After finding out about her pregnancy, Shen Qingyao didn’t feel any different from before, but those around her were on high alert. Four or five people, with eighty or ninety eyes, seemed as if they wished they could stick to her side around the clock to ensure her safety.

Especially Lu Zhao.

He had always cared for her very much, and now he was even more cautious and protective, treating her like fragile porcelain, a rare treasure that might break with a single touch.

Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Today, Princess Duanhua came to visit again, bringing a pile of supplements and advising her on pregnancy care. Shen Qingyao listened absentmindedly, remembering only two out of every ten sentences, while Lu Zhao attentively absorbed every word.

The esteemed Prime Minister and heir to the Duke’s household, ignoring the full table of official documents, used his invaluable mind to contemplate how to ensure the safety of a pregnant woman. It was unlikely anyone would believe it if word got out.

Shen Qingyao stifled a laugh. After Lu Zhao escorted Princess Duanhua away, she thought of her mother-in-law’s advice to stay active during pregnancy, rather than sitting or lying down all the time. The room did feel stuffy, so Shen Qingyao stood up and headed towards the door.

Before she could even step down the stone steps outside, Lu Zhao, returning from seeing off his mother, swiftly moved to support her, careful to catch her before she could descend. His large hands securely held her, as if fearing she might fall.

Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but laugh. “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, I’m just pregnant, not incapable of taking care of myself. It’s barely been two months…”

“I know,” Lu Zhao replied, not letting go but instead wrapping his arm around her waist from behind, guiding her forward in a more comfortable and efficient manner.

As her abdomen wasn’t showing yet and she didn’t feel any back pain or leg discomfort, Shen Qingyao was speechless with Lu Zhao’s cautious manner. But she felt it was quite comfortable.

---

By the fourth month of pregnancy, Shen Qingyao’s abdomen began to gently swell, and summer arrived in the capital.

Previously, she had always been sensitive to cold due to her illness, making summer the perfect temperature for her. But now, perhaps due to her recovery and pregnancy, Shen Qingyao experienced the unprecedented heat of summer.

Cold weather could be countered with extra clothes and warmth, but the oppressive heat outside the window couldn’t be blocked even with multiple ice basins inside the house. Shen Qingyao, sweating profusely, felt fortunate to be in the capital now. If she were still in Lingnan, she might have spontaneously combusted from the heat.

When Lu Zhao returned from court at the palace, he saw the little girl frowning deeply and couldn’t help but become nervous. He leaned over and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Shen Qingyao smoothly maneuvered into his embrace, burying her head to inhale deeply, taking in Lu Zhao’s familiar cool scent, which calmed her overheated feelings slightly. Feeling a bit aggrieved, she pouted, “It’s so hot…”

Lu Zhao looked at her with concern, his large hands gently stroking her back, then lightly kissing the top of her head, murmuring, “You’ve worked hard, Yaoyao.”

Feeling somewhat better now, Shen Qingyao smiled up at him with twinkling eyes.

In truth, if anyone should be considered to have worked hard, it was Lu Zhao. Whether she was lying down, sitting, or walking, someone was always there with her. She had food and drink delivered punctually, medicines administered, and her every need attended to. Aside from occasional boredom, it wasn’t particularly difficult for her.

But Lu Zhao was different. He was constantly concerned about Shen Qingyao’s health, taking extra care during this pregnancy. He personally checked everything she ate and wore. During the first trimester when she suffered severe morning sickness and couldn’t stomach her medicine, only Lu Zhao’s presence made it bearable. Seeing this, Lu Zhao took a leave from his official duties, moving everything home to be with Shen Qingyao during the day. Only after she fell asleep at night did he retire to his study. Eventually, Shen Qingyao couldn’t bear seeing the dark circles under his eyes and insisted he return to his normal routine.

Three months later, Shen Qingyao’s morning sickness improved somewhat, but she found it difficult to sleep at night. Lu Zhao patiently comforted her night after night.

Shen Qingyao never doubted that if men could get pregnant, Lu Zhao would probably wish he could bear this pregnancy for her.

So, she tiptoed and gently pecked Lu Zhao’s lips, whispering softly, “Lord Lu, you’ve worked hard too…”

His hand on her waist tightened slightly. Since Shen Qingyao became pregnant, they had not been intimate. Now, Shen Qingyao’s initiative with this gentle kiss caused Lu Zhao’s eyes to darken. Before she could pull away, he had already pulled her close.

But it was just a kiss.

Even as they parted, breathless, the intensity in Lu Zhao’s eyes remained. Shen Qingyao’s cheeks flushed, feeling weak, relying on his clothes to steady herself. Sensing Lu Zhao’s bodily response, she blinked, then murmured softly, “It’s already four months…”

Lu Zhao’s breath hitched. After a moment, he sighed softly. It wasn’t easy for Shen Qingyao to be pregnant, and he dared not take any risks.

So, he gently held her close but slightly retreated to avoid any unexpected contact that could ignite their passion. Lu Zhao sighed and said, “It’s better to be cautious.”

With that, his large hand gently touched her slightly swollen belly. In his heart, he sighed again, thinking that it really was too hard…

---

Days passed calmly, like water flowing by. As the leaves turned yellow and fell, and thin clothes turned to winter garments, a chilling northern wind blew, and Shen Qingyao’s due date approached.

But their little one inside seemed to be in no rush to come out, despite being overdue.

Thus, everyone in the household was on high alert, ready to welcome their Young Master at any moment.

Shen Qingyao paced slowly around the room, supporting her waist to ease her labor. As she moved, Lu Zhao’s eyes were fixed on her, neglecting the official documents in his hands. He didn’t even turn a page for a long while.

Shen Qingyao stopped and chuckled as she looked at him. Unable to resist, she asked, “I recently visited the palace. Eldest Sister clearly said that the court is overwhelmed by the snow disaster in the Northern Frontier. Even His Majesty hasn’t had time to visit Eldest Sister for days. Why is our Prime Minister so free? Aren’t you busy?”

Lu Zhao stared at her, unfazed. He calmly replied, “Not busy.” Seeing her expression, he knew she didn’t believe him and added with a serious face, “No matter how busy, it’s not as important as being with you.”

His eyes then fell on her noticeably swollen belly, glinting with a hint of coldness.

After a moment, he gave up pretending and tossed aside the documents in his hands, walking briskly over to her. Placing his hands on her belly, he asked, “Why isn’t he coming out yet?”

In his mind, he thought that once this troublesome little one was born, he would have to teach the little one a lesson. At the very least, the little one should learn that being late isn’t good.

Perhaps hearing the threat from his own father, Shen Qingyao, who had just been relaxed and smiling, suddenly changed her expression. She grabbed Lu Zhao’s arm, whispered, and slowly bent down, enduring the pain, saying, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, it seems… he’s really coming out…”

Lu Zhao’s expression suddenly changed.

---

And in the end, this overdue little one was never disciplined by Lu Zhao.

Because he couldn’t bear to.

Shen Qingyao gave birth to a daughter. The little girl was wrinkled and red when she was born, but after a few days, she became fair and soft, inheriting Lu Zhao’s delicate features and Shen Qingyao’s cute charm. Especially when she smiled, revealing her dimples, it melted everyone’s hearts.

So Lu Zhao always loved to hold and care for his daughter personally, never entrusting her to others.

Shen Qingyao would tease in jest, half-pretending to be jealous, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao now only dotes on this little one, ignoring me. I’m not your only little girl anymore, am I?”

Lu Zhao chuckled, one hand holding his daughter and the other embracing his wife, planting a kiss on her lips. “You both are naturally my little girls, but I love her because I love you first…

“Yaoyao, you will always be my only one.”

---

rokumi’s note : the journey full of dog food is finally over! I’m happy that they were sweet until the end, but honestly, I’m still craving for more…

Also, I kinda hoped for some side stories about Shen Yushu & Tu Lan, Shen Qingli & Xiao Mu, Shen Qinglin & Lin Yingqiu, and Gu Ziyan & Lin Wan’er. But.. alas… I’m just a translator and not the author.😮‍💨

---

“Yaoyao, Yaoyao?” Lu Zhao’s hand gently landed on Shen Qingyao’s back and nudged her, leaning close to her ear to call her, “Wake up first, shall we sleep a little longer later?”

“Mmm…” Shen Qingyao stirred slightly, impatiently grabbing his hand and pulling it in front of her, even rubbing her face against it, yet still unwilling to wake up.

Lu Zhao looked a bit helpless, but his eyes revealed fondness. He hooked the finger that she had grabbed, lightly scratching her face with its cool tip, making Shen Qingyao feel ticklish. She instinctively shrunk her neck to avoid it without fully waking up.

A few muffled laughs escaped Lu Zhao’s throat as his fingers became more playful.

Shen Qingyao was annoyed by his restless finger but couldn’t bear to let go of it, as she had just grabbed it moments ago. The fragrance of the cold lingered around, and she couldn’t bring herself to release it.

In her half-asleep state, she furrowed her brow and tightened her grip on Lu Zhao’s hand, pressing the mischievous finger firmly against her head.

Lu Zhao exerted considerable effort to retrieve his hand without waking her up.

Just then, Kong Lin had already been brought to the courtyard by Cui Qiao. Even before they entered the room, Kong Lin’s loud voice filled with anger could be heard from afar.

“What? Sleeping? At this hour? How could you sleep now? Have you just fallen asleep or haven’t woken up yet? This is unacceptable!”

Kong Lin’s temper remained as fiery as ever, showing no signs of mellowing with age. If anything, he seemed more confrontational with age.

Especially towards Shen Qingyao.

Everyone could see that Master Kong treated Shen Qingyao like his own granddaughter, but the more he cared, the more scolding he gave.

Cui Qiao seemed to laugh dryly and said a few more words, too quiet for Shen Qingyao to hear clearly. However, Kong Lin seemed less furious after hearing Cui Qiao’s words, and his voice gradually softened.

In her dream, Shen Qingyao heard Kong Lin’s voice and reflexively tensed. Uncomfortably, she moved, causing Lu Zhao to think she was waking up. He quietly waited for a while, only to see the little girl’s face flush, falling back asleep again.

*…Pfft.* Lu Zhao chuckled again, shook his head, and decided not to disturb her any further.

He could only turn helplessly towards Kong Lin, who had just pushed open the door. “Apologies, Doctor Kong, please proceed. Yaoyao has been unusually sleepy lately, and we’re not sure why.”

With that, he gently pulled Shen Qingyao’s hand out, exposing her wrist to Kong Lin.

Seeing that she still wasn’t awake, Kong Lin instinctively frowned. Stroking his beard, he muttered, “Unacceptable,” but dutifully set down his medicine box and began to carefully examine her.

---

Shen Qingyao had fallen asleep just after noon, but by the time she woke up, it was dusk.

The room was quiet, and the dim light momentarily left her disoriented, unsure of the time or place. There were no sounds of wind or people around, giving her a brief sensation of being abandoned by the world.

Thankfully, when she turned her head, she saw Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao was leaning against the bedside, with nothing in his hands, quietly watching her.

Seeing her awake, Lu Zhao smiled gently at her.

Shen Qingyao looked up at him from below, a perspective she had seen many times before, but each time she couldn’t help but marvel: how could someone look so good from this deathly angle?

As Shen Qingyao admired her husband for a while, she gradually noticed something wrong in his eyes.

She rubbed her eyes and asked, “Hmm… Elder Brother Lu Zhao, what’s wrong?”

The girl, just awakened, spoke with a softness that she herself seemed unaware of, charming and delicate, warming his heart.

“It’s nothing…”

Lu Zhao’s voice carried a barely perceptible hoarseness, as if he was trying hard to suppress something. He leaned down and pecked her cheek, lightly touching the soft flesh beside it with his fingers, and repeated softly, “It’s nothing…”

But Shen Qingyao didn’t believe him. Tilting her head, she recalled vaguely from her half-awake state that Kong Lin had come.

Kong Lin…

Shen Qingyao’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding.

She widened her eyes, then sat up abruptly. Lu Zhao watched her closely, carefully supporting her back as if afraid she might fall.

So careful…

Shen Qingyao’s feeling of foreboding grew stronger. After a while, she cautiously asked, “Has Grandpa Kong already been here?”

Lu Zhao gave a deep ‘mm.’

“I knew it… there’s something wrong again, isn’t there?” Shen Qingyao’s voice trembled slightly. Though her heart disease had been treated, she suddenly wondered if there was a possibility of relapse.

Shen Qingyao was on the verge of tears.

She looked at Lu Zhao in terror, seeking answers from his expression. But deep down, she already suspected the truth. After all, the last time Lu Zhao had been this careful with her was when her heart disease hadn’t yet healed.

Lu Zhao looked at her in silence, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Before he could speak, Shen Qingyao’s heart grew colder bit by bit.

“Elder Brother Lu Zhao… just tell me, I… I can handle it.”

Though she said she could handle it, her face was already pale.

After a long while, Lu Zhao suddenly lowered his eyes and chuckled softly. His voice was very low, but it made Shen Qingyao freeze in her tracks.

She looked at him inexplicably.

The smile on Lu Zhao’s face gradually widened, the deep emotion in his eyes fading away, replaced by playfulness.

Shen Qingyao belatedly realized he was teasing her.

She stood still for a moment, then clenched her fist and punched him, pouting angrily, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, you lied to me!”

Lu Zhao caught her hand, then swiftly pulled her into his arms while she was still reacting. In a hoarse voice, he whispered in her ear, “I didn’t lie to you.”

It’s just that I was too overwhelmed with joy, I didn’t know how to tell you.

Lu Zhao lowered his eyes, his chin resting on Shen Qingyao’s back, feeling an indescribable sense of emotion.

He held her tightly, making Shen Qingyao uncomfortable. She shifted on his shoulder and muttered, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, what’s really going on? You’re acting strange today…”

Shen Qingyao furrowed her brow. Lu Zhao’s current clinginess was unlike him.

Could it be that as soon as she woke up, her husband had been possessed by someone else?

