The fact proves that one should not be too complacent. The negative example was Shen Qingyao, who had been complacent in various aspects recently, felt unwell shortly after she returned home the evening after the horseback riding.
As soon as the two returned to the mansion, someone came to inform them that Grand Princess Duanhua had prepared a meal and invited them over. On her first day of marriage, Shen Qingyao naturally could not refuse her mother-in-law’s invitation for dinner. Lu Zhao also nodded slightly and led her on the way.
The dishes were good, and every dish catered to Shen Qingyao’s taste. However, she only took a few bites before feeling discomfort in her chest. The aftermath of the intense exercise of riding a horse during the day gradually crept up on her. She found it difficult to breathe and felt dizzy.
[Host, what’s wrong with you?] The system was the first to detect her abnormality and asked with some concern.
Shen Qingyao felt even dizzier. She glanced at Lu Zhao beside her, who was engaged in discussing court affairs with his Father, seemingly not ending anytime soon.
After a moment of consideration, she thought that the immunity of this body was not very good, as they were just riding a horse for half a day and she caught a slight cold from the chilly wind. So she said, “Maybe I caught a cold.”
She hoped that a good sleep after returning to their room would make her feel better. She shook her head gently to try to clear her mind.
“Yaoyao?” Lu Zhao noticed her slight movements and called out to her.
Shen Qingyao’s discomfort became more pronounced, her head drooping lower, a buzzing sound in her ears, and her vision becoming increasingly blurry.
Seeing her face turning redder and her expression losing clarity, Lu Zhao frowned gradually and turned to hold her, asking softly, “Yaoyao, what’s wrong with you?”
Grand Princess Duanhua and Duke Lu looked over, showing concern. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Shen Qingyao, in a daze, finally felt a bit aggrieved when Lu Zhao finally turned to attend to her. She grabbed Lu Zhao’s sleeve and slowly said, “Husband… my head hurts…”
“How could your head hurt? Let me see.” Grand Princess Duanhua, who was close to Shen Qingyao, was startled and reached out to touch Shen Qingyao’s forehead, which was indeed burning hot. “It’s so hot! Quick! Someone, fetch the doctor!”
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Lu Zhao already picking up Shen Qingyao with a serious face. “Mother, please forgive me. I’ll take Yaoyao back first.”
Grand Princess Duanhua nodded repeatedly, instructing to have the doctor rushed to their courtyard shortly. After seeing them off, she exchanged a glance with Duke Lu. Both were worried and helpless.
Grand Princess Duanhua chuckled and walked over to pat Duke Lu’s shoulder. “Look at your son, when has he ever been so nervous?”
Duke Lu smiled warmly and held her hand in his, both feeling relieved.
Lu Zhao walked briskly with a stern face, with Cui Qiao panting behind him. Suddenly, his steps paused, and he turned around to instruct, “You don’t need to follow. Go prepare the medicine first. When the doctor arrives, bring them over immediately.”
Startled by his cold tone, Cui Qiao nodded hurriedly and ran off in another direction.
Suddenly, there were only Shen Qingyao and Lu Zhao left on the small path, still in an awkward posture. Even though Shen Qingyao was still somewhat confused, she couldn’t help feeling embarrassed. She gently moved, trying to push herself away from him, but in the next moment, he pulled her back with even greater force. Shen Qingyao’s face bumped into his shoulder.
“Don’t move,” she felt the vibration in his chest as he spoke. His tone showed neither joy nor anger, but Shen Qingyao felt he was angry.
“Let me down… I can walk by myself.” Shen Qingyao felt uncomfortable, kicking her legs awkwardly. Although it wasn’t the first time she was carried like a princess by him, it was embarrassing to do so in front of elders!
[Oh oh oh—Host! Well done! That’s it! Seduce him!] The system exclaimed again.
Shen Qingyao’s head was pounding now, fueled by frustration. “Are you an AI reincarnated from a rooster? Oh oh oh?”
And… Shen Qingyao replayed the scene in her mind. Who was seducing whom here?!
She stopped moving, mainly because her head was aching, and she didn’t want to think about these messy things anymore. Thinking she was uncomfortable, Lu Zhao slowed down his steps, then tightened his grip on Shen Qingyao, pulling her closer to shield her from the wind.
When he carried her back just now, he noticed that the young girl was indeed very thin, almost weightless. Holding her like this, he dared not exert too much force. She felt soft all over, making him afraid that exerting too much force might break her.
In just a short distance, Lu Zhao walked cautiously. By the time he returned to the room and put her down, he realized he was sweating profusely.
Shen Qingyao had woken up early yesterday and slept late. Today, she expended energy outside, and now she couldn’t resist falling asleep, even with furrowed brows. Lu Zhao stood by the bed, gazing deeply at her, then suddenly reached out and gently smoothed out her furrowed brows.
Even in sleep, she must be really uncomfortable as she furrowed her brows. Lu Zhao felt deeply sorry; he regretted taking her out to play. He only wanted to fulfill her childhood dream, but he forgot that his Yaoyao was a delicate porcelain doll, unable to withstand any wind or rain.
Lu Zhao clenched his fists, annoyed at himself for not taking care of her properly.
