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Danmei sighed, not because he wasn't coming, but because she felt like a pet cat. The man seemed somewhat interested in her, and would tease her when he was in a good mood. But if the cat scratched her, he would get angry and storm off. He was probably thinking of ignoring her for a while to prevent her from becoming spoiled. Most men in the world are like that.

Danmei rested her head on her hand and thought for a while, then felt her eyelids getting sore and swollen again, and she couldn't hold them up and had to close them. Her body was also a little sore, so she went to bed early to rest. She was sleeping in a daze and didn't know what time it was when she was woken up by a noise. When she opened her eyes, she felt a splitting headache, her hands and feet were weak, and her body felt like it was about to float away from the brocade mattress.

Danmei had barely managed to sit up when she saw the bed curtains being lifted, revealing Xu Jinrong. He sat down on the edge of the bed, motionless, staring at her with a stern face.

Danmei sighed inwardly. She had thought he wasn't coming, but he had unexpectedly come. She was afraid that by not waiting for him to come and go into the tent together, she had only added to her list of grievances. She didn't show anything on her face, but lowered her eyes and explained in a low voice, "I saw you leave like that this morning, and I thought you weren't coming. I was also feeling a bit tired, so I went to bed early."

Danmei looked listless and weak, sitting there with a frail, swaying figure. Her cheeks were flushed, and her voice was soft and delicate, quite different from usual. Xu Jinrong, unaware of her discomfort, assumed she was deliberately putting on this act to appease him, and his frustration dissipated considerably.

After Danmei finished speaking, she waited a while for his response, then slightly raised her eyes to look at him. She saw him still looking at her with his head turned to the side, but his expression had softened considerably. Little did she know what he was thinking. She forced herself to sit for a while longer, feeling parched, and not daring to trouble him to serve her, she threw off the covers and climbed out, slipping on her soft embroidered shoes to go to the round table to get some water. Just as she stood up, she felt dizzy and almost collapsed, but the man beside her reached out and caught her, pulling her onto his lap.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Sister Hui asked her grandmother to stop Steward Xu. Was that your idea?" Xu Jinrong looked down at Danmei and said slowly, "You are really capable. When did you manage to tame that taciturn girl and make her devoted to you? I didn't want her to learn your strange ideas, so I asked her to move back to the mansion."

Danmei struggled slightly, but his hands were wrapped around her waist, and she couldn't move an inch. She sighed and said, "Third Master, how could I dare to harm Sister Hui? I know I was wrong. Please let me go, I still need to pour tea."

"I'm not thirsty."

Upon hearing Xu Jinrong's response, Danmei tightened her grip on her waist, making it difficult for her to breathe. She was unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"I'm thirsty..."

Before Danmei could finish speaking, she felt a tightness in her chest and collapsed softly against Xu Jinrong's chest. Xu Jinrong looked down and saw that her eyes were slightly closed, her cheeks were flushed, and her breathing was rapid. He then realized something was wrong, reached out and touched her forehead. His expression tightened slightly, and he quickly lifted her and placed her on the bed behind him. He then hurried to the door, opened the latch, and loudly ordered someone to ride quickly to the city to fetch a doctor.

Danmei leaned against the pillow, her eyes slightly closed. Once the initial dizziness and shortness of breath subsided, she was about to sit up again when she felt a hand supporting her back and her lips touched with moisture. Opening her eyes, she saw Xu Jinrong supporting her, feeding her water from a teacup.

Danmei's mouth was terribly dry, and even the tea tasted sweet. She gulped down a cup of tea, then licked her lips and glanced at him, seemingly wanting more. Xu Jinrong understood her meaning, gently laid her down, and went to the table to pour another cup of tea before returning.

Danmei took two sips from his hand, and when she slightly raised her eyes, she met his gaze, which was fixed on her. She lost her balance and choked on the water in her mouth, coughing until her face turned red and tears welled up in her eyes.