With a suspicion born from past experiences of possession, Shen Qingyao narrowed her eyes, suddenly broke free, and cupped Lu Zhao’s face in her hands, asking skeptically, “Are you really Elder Brother Lu Zhao? My husband?”

Lu Zhao chuckled briefly again, allowing her to scrutinize him.

His expression gradually became complex and serious. He looked deeply into Shen Qingyao’s eyes and spoke gently and slowly, yet with utmost seriousness, “Yaoyao, thank you…”

“Thank you…?” For what? What’s going on?

Shen Qingyao was completely puzzled, feeling that the words sounded strange. Why would he thank her?

She feared that Lu Zhao’s next words would be, “Thank you, you’re a good person, but we’re not suitable…”

---

When she finally found out that she was pregnant, Shen Qingyao was shocked speechless for a while.

She repeatedly lifted and then lowered her hand, before cautiously touching her still flat abdomen, feeling somewhat bewildered.

“Really…?” Suddenly learning that there was a new life inside her, Shen Qingyao couldn’t even move, stiff like a puppet.

“Could it be a misdiagnosis…?” Shen Qingyao blinked, finding it hard to believe. She knew that it was early and ordinary doctors might not detect it, but Kong Lin wouldn’t make such a mistake.

She really had a baby…

Lu Zhao had been shocked earlier while she was asleep, but now he managed to appear composed in front of her.

He leaned over, wrapping his arms around her from behind, his large hand resting on top of hers on her abdomen.

“Yeah, Doctor Kong said it’s been over a month.”

Calculating the time, Shen Qingyao suddenly remembered something. She widened her eyes, turned to look at him, and exclaimed, “O-one month? That means…”

She blushed halfway through speaking.

After all, the incident had just been mentioned today. Lu Zhao naturally remembered, but he raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, “That means what?”

Playing dumb.

“Isn’t it… that time with the pomegranates…” Shen Qingyao buried her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito.

She never expected this.

“Yes, so that pomegranate was really good…” Lu Zhao chuckled and gently kissed her on the lips.

—You’re lying, you complained that the pomegranates were sour in the morning.

While grumbling, Shen Qingyao slowly closed her eyes, only beginning to feel the reality of it now.

This kiss was light and gentle, but it lasted a long time.

In fact, neither of them had intentionally thought about having children.

Firstly, both of them were not too old, so there was no rush. Secondly, Shen Qingyao had always been frail since childhood, making conception difficult, and Lu Zhao felt it best to let nature take its course.

Now, the good news came suddenly, and both of them were actually at a loss, but afterwards, they were truly happy.

There was a little life growing from the two of them…

“Yaoyao…”

In this moment of lips touching, Lu Zhao softly murmured her name, as if a thousand words were contained in her name.

“Elder Brother Lu Zhao…”

In a moment of drifting consciousness, Shen Qingyao felt as if she had returned to that spring day many years ago.

She wandered around the academy, and when she looked up, she saw a handsome young man sitting by the window smiling at her.

She shared half of her cake with him, and heard the young man say to her, “I forgot to tell you, my name is Lu Zhao…”

And from then on, year after year, Lu Zhao had an extra tail, and Shen Qingyao had an extra Elder Brother.

Then came that snowy day, when she still forgot everything, and held a completely reversed script, rushing into his arms without hesitation, and asked him, “Will you marry me…”

That was the beginning of the story, and also their reunion.

Since then, they had written each other’s names into their lives…

Suddenly, a mechanical sound that hadn’t been heard for a long time echoed in Shen Qingyao’s mind:

[*Ding*—System prompt: Host, you have a new task notification, please check it out!]

Shen Qingyao : “…”

—Go away!

---

rokumi’s note : the main story ends here. There’s only one extra chapter, so I’m going to publish it today too.

---

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was the second year after Xiao Mu ascended the throne.

After proclaiming himself Emperor and purging the court, the capital of Great Liang now enjoyed clear governance with many corrupt officials removed. However, this led to significant vacancies in the court. In response, Xiao Mu decreed the establishment of a special examination to select talents.

Young scholars from all over responded eagerly, rushing to the capital to take the exams. The capital, which was once quiet and desolate due to the turmoil of succession, suddenly became lively again.

In a tavern in the capital where scholars gathered to rest, groups of young students engaged in lively discussions. Among them, a handsome young man in black sat quietly, lost in thought.

Someone approached him and tapped his shoulder, saying with a playful smile, “Brother Lin? Brother Lin? What are you so deeply lost in thought about? We’ve called you several times with no response.”

The young man suddenly came to his senses, smiled apologetically and shyly, and started to apologize repeatedly.

At this moment, another person chimed in, “Brother Lin seems to have been troubled since entering the city. Is there something bothering you?”

Before the young man could reply, another person interjected, “Oh, it’s not trouble at all! He was clearly startled! Remember the day he almost got kicked by a horse when he entered the city!”

Laughter broke out around them.

Another voice countered, “No, that’s not it! It’s because Brother Lin encountered a beauty that day and couldn’t forget her. Love at first sight, perhaps!”

The laughter grew louder as curiosity spread, and everyone started asking about this beauty, about how she looked like.

Scholars usually avoided such romantic topics, but now the conversation turned bold and explicit.

Blushing amidst the teasing, the young man waved his hands, trying to deflect the attention, yet unable to shake the image of the girl he saw on horseback that day—a stunning beauty, clearly from a wealthy family. He felt unworthy.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, he was interrupted by a loud voice, “How dare you say that! Do you know who that girl is?”

“It’s the wife of Prime Minister Lu! I saw it with my own eyes, Prime Minister Lu was escorting her! If you keep joking like this, do you still want a future in the court!?”

“What?! Prime Minister Lu!?”

The group erupted in astonishment.

---

Meanwhile, the center of the discussion, Shen Qingyao, was leaning against a window, yawning lazily with a look of boredom on her face.

Shen Qingyao realized in despair that after recovering from her illness, life seemed even more boring than when she was seriously ill. When she was sick, her thoughts were mostly about her health and were easily satisfied. But now that she was well, she found herself at a loss for what to do with her days.

Her gaze fell on someone behind a desk engrossed in reading and, though usually pleasing to look at, Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but snort in annoyance, feeling an inexplicable urge to go over and bite him. Yet, in recent days, she felt unusually weak, so she dismissed the idea with another yawn and turned to watch the falling petals in the courtyard.

Meanwhile, behind the desk, Lu Zhao heard the noise and looked up. Seeing the little girl looking listless, he smiled faintly and after a moment, got up and walked over, asking softly, “Feeling tired?”

Shen Qingyao withdrew her gaze from outside the window, cast a fleeting glance at him, but said nothing. Yet the glaring complaint in her eyes was undeniable, as if saying, “Don’t you know how tired I am? Don’t you understand why I’m tired?”

If it weren’t for someone taking advantage of today’s break and made her stay up so late last night, how could she be like this?

By the time they had both truly fallen asleep last night, the early morning bell had already rung. Shen Qingyao thought about it and rolled her eyes again.

Lu Zhao chuckled softly with his head lowered, knowing he was in the wrong, and apologized sincerely. He stretched out his long arms from behind to pull her close, leaning over to coax her, “How about I hold you and let you sleep a little longer?”

Shen Qingyao glared at him again, cautiously shrinking back.

Lu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. This time he was genuinely innocent; he really hadn’t meant anything by it.

“I won’t sleep anymore. If I do, I’ll become stupid!” Shen Qingyao complained with her eyes, but as Lu Zhao’s hand actually reached out, her body had already leaned towards him honestly.

Then, the person who was about to fall asleep became comfortable and closed her eyes.

Lu Zhao laughed again. It was a muffled sound, his breath tickling her ear. It was ticklish, making her smile, and now she had no intention of sleeping at all.

After a while, Shen Qingyao opened her eyes, rolled them around, and gently turned back to hug Lu Zhao’s arm, softly asking, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, are you done with your work?”

Though he hadn’t finished, Lu Zhao still nodded.

His work was never-ending.

Lu Zhao was now a Prime Minister, and he was the only one Xiao Mu could trust with the matter of establishing the imperial examination system, so naturally it fell on his shoulders. The exams were about to begin, and Lu Zhao was busy.

But it was a rare rest-day, so whether or not his work was finished, spending time with his little girl was more important.

Lu Zhao raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear what she wanted to say.

Sure enough, when Shen Qingyao heard this, her eyes lit up. She hugged his arm even tighter and tentatively asked, “Then… Elder Brother Lu Zhao, do you think the weather is nice today?”

“It’s not bad.”

The smile in the girl’s eyes grew even brighter, and she became even happier.

“Then, how about we go out of the city for a little outing?”

Lu Zhao glanced at her. The little girl immediately became energetic. Gone was the sickly look from before; now, she might as well have had ‘want to go horseback riding’ written on her face.

Shen Qingyao had been unable to do many things due to illness before, so once she recovered, she wanted to try everything. Most of the time, Lu Zhao indulged her, following her whims. Whenever trouble arose, the esteemed Prime Minister always had her back.

Of course, except for things that Lu Zhao considered too dangerous.

One of those things was horseback riding.

During the winter, for some reason, Shen Qingyao suddenly remembered the time shortly after their wedding when Lu Zhao took her horseback riding outside the city. She became interested and begged Lu Zhao to teach her.

Naturally, Lu Zhao agreed. He only said they would wait until the weather warmed up in spring.

But when the weather finally warmed up enough, on Shen Qingyao’s first day learning to ride, she almost fell off the horse from excitement. Lu Zhao’s face darkened several shades in shock at the time, and since then, he had forbidden her to go riding again.

But the person was naturally rebellious. The more Lu Zhao forbade her, the stronger Shen Qingyao’s interest in riding became. Despite his refusals over these days, Lu Zhao never relented once.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Lu Zhao guessed what she wanted to say next. He turned his head to hide the smile in his eyes and said seriously, “Leaving the city is fine, but riding a horse is not.”

“Ah—” someone exclaimed in disappointment.

Lu Zhao continued, “You want to ride a horse and then bring back a basket of sour pomegranates?”

Sour pomegranates…

With his mention, Shen Qingyao recalled.

It was just over a month ago when she almost fell off her horse. It was also the incident the scholars in the tavern were discussing.

In fact, everything went smoothly that day. Lu Zhao taught her very well, and Shen Qingyao was not dull, so she learned quickly.

In just one afternoon, she could already ride a horse alone at full speed, thrilling and exciting. By the time she had to return to the city, Shen Qingyao still felt unsatisfied and reluctant to leave.

Unable to bear seeing the little girl so disappointed, Lu Zhao ordered the carriage to be driven away and took her back to the city on horseback alone, allowing her to enjoy herself.

At the city gate, various scholars were entering the capital for the imperial examination, and there were also merchants eager to make a profit during the crowded exam period, making the scene lively.

A crowd had gathered not far away, forming layers of encirclement and buzzing with discussion as if witnessing something intense.

Shen Qingyao glanced from afar and saw several figures in colorful clothes swaying in the crowd, but couldn’t make out exactly what they were doing, which made her even more curious.

Drawn by curiosity, Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but crane her neck to see what was happening.

It was precisely at this moment that a sudden change occurred.

Shen Qingyao’s gaze was focused in the distance and didn’t notice the stooped figure beside her, laboriously carrying a bamboo basket filled to the brim with pomegranates.

The basket looked extremely heavy, bending the old man’s back. He couldn’t straighten up, nor could he lift his head, moving forward with his head down.

Just then, the crowd suddenly erupted in cheers like a landslide and tsunami. The sound of a gong startled her horse.

With a neigh, the spirited horse reared up high on its front hooves, darkening the sunlight over the old man’s head, and when he looked up, he saw a pair of iron hooves charging straight towards him, about to cause a tragedy.

In the nick of time, Lu Zhao flew over and caught Shen Qingyao, who was unharmed but greatly frightened.

Turning back to look, she saw that the old man had been rescued by a young man in black among the crowd, the same person surnamed Lin at the tavern.

Shen Qingyao breathed a sigh of relief at that time, grateful that a disaster had been averted.

After thanking the young man, as a gesture of apology, Shen Qingyao bought all the pomegranates in the old man’s entire basket and even gave him some extra silver as compensation.

She thought the matter would end there.

But Lu Zhao brought up the pomegranates again.

Shen Qingyao never expected those pomegranates to be so sour! Because Lu Zhao was scared by her that day, he had been cold-faced since returning home. Shen Qingyao dared not complain and could only eat the pomegranates she bought herself. Later, when they became unbearably sour, she came up with a mischievous idea and stuffed one into Lu Zhao’s mouth.

As for how they managed to finish eating that pomegranate in the end, let’s not mention it.

Shen Qingyao blushed quietly. Lu Zhao originally wanted to remind her of that dangerous accident, but he didn’t expect her to misunderstand.

Her mind was filled with the image of the crushed pomegranate, its bright red juice staining their lips and clothes in a messy manner.

---

The small tavern fell silent, and no one dared to joke again.

This year’s chief examiner for the imperial examination was the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Great Liang, who had once achieved the three ‘tops’ in the imperial examination, Lu Zhao.

Apart from his political achievements and intelligence, Lu Zhao was most famous for his love for his wife.

In the past two years, Lu Zhao had pampered Shen Qingyao so much that it had become widely known.

Some people were jealous, but there was nothing they could do.

Mainly because of one incident.

It was heard that last year, a young man without proper judgement publicly harassed Madam Lu. The next day, several serious crimes of his family were uncovered, resulting in the execution and exile of all members, their methods so ruthless as to chill one’s bones.

Upon further thought, they had actually joked about Madam Lu just now?

For a moment, all the students who had spoken earlier turned pale.

The young man surnamed Lin also lost color in his face.

Madam Lu…

She had already married…

At this moment, someone in the corner muttered irresponsibly, “Since Lord Lu treats his wife so well, why have they been married for nearly three years but without any news¹? I heard Madam Lu is not in good health, could it be…”

Perhaps out of pure curiosity, before he could finish his words, someone covered his mouth.

“Even if it wasn’t before, how dare you assume it still isn’t now? Besides, whether there is or isn’t, is that something you should be curious about!”

