Pampered Poisonous Royal Wife Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Illness

Yue Wang looked deeply at Mu Yunyao. A thousand emotions seemed to pass through his eyes, yet when one tried to search for them, there appeared to be no ripple at all. He turned directly and strode away.

Mu Yunyao closed the window, slid the dagger on the table back into its sheath, then placed it calmly beneath her pillow. She removed her outer robe and lay back down.

Two quarters of an hour later, she opened her eyes, utterly without sleep. Slipping on her shoes and draping a cloak over herself, she opened the door and went outside, then lifted the ice lantern from where it had fallen in the snow.

The snow had been thick these past two days. Although the ice lantern was fragile, it had landed in the snow without a single scratch. She brushed away the snowflakes, placed the lantern by the window, found a short candle, and lit it.

Under the candlelight, the ice lantern became even more crystal-clear and dazzling, flawless from every angle.

Afraid the warmth inside the room would melt it, Mu Yunyao deliberately opened half the window. Sitting beside it, she stared quietly at the lantern, her thoughts drifting despite herself.

Cold wind poured in through the window, chilling her from head to toe, yet it also made her thoughts clearer.

The instant she had seen Yue Wang take out the ice lantern, countless details from before had rushed into her mind, allowing her to arrive at one conclusion in the blink of an eye: Yue Wang had fallen for her.

That conclusion left her shaken beyond measure. She had nearly lost composure in front of him, which was why she had hurriedly driven him away.

She had never liked anyone. Even in her previous life, when she entered Jin Wang’s residence as a concubine, it had only been to survive more easily. In this life, her heart was filled with hatred; she had even less regard for the matter of romance between men and women. Thus, the first thought that came to her upon sensing Yue Wang’s feelings was to push him away.

Leaving aside the gulf in their status, her death in her previous life had also been entangled with Yue Wang. Before that matter was investigated clearly, she could not face him without the slightest knot in her heart—much less anything beyond that.

Even though, after thinking carefully now, Yue Wang had most likely been schemed against at the time, she still could not completely let it go.

In this life, she only wanted to finish taking revenge, then guard Mother and live peaceful, worry-free days. She did not wish to become entangled with any prince, noble, or aristocrat again.

Once her thoughts settled, Mu Yunyao reached out and stroked the head of the ice-carved cat. A piercing chill spread across her fingertip, as though it could follow her arm all the way into her heart, cooling even her gaze. “A momentary stirring of the heart—how could it last? It is only a passing confusion. I imagine Yue Wang will not take it to heart either…”

Withdrawing her fingers, Mu Yunyao returned to bed. She did her utmost to press down the tangled emotions in her heart and eventually drifted into a muddled sleep.

She did not know how long she had slept. She only felt her whole body aching and burning, as though someone had placed her over a fire to roast. Her brows drew together.

“Yao’er, Yao’er, are you awake?” Su Qing’s face was full of weariness and worry. Hearing Mu Yunyao move, she quickly called to her softly.

Mu Yunyao struggled to open her eyes, only to feel as though her head were splitting apart. “Mother…” The moment she spoke, she realized her throat was hoarse and painfully raw. Her brows furrowed even tighter.

Su Qing quickly helped her sit up, her voice filled with both anxiety and heartache. “You child, how could you sleep without knowing to close the window? If Mother had not seen this morning that you still had not woken and come to call you, you might have fallen even more seriously ill!”

Mu Yunyao was still dazed. “What happened to me?”

“Doctor Zhang has already come to see you. You caught wind-cold. He has prescribed medicine, and Jin Lan has gone to brew it. Sit up first and drink some porridge. After you take the medicine, lie back down and rest.”

Mu Yunyao lifted her head toward the window. It was shut tightly, and there was no trace of the ice lantern. “Mother, that window…”

“Was it you who opened it because you were greedy for cool air?” Su Qing looked at her and helplessly tucked the quilt around her. “You must not do this again. Even if the room feels stuffy, open the window for only a little while, then close it quickly. You cannot sleep with it open all night.”

Mu Yunyao nodded. “I understand, Mother.”

Seeing her blink through clouded eyes, faint red rising on her cheeks from the fever, Su Qing could not bear to scold her further. “Sleep a little longer. Mother will go see whether the porridge is ready.”

Mu Yunyao obediently lay down and soon slipped back into muddled sleep.

She did not often fall ill easily, but once she did, recovery was never simple. Her illness would always come and go, improving for a while only to worsen again, and no amount of medicine seemed very useful. She could only wait for the sickness to pass on its own. Who would have thought that after more than a year without trouble, she would fall ill just as the New Year began?

When she woke again, Jin Lan and Jin Qiao were standing nearby, trays in hand.

“Miss, this is all our fault. We played too late last night and did not come to keep watch for you.”

After sleeping for a while, Mu Yunyao had regained a little strength. “This cannot be blamed on you. I said long ago that I do not like anyone keeping watch outside at night. By the way, when you came this morning, did you see anything by the window?”

The two shook their heads. “We did not see anything. Has Miss lost something?”

“Last night, on a whim, I made a little snowman and placed it by the window. I suppose it melted.”

“That is quite possible. When this servant came in the morning, there were water marks by the window.”

Mu Yunyao said nothing more. After eating porridge and resting for a while, she drank a bowl of medicine and lay down to continue resting. Every time she fell ill, she became especially drowsy. This time, she slept until the sky was nearly dark before waking again. Thick quilts covered her, and they had forced out a layer of sweat. Now, she felt terribly uncomfortable.

“Jin Lan?”

She called once, but no one answered from outside the room. Mu Yunyao frowned slightly and lifted the quilt, about to get out of bed.

“Do you not know you are ill? And at a time like this, you still dare get out of bed?” The cold voice carried threads of concern, making Mu Yunyao freeze in place.

“Fourth Master, why are you here? Where are Jin Lan and the others?”

“How did you fall ill?” Yue Wang did not answer her question. Instead, he looked at her slightly haggard appearance, and the discomfort in his chest deepened.

Mu Yunyao smiled, her tone careless. “People eat grains and cereals; who can avoid illness? I am merely a little more unlucky than most, falling ill during the New Year.”

Yue Wang studied her, the look in his eyes difficult to read. “Where is the ice lantern I gave you last night?”

Mu Yunyao’s smile did not change. “Was it not Fourth Master who threw it away himself? Why come ask me? If you truly want it, you may go look beneath the steps. Perhaps it can still be found.”

“First rest properly and recover from your illness. Once you are well, then think about other matters.”

“Many thanks for Fourth Master’s concern.”

Yue Wang nodded and turned to leave.

Not long after he left, Jin Lan came in carrying a bowl of medicine. “Miss, you are awake. This servant went to bring your medicine just now. Jin Qiao was called to the front courtyard by Madam for some matter, so neither of us was beside you.”

“It is fine. I sweated all over and feel unbearably uncomfortable. Prepare some hot water for me. I want to wipe myself down a little.”

“How can that be allowed? Miss, you have caught wind-cold. You must not catch another chill now!” Jin Lan shook her head at once.

“Do not worry. I understand medicine. As long as the water is prepared hot enough, I will not catch cold.”

“That still will not do!” Su Qing entered, deliberately making her expression stern. “The moment Mother fails to keep watch, you start causing trouble. Who has ever heard of someone with wind-cold fussing about wanting a bath?”

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