Their entangled clothes burned like a raging fire, almost consuming all reason. Fortunately, Shen Suifeng still had a shred of restraint and forcibly stopped before things went too far.
Feng Lezhen’s breathing was rapid, but her gaze was crystal clear: “Do you know what you’re doing?”
“I do.” Shen Suifeng’s eyes were deep as he reached out to wipe the moisture from her lips.
Feng Lezhen’s face was expressionless. “Madman.”
Shen Suifeng chuckled lightly. “I’m here to accompany Your Highness to death. Why aren’t you happy?”
“Who asked you to accompany me?” Feng Lezhen pushed him. “Get off. You’re too heavy.”
Shen Suifeng got up as she wished and sat back by the bedside. If not for their disheveled clothes, it would have been hard to imagine what had just happened, given the now distant, indifferent atmosphere.
“I will cure you,” he said seriously.
Feng Lezhen lazily glanced at him.
“Neither of us will die,” Shen Suifeng added when she didn’t respond.
Feng Lezhen’s reply was a cold snort.
Shen Suifeng didn’t mind. He applied the medicine paste to a patch and slapped it onto her forehead.
Feng Lezhen’s temple throbbed with veins. She finally couldn’t stand it and grabbed a pillow to throw at him.
Shen Suifeng caught it smoothly and shamelessly hugged it. “With the strength you threw that pillow, you could kill a cow. Doesn’t seem like you’re dying at all.”
Feng Lezhen couldn’t even be bothered to answer him. She had pretended to be weak just now, saying all those things to make him lower his guard and agree to help her persuade the Shen family to cooperate. Yet this madman not only didn’t fall for it but even tore off her face cloth to do something so outrageous.
Now it was perfect. Not only had she failed to achieve her goal, but she might have passed her illness to the only doctor she could currently rely on. Truly, trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice.
“Your Highness,” Shen Suifeng suddenly called her.
Feng Lezhen closed her eyes, not wanting to see him. “Hmm?”
“Your fever has gone down,” Shen Suifeng said.
Feng Lezhen’s expression didn’t change. “I know.”
Whether she had a fever or not—how could she herself not know?
“So, were the things you said earlier real?” Shen Suifeng asked with a grin.
“Fake,” Feng Lezhen replied blankly.
“And the arrangements you made…”
“Also fake,” Feng Lezhen opened her eyes and looked at him, “Everything you heard was fake. It was all just to make you let down your guard and agree to help me persuade your elder brother.”
“Your Highness is indeed Your Highness. Even infected, you haven’t forgotten to plot great ambitions. I’m impressed.” Shen Suifeng cupped his fists in mock admiration.
Feng Lezhen took a deep breath. “If you don’t want to anger me to death, you’d better talk less.”
Shen Suifeng gave a soft smile and lowered his gaze to gently hold her hand.
Feng Lezhen’s fingers twitched but didn’t pull away.
The room fell quiet. Neither of them spoke again.
Feng Lezhen’s fever had just subsided, and her body was utterly exhausted. Before long, she drifted back to sleep. Shen Suifeng gently stroked her back and would have liked to stay by her bedside, but there were still so many commoners waiting outside. He only stayed for a short while before leaving.
That very night, Feng Lezhen’s fever spiked again, this time coming on fiercely and violently. In no time, sweat soaked through her clothes. She was in a haze, unable to wake, only vaguely aware that someone was wiping her face.
“Your Highness, Your Highness…”
It seemed someone was calling her. She frowned slightly, then sank into an even deeper darkness.
When she next woke, it was still dark outside. Feng Lezhen moved her lips, about to speak, when a cup of warm water was brought to her mouth.
She took a tired sip, then looked up and saw Shen Suifeng’s bloodshot eyes.
Feng Lezhen paused slightly. “Why do you look so worn out?”
“Studying medicine during the day, and watching over Your Highness at night—if I didn’t look exhausted, that would be strange.” Shen Suifeng’s voice was even hoarser than hers when he spoke.
