Chapter 1871: The Frail Young Master's Joyful Marriage Beauty Wife 26

Falling Spring Courtyard.

The prefectural doctor finished the last injection, only then slightly relaxing his breath, stood up and said to the worried Jin family members filling the room: "The young master's body is no longer in serious trouble; he merely caught a cold from getting wet in the rain, and once the fever subsides and he wakes again, he will be fine."

Speaking of which, it's rather marvelous—the young master's physique is now much better than before, though his foundation is somewhat depleted, so he still needs proper nourishment.

Upon hearing this, Ye Yuchi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into her belly; she kept holding Jin Chen's hand without letting go, and her whole self remained tense.

The returning prefectural soldiers told them everything, but Jin Enxing still couldn't hold back and asked: "Father, Mother, just who is Lord Sheng? I heard that sometime last year someone wanted to harm Xiao Chen, and now another has appeared."

If this continues, Xiao Chen will again be afraid to go anywhere, just like before.

Ji Ji De's face grew darker; he glanced over and locked eyes with his eldest son, Jin Yu Dong, and said, "What do you think?"

Jin Yu Dong, inheriting his father's sternness, said solemnly, "Making a comeback, we cannot afford to be careless."

Jin Enxing: "……At this point, are you still going to speak in riddles?"

He pointed at Ye Yuchi, who had always kept her back to them, and said, "Not only do I not understand, but Yuchi doesn't understand either—she is now the one who worries most about him."

Ye Yuchi, distracted, heard her own name called; not knowing what she had thought of, she turned and knelt before Qiao Yan Pei, saying, "Mother, it's my fault for not taking good care of my husband."

You child, what nonsense are you spouting? That assassin is certainly not something you could have defended against.

Qiao Yan Pei hurriedly helped her up, also sensing the probing meaning in Ye Yuchi's words, and sighed, "This matter still has to be traced back to… the year I first conceived Chen'er."

That Lord Sheng was once your father's colleague and close friend before he resigned his office; both of us were imperial merchants of the world, and our two families nearly monopolized the nation's commerce, handling purchases and operations for the imperial household.

But Lord Sheng was insatiably greedy, often using the pretext of imperial edicts to squeeze the people's fat and ointment, lining his own pockets; many folk in remote areas lived in misery with no avenue to file grievances, and it was only when your father passed through the city Lord Sheng operated that he learned of this.

Jin Enxing listened, his anger flaring: "Did Father ever file a complaint on behalf of the people?"

Ji Ji De let out a sudden sigh, tilted his head back and drained the last sip of hot tea, as if suppressing boundless emotion, and said, "Of course."

Qiao Yan Pei said: "It was precisely because of the memorial that the emperor flew into a rage, ordering Lord Sheng's arrest and a thorough investigation of all cities and towns under the Sheng family's operation; but at that very time… Lady Sheng, who was pregnant, ran about making connections, and ultimately suffered a miscarriage, losing both mother and child."

Ye Yuchi furrowed her brows, pressing her fingers tightly together.

In the end, all of the Sheng family's corrupt deeds were uncovered, worse than we had imagined; the emperor sentenced them to extermination of the nine clans, yet during the execution someone unknown rescued Lord Sheng, after which there was no further trace of him.

Having finished speaking, Qiao Yan Pei glanced again at her son on the bed and said, "I conceived at the same time as Lady Sheng; perhaps Lord Sheng seeks revenge, and thus wanted to strike first at Chen'er."

"No wonder…" Jin Enxing exclaimed, suddenly understanding.

"No wonder" that year Father suddenly resigned his office, insisting no matter what that Chen'er be born in Chuan Ze Cheng.

Ye Yuchi turned back, her voice somewhat hoarse, and asked: "Mother, my husband said he fell ill with a strange disease in childhood—was that also Lord Sheng's doing?"

Qiao Yan Pei's eye sockets reddened; recalling the past, she couldn't help but tear up, saying, "Yes, it was him."

Jin Yu Dong said: "We want to investigate."

He looked at Ye Yuchi and said: "Back then we could indeed determine it was Lord Sheng's doing, but all the clues point straight to the Prince Li's manor."

