Chapter 58

When the curtain was lifted by Xie Hengzhi, Yiling was looking up at him with a stunned expression.

The oil wax in the Zhang residence was nowhere near as bright as the honey candles in the capital. In the dim yellow light, Xie Hengzhi’s expression was serious as he lowered his eyes, carefully inspecting Yiling.

He saw that her lips had lost their color, and an abnormal redness was blooming on her cheeks, making it seem like she was running a fever.

Yiling’s chest rose and fell sharply. The moment Xie Hengzhi sat down, her weak legs suddenly kicked out, and she turned her body to hide in the corner of the bed.

However, Xie Hengzhi grabbed her and tightly held her wrist.

He placed his other hand on her forehead, uncertain whether she was running a fever, then pressed his hand to his own forehead.

After the comparison, Xie Hengzhi’s face grew even darker.

Yiling trembled as she spoke, “Is it very hot?”

“It’s just a bit warmer than usual.”

Xie Hengzhi asked, “Are you itchy all over?”

Yiling nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.

After a pause, she added, “Sometimes itchy, sometimes not.”

Xie Hengzhi said nothing in response but rolled up both of her sleeves. He didn’t see any rashes, but he noticed that her arms were red from scratching.

He furrowed his brows, then reached to lift Yiling’s collar.

The moment his fingers touched the collar, Yiling instinctively moved away.

Xie Hengzhi raised an eyebrow and met her still, quiet gaze, and only then did she freeze in place.

But Xie Hengzhi’s actions grew gentler. He didn’t pull at her clothes too much, only glancing at the skin on her chest.

There were one or two red rashes.

Remembering the previous experience, Xie Hengzhi was still somewhat doubtful.

Could it be another case of excessive heat?

But they had only eaten plain meals throughout their journey, and even when they arrived at the Zhang residence, there hadn’t been any rich food. It didn’t seem like it should be the case.

As Xie Hengzhi’s expression grew heavier, Yiling seemed to hear the sound of each taut string in her body snapping one by one.

Her body went limp, and she was about to collapse, but thankfully, Xie Hengzhi caught her.

“My life really seems to be ending here… After I die, remember—”

“It won’t happen.” Xie Hengzhi interrupted her with a dark expression. “The doctor hasn’t come yet. You might just be suffering from the change in environment.”

Upon hearing this, Yiling suddenly regained strength and sat up straight.

“Yes, yes, when I’m not used to the environment, I always feel like this!”

Xie Hengzhi nodded. “Yes, most likely.”

Yiling said, “The Zhang Xianling visits the sick every day, and he hasn’t caught anything. How could I have gotten sick?”

Xie Hengzhi replied, “Yes, you’re right.”

Yiling continued, “Heaven sees it. I’m not a great person, but I’ve never done anything evil. Even you are fine. How could I be so unlucky?”

Xie Hengzhi answered with a slight murmur.

Not long later, the doctor arrived at the Zhang residence.

An elderly man in his fifties, his beard all messy, walking unsteadily. He had clearly been hurried along on horseback by Xie Hengzhi’s subordinates.

The magistrate’s wife accompanied the doctor, but since Zhang Xianling himself was a man, he could not enter, and only his wife and the doctor entered the guest room.

The bed curtain had already been drawn up, and Xie Hengzhi was sitting on the embroidery stool by the bed.

The magistrate’s wife glanced at the bed, about to speak, when she suddenly heard Yiling’s voice from behind the curtain.

“Mrs. Zhang, don’t come over! Quickly go out!”

She stopped, anxiously glancing at Xie Hengzhi.

“My lord, madam…”

Xie Hengzhi lifted his chin slightly.

“Go out.”

Mrs. Zhang bit her lip tightly, glanced once more at the curtain, then bowed and exited.

The doctor who arrived was one of the doctors the Zhang country had sought from a neighboring county.

He was just an ordinary doctor and not one of the imperial physicians from the capital, so he had never seen any notable people. He came in, but still cupped his hands and kept bowing respectfully.

“The doctor doesn’t need to be so polite; go ahead and examine my wife first.”

It wasn’t until Xie Hengzhi spoke that the doctor seemed to remember what he was there for and hurriedly walked toward the bed.

After inquiring about Yiling’s condition, the doctor took a piece of silk from his medical box and gently placed it around Yiling’s wrist, carefully checking her pulse.

Outside the window, the shadows of Zhang Xianling and his wife shifted. Inside the room, the three of them remained silent, so still that one could hear a pin drop.

Yiling had never felt time pass so slowly, staring at the doctor outside the curtain, barely able to hear anything but her own breathing.

After an unknown amount of time, the doctor finally withdrew his hand.