Feng Lezhen locked eyes with him for a long time, and a bad feeling rose in her heart. “How long have I been asleep?”
“A full day and night,” Shen Suifeng answered.
Feng Lezhen abruptly sat up, only to fall back onto the bed from dizziness. “Has… has my illness…”
“It hasn’t leaked. When the commoners asked, I told them Your Highness was bathing and fasting in prayer for their safety and would not appear for the next few days,” Shen Suifeng explained.
Only then did Feng Lezhen let out a sigh of relief. “As long as we got away with it. The people are already panicked. If they knew I was sick, I’m afraid there would be chaos.”
“Your Highness is already like this. Stop worrying about others,” Shen Suifeng said, looking at her pale face, a trace of displeasure flashing in his heart.
Feng Lezhen chuckled. “I’m not worrying, just thinking ahead.”
Shen Suifeng said nothing, simply gazing at her quietly.
Feng Lezhen’s eyes softened a little. “Mr. Shen, you’ve worked hard these past few days.”
“It’s not hard. Life is hard,” Shen Suifeng replied with a cold face.
Feng Lezhen: “…”
“If Your Highness knows I’ve worked hard, then please get better soon and stop causing more trouble.” Shen Suifeng realized his tone was too harsh, so he paused and added another sentence.
Feng Lezhen smiled lightly. “I’ll do my best.”
Shen Suifeng peeled off the fever patch on her forehead and replaced it with a new one. Feng Lezhen wanted to say it was useless and not to bother, but when she met his gaze, she wisely kept silent.
After all, she needed him now. Feng Lezhen grumbled to herself, then soon began to drift off again.
Shen Suifeng stayed quiet, watching her fall asleep. When he noticed her furrowed brows from time to time, he suddenly remembered he had calming incense with him. He glanced around and saw an incense burner sitting in the corner on a cabinet. Walking over quietly, he found the burner to be quite rough and covered in dust—probably left by someone who used to live here.
He carefully wiped it clean. Just as he was about to light the incense, he noticed that one of the cabinet drawers was slightly ajar, revealing something inside.
Normally, he wasn’t interested in other people’s things, but today, for some reason, he was compelled to open it.
Inside was a secret letter bearing the private seal of the Eldest Princess.
Shen Suifeng stared at the seal for a long time, then finally turned his head to look at the sleeping woman with an indifferent expression.
“Not a single word of truth, huh?”
Thanks to the calming incense, Feng Lezhen slept soundly. But when she woke the next day, her fever still hadn’t subsided, and the rash seemed to be worsening.
She began to show signs of poor appetite, just like the others. Still, in front of Shen Suifeng, she forced herself to eat a little. Shen Suifeng could tell she was pushing herself but didn’t stop her. Only when she truly couldn’t eat anymore did he clear the dishes. “Your body is extremely weak right now. Eating more won’t hurt.”
After saying this, he didn’t hear Feng Lezhen respond. When he turned back to look at her, he saw her dozing off, leaning on the table.
Shen Suifeng’s eyes darkened. He silently carried her back to the bed, then turned and went out to continue preparing medicine.
After so many days with no progress, the commoners hadn’t shown much reaction yet, but the doctors were already on the verge of collapse. Once again, they questioned Shen Suifeng. Sitting by the medicine pot, Shen Suifeng didn’t even look up and simply asked, “If you won’t listen to me, do you have another solution?”
The doctors instantly fell silent.
“So why waste time talking? Keep preparing the medicine,” Shen Suifeng said without raising his head.
The doctors were frustrated but helpless and could only get back to work. Shen Suifeng thought he had finally found some peace when he noticed that one person still hadn’t left. He frowned, looked up, and was about to ask why they were still standing there when the man suddenly said, “Has Imperial Physician Shen not slept in a long time?”
Shen Suifeng said nothing.
“I know you’ve been working tirelessly to fight the epidemic, but as a doctor, you should also know the importance of balancing work and rest. If you go without sleep for too long, it could damage your mind. In the end, haste will make waste.” The man advised him gently.
