When Shen Yu stepped into the room, the air was thick with the scent of medicine. The young lady lay on the bed with a pale complexion, her lips appearing as though dusted with white flour. Weak and seemingly devoid of breath, she looked like someone whose days were numbered.
She truly lived up to her reputation as a sickly invalid!
With this thought, Shen Yu unconsciously slowed her pace, treading as quietly as a cat. The young lady’s pretty eyebrows were tightly furrowed, as if she were trapped in some nightmare. Shen Yu twitched the tip of her nose, trying to identify the medicines hidden within the scent.
Unfortunately, she discovered nothing.
It was just that the young emperor’s demeanor gave her an exceptionally strange feeling, reeking of ill intent. Yet no matter how long she thought about it, she could not figure out what was so special about herself, or rather, what was so special about Shen Lan.
She let out a helpless sigh.
Could it be that she was just being overly suspicious?
She shook her head, unwilling to dwell on it any longer.
Unconsciously, she walked over to Song Shiwei. The young lady’s pale, powerless, and unconscious appearance stirred pity in others; beauties always evoked tenderness.
Especially such a sickly, frail beauty.
Shen Yu bent down, looking at those tightly furrowed brows. She reached out, wanting to smooth them away, but kept her hand suspended in mid-air for a long time without making a move.
Shen Yu wore a conflicted expression. She was not a conservative person, yet when facing this person, she always hesitated repeatedly.
She feared giving offense, feared acting without caution, feared breaking etiquette, and feared being reckless.
She hesitated, somewhat failing to understand.
Why was that?
Was it because of her special status?
Or because she was her mortal destiny?
Was it out of guilt?
She did not know, but she understood herself.
Having cultivated for a century to question the gods and ghosts, the one thing she questioned the most in the end was her own heart.
Alas!
After pondering over and over again, she ultimately decided it went against etiquette and chose to put her hand down.
Yet since she had come in, she could not just stand around doing nothing!
She scanned her surroundings and finally fixed her gaze on a golden basin.
Indeed, a golden basin! Under the dim lamplight, it gleamed brightly and flashed with gold, truly catching the eye.
It was hard for Shen Yu not to notice it.
Her mind instantly became active.
She looked at the Grand Princess lying on the bed.
Shen Yu recited inwardly over and over: Just once, just once, just once!
No sooner said than done, her fingers flashed forward to lightly touch the back of the Grand Princess’s hand, and then she pulled them back like lightning.
The entire process seemed to take only a second, the blink of an eye.
The touch between skin and fingertips had ended even before she could feel it.
Yet for Shen Yu, that was already enough.
Shen Yu rubbed the fingertips that had just made contact. They felt cool, and she smiled with a rather complacent air.
Her hands were so cold, they ought to be warmed with hot water.
She picked up the basin and walked outside.
The maids had already assumed their respective positions at some point.
It was dead silent, as if nothing had happened at all.
“Lord Consort, do you have any instructions?”
A maid wearing a light pink thin dress stepped forward. Judging by her attire, she was someone of considerable status.
Third rank?
The maids of the Princess’s estate had formal ranks.
“Trouble you, young lady, to fetch some hot water.”
Shen Yu spoke up, purposely adding a sentence.
“The hotter, the better.”
The maid showed a look of hesitation, because anyone with half a brain could guess who this hot water was meant for.
Could her Highness’s delicate constitution possibly endure that?
“Rest assured, I will not harm your Highness.”
Seeing Shen Yu’s confident and calm demeanor, the maid was half-doubting, thinking that Young Master Shen had a sterling reputation as a youthful talent and probably would not do anything reckless.
With a slight bow, she took the golden basin and went down.
After all, she was merely a servant and had no say in her master’s wishes.
Gazing at the maid’s calm retreating figure and looking out at the silent, empty courtyard around her, Shen Yu felt a subtle sensation.
This Consort’s estate was truly quiet.
She then turned around and returned to her room.
Sitting on the round stool by the table, she examined the jade ruyi she had only crossed paths with once.
When she suddenly sobered up earlier, it was precisely because she had touched this jade ruyi.
The ice-cold tactile sensation had felt like a silver needle stabbing fiercely into her fingertip, instantly sobering her on the spot without a shred of lingering intoxication.
Yet now, the jade felt completely different.
Shen Yu carefully observed the pure white jade ruyi, finding no apparent differences.
It was simply an ordinary, premium jade shaft, utterly plain and lacking any trace of that needle-like sensation.
Shen Yu had only looked at it for a moment when the maid returned with the golden basin.
“Just set it there. You may withdraw.”
Perhaps Yuncheng had left her with lingering paranoia, but her watchful gaze locked onto the maid with a hidden sense of scrutiny.
Fortunately, the maid showed no abnormality. She executed a proper bow and withdrew.
“What is your name?”
She called out to the maid who had already turned to leave.
“Replying to the Lord Consort, this servant is called Caiqing.”
Shen Yu nodded slightly.
Seeing that Shen Yu had nothing more to say, Caiqing curtsied and slowly backed away.
The maids of the Princess’s estate certainly knew their etiquette.
The golden basin filled with hot water was steaming and looked intensely scalding, yet the one called Caiqing was clearly quite capable.
A handkerchief made of fine cloud-silk was soaked in the hot water, its rising steam enough to make one shrink back in awe.
Yet Shen Yu acted as if she could not see it, plunging her hand straight into the water. Her finger joints were distinct, her tapering jade-like fingers resembling the moon in the sky.
She had always favored heat, and her tolerance for high temperatures far exceeded that of ordinary people. Even with a mortal body, the scorching depths of midsummer could rarely make her expression change.
Her white hand was steamed to a rosy pink. Feeling the scorching temperature on the handkerchief, which still retained some droplets of water she had intentionally left behind, Shen Yu relaxed her brows in pleasant satisfaction.
She then turned her attention back to Song Shiwei.
As soon as she made contact with the scalding temperature, Song Shiwei discomforted her brows and frowned, her expression showing a slight struggle. Shen Yu could only apply a little more force to restrain the hand that instinctively tried to pull back, quickly dyeing the delicate, translucent wrist with a layer of faint red.
She was too thin.
Shen Yu did not dare use too much force, fearing she might snap Song Shiwei’s frail wrist.
Song Shiwei’s brows gradually relaxed, clearly adapting to the temperature.
Through the silk handkerchief, Shen Yu wiped carefully, warming Song Shiwei’s ice-cold hands.
The hazy, yellowish candlelight blurred Shen Yu’s profile and melted away the towering frost between Song Shiwei’s brows, adding a touch of the warmth that properly belonged to a bridal chamber for this pair of newlyweds.
She let out a soft sigh.
Both hands were wiped back and forth four or five times by her. The close-range contact made Shen Yu involuntarily nervous. In truth, aside from wiping the wrists, she had no idea what else she could possibly do.
The night was long, and the journey ahead was arduous and filled with a long way to go.