Although he was holding her hand, he wasn’t really applying any pressure. His hand was just resting on Rong Rong’s fingers. His fingers were warm and slightly trembling, making Rong Rong’s fingers feel hot as well.

“Your Highness?” Rong Rong called out to him, but his lips remained pressed together, showing no sign of reaction.

Was he still unconscious?

Since his hand was injured, Rong Rong didn’t dare pull him forcefully.

Instead, she carefully pried his fingers apart.

For someone like the Crown Prince who never falls ill, when he does, it’s much more severe than usual.

Even a simple fever seems to affect him more intensely.

Rong Rong and Fu Quan had already done a thorough cleaning, and although his fever seemed to have lowered, it had risen again after a short break.

Rong Rong went to get the cloth from his forehead, and as she suspected, the cloth soaked with warm water was even hotter than when she first placed it.

She urgently called out, “Is anyone there? Is there someone outside?”

“Yes, miss, what do you need?” It was the same guard who had been helping in the kitchen.

He quickly came in upon hearing her call.

Rong Rong said, “Guard, is there any warm water left? Please bring some more if you can. If there’s only a little left, heat up more. With his fever so high, I don’t know how many times we’ll need to change the water tonight.”

“Understood! Master Fu Quan said to follow your orders, and I will do so.”

The guard acted quickly and soon brought the water.

Rong Rong replaced the towel on the Crown Prince’s forehead and continued to clean him.

Despite just having cleaned him with Fu Quan, after a short rest, he was sweating lightly again, and his body felt both hot and clammy.

It must be very uncomfortable for him.

With Fu Quan not around, it was much more tiring for Rong Rong to clean him by herself.

She wanted to call the guard for help but worried that he might be clumsy since he wasn’t used to such tasks and could accidentally worsen the Crown Prince’s injuries.

So, she continued on her own.

He was tall and big, and Rong Rong had to move from the front to the back of the bed and from inside to outside.

By the time she finished, her back was aching so badly she could hardly straighten up.

Despite her exhaustion and hunger from missing a meal, she managed to heat up some food and eat a bit.

After resting briefly, she cleaned her face and lay down beside him, trying to ease her aching back.

As she lay there, she noticed his dry, colorless lips.

Rong Rong reached out and felt they were extremely dry.

In her focus on cleaning him, she had forgotten to give him water.

Struggling to get up, Rong Rong went to get water from the table.

People with fevers shouldn’t drink very hot or very cold things; slightly cooler than body temperature is best.

She took a sip herself to check the temperature and then gave it to him.

Because of his injuries and the fever, he clenched his teeth tightly, and Rongrong couldn’t pry them open.

Helpless, she could only pour a little water onto his lips.

He was indeed thirsty. After feeling the coolness at his lips, he slightly parted them. Rongrong hurriedly poured water into his mouth, but she poured too much at once, and the water spilled all over his neck.

It was another moment of frantic movement.

After wiping off the spilled water, Rongrong continued to feed him.

This time, she was extra careful, pouring a little… and a little more into his mouth.

Finally, she managed to feed him a full cup of water successfully.

After this, Rongrong was truly exhausted and collapsed beside him, motionless.

She was so tired that she fell asleep quickly.

In the middle of the night, she stirred in her sleep and reached into his blanket.

She touched him and found him sweating profusely.

Waking up suddenly, Rongrong called someone from outside to bring more water.

After wiping off all his sweat, she finally went back to sleep.

Throughout the night, Rongrong woke up three times. Fortunately, with each wiping, the Crown Prince’s fever gradually decreased, and after the last wiping, she was finally able to sleep a bit longer.

---

Jingning Marquis’s Residence.

Xin Zhu stood silently in front of Xie Yuanchu’s desk, listening to his instructions.

“…There are too many people watching His Highness. This matter can only be handled by me; I don’t trust anyone else. You must go personally. There must be no mistakes.”

“Yes, I will handle it immediately.”

“If it fails, neither His Highness nor I will take responsibility for this matter. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

“Go then.” Xie Yuanchu waved his hand, and Xin Zhu quickly left the study.

So much had happened today.

Xie Yuanchu squinted slightly and took a moment to rest.

Somehow, Rongrong’s worried expression about the Crown Prince suddenly appeared in his mind.

Rongrong and the Crown Prince seemed to be progressing quickly.

It was fortunate that he had insisted and prevented his mother from agreeing to marry Yuanrui into the East Palace.

He had heard that the Emperor and Empress were now focusing on Liang Muchen from the Weiyuan Marquis’s residence.

She was indeed a beauty.

Unfortunately, Liu Zhen, whom he knew, was not someone who could appreciate two beauties at the same time.

“Young Master, the calming soup is ready.” The voice of Luomei came from outside the door.

“Come in.”

Luomei was wearing a water-red jacket today, and the bright color made her look even more delicate.

