Chapter 150

Chapter 150

Zhao Quan’s heart jolted, and he immediately understood that the paper doll had fallen ill again. He didn’t dare delay for even a moment and hurried out.

A jumble of sounds came in waves from beside her ears.

Sheng Zhaoning slept fitfully. In her daze, it felt as though something had pierced her skin.

She had no idea which acupuncture point had been stimulated, but her drifting consciousness was abruptly dragged back.

Her cheeks were burning hot, and she frowned in discomfort. Her eyelids felt heavy as she slowly opened them, her vision veiled by mist.

Once she gradually made out the person before her, Sheng Zhaoning let out a breath and said weakly, “You came.”

Zhou Lingsheng’s lips were pressed into a tight line. With a gentle twist of his fingers, he removed the silver needle from her head.

His gaze was deep as he stared at her, complicated emotions churning within it.

Sheng Zhaoning’s health had been steadily improving, and she had not fallen ill again in recent days. What could she have eaten to bring on such a high fever? How could it possibly escape his notice?

There was an unmistakable hint of reproach in Zhou Lingsheng’s eyes.

“I told you to take good care of your health. How did you end up like this again?”

With medicine that potent, her body in its current condition simply could not withstand it.

Sheng Zhaoning gave a faint shake of her head. “It’s fine.”

It was only a fever. She could endure a price like this.

Wei Yi stood at the side. Only after seeing that she had regained consciousness did the deep furrow between his brows ease slightly.

“Why did she suddenly develop a fever?” Wei Yi asked.

Ever since Zhou Lingsheng had examined her, Sheng Zhaoning had not suffered such a sudden and severe illness for a long time.

Naturally, Zhou Lingsheng could not reveal the real reason. He could not let even the slightest trace of it show, so he had no choice but to make up an excuse.

“She probably caught a chill from the wind these past few days. It’s nothing serious. I’ll prescribe a medicine to dispel the heat and drive out the cold. Once the fever breaks, she’ll be fine.”

Wei Yi did not seem suspicious after hearing this.

Though it was warm spring, the winds in the mornings and evenings were still cold. Sheng Zhaoning also often complained that the room felt stuffy. She rarely opened the windows wide, usually propping one open just a crack, and Wei Yi had never stopped her.

He reached out to feel her forehead. Seeing that the heat had already subsided somewhat, he lowered his voice and said, “Don’t open the windows for the next couple of days. Stay away from the wind.”

After falling ill this time, it was impossible to know whether her health would be weakened again.

Sheng Zhaoning showed little reaction to his words.

Whether the windows were open or not was hardly important. No one knew better than she did how this illness had come about.

She suddenly felt that continuing to drag things out like this was truly exhausting. Everything around her was false.

When would she finally be able to escape this prison, break free of Wei Yi’s control, and go see the person she truly wanted to see?

Sheng Zhaoning had long since grown impatient waiting.

Even now, she still did not know where he had been buried.

She really wanted to see him.

“Wei Yi, take me to the Temple of Ten Thousand Blessings to offer incense on the fifteenth of next month,” Sheng Zhaoning suddenly said as she looked at the man before her.

Zhou Lingsheng looked into her eyes, and his body suddenly stiffened.

Wei Yi was stunned for a moment. Once he recovered, he lowered his eyes and asked, “Why do you suddenly want to go there?”

These days, he had stopped restricting her from leaving Changhua Hall, but on the only two occasions she had gone out, he had accompanied her.

The weather had still been cold then, and the scenery had been bleak and barren. Perhaps she had found it boring after those two outings, because she rarely mentioned going out again.

Sheng Zhaoning coughed twice, deliberately making her complexion look deathly pale.

“They say the incense there is especially efficacious. I should go and pray for the protection of the gods and Buddhas.”

The Temple of Ten Thousand Blessings had always been a place where people prayed for good health, blessings, and longevity. It was not far from the Capital City, its incense offerings were flourishing, and many people from the capital made a special trip there to pray.

Wei Yi had never expected that Sheng Zhaoning would one day put her faith in such things, but if there truly were gods or Buddhas one could pray to, he was willing to accompany her on the journey.

“All right. Focus on recovering first. Once you’re feeling better, I’ll take you there on the fifteenth of next month.”

He paid no attention to the changing expressions in Zhou Lingsheng’s eyes beside him, which eventually settled into utter darkness.

The illness had come on suddenly, and it passed just as quickly.

A few days later, Sheng Zhaoning had recovered her spirits.

What surprised Wei Yi was that once she was well, Sheng Zhaoning began making frequent trips to Bailu Garden. More often than not, she would go there after breakfast and remain seated in the pavilion for half a day.

He did not want Sheng Zhaoning out of his sight, so he followed her every time.

The weather had yet to warm completely, and Wei Yi did not want her to stay outside for too long.

But Sheng Zhaoning clearly enjoyed it, and since she had not fallen ill again, he had no reason to stop her.

After accompanying her several times, Wei Yi gradually lowered his guard.

On this day, there were simply too many memorials awaiting his attention after court, and for the first time, Wei Yi did not follow her. He merely sent Tao Rui and several other maids along with her.

At that, Sheng Zhaoning’s eyes darkened, and the hand hidden beneath her sleeve curled into a fist.

At last, all her effort had not been wasted.

For the first time, she had gotten rid of Wei Yi and was sitting alone in the pavilion over the lake.

A group of maids waited beneath the shade of the trees outside the pavilion. Every so often, they glanced in her direction, but none dared approach too closely.

Bailu Garden was filled mostly with various kinds of pines, cypresses, red maples, and other trees. Its spring colors were rather monotonous, making it less than ideal for sightseeing, but the garden’s quietness made up for that.

Sitting in the pavilion, she gazed from afar at the lake below, watching the ripples shimmer across its surface.

After an unknown length of time, footsteps finally broke the still, chilly silence of Bailu Garden.

Sheng Zhaoning glanced back and immediately saw the woman whose entire face practically announced that she was up to no good.

She did not rise. Instead, she arched her brows slightly and smiled at her. “Consort Gui.”

The smile caught Chi Wan off guard. Her footsteps halted, and she nearly stumbled.

For some reason, she could not shake the feeling that Sheng Zhaoning had been waiting here specifically for her.

When the maids below saw Chi Wan heading toward the pavilion where Sheng Zhaoning was seated, they steeled themselves and stepped forward to stop her. “Consort Gui, His Majesty ordered that no one be allowed near the pavilion.”

Inwardly, however, they were all wondering how such an unwelcome guest had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Before Chi Wan could speak, the senior maid beside her had already shouted angrily, “How dare you! Where Consort Gui wishes to go is not for you to question!”

Tao Rui still remembered the last time Chi Wan had barged into Changhua Hall and lashed Sheng Zhaoning with a whip.

Everyone in Changhua Hall had been punished afterward, and Zhao Quan had specifically instructed them that without His Majesty’s permission, they were not to let the two women meet easily.

Since then, Chi Wan had never returned to Changhua Hall.

Now that she had suddenly appeared in Bailu Garden with so many maids and servants in tow, it was clearly impossible to stop her by force.

For a moment, Tao Rui truly did not know what to do.

Just as she was caught in a difficult position, Sheng Zhaoning, who was seated inside the pavilion, spoke.

“Tao Rui, all of you wait outside. I’ll exchange a few words with Consort Gui. There’s no need to make a commotion,” Sheng Zhaoning said to the people outside the pavilion.

Tao Rui looked around and saw that the maids and servants accompanying Chi Wan were also waiting outside the pavilion, with no intention of coming closer. Though she was still somewhat worried, she had no choice but to wait outside with the others.