"Fever," the imperial physician rose from beside Lu Yan's bed and bowed to King Xia Jie, who had rushed over and was standing guard. "Your Majesty, I've prescribed a remedy for Marquis Dingbei. After taking the medicine, his fever will subside tomorrow."
King Xia Jie sat at the table, frowning as he looked at Lu Yan, who was still unconscious. He asked in a deep voice, "How did he suddenly catch a cold?"
The imperial physician wiped the sweat off his brow and said carefully, "Perhaps he caught a chill accidentally after drinking last night. Your Majesty, please rest assured. Marquis Dingbei is in good health, and he will recover soon."
"I hope so," King Xia Jie said in a low voice. Then he dismissed the imperial physician. The side hall fell silent. King Xia Jie turned his head. His gaze passed over the maids and eunuchs and landed on Shen Qingfeng, who was standing with his head down in the corner of the room. He shouted sternly, "Mr. Shen, you were with Marquis Dingbei last night. What exactly happened?"
Shen Qingfeng stiffened. As if instinctively, he suddenly raised his left hand and grabbed his right forearm. Then he shook his head in a flustered and helpless manner.
King Xia Jie raised his eyebrows. He noticed Shen Qingfeng's action and shouted sternly, "What's wrong with your hand?"
"Your Majesty, it's nothing," Shen Qingfeng averted his gaze.
King Xia Jie raised his eyebrows and called out, "Chen Qi!"
Hearing this, Chen Qi stepped forward and reached out to grab Shen Qingfeng's arm. Shen Qingfeng was startled and quickly dodged, but was held down by several eunuchs. Unable to break free, he stared at Chen Qi with a pale face. His look seemed to want to cut Chen Qi into pieces.
"Oh, this look," said Chen Qi. As the leader of the eunuch faction, he was well - versed in torture and interrogation. As far as Shen Qingfeng knew, this old scoundrel had all kinds of vicious means to make someone talk. So Shen Qingfeng's look didn't intimidate him; instead, it aroused Chen Qi's perverted sense of satisfaction. He twitched the corner of his mouth, grabbed Shen Qingfeng's collar with one hand, dragged him in front of King Xia Jie, and then suddenly rolled up the sleeve of Shen Qingfeng's right arm.
On his fair arm, there was a bruise about the width of a thumb.
King Xia Jie stared at the bruise, then turned to look at the bandage on Lu Yan's forehead. A look of understanding flashed in his eyes.
Sure enough, this Shen Qingfeng was a stubborn one. Arranging him and Lu Yan in the same room, not only did he make the drunk Lu Yan catch a fever, but they even got into a fight. King Xia Jie smiled and put on a kind - looking expression. "Quickly let go of Mr. Shen. I thought he was hiding something dangerous. Chen Qi was a bit too rough. Don't take it to heart."
Hearing this, the eunuchs let go of Shen Qingfeng and silently stepped aside. Chen Qi twitched the corner of his mouth and slowly walked to stand beside King Xia Jie.
"How did you get that bruise on your arm, Mr. Shen? Did you accidentally bump into something last night?" King Xia Jie showed a concerned look.
Shen Qingfeng pursed his lips and looked at King Xia Jie. His face turned pale and then bluish for a while before he slowly said, "Marquis Dingbei's condition has stabilized. Please allow me to return home, Your Majesty."
"Alright," King Xia Jie nodded, but then said, "Marquis Dingbei is ill. It's not appropriate for him to recuperate here. Since you're going home, Mr. Shen, you might as well take my younger brother back with you. It's not a good omen to be ill during the New Year. Please take good care of him."
Shen Qingfeng said coldly, "Your Majesty, it's the New Year today. I need to accompany my family."
"I've already bestowed a marriage on you and Lu Yan. Isn't he also your family?"
Shen Qingfeng pursed his lips and said nothing, but his whole body was shaking, as if he was enduring intense anger.