Xu Jinrong put down his cup and patted her back. After she stopped coughing, he frowned and said, "Why are you acting like a child? You even choke on your water."

Danmei was momentarily speechless, thinking to herself, "It's all because you were watching me drink water!" After that bout of coughing, her head felt like it had separated from her brain, spinning on its own. She had no energy left to talk to him and lay back down. Only then did she regret that she had taken advantage of her good health and hadn't thought to drink some hot ginger and brown sugar water to ward off the cold that morning, leaving her feeling so unwell now.

Although Danmei was rather thin, she rarely got sick, so she didn't pay much attention to catching a chill in the morning, thinking that she would feel better after sleeping in the blankets. However, when she woke up, the illness seemed to have come on fiercely. Her head was very dizzy, and she felt extremely cold, curled up like a sick cat.

"I've already sent someone to fetch a doctor. Just bear with it a little longer. It'll be fine soon."

Xu Jinrong had already climbed onto the bed fully clothed at some point. He pulled Danmei into his arms with one hand, covered her with a blanket, and smoothed her slightly disheveled hair with the other, while whispering words of comfort.

Danmei felt that his hand touching her hair was slightly stiff, and his words seemed a little unnatural, probably because he wasn't used to such comforting gestures and words. Just being held like this made her feel warmer, so she curled up and didn't move.

Danmei had been in a daze for an unknown amount of time when she was awakened by a commotion outside the tent. Xu Jinrong had gotten out of bed sometime earlier, and she heard him talking to a man. The man's voice sounded somewhat familiar, as if it belonged to the physician Hu who had been shown to her before.

When Physician Hu saw a slender hand reaching out from outside the tent, he immediately recalled the time this woman had feigned illness. He assumed she was causing trouble for her husband again in the middle of the night. But when he touched her finger, he realized she was truly ill.

"The lady's pulse is floating and tight, indicating that her Yang energy is on the surface and can be easily felt. This is a Taiyang meridian syndrome, likely caused by fatigue and imbalance, which led to the invasion of wind-cold pathogens and the failure of lung Qi to circulate properly."

After examining the patient, Physician Hu wrote down a prescription. This symptom was most common at this time of year, and Physician Hu, being experienced, had prepared the medicine well in advance. Xu Jinrong then had someone take it to be decocted. After seeing Physician Hu off, Danmei heard Xu Jinrong asking Miaochun, Miaoxia, and the other maids and servants still standing in the room, "When I left this morning, Madam was perfectly fine. How did she catch a cold last night? Was it because you didn't take good care of her during the day?" His voice carried a hint of reproach.

Danmei coughed a few times, and then she heard footsteps. Xu Jinrong had already lifted the curtain to look at her.

"I fell asleep while taking a shower this morning, it has nothing to do with them."

After Danmei finished speaking, she noticed his brows furrow, and he seemed somewhat displeased. She sighed, feeling annoyed, and closed her eyes to avoid looking at him.

The decocted medicine was brought up, and after it cooled down a bit, Xu Jinrong personally brought it over and helped Danmei sit up to feed her.

The medicine was boiled to a very strong concentration, and Danmei felt nauseous at the smell. She forced herself to drink a sip, and her face scrunched up like a bitter gourd.

"Since you have caught a cold, you should drink the medicine to sweat it out so you can recover faster. Listen to me and drink it quickly, then you won't feel bitter if you take a lozenge later."

When Danmei heard him speak to her so gently, as if he were coaxing a child, she got goosebumps and didn't dare to look at his expression. She closed her eyes, pinched her nose, and gulped it down. She then rinsed her mouth with the teacup, spat it into the basin, and lay down. When she saw Xu Jinrong trying to feed her plum slices again, she quickly shook her head.

Xu Jinrong did not force her. After everyone in the room had left, he locked the door, took off his clothes, lay down outside Danmei's room, and reached out to hug her.

"How can you be so careless? You even fall asleep while taking a bath! I heard from the maid that you usually bathe alone behind closed doors. From now on, if I'm not around, you'll need a maid by your side, understand?"