The young man surnamed Lin’s face turned even paler, feeling lost and dejected.

---

On this side, completely unaware that she had already stirred the budding feelings of a young boy, Shen Qingyao, due to Lu Zhao’s interruption, had completely lost the desire to go horseback riding. In fact, she might not want to go for some time. She also no longer wanted to eat pomegranates.

Embarrassed.

Once the initial embarrassment faded, Shen Qingyao lazily leaned back, her eyelids beginning to droop.

Lu Zhao let her rest her head on his lap and casually picked up a book to read.

When Cui Qiao entered, he gestured with his index finger to his lips and then pointed at the little girl who had fallen asleep on his knee.

Cui Qiao paused briefly, then moved even more quietly. Approaching, she whispered softly, “My Lord, Doctor Kong has arrived. Shall I let him in?”

Lu Zhao’s finger paused. Since curing Shen Qingyao two years ago, Doctor Kong had stayed in the capital, residing in a villa outside the city. The old man cared deeply for Shen Qingyao, visiting monthly to check her pulse and indeed, today was that day.

Lu Zhao gently patted Shen Qingyao and softly called her name, but unexpectedly, she mumbled and turned her face to bury it in Lord Lu’s robes.

Lord Lu smiled helplessly. Just as he was about to suggest that Doctor Kong stay overnight and examine her tomorrow, he noticed the faint bruise under the girl’s eyes.

In recent days, Yaoyao seemed unusually sleepy. Lu Zhao frowned slightly; the shadow left by Shen Qingyao’s previous bouts of unconsciousness lingered. After a moment’s thought, he nodded, instructing Cui Qiao to fetch the doctor…

---

1. referring to news about pregnancy ↩︎

---

Lù Zhāo’s excited heart was like being doused with a bucket of cold water, instantly going cold from head to toe.

His heart slowly sank, the blood drained from his face.

Shen Qingyao’s expression overlapped with a memory, and Lu Zhao opened his mouth but couldn’t find his voice for a while.

“Yaoyao? You… don’t remember?” After a long time, Lu Zhao asked slowly, his voice tinged with apprehension. In a daze, he returned to that summer day again, eagerly looking forward to meeting his little girl, only to find that she had forgotten him.

It was after a serious illness like this.

“Hmm?” Shen Qingyao furrowed her brow, looking at him as if he were a strange person.

“It’s nothing.” Lù Zhāo looked down, suppressing the pain in his heart and said hoarsely, “It’s okay, as long as you wake up, everything’s okay…”

He saw Shen Qingyao gradually reveal a peculiar expression, she glanced at Cui Qiao, who had already sneered and ran off. Turning back, she looked into Lu Zhao’s deep and serene eyes, then, in the face of his puzzled and sorrowful gaze, slowly, as if unable to hold it in any longer, she burst out laughing.

---

Since Shen Qingyao’s soul was forcibly extracted a few months ago, she had been waiting for Xiao Mu to ascend to the throne and for Kong Lin to produce medicine. Then she watched as the system quietly placed her reward in the medicine newly developed by Kong Lin.

So after she drank it, her heart disease could be successfully cured.

As for the subsequent coma…

Shen Qingyao rolled her eyes and cursed the system thoroughly.

The other party assured her in every way that there would be no problem after drinking that bowl of medicine. As a result, the medicine was fine, but because her soul had been extracted for too long, there were some minor hiccups. Of course, she had just learned about this, after all, at that time, she was just pushed by the system and fell into her own body, then slept and woke up today.

She slept for three months.

What a ‘small’ hiccup.

Shen Qingyao sneered, remembering a moment ago when the system carefully explained upon her awakening. She wished she could just beat it up directly and then call it quits and tell Lu Zhao to just turn evil.

Then she discovered that Lu Zhao was not around, so she hurried out to find him, wanting to see him quickly and confirm that she was really okay.

But because her body was weak from sleeping for three months, she took quite a while to adjust before slowly being helped out by Cui Qiao. Never did she expect to stumble upon such a spectacle.

Shen Qingyao was furious. She had only slept for three months, and someone was already eyeing her position. How could this be allowed! Fortunately, Lu Zhao handled it decisively and cut off all possibilities, which calmed her down a bit, but she couldn’t help but want to throw a little tantrum, which led to the scene just now.

But seeing that Lu Zhao really believed it, comforting her while feeling sad, his eyes filled with too much emotion, Shen Qingyao suddenly found it hard to continue teasing him.

After bursting out laughing uncontrollably, she looked at Lu Zhao and softly complained, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, you’re so silly…”

“?” Lu Zhao was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood.

For a while, he stood there stiffly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. After a long time, seeing the girl still smiling, he felt the warmth slowly returning to his body, as if his blood was flowing back into his veins.

“You…” He took a step forward to grasp the girl’s hand, and this time she didn’t evade him.

Shen Qingyao’s hand when she was awake felt completely different from when she was asleep. Holding this soft little hand, Lu Zhao slowly smiled, letting out a long sigh of relief. His tense shoulders relaxed, his long hair slipping from his shoulders gently intertwined with Shen Qingyao’s in the breeze.

“Am I silly?” Lu Zhao asked hoarsely. He raised an eyebrow. “Am I silly, or is Yaoyao being mischievous again? Hmm?”

With that, he placed his large hands on Shen Qingyao’s waist and teasingly pinched her sensitive spot. This made Shen Qingyao, who was ticklish there, instantly go limp. She giggled and fell onto Lu Zhao, who continued to tickle her, asking, “Am I silly? Am I?”

“Not silly anymore, not silly…” Shen Qingyao squirmed and dodged while laughing. When Lu Zhao finally stopped, Shen Qingyao breathed lightly, her smile still lingering. She looked up at Lu Zhao, her smile gradually fading, replaced by a trace of sadness at the corners of her eyes, her mouth drooping slightly in a pitiful expression.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Zhao noticed her sadness and panicked, quickly cupping her face. His cool lips kissed her eyes gently, preventing her tears from falling.

“Elder Brother Lu Zhao, I’m sorry for making you wait so long,” Shen Qingyao sniffled. Touching the faint bluish-gray under his eyes, she felt a pang of guilt.

Lu Zhao sighed softly, then securely embraced her, closing his eyes and murmuring, “Not long. Waiting for you, no matter how long, is not long.”

---

News of Shen Qingyao waking up on Princess Duanhua’s birthday spread within half a day.

Princess Duanhua immediately left the room full of guests and hurried over. Naturally, she embraced Shen Qingyao tearfully, declaring that Shen Qingyao was indeed her lucky star. Shen Qingyao’s awakening was the best and greatest birthday gift she could receive.

Seeing this, the wives and daughters of various families who came to follow after Princess Duanhua understood that both Lu Zhao and Princess Duanhua valued this daughter-in-law greatly, causing any lingering intentions to fade away.

After these visitors left, Shen Qingyao’s parents rushed over with Shen Yushu and Shen Qinglin, followed by the surprising news that even the Empress had left the palace to visit in person, leaving everyone astonished.

When Master Kong Lin later examined Shen Qingyao and confirmed her heart condition was completely healed, only requiring careful recuperation, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. By the time everyone had left, it was late at night.

Lu Zhao returned from outside to find the already washed and dressed little girl lazily leaning on the bed, lost in thought. Her long hair hung behind her, not yet properly dried, with water droplets still clinging to the ends.

Lu Zhao paused for a moment, suddenly feeling that this ordinary scene seemed surreal, as if from another world. The lively girl sat not far away, and just thinking about her made him feel calm.

Without hesitation, Lu Zhao walked over.

He picked up a towel lying nearby, silently moved behind her, gathered up her long hair, and gently dried it in his hands.

Shen Qingyao knew it was him. She leaned back slightly, squinted her eyes for a while, then comfortably stretched herself out. After a while, she leaned against Lu Zhao’s shoulder and whispered softly, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, how did you become so good at drying hair?”

Lu Zhao chuckled softly in response, not saying much. But even without him saying it, Shen Qingyao knew that during these days she was unconscious, Lu Zhao had been the one drying her hair. Seeing that he didn’t want to talk about it, Shen Qingyao opened her eyes, turned around, and skillfully nestled herself into Lu Zhao’s embrace.

Her restless hand brushed over Lu Zhao’s eyebrows. As they passed down his eyelashes, his eyelids trembled slightly under the touch, making her palm itch. She retracted her hand a bit, only to be firmly grasped by him.

Shen Qingyao looked up at him. He was silently watching her too, not saying a word, yet his eyes seemed to convey everything.

Shen Qingyao’s heart stirred. Her fingers brushed against his hand again before she asked, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, are you unhappy?”

Lu Zhao blinked. It wasn’t that he was unhappy, just a bit scared. But he nodded and said after a moment, “There are always so many people around Yaoyao, and I’m not happy about it.”

“Hmm?” Shen Qingyao looked at him in surprise.

Lu Zhao gently pulled her hand away from his face, holding it in his own and listing, “Father, Mother, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Brother-in-law, Sister-in-laws, even Kong Lin, they all come before me.” He leaned closer from behind, his chin rubbing against her shoulder, saying with grievance, “When Yaoyao wakes up, there are so many people around her that she can’t even see me.”

Shen Qingyao widened her eyes, finding it hard to believe this was Lu Zhao. After a while, she burst into laughter.

“How come you’re even jealous of them!” she said, pushing his head lightly, then added, “They’re just concerned about me.”

He tightened his grip around her waist, eyes downcast as he murmured, “But I care about Yaoyao the most.”

Shen Qingyao laughed again, seeing beneath Lu Zhao’s seemingly unreasonable behavior, there was the unease in his heart.

After laughing for a while, Shen Qingyao turned to face him, cupping his face in her hands and meeting his gaze seriously.

“Elder Brother Lu Zhao, I’m fine now.”
“I’m okay. There won’t be any more problems in the future.”
“I won’t forget about you anymore, and I’ll always be with you.”
“El…”

With each sentence Shen Qingyao spoke, Lu Zhao’s eyes grew darker. Finally, unable to resist, he pulled her close.

In the moment their lips met, Shen Qingyao heard him hoarsely whisper, “Okay, you said it…”

---

Shen Qingyao, who was standing aside at first, had now curled up at the corner of the bed, hugging her knees. The translucent feet were close to ‘her’ feet, and Lu Zhao sat opposite her, still holding ‘her’ hand. However, upon hearing Shen Qinglin’s words, Lu Zhao turned his head coldly, seeming to wait for an explanation.

Shen Qingyao also appeared numb.

She lifted her head to look at the empty space with nothing in it, seemingly in a silent confrontation with the system.

In a moment, she had already understood the intentions of the system and Shen Qinglin.

“…” How should she put it? Using the coronation of the new Emperor to ‘bring good luck’ to her was quite far-fetched.

Before Shen Qinglin could speak, Shen Qingyao was already awkwardly curling her toes.

After a while, Shen Qingyao glanced past Lu Zhao to Shen Qinglin, who was leaning against the door, also looking embarrassed. It seemed that Shen Qinglin too had belatedly realized her mistake, having spoken without thinking. If she were to explain, she really didn’t know how to start.

But Lu Zhao and Shen Qingli, with their pairs of eyes, each distinct yet equally beautiful, stared at her with either melancholy or confusion. It was unreasonable not to explain.

Shen Qinglin swallowed and thought quickly, but couldn’t come up with any excuses. She couldn’t possibly say, “Actually, you don’t know, but there’s something called a system in our bodies,” right? They’d think she’s crazy, wouldn’t they?

As she hesitated, her fingertips touched the ebony box in her arms. Suddenly, a bright idea struck her, and a smile crept onto her face. She pushed the box forward and said, “I’ve been undercover in Nanzhao for several years. This is a spiritual medicine I obtained by infiltrating the secret places of Nanzhao. Perhaps it could be useful! But…”

Shen Qinglin subtly paused, unsure whether she was figuring out how to continue expressing herself or how to deceive herself first.

She continued, “But the Nanzhao saintess who presented the medicine in secret said that only when the internal affairs of Great Liang are stable and we have everlasting friendship with Nanzhao, will this medicine be given to us as a gift after the new Emperor ascends the throne. If we use it prematurely, Nanzhao has secret techniques that can render the divine medicine ineffective.”

She raised her eyes solemnly and said, “Therefore, Eldest Sister, we cannot postpone it.”

This reasoning was outrageous, leaving Shen Qingyao and the onlookers dumbfounded for a long time, until she slowly raised her thumb towards her Second Sister. At first listen, this reason actually sounded quite reasonable. However, it still had many loopholes. With the intelligence of Lu Zhao and Shen Qingli, they probably wouldn’t believe it.

But whether it was out of concern or something else, the two of them just slightly stunned after hearing Shen Qinglin’s words. Then Lu Zhao’s eyes slightly changed, staring at the box in her hand as if a dying person had seen hope again.

Shen Qingli, on the other hand, opened her mouth in surprise, not expecting such a twist. But saving Shen Qingyao was urgent. She didn’t have time to delve into how this medicine was obtained or why the giver’s request was so peculiar. She simply nodded slightly and said, “I understand. I’ll go back and discuss with Xiao Mu.”

With that, Shen Qingli turned and left. Shen Qinglin pondered for a moment, then handed the box she had been tightly holding onto Lu Zhao. Although she was worried, the medicine was indeed effective. She had no certainty it could save Shen Qingyao, so she could only silently pray in her heart that the system had the conscience to save Shen Qingyao.

---

Half a month later, the people of Great Liang celebrated together to congratulate the new Emperor’s ascension.

Although Xiao Mu had been in the Northern Frontier in these years, his rule over the north was strong and stable, prosperous and peaceful. Compared to the continuous disasters and unrest in the south over the past two years, it was a pure land. Now that he had ascended, he severely punished corrupt officials, cleaned up the government, reduced taxes, and the entire atmosphere of Great Liang was renewed, which earned the praise of the masses.

Apart from these achievements, the most talked-about thing was that after Xiao Mu ascended the throne, his first imperial edict was to appoint the Young Master of Duke Zhenguo, Lu Zhao, as the Left Prime Minister of the current court.