“Madam’s pulse… it indeed seems like she has contracted the plague.”

The words fell slowly, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze.

Yiling didn’t speak or move; even her outstretched wrist remained suspended in midair.

“What do you mean by ‘seems like’?”

Hearing Xie Hengzhi’s voice, the doctor turned around, nearly frightened to the point of weakness.

The once calm and approachable Imperial Envoy suddenly darkened his expression, his gaze as heavy as a deep pool.

“Is it or isn’t it?”

The doctor immediately felt his heart jump and cautiously replied, “Although the symptoms align, it’s not certain that she has contracted the disease.”

Yiling felt some relief hearing this.

But then the doctor added, “After all, Madam hasn’t been to Beitian Fang, nor has she come into contact with anyone infected. Perhaps…”

After hearing the doctor’s addition, Yiling’s half-relieved heart sank once again.

Two hours later, the sky had darkened, black as thick ink, with only a few stars faintly hanging in the night sky.

Xie Hengzhi carried a bowl of medicine and walked toward the side room, where he encountered Mrs. Zhang, who had come to check on Yiling again.

Seeing the medicine bowl in Xie Hengzhi’s hand, Mrs. Zhang hurriedly said, “Such things should be left to the servants. How can the lord do this himself?”

“It’s fine,” Xie Hengzhi said. “She doesn’t like strangers attending to her.”

Mrs. Zhang clasped her hands anxiously, her face full of worry.

“How could this happen? Madam only spoke to that person for a few moments; how did she contract the disease?”

Not hearing Xie Hengzhi respond, Mrs. Zhang pressed her handkerchief and nervously glanced at the room.

“Then I won’t disturb Madam anymore. If anything is needed, please feel free to order.”

Xie Hengzhi nodded and went into the room with the medicine.

The medicine had just been brewed and was still steaming.

He placed the bowl on the small table by the bed and leaned over to look at Yiling.

Since the doctor left, Yiling had been complaining of discomfort. Not long after, her body became even hotter, and she broke out in cold sweats, unable to eat even a spoonful of porridge.

Though she had fallen asleep, her brows were still tightly furrowed, as if she were uneasy even in her dreams.

Xie Hengzhi didn’t speak, just quietly sat at the edge of the bed.

About a quarter of an hour later, when the medicine had cooled a little, he gently patted the blanket and woke Yiling.

Opening her eyes, Yiling’s gaze was foggy, lacking any light, and she seemed not to recognize who he was.

It took quite a while for her consciousness to return.

Her gaze wandered over Xie Hengzhi for a moment, then she hazily looked out the window.

“Who was talking outside just now?”

“Mrs. Zhang.”

Xie Hengzhi replied, “She came to inquire about your condition.”

Yiling kept her eyes on the window, not sure what she was thinking.

After a long time, she hoarsely said, “I should move out.”

Xie Hengzhi raised an eyebrow. “Where do you plan to move to?”

If it were any other time, Yiling wouldn’t have known of any place to stay in Songyuan County besides the Zhang residence. Moreover, she was still feverish and dazed, with no clear idea.

Her nose tingled.

“I can’t stay here and trouble others.”

“Then would you go to Beitianfang?”

The moment Yiling heard these words, goosebumps broke out all over her body.

That densely packed tent area was full of people with fatal illnesses. If she were to stay there, what would be the difference from living in a mass grave?

Thinking of this, Yiling looked at Xie Hengzhi in fear, her eyes filled with refusal.

“If you don’t go to Beitian Fang, where else can you go?”

Xie Hengzhi spoke gently, “Right now, Songyuan County is empty. Even if you go to an inn, you won’t find anyone to take care of you.”

Though he made sense, Yiling’s heart became even more sour as she remembered the fearful look of Chun Ye earlier.

“Even staying at the Zhang residence, no one would dare to take care of me, this sick person.”

After speaking, she weakly raised her eyes, only to meet Xie Hengzhi’s gentle gaze.

“Isn’t there still me?”

“Really?”

Yiling, feeling as if she had grabbed onto a lifeline, urgently sought confirmation.

She was already in a delirious state from the fever, feeling as though she might collapse at any moment. If she were to be moved out to fend for herself, she didn’t know what she would do.

“It’s a lie.”

The words dropped, and Yiling felt as though her breath was about to leave her body.

But the next moment, Xie Hengzhi reached out and took the bowl of medicine from the table.
“Drink the medicine first.”

“…”
Yiling stared blankly for a while before sitting up.

Though she felt too sick to eat or drink, she didn’t want to leave a single drop of medicine.

Each time Xie Hengzhi offered her a spoonful, she obediently opened her mouth, not hesitating in the slightest.