Danmei remained docile and motionless, thinking to herself, "If you hadn't been so ruthless last night, how could I have fallen asleep in the bathtub?" She didn't utter a sound, but gently nuzzled her head against his shoulder to indicate that she had heard him.

After Xu Jinrong finished speaking, he seemed to realize the reason behind it. He paused, tightened his grip on her waist slightly, and whispered, "Now I understand that you are the most two-faced person. I'm lucky if you listen to two or three out of ten things I say to you. Remember, you're not allowed to close the door when you're alone in the future."

Danmei was startled and suddenly opened her eyes to look at him, only to find him looking down at her with a half-smile. Feeling slightly guilty, she quickly closed her eyes again.

Xu Jinrong smiled, turned around and blew out the bedside lamp.

Danmei was initially worried, fearing he would torment her again, and resolved that she wouldn't agree even if she really turned against him this time. But when she realized his hand was merely inside her clothes, stroking her back without any other movement, she relaxed. Soon the drug took effect, and she quickly fell asleep.

When Danmei woke up the next day, she felt something moving on her body. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Xu Jinrong had gotten up and dressed at some point and was wiping the sweat off her body with a soft cloth.

After a good night's sleep, she had sweated quite a bit and felt her headache had lessened considerably. Danmei, somewhat unaccustomed to his sudden tenderness, reached out to stop his hand as it slipped inside her clothing, saying awkwardly, "I'm much better. It's just that my clothes are all wet and sticky, so I wanted to change. You just got back; you must have things to do today. Go ahead and do your work. Just call the maids in."

When Danmei opened her mouth to speak, she realized that her voice sounded like a broken gong, hoarse and unpleasant. After she finished speaking, she was already struggling to catch her breath.

Xu Jinrong glanced at her but didn't press the matter. He simply grunted and said, "I've already sent someone to prepare the medicine. Drink it later. Don't get up today; just rest in the room." With that, he headed towards the door, presumably to call someone in.

Danmei sighed, took the cloth he had just put down and wiped her forehead, when she heard Sister Hui's voice from the doorway: "Daughter has come to kowtow and greet Father."

Hui-jie came over early in the morning to greet Xu Jinrong, who usually left early and returned late, which was quite unusual. Not only Danmei, but even her father seemed a little surprised. He paused for a moment and then said, "Get up." His tone was a bit dry, but he still let her in, sat back down in his chair, and asked her about her studies.

Hui-jie answered them all, her words clear and articulate. Dan-mei noticed that Hui-jie glanced at her side, hesitated for a moment, and then looked at Xu Jin-rong somewhat timidly and said, "I heard that Father won't let me stay here. I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have slept in Mother's room and taken Father's bed. I won't dare to do it again. Please, Father, calm down and don't send me back."

When Sister Hui said that, Danmei almost burst out laughing, but she managed to hold it in. She glanced at Xu Jinrong and saw that he was sitting there, looking like he couldn't breathe and had a very strange expression. She looked at Sister Hui, who had finished speaking and was looking down, and then saw that he was turning to her. She quickly straightened her expression and coughed twice.

"Hmm. You go ahead."

A moment later, Danmei heard Xu Jinrong say something like that. Huijie didn't know what her father meant by that, whether it was approval or not. She looked up in Danmei's direction and saw her smile at her before responding and going out. She hadn't gone far when she bumped into her wet nurse, who had been looking for her and was now rushing over. The wet nurse took her hand and followed her back, listening to her rambling chatter all the way.

It turned out that when Hui-jie woke up early yesterday morning, she found herself back in her old room, realizing that her father had brought her back in the middle of the night. Her wet nurse kept nagging, saying she had warned her about the impoliteness, but both she and her mother had ignored her. Now, she had indeed displeased the master, noting his unpleasant expression when he brought her over last night, making Hui-jie very anxious. By evening, when she learned that Steward Xu had come to take her back to the city as her father had instructed, she realized her wet nurse's words had come true. Although her grandmother intervened and stopped her, she was still afraid of her father's wrath. She spent the whole night thinking about it, and finally mustered the courage to get up early the next morning to apologize to him.

