoulders suddenly much lighter. Smiling, she nodded at Nanny Xu: “Don’t worry, Nanny.”

Before the remaining words could be finished, Qing Ying had already hurried through the door and looked up at her: “Miss, news came from the main hall in front—His Highness the Crown Prince has taken a turn for the worse.”

Taken a turn for the worse?! Nanny Xu hadn’t yet reacted. Still holding a handkerchief in her hand, she stared blankly at Qing Ying and asked: “How has he worsened again?”

His Highness the Crown Prince had never had a moment’s peace from his three disasters and nine illnesses. The Lantern Festival hadn’t even arrived yet—how had he worsened again? Just recently, Zhang Tianshi had examined him and said that as long as he rested properly, there was nothing seriously wrong, and even said his recuperation had been quite good.

The vein at Song Chuyi’s temple throbbed visibly. She immediately instructed Qing Ying: “First have someone go summon Imperial Physician Hu, and also bring Imperial Physician Yan into the palace together.”

The Crown Prince still couldn’t die—at least he had to hold on until after the twenty-first of the second month.

Someone had already gone to notify the Crown Princess, Zhou Weizhao, and Prince Dongping. When Song Chuyi rushed to the main hall, Crown Princess Lu had also just arrived. Taking her hand with no time to speak, they first entered the bedchamber. Passing the screen, they saw the Crown Prince with a bluish complexion, convulsing with twitching limbs and foaming at the mouth.

“What happened?!” Crown Princess Lu quickly sat beside the Crown Prince and reached out first to check his forehead. The touch was severely hot. She hastily withdrew her hand and looked at Sanbao: “How are you attending to him? How did you let His Highness the Crown Prince burn with such severe fever?!”

Sanbao had already been frightened until his heart and liver trembled. Now being reprimanded by Crown Princess Lu like this, his soul nearly flew beyond the heavens. He fell to his knees with a thud: “His Highness has been unwell since the day before yesterday. Every time we urged and coaxed him to take medicine, he would vomit it back up the moment we turned around.” Sanbao truly cried in anxiety: “These past few days, not a drop of medicine has entered his stomach. We all know this won’t do, but now His Highness won’t even listen to the Prince’s words.”

Sanbao’s speech was incoherent, but everyone present understood clearly—the Crown Prince himself had thrown another tantrum.

Crown Princess Lu looked at Sanbao thoughtfully and called for him to rise. She herself turned back to look at the Crown Prince who convulsed continuously from high fever, and slowly sighed. Just then Imperial Physician Hu had already rushed in desperately. She rose to make way and withdrew behind the screen, sitting together with Song Chuyi in the goose-neck chairs. In a soft voice she said: “Dongping has been taking good care of him recently, and he also listens to Dongping most. I was negligent.”

Song Chuyi raised her eyebrows: “Does Mother believe Prince Dongping acted against him?” Seeing Crown Princess Lu remain silent, Song Chuyi glanced at Prince Dongping who had already come running frantically from outside, and said softly: “It’s not him.” She then lowered her voice and mentioned what Zhou Weiqi had reminded Zhou Weizhao about: “Right now, probably no one hopes more than the Prince for the Crown Prince to live. It wouldn’t be him.”

Crown Princess Lu had recently been busy with Empress Lu’s affairs and truly hadn’t paid attention to these matters. It seemed Zhou Weizhao had indeed mentioned it, but she had forgotten in the blink of an eye. Now hearing Song Chuyi bring it up, she was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: “Now that you mention it, I understand why.” Her gaze passed through the screen, looking at the indistinct shadowy figures outside, and said: “He’s having trouble with himself. Probably… his conscience has awakened.”