Lu Zhao’s talent was widely recognized by all, and he was also the trusted aide who assisted the new Emperor in ascending the throne. Xiao Mu’s decision to heavily rely on him surprised no one. However, his sudden elevation to the position of Prime Minister, surpassing thousands of others, still shocked a large part of the courtiers. Whenever his name was mentioned, it was always accompanied by praise and admiration. Such a scene was reminiscent only of his rare triple success in the imperial examinations.

At this moment, the youngest Left Prime Minister in the history of Great Liang was still half-sitting by the bedside, calmly waiting for someone.

“Why hasn’t she woken up yet?”

Lu Zhao asked in a deep voice. Since Shen Qingyao fell unconscious, he refused to speak to anyone, so his voice now sounded hoarse, causing unease in those who heard it.

Kong Lin, standing beside him, frowned in puzzlement. After a long sigh, Kong Lin said, “Ah, that medicine earlier was indeed a rare elixir, greatly beneficial for heart ailments. I have already included it in the prescription. According to reason, it should have had some effect.”

Lu Zhao listened without much change in expression, his eyes deeply fixed on Shen Qingyao, unwilling to shift away even an inch.

There was weariness, anticipation, and an unbreakable longing in his eyes.

“It’s really strange. I examined her pulse; her heart condition should be slowly improving! Her heartbeat is steady, her pulse is stable, there should be no hindrance…” Kong Lin continued to be puzzled, stroking his beard until it almost seemed he would pluck it out.

“If there’s no hindrance, then why hasn’t she…” awakened?

Tu Lan, who had always assisted Kong Lin, asked halfway through her sentence, then stopped. Asking these questions was just to reassure herself; in fact, they all understood that if the heart disease had healed, what remained was whether the person lying there wanted to wake up or not…

Looking at Lu Zhao, who had risen to a high position of power but showed no joy, Tu Lan sighed softly.

What a splendid and unrivaled man he was, a sight she once witnessed during their days in the south. But now, with Shen Qingyao falling ill for half a month, Lu Zhao’s care for her was as if he had become a different person.

The depth in his usually profound eyes was gone, leaving them hollow and chilling.

Glancing at Shen Qingyao, who slept unaware on the bed, Tu Lan silently recited a prayer used in the southern tribes. “Shen Qingyao, if you still care for your Elder Brother Lu Zhao, please recover soon.”

“My Lord, it’s time to enter the palace. His Majesty has summoned you today.”

During the silence, a figure entered from outside the door—it was Lu Zhao’s attendant. He was no longer called Young Master now. When they saw Lu Zhao, everyone respectfully addressed him as Prime Minister or My Lord.

Lu Zhao lowered his eyes in silence, still meticulously wiping Shen Qingyao’s face with a cloth, cleaning her hands, and gently touching her cheek. He softly said, “Yaoyao, I’ll be back soon.”

His demeanor was natural, as if Shen Qingyao could still hear him.

Cui Qiao and Hong Yun, who were also by the bedside, immediately teared up. For these days, it had been like this. Lu Zhao never left when he was free. If there was something he had to attend to and couldn’t stay, he would arrange everything for Shen Qingyao like he was doing now, then bid her farewell softly.

Only after Lu Zhao had finished everything did he stand up.

The moment he walked out, Kong Lin heard Lu Zhao seemingly turn back and say something.

Kong Lin was momentarily stunned, and after a long time, he remembered what Lu Zhao had said: “If she doesn’t wake up for a day, I’ll wait for her for a day. If she doesn’t wake up for a year, I’ll wait for her for a year. It doesn’t matter how long. I’m sorry to trouble Master Kong to to take care of her.”

The words were spoken casually, but their meaning was profound, shaking Kong Lin’s heart once again.

---

Lu Zhao entered the palace and went straight into the imperial study without needing to announce himself. Inside, besides Xiao Mu, Shen Qingli was also present.

Seeing Lu Zhao, Shen Qingli’s eyes lit up momentarily, but upon closer inspection of his demeanor, she disappointedly sat back down.

Xiao Mu was straightforward in nature. Without much courtesy, he casually picked up several memorials and handed them over, saying lightly, “Changfeng, take a look at these.”

Lu Zhao furrowed his brows as he took them. Flipping through them casually, most of them accused him of being too young to hold the position of Prime Minister. Some also mentioned that the Duke’s mansion was already too powerful as it had its own troops, and appointing another civil official would make it difficult to control them in the future.

Clichéd arguments.

Lu Zhao’s expression remained unchanged, showing no reaction to these comments. It was only when he reached the last memorial that his eyes turned cold.

The final one was a request for marriage for their daughter, and the other party for the proposed marriage was Lu Zhao himself.

It stated that Lu Zhao’s original wife was seriously ill and had requested that their daughter marry him, willingly becoming a concubine to serve the Prime Minister.

Lu Zhao’s face turned cold, and he snorted disdainfully as he threw the memorial back onto the table heavily, saying with contempt, “Do they even deserve it?”

In theory, this was a private matter among courtiers and should not have been presented to the Emperor. However, Lu Zhao’s current influence was too strong, and there were always those who sought to form connections with him. Despite his deep affection for his first wife, who was nearing death, someone daringly presented the memorial, perhaps hoping the Emperor might use it to restrain Luzhao.

They could connect themselves to Lu Zhao while gaining favor with the Emperor by offering up their daughter. It was a win-win situation, from their perspective.

However, they underestimated the current Emperor’s relationship with Lu Zhao and forgot the weight Shen Qingli held in Xiao Mu’s heart. Just out of her tender affection for her youngest sister, Xiao Mu would never agree to such a marriage proposal.

So, he eagerly delivered the memorial to Lu Zhao.

Before Shen Qingyao woke up, these people were already hoping for her death. Lu Zhao was furious.

Shen Qingli, now the Empress, carefully observed Lu Zhao’s expression and tentatively said, “Such matters will not be uncommon in the future. Even if Yaoyao wakes up, someone will still bring it up. You…”

Lu Zhao’s expression grew increasingly grim, and Shen Qingli paused before continuing, “If you wish, we can bring Yaoyao back to the Shen family.”

After all, no one could guarantee how long Shen Qingyao would remain unconscious.

Before she could finish, Lu Zhao’s gaze pierced her like a blade.

“Empress, there’s no need for you to worry. Yaoyao is my wife, and I will wait for her.”

So they waited, and another three months passed.

Shen Qingyao slept through a long winter with closed eyes. Initially filled with sorrow, worry, and anxiety, the people had now settled into quiet anticipation. Until another warm spring day arrived.

On the first day of the second lunar month, it was Princess Duanhua’s birthday. With their daughter-in-law in a deep slumber, the Princess originally had no plans for a grand celebration. However, Lu Zhao insisted, “Yaoyao loves lively occasions. It wouldn’t hurt to have a small celebration. Perhaps if she hears it, she might wake up on her own?”

Princess Duanhua reluctantly agreed and instructed her attendants to make the arrangements.

This was the first time since Lu Zhao’s promotion that the Lu residence had opened its doors to guests. All the families were eager to impress the Lus.

News of Shen Qingyao’s unconscious state somehow spread. The noble ladies, who had previously lost interest, now became lively again. They all wished to catch the attention of Prime Minister Lu during this banquet. As for Shen Qingyao, the original wife, no one saw her as a threat anymore.

On the morning of the birthday banquet, Lu Zhao, as usual, personally took care of all matters for Shen Qingyao, ensuring everything was in order before changing into his robes and heading out.

The banquet was set in the front courtyard, and the lively noise could be heard from afar, somewhat disturbing. Lu Zhao frowned, concerned that these sounds might affect Shen Qingyao’s rest. Just as he was about to send someone to check, he noticed someone sneaking around nearby. Upon seeing him, the person rushed straight towards him, accompanied by an exaggerated scream, almost falling onto him.

When the fragrance wafted over, Lu Zhaoru dodged to the side with a grim expression, and the beautifully adorned woman fell onto the gravel path.

“Ah! My… My Lord, I-I didn’t mean to. I… I just… got lost…” The woman was in pain from the fall but dared not cry out, only tears streaming down her face, evoking pity.

Lu Zhaoru’s brow twitched, feeling annoyed. The same behavior from Shen Qingyao would have seemed adorable and delightful to him, but from others, it only provoked disgust.

He had seen such antics countless times since childhood, especially in recent months. Lu Zhao had lost patience and no longer cared to maintain his usual grace towards others. He stared at the woman on the ground with eyes so cold they could pierce through, and said in a chilly tone, “The illegitimate daughter of Zhao family, the magistrate of Jingzhao?”

The girl on the ground looked up in surprise when he mentioned her identity, thinking he was silently paying attention to her. However, she met a dead, silent gaze. Trembling, she realized she seemed to have caused a serious mistake, and cold sweat broke out. If her father found out about this, her father would surely punish her severely.

She crawled over in tears, pleading for forgiveness, but Lu Zhao ignored her completely, ready to leave.

“My Lord! My Lord, I’m sorry… I…”

Amidst her cries, a small laughter suddenly mixed in.

The girl didn’t notice, but Lu Zhao, who had planned to leave, suddenly stopped in his tracks. The girl felt hopeful, thinking her pleas had worked and that Lu Zhao would not dismiss her father from his post. Just as she was about to thank him, Lu Zhao turned around and looked beyond her, his gaze fixed on someone behind her.

The girl looked over tearfully and saw a frail girl standing under the shade of a tree not far away. She wore only a plain white shirt and a thick fox fur draped over her, the fine fur making her face appear even paler and smaller. She was supported by a maid, silently watching them from a distance with unclear eyes.

Who was this? Another one trying to gain sympathy?

Yet Lu Zhao’s eyes suddenly filled with joy, and he exclaimed in disbelief, “Yaoyao?”

Yaoyao? Shen Qingyao? Wasn’t the first wife of Prime Minister Lu rumored to be in a coma and near death? Wasn’t it said that due to her severe illness, Prime Minister Lu had finally grown tired of her after many days of vigil?

But looking at Lu Zhao now, who was excited beyond measure, there was not a trace of the cold indifference from moments ago.

Tired of her? Wasn’t this too different from the rumors?

---

In just a short distance, Lu Zhao seemed to use a martial art footwork technique as he rushed over.

He stared intently at the person before him, unable to contain his joy, almost feeling as though this were a hallucination. He had been prepared to wait another ten or eight years, but he never expected his Yaoyao to wake up on her own.

As he hurried to her side, Lu Zhao reached out to touch her, to confirm her existence. But Shen Qingyao withdrew her hand and stepped back, as if startled by something, slowly raising her head. With a cautious and almost unfamiliar gaze, she looked at him.

Her lips were still dry, and she trembled slightly. She looked at him and softly asked, “Who are you…”

---

Shen Qingyao’s heart attack was as torturous as ever, especially this time, which was unusually severe.

When Shen Qingyao was carried into the room in a daze, she was still conscious to some extent. She could hear Lu Zhao’s urgent and angry voice, trembling with panic. She heard Cui Qiao and Hong Yun in a mess, and heard her own parents who rushed anxiously, their worried sobs…

Unfortunately, because she was still conscious, the pain accompanied those chaotic sounds, making it increasingly hard to ignore.

She tried desperately to move a finger, wanting to say, “Don’t cry, I’m not dead yet.” She wanted to make some sound to tell them how much she was suffering. But despite using all her strength, she couldn’t do anything, only silently, soberly, waiting for the pain to engulf her.

In a daze, she unexpectedly had a dream she hadn’t had for a while.

It wasn’t about her childhood memories or the original plot. She dreamt about the last days of her life in modern times.

The weather that day was as gloomy as today, with the windows of the ward wide open and the door ajar. The cold draft in the hallway made the entire ward feel like an ice cellar, but Shen Qingyao couldn’t feel any of it.

There seemed to be a fire inside her body, mercilessly burning at her chest. She gritted her teeth tightly, sweat soaking the pillow. The pain was suffocating her.

A nurse on duty in the hospital walked over, looking at her pale face, sighed deeply, and then said nothing, reaching out to activate a machine.

The lines on the screen fluctuated, and the machine’s buzzing was loud, disturbing her peace. Shen Qingyao took a deep breath, suddenly hearing faint voices outside the door.

“So pitiful, so seriously ill, why haven’t her family come to see her even once? How heartless!”

Another voice agreed, “Exactly! Just paying for a caregiver isn’t enough. With such a serious illness, how can she manage alone?”

“Sigh, I just checked, her indicators are off again, she’s probably… sigh.”

A sigh behind the door covered another sound. Shen Qingyao’s mind was blank, the pain inside and the actual pain overlapping, blurring the boundaries of time and space. For a moment, Shen Qingyao couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality, and forgot where she was.

“Yaoyao…” a faint voice came from afar, as if whispering in her ear. The person was calling her. Suddenly, a place in her heart sank, but no matter how she tried to remember, she couldn’t recall whose voice it was.

What was forgotten? Shen Qingyao mumbled in a daze, as if she had promised someone to live on, to wait for him to come back, to watch the moon together, and enjoy the snow together.

In her blurry vision, a figure suddenly emerged, dressed in a white robe, with a jade crown and tied hair, exuding a pure and transcendent aura. She couldn’t see the person’s face clearly, but the only color in her eyes was a fiery red jade pendant hanging from their waist.

Shen Qingyao gasped, greedily breathing the air around her, but it felt thinner and thinner.

The figure in front of her also faded, and she panicked, instinctively reaching out to grasp, but just as her hands touched, everything in front of her suddenly shattered with a loud crash, leaving only an endless white…

On the hospital bed, Shen Qingyao’s hand fell heavily towards the empty space, hitting the edge of the bed with a dull sound. Immediately after, the fluctuating line on the monitor straightened out with a long alarm, without any more fluctuations…

“Emergency! Call emergency! Bed 0052, cardiac arrest!”

---

Shen Qingyao fell into emptiness.

