Chapter 25

The open door finally brought a hint of coolness to Sang Yao.

At this moment, the bright full moon hung in the deep blue night sky, all around was quiet, and no one dared to speak. Only the occasional faint chirping of insects could be heard nearby.

On this early summer night, a gentle breeze stirred the black hair of the girl, and her hair brushed back and forth on Xie Yun’s hand.

The word “aphrodisiac” was somewhat unfamiliar to Xie Yun.

This word, usually associated with sexual matters, carried a taboo and was almost never heard in the ears of this powerful official.

His understanding of it was even less than Sang Yao, who often read romantic novels.

Xie Yun looked at Sang Yao.

The girl’s eyes were half-closed, her cheeks were rosy, and even her two rosy lips were unnaturally shiny, even redder than before. The red mark on her chin, like a fingerprint, was very prominent against her milky skin.

Sang Yao, feeling weak all over, let her arms go limp after saying that sentence, and then naturally leaned against Xie Yun.

The fabric on the man’s body was cool, accompanied by a very faint cold fragrance, which inexplicably attracted the hot Sang Yao at this moment.

She involuntarily snuggled closer, thinking dazedly, “It’s over, the drug is starting to take effect, and I’m starting to pounce on the man.”

Xie Yun stiffened and didn’t move. One hand subconsciously supported the girl’s slender and soft waist to prevent her from falling, while the other hand was awkwardly suspended in the air, unsure whether to lower it.

This was obviously beyond the plan.

Xie Yun had been well-read since childhood and had a wide range of knowledge, but unfortunately, the classics did not tell him how to deal with a woman who had been drugged with an aphrodisiac.

With all eyes on them, the warm fragrance and soft jade were in his arms.

Very strange.

However, he quickly ordered in a deep voice, “Go call a doctor.”

The words were directed at Jing Lian, but Jing Lian was almost trembling with fear at this moment, and the waves of shock in his heart made it difficult for him to speak.

He would never miss what happened next.

Jing Lian smiled and looked at a servant behind him, naturally saying, “What are you standing there for? Hurry up.”

The servant was suddenly startled and didn’t react immediately, actually hesitating for a moment.

“Yes.”

Satisfied, Jing Lian turned back to continue watching the two.

In theory, as a qualified attendant, he should be observing and understanding the master’s intentions, who usually avoids intimacy with women, and should make him free his hands, then casually instruct a eunuch to carry Sang Yao inside.

But his selfishness prevailed, and he didn’t dare to speak up.

The master didn’t seem to remember, but when he remembered later, he might punish him.

With tears in his eyes, he thought, really, he has spared no effort for the master. If Madam Xie knew of his good intentions, she would surely be pleased.

At the moment, Sang Yao was half awake, murmuring something with her eyes half-closed and red lips slightly moving, but Xie Yun didn’t care.

He pursed his lips, and with his free hand, he poked Sang Yao’s arm and said, “Wake up.”

Did this woman still expect him to carry her back? She should at least walk to the bed and faint there herself.

Sang Yao had a terrible headache. She couldn’t hear clearly what Xie Yun was saying, but she could vaguely hear a man’s voice. Although her mind was unclear, it didn’t stop her determination.

Her medicine was taking effect, and she couldn’t let a man get close to her.

Unconsciously, she grabbed Xie Yun’s clothes tightly, her small face flushed, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her lips pursed as she resisted, “Wuwuwu, stinky man, stay away from me…”

Her voice was loud this time, and it was hard for Xie Yun not to hear. Not only him, but the people behind him also heard.

The air became even quieter.

Xie Yun: “…”

It’s over, the master was scolded.

Xie Yun straightened up silently, withdrew his smile, and solemnly looked away. He pretended not to hear.

But it seemed that the girl hadn’t finished speaking yet. Her red lips moved again, and it seemed she had half a sentence left.

She hadn’t finished scolding? Xie Yun pricked up his ears to listen.

“You…

Before she could finish her sentence, the other hand that had been idle all along fell, grabbing the girl’s knee joint and lifting her horizontally without giving her a chance to finish.

Xie Yun walked into the room with a cold face, and Sang Yao, who was already suffering from a headache, suddenly felt even dizzier.