Occasionally, she looked up at Xie Hengzhi, only to see his expression calm and unaffected.

When the medicine was finally finished, Xie Hengzhi finally looked up and met Yiling’s gaze.

“What is it?”

Yiling blinked, and in a daze, she mumbled, “It’s so bitter.”

“Have you ever had medicine that wasn’t bitter?”

He said this, but still got up to fetch some preserved fruit from the table.

Yiling could barely muster the strength to chew, holding the food in her mouth for a long time before slowly swallowing it.

She then looked at Xie Hengzhi.

“It’s too sweet. I need to rinse my mouth.”

Xie Hengzhi stood up immediately.

“What kind of water do you need to rinse with? Is there a specific requirement?”

Yiling didn’t respond, merely glaring at him with the little strength she had left.

Xie Hengzhi stopped speaking, going to pour a cup of hot tea.

Yiling took a sip, rinsed her mouth with it, then spat it back into the cup.

Xie Hengzhi silently placed the cup back, and just as he sat down, Yiling spoke again. “It’s so cold. I need a hot water bottle.”

This time, he didn’t even look at her, simply leaving the room.

The room became eerily silent, and Yiling, still dizzy from the fever, didn’t even realize what was happening.

A short while later, Xie Hengzhi returned, holding a hot water bottle with one hand.

He walked over to the bed, lifted a corner of the blanket, placed the hot water bottle next to Yiling, and then carefully covered her back up.

Only then did he speak. “Anything else, Mrs. Xie?”

Still feeling sluggish from the illness, Yiling’s thoughts moved slowly. After a long pause, she finally said, “Are you really going to take care of me? This plague is contagious, you know.”

Xie Hengzhi chuckled lightly, unconcerned, and straightened up.

“Isn’t that just what you want?”

It was unclear whether he was joking, but somehow, Yiling felt a bit guilty at his words.

She then tried to confirm, “I never said that.” She muttered quietly before adding, “But you’re an imperial envoy. Don’t you have to inspect the epidemic?”

“You’ve already seen for yourself,” Xie Hengzhi replied casually, “Lord Xie doesn’t want to set foot in Beitian Fang.”

He slowly continued, “So, I simply claim I need to take care of my wife and stay quietly here in Zhang’s residence.”

Late into the night.

Xie Hengzhi truly didn’t leave the room.

He didn’t even leave the bed, waiting until Yiling fell asleep again before getting up to wash.

Every movement was careful and light.

Although he knew that even if he made a sound, the person on the bed wouldn’t wake up.

While undressing with his back to the bed, he suddenly heard a few faint words.

“What?” Xie Hengzhi turned to ask.

But the person in bed didn’t answer.

After a moment of silence, Yiling mumbled, “Mother… Mother…”

Xie Hengzhi softly walked over to the bed, leaning down to look at the delirious Yiling.

Even in her sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed, not relaxing at all.

“Don’t send me away… I don’t want to leave home. I don’t want to go…”

“Not going.”

Xie Hengzhi half-squatted, knowing she couldn’t hear yet still reaching out to wipe the sweat from her forehead. He spoke softly, “I won’t send you away.”

The doctor had prescribed a few calming herbs, but Yiling’s sleep wasn’t restful.

She tossed and turned for a long time, and in the later part of the night, she seemed to feel her fever breaking. The sweat-soaked clothes clung to her body.

Her breathing grew heavier, yet her body felt colder.

Yiling seemed to dream of walking alone in the snow, with only darkness in front of her, seeking warmth.

In her dazed state, she turned over and crawled into a warm embrace.

The sensation spread through her body like hot springs, and she instinctively moved closer.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her waist.

Yiling’s eyes shot open, and she found herself face-to-face with Xie Hengzhi.

The light in the room was dim, with just one lamp on. In the faint glow, Yiling saw that Xie Hengzhi wasn’t asleep but instead was staring at her.

—What am I doing?

Realizing that she had crawled into Xie Hengzhi’s arms, Yiling slowly became aware of her surroundings.

But she didn’t pull away. She even forgot to blink.

“Do you really want to infect me?”

Xie Hengzhi’s voice, mingling with their breaths, drifted into her ear.

The words seemed to clear the fog in her mind, suddenly giving a reason to explain her actions.

“Yes… yes, I do.”

Their faces were almost touching. After Yiling said that, she closed her eyes and moved closer.

Her nose intentionally brushed against Xie Hengzhi’s jaw, and she mumbled softly, “If we die, we die together.”

Feeling the warmth of his breath against her neck, Yiling heard him laugh softly.

“I’m tough, I won’t die.”

The next moment, her chin was lifted.

His lips gently brushed hers as Xie Hengzhi leaned down and kissed her.