Du Ling brows creased as he quickly applied the ointment before covering Su Xi-er with the blanket again. In the process, he was shocked to find that it was still cold beneath the blanket despite his sister having been under it for some time already.
Does she have a cold constitution? It’s no surprise that the imperial physician chose to explain the situation outside if it was this serious! Afraid that she could tell something was bothering him, Du Ling quickly adjusted his expression.
“I’m going to get a brazier. I’ll be back soon.” He then tucked her under the blanket and left the compound.
Su Xi-er touched her own hands. Before going into that icy chamber, she had already been doused by the freezing ocean water. Her body had been greatly weakened and now it felt like she was freezing.
Immersed in her own thoughts, Su Xi-er tried to rub her hands together to warm up; but no matter what she tried, she was unable to feel warm.
Pei Qianhao had never brewed soup in his life, but he still instructed the guards to get some red beans and other nourishing ingredients from the kitchen. The guards left on their horses, and quickly returned with the required ingredients. By the time they arrived, Pei Qianhao had already gotten the fire burning.
Despite his inexperience, Pei Qianhao still knew about the basic steps of boiling the water and washing the red beans before putting them in. As for controlling the heat of the fire, he was simply guessing as he went about it.
After four hours, he extinguished the fire as the aroma of red beans filled the air. Spooning out a portion into a bowl, he was about to add some sugar when he remembered what Ruo Yuan had once mentioned offhand. The Princess Consort doesn’t like it too sweet.
He thus put in only half a spoonful before tasting the concoction, making sure it was palatable. After it was to his satisfaction, he took the bowl and walked back into the room.
Upon his return, he realised that Du Ling had brought a brazier, making the room warm and cozy. Su Xi-er’s face was no longer as pale as when he had left. Du Ling watched him thoughtfully before standing up to let Pei Qianhao sit beside Su Xi-er so that he could personally feed the soup to her.
“Does it taste good?” Pei Qianhao asked.
Su Xi-er’s brows raised as she nodded in agreement.
Pei Qianhao heaved an inward sigh of relief at this as he continued tending to her gently. Once the bowl was empty, Pei Qianhao set it aside and held Su Xi-er’s hands under the blanket.
At this moment, Du Ling said, “Please rest, Younger Sister. Pei Qianhao, come out.” He then turned to exit the room.
Su Xi-er glanced at Du Ling’s departing figure before glancing back at Pei Qianhao.
“Be good. Lie down and rest.” Pei Qianhao laid her down gently and left only when he saw her shut her eyes to rest.
However, Su Xi-er opened her eyes right after he turned to leave. Why did Du Ling want to talk to him outside? Is it to tell him that I have a cold constitution?
Du Ling turned when he heard the footsteps behind him. His brows were slightly furrowed as he watched Pei Qianhao approach. He asked, “What did my sister have to go through in Beimin’s imperial palace? There must be a reason for her cold constitution.”
Pei Qianhao’s gaze became distant. The Xi-er I fell for had been through so much more than her body’s original host. But I wouldn’t reveal this to Du Ling. She is now my Xi-er, the woman I love.
“She was a lowly maidservant from the Palace Side Quarters when you married her, and the commoners said that her lowly status was unbefitting of her title. The Western Region Imperial Princess cannot be treated like this.” Du Ling enunciated every word as he spoke, as if his sister had gone through an unimaginable torture.
Pei Qianhao looked at him steadily. “This Prince has never let her down.”