Shen Qingyao stirred, feeling uneasy after leaving Lu Zhao’s warm embrace. She woke up shortly afterward. As she opened her eyes, she met Lu Zhao’s deeply resentful expression. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively looked at the number above his head. Seeing it unchanged, she breathed a sigh of relief.
After a moment of thought, she understood the situation and felt that Lu Zhao was quite wronged. After all, it was her own physical condition. Even if she didn’t go out, she would occasionally fall ill. So, it wasn’t his fault.
So she reached out a hand, tugged at Lu Zhao’s sleeve, and softly called out, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao…” She smiled, deliberately teasing him, “You look like the one who’s sick. Clearly, I’m the one feeling worse…”
“…” Lu Zhao saw that she still had the mood to joke and felt helpless. He sat down beside the bed, reached out to touch Shen Qingyao’s forehead, and said, “Still joking? You got sick on the second day of our marriage. If this gets out, won’t your Eldest Sister come and chop me up?”
“What does it have to do with you?” Shen Qingyao pouted, feeling that she needed to defend the female lead’s name. She continued, “And my Eldest Sister wouldn’t do that!”
Lu Zhao didn’t care about what Shen Qingli would or would not do. He just furrowed his brows, focusing on another point, ‘What does it have to do with you?’
He pinched the tip of the girl’s nose, seeing that she still had the strength to joke, he relaxed a bit, and his face softened a lot, “Who was just acting coquettish and calling me husband? Call me husband when there’s something, but not when there isn’t? Hm?”
Shen Qingyao blushed, recalling that she was dizzy and confused just now, blurting out words…
She said softly, “I wasn’t acting coquettish…”
Lu Zhao chuckled, thinking, Isn’t that also acting coqquettish?
But seeing her still blushing, he didn’t tease her further, he leaned down to tuck her in, then turned to the door, saying, “Why hasn’t the doctor come yet?”
As soon as the words fell, Cui Qiao hurriedly led an old doctor into the door. Shen Qingyao was awake at this time, obediently reaching out her hand to let the doctor diagnose her pulse.
She looked at Lu Zhao, who remained silent and moved aside. She pursed her lips, thinking to herself that her physical condition was indeed deteriorating, and she glanced at the number on Lu Zhao’s head.
It seemed that the progress of the strategy needed to be accelerated. At least, she could not let this number increase anymore. Otherwise, in the long run, she might not even make it to the day of her strategy succeeding and would end up stepping into the coffin in advance. What would she do!
But she was not the only one with this thought. Lu Zhao stood quietly aside, also contemplating. Shen Qingyao’s physical condition was urgent, and he must think of a way to cure her quickly!
Two days later, when Shen Qingyao still hadn’t recovered well, but returning home was a custom, she didn’t want to delay and worry the Shen family. She forced herself to go, but all the way Lu Zhao furrowed his brows, his eyes never leaving her.
Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but bump him with her shoulder, saying with a smile, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, you look like you’re going to my house now to wreak havoc, do you know that?”
Lu Zhao lightly lifted his eyelids, silently reaching out to tighten her cloak a bit more. Shen Qingyao giggled. After resting for two or three days, she really didn’t feel that uncomfortable anymore. Moreover, she had been sick for so many years, such a slight discomfort wouldn’t render her incapable of doing anything.
She reached out a hand to stand by her ear, saying solemnly, “I promise! It’s just a trip back home! Nothing will go wrong!” Then she blinked, “And besides, aren’t you here with me!”
He was with her last time too, but she still got sick. Lu Zhao’s gaze sank, still deeply concerned about her illness, but his expression had improved somewhat.
As the two returned to Shen’s Mansion on the third marriage day, it happened to be the same day that Fifth Prince Xiao Mu came to propose marriage to Shen Qingli. The two groups of people unexpectedly met in front of Shen’s Mansion. When Lu Zhao helped Shen Qingyao out of the carriage, she happened to see Xiao Mu in black from a distance.
[Wow! The male lead is really handsome!] The system exclaimed. The ice-cold handsome guy, his reputation is well-deserved.
Shen Qingyao, however, sneered, thinking that her White Moonlight was even better looking!
Seeing Xiao Mu, Lu Zhao was not surprised either. The two nodded to each other and entered Shen’s Mansion one after the other.
With one proposing and one returning home, it was like double happiness for the Shen family. It was lively for a while, and Mother Shen, seeing her married youngest daughter, was both crying and laughing, even delaying the prince’s proposal.
After everything was over, Shen Qingyao was grabbed by Shen Qingli, who had some free time, and the two sisters walked into the boudoir chatting affectionately. However, Shen Qingyao didn’t know if it was her illusion, but the moment she entered the room with her Eldest Sister, she clearly saw her Eldest Sister exchange a glance with Xiao Mu, Xiao Mu nodded slightly, and then Xiao Mu called Lu Zhao away…
…What do the main leads want to do?
Shen Qingyao was puzzled for a moment. The current plot is still in the stage where everyone is recuperating and accumulating strength. Lu Zhao’s position is also unclear. What is Xiao Mu planning when he suddenly called Lu Zhao away…
rokumi’s note : starting next week, this novel will be updated every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.