When her body finally landed, she seemed to have returned to her carefree youth, as if she was following her memory and going through those years again…

It was unknown how long it had been before she heard a voice again

[Host…]

Shen Qingyao whimpered in pain and finally opened her eyes slowly.

The snow outside had stopped at some point. The first snow was not heavy, and only a few white leaves remained on the branches that no one touched. The snow on the ground had already turned into water, leaving only deep and shallow mottled traces.

Perhaps because she had slept for too long, the light after she suddenly opened her eyes was a little harsh. Shen Qingyao squinted her eyes uncomfortably and raised her hand to block it, but found that she couldn’t block it. The sunlight still penetrated her hand and fell directly on her eyes.

She realized something was wrong belatedly. Shen Qingyao put her arms down, and then she realized that she was not lying down. She stood in the void, looked down, and on the bed not far away, there was another ‘herself.’

“…”

Shen Qingyao was silent for a moment, and couldn’t tell whether she was more shocked or more frightened. After all, anyone would be confused to suddenly meet her ‘critically ill’ self.

[Host…]

The voice that woke her up sounded again. It was the system.

“What’s wrong with me?” Shen Qingyao asked with a slightly hoarse voice, clenching her trembling hands, and used superficial calmness to cover up her inner fear.

After all, her current condition was not very scientific no matter how she looked at it. It looked like her soul had left her body. And there were only a few situations that could cause the soul to leave the body.

“I’m not dead, am I?” Shen Qingyao asked again, and then with accusatory eyes: “You liars! What mission! What reward! Are they all fake?”

The system was made guilty by what she said, and it hesitated for a long time before speaking, and it denied three times in a row: [No! You’re not dead! I didn’t lie to you!]

Shen Qingyao snorted with a gloomy face.

Things became mysterious. She just stood in front of her bed, looking at her dying self on the bed. At this time, someone pushed the door in. It was Cuiq Qao.

Shen Qingyao was startled and was about to hide, but she saw Cui Qiao seemed to be completely unaware of her. With red eyes, Cui Qiao brought a basin of water and passed through her directly, and then stopped not far from her. While silently shedding tears, Cui Qiao wet the handkerchief to wipe her fingers.

Just after wiping, Lu Zhao also came. His face was not very good. Although he did not show his sadness and sorrow on his face like Cui Qiao, anyone could see that he was on the verge of collapse.

“Let me do it.”

Lu Zhao asked Cui Qiao to go out, and he took the handkerchief and held Shen Qingyao’s hand, as if he was wiping some treasure.

Shen Qingyao was a little sad. Her resentment towards the system became even more serious.

The system seemed to think about what to say, and then continued the topic and said: [Host, you have completed the task, and the reward will definitely be given to you! I will not break my promise!]

Shen Qingyao stared at Lu Zhao’s back in silence, without saying a word. The system said again: [And… and, the failure of the central control system has been almost fixed, and your reward will be issued soon!]

And if something really happened to Shen Qingyao, Lu Zhao might still turn evil. It’s just the last step left, wouldn’t it be a pity if he turned evil again at this time? The system will not do such a stupid thing.

But the system didn’t say this, after all, if it said this, it would seem really stupid that they would fail at the last minute.

When Shen Qingyao heard this, her eyes moved and she had some reaction. She hummed and then slowly asked: “What’s going on now?”

The face of ‘Shen Qingyao’ on the bed was frighteningly pale. If there was no weak breath, it would be no different from death. In fact, according to the original plot, Shen Qingyao should have died at this time. But in order to fulfill their promise, before the system was repaired, they had to think of another way, extracting part of Shen Qingyao’s soul, making her half-dead, to support her life until the reward could be issued.

But who would have thought that the central system was repaired as soon as the soul was extracted.

So it created such an awkward situation, a dilemma.

After the system explained, Shen Qingyao sneered with her hands folded. Although she didn’t say anything, the system felt like it heard a long 100,000-word long insult and ridicule from the short laugh, and was ashamed.

“Then, why don’t you put me back? What are you waiting for?”

Shen Qingyao glanced at Lu Zhao who was guarding the bed again, and felt more and more that this wave of disaster was really an unexpected disaster. Not only did she experience two waves of severe illness and near death, but she also made the people around her worried. She felt heavy in her heart and inexplicably irritated, and urged.

[…]

That’s the problem.

It’s easy to send Shen Qingyao back, but if someone who was dying in the previous second is alive and kicking in the next second, the scene is also a bit scary.

So the system began to hesitate again: [Well… We may need an opportunity.]

Shen Qingyao didn’t know whether there was an opportunity, she only knew that she was very angry. After a long while, she still patiently asked: “What opportunity?”

At this time, the closed door was pushed open from the outside again, and Lu Zhao, who was sitting in front of the window, was startled and looked over with a calm look. The look in his eyes was obscure, forcing Shen Qingli, who had rushed in just a moment ago, to pause and actually stop where she was.

She was stunned for a while before trotting over again. Anxiously, she asked, “What happened to Yaoyao?”

In fact, she had heard about the general situation when she came out of the palace. Shen Qingyao had a heart attack, vomiting blood and fainting, with a weak pulse, and it seemed that she was almost dying. But Shen Qingli didn’t dare to ask the last three words, nor did she really want to believe it.

Lu Zhao only glanced at her, said nothing, but silently held Shen Qingyao’s hand. Apart from the panic and heartbreak when Shen Qingyao just fainted, he was left with only silence that no one could see through.

Unexpectedly, Lu Zhao almost had people find all the good doctors in the capital, and all the elixirs that had been saved in the mansion over the years, whether useful or not, were sent to Kong Lin. But Kong Lin said that Shen Qingyao’s heart disease was strange, and the prescription needed to be re-developed. He had been looking for it for these years, but it was always a little short.

No one knew how long it would take to make up for this, and no one knew whether the prescription could really be developed, and no one dared to be sure that the prescription would be useful, and that Shen Qingyao would definitely be able to hold on until then.

Only wait.

So Lu Zhao put all his energy on Shen Qingyao, and he was unwilling to give away any more words or attention to others.

In fact, Shen Qingli could see it clearly even if he didn’t say it.

With a breath stuck in her chest, she turned her face away and shed tears silently.

Originally, Xiao Mu had almost rectified the court in the past few days. Xiao Mu was now the only one qualified to ascend the throne, and Shen Qingli must be his Empress.

But now she said: “I have discussed with Xiao Mu that the coronation… will be postponed for a few more days. Yaoyao is in this state now, and I don’t have the energy to be the Empress.”

“Yaoyao will be fine.” Shen Qingli said again, not knowing whether she was talking to Lu Zhao or herself.

“Two days ago in the palace, she joked with me that she missed my wedding, so she must see it on the day of the coronation.” Shen Qingli raised her hand to wipe her tears, gritted her teeth and said firmly: “We can postpone it for a few days, and we will definitely be able to wait until Yaoyao wakes up and see it with her own eyes.”

Lu Zhao lowered his eyes and listened to her words. After a long while, he said ‘hmm’ in a hoarse voice.

Shen Qingyao, who had been beside Shen Qingli, was shocked and her nose was sour. She didn’t expect that her Eldest Sister would postpone such a big thing because of her joke.

At this moment, another person rushed in hurriedly. The person seemed to have traveled a long way. When Shen Qingyao looked outside the door, she heard the neighing of horses outside the courtyard. The person actually rode all the way into the city. The person appeared at this time, and was still out of breath.

The person was holding an ebony box in her hand, and her hair was a little messy because of the rushed journey.

But she didn’t care about so much at this time. She just supported the door frame with one hand, stared at Shen Qingli anxiously, and shouted: “Can’t postpone it!”

The person who came was Shen Qinglin. When she learned that Great Liang was in turmoil and Shen Qingyao returned to the capital alone for Lu Zhao, she followed closely. It was just because she went to find some things on the way that she arrived a few days later than Shen Qingyao.

As soon as she entered the city, she heard the news that Shen Qingyao was seriously ill.

Shen Qinglin’s heart skipped a beat, and she knew that it was not good, so she rushed over without stopping, and happened to hear her Eldest Sister’s decision.

In order to let Shen Qingyao it with her own eyes, the ceremony of the Empress’ coronation was postponed, and it would mean the time for Xiao Mu to ascend the throne and become Emperor was also postponed. Others didn’t know, but Shen Qinglin, who had also transmigrated and had the system for a period of time, knew it.

Shen Qingyao was carrying a system task.

Although Shen Qinglin don’t know the details, but she knew they need to reach the finale.

Only when Xiao Mu really ascended the throne, the mission could be truly completed. Perhaps, Yaoyao was waiting for this turning point.

Shen Qinglin raised her eyes and looked at the people in the room. With a firm look, he repeated: “The ascension to the throne and the coronation of the Empress cannot be postponed. In fact… the sooner the better.”

At the same time, in the void that no one can see, the system also said: [Yes, host, the opportunity has come.]

---

Cui Qiao hesitated for a moment before responding, “At this moment, Young Master should be waiting in the front hall.”

The weather today was not good; it had been gloomy since morning, and now dark clouds loomed overhead. The wind was picking up, and despite it being autumn, there was a hint of winter chill in the air.

Shen Qingyao hugged herself, shrinking her neck into her thick clothing, which was already thicker than most wore. Yet for her, it still felt inadequate.

Cui Qiao glanced at the sky and couldn’t help but whisper, “Miss, it looks like the weather is about to change. Let’s hurry to meet Young Master.” She furrowed her brow, still concerned about Shen Qingyao’s recent coughing bout, and added as if to convince Shen Qingyao, “In the capital, unlike the south, it’s unusually cold this year. It might snow in a few days. Miss, with your delicate health, you mustn’t catch a cold again!”

However, Shen Qingyao paid no heed. She waved her hand dismissively, indicating she had other priorities. She then leaned in and whispered something to Cui Qiao, who looked at her bewildered, not understanding her intentions.

“You should go then! And remember to tell Elder Brother Lu Zhao!” Shen Qingyao blinked and nudged Cui Qiao before walking away in another direction.

---

Upon receiving the message sent from Shen Qingyao, Lu Zhao lightly tapped the cup and set aside the fine tea without hesitation. He stood up, adjusted his clothes, asked no questions, and headed to the place mentioned by the little girl.

Passing through the round archway, the garden was deserted, tranquil yet slightly lonely amidst the autumn scenery.

The place seemed familiar to Lu Zhao, who was stunned momentarily. What did the little girl summon him here for? His eyes scanned the small garden, and not finding Shen Qingyao who had summoned him, he noticed a pavilion not far away. A fire burned brightly in a small stove, and steam billowed from a teapot on top, creating wave after wave of white mist.

Lu Zhao chuckled softly, approached, sat down at one end of the table, picked up a jade-green teacup, and played with it in his hand. The scene matched a memory perfectly.

Hidden in the shadows, Shen Qingyao exhaled softly. Seeing Lu Zhao amidst the swirling mist, he seemed almost unreal. She shivered involuntarily, feeling a surreal sensation of time and space shifting.

[Host, what are you doing?] The system, perplexed by Shen Qingyao’s actions, felt a sense of familiarity but couldn’t quite grasp the situation.

Shen Qingyao paused, rolled her eyes after a moment, thinking the system’s memory was quite poor. With a flat tone, she said, “Just a little romantic gesture between young lovers. Are you sure you want to hear about it?”

System : […]

After an [Oh,] the system fell silent again. Perhaps because of its sudden malfunction which made him embarrassed in front of Shen Qingyao, even though she didn’t seem to mind, it felt too shy to engage in conversation with her unless absolutely necessary.

So, it chose to silently observe.

Meanwhile, Shen Qīngyao, crouching low, claimed it was a romantic gesture, but in reality, it was just a whim, a sudden nostalgia.

She waited for a while, seeing no reaction from Lu Zhao, who remained calm and brewed tea in the pavilion as if nothing else mattered except the boiling water before him. Grinding her teeth, Shen Qingyao couldn’t decide if she was angry at her own childishness or at Lu Zhao for being so cooperative without asking any questions.

Lu Zhao added more water once again, poured two cups of hot tea, left one in front of himself, and pushed the other to the empty end of the table. In that moment of looking down, he caught sight of a piece of clothing in the corner of his eye. Unable to resist, he smiled faintly. After all this time, the little girl still didn’t know how to hide her tracks.

He leaned against the stone table, counting inside his mind one by one. By the time he reached the tenth tap, the little girl hiding behind the rockery seemed to finally lose her patience. The withered grass rustled a few times, and a small figure stumbled out and rushed straight towards him.

At first, Lu Zhao smiled as he watched her, waiting for her to come closer. After a few moments, he sensed something was wrong. The girl indeed seemed unsteady on her feet.

His expression hardened, and he swiftly moved forward.

Once again, the scene overlapped with his memory. Lu Zhao leaped forward and caught her.

Shen Qingyao blinked. This time, she wasn’t panicked at all. Instead of closing her eyes in fear, she looked at him with wide eyes, gradually smiling sweetly.

“You’re still smiling?” Lu Zhao freed a hand and gently tapped the tip of her nose, reproaching, “Why do you still behave like a child? If I hadn’t caught you, you would have really fallen!”

Shen Qingyao quietly stuck out her tongue, not daring to say it was just an accident. She had intended to reveal herself, but the moment she stood up, she suddenly felt a pain in her chest. The pain intensified with each occurrence, causing her to lose balance and stumble out.

Similar to the first time the system pushed her out, the circumstances were strangely similar.

So, she did something she hadn’t dared to do the first time she met Lu Zhao here: she reached out and hugged his waist, smiling mischievously. “I’m not afraid! Elder Brother Lu Zhao is here; he will definitely catch me! He caught me last time.”

Lu Zhao also chuckled, understanding which time she was referring to.

After all, it was the same place, the same setup, and the same reckless little girl.

The last time she rushed out and asked him if he wanted to marry her. Now, she was his wife, free to lean on him shamelessly, and he could freely focus all his attention on her.

“Why did you suddenly think of this place?” Lu Zhao gathered Shen Qingyao’s cloak around her as the wind outside picked up, and lead her to the pavilion with a warm stove. The tea that had been set earlier was now at the perfect temperature. Shen Qingyao took a sip, warming her numb fingertips.