Shen Suifeng tugged the corner of his mouth and responded much more politely, “I will be more mindful going forward.”
Seeing that he was at least willing to listen, the man smiled and left.
Shen Suifeng pinched the bridge of his nose and continued to mix the herbs, as if the person who had just promised to take better care of himself wasn’t him at all.
Feng Lezhen drifted in and out of sleep. After waking who knows how many times, she finally felt a little more clear-headed.
Once awake, she naturally wanted to do something. After thinking for a moment, she solemnly picked up a broom.
Shen Suifeng had been too busy these days to help her clean the room. Although the place still looked decently tidy, a thin layer of dust had already settled. Feng Lezhen decided to clean up herself.
Fifteen minutes later, she gave up.
Although she had toured many regions in the past and had gone through hard times, no matter how tough it got, she had never actually swept a floor herself. She had thought it would be easy, but when she truly tried to do it herself, she realized—it was much harder than she expected.
Feng Lezhen sighed and looked toward the water basin, once again entertaining the idea of wiping the table.
So when Shen Suifeng returned, he saw her holding a handkerchief, carefully wiping the orchid on the table with a very serious expression.
“Why did Your Highness suddenly think of wiping that?” He set down the food as he asked in confusion.
Feng Lezhen looked at him faintly. “I originally planned to wipe the table.”
Shen Suifeng: “?”
“But I found I just couldn’t get it clean, so I figured I’d wipe the orchid instead. At least that’s something I can manage,” she added.
Only then did Shen Suifeng notice the dusty, dirty cloth lying on the table, and the area she had wiped was already dry but still had visible water stains.
He was silent for a moment. When he met Feng Lezhen’s gaze again, he said seriously, “Actually, Your Highness isn’t wiping the orchid properly either. After all, with orchids… you only need to wipe the leaves. There’s no need to wipe the roots.”
Feng Lezhen glanced at her fingers, which had been resting on the roots, paused, then simply threw the handkerchief away.
Shen Suifeng couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“There’s too little soil under this orchid, causing the roots to be exposed. That’s why I wanted to wipe it,” Feng Lezhen insisted stubbornly.
Shen Suifeng laughed even harder.
Feng Lezhen wanted to throw the orchid at him, but unfortunately, the pot was too heavy, so she had to give up.
When she finally sat down to eat, Shen Suifeng suddenly remembered something. “Just now, a few of the elderly folks came to me. They said they wanted to hold a bonfire prayer ceremony tonight and asked me to check with Your Highness.”
“Bonfire prayer?” Feng Lezhen didn’t understand.
Shen Suifeng nodded. “It’s a local tradition here in Xijiang City. They light a bonfire, then write their wishes on cloth strips using the ashes from the fire and hang them on trees. They say this way their prayers will reach the gods and spirits above. They said Your Highness has been staying inside every day for their sake, and they wanted to do something as well—to pray with Your Highness for the plague to end soon.”
Feng Lezhen smiled, her eyes soft. “If it helps stabilize the people’s hearts, it’s worth a try.”
“Mm, I knew Your Highness would agree, so I already said yes on your behalf,” Shen Suifeng said calmly.
Feng Lezhen was speechless. “You really are bold.”
Shen Suifeng simply smiled and, surprisingly, didn’t argue back.
That night, five or six bonfires were lit in the martial training grounds. The commoners gathered around the fires, chatting and laughing, their faces showing a rare sense of ease. When the bonfires burned out, they eagerly stepped forward to collect burnt sticks and ashes. Someone, quick-eyed, managed to grab two sticks and even shared one with Shen Suifeng.
“Mr. Shen, you should write one too! Once you’re done, hang it on the tree. The higher you hang it, the faster your wish will come true!”
Shen Suifeng was about to check on Feng Lezhen but smiled and waved his hand when he heard this. “I don’t believe in these things. You all can go ahead.”
“Just write something. It’s a prayer to the heavens. If you don’t want to hang it yourself, I can do it for you, though I probably can’t hang it that high, so your wish might take a bit longer to come true,” the person continued to persuade him.
