Chapter 142:

Every night, Emperor Jing’s temperature seemed to rise alarmingly. Layue continuously wiped him down with alcohol, while Physician Zhang and Laixi assisted nearby.

Emperor Jing felt that since reaching adulthood, he had never been so helpless. With his eyes shut tightly and his brows furrowed, he felt extremely uncomfortable all over, yet utterly powerless. It seemed that before illness, no matter how exalted he was, he could only endure it in fragile vulnerability.

“Uh…” he softly groaned.

Layue quickly looked at him; his face was flushed.

If not for Layue meticulously wiping him down every night to reduce his fever, his condition would likely be worse.

Removing his undergarments, Layue showed no embarrassment, remaining focused and meticulous as ever.

Looking at his alarming skin condition, Layue showed no revulsion or fear—only a hint of pity.

“Generally speaking, smallpox patients usually start breaking out on the face first. Fortunately for the Emperor, the rash mainly appeared on less visible parts of his body. The blister fluid has turned yellow and purulent, the rashes have become pustules with more pronounced red halos around them, the skin is reddened and slightly swollen, and there is swelling around the eyelids. In this physician’s opinion, the illness has already entered its third stage. This stage is typically accompanied by sudden high fevers. The Emperor’s current symptoms align with this. If we can continue properly for these days, once we reach the final stage where scabs form and the danger passes, everything will be fine.”

Seeing that wiping Emperor Jing repeatedly with alcohol still showed no sign of reducing his fever, Layue did not lose heart, continuing her movements persistently. Jing, with eyes half-closed, gazed at her.

It was as if she had entered his heart.

Seeing tears at the corner of Jing’s eyes, Layue knew it wasn’t from being moved, but rather due to his physical discomfort. He couldn’t control it, but seeing him so helpless for the first time, Layue felt an indescribable emotion inside.

“It’s okay. I know you’re uncomfortable, so please endure it, okay? You will be fine. Everything will be okay.” Not knowing whether she was comforting Emperor Jing or herself, Layue kept murmuring, ignoring Physician Zhang and Laixi.

Emperor Jing exerted some strength and held her hand.

Layue looked at him in surprise, not understanding his intention.

“You go out.”

These four words were simple, yet he had used all his strength to say them.

Seeing him act this way even now, Layue tightly bit her lip, refusing to let her tears fall, lifting her head slightly.

Her tone was firm: “No. You just focus on recovering. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Emperor Jing fell silent. Deep inside, he harbored a conflicted thought.

Rationally, he knew that for her own good, he should send her away. Yet emotionally, he desperately wanted her to stay by his side, comforting and encouraging him, saying those words.

Seeing her earnest and stubborn little face, Emperor Jing felt his heart pounding. He didn’t know whether it was because he was getting worse, or because he was falling more in love with her.

Or perhaps, in this moment of pain and helplessness, he had come to see her as his lifeline.

No, he was a strong person. Even in pain and helplessness, he would not be weak.

Even though he couldn’t leave and knew nothing of what was happening outside, confined here day after day, Layue still kept herself neat and tidy—not only herself, but she also took excellent care of him.

What a contradictory young woman she was.

At such a critical moment, she neither complained nor expressed sorrow, nor did she even say “I love you,” yet she was willing to risk her own safety for him.

“Yue’er…”

His voice was low, but unlike usual—it carried much vulnerability.

“Did I hurt you, Your Majesty?” Layue was very careful, yet still worried she might have hurt him.

“Yue’er…”

Seeing him repeatedly murmuring her name, gazing at her as if entranced, Layue didn’t know what had come over him. Perhaps it was just because he was seriously ill and his spirit was fragile?

She gave him a glance, then looked at Laixi. Laixi immediately understood Consort Shen’s meaning.

Coughing deliberately, he nudged Physician Zhang beside him, who then wisely turned his head away.

Seeing that neither of them was looking anymore,

Layue bent down and quickly kissed Emperor Jing’s face. But since others were still present, it was only a brief peck before she quickly turned her head away, her cheeks flushed, saying nothing more.

She continued wiping him down.

Emperor Jing hadn’t expected her action, and for a moment, his heart swelled with joy.

When Laixi and Physician Zhang turned back around, they rarely saw Emperor Jing with a slight smile on his lips.

Although these days had been busy, to Layue it felt like an eternity. When Emperor Jing’s pustules began to shrink and dry, the red halos around them faded, the rashes gradually dried up, forming thick yellow-green scabs, and unbearable itching began, his body temperature finally started to return to normal.

Layue knew this meant he was finally improving.

Because of the intense itching, Layue took the initiative and actually tied Emperor Jing’s hands.

Seeing her do this, Emperor Jing was stunned.

Thankfully, fate was kind. On the sixteenth day after Emperor Jing was isolated due to illness, he finally recovered.