“Um, I just suddenly remembered,” Shen Qingyao vaguely replied, unable to explain herself.

Perhaps it was the mood brought on by revisiting the old place, causing her to be unexpectedly sentimental, or perhaps… she had already resigned herself to the fact that her heart disease couldn’t be cured, so she wanted to reminisce about the past to sustain herself.

Suddenly, she propped her chin on her hand and looked at Lu Zhao, calling out again, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao…”

“Yes?” Lu Zhao, who was tending to the fire, looked up.

“If… that day, I hadn’t run out to propose to you, what would you have done?” Would you have silently watched me from the shadows like in the dream, or would you have done something else?

Lu Zhao’s hand paused for a moment. After a moment, he resumed adjusting the fire with the tongs as if nothing had happened. Then he smiled, “If Yaoyao hadn’t come, maybe… I would have gone to propose to you instead!”

He looked at her deeply with a profound gaze, but his tone was light, “I always had to find you, didn’t I?”

Shen Qingyao’s heart seemed to be gently scratched by something.

Thinking back to the plot without her impulsive and reckless actions, they didn’t end up together. But after she passed away from illness, Lu Zhao did go to find her, in such a tragic way.

Shen Qingyao’s eyes reddened as she turned away.

“What’s wrong again?” Lu Zhao chuckled inexplicably but couldn’t bear to see her looking so forlorn. He quickly got up, walked over, and embraced her, softly saying, “Come on, let’s talk. Why are you crying again? Aren’t you the one who said you’re not a crybaby?”

At the mention, Shen Qingyao felt a numbness all over, remembering what happened the last time he called her that, completely dispelling any hint of sorrow.

She hummed softly, quickly calming herself down, lazily leaning against him. After a while, she murmured, “It’s nothing. Just thinking that today doesn’t feel quite like that day. It was snowing heavily that day, but not today.”

As she spoke, a cold wind blew again, making Shen Qingyao shiver. She snuggled deeper into Lu Zhao’s embrace. Soon after, a few sparkling snowflakes were lifted by the wind, gently falling on her nose. Shen Qingyao shuddered and wiped away the scattered droplets.

“Huh?” She blinked, then leaned out to look and saw that after a long gloomy period, the sky was already sprinkling down a lot of snowflakes, quickly forming a thin layer of frost on the branches and ground outside.

“It’s snowing?” Shen Qingyao murmured, then became even more excited. She jumped up to hug Lu Zhao’s neck, exclaiming, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao! Look! It’s snowing so early!”

Lu Zhao smiled, steadying her form and softly agreeing, “This year, I was able to see the first snow with Yaoyao. We will surely see it many times in the future, hand in hand till old age. Okay?”

The words sounded a bit childish and sentimental, making Shen Qingyao pause in place. She couldn’t help but place her hand on her chest. Could she really have many futures ahead?

Looking up again into Lu Zhao’s calm and gentle eyes, the anxieties and sadness she had buried deep inside these days, nearly deceiving herself, were now uncovered and brought to light. Yet, she also gained much courage and strength at the same time, thinking of trying again and holding on a little longer.

Shen Qingyao smiled, but the cold wind carrying snowflakes made her cough.

Lu Zhao immediately nervously held her close, gripping her ice-cold hand tightly, his brow furrowing deeply. He pinched her hand, her delicate wrist already thin, now even more pronounced.

Shen Qingyao still smiled, but the cough seemed like a switch had been pressed, impossible to stop, the more she laughed, the more she coughed.

“Yaoyao!” Lu Zhao felt the girl’s strength slipping away bit by bit, relying solely on his slight force to support her, and became more panicked. He watched the cold sweat on Shen Qingyao’s forehead suddenly emerge, never expecting that the girl who was just excitedly talking about the first snow with him would suddenly feel so uncomfortable.

“Yaoyao, hang on, I’ll take you to find Kong Lin right away!” Lu Zhao said, lifting her up.

Shen Qingyao’s sudden illness wave came too suddenly. She hadn’t even reacted yet. The pain far beyond usual was like a heartbreak, instantly blurring her consciousness. When Lu Zhao lifted her up, she couldn’t control herself anymore, forgot to hide, and thick, viscous blood overflowed, staining Lu Zhao’s pale clothing with patches.

In a daze, when she looked at Lu Zhao’s face again, she saw his eyes suddenly narrow fiercely, his expression blank for a moment, then he widened his eyes and gritted his teeth in rage.

---

“It’s strange! The girl’s illness is really strange!”

Outside the room, Lu Zhao and Kong Lin never expected Shen Qingyao to be alone in the room or to eavesdrop behind the door. Therefore, they didn’t walk far away, and their conversation was only slightly quieter, not deliberately lowered.

So every word they said fell clearly into Shen Qingyao’s ears.

Kong Lin appeared somewhat troubled and very puzzled. One hand leaned on his cane, the other on the medicine box at his side. His thin fingers tapped on the box intermittently, making a slightly anxious sound.

Shen Qingyao lowered her eyes, looking at the bloodstain in her palm, and her pupils shrank. Then, as if nothing had happened, she closed her hand and rubbed it behind her back, causing the faint traces of red to disappear. She moved slightly and found a gap where she could see the two people outside.

At this moment, Lu Zhao had his back turned, so she couldn’t see his expression, but she knew it wouldn’t look good.

“What do you mean by ‘strange’?”

“This illness of hers, though it recurs frequently and is very debilitating, shouldn’t lead to sudden death overnight. These days, with careful nursing, even if it hasn’t been cured, it should at least show signs of improvement, as it did before.” Kong Lin frowned. Because he had seen Shen Qingyao’s pulse improving before, he had become more convinced that he could cure her. But…

“But for some reason, it has now worsened rapidly.”

Shen Qingyao tightened her hand. Kong Lin didn’t know, but she did. It was because the system forcefully matched her with the plot progression, directly fast-forwarding her to a critical illness nearing death.

Thinking about it, she increasingly wanted to drag out this unreliable system and give it a good beating.

It was fine when advancing the plot, but once it had to give rewards, it malfunctioned. It was hard not to believe it wasn’t doing it on purpose.

Outside, Lu Zhao listened to Kong Lin’s words and fell into a long silence.

After a while, he moved slightly, raised his arms, respectfully and devoutly crossed them over his chest, then slowly lowered his head and bowed to Kong Lin with solemnity and gravity, saying softly, “Please, Master Kong, you must save her.”

Inside the room, Shen Qingyao suddenly felt a pang in her nose.

She watched Lu Zhao’s bowed figure, her vision gradually blurring. He had always been a noble young master, a clear-stream-like immortal, who never even made such a grand gesture when meeting the Emperor. Even when faced with countless Gods and Buddhas, he trusted only in himself.

But now, he placed all his hopes entirely on someone else and was pleading humbly. His hands, his waist, his pride, were all bent for her sake.

---

After a brief rest in the palace for two or three days, Lu Zhao took Shen Qingyao back to the Duke’s Mansion. Thinking of her parents whom she hadn’t seen for several months, she informed Princess Duanhua and Lu Zhao and prepared to visit her parents’ home.

Leaning back against the chair with a smile, Lu Zhao watched the busy little girl going in and out, asking again, “Are you sure you don’t need me to accompany you?”

Shen Qingyao turned her head strangely and looked at him. Didn’t they agree on this already? Seeing Lu Zhao’s sticky and aggrieved eyes, Shen Qingyao felt that their roles might have been reversed today.

Suppressing a smile, she approached and lightly pinched Lu Zhao’s handsome nose, teasing, “Lord Lu! Young Master Lu! Wake up a bit! There are so many things waiting for you! If I keep dragging you along, tomorrow my Eldest Sister will come here with a rope to drag you out!”

After all, without Lu Zhao’s superhuman labor, Xiao Mu, who was already very busy, probably wouldn’t have time to accompany her Eldest Sister.

Thinking back to this morning when Lu Zhao accompanied her out of the palace, Shen Qingli’s pitiful eyes caught Shen Qingyao’s attention, making her burst out laughing. She playfully rubbed Lu Zhao’s face and softly said, “Young Master Lu, don’t be lazy and affect our sisterly relationship! Be a good boy and go to work.”

Lu Zhao, watching the little girl pretend to be dignified while advising him, found it amusing. Then he heard her next sentence and clicked his tongue. With a firm grip on her wrist, Shen Qingyao fell into his lap. Lu Zhao stared at her for a while before softly saying, “Affect your sisterly relationship? Isn’t it they who affect our marital relationship?”

Lu Zhao held her close and accused, “Since returning to the capital, Yaoyao, you haven’t cared about me.”

Shen Qingyao lifted her head with a puzzled expression. This person was even more adept at acting cute than she was!

The current situation was somewhat similar to when she had to play a persona before. Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but play along, putting on an expression of a scoundrel who cherished him deeply. She earnestly said, “How could that be! I clearly care the most about my Elder Brother Lu Zhao!”

Seeing him still unmoved, Shen Qingyao thought for a moment, then kissed him on the cheek and brought her nose close. Their breath mingled as she softly said, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, be good~ Work hard, and tonight I’ll bring you the desserts my mother made!!” as if coaxing a child.

Lu Zhao was momentarily stunned. Shen Qingyao took the opportunity to slip out of his arms, giggling as she ran towards the door, shouting as she ran, “I’m leaving, I’m going first!! Elder Brother Lu Zhao, remember to come for me after you’re done!”

Watching her cheerful figure, Lu Zhao slowly touched the cheek that had just been kissed, a smile of indulgence and affection spreading across his lips. He stood up, straightened his clothes, and also walked out. Hmm, he needed to focus on work.

---

The turmoil in the capital lasted only about a month, which was relatively short compared to the prolonged wars that had dragged on for months without end. However, this was the capital.

Over the years, there had been princes and nobles within the palace who had seized the throne, and palace coups were not uncommon, but most of them were handled discreetly within the palace, such as holding an Emperor hostage or administering poison. It was truly a rare occurrence for troops to actually confront each other under the city walls, Xiao Mu and Xiao Jing were the first to do so in the past hundred years.

After detaining the royal and noble prisoners for nearly half a month, Xiao Jing had long frightened them. The capital, which had always been bustling, had become desolate.

But even in desolation, it couldn’t stop the lively thoughts of the people in the capital.

There were few descendants of the late Emperor, and several capable ones had been almost ruined by Xiao Jing. The remaining ones were not up to the task, and discerning people all knew that in the future, the world under this Great Liang Dynasty would be controlled by Xiao Mu.

For a while, those who were busy disassociating themselves from Xiao Jing and trying to gain favor in front of Xiao Mu were endless. Even the Shen family was bustling.

After all, the Shen family had married two daughters, one was Xiao Mu’s lawful wife and future Empress, and the other was the wife of Lu Zhao, who was now the most trusted minister of the new Emperor…

When Shen Qingyao arrived, she was startled by the lively scene in front of her eyes. She looked back and forth several times, finding it hard to believe that this was her home.

The Shen family had never been so lively before.

Shen Qingyao’s return this time was impromptu and not notified in advance, so she was blocked by those guests coming and going at the door for a while.

Some people thought she also came on behalf of her family to curry favor, so they pulled her aside to talk for a long time, saying that she should follow the rules of arriving first and not cut in line. They also mentioned that it was difficult to enter the Shen mansion, as Master Shen did not want to form factions, and Madam Shen claimed illness. They had been turned away several times before.

Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but smile and cry at the same time upon hearing the familiar shouts from the gatekeeper, who recognized her promptly. He exclaimed in delight, “Third Miss is back! Third Miss is back!”

The lady who had stopped her earlier finally understood her identity, feeling too surprised to say anything coherent. Before the lady could react, Shen Qingyao was already warmly welcomed inside amidst joyous exclamations. Soon after, the gates of the Shen residence closed, shutting out the guests.

Great, the lady was shut out once again.

Several months had passed since Shen Qingyao last returned home, and she felt like she had entered a different world. Initially, she had treated herself as an outsider, here only for a mission, feeling a sense of familiarity with the place but not really caring about it.

It wasn’t until she recalled many things at the south that she realized this was where she had grown up, where she cherished her fondest memories. It was these memories that sustained her during the painful treatments in modern times, even when she couldn’t remember anything.

This wave of emotions peaked the moment she saw her own mother.

That night, Mother Shen was captured by Xiao Jing, injured her foot and was shocked. Now, with her daughter’s return, she could only lie in bed, unable to get up.

Shen Qingyao looked at her mother’s exhausted figure, which seemed to have aged several years. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears as she softly cried out, “Mother.”

“Oh! Yaoyao is back? Come here, let Mother have a look.” Mother Shen lovingly looked at her, half-reclined in bed, waving to her.

Shen Qingyao hurried over and nestled beside her mother, calling out again, “Mother,” like a small animal seeking warmth.

Each of these calls softened Mother Shen’s heart. She gently patted her daughter to stop crying, though tears also welled up in her own eyes.

“Alright, alright! Don’t cry anymore! Come, let me see.” Wiping her tears, Mother Shen pulled her closer, seeming to want to inspect her thoroughly. After a while, she smiled and said, “Yaoyao, you’ve grown taller but also lost some weight.”

Mother Shen’s warm palm brushed Shen Qingyao’s temple. Despite her illnesses in Lingnan, the family had kept the news from Mother Shen, but as a mother, Mother Shen still felt sorry for her suffering.

Shen Qingyao blinked and suddenly teased, “Where did I lose weight! Mother, you don’t know! Elder Brother Lu Zhao makes me eat so much every day! This much!”

She exaggeratedly spread her arms wide, eyes gleaming not to complain about Lu Zhao, but to tell her mother that Lu Zhao took good care of her.

Her teasing lightened Mother Shen’s heart a little. Seeing that besides the lingering illness, her daughter was genuinely happy, she became happy too.

Having not seen each other for almost half a year, the mother and daughter naturally had a lot to talk about, and the room was filled with chatter and laughter.

It wasn’t until someone outside announced Lu Zhao had come to pick her up that Shen Qingyao was still unsatisfied.