After Sister Hui left, Danmei saw Xu Jinrong stand up and walk towards her. She hurriedly said in a hoarse voice, "It wasn't me who taught her to say that..." Before she could finish speaking, she saw his still slightly stiff face and couldn't help but chuckle. After laughing, she realized that she might have offended him, so she quickly suppressed her laughter.

Xu Jinrong stood before her bed, staring at her for a moment, before finally shaking his head and saying, "Take your medicine today, I'll come back tonight," before turning and leaving. A short while later, Miaochun and Miaoxia led a maidservant in with warm water and a towel. Danmei dried herself, changed into clean clothes, drank her medicine, and lay down, pondering the meaning of his shake of the head before he left. It seemed he wouldn't force Hui-jie to leave.

The old lady was going to Shangfang Temple today. Knowing that Danmei had a fever last night, she came over to check on her. Seeing that Danmei seemed alright except for a slightly hoarse voice, she instructed the maid to take good care of her before leaving with Xiqing.

Danmei took her medicine that day, slept several times, and sweated a bit. By evening, apart from still feeling a little weak in her limbs, she felt much better. After changing into dry clothes, she looked in the mirror and saw that in just one night, her chin seemed even sharper, and her eyes were brighter than usual. Having slept enough during the day, she wasn't sleepy. Thinking that Xu Jinrong had said he would come in the evening, she put two pillows behind her back, picked up a book, and read to pass the time while waiting for his return. This time, she was reading a travelogue written by a person from the early Tang Dynasty. As for the troublesome Analects for Women and the Admonitions for Women that came before, she had long since buried it at the bottom of a trunk, thinking it would never see the light of day again.

Xu Jinrong returned at midday. Danmei put down her book, yawned, and was about to throw off the covers to at least make a show of greeting him when he walked straight towards the bed, staring at her just like he had in the morning. However, his expression was quite different this time, and there was a hint of anger in his eyes.

Danmei had no idea what she had done to offend this plague god. After hesitating for a moment, she tentatively asked, "You're back?"

Xu Jinrong seemed not to hear, and after a while, the anger in his eyes finally disappeared, but his expression turned somewhat cold.

"When did you become acquainted with the young prince of the Jing Prince's mansion?"

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Danmei was puzzled for a moment, and looked up at Xu Jinrong in confusion, asking, "What Prince Jing's Mansion? I don't know."

Xu Jinrong stared at her for a moment, and seeing that her expression did not seem fake, the coldness in his eyes eased slightly, but his expression was still not very good.

"Where did those newly planted peonies in front of you come from?"

Danmei, relieved by his sudden question, replied, "The chrysanthemum grower from Xingzhuang delivered them yesterday." She then added, "I used to enjoy growing flowers and plants back home. Living here, I had some free time, so I bought some to play with and pass the time. Most of the ones on the ground in front were bought from the chrysanthemum grower. A few months ago, I asked him to find me a white peony, and he delivered it yesterday. Is there something wrong with that?"

Xu Jinrong glanced at her, seemingly trying to figure out if she was lying, and after a long while said, "This peony is called Xiaozhuangxin, and there are only four or five of them in the entire capital. How could an ordinary flower-growing household have such a peony?"

Danmei was somewhat surprised, and after thinking for a moment, she frowned and said, "You must have made a mistake. Huanghuahu said that he bought it cheaply from someone who happened to be moving to the south."

"Do you really think such a coincidence is possible? It was King Jing who asked Huang Huahu to deliver it to you."

Danmei was truly stunned. After recovering, she suddenly remembered Xu Jinrong's expression just now. He clearly suspected that she had a relationship with this unknown Prince Jing. It felt like a thorn was stuck in her heart. She took a deep breath and then said clearly, word by word, "Third Master Xu, I'll tell you again, I don't know anything about this Prince Jing, and I don't know why he would send me flowers! You must be mistaken."