She endured the discomfort and opened her eyes, realizing that she was lying in the arms of a man. Then she saw the man’s well-defined jawline and his pair of cold eyes.

She remembered, it was Xie Yun.

How was Xie Yun going to save her? Wasn’t he saving her like this? It’s over, isn’t this falling into the tiger’s den?

Xie Yun already had thoughts about her. Now that he finally had the chance, would he make it so she couldn’t get out of bed?

Then how could she get married!

More fearful, Sang Yao forced herself to be alert.

She leaned on Xie Yun’s arms, weakly warning him, “… You’re not allowed to touch me later, got it?”

Xie Yun’s face remained cold, and his steps didn’t stop. This woman really thinks too much.

He said, “Shut up.”

Sang Yao pouted, so fierce. She’s already scolding him before anything has happened.

She caught a glimpse of the big bed not far away, and the bright red bedding on it was particularly glaring.

Xie Yun’s strides were large, feeling unusually urgent.

It’s not hard to guess—he probably dreams of spending intimate moments with her under the covers, and now he can’t bear it any longer.

It seems she can’t escape her fate.

Sang Yao was extremely scared, and she couldn’t help but struggle slightly, cursing in a low voice with her heavy head, “You… you lecher, even if you take advantage of me and get my body…”

As she spoke, Xie Yun had already placed her on the bed.

Before Sang Yao could react, he withdrew his hand first, then took a step back, creating some distance from her, lowered his eyes, and stared at her, his gaze dangerous.

Sang Yao found this gaze a bit scary. She didn’t think she had provoked him. He took advantage of her, so he was in the wrong. Why was he still angry?

Could this be the legendary gaze of extreme forbearance?

“What did you say about me?”

Lecher.

Sang Yao silently answered in her heart, but she couldn’t say it out loud. It wasn’t because she was afraid of Xie Yun, but because her head was hurting even more. Another wave of dizziness hit her, causing the bit of alertness she had just mustered to wilt away. She felt so uncomfortable that she closed her eyes and began to lose consciousness.

Finally, it was quiet.

Xie Yun looked down at the slightly disheveled girl in front of him, his clear face showing a hint of annoyance. Not only had he been taken advantage of, but he had also been scolded? Annoying.

His body still retained the warm touch, making him extremely uncomfortable. He glanced casually at the two maids and said:

“You two, take care of her. Before the doctor arrives, no one else is allowed in.”

The maidservant bowed slightly and responded.

After Xie Yun finished speaking, he glanced at Sang Yao lying on the bed. Her small face was flushed and buried in the bedding, and because of the struggle in his arms earlier, a hint of whiteness was exposed on her chest.

It looked particularly unpleasant to him, and he really wanted to cover it up.

At this moment, compared to the usual impression of spring medicine, she didn’t seem in a hurry to undress, nor was she short of breath, and she wasn’t clinging to him. She looked very obedient.

What kind of medicine could make someone sleep so deeply?

Xie Yun had no experience in this regard. He thought that different types of medicine might have different effects, so as a precaution, he instructed, “Don’t let anyone else know about her condition.”

With that, he turned around and left the room.

Outside the door, including Jinglian and the guards, everyone fell silent. Xie Yun walked out and casually closed the wooden door.

The oppressive gaze fell on Jinglian. Jinglian’s breath paused, he took the words from the guards and changed the subject, “Young Master, do you want to go see the Fifth Prince?”

At this moment, not far away, a young eunuch hurried over with a doctor whose temples were gray. The old doctor bowed to Xie Yun.

Before entering the door, Xie Yun originally wanted to say that Sang Yao’s condition was due to… but with so many people present, it didn’t seem appropriate, so he changed his words and instructed, “If there’s any situation, report to me at any time.”

The old doctor bowed in response, then turned and entered the room.

Jinglian’s expression changed again. Tsk tsk tsk, report to him. It really made people think too much.

What kind of good days are these recently? He had been curious for a long time. He didn’t know when the master and Miss Sang inexplicably became familiar with each other.

These two people could be said to have been strangers before. In the past five years, they had hardly spoken to each other. But these days, not only did they talk, but they also hugged and got close.