"That's settled then. You take him back. Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice Festival. Since Lu Yan is ill, you have to take good care of him." King Xia Jie's words were simply trying to provoke Shen Qingfeng. If it were the former him, he would probably have overturned the table. But now Shen Qingfeng had learned his lesson. Although his actions and demeanor showed his refusal, and his eyes and expression were full of grief and indignation, he just didn't say it directly. No wonder King Xia Jie always kept provoking him.
After making all the arrangements, King Xia Jie walked out contentedly. Before leaving, he didn't forget to turn back and remind them again. People who didn't know would think he really cared about his younger brother, but in fact, Lu Yan, or all the people in Li Xia, were just his playthings.
The door was closed again. Shen Qingfeng relaxed his body. He rubbed his stiff face and was about to pour himself a cup of tea to moisten his throat. But when he turned around, he saw that Lu Yan had woken up at some point. He was propping himself up against the head of the bed, staring at Shen Qingfeng.
Lu Yan's eyes were as black as the starry sky. Shen Qingfeng felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze. He pointed to the teacup on the table and said, "My lord, would you like some tea?"
Lu Yan looked at him for a while and then silently nodded.
Shen Qingfeng felt a bit at a loss. He mechanically walked to the table, poured a cup of hot tea, and then walked to the bedside to hand it to Lu Yan. "Be careful, it's hot."
Lu Yan lowered his head and looked at the teacup but didn't reach out to take it.
Shen Qingfeng was standing while Lu Yan was sitting. He couldn't see Lu Yan's expression clearly. Just as he was about to say something when Lu Yan didn't take the teacup, Lu Yan suddenly moved.
Lu Yan suddenly reached out. Shen Qingfeng thought he was going to take the cup, but unexpectedly, Lu Yan twisted his wrist and hit Shen Qingfeng's unguarded wrist directly. The teacup slipped from Shen Qingfeng's hand instantly, and the scalding hot tea spilled on the brocade quilt that Lu Yan was covered with.
"You're still running a fever! What if you catch a cold again?" Shen Qingfeng was startled. He reached out to clean it up, but unexpectedly, Lu Yan's hand slid up along Shen Qingfeng's wrist and suddenly grabbed his hand.
Lu Yan's fingers were long and strong. He slowly pried open Shen Qingfeng's fingers and then intertwined their fingers.
Shen Qingfeng froze in a forward - leaning position.
"Shen Qingfeng," Lu Yan suddenly called out in a hoarse voice.
Shen Qingfeng lowered his head. For some reason, he didn't dare to look at Lu Yan.
"You didn't shake me off," Lu Yan suddenly said.
Shen Qingfeng's breath caught in his throat. He immediately reacted and then started to shake his hand in a panic, but Lu Yan held his hand tightly, and Shen Qingfeng couldn't break free.
Lu Yan took a deep breath, then exerted force with his forearm and suddenly pulled Shen Qingfeng forward, making him fall steadily into his arms.
The movement was so fast that Shen Qingfeng was even too surprised to let out a sound. He was once again enveloped by Lu Yan's aura.
One hand gently clasped the back of Shen Qingfeng's head. Lu Yan's deep voice came clearly from above Shen Qingfeng's head and his chest, which was tightly pressed against Shen Qingfeng's. "You didn't shake me off just now. I won't let go."
Shen Qingfeng was tightly pressed against Lu Yan's chest. He pursed his lips and said nothing.
"Shen Qingfeng, do you feel a bit different about me?" Lu Yan asked tentatively. His voice trembled slightly, as if he was holding a precious treasure.
"I..." Shen Qingfeng was suddenly at a loss for words. Although he didn't know why he didn't resist Lu Yan anymore, he could clearly feel the burning body temperature coming from Lu Yan. He lowered his eyes. "I need time."
"...Okay," Lu Yan's eyes were filled with tears. He had waited for so many years. What did a little more time matter? In that instant, the past pain seemed to turn into sweetness in an instant. He lowered his head and devoutly placed a kiss on Shen Qingfeng's head.