Upon hearing that Lu Zhao had come, her eyes lit up, but then she reluctantly returned to her mother and said, “Why did he come so soon? I’m not leaving! I’m sleeping with Mother tonight!”

The promise to bring delicious food for Lu Zhao in the morning had been thrown into the clouds long ago.

Looking at her spoiled youngest daughter, Mother Shen smiled warmly and affectionately. Still, she patted Shen Qingyao on the shoulder and said, “Nonsense! You can’t mess around! You’ve got a husband now. How can you be wedded and still stick to your mother’s side?”

She looked like she was scolding Shen Qingyao, but her eyes were filled with smiles.

“Go back, Mother will come to see you in a few days.” Mother Shen gently pushed her on the back and said again, “Young Master Lu values you and even came to pick you up personally. Don’t keep him waiting for too long.”

Shen Qingyao frowned, thinking that it would be fine for Lu Zhao to wait for a while. He wouldn’t blame her for this.

But she stood up from the edge of the bed, and suddenly stiffened. The pain, which she hadn’t paid much attention to all day due to her happiness, surged back. It pricked her, causing her to tremble. Her face, still rosy moments ago, immediately turned several shades paler. Beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

Taking a difficult breath, she realized the air in Beijing was already icy as November approached, a sharp contrast to the warmer southern climate she was accustomed to. Breathing in felt like another form of pain.

“Yaoyao? What’s wrong?”

Noticing that she didn’t move for a while, Mother Shen asked with concern.

Her throat tickled, but she dared not cough in front of her mother, afraid of worrying her or revealing something alarming.

She quickly shook her head and forced a smile. “It’s nothing, Mother. Your daughter will go home first. I’ll definitely come back to see you in a few days!”

Her mother nodded gently. “Alright, go quickly…”

Once outside the courtyard gate, Shen Qingyao leaned against the wall, clutching her chest. She began coughing violently. Cui Qiao, who was by her side, nearly panicked, but fortunately, this time there was no blood.

She grabbed Cui Qiao who wanted to fetch a doctor, and with a pale face, whispered softly, “I’m fine. I just came out and got choked by the cold wind. No need to call the doctor. Let’s go back first.”

Cui Qiao stopped in her tracks, still looking worriedly at Shen Qingyao. She blamed herself, “It’s all my fault! I forgot that we’re back in Beijing now. Beijing gets cold quickly, especially nearing winter. I should have given Miss another warm coat before we left.”

Shen Qingyao chuckled lightly, not feeling any blame towards Cui Qiao. Instead, upon hearing about the approaching winter, she realized that it was almost November, nearly a year since she transmigrated back her and intercepted Lu Zhao on the day of his marriage proposal.

As she thought about it, she ignored her discomfort and suddenly asked, “Where is Elder Brother Lu Zhao waiting for me now?”

---

Shen Qingyao sat on the bed, clutching the blanket. She didn’t know whether she was embarrassed or feeling warm. From the half of her head peeking out to the glistening shoulder not completely covered, everything exuded an alluring shade of pink. Her big watery eyes followed the figure of Lu Zhao moving around the hall, her dark pupils darting back and forth.

It was really hard to imagine that in broad daylight, and Princess Duanhua had just left, but Lu Zhao dared to be so intimate with her. What if someone else walked in now…?

Thinking this, Shen Qingyao glared at Lu Zhao in embarrassment and annoyance. She thought, “I’m still a patient! Lu Xiaozhao is too shameless!! He doesn’t even spare a patient!”

As if hearing her thoughts, Lu Zhao, who had risen to fetch water for Shen Qingyao, suddenly felt something, turned back, and gave her a narrow-eyed look. It seemed to say, “Who started teasing whom first?”

Shen Qingyao felt her whole body melted again by his sticky gaze, so she quickly looked away and retreated her head under the covers. Her small body curled into a ball under the blanket, and Lu Zhao found her adorable like this.

Chuckling softly, Lu Zhao carried the water cup over. After a while, Shen Qingyao felt a tap on her waist through the blanket. Lu Zhao then leaned over and said, “Still thirsty? Or don’t want to drink anymore?”

Shen Qingyao squirmed, causing the blanket to arch strangely, and her hair to poke out. This slight movement inadvertently touched upon a sensitive spot, causing her discomfort. Shen Qingyao emerged, staring at Lu Zhao with a resentful gaze, who sat at the edge of the bed looking pleased with himself. She snorted.

Realizing his wrongdoing, Lu Zhao dared not tease her further. He gently helped her up. Seeing her unmoving, with her face flushed and pouting, he couldn’t resist teasing again, saying, “Not drinking? Or does Yaoyao want me to serve you again?”

Shen Qingyao choked up, realizing that the current situation was all because of her slip of the tongue just now!

Rolling her eyes, she leaned over and finished the glass of water with his considerate assistance, proving that for the time being, she did not want to be ‘served’ by anyone!

Especially not by Lu Zhao!

The two wasted the afternoon away. It was only just approaching dusk when they stopped fooling around. After Lu Zhao helped Shen Qingyao wash up briefly, the dinner prepared by the servants was ready. Seeing Shen Qingyao still weary, Lu Zhao bent down to carry her over without thinking.

However, Shen Qingyao noticed his movements and jumped up, saying, “No need! I’m just tired, not crippled!”

Although she enjoyed being held by Lu Zhao, the ambiguous play earlier had embarrassed her enough. Now, being carried around in front of the servants was something she couldn’t bear.

Seeing her reaction, Lu Zhao didn’t insist, but clicked his tongue, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Without looking at him, Shen Qingyao walked ahead on her own, but suddenly paused, feeling a flutter in her chest.

“Yaoyao?” Lu Zhao noticed her change and hurried over.

He saw that her face was pale, but she smiled and shook her head, “It’s nothing, really! Let’s eat first! I’m starving!”

With that, she linked her arm with Lu Zhao’s and sat down at the table. However, out of his sight, she quietly pressed her other hand against her aching heart.

“Tomorrow, let Kong Lin take a look at you again,” Lu Zhao said softly after carefully deboning a piece of sweet and sour fish, Shen Qingyao’s favorite, and placing it in her bowl.

Shen Qingyao paused, instinctively replying, “Look at what? I’m fine.”

But she wasn’t fine at all.

Shen Qingyao knew that her body was currently at its worst. Even compared to the attack six years ago, or the two times in their journey to the south, her condition was worse now. Although she appeared no different from usual, as the finale of the story getting closer, she could feel her health deteriorating.

Initially, the pain in her chest only occurred during attacks. Later, it became intermittent, and now, there was almost never a moment without pain. She had even grown somewhat accustomed to it. Yet, fearing that those close to her would worry, she endured silently, saying nothing.

“It’s just a pulse check for safety. Your body is weak, so you must be more careful,” Lu Zhao solemnly remarked, looking at her with concern. He still remembered Kong Lin’s words when Shen Qingyao couldn’t wake up: “I will do my best.”

Shen Qingyao nodded indifferently; she wasn’t worried since Kong Lin understood her condition best. At most, she would endure a scolding from the irritable old man for not taking care of herself. But…

Shen Qingyao glanced around, feeling the topic was becoming too heavy. Suddenly, she propped up her chin to look at Lu Zhao, her eyes like those of a cunning fox, carrying a hint of scrutiny and a touch of accusation. Softly, she said, “Brother Lu Zhao, you know I’m frail. But… this afternoon… you know, yet you still…”

She found it embarrassing to mention. Unable to continue, she let out a sigh of frustration halfway through.

Lu Zhao hadn’t expected her to still be embarrassed about it and chuckled, pretending ignorance, “What about this afternoon?”

“You’re still asking!” Shen Qingyao nearly threw down her chopsticks in anger, but Lu Zhao stopped her. Following that, there was inevitably a gentle rub and coaxing before they finished the meal.

After dinner, Lu Zhao left. Shen Qingyao had been unconscious for a few days, and he had stayed by her side during that time. Now that the situation in the capital was stabilizing, as one of Xiao Mu’s trusted advisors, he naturally had many matters to attend to. Shen Qingyao didn’t stop him; it was just as well since she needed time to have a good chat with her ‘long-lost’ system.

As soon as Lu Zhao left, Shen Qingyao eagerly called out to the voice of the young boy she hadn’t heard in a long time.

“System! System! Are you still alive?”

After a long silence, a small voice finally responded.

[Host…]

The youthful voice sounded somewhat listless, and Shen Qingyao breathed a sigh of relief knowing it was still there, but she also became puzzled. Unable to resist, she asked, “What’s wrong? You sound like you’ve been through the mill.”

[It’s nothing, just been dealing with some malfunctions these past few days, so I’m feeling a bit tired.]

Shen Qingyao wondered how an AI system could get tired but didn’t dwell on that question. She got straight to the point, “The male lead’s ascension to the throne plot is almost complete, Lu Xiaozhao hasn’t turned evil, the world is peaceful again… Does that mean my mission is complete?”

Shen Qingyao blinked her eyes, almost writing ‘give me the reward to cure my illness’ on her face.

Though she knew that with the system, she would surely recover, seeing Lu Zhao’s hidden concerns, she also wanted to get better soon.

But instead of an immediate response, there was a prolonged silence.

As the silence grew uncomfortably long, Shen Qingyao began to feel anxious. She couldn’t believe it and said incredulously, “No way, are you guys… planning to renege on the deal?”

—That would be too unfair!

[No! We’re not! Definitely not reneging!]

Thankfully, the system denied that, calming Shen Qingyao a bit as she waited to hear what it had to say next.

[It’s just… I’ve been dealing with some issues lately. I shouldn’t have been the one to handle them; I’m just a companion-type system. But… because the central control system had problems, we had to step in temporarily…]

“So?” Shen Qingyao interrupted. “What does the central control system’s problems have to do with me, Shen Qingyao?”

[So…] The young man’s voice struggled as it swallowed hard. [So, in fact, the distribution of rewards is managed by the central control system.]

Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

“Why are you like this? Are you so unreliable till the end?” She was anxious, almost jumping up, never expecting the system to be so unreliable! “So, according to you, if I end up terminally ill and die before your damn central control system is fixed, I’ll just die in vain? Working for you for nothing?”

—Is there anyone in charge? Where can I complain?

[…]

Shen Qingyao, who had been confident, suddenly felt bewildered. If Kong Lin couldn’t prolong her life until the moment she received the reward, she might really die.

So the next day when Kong Lin came to inquire, Shen Qingyao looked at him with unusually earnest eyes. Without waiting for him to say anything, she proactively rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her hand to Kong Lin. For someone who was normally afraid of needles and medicine, and even dragged on with pulse diagnosis, to suddenly took the initiative like this, made Kong Lin blew his beard in surprise and stared in amazement.

The examination proceeded quietly as usual, with no one daring to disturb, afraid of affecting the judgment of the miracle doctor.

When Kong Lin’s hand withdrew, Shen Qingyao immediately sat up straight and looked at him eagerly, “How is it? Grandpa Kong, is there still hope for me?”

Kong Lin paused in his packing of the medicine box, his expression towards her becoming even more strange. The girl had been ill for so many years, always calm during examinations. It could be said that in the past, everyone in this room except the patient herself was worried and anxious. Why was she suddenly so concerned?

“No hope!” Kong Lin glared at her.

“Ah? No hope at all…” Shen Qingyao’s face fell, feeling as if the heavens were about to collapse on her. I have worked for half a year in vain, what a loss!

“Hmph.” Kong Lin looked at the pale-faced girl, then tapped his cane and continued, “If you don’t follow medical advice, running when told to rest, rushing when told to recuperate, not even immortals can save you!”

It took Shen Qingyao a while to react before she understood that his earlier statement of ‘no hope’ was just to scare her.

Patting her chest with lingering fear, she thought to herself, how could this elderly man still be so childish at his age! Can such frightening words be casually said? She was almost scared into falling ill on the spot.

Pouting, she glanced over, about to complain to Lu Zhao beside her. Lu Zhao, like Cui Qiao, watched the banter between her and Kong Lin, laughing with curved eyebrows. However, unlike Cui Qiao and the others, his smile didn’t reach his eyes; in his deep eyes, there were more complicated emotions.

After tidying up his tools, Kong Lin turned and left an improved prescription on the table. In the moment he put it down, his gaze paused on Lu Zhao for a moment. Their eyes met, and after a moment, Lu Zhao followed Kong Lin’s footsteps out of the room.

Shen Qingyao inadvertently caught sight of all this that happened in the shadows.

Her heart sank suddenly. What were they going to talk about? They actually went out of their way to avoid her.

Shen Qingyao noticed but had already learned to remain calm. She only sat quietly.

Before Cui Qiao left, she gave Shen Qingyao a strange look, as if wondering why her Miss was unusually quiet today. But she thought her Miss might be tired, so she didn’t disturb her Miss, quietly carrying the prescription and leaving.

Hong Yun also left.

Shen Qingyao and Lu Zhao usually didn’t like too many people walking around in the room, so after these few people left, there was only Shen Qingyao left in the room.

She sat blankly for a while, but couldn’t suppress her curiosity. She quietly moved to the door, pressed her ear against it, wanting to hear what Lu Zhao and Kong Lin were saying behind her back.

She even found herself an excuse for eavesdropping.

—Anyway, they must be discussing my condition. My own condition, I’ll listen to it myself, shouldn’t be a problem!

With this thought, Shen Qingyao held her breath and listened intently, then heard the faint conversation of two people outside the door who hadn’t walked far. Without knowing what was said, she saw Kong Lin stroked his long beard and sighed.

Shen Qingyao’s heart skipped a beat. Kong Lin had always appeared confident and wise in front of her, as if there was no illness in the world that could defeat him. After all, he could even perform soul transference, which was already beyond the realm of normal people. So Shen Qingyao had always thought that maybe this illness wasn’t a big deal.

Even last night, she heard about the delayed reward and still held a glimmer of hope. Perhaps Kong Lin could really cure her? Then she could even exchange the reward for something else.

