After such a serious injury, the Crown Prince needed to replenish his blood.

Rong Rong had a servant wash lotus seeds, peanuts, and red dates, and she started simmering them with fresh white porridge over a low flame.

She also quickly prepared some light and easy-to-digest dishes: stir-fried lotus root cubes, ham and cabbage soup, fish slice soup, and steamed shrimp and egg.

Since it was already past dinner time, she didn’t make more dishes and had a helper call Fu Quan over.

Fu Quan personally came to serve the dishes.

He brought the lotus root cubes, steamed egg, and cabbage soup, while the servant brought the fish slice soup and nourishing porridge.

Rong Rong walked alongside Fu Quan, and the three of them headed to the main courtyard of the manor.

“Fu Quan, are these dishes for the Crown Prince and the Lord Xie?” Rong Rong asked.

“Lord Xie has already left. It’s just for the Crown Prince to eat.”

Rong Rong was relieved.

For one person, four dishes were plenty.

The manor was not large, and soon they reached the main courtyard.

There were fewer formalities here than at the Eastern Palace; Fu Quan led them in without any announcement.

The manor was guarded by many soldiers, but Fu Quan seemed to be the only servant, suggesting they had come in a hurry.

Despite being mentally prepared, Rong Rong’s heart still skipped a beat when she saw him.

Whether as Jing Rong or Xue Rongrong, the Crown Prince had always seemed a majestic figure.

Now, lying on a couch, his right arm was heavily bandaged with white cloth strips, and his left hand was also wrapped tightly, appearing quite swollen.

His face was still handsome, but due to blood loss, his lips were pale, and his eyes lacked their usual sharpness.

“Your Highness, Miss Rong Rong has brought you dinner.”

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed steadily on Rong Rong.

For some reason, she felt uneasy under his gaze and could only lower her head and stand to the side.

Fu Quan placed the four dishes Rong Rong had prepared on the table and quickly retreated with the other servants.

The Crown Prince got up from the couch and sat down at the table.

“Let me serve you,” Rong Rong said, feeling she couldn’t be in any mood to be upset.

She moved forward and began feeding him.

This was actually the first time she fed him.

In her previous life, even though Jing Rong stayed in the Eastern Palace for a long time, she never had the chance to dine with him, let alone feed him.

Back then, he had just begun establishing his position in court, spending his days with the chief minister handling state affairs and returning late at night.

He was nineteen then, full of youthful energy, and despite being busy during the day, he was still vibrant at night.

Rong Rong felt her face heat up without realizing it.

Despite his injuries, she found herself thinking about these things.

It couldn’t be helped, as her memories with him were always intertwined with such moments.

The Crown Prince opened his mouth, but he saw the spoonful of porridge suspended in mid-air.

When he looked up again, he noticed that Rong Rong’s face was slightly flushed and she seemed to be daydreaming.

Feeding someone could make her so shy.

“Rong Rong,” he called her.

His deep, pleasant voice, softened by his injury, lost its usual commanding tone and was much gentler.

Hearing him call her, Rong Rong realized she had been lost in thought.

Her hand trembled, spilling the porridge onto his lap.

She quickly set down the spoon and crouched to wipe the porridge off his knee, apologizing, “Your Highness, may I change your clothes after the meal?”

At the moment, Fuqian seemed to have disappeared, so it would be her responsibility to help with changing clothes.

If they delayed, perhaps Fuqian would take over.

Since the prince was injured and changing clothes was troublesome, he had no objections to Rong Rong’s suggestion.

He was likely feeling weak and spoke less than usual, simply nodding in agreement.

Rong Rong didn’t dare let her mind wander this time and carefully fed him the porridge.

He liked fish slice soup, so it was one of the dishes he had the most besides porridge.

Once he finished eating, Rong Rong called for Fuqian to bring in some water.

Fuqian quickly brought in a basin of water. Rong Rong took a cloth, dipped it in water, and wrung it out.

“Master, when do you plan to send Miss Rong back to the Eastern Palace?” Fuqian asked.

He knew that the prince didn’t want to send Rong Rong away, but Yuanbao needed someone tonight.

Either the prince or Rong Rong had to return, or Yuanbao wouldn’t be able to sleep.

The prince looked up and met Rong Rong’s gaze.

Rong Rong’s heart raced as she said, “I’ll clean His Highness’s face first.”

As soon as her hand touched his face, she was startled by the heat, exclaiming, “It’s so hot!”

She instinctively touched his forehead and found it alarmingly warm.

Fuqian, also worried, touched the prince’s hand but dared not feel his face directly. “The physician said you might have a fever tonight, but he didn’t expect it to be this severe!”

The prince, hearing Fuqian’s panic, said calmly, “There’s no need to make a fuss.”

But just as he finished speaking, he swayed slightly.

Rong Rong and Fuqian quickly supported him.

“Fuqian, let’s help His Highness to the bed.”

“Alright, alright.” Fuqian was genuinely anxious.

The prince had always been healthy, and he didn’t know how to handle a sick person.

Since Rong Rong had a plan, he followed her lead.

They helped the prince to the bed.

After lying down for a moment, the crown prince slowly opened his eyes, saying, “I felt faint earlier, but I’m better now. It’s just a fever, no need to panic. Fuqian.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Prepare the carriage to take her back to the Eastern Palace. Yuanbao must be asleep by now.”

Fuqian glanced at Rong Rong, reluctantly agreeing, “Yes.”

Rong Rong, seeing him hurry to send her away, didn’t insist.

She told Fuqian, “Please call a physician for His Highness.”

“Miss, you may not know, but His Highness’s hand was treated with the Tian Gang Bone-Setting Ointment from the Great Xiangguo Temple today.

