Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Nanny Wei informed the steward about the matter.

Nanny Wei was hesitating whether to call a doctor for Yu Qizhi. In their hometown, common fevers and minor ailments were usually treated by sweating it out under the covers.

Why should they be so precious about it?

To Nanny Wei's surprise, the steward took the matter very seriously.

With a worried expression, he immediately sent someone to fetch a doctor and hurriedly informed Pei Jing.

This residence was indeed remote, several streets away from the nearest clinic, and the doctor there had gone on a house call.

The errand boy, lacking patience to run far to another clinic and not wanting to face the steward's wrath, cleverly sought out a quack doctor at a street corner booth.

The quack doctor, remembering the errand boy's instructions, put on an act as he was invited into Yu Qizhi's room.

Nanny Wei, unsuspecting, handed Yu Qizhi's wrist to the quack for a pulse check.

Nanny Wei, born with a short temper, let out a "tsk" sound, feeling that every moment spent in Yu Qizhi's room was a waste of time.

Seeing the doctor arrive, Nanny Wei couldn't sit still for a moment longer and immediately left the room.

The quack doctor pretended to take her pulse, but his true intention lay elsewhere. Even without expertise in pulse diagnosis, the scent of warmth and fragrance lingering around him made him guess that a rather intense encounter had taken place in this room last night.

The quack doctor complied with the errand boy's request, not only for the money but also out of curiosity.

This residence, in this area, seemed like a luxurious mansion to them. The long-vacant house suddenly had occupants, but only servants were seen coming and going, never the owners. Everyone around was curious about who lived inside.

Who would have thought that such a residence hid a woman?

The quack doctor glanced towards the bed heavily draped in curtains.

The heavy curtains faintly revealed some contours within, making it impossible to see the woman's face clearly.

But from the graceful curve of the nose, the shadow of long lashes, and the slender white wrist extending from the curtain, the quack doctor knew that such a delicately nurtured beauty was rare even in death.

Thinking of how such a beauty had been ravished last night, the quack doctor swallowed hard. He truly wanted to lift the curtain and see what kind of celestial beauty was hidden here. If he could catch a glimpse, he could brag to his friends and maybe get a few drinks.

"Ah! Doctor, what's wrong with my lady? She has a fever early in the morning."

Nanny Wei suddenly entered the room, asking anxiously.

The quack doctor hastily withdrew his hand.

The true owner of this residence, capable of hiding such a beauty, must be someone of status. Fearing exposure, the quack doctor nervously replied, "Your lady... is weak, very weak."

Nanny Wei tsked again, thinking Yu Qizhi was indeed a delicate and spoiled woman.

"Then write the prescription," Nanny Wei urged impatiently.

The quack doctor, used to fraud, had only a superficial knowledge of medicine. The apprentice at the pharmacy knew more than he did.

Under Nanny Wei's repeated urging, the quack doctor, relying on his limited knowledge, scribbled a barely passable prescription.

In her daze, Yu Qizhi heard Nanny Wei's sharp voice but was too feverish to respond and fell back asleep.

Later, when Nanny Wei brought the medicine prepared according to the prescription, Yu Qizhi vaguely remembered the quack doctor touching her hand repeatedly during the pulse check. She felt he wasn't a proper doctor and didn't want to take the medicine. Nanny Wei scolded her.

Unlike the Marquis Mansion, which always had hot water ready, she hadn't bathed after her encounter with Pei Jing last night. Yu Qizhi suspected her fever might be due to this.

She asked Nanny Wei to heat some water, bathed despite her fatigue, and felt much better afterward.

...

The steward feared being blamed by the Crown Prince and went early to meet Pei Jing but only saw his attendant outside the office, not the Crown Prince himself.

The attendant said he would inform the Crown Prince, but the steward wondered if the Crown Prince truly cared about Lady Yu. If he had misjudged the situation and disturbed the Crown Prince's work, it would be troublesome.

Pei Jing arrived late at night.

The master of the residence came, and the servants lit lamps to welcome him.

Nanny Wei took the opportunity to complain to Pei Jing that Yu Qizhi refused to take the medicine.

Pei Jing ignored her, pushed the door open, and entered the room. Yu Qizhi was already asleep, her beautiful brows slightly furrowed.

Pei Jing sat beside the bed, touched her forehead, and as he withdrew his hand, his fingers brushed her smooth cheek.

Yu Qizhi's eyelashes fluttered in her sleep as she turned over, her cheek nuzzling his palm.

"Mother..."

She murmured with closed eyes.

Yu Qizhi's eyelashes slowly moistened, and she held onto Pei Jing's arm tightly.

"Mother, Mother..."

Pei Jing's gaze darkened.

In her illness, Yu Qizhi clung to him, calling for her mother.

Fortunately, she didn't call out Feng Qingling's name.

Pei Jing breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling inexplicably fortunate.

As he realized this sense of relief, Pei Jing immediately felt absurd.

He suppressed the emotions in his heart and tried to recall memories from his childhood. Then, he cautiously reached out and gently patted Yu Qizhi's back, rhythmically tapping it softly.

Perhaps it was the instinctive desire for comfort from a loved one while sick; Yu Qizhi mistook Pei Jing for her mother. As her back was gently patted, her furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

Yu Qizhi shifted her face slightly, finding a more comfortable position in Pei Jing's arms. Her slightly damp eyelashes brushed against his hand.

Looking at Yu Qizhi, Pei Jing's eyes softened involuntarily.

His palm gently caressed her back. Yu Qizhi seemed fine, but when he touched her back, she felt much thinner than when they were in the Marquis Mansion.