Before, these two could laugh together for half a day at a single occasion, but now it’s like this. It’s not fair. The only regret is that his precious notebook is missing. Otherwise, he would have written another half of it in these days.

When he felt good, he couldn’t help but say, “Young Master, is Miss Sang running a fever?”

Xie Yun strode ahead without responding.

It’s okay, he’s used to it.

Jinglian changed the subject, saying, “Someone just passed on the message that the Second Young Master is already on his way.”

Huh, he still didn’t respond. This was wrong. Jinglian closed his mouth silently, not daring to speak again.

The matter of Lu Ting had been planned for a long time, and today’s investigation by the Dali Temple was just the first step. Shortly after, Xie Yan would come with people to search for evidence.

So, if nothing unexpected happened, Xie Yun would still be waiting here for that woman to wake up and apologize for her wild words.

Her appearance was truly unexpected.

Even for Xie Yun, it was an unexpected event that was not very important.

There was no direct contact between the Sang family and him, and the Xie family did not want to engage in factionalism. Currently, the ministers who had closer dealings with them were the ones who were investigating earlier.

Most of them were his father’s students.

As for that girl named Pingguo, he helped her once because of Sang Yin’s personal favor, and later it was just a matter of circumstances.

Xie Yun began to reflect on himself unprecedentedly.

He had known that Sang Yao liked him, and she had tried to seduce him more than once. Although he had clearly rejected her every time, the development of the situation was still very unexpected.

For example, last time, she had the audacity to openly kiss him, and he hadn’t settled that matter with her yet. And now, she had turned the tables on him again.

Could it be that his rejections were not thorough enough, and she thought there was still room for negotiation?

It was late at night, and the man walked under the corridor, his face showing no emotions.

He didn’t want to think about it anymore.

It wasn’t an important matter, nor was it a matter of life or death.

Moreover, he was sure he had no feelings for her.

But strangely, he still felt the sensation of the girl’s skin on his hands, an indescribable feeling.

Through the thin layer of seemingly nonexistent thin clothes, it was soft, tender, and smooth, like it could be pinched off with a little force. And when he pressed his thumb up, he accidentally touched a soft area. He had glimpsed this forbidden corner before, like snow on a mountain peak.

What was she doing here today?

To beg for Lu Ting? So, was it Lu Ting who gave her the spring medicine?

Xie Yun pursed his lips. Regardless of whether it was true or not, it was none of his business.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, his cold eyes sweeping towards Jinglian. “What did you say?”

Jinglian was stunned. What did he say?

Xie Yun’s patience was exhausted. “What did you just say?”

I didn’t say anything just now!

My last sentence was before half an incense stick burned, is that considered “just now”?

He tentatively said, “…Someone sent a message that the Second Young Master is already on his way.” After a pause, he silently added, “He should be here by now.”

Xie Yun nodded and said, “Go meet him.”

…Wait, you’re just remembering the Second Young Master now?

The room was brightly lit, with a faint scent of medicine in the air.

After the doctor left, the maidservant in the room added another layer of blanket for Qin Qie and carefully fed her medicine while Sang Yao was half-asleep and half-awake.

Sang Yao felt that she had a very painful dream.

She was in an extremely hot summer, with cicadas chirping incessantly. No matter how cool the clothes she wore were, they would end up soaked with sweat, sticking to her body.

In such scorching weather, she had to go out to pick watermelons.

It all started when her father said to her, “Look at Li Yaoge. She can pick four watermelons at once. Can you?”

Sang Yao was angry. She hated it when her father compared her to Li Yaoge. So, she argued with him and went to the mountains alone to pick watermelons.

She had to pick more watermelons than Li Yaoge!

There were many big watermelons on the mountain, but she couldn’t carry them, let alone bring them down the mountain.

The sun was still scorching, and she sat in the melon field, feeling extremely depressed. Her body was already soaked with sweat, and her limbs were particularly sore.

Then Xie Yun came leisurely in a carriage, and she looked at him against the strong sunlight. The man was dressed in white, lazily sitting in front of the carriage, his long legs hanging down, looking very cool.

Sang Yao was envious. She asked, “Can you help me bring the watermelons down the mountain?”

Xie Yun gestured with his finger, “Beg me.”

So, she grabbed the hem of his clothes and said, “Xie Yun, please.”