"You really don't know the one who lives in Xingzhuang Jinli Garden?"

Xu Jinrong stared at Danmei and asked calmly.

Danmei was taken aback. Remembering the mysterious man in blue robes she'd only met twice by chance, she lowered her head, speechless. Judging from Xu Jinrong's words, the owner of Jinyuan Garden with the leg ailment was actually some kind of Prince Jing? She suddenly recalled Huanghuahu calling him "Master Zhao," and she'd always assumed he came from a respectable family. She never imagined he was a member of the Zhao royal family, a prince who had been granted a title.

While Danmei was still in shock, she suddenly felt Xu Jinrong lift her chin up again. His grip wasn't strong, but what he said made her feel uncomfortable from the bottom of her heart.

"His name is Zhao Yun. His grandfather, Prince Xuan, rendered great service to Emperor Taizong in conquering the Northern Han Dynasty. He even took an arrow for Taizong, but died shortly after returning to the capital. Emperor Taizong was deeply grieved and decreed that Prince Xuan's descendants would be kings forever. Prince Xuan's offspring were not prosperous, and several of his sons died young. By the time of Emperor Zhenzong's Tianxi era, only his father's lineage remained. When he was fifteen, the old Prince Jing passed away, and he was enfeoffed as Prince Jing. It is said that because he was born with a disease in one foot, he did not attend to affairs of state and was away from the capital for several months of the year. I never expected that he would live in seclusion in this countryside." Xu Jinrong finished speaking in one breath, and then added, "If you had no personal relationship with him, why would he go to such lengths to send you such a fine peony?"

Danmei looked up and saw him frowning at her, as if he had already confirmed her guilt of adultery. Annoyed, she brushed his hand away, her words laced with anger: "Third Master Xu, since you know that there are only four or five Xiaozhuang new peony plants in total, you must have found out everything else. Why are you asking me? I did meet that Zhao man, but Miaoxia was always by my side, without saying a word, and I don't know his identity. If this peony was indeed sent by Huanghuahu through him, it's only because I unintentionally helped Huanghuahu's chrysanthemums bloom a few days earlier last time. If you think it's inappropriate, I'll dig it up from the ground tomorrow, and you can send someone to return it to him. Such suspicion is truly laughable."

After speaking in one breath, Danmei met Xu Jinrong's gaze, bracing herself for his rage or his departure. Unexpectedly, he stared at her for a moment, and his slightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

“Since he is so thoughtful to send it in such a roundabout way, there’s no need to dig it up. I will prepare some gifts and visit him in a few days to express my gratitude.”

Xu Jinrong left after saying that, seemingly going to wash up. Danmei slowly lay back on the cushions, only then realizing that there was some sweat on the tip of her nose, probably because she had been too excited.

The man in blue robes who lived in seclusion in the Hibiscus Garden was a member of the Zhao royal family. The white peony that Old Man Huang had given her yesterday was actually from him. Danmei was still somewhat startled by this sudden news. Thinking about it carefully, she realized that the man must have known she had asked Old Man Huang to find the white peony, and was grateful for her help with the chrysanthemum festival, so he had Old Man Huang send it over? As for the so-called original owner selling it cheaply after moving south, it now seemed that it was most likely because he was afraid she wouldn't accept it, or to avoid suspicion, that he instructed Old Man Huang to say that. All of that was fine, but what bothered Danmei the most was Xu Jinrong. The white peony had only been delivered yesterday, and today he immediately made his move, even knowing the background of the owner of the Hibiscus Garden, whom she had never known before. She wondered how he had managed to do that. This man's cunning was truly frightening.

Danmei was already feeling much better today, but after being so upset just now, her temples started throbbing again. A moment later, she heard footsteps approaching and knew it was him returning. She simply shifted her body slightly to lie on her side and closed her eyes.

