Song Yinghuai reached out to feel Caiyu's forehead again and only then discovered that she had a fever again!
She had had a fever twice in less than two months. Even an iron -clad body couldn't bear it!
Why on earth did she get a fever?
Yesterday they had been engaged in passionate activities. After that, she had seemed listless and too lazy to move. And this matter couldn't be known by the people in Lianyin Pavilion.
He had specifically told Han Fen to boil some hot water for her to wipe her body. So how could she have gotten a fever?
Song Yinghuai recalled that Caiyu had left the side hall last night and been gone for half an hour. When she suddenly rushed into the bedroom and hugged him, her body had seemed terribly icy.
Raging fury welled up in his eyes instantly, and he understood everything!
He had long known that this girl wouldn't give up so easily!
She had taken advantage of the fact that he couldn't leave when he saw her half - dead. Was she going to negotiate again?
Although Song Yinghuai was extremely angry, seeing that she had had a fever again and again, he had no choice but to take care of her.
He was really being taken advantage of by her.
He could only send someone to invite the doctor in the mansion and have the antipyretic and cold - dispelling medicine quickly decocted.
After all this commotion, Ji Qian had entered the mansion.
Seeing the people in Lianyin Pavilion busy decocting medicine and no one preparing the luggage, he was quite puzzled. He grabbed Han Fen who was passing by and asked:
"Didn't you say we were leaving this morning?"
Han Fen hesitated for a moment and finally said, "Sir Ji, go in and see for yourself!"
Ji Qian, completely confused, stepped into the bedroom. There he saw the prestigious Prince of Yan condescendingly holding a bowl of dark - colored medicinal soup in one hand and propping up the little maid with the flushed face in the other, trying to force - feed her the medicine.
Ji Qian: …
Han Fen had tricked him!
He had learned a terrible secret and was afraid that the Prince of Yan would kill him to keep it!
Ji Qian quietly backed out of the bedroom and waited outside. Looking at the trembling peach flower buds on the branches, he shook his head and sighed.
It seemed they couldn't leave today.
"Drink the medicine!" Song Yinghuai said with an ashen face as he brought the medicine bowl to Caiyu's mouth for the third time. He pinched her cheeks with two fingers, forcing her to open her mouth, and poured the medicine in. He roared angrily, "Try to spit it out again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Caiyu turned her head and spat the remaining medicinal liquid in her mouth under the bed!
As for the medicinal liquid that had been forcibly poured into her throat, she retched non - stop until she vomited it out.
The medicinal liquid splashed on Song Yinghuai's white sleeves and robe. The man was so enraged that the veins on his forehead bulged. He suddenly stood up and slammed the medicine bowl on the ground!
The porcelain bowl instantly shattered into pieces and flew everywhere!
"Lan Caiyu!"
Song Yinghuai no longer looked calm at all. He grabbed Caiyu's wrist and pulled her towards him regardless of her fever. The force was not light.
Caiyu was forced to lie on her side. Her view when she looked up was occupied by the man's rigid side face. Song Yinghuai's lips were tightly pursed, looking more furious than ever:
"What on earth do you want to do!"
Caiyu took a breath and said weakly and softly, "This servant wants to go to the capital with the prince."
"Nonsense!" Raging anger filled Song Yinghuai's chest, eroding his reason. He could hardly control himself. "I already said yesterday that you should stay in the suburban mansion temporarily..."
"This servant won't go." Although Caiyu's tone was gentle, her words were extremely firm. She looked up at Song Yinghuai and insisted, "If the prince doesn't take this servant to the capital, this servant might as well burn herself to death!"
"Anyway, the prince is going to abandon this servant. This servant won't live long. Whether it's an early or a late death, it's still a death. This servant might as well die in front of the prince to put an end to all this!"
Song Yinghuai's face was as gloomy as the sea before a storm. His voice was low and forceful. Every word seemed to be squeezed out between his teeth, full of displeasure and danger:
"Are you threatening me?"
He threw Caiyu back onto the bed, sneered, and shouted to Han Fen outside:
"Go and decoct the medicine again! I don't believe I can't tame you, this rouge horse!"
"You can spit it out as much as you like." He gritted his teeth menacingly. "Every time you spit it out, I'll force - feed you again. Even if I have to force - feed you a hundred times today, I'll still get you to drink a bowl of this medicine!"