Shen Suifeng just smiled, gave a few perfunctory words, and quickly found an excuse to leave.
He hurriedly walked away from the noisy crowd without looking back, heading straight for Feng Lezhen’s room. As soon as he saw the door in the distance, he also saw her standing outside.
“Why aren’t you staying inside?” He frowned, quickening his pace.
Feng Lezhen looked up at him. “Was the bonfire prayer lively?”
“Very lively. If Your Highness wants to see, go inside and put on another layer. I’ll take you there,” Shen Suifeng softened his tone.
Feng Lezhen smiled. “No need.”
Shen Suifeng also smiled, reaching out to help her back inside, but she suddenly stepped back.
Their hands missed in the air. Shen Suifeng paused slightly. When he met her gaze again, a sense of foreboding struck him.
“Shen Suifeng,” Feng Lezhen calmly confirmed his intuition, “It seems my condition has worsened.”
As she spoke, she lifted her sleeve, revealing that the once scattered red rashes on her hand had now densely spread into one large patch.
Shen Suifeng had been interested in medicine since he was five years old, often visiting clinics to watch doctors at work. He had traveled the world and seen many rare and complicated diseases. He had always thought he could handle anything with calm and composure. Yet, in this moment, seeing her hand, his mind went completely blank.
“It’s… it’s fine…” After a long pause, he forced himself to recover. “I will cure you.”
Feng Lezhen smiled. “I believe you. But in case something unexpected happens, I’ve left a letter in the cabinet by the wall…”
“I said I will cure you!” Shen Suifeng suddenly cut her off.
Looking into his dark, intense eyes, Feng Lezhen immediately realized he had already found her secret letter.
She smiled nonchalantly. “I don’t believe I’ll die here either. I’m just used to leaving myself a backup plan.”
“Your Highness, instead of letting your thoughts run wild, it’s better to rest more,” Shen Suifeng’s tone was still a bit blunt.
Feng Lezhen didn’t have the strength to argue. She just gave him a helpless look and obediently went back to bed.
As usual, Shen Suifeng sat quietly at her bedside, silently watching her. Feng Lezhen also looked at him quietly. After a long while, she suddenly asked, “Why haven’t you caught the plague yet?”
“…Your Highness sounds quite disappointed?” Shen Suifeng was speechless.
Feng Lezhen realized her words were a bit off and couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m just curious. If you say your body is strong and resistant to infection, there are plenty of young, healthy laborers among the commoners. Their bodies aren’t worse than yours, yet they still got sick. Unless you’ve been secretly taking some miraculous medicine all these years…”
“No such thing,” Shen Suifeng glanced at her. “If I really had something like that, I would’ve given it to Your Highness already.”
“Then why are you completely unaffected?” Feng Lezhen grew even more curious.
Shen Suifeng was silent for a moment and then said, “Probably… because I have good karma.”
Feng Lezhen: “…”
“No matter how severe a plague is, it’s impossible for every single person to be infected. Your Highness, stop overthinking,” Shen Suifeng no longer joked with her.
Feng Lezhen clicked her tongue and no longer tangled with the question.
Although she had slept a lot over the past few days, the moment she touched the bed, she still quickly became drowsy. After exchanging just a few words with Shen Suifeng, she soon drifted off to sleep again.
Shen Suifeng waited until her breathing became steady. He originally intended to wipe her hands while she slept, but as soon as he touched the rash on her hand, she let out a faint groan.
Afraid of disturbing her rest, he hesitated for a long time and eventually put the handkerchief down.
The weather was growing colder. The buildings at the training ground were simple; though the doors and windows didn’t let in the wind, they could hardly keep out the cold. The entire room was icy. Shen Suifeng sat at her bedside, occasionally checking Feng Lezhen’s forehead. Not until well past midnight, when her fever didn’t return, did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Feng Lezhen didn’t sleep well. When she woke, it was still dark, but the person who had always stayed by her bedside was nowhere to be found.