Pei Jing pursed his lips. A fleeting emotion flashed through his heart, but before he could identify it, the door curtain was suddenly lifted by someone.

Since Pei Jing had come to this residence, Nurse Wei, following the steward’s instructions, reluctantly got up with red eyes to prepare a late-night snack for Yu Qizhi.

In Nurse Wei's hands was a bowl of rice gruel as thin as water.

Pei Jing's eyes turned cold.

Yu Qizhi hadn't eaten all day, and now she was given only this?

Nurse Wei originally wanted to say something to Pei Jing, but his gaze made her shudder. She trembled, unsure of what to do.

The sound of Nurse Wei entering the room woke Yu Qizhi.

Feeling Pei Jing's hand on her shoulder, Yu Qizhi stiffened slightly. She glanced at Pei Jing and then sat up in his arms.

"The rice gruel was my request," Yu Qizhi explained softly.

It wasn’t that Nurse Wei was making things difficult for her; Yu Qizhi simply had no appetite.

After staying in this house for some time, she had learned to understand some of Pei Jing's moods.

"Give it to me," Yu Qizhi said to Nurse Wei again.

Nurse Wei felt a hint of gratitude for Yu Qizhi's intervention and quickly responded, but Pei Jing intercepted the bowl halfway.

"I'll do it."

Pei Jing stirred the thin rice gruel with a spoon, intending to feed Yu Qizhi himself.

Nurse Wei stood there, stunned.

To her, this scene showed how exceptionally caring this noble man was towards Yu Qizhi.

This Yu Qizhi truly has remarkable skills, Nurse Wei thought to herself.

"Leave."

Without turning his head, Pei Jing dismissed Nurse Wei upon noticing Yu Qizhi's gaze.

Nurse Wei quickly retreated.

With the door closed, Pei Jing brought the spoon close to Yu Qizhi's lips, leaving no room for refusal.

Yu Qizhi couldn't resist and took the spoonful of rice gruel into her mouth.

The room was quiet. Yu Qizhi leaned against Pei Jing's shoulder as he fed her, and she finished the entire bowl of rice gruel.

After finishing the bowl of rice porridge, Pei Jing touched her forehead; it was no longer as hot.

Worried that Yu Qizhi might suffer from indigestion if she went to sleep immediately, Pei Jing kept her sitting in his arms for a while.

But Yu Qizhi shifted slightly and hugged him tightly, closing her eyes gently.

Pei Jing looked down at her. Yu Qizhi's side of her face pressed against his chest, her arms around him, showing complete dependence.

Just like their interactions in the Marquis Mansion—

Such intimate moments between them had happened countless times.

Pei Jing inhaled the fresh scent of Yu Qizhi's hair after washing, and his lips curved slightly.

Yu Qizhi, why couldn't you have been this obedient earlier?

For Pei Jing, a wife needed only to be beautiful and obedient.

But since meeting Yu Qizhi, he could not imagine any other woman as his wife besides her.

He could tolerate her minor acts of defiance, but not her betrayal.

He could not bear the thought of Yu Qizhi looking at him while thinking of another man.

He wanted her heart to belong solely to him.

Yu Qizhi's current posture in his arms was soft, but Pei Jing knew she was far from being as gentle as she appeared.

Yu Qizhi was like a beautiful green plant that could thrive anywhere. But if someone provided shelter, she would grow even better.

Rely on me.

Pei Jing thought that Yu Qizhi had suffered greatly in her childhood, so he could barely tolerate her reliance on Feng Qingling.

But from now on, she could only rely on him.

He would wait, waiting for the day when Yu Qizhi would beg him to let her return as the Crown Prince's wife.

...

Since that night, the relationship between Yu Qizhi and Pei Jing seemed to reach a certain balance.

They tacitly avoided mentioning Feng Qingling again, nor did they bring up what had happened the night Yu Qizhi escaped.

Mama Wei was instructed by the steward to take good care of Yu Qizhi, but he also repeatedly emphasized that the guards and Mama Wei should be more vigilant in watching over her.

Someone brought over the clothes and items Yu Qizhi was accustomed to using at the Marquis Mansion, making her room much more comfortable.

Some new servants had entered this residence, but they were still unfamiliar faces.

These arrangements were clearly all Pei Jing's doing, and Yu Qizhi accepted them somewhat numbly.

Pei Jing would come almost every day, sometimes early, sometimes late, sometimes in his official attire, bringing with him the coolness of the night as he held her in his arms.

Yu Qizhi felt as if she had become like Lady Han in Luo County, waiting for a man to return every day within the confines of the courtyard.

Yu Qizhi's life now revolved around Pei Jing.

One day, as the bed curtains swayed, just as they were about to finish, Yu Qizhi pushed his shoulder and stopped him, saying, "Don't go inside."

Yu Qizhi didn't want to call for water in the middle of the night. The servants only listened to Mama Wei, and she couldn't easily command them. Moreover, she didn't want anyone listening outside the door.

She preferred to wait until morning to heat water herself for bathing.

Yu Qizhi rarely went out, so her clothing was simple and casual. With summer approaching, she wore a light lotus-colored high-waisted dress with a light gauze robe over it.

She was naturally fair, and the rise and fall of her chest looked even whiter. Pei Jing found her adorable, kissed her, and whispered in a low voice near her shoulder:

"How can we have children if you don't let me go inside?"

After a moment, Yu Qizhi's drowsy thoughts suddenly jolted—

Since she moved into this residence, she hadn't taken any contraceptive herbs.