Danmei felt the person lying on her outer side, knowing he was looking over, but she still pretended to be asleep. After a while, she felt a pair of hands reach out and almost hug her, turning her back to face him.

Still pretending to be asleep?

Upon hearing his words, Danmei couldn't discern any emotion, so she had no choice but to open her eyes. She saw him indeed looking at her, his expression surprisingly gentle, a stark contrast to the coldness in his eyes when she first arrived. She was momentarily taken aback and stared blankly for a while.

Xu Jinrong's lips curled up slightly. He leaned closer, and when their foreheads were almost touching, he asked in a low voice, "Are you feeling any better?"

"Headache."

Seeing his gaze seem to slide down to her chest, Danmei quickly responded. She heard him chuckle softly, his hand then touching her forehead before moving to her sides, gently massaging with his thumbs, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy. Danmei felt comfortable and closed her eyes, gradually relaxing. After a while, she felt him get up, blow out the lamp, return to the bed, and embrace her. In the darkness, a pair of large hands caressed her body for a moment before finally stopping on her hips, gently pressing her against him.

Danmei sensed his advances, still somewhat unwilling about what had just happened. She shifted her body slightly, about to use her discomfort as an excuse again, when she felt him gently lick her earlobe and whisper in her ear, "Are you still angry with me?"

Danmei was taken aback. Before she could answer, he continued, "It's fine that you like flowers and plants. But the garden here has indeed become rather unsightly thanks to my mother's efforts. There's only one rule: from now on, if you want something, don't go out and ask around yourself. Even though you have someone with you, it's still not proper to go out like that. Besides, the world is treacherous, and people's hearts are always unpredictable. You're young and have been raised in seclusion. What if you're deceived? Just tell me what you want. Even if it's the celestial osmanthus from the moon, I'll find a way to get it for you. Do you understand? If you're really feeling bored, I'll take you out for a stroll when I have some free time in a few days. I heard there's a plantation near the North Golden Water River that supplies the royal family with flowers and trees from all over the country in all four seasons. When will I have time to take you there?"

Danmei hadn't expected him to say such a thing. In the darkness, she couldn't see his expression, but his voice sounded incredibly gentle. Remembering how attentively he had taken care of her the previous night, though somewhat unwilling to be treated like a caged bird, she couldn't say anything else for a moment. Suddenly, she felt a warm, wet touch on her lips. Seeing that she hadn't responded, he had kissed her. Danmei immediately smelled a hint of mint and salt, mixed with a faint trace of alcohol, indicating that he had returned from some social event that evening.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

He held Danmei's lips in his mouth, and she felt his thick tongue slowly licking around her lips a few times, as if he were savoring something delicious, and then he wanted to go inside.

The faint scent of mint and alcohol wasn't unpleasant, but Danmei still tensed slightly, turning her head away as before to avoid it. This time, however, his lips and tongue followed hers closely, until her face was firmly trapped between his hands and arms.

In Danmei's view, a tongue kiss and the inevitable exchange of saliva were the ultimate intimacy between two people who were mutually in love, even more intimate than physical intimacy. At least compared to the body, the mouth was closer to the brain. Therefore, knowing his intentions, she unconsciously wanted to avoid it.

He increased the force of his thrust slightly, but Danmei still clenched her teeth and confronted him.

He seemed to finally notice her resistance, appeared surprised for a moment, then finally released her lips and asked in a low voice, "You don't like me kissing you?"

Danmei's heart pounded, and she couldn't think of anything to say for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered that she had acted coquettishly towards him a few times before, and it seemed to have worked quite well. Forgetting everything else, she rested her head on his shoulder and rubbed against him gently like a cat, before softly saying, "I'm not fully recovered yet, and I can't breathe like this, it's really uncomfortable..."

Xu Jinrong seemed to be taken aback for a moment. Soon, Danmei felt the smell of mint mixed with alcohol moving further away from her, and the hand that had been pressing her buttocks against him loosened its grip.

"I understand. I was careless."