It was a pity, though; she still seemed somewhat common.

“Where is Zhenzhen?” Xie Yuanchu asked.

Luomei looked slightly distracted and lowered her head. “Today, Sister Zhenzhen is not feeling well, so she asked me to take her night shift.”

“Not feeling well? Have her come here; I’ll take a look.”

“Yes.” Luomei, carrying a tray, left the study with a downcast expression.

---

When the Crown Prince opened his eyes, his body was still a bit hotter than usual.

But amidst the heat, there was a cool little hand resting on his chest.

He turned his head and saw a small, delicate face resting on his pillow.

Probably due to a poor night’s sleep, there were dark circles under her fair skin.

Her face was really small, perhaps even smaller than his hand.

If his hands weren’t bandaged, he would have liked to compare the size of his hand to her face.

After staring for a while, he finally asked, “Is anyone outside?”

“Yes,” replied the same guard from last night.

He quickly came in at the sound of the Crown Prince’s voice.

“Where is Fu Quan?”

The guard answered, “Master Fu Quan and An Yue are interrogating the assassin.”

“They’ve been interrogating all night and still haven’t learned anything?” The Crown Prince smiled with a hint of sarcasm.

“I’m not sure of the details. I’ll go get Master Fu Quan right away…”

“No need.” If Fu Quan had any results, he would have come to report them by now.

“Your Highness, would you like to have breakfast?”

“You’re making it?”

The guard lowered his head in embarrassment.

His skills were not very good among the shadow guards, so when he arrived at the manor yesterday, Fu Quan had assigned him to help with the logistics.

The meal last night was uneaten by the Crown Prince, but fortunately, Miss Xue had arrived.

“Just make a pot of tea with three or four tea leaves,” the Crown Prince said, not blaming the guard.

His shadow guards were excellent in combat, but not so much in serving.

In the past, he had eaten their food while on missions.

Lately, though, his tastes had become more refined due to the company he kept.

“Understood.”

The Crown Prince closed his eyes slightly and continued to rest.

After the guard brought the tea, he drank a few sips and felt much clearer-headed than when he first woke up.

“You can leave now.”

The guard quietly left.

The Crown Prince and Rong Rong lay together quietly.

He remembered the fierce thoughts he had had the previous night and couldn’t help but smile.

They had ended up lying together.

It was a pity he couldn’t move his hands.

If he could, he might have been able to sleep more comfortably.

The Crown Prince could only lie on his side and look at her.

Last night, even though he was barely conscious, he knew someone had gently fed him water with small hands and tenderly wiped his body when he felt like he was in a steam room.

“Rongrong.” He couldn’t help but call out to her softly.

Perhaps she was exhausted from last night, and even though he called her by her ear, she didn’t respond at all.

She merely frowned and pouted before continuing to sleep.

She was indeed very pretty, and the way her little mouth pouted made one want to… kiss her!

The Crown Prince shifted closer.

“Ugh—” His right hand was severely injured, and moving it caused sharp pain.

As he was contemplating how to move a bit closer, Rongrong suddenly opened her misty eyes.

After a moment of eye contact, she reached out with her small hands to grasp his cheeks and leaned in to give him a kiss.

He was taken aback and was about to say or do something, but she murmured something unintelligible and gave him another kiss.

She… liked him this much?

She was so proactive and impatient, and a sense of pride welled up within him.

Unaware of what was happening in front of her, Rongrong was simply dreaming that she had turned into Jingrong again, lying on the dragon bed in the East Palace, wanting to sleep in.

Someone kept pestering her, and she impatiently urged him to attend court, giving him a perfunctory kiss, hoping he would leave quickly.

“Crown Prince! Crown Prince!” Fuquan’s excited voice came from outside.

Unaware of the important matter at hand, Fuquan didn’t consider the situation inside and jumped straight into the room.

As soon as he entered, he saw the Crown Prince and Rongrong lying face to face, with Rongrong’s hands holding the Crown Prince’s face.

Their position was quite affectionate.

“Oh dear!” Fuquan slapped himself hard and leapt out in a hurry.

Fuquan was quick to come and go.

It was only after he left that Rongrong realized she was holding the Crown Prince’s face.

How did this happen?

Was it really her holding his face?

She abruptly removed her hands and sprang up.

Last night, to monitor his sweating, Rongrong had instinctively lain very close to him, even placing one hand on him.

Now, as she suddenly sat up, the blanket covering him was pulled off, revealing a rather impressive view.

He… was quite pleased with himself.

Rongrong couldn’t bear to look, jumped off the bed, grabbed the jacket beside her, and dashed out.

The Crown Prince, feeling helpless, thought, “You ran away, but at least cover me!”

Fuqian, who had been crouched outside, saw Rongrong fleeing and, hearing no more movement inside, cautiously peered in: “Crown Prince?”

Inside, a harsh voice yelled, “Get in here.”