Shen Suifeng had been sleeping at the foot of her bed these past days and would never leave without reason. Why had he suddenly disappeared? Feng Lezhen felt uneasy. She threw on a coat and went to look for him, only to find his room completely empty.
Where did he go? Her brows furrowed tightly. She wandered the cold, early winter night without direction. Even after circling the large training ground, she still didn’t find him. The freezing weather quickly sapped her strength. Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly caught sight of a figure struggling to climb a tall tree by the martial field.
After the bonfire prayer ceremony, all the trees surrounding the martial field had been covered with cloth strips of varying shades. Feng Lezhen was familiar with this local custom. The cloth strips carried written wishes, and the higher they were tied, the closer they were to the gods, the faster the wishes would come true.
And now, the man who repeatedly claimed he didn’t believe in gods or spirits was desperately climbing the tallest tree.
The tree’s trunk was thick enough for three people to wrap their arms around, but it thinned as it went up. At his current height, the branches were only as thick as two wrists. Although the branches were tough, they still swayed dangerously under his weight. Feng Lezhen’s heart raced, but she didn’t dare call out to him, afraid that the slightest distraction might startle him into falling.
Shen Suifeng’s hands were already bloodied from the rough bark, yet he seemed not to feel the pain. Only when he reached a point where he could climb no further did he finally manage to tie the cloth strip he had clenched in his teeth.
Looking at the cloth strip, now almost hanging beneath the moon, he let out a quiet breath of relief. The next moment, his body suddenly lost balance, and he fell.
Feng Lezhen’s eyes flew wide open. Only when he managed to steady himself after sliding down three or four feet did she finally exhale in relief.
Shen Suifeng was drenched in sweat. He rested for a long time before slowly making his way down. His once-white robes were now wrinkled and dirty from being scraped by the tree branches, but he didn’t seem to care. Only when his feet touched the ground did he completely collapse backward, showing a look of pure relief.
“Was it fun?”
A familiar voice rang out. His body stiffened slightly as he quietly sat up and looked at the approaching figure.
“When did you get here?” he asked awkwardly.
Feng Lezhen’s face was expressionless. “When you were climbing like a monkey.”
“…That sounds both pathetic and ridiculous,” Shen Suifeng said, speechless.
“What do you think?” Feng Lezhen shot back.
Shen Suifeng let out a helpless laugh. “Your Highness is free to mock me as you wish.”
“I’m not as bored as you are.” With that, Feng Lezhen turned and left.
Shen Suifeng immediately tried to get up and chase after her, but with just a slight movement, he fell right back to the ground—he had absolutely no strength left.
Fortunately, Feng Lezhen came back halfway.
“Your Highness.” Shen Suifeng instinctively softened his tone.
Feng Lezhen half-squatted down to meet his eyes directly. “After going to all that trouble, what did you wish for?”
Shen Suifeng met her gaze for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Of course, I wished to quickly find a cure for the plague.”
“Idiot,” Feng Lezhen criticized bluntly. “Instead of wasting time making wishes, it would be better to get some proper sleep. You’d have more energy tomorrow to think things through. Besides, don’t you always claim not to believe in gods?”
Shen Suifeng didn’t mind being scolded. “I’ve simply run out of options—what else can I do but ask the heavens to show some mercy?”
Feng Lezhen finally lifted the corners of her lips. “The heavens may not be inclined to listen to someone who only turns to them at the last minute.”
“Well, you never know—it’s worth a try,” Shen Suifeng said with a light laugh.
Feng Lezhen shot him a glance but didn’t say anything else.
Shen Suifeng blinked and suddenly reached out his hand toward her.
Feng Lezhen frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t stand up. Please lend me a hand, Your Highness,” Shen Suifeng said earnestly.
Feng Lezhen was speechless. “My hand…”
“We’ve already kissed—what difference does this make now?” Shen Suifeng’s smile grew more unrestrained.
His carefree, nonchalant attitude—as if nothing in the world really mattered—was surprisingly persuasive. Feng Lezhen hesitated for a moment but ultimately reached out and clasped his fingertips.