Prince Li, the younger brother of the current emperor, holds power that sways court and countryside, with hardly anyone able to shake him.

Left with no choice, they could only lay low, secretly building their strength while quietly climbing upward, striving that one day they might uncover the true culprit who once harmed Jin Chen and exact revenge.

Ye Yuchi still lowered her phoenix eyes, showing no joy, anger, or sorrow, then turned again to face Jin Chen on the bed, clearly intending to sit here and wait for him to wake.

After an unknown amount of time, once the Jin family confirmed Jin Chen was unharmed, they also left Luochun Courtyard, not disturbing Ye Yuchi.

And so it went until the sky grew dark.

Yet after a whole day, Ye Yuchi had barely eaten anything; the meals brought in by the green-clad attendant were swapped out several times, but in the end she merely carried away a cold plate and left.

That night, Jin Chen still did not awaken.

On the contrary, just as the prefectural doctor had said, after the acupuncture he would burn even more fiercely, break out in a sweat, and be fine by morning.

Ye Yuchi curled up in Jin Chen's embrace, waiting until deep night; in a half-dream, half-waking state she heard a low muttering by her ear.

He quickly propped himself up and softly asked, "My lord?"

"'……Hot, I'm burning up.'"

Jin Chen's consciousness was hazy; he only felt as if he were being placed in a fire to burn through dark heaven and earth, his whole body scorching hot, sweat streaming down his temples.

Ye Yuchi pressed down on his hand that wanted to lift the blanket, speaking gently: "Don't lift the blanket; sweating will help you recover faster."

Jin Chen couldn't take in anything at all.

He continued muttering, using a bit of strength to push away, but in the struggle he sensed a familiar scent, his pupils flickering beneath his thin eyelids before he suddenly wrapped his arms around Ye Yuchi's waist.

"'So hot, no blanket.' Jin Chen was furious."

Ye Yuchi, also feeling scorched by him, rubbed her cheek lightly against his neck and whispered softly, "My lord, can you endure just a little longer? I'll stay and sleep with you."

Jin Chen fell silent for a moment, his eyelashes fluttering several times, yet he could not wake; he was only drawn to the body in his arms, much cooler than his own, clinging tighter and tighter, his scorching lips brushing against the corner of Ye Yuchi's eye.

After a while of this commotion, Jin Chen could no longer resist the weariness and drifted back into deep sleep.

When he awoke again, it was already broad daylight the next day.

——

Jin Chen twitched his eyelids, his whole body sore and aching.

Bad.

This is someone giving him a beating.

Jin Chen thought that, and the consciousness that had been muddled all night suddenly broke through the haze, his peach-blossom eyes snapping open.

"'Cough cough cough… cough cough!'"

His lungs and throat itched fiercely, as if he would not be done until he coughed up fresh blood.

Jin Chen coughed a few times, pressed two fingers on several acupoints, and used Spiritual Power to clear the passages, which helped considerably.

Warm fragrance lingered in the room, bright and cozy.

The side-room door was pushed open; Ye Yuchi's unruffled gaze, upon seeing Jin Chen, first showed a moment of surprise, then suddenly burst into brilliance.

"'Ah Ci, come over quickly and let me hug you.'"

Jin Chen felt feeble, leaning against the headboard, weak and powerless; added to that, his originally noble and handsome visage now bore a hint of sickness, making him utterly pitiable.

Ye Yuchi instinctively stepped forward and sat beside Jin Chen, and when he enfolded her completely in his arms, she used the back of her hand to feel his forehead temperature.

「Don't burn it anymore, A Ci, relax. 」

Jin Chen, aware he was somewhat at fault, spoke softly and kissed Ye Yuchi's ear.

It was obviously not very useful.

Seeing that Jin Chen's fever had broken with no obvious discomfort, and naturally he remained weak, Ye Yuchi helped him continue lying down, and in a cold tone told Duo Yu to prepare the dishes.

From start to finish, he looked continually angry.

Jin Chen lay on the bed, touched the tip of his nose, gave a light cough, 「A Ci? 」