And no one else had been infected. This was largely thanks to Physicians Zhang and Wang. If it hadn’t been for their caution, this incident could have led to extremely serious consequences.

…

When Emperor Jing pushed open the door and saw the sunlight, a blinding ray of light shot in.

Shielding his eyes with his hand, he looked at the person kneeling at the door, then turned back to look at the small figure behind him.

Layue stood properly there, her face showing the joy of surviving a disaster.

This time, she had bet right again, but how many more chances would she have to gamble like this?

In the future, she would stay indoors more.

Smiling at her, Emperor Jing turned around.

“Your Majesty, we greet you.”

Emperor Jing gave a slight nod.

Now that he was fine, there were many matters to attend to. He had come here to pray for blessings but had delayed returning to the palace for too long, likely raising suspicions among others.

Previously, they had said he had caught a cold and needed to rest here for a few days. Despite the suspicions, there was nothing anyone could do.

Now that he had finally recovered, it felt like a different lifetime.

And his mood was already quite different from before.

Now that he was well, Emperor Jing switched rooms with Layue. This room was sealed off, and daily disinfection was carried out around its perimeter.

Having been out for so long, the palace must have been thrown into chaos. Emperor Jing couldn’t delay and immediately decided to return the next day.

Jinxin and Tao’er, seeing their mistress was safe, burst into tears hysterically, and even Layue couldn’t help shedding tears, feeling the joy of surviving a disaster.

She had even prepared herself for the worst, but fortunately, everything was over now.

They were safe. Everyone was safe.

“My Lady, you’re finally okay. You’re finally okay.” Jinxin kept murmuring.

Perhaps others also had good relations with Consort Shen, but no one could care for her the way Jinxin did. She had been taking care of her mistress since childhood.

Jinxin had already resolved herself to follow her mistress in death if anything happened to her.

Later, when Tao’er murmured about the young master, Jinxin changed her mind again.

Since her mistress loved the young master so much, if anything happened, she must return to the palace to serve him.

Thinking about it repeatedly, she grew stronger.

After washing up, Layue sank into the warm water, feeling extremely refreshed.

Then she had a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, seeing no sign that Jing had slept beside her, she knew he hadn’t returned all night.

That was natural. Emperor Jing had been away from the capital for so long, and there might have been various complications. He would definitely be very busy these days.

Sure enough, soon after, Laixi came over to greet her.

He said Emperor Jing had asked Consort Shen to pack his belongings, as they would depart directly later.

Layue nodded in agreement.

As for those official matters, she neither spoke nor understood them.

In some dynasties, there were clever women who controlled the court, but Layue had no interest in that.

She wasn’t even eager to take charge of palace affairs—these matters were even more beyond her comprehension.

As an emperor, Jing was truly commendable.

She had no need to worry unnecessarily about his affairs.

Taking care of her health and her child, living a peaceful and happy life every day—this was already extremely pleasant.

Before leaving, Layue stood in the courtyard, gazing at everything around her, her heart filled with mixed emotions. If there were no accidents, she probably wouldn’t have another chance to come here again. It was a pity such a beautiful place existed.

But thinking that both times she came here had been life-threatening experiences, she felt it wasn’t so bad never to come back.

She valued her life greatly.

“Your Ladyship, everything is ready.”

After this incident, both Jinxin and Tao’er had become more composed.

“Alright, let’s go.”

When they arrived at the main gate, they met Emperor Jing. Although he had recovered, perhaps due to lack of sleep, he looked somewhat tired, though not particularly listless.

Seeing Layue, he pulled her to his side and considerately asked, “Did you sleep well last night?”

During his illness, he knew she had always been by his side, and even when she did rest, she hadn’t slept peacefully.

Layue nodded: “I slept very well. But look at you—you have dark circles under your eyes.”

She gently touched his face, murmuring.

Emperor Jing smiled and shook his head: “I’m a man, not someone who wins favor through beauty. What does it matter? Let’s go. Don’t you miss the children? Let’s go see them.”

Layue nodded with a radiant smile.

She missed the children dearly.

“Your Majesty’s body has just recovered and shouldn’t be overexerted. Now is the time to recuperate. Although you’re eager to return, we mustn’t ride the carriage too fast, or your body won’t be able to handle it.”

Emperor Jing shook his head: “I’m really fine.”

“But I’m tired,” Layue playfully tugged at his sleeve.

Seeing her like this, Emperor Jing smiled warmly.

“Alright, as you wish.”

Through this incident, Emperor Jing had developed different feelings for Layue. He had never understood before how someone could love another person with their entire life. But seeing Layue, he began to understand a little.

He thought it was because he had been weak and needed support, but when they walked out of the house together, he realized it wasn’t just that.

His heart was full—overflowing.