Yin He stepped forward as if entering an uninhabited area, lifting the gauze curtain directly. Under the dim light, the woman was sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling gently with her even breaths.
"Wake her up," Zheng Nianru said.
Zheng Tianxin hadn’t expected to be awakened from sleep by soone. When she saw the young man standing in front of her bed, her irritation and impatience vanished in an instant, revealing a smile.
"It’s you, am I dreaming?" Zheng Tianxin said, reaching out to touch Yin He’s face, "Darling, life is short; co to my side, and I can give you anything you want."
"Indeed, you are dreaming," Zheng Nianru stepped forward, entering Zheng Tianxin’s line of sight, not wanting to waste ti.
Yin He was sowhat bewildered but not repulsed; the woman’s words gave him an unprecedented feeling. Her eyes full of his presence, sothing others had never shown. The young man had seen the contrast and made comparisons; she had never said such things, never looked at him this way. Could it be that he shouldn’t be a eunuch?
But, perhaps, should he beco Zheng Congyuan?
Zheng Tianxin was startled, looking towards Zheng Nianru. In a mont of doubt, she realized again that she was in her own bed, on her own turf. How could it be possible? Therefore, it must definitely be a dream.
"I certainly didn’t dream of seeing you; get lost," Zheng Tianxin snapped, grabbing the Golden Lou Fragrance Sachet Ball hanging beside the bed and throwing it at Zheng Nianru.
Yin He swiftly caught it, his gaze turning cold as ice towards Zheng Tianxin.
The tender gaze of Zheng Tianxin slowly dried up, shifting from affection to gradually becoming timid, then fearful. The young man’s eyes seed to devour the tenderness in an instant, revealing the nervous soul that originally belonged to a young girl.
"Who are you? Get away—," Zheng Tianxin kept shrinking back into the bed, wrapping herself tightly with the silk quilt, her hands covering her eyes trembling intensely.
"Leave, leave, don’t, don’t co near , don’t..."
Zheng Nianru quietly watched this scene. Although she didn’t know how Yin He had done it, she didn’t want to know. Qiandao Temple had plenty of skilled individuals with unusual abilities, and she was only concerned with the results.
Yin He lowered his head; Zheng Tianxin’s voice got quieter. When he looked up again, her eyes returned to the infatuated look she had before, confused and dazed, even though she clearly...
Just as Zheng Tianxin reached out her hand, Zheng Nianru already turned her head towards Yin He and said.
"Start now,"
Zheng Tianxin was slightly taken aback, bringing her senses back, her eyes focusing back on Zheng Nianru.
"What are you trying to do?" How dare you act so presumptuously on my turf!
Upon hearing this, Yin He stepped forward and waved his hand. Zheng Tianxin watched helplessly as a mass of black energy headed towards her stomach, but she was utterly unable to move.
"Bold assassin, you want to assassinate —"
"Guards, guards—"
"Guards—"
"Help—"
"Princess, Princess, please wake up, wake up—"
Zheng Tianxin suddenly sat up from the bed, Yan Xia beside her fanning, while Jin Luo and the female servants and guards stationed outside ca rushing in.
"Princess, it was just a dream, it wasn’t real," Yan Xia hurriedly said, the Princess had not had nightmares for a long ti, why suddenly now?
Zheng Tianxin, soaked in cold sweat, suddenly thought of sothing and imdiately lifted the bedsheet to check her stomach, finding her light golden silk nightdress perfectly intact.
Zheng Tianxin looked around in confusion, but everything was so familiar. She touched her belly, feeling nothing out of the ordinary.
"Was it really just a dream?" It was a dream, the dream itself had claid only to be a re dream. Yet in that dream, what had they done? That beautiful face of the young man entwined with a demon’s soul made Zheng Tianxin’s heart shudder uncontrollably whenever she thought of it.
"Princess, please have so tea." Yan Xia brought tea, and Zheng Tianxin drank from her hand, looking sowhat lost as a sudden cold wind blew over her, causing her to shiver.
"Who opened the window? Close it imdiately." Jin Luo imdiately scolded the female servant near the window, and no one dared to even breathe heavily.
Zheng Tianxin uncharacteristically did not lose her temper and seed lost in thought.
"Prepare the bathwater, I need to bathe." After a while, Zheng Tianxin spoke up, and Yan Xia imdiately instructed a few reliable palace maids to handle it. The hall echoed only with Zheng Tianxin calling her back in a rush.
...
Late into the night, after a tumultuous evening, Zheng Tianxin finally fell asleep, but before dawn, she developed a fever, her body burning like fire, soaking through several sets of sleepwear.
Seeing this, Yan Xia did not dare delay and sent soone to summon the Imperial Physician before the palace gates even opened.
The Imperial Physician arrived very quickly, and both on-duty physicians from Nanzheng’s Palace were called in. Following that, the Empress also learned of the situation and arrived at the Princess Mansion within a Shichen Chinese Ti.
"Reporting to the Empress, Her Highness the Princess has rely caught a cold and is not in grave danger. She only needs to take a dicine, sweat it out, and then slowly recuperate," one Imperial Physician had the dicine brewed skillfully while another stayed back at the mansion.
He Jin sat beside the bed, personally tending to Zheng Tianxin, as the Empress questioned each female servant who had cared for her the day before.
"He Jin—" It was finally his turn.
He Jin stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Empress, I have failed to properly care for Her Highness the Princess. It was my negligence," He Jin stated the rehearsed words, particularly rembering the admonitions the Empress had given him on his wedding day.
Nothing else mattered—just take good care of the Princess and ensure her safe and healthy life, and she would be at ease.
"Do you admit your guilt?" Empress Xiao’s voice was cold. She had chosen He Jin because of his steadiness and his ability to see the bigger picture, a stark contrast to others from insignificant backgrounds and short-sightedness, which is why she had chosen him.
He Jin silently knelt down, offering no rebuttal, accustod to such baseless accusations.
"Is there not a single capable person in the entire Princess Mansion?" the Empress said angrily, growing increasingly displeased with He Jin’s wooden response.
"Please calm your anger, Empress. I shall devote myself to taking care of the Princess," He Jin spoke calmly.
Hearing this, Empress Xiao almost slapped him, thinking, Does this an he hasn’t been attentive all along?
"He Jin—" Just then, Zheng Tianxin, seemingly hearing the noise outside, He Jin let out a sigh of relief and turned back to her bedside.
"I’m thirsty—"
Jin Luo imdiately brought a teacup to the Prince Consort, and He Jin took it to feed her. He Jin always found it strange that the Empress valued the Eldest Princess so much, yet why were there no experienced nannies around her? Only Yan Xia and Jin Luo, the two female servants, stayed for a long ti.
"Since the Prince Consort has not properly cared for her, he will be punished to transcribe the ’Heart Sutra’ right here in her bedchamber until the Princess recovers," the Empress stated coldly, not knowing where else to direct her anger.
"Empress—" Yan Xia couldn’t help but speak up, the Empress had ordered the Prince Consort to transcribe the ’Heart Sutra’ and tend to the Princess, a task burdenso for anyone, "Empress, the Princess had a nightmare last night."
Upon hearing this, the Empress imdiately looked at Yan Xia, wondering why she hadn’t ntioned it earlier.
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