This medicine is very potent and interacts with many other medicines. If His Highness takes any other medicine, the effect of the Tian Gang ointment will be greatly reduced.”

Rong Rong was surprised.

When she used it before, Liuli had also advised her to avoid certain foods and only take the few herbs Liuli provided.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll go back to the Eastern Palace to take care of Yuanbao.” It seemed she had to endure the Crown prince’s fever for now.

Fuquan nodded, and as Rong Rong turned around, her hand accidentally brushed against the Crown Prince’s hand.

His hand was left dangling off the edge of the bed.

Rong Rong turned back, surprised to see his hand hanging there, and hesitantly called out, “Your Highness?”

Seeing no response, Fu Quan moved closer and shook the Crown Prince’s hand, still receiving no reaction. “Your Highness? Crown Prince?”

“It seems he might be delirious. Fu Quan, is there a physician on the manor?” Rong Rong asked, concerned.

“Your Highness is the most knowledgeable in medicine. We were in a hurry and had to leave in such a rush. The physician was only able to bandage him before we left the Eastern Palace. What should we do now? I… I’ll have someone return to find a physician right away,” Rongrong said, worried.

“No, it won’t work,” Fu Quan added, “The Crown Prince didn’t bring any attendants to avoid drawing attention. If we suddenly return to find a physician, it might cause problems.”

The guards who came with them were elite personal bodyguards trained by the Crown Prince himself, not only skilled in martial arts but also absolutely loyal.

The Eastern Palace had many spies.

Though Rong Rong didn’t understand why a physician couldn’t be called here, she could tell from Fu Quan’s distress that the Crown Prince was likely involved in a very important matter at this manor.

Rong Rong decided, “Fu Quan, have someone boil water immediately. It should be warm, not hot, and certainly not scalding. Get it ready as soon as possible.”

Seeing her take charge, Fu Quan nodded quickly and went out to arrange it.

Rong Rong climbed onto the couch and carefully started to remove the Crown Prince’s clothing.

The man lying there was undoubtedly the most handsome she had ever seen—his straight nose, thin lips, and chiseled features were breathtaking.

Every time she saw him, her heart would race a bit faster.

Sometimes she felt she was being unreasonable, but other times it seemed only natural.

A man like him, admired even by high-ranking individuals like Xie Yuanrui and Liang Muchen, was bound to make her heart flutter.

At this moment, he looked weak.

His face was nearly expressionless, his lips devoid of color, and although his face wasn’t pale, a feverish red hue gave it a sickly appearance.

Rong Rong managed to loosen his belt and carefully remove the sleeve from his left arm, but she struggled with his trousers.

The Crown Prince was taller than average and his well-developed muscles made his legs heavy.

Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t lift them.

Fortunately, Fu Quan returned with the water and, upon seeing the situation, came over to assist, making it easier to remove the Crown Prince’s clothing.

Rong Rong tested the water, finding it warm but not hot or scalding.

She wrung out a cloth and began to gently wipe his body.

Previously, Aunt Anlan had taught her that when someone has a fever, wiping their body with warm water continuously can help lower the temperature.

At this moment, since the Crown Prince could not take medication, they had to use this method to help reduce his fever.

Fuqian, deeply concerned about the Crown Prince’s safety, was not thinking about withdrawing or avoiding anything.

He knelt on the footboard of the bed and wiped the Crown Prince’s left hand and left leg, while Rongrong squatted inside the bed to wipe his right hand and right leg.

They changed the water in the basin three times, and after half an hour of wiping, they finally felt that the Crown Prince’s temperature had decreased a bit.

Enduring sore hands and feet, Rongrong reached out to cover the Crown Prince with a blanket.

“Your Highness still has a fever. There’s no rush to put on clothes; just cover with the blanket for now.”

“Okay.” Fuqian, at this moment, trusted Rongrong completely.

He hadn’t taken care of a sick person in over ten years.

No matter what difficulties arose, the Crown Prince always made the decisions and gave orders, so he never had to think about what to do, just follow the instructions.

Seeing the Crown Prince faint from the fever earlier had truly panicked him.

“Miss Rongrong, we owe you a lot today.” Fuqian thanked her sincerely.

“Master Fu, don’t mention it. It’s all part of serving the master. Besides, the Crown Prince has saved me as well.”

“Yes, it’s all fate.” Fuqian nodded. “It’s getting late now. Will Miss Rongrong return to the Eastern Palace?”

The Eastern Palace?

Without the Crown Prince and Rongrong around, Yuanbao would surely not be asleep yet.

Rongrong was naturally concerned about whether Yuanbao was sleeping well, but with the Crown Prince so ill, how could she leave?

Weighing the situation, Rongrong made a decision.

“I’ll stay here tonight. Please arrange for a carriage to take me back early tomorrow morning.”

“Alright, alright,” Fuqian was pleased with Rongrong’s response. “Miss Rongrong, you stay here and take care of His Highness. If there’s anything, just call someone from outside. I have a few things to attend to, so I’ll head out now.”

“I understand.”

Once Rongrong nodded, Fuquan hurried out.

The Crown Prince had suffered such a great loss; he needed to extract some information from the assassin, or he wouldn’t have the face to see the Crown Prince!

Rongrong got up and began wringing the cloth in the basin again, then placed it on his forehead.

His face was indeed a bit cooler than before but was still very hot.

With no one speaking in the room, Rongrong could hear his heavy breathing clearly.

The fever must be very uncomfortable.

Rongrong sadly touched his cheek.

He still kept his eyes tightly closed and didn’t move.

After the earlier wiping, Rongrong’s back and legs were already sore. With some free time now, she sat down by the side of the bed.

At that moment, the remaining two movable fingers of his left hand gently curled around Rongrong’s fingers.