The truth—he must investigate it clearly.
Shen Zhi had almost died, and he would have to start all over again.
Just thinking about how the plan he had just laid out over these past few days had ended before it even began, Pei Lian felt distressed.
He had almost worked in vain again.
It felt as though working for nothing was a recurring theme throughout his entire life.
“Shen Zhi, don’t worry. I will definitely have someone investigate this thoroughly and return the truth to you,” Pei Lian said, patting her shoulder with particular sincerity.
Hearing Pei Lian’s words, Shen Zhi reached out and grabbed his wrist, then looked up, her eyes bright and shimmering; she appeared very happy.
“Your Highness, is that true?”
“Are you truly willing to help this concubine find the truth?” Shen Zhi asked again.
Pei Lian watched her in this state—well-behaved and sensible, not crying or making a scene even after falling into the water.
Simply helping her find the truth was enough to make Shen Zhi this happy.
She really was a person who was easily satisfied.
Pei Lian raised his hand to gently pat her wrist and said, “I have always kept my promises; you have no need to worry.”
“I will definitely find the culprit who framed you.”
When that time comes, he would certainly throw that person into the lotus pond, so they could also experience the sensation of drowning.
Hearing his words, Shen Zhi’s eyes grew even brighter. “This concubine thanks Your Highness.”
Once he investigated the truth, she truly wanted to know how Pei Lian would handle it.
After staying at Lanxin Pavilion for a while, Pei Lian left. Seeing him depart, Shen Zhi shouted to Nanny Zhao, “Nanny Zhao, I am hungry; I want to eat.”
“My Lady, please wait a moment.” After responding, Nanny Zhao immediately directed the servants to serve the meal.
When Shen Zhi sat at the dining table and saw that it was filled only with light, bland dishes, she was somewhat dissatisfied.
“Nanny Zhao, why is it all vegetarian? I want to eat meat.” Shen Zhi looked at Nanny Zhao, who was standing to the side, and asked.
“The imperial physician said that you should eat some light food right now; it is not suitable for you to have heavy, greasy food.”
“That is why I had the kitchen make things a bit lighter,” Nanny Zhao hurriedly explained.
In the end, Shen Zhi used her chopsticks to slowly eat the bland food; the only dish containing meat was the tofu with minced meat.
It was topped with a thick layer of minced meat sauce, which tasted particularly delicious.
After finishing the meal, Shen Zhi lay on the bed, covered herself with the quilt, and read a storybook.
This storybook was written quite well, enough to make her spend the whole day immersed in it.
Thinking about it day and night.
In the study, Pei Lian raised a hand, and a man dressed in black appeared before him.
“Greetings, Your Highness.” The man knelt on one knee on the ground.
“Hmm, go investigate who was behind this matter,” Pei Lian said slowly, watching him while sitting in his chair.
The man in black heard Pei Lian’s command and immediately lowered his head in acknowledgment.
“Yes.”
After the person left, Pei Lian had Yuan Qing come in to prepare paper and ink.
Floods were occurring frequently in the Jiangnan region, and the Emperor was worried about this matter, while the court officials were arguing incessantly over it.
Those people in the Ministry of Works and the Waterways Department were all useless; at a time like this, they were of no help at all.
A bunch of waste.
Pei Lian held his brush, looking at the blank paper before him for a long time. In his previous life, how did he solve the floods in the Jiangnan region again?
Too much time had passed, and Pei Lian could not remember clearly.
Eventually, he put down the brush and fell into deep thought while looking at the white paper.
If he couldn’t recall, he would just have to read more books.
“Yuan Qing, find me some books regarding water conservancy and flood control; I want to read them.”
Hearing this, Yuan Qing immediately responded, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Pei Lian sat in the study reading, from the afternoon until the evening.
Only when Yuan Qing reminded him did Pei Lian put down the books. “Is it already this dark?”
“Your Highness, would you like to dine?” Yuan Qing asked.
Being asked this, Pei Lian realized that he was famished.
“Yes.”
After dining, Pei Lian slowly recalled the method he had used in his previous life to resolve the flood.
He sat at the desk, picked up a brush, and wrote down his plan eloquently.
It was not until midnight that the arrival of Qingxue interrupted him.
“What is the matter?”
“Returning to Your Highness, Consort Shen has developed a high fever due to being frightened in her sleep.” Qingxue knelt before Pei Lian, informing him of Shen Zhi’s current situation.
A high fever?
Why would Shen Zhi be frightened while perfectly fine?
What had she dreamed about again?
“Have you called the imperial physician?” Pei Lian stood up and looked at Qingxue to ask.
“Qingyu has already gone to call the physician.”
“Go to Lanxin Pavilion.” Pei Lian flicked his sleeves and said, already moving from his desk toward the entrance of the study.
Inside Lanxin Pavilion, Suwen and Nanny Zhao were sitting by the bedside, one holding a bowl of water and the other holding a damp towel, trying to lower Shen Zhi’s temperature.
“How could my Lady suddenly develop a high fever?” Suwen was worried sick. Was it caused by the fall into the water at noon?
But hadn’t the imperial physician said that there was nothing seriously wrong with her? Why would she suddenly develop a high fever at night?
Shen Zhi was delirious from the fever, her mind unclear.
Her consciousness was still trapped in her dreams; in the dream, Liu Yan had someone press her head firmly into the water, and no matter how she struggled, she could not surface.
Liu Yan stood to the side, just watching her drown alive.
The feeling was as if she were there in person, as if in the next second, she would drown in that water.
“No…” Shen Zhi, delirious from the fever, shook her head, calling out.
“I don’t want to…”
Upon hearing this, the two women leaned their ears in close to ask, “My Lady, what are you saying?”
“No, don’t drown me.”
“Don’t drown me.”
After hearing these two sentences, Suwen and Nanny Zhao felt even more heartbroken.
Her Lady must have been frightened by the fall into the water during the day, which was why she had become like this now.
Suwen hurriedly grabbed Shen Zhi’s hand and said with particular firmness, “My Lady, no one will hurt you now, don’t be afraid.”
At this moment, Pei Lian entered with his entourage. Seeing her lying on the bed with flushed cheeks and fine beads of sweat on her forehead, he furrowed his brows.
The imperial physician arrived with his medical kit. “Your Highness.”
“Cure her!” Pei Lian pointed at Shen Zhi on the bed and shouted. “If anything happens to her, you will answer to me.”
“Yes—” The physician hurried to the bedside, took out his tools, and began to take Shen Zhi’s pulse.
The high fever caused by catching a cold had triggered nightmares.
Thinking about it, the things she dreamed of were also things she dared not think about too much.
After finishing the pulse check, the physician immediately took out paper and ink, wrote down a prescription, and handed it over. “This is the prescription. Take it three times a day for three days, and Consort Shen will be fully recovered.”
Then, the physician wrote down another formula and handed it to the Crown Prince. “Consort Shen has been frightened; follow this formula to obtain herbs to be crafted into sleeping incense or made into a sachet for Consort Shen to use.”
“Doing so will ensure her peace of mind and calm her spirit.”