Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Fine snow drifted down around them. Supporting Ji Hanyi’s limp waist, Shen Si lowered his gaze to the face in his arms.

Ji Hanyi’s cheeks were flushed scarlet, and her body was utterly devoid of strength. Damp strands of hair clung to her cheeks. Her skin was burning hot and her face slick with moisture, beads of sweat trickling from her hairline. Something was clearly wrong.

Her red lips were parted, her half-open eyes unfocused. Scalding breath spilled from her mouth as she murmured for water.

Shen Si’s cool gaze stilled for a moment. He glanced at Rongchun, who had collapsed to the ground in fright, then swept Ji Hanyi into his arms and strode back the way he had come.

Rongchun stared after him. Only belatedly did she scramble to her feet and hurry after them.

She did not know why, but even though her mistress was being carried away by another man, she felt inexplicably reassured, as though they had finally been saved.

Wen’an was also startled by the sight. When he caught the look from his lord, he hurried over to Rongchun and warned her in a low voice, “My Master seldom saves anyone. Wait quietly outside the room. Don’t make a fuss. Understood?”

The word “saves” was the only thing Rongchun registered. Wiping away her tears, she nodded hastily.

Relieved that Rongchun had listened, Wen’an rushed off to summon the estate physician.

Following behind Shen Si, Rongchun sobbed out an explanation. “I don’t know what happened. She was perfectly fine before, but the Young Madam suddenly said she felt hot, and then she became like this.”

She pleaded through her tears, “Please save my Young Madam, Marquis.”

Shen Si said nothing and carried Ji Hanyi straight into his courtyard.

There were rarely many servants in Shen Si’s courtyard. Even those on duty did not dare steal a second glance when they saw their lord enter with a woman in his arms. Every one of them lowered their head, silent with fear.

The woman in his arms continued begging for water. Shen Si glanced down at the damp patch her sweat had left on the front of his robes, then ordered someone outside to bring water.

He carried Ji Hanyi into the inner chamber and placed her on his bed.

The instant he laid her down, she reached up and tugged open her collar, revealing a broad expanse of smooth, pale skin and even the ties of the undergarment knotted around her neck. Yet her fingers continued pulling downward.

Shen Si’s gaze stilled. He reached out and caught Ji Hanyi’s hand, stopping her.

With her eyes closed and her face buried in the pillow, she whimpered in distress, complaining that she was hot, that it hurt. Her damp, long hair had already come loose, and the silver hairpin in it slipped onto the pillow. An unnatural flush stained skin that was usually as white as snow. Her small, full lips parted, pearly teeth showing faintly as scorching breath escaped them.

Shen Si frowned and drew Ji Hanyi’s collar closed. He placed his slender fingers against her forehead. The searing heat beneath his fingertips was far beyond an ordinary fever.

A maid entered with water. Shen Si told her to set it down and leave, then bent over, slid an arm behind Ji Hanyi’s back, and helped her sit up before bringing the tea to her lips.

Her flushed lips clung greedily to the rim of the cup, drinking as though rain had finally come after a long drought, unwilling to let a single drop escape.

One cup was clearly not enough.

Shen Si frowned. Ji Hanyi had obviously been drugged. No amount of water would help.

He lowered her back onto the bed and turned to summon her maid to care for her. Ji Hanyi was clearly not in her right mind, and it would be improper for him to remain alone in the room with her.

But before he had taken even half a step, a soft, burning hand closed around his fingers.

He looked back. Her beautiful eyes were tightly shut, her body trembling faintly as she curled onto her side. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, and she whimpered hoarsely that it hurt.
That soft, sweet voice had not changed since her girlhood.

Shen Si halted. His darkening gaze fell upon her, upon the graceful rise and fall of her curves, like a range of mist-shrouded mountains.

Uncontrollable desire and impulse churned within him, yet his expression remained as noble and detached as ever.

He sat down beside her again, allowing Ji Hanyi to clutch his sleeve tightly.

Just as she had clutched his sleeve after falling into the water all those years ago.

He bent down and silently watched tears gather at the corners of her eyes. Reaching out with his long fingers, he gently wiped away the moisture. The habitual coldness in his eyes softened almost imperceptibly.

Her face was barely larger than his palm, and tears rolled down one after another as if she had suffered some unbearable injustice.

He listened to her murmur that it hurt, tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear, and gently patted her back.

Faint incense smoke drifted through the room. The white-robed man who had never bowed to anyone now lowered his head to gently soothe the woman on the bed. His voice was barely more than a murmur. “Don’t be afraid…”

The woman lying there with her eyes closed seemed to hear him. Her soft hand sought out Shen Si’s waist like a drowning woman grasping for driftwood, while her feverish face pressed closer.

Shen Si let out a low, muffled groan and caught Ji Hanyi’s restless hand. Her eyes fluttered half-open, dazed and unfocused, a watery shimmer rippling within them. She looked utterly bewitching, like a seductive enchantress intent on ensnaring him.

Her red lips parted, spilling warm, intoxicating breath.

The hand wrapped around Ji Hanyi’s wrist tightened. Before Shen Si could stop himself, his body had already lowered toward hers, faint veins standing out on the back of his hand.

Those soft, fragrant lips were mere inches away. Shen Si’s breathing grew heavier. His palm closed around Ji Hanyi’s slender waist, and his cool, thin lips were about to brush hers when Wen’an’s voice came from outside.

“Master, Physician Huai is here.”

Shen Si drew a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tipped his head back. Only after a long while did he pull Ji Hanyi against his chest. He lowered the bed curtains before ordering Wen’an to bring the physician in.

Ji Hanyi was a married woman, after all. For the sake of her reputation, he had no intention of letting anyone see her face.

Yet Ji Hanyi’s hands kept moving unconsciously, tugging at the clothes on her body. He clearly could not leave her lying there alone.

His hand rested on her sweat-damp back, and a rare trace of tenderness appeared on his face. He lowered his head and murmured a few more soothing words, holding Ji Hanyi firmly against him. Only after he was certain she would no longer struggle did he allow the residence physician to approach.

Fortunately, Ji Hanyi was petite and weighed next to nothing in his arms. Even when she struggled, she had little strength, and in her half-conscious state, she merely curled into a tiny ball against his chest like a sick child.

Shen Si held one of Ji Hanyi’s hands and extended it beyond the curtains for Physician Huai to take her pulse. He also described how she had been complaining of pain and feeling unbearably hot.

The household physician at the Shen Residence had also once served in the Imperial Medical Academy. Her Majesty the Empress had personally sent him to tend to Old Madam Shen’s health. Physician Huai was already past fifty, and his medical expertise was beyond question.

All Physician Huai could see was a woman’s hand extending from beneath the thick bed curtains. It was white as snow and smooth as jade, with slender, delicate fingers. He froze in surprise. There was actually a woman in the chambers of the Marquis.

Then he heard a soft, murmuring voice from behind the curtains, flowing like spring water. Though he could not make out what she was saying, he was secretly astonished. No wonder, for the first time ever, a woman had been allowed into the courtyard of the Marquis. Judging by that voice alone, he hardly dared imagine how beautiful she must be.

He did not dare dwell on it, however, and hurriedly focused on taking her pulse.

But the longer he examined her, the graver his expression became. He remained silent for so long that Shen Si finally prompted him with a hint of impatience, “What’s wrong?”