Caiyu seemed to be stubborn and determined to provoke Song Yinghuai into a fit of rage:
"Even if the prince forces this servant to drink the medicine today, after the prince leaves, no one can force - feed this servant the next bowl of medicine. If this servant fails to kill herself this time, then this servant will keep on trying. Anyway, this servant just wants to kill herself!"
"You..."
"If the prince has nowhere to vent his anger, then just strangle this servant to death like last time!"
Caiyu raised her head even higher, exposing her gracefully curved neck, looking like a swan waiting to be slaughtered.
Song Yinghuai stared at her in disbelief. His full - blown anger was worn down by her stubborn appearance and he couldn't release it.
After a long while, he took a deep breath, suppressing the boiling anger in his heart. He tried to sound calm and reasoned:
"The capital is dangerous. Only a dozen personal guards are accompanying me on this trip to the capital. Even the Duoyan Three Guards are not allowed to enter the capital..."
"Not to mention that the capital is fraught with perils. There are so many dangers on this more than three - thousand - li journey. I can't protect you completely."
Caiyu knew full well how dangerous it was.
That was exactly why she wanted to go with him.
If Song Yinghuai left for the capital and didn't return to Yan for a year or half a year, or if he was imprisoned in the capital by the crown prince like the Kings of Zhou and Qi, when would her family's case be redressed?
Not to mention redressing the case. The crown prince was so cruel that he might even wipe out all potential threats.
"This servant isn't afraid of death. Why should this servant be afraid of danger?" Tears welled up in Caiyu's eyes. She reached out and grabbed Song Yinghuai's arm. "This servant begs the prince. Please promise this servant!"
Song Yinghuai tilted his head slightly and closed his eyes to calm his inner turmoil and struggle. When he opened his eyes again, he finally regained his usual calm.
"You really have to follow me?"
"I must follow."
"… Alright."
As if making a firm decision, Song Yinghuai finally couldn't resist her stubbornness and nodded in agreement.
It was just bringing a maid along.
The vassal kings were not allowed to bring troops into the capital, but there was no restriction on bringing maids.
He wanted to see exactly why this girl was so determined to enter the capital, even risking her life to threaten him!
His voice was as cool as snow on a pine tree. "Since you're so determined to follow, then follow. But don't regret it later."
Caiyu's smile reached the corners of her eyes. "This servant won't regret it!"
When Caiyu had spit out the medicine twice, Han Fen had been smart enough to decoct more medicine the third time. Now he asked Xiangye to heat it up and then brought it in.
Song Yinghuai let out a sigh and said, "Since I've already promised you, don't spit it out this time."
Caiyu actively picked up the medicine bowl from the table, pinched her nose, and drank the dark - colored medicinal soup in one gulp.
She wasn't a masochist. Now that her goal had been achieved, she didn't want to suffer anymore!
The bitter taste of the medicine made her frown tightly and pout her red lips. "It's so bitter!"
Song Yinghuai sneered. "Knowing that the medicine is bitter, you still deliberately torture yourself. Your body is already weak, and you don't know how to take care of yourself..."
Although he said so, he still pushed the candied fruits on the table over. "If you dare to threaten me with this trick again, I'll force - feed you a hundred bowls of bitter medicine!"
Caiyu chewed on the candied fruits happily, not taking Song Yinghuai's threat to heart at all.
She had come to know Song Yinghuai very well. They had been intimate with each other many times and had long transcended the relationship between master and servant.
Moreover, Song Yinghuai always indulged her intentionally or unintentionally.
Even she herself didn't remember to restrain her own behavior.
After Song Yinghuai had been busy for half a day, he walked out of the bedroom. Ji Qian stepped forward to greet him.
Song Yinghuai said apologetically, "Sorry to trouble you, Sir Ji. There's a naughty maid at home. We're afraid we can't leave on time today."
Ji Qian had already heard from Han Fen about what had happened. He thought it was quite an interesting thing that the Prince of Yan doted on his maid, so he smiled and said:
"It doesn't matter. Since the prince is going to take Miss Caiyu to the capital, why not postpone the departure for another two days and let her recover her strength first."
Song Yinghuai just smiled and said nothing.
It was three thousand li to the capital. The crown prince was deliberately causing trouble, and the emperor had only given them one and a half months.
If he traveled light and rode fast horses all the way without any problems, he could reach the capital in a month, let alone one and a half months.
But with Caiyu along, it might be a different story...