Chapter 35: Warmed by His Care
Since Lin Xueyi couldn’t stop sneezing and was shivering harder by the minute, the Emperor ordered the servants to escort Prince Rui and Princess Consort Rui to their private chamber.
As a gesture of courtesy, the Emperor even summoned two Imperial Physicians to examine Lin Xueyi.
"The freezing water has chilled Princess Consort Rui’s body," one of the Imperial Physicians said after checking her pulse. "If the cold isn’t driven out in time, she may develop a fever."
He carefully withdrew his fingers from her wrist before continuing. "For the next few hours, she must keep herself warm. Have her change into warm clothes immediately, drink a bowl of hot ginger soup, and remain somewhere warm. She should avoid any cold wind until her body has fully warmed up."
The other Imperial Physician nodded in agreement. "She was fortunate to be rescued quickly. Had she remained in the water any longer, the cold could have settled much deeper into her body."
Rong Shuyan frowned when he heard that. He turned toward the Imperial Servants. "Make sure everything the physicians requested is prepared at once," he ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness."
The servants immediately bowed and hurried out of the chamber. Mei Lu quickly joined them, helping Lin Xueyi change into warm clothes before placing several more charcoal braziers around the chamber.
Even so, it wasn’t enough.
Lin Xueyi remained curled up beneath a thick blanket, hugging herself tightly.
Her teeth kept chattering, and her whole body shook nonstop despite the warmth filling the room.
[Is this the kind of cold Rong Shuyan has to live with every single day?] she wondered. [No... the cold poison he suffers from must be much worse than this.]
Just this much cold already made Lin Xueyi feel as if she were about to die.
She couldn’t even imagine how Rong Shuyan had managed to endure years of cold poison without losing his mind.
[No, wait... I think he’s already lost his mind. No wonder he’s so grumpy all the time...]
If someone had to suffer like Rong Shuyan and still believed the world was full of sunshine and rainbows, that person would have already ascended to heaven.
"Princess Consort, you should get up and drink the ginseng soup first," Mei Lu said softly. Her voice sounded slightly hoarse after all the screaming she had done earlier.
"I-I’ll drink it... later..." Lin Xueyi replied through chattering teeth. "J-Just leave it on... the table."
"But, Princess Consort, if you don’t drink it now, the soup will get cold," Mei Lu said worriedly.
Lin Xueyi wanted to answer, but she was shivering so badly that even moving her lips had become difficult.
[Heavens! It’s freezing!] she complained inwardly. [I should’ve come up with another plan instead of jumping into that icy river!]
Still, throwing herself into the water had been the fastest way to earn everyone’s sympathy and make Lin Chenghao look guilty.
"It’s alright. I’ll help her drink it," Rong Shuyan suddenly said. He looked at Mei Lu. "You may leave."
Mei Lu hesitated for a moment before lowering her head. "As you wish, Your Highness."
She then left the room, and gently closing the door behind her.
The chamber soon fell silent. There were only the crackling of the charcoal braziers and Lin Xueyi’s occasional sneezes could be heard.
Rong Shuyan picked up the bowl of steaming ginseng soup from the table, but instead of bringing it to her right away, he looked at her curled-up figure beneath the blanket.
"Princess Consort," he called.
Lin Xueyi slowly raised her head. "Y-Yes?"
"If you’re still cold..." Rong Shuyan paused for a moment before speaking again. "Try slipping your hands inside your robe and wrapping your arms around yourself."
Lin Xueyi blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"Touch your own skin," Rong Shuyan explained calmly. "Skin-to-skin contact helps preserve your body heat better than simply holding your sleeves. It should make you feel warmer."
When he saw Lin Xueyi hesitate, Rong Shuyan spoke again. "Just stay under the blanket. That way, I won’t be able to see your skin."
[Well... it’s not like Rong Shuyan isn’t allowed to see my skin.] Lin Xueyi thought. [We’re husband and wife, after all.]
She paused for a second before another thought crossed her mind. [Besides, why is showing a little skin such a big deal? If he ever saw me wearing a mini skirt and a sleeveless top, he’d probably fall into a coma.]
Rong Shuyan nearly stopped breathing when he heard her thoughts.
A... mini skirt?
A sleeveless top?
What kind of clothes were those?
Just imagining his wife wearing such revealing clothes made the corners of his eyes twitch.
Why would anyone wear something like that? Were the people in her world really so shameless?
On the other side, Lin Xueyi finally said, "Alright."
Lin Xueyi followed Rong Shuyan’s advice and kept herself tucked beneath the blanket.
She slipped her hands inside her robe and hugged herself, her palms pressed gently against her bare skin. It felt a little weird at first, but after a few moments, she realized it really did help. The warmth spread through her body, easing the relentless chill just enough for her to stop trembling so badly.
"It feels better..." Lin Xueyi whispered. She slowly closed her eyes as the comforting warmth spread through her body. A small smile appeared on her lips. "It makes me not want to go anywhere."
Rong Shuyan then wheeled himself closer to the bed, balancing the bowl of hot soup on his lap.
"You still need to drink this soup," he said as he picked up the spoon. "It will warm your body much faster. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a terrible fever tonight."
Lin Xueyi looked at the steaming bowl before sighed. "Alright."
She didn’t move from beneath the blanket. Instead, she kept hugging herself as Rong Shuyan had instructed, unwilling to let even a bit of warmth escape.
Rong Shuyan scooped up a spoonful of soup and patiently blew on it. "Open your mouth."
Without arguing, Lin Xueyi obediently took a sip. The rich, warm soup slid down her throat, and she could almost feel the chill inside her body melting away.
Just as Rong Shuyan was about to feed her another spoonful, a hurried knock suddenly echoed from outside the room.
"Your Highness," Eunuch Shen’s voice called through the door. "Grand General Lin is requesting to see Princess Consort Rui immediately."