Xie Yun was not satisfied. He said, “Is that all?”

She kissed him on the cheek.

He looked much more satisfied and praised her, “Yao Yao is amazing.”

She was still thinking about her watermelons and asked, “Can you bring me the watermelons now?”

Xie Yun jumped off the carriage and stood with her in the melon field, saying, “No.”

“Then what should I do?”

Xie Yun bent down and whispered in her ear, “Come with me to the bed.”

She thought for a moment and raised a practical question, “But there is no bed here, what should we do?”

Xie Yun hugged her waist, pressed her in the green field, and said, “Then we can only be wild ducks here in the melon field.”

Sang Yao tried to struggle, but she couldn’t push Xie Yun away at all, so she had to accept it reluctantly.

The two of them rolled in the melon field, but as they rolled, something seemed wrong. There seemed to be something next to them. She glanced sideways and saw an extremely fat green caterpillar.

――Help!!

She was scared awake again.

Her consciousness began to return, and deeply immersed in the dream, she gradually felt the edge of reality. In front of her was a bright light, but she couldn’t see clearly what it was.

It seemed that there was something pressing on her, making her unable to move.

The dream and reality merged, and she subconsciously resisted, saying, “Xie Yun, don’t press on me.”

“There’s a big green caterpillar.”

“Stop pressing on me…”

She mumbled weakly, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t push away the restraints in front of her, until a faint voice sounded in her ear: “Miss, Miss?”

Sang Yao slowly opened her eyes.

Before her were the faces of two very unfamiliar maids, both looking at her with concern.

The scene before her gradually became clear. The room was brightly lit by candles, and she was covered with two thick quilts, feeling hot.

Her memory gradually returned. She vaguely remembered that she seemed to have caught a cold, and later Xie Yun had put her on the bed.

What was the situation now?

“Do you need me to call Master Xie?” one of the maids asked.

Sang Yao didn’t quite understand. She instinctively shook her head.

She still felt weak all over, and just waking up made her a bit sluggish, her thoughts still lingering on the last time she saw Xie Yun.

Could it be that Xie Yun really got her out of bed?

One maid said, “Miss, you’re awake. The kitchen sent lotus seed porridge just now. I was ordered to heat it up for you.”

Sang Yao asked, “What… happened to me?”

Her voice was still a bit hoarse from just waking up.

The other maid said, “The doctor said you caught a cold. While you were resting, I already fed you medicine. Before leaving, the doctor instructed that you just need to sweat it out in your sleep.”

“Now that you’re awake, you should be fine.”

Caught a cold…?

Only now did she finally become somewhat clear-headed.

She blinked her long eyelashes and asked gently, “Did I take any medicine?”

Like aphrodisiacs or something.

After thinking for a moment, the maid said, “I don’t think so. The doctor only said you caught a cold and have been depressed these days, which caused the fever.”

“Really?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“…”

This couldn’t be. Her analysis made perfect sense!

Finally, her memories pieced together. She couldn’t help but recall what she had warned Xie Yun about.

What did she call Xie Yun?

Oh, she remembered now, a despicable scoundrel.

As a maid handed her a cup of tea, she asked in confusion, “Huh, why is your face getting red again? Hasn’t the fever gone down yet?”

Sang Yao tightened her grip on the cup, feeling her last bit of dignity crumbling. She asked softly, “So… does Xie Yun know that I just caught a cold and got a fever?”

The maid nodded, “Of course, Master Xie knows. It was reported to him by Lady Wu herself.”

With a crack, Sang Yao’s last bit of dignity shattered.

“What did he say?”

The maid shook her head, “I don’t know.”

Sang Yao hung her head in despair.

Embarrassing.

Clearly, she thought she was being very clever this time, but in the end, she was still foolish enough to cry.

Xie Yun was really patient. If it were her, she would have sought revenge for being unjustly scolded after kindly saving someone.

She didn’t want to face Xie Yun at all. She unconsciously tightened the heavy quilt in front of her, planning to sneak home while no one was paying attention.

Just then, another maid who had gone out came back in, placed the hot lotus seed porridge on the table, and said cheerfully, “Miss, Master Xie asks you to eat up and then find him.”

“He really cares about you.”