Shen Suifeng completely ignored the densely packed rashes on her hand. Feeling her trying to pull him up, he used the momentum to rise, but his entire body suddenly leaned toward her.
Feng Lezhen hadn’t expected him to be so bold. She nearly lost her balance as he fell against her and instinctively pushed against his chest.
“You’re being shameless,” she said, her tone displeased.
Shen Suifeng was still resting against her shoulder. He let out a soft laugh, his warm breath falling against her skin—intimate and utterly shameless.
Just as Feng Lezhen was about to push him away, she heard him whisper next to her ear, “The heavens might not pity someone like me who only prays at the last moment—but they certainly won’t let someone as good as Your Highness fall in a place like this.”
Feng Lezhen froze, her pushing hand suddenly losing all its strength.
Shen Suifeng straightened up slightly, quietly gazing into her eyes. “Your Highness, if you make it through this, I’ll wipe out that debt of over ten thousand gold you owe me.”
Feng Lezhen let out a soft snort at his words, clearly unconvinced.
“When we pass Nanhe, I’ll personally take you to meet my elder brother.” Shen Suifeng added.
The slight disdain in Feng Lezhen’s eyes instantly froze. She raised her gaze to look at him steadily.
“Even the heavens dare not take in that man. Believe me, even if my brother wanted to refuse, he’d have to think very carefully about it.” Shen Suifeng grasped the hand she still had pressed against his chest, his eyes full of amusement.
Feng Lezhen had to admit that in this moment, her fighting spirit was ablaze. She looked at her hand tightly held in his for a long while before finally speaking slowly, “Actually, there’s been something I’ve wanted to ask you. I just forgot when I saw you earlier—only remembered now.”
“Your Highness, please speak.”
“When the other commoners’ conditions worsened, did they also experience something like this—where only a part of the rash spread?” She looked at her own hand, rarely showing a trace of confusion.
Shen Suifeng froze for a moment and followed her gaze, only then noticing that her sleeve had slipped down to her elbow, revealing her wrist, where the red rash still appeared sparsely scattered and hadn’t worsened.
But when he looked at her hand, it was still densely covered with rashes, especially around her fingers, where signs of ulceration had already begun to show.
“… The plague penetrates the five internal organs, and then manifests outward on the skin. Even if some areas are worse than others, it shouldn’t be this clearly distinct,” Shen Suifeng’s throat moved slightly. “This doesn’t look like the plague—it looks more like… an allergic reaction.”
The entire training ground suddenly fell silent.
After a long pause, Feng Lezhen slowly spoke, “If it’s an allergic reaction, there must be a source. Today, aside from tidying up the room, I didn’t do anything else.”
As soon as she finished speaking, both of them immediately thought of when she had used the handkerchief to wipe the orchid.
They stared at each other in silence for a while. Shen Suifeng took a deep breath. “There are countless pathological patterns. Even if both present as skin rashes, an allergic reaction and a plague rash should look different. It’s impossible for them to be identical. But the rashes on your hand and the rest of your body are…”
“You’ve tried countless plague treatments and none of them worked. Maybe it’s not that you’re incapable—it’s that we were wrong from the start,” Feng Lezhen interrupted him.
Shen Suifeng stared at her in a daze, then suddenly, his mind cleared.
Feng Lezhen didn’t understand medicine—she had only raised the question out of habit. But seeing his reaction, she knew he must have figured something out.
After a while, without saying a word, Shen Suifeng suddenly turned and ran off. Feng Lezhen blinked, speechless as she watched the hem of his robe fluttering away.
When she returned to her room, Shen Suifeng was standing in front of the orchid plant, holding a silver needle that was now stained black. Hearing her footsteps, he immediately looked up at her.
She was used to seeing him either carefree or deeply serious, but seeing him this flustered was so rare that she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Perhaps the gods really do offer protection…”
“Does this mean I can go meet your brother now?”
They spoke at the same time. Shen Suifeng instantly fell silent. “Your Highness is still thinking about that?”
Feng Lezhen: “……” She had accidentally revealed her true thoughts.