But hearing this long sigh now, she felt uncertain again. Kong Lin had never sighed in such a heavy tone before.

Could it be that it’s already this serious?

The pain in her heart seemed to be triggered by something, suddenly intensifying by a degree. Shen Qingyao felt a sweet sensation in her throat, bent over and covered her mouth. When she took her hand away, there was a trace of crimson in her palm.

---

After experiencing this series of dramatic ups and downs, combined with days of continuous travel without rest, Shen Qingyao’s already lingering illness became increasingly severe.

Lu Zhao held her in his arms. At first, she could still chat with him a bit, but gradually, her voice grew softer and deeper until, finally, only a few faint responses remained. Then Lu Zhao felt a weight in his arms as the young girl’s head drooped onto him; she had already fallen asleep.

Lu Zhao paused, looking down at the dark circles under the girl’s eyes, feeling increasingly guilty.

“Young Master, are we returning to the Duke’s residence?” Cui Qiao, seeing from afar that her Miss was sound asleep, quickly fetched a thin blanket from the carriage to cover her Miss, then respectfully stepped back and asked.

The crisis in the capital had been resolved, and the Princess Duanhua had been worried about the two children for days. By rights, they should return home first to reassure their parents. But considering his own disheveled state and Yaoyao’s condition, returning home now would likely cause a commotion and unnecessary worry for their parents.

After a moment of thought, Lu Zhao shook his head, lowering his voice to avoid waking Shen Qingyao, “Not yet. Go find Shen Qingli and ask her to arrange a side hall for us to stay in the palace for the night. Also, send a few people to report our safety to the Duke’s residence and the Shen family.”

“Yes.” Cui Qiao didn’t dare delay. Since Lu Zhao was with Shen Qingyao, she wasn’t needed, so she quickly turned and left.

Lu Zhao adjusted the person in his arms and then turned, heading towards the palace.

---

Shen Qingyao slept very deeply.

Lu Zhao took her to the side hall, ordered hot water to be brought in, and personally cleaned and dressed her in comfortable, clean clothes. Only after this did he go to the bathroom to wash up. After washing, he quietly lay down beside her.

Throughout this process, Shen Qingyao didn’t move an inch, sleeping soundly, unlike before when she would instinctively snuggle up to him upon sensing his presence.

Lu Zhao paused but, seeing her steady breathing, attributed it to her exhaustion from the journey and didn’t think much of it. He snuggled closer, positioning her comfortably in his arms as she usually slept, and closed his eyes.

When he awoke again, Shen Qingyao was still in the same position as before.

Lu Zhao frowned.

Shen Qingyao wasn’t a restless sleeper, usually just turning over a few times a night. But now, she hadn’t moved at all, not even changing the position of her hands.

Looking more closely, he noticed that although she was asleep, her brows were tightly furrowed, and a fine layer of sweat covered her forehead and nose. Her eyelids twitched as if she were having a distressing dream, wanting to wake but unable to. Lu Zhao leaned over her, taking her hand to find it clenched tightly. He had to exert some force to pry it open, revealing red marks from her unconscious grip.

Lu Zhao’s heart sank, feeling something was wrong. He hurried to the door, shouting, “Fetch the imperial physician! And Kong Lin! Bring Kong Lin as well! Hurry!”

Hong Yun, standing guard outside, was shocked. The only person who could make Young Master lose his composure like this was Madam. Hong Yun responded quickly, running off while thinking to herself: my legs have gotten so much exercise running to fetch doctors for Madam…

---

The side hall was silent, everyone’s eyes fixed on the elderly man quietly taking Shen Qingyao’s pulse, afraid to make a sound and disturb him. They hoped to glean some clues from his expression about Shen Qingyao’s condition.

The elderly man was, of course, Kong Lin. He frowned, not relaxing even as he withdrew his hand after finishing the pulse diagnosis. Only when he shakily stood up with his cane did Shen Qingli dare to approach and anxiously ask, “Doctor, how is she?”

Lu Zhao lowered his eyes and looked over. Kong Lin sighed deeply and said frankly, “Worry and fear, coupled with a long journey, would exhaust even the strongest body. Moreover, this girl was born with a heart condition. I thought that after so many years of care, it would have improved somewhat, but I never expected… sigh.”

He didn’t finish his sentence, sighing once more, almost causing Shen Qingli to pass out prematurely. Trembling, she asked uncertainly, “What… what did you not expect? Is Yaoyao not getting better?”

Kong Lin suddenly turned to look at her, his deep eyes flashing with brilliance but also helplessness. He shook his head and said, “When has this girl ever been well? I will do my best.”

With that, he exchanged a look with Tu Lan, who was waiting on the side. They both carried their medical kits and went to prepare the medicine.

Shen Qingli felt a chill throughout her body, still unable to accept the reality.

Kong Lin was hailed as a miracle doctor of the time, yet even he could only say he would do his best?

Shen Qingli turned her head to look at the little girl sleeping unconsciously on the bed. She was so thin and pale, having battled this illness for over a decade, and yet, ultimately, she was losing the fight. With a sour nose, Shen Qingli turned her head in sorrow.

She noticed that Lu Zhao, who had been keeping vigil by the bed, remained silent. He held Shen Qingyao’s hand with an expression of a trapped beast on his face.

The miracle doctor said that Yaoyao was stressed and frightened, and had traveled a long way. Ultimately, it was because of him. Lu Zhao closed his eyes, his already remorseful heart aching even more. The little girl’s hand was in his, her wrist so thin that one hand could encircle it with room to spare, as if it would break with a snap. Her weak pulse was barely detectable.

Lu Zhao pressed her hand to his forehead. The hands that could write beautifully and wield a sword to cut down thousands trembled slightly for the first time out of fear.

It was unclear how much time had passed before Shen Qingyao slowly woke up. Apart from feeling a bit heavier and unable to muster strength, she only felt the familiar pain in her chest, which she had grown accustomed to over the past few days. She didn’t think much of it, assuming she had just taken a nap.

She coughed lightly, and not far away, the sound of clinking cups could be heard. Before long, Lu Zhao appeared before her. Shen Qingyao, in a good mood, smiled at him, feeling a rare sense of peace. However, Lu Zhao showed no response.

Shen Qingyao blinked, curiously calling out, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao?”

It was as if Lu Zhao was truly awakened by her call. He snapped back to reality, his eyes reddening under Shen Qingyao’s puzzled gaze.

What was going on? Shen Qingyao was even more puzzled. After a while, she hesitated and asked, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, am I… not well?”

Lu Zhao shook his head, his eyes deeply fixed on her, and said hoarsely, “It’s nothing.”

“Is it really nothing?” Shen Qingyao didn’t quite believe it and joked, “Then why do you look like I’m about to die…”

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Lu Zhao’s expression change drastically, becoming extremely unpleasant. Shen Qingyao couldn’t laugh anymore. She slowly placed her small hand on Lu Zhao’s cheek and said dejectedly, “No way… am I really going to die?”

“Nonsense!” Lu Zhao frowned, grabbing her hand, and solemnly said, “You must not say that word again! You won’t die, and I won’t let you die.”

The sincerity in his eyes touched Shen Qingyao. She pursed her lips and smiled, nodded seriously, and said loudly, “Yes! Of course, I believe in Elder Brother Lu Zhao.”

Shen Qingyao truly didn’t care much.

After all, the overall situation was set, and Lu Zhao had returned safely. She just had to wait for the system to settle her rewards, and then the illness would be fine. However, thinking about the rewards, Shen Qingyao’s brow furrowed slightly. After careful calculation, it had been quite some time since the system last appeared to chat with her.

Where were her rewards? Where was her big reward?

Just as she was thinking, the palace door of the side hall was pushed open. Shen Qingyao and Lu Zhao simultaneously turned to look, and saw Princess Duanhua striding in briskly. Lu Zhao was momentarily stunned, then smiled and stepped aside. Shen Qingyao looked over in confusion, wondering why he was avoiding his mother.

However, the next moment, she understood.

After entering, Princess Duanhua didn’t spare a glance at her son who had just escaped danger. Without stopping, she headed straight towards Shen Qingyao.

Before Shen Qingyao could get up from the bed to pay her respects, Princess Duanhua pulled her into her arms, tears brimming in her eyes. She checked Shen Qingyao up and down, muttering, “Oh, my dear Yaoyao, my baby! Let Mother have a look at you. I heard you fell ill again? Are you better now? Do you still feel unwell? Oh, why did you have to go out? You’ve suffered so much! My heart aches for you!”

“Mo… Mother…” Shen Qingyao was overwhelmed by the unexpected affection, momentarily forgetting where to place her hands. In the end, she mimicked Lu Zhao’s usual comforting gesture and patted Princess Duanhua’s back gently, saying softly, “Mother, I’m fine.”

As she spoke, she winked at Lu Zhao, who was chuckling on the side, silently pleading for help. She was being squeezed so tightly she could hardly breathe!

Seeing the two most important women in his life hugging, Lu Zhao felt a warmth in his heart. Noticing Shen Qingyao’s pleading look, he couldn’t help but smile again. He then cleared his throat and said, “Ahem, Mother, you should let go of Yaoyao, you might scare her.”

Princess Duanhua turned her head and glared at him. This son, who she had always been proud of, was now getting on her nerves. She scolded, “Scare her? Am I the one scaring her, or are you scaring us? Others set a trap, and you just walked into it. You were lucky nothing happened, but what if something had? Did you think about us?”

She was still upset about the day Lu Zhao had gone alone to the city wall to rescue them.

Saying this, Princess Duanhua let go of Shen Qingyao and wiped her tears. Lu Zhao, feeling a bit awkward after being scolded, scratched his nose and smiled sheepishly as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Yes, Mother, you are right! It was my fault. I apologize to you.”

Unexpectedly, Princess Duanhua snorted coldly and shook off his hand. “Apologize to me for what? It’s not like anything happened to me! But our Yaoyao…” Her gaze softened as she looked at Shen Qingyao with pity. “Yaoyao followed you to the south and suffered so much. She was attacked, fell ill, and was constantly worried…”

Listening to this, Shen Qingyao was dumbfounded. Seeing Lu Zhao also looking at her, she quickly shook her head. She didn’t blame Lu Zhao for any of this; it wasn’t something he could control.

She opened her mouth to help defend him but saw Lu Zhao nodding with a smile, saying, “Yes, I also apologize to Yaoyao! It was my fault…”

“Ah? No… I…” Shen Qingyao was flustered, shaking her hands, not knowing what to say.

What was going on? Princess Duanhua was ignoring her own son and showering her with care instead. Lu Zhao was her biological son, yet now it seemed as if he were the son-in-law.

Having received this apology, Princess Duanhua’s anger subsided significantly. She wiped her tears again and turned back to hold Shen Qingyao’s hand, showering her with affectionate concern. After inquiring about her condition thoroughly and confirming that Shen Qingyao was indeed feeling better, Princess Duanhua sighed and said softly, “I originally wanted Madam Shen to come with me, but she sprained her ankle when coming down from the city wall that night. Lord Shen is also busy, so I came to see you first. When you feel better, let Lu Zhao take you back to visit your parents, alright?”

Facing her loving gaze, Shen Qingyao felt a lump in her throat. It had indeed been a long time since she had seen her parents, so she nodded obediently.

Thinking about her mother being injured, she couldn’t help but feel a little worried. From then on, her spirits were not very high. Seeing this, Lu Zhao finally spoke up, “Mother, Yaoyao just woke up. Whatever you have to say, let’s wait until we return home in a few days. Let her rest first.”

Hearing this, Princess Duanhua paused. Seeing that Shen Qingyao indeed didn’t look well, she didn’t say much more. After giving a few more instructions and leaving a large pile of tonics, she finally left.

After sending his mother off, Lu Zhao returned and saw that Shen Qingyao was still drooping her head. He couldn’t help but sigh. He walked over, sat beside her, reached out, and pulled her head onto his shoulder. Smiling, he said, “Tsk, my little crybaby who I just managed to coax, why are you about to cry again after just saying a few words to my mother?”

Thinking of her parents, Shen Qingyao sniffled, turned her head, and glared at him, “I am not!” After a pause, she added, “You’re the crybaby!”

Lu Zhao laughed again, turned his head, wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye with his fingertip, and then seriously held it up in front of her, raising an eyebrow, “Who’s the crybaby now?”

With evidence in hand, Shen Qingyao was at a loss for words. After a long pause, she could only puff up her cheeks, press his hand down, and take the opportunity to wipe away the ‘evidence.’ She then said fiercely, “Mother just left, and you’re already bullying me! I’ll definitely tell on you when we get back!”

The girl’s fierce and angry look was much more lively, and her face was no longer as pale as before. Lu Zhao, having achieved his goal, felt quite pleased. He leaned back with her in his arms, his chest vibrating with laughter.

He then deliberately sighed and said leisurely, “Yes, now that we’ve returned to the capital, our Yaoyao has her Eldest Brothers and Eldest Sister, Father and Mother, and even my parents are here to back you up. If Yaoyao gets angry and wants to complain, I, this poor little thing, can only endure it…”

At this moment, the ‘poor little thing’ was playing with Shen Qingyao’s hand, occasionally squeezing and scratching it, making her palm itch. She tried to pull her hand back to escape, but he caught it again and continued to play with it.

Poor little thing? Shen Qingyao glanced at him sideways, only to see that handsome face smiling, eyes slightly closed, looking obedient and at her mercy, which made her heart skip a beat.

Thinking of how the Princess had scolded him just now, it seemed as he said, in the capital, she really had many people backing her up?

Unable to hold back, she burst out laughing and leaned most of her weight on him.

Raising her head from his embrace, she used her other free hand to touch his smoothly defined jawline. Shen Qingyao hummed softly with satisfaction, “You’re right! So, don’t mess with me! Serve me well, and there will be plenty of benefits for you!”

Just as she finished speaking, the hand around her waist tightened. Lu Zhao opened his eyes, his gaze very dangerous, “Oh? What kind of benefits? Is it this kind of benefit?”

Before Shen Qingyao could react, Lu Zhao leaned in.

“Mm…”

---