Chapter Nine: Is It Fear of One’s Own Death That Makes Him Concerned for Her?

Yan Heru and Shen Hezhi were escorted back by the two men. The prince’s manor was a ruin, with almost no rooms left fit for living. The fire had all but consumed the entire estate. When Yan Heru returned, she found many corpses scattered throughout the courtyard, and a few people surrounded and forced to the ground. Among them was a scar-faced man she recognized—the same one she had seen at the foot of the mountain.

“Princess, there aren’t any suitable rooms left, so I must trouble you to rest here for now,” Mo Yi said, supporting Yan Heru as she led her to the best room they could find.

Yan Heru was not picky. To her, so long as she could live in peace and safety, that was enough.

“You must be careful—the silver needles in the prince’s body must never be removed! Take him inside first,” Yan Heru instructed, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

After a night of turmoil, dawn was breaking. Yan Heru found the silver needles she needed and managed to control Shen Hezhi’s condition, though it was merely a temporary respite.

Shen Hezhi’s chill poison was far more severe than she had imagined. She had thought gradual treatment would suffice, as it was the least harmful method of detoxification. But now, seeing his state, she doubted whether slow treatment was still the best option. If they continued that way, Shen Hezhi would have to endure many more agonizing attacks, though his body would not be greatly harmed. Besides this, there was a harsher method—strong medicine, which would damage the body but yield faster results.

Yan Heru decided to wait until Shen Hezhi awoke before explaining his condition, so he could decide for himself.

Withdrawing the last silver needle, Yan Heru breathed a sigh of relief. Mo Yi immediately offered her a handkerchief to wipe her brow.

Yan Heru carefully put away her needles and turned to Shen Yi. “The prince needs absolute rest now. He’s sleeping at the moment; he’ll be better when he wakes. No one is to disturb him.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Shen Yi bowed and then quickly instructed several men to stand guard outside the prince’s room. “Listen well, all of you. Apart from Her Highness, no one is to set foot across this threshold. Disobey, and you’ll be executed on the spot!”

Yan Heru was satisfied with Shen Yi’s orders. After a sleepless night and tending to Shen Hezhi’s treatment, she felt as if she were floating, dizzy and lightheaded. She shook her head, trying to clear it.

But she had barely taken a few steps before she collapsed. If not for Mo Yi catching her in time, she might have suffered a concussion.

Yan Heru dreamed.

She dreamed of the original owner.

The original owner thanked her for protecting her younger brother and asked Yan Heru to continue safeguarding him. She also told Yan Heru that the control of this body now belonged completely to her.

Yan Heru could not fathom why she would have such a strange dream, but afterwards, she felt her body had become much lighter.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Shen Hezhi’s face, full of worry. A warm feeling welled up in Yan Heru’s heart. Though there was little affection between them, she felt content that, after their marriage, he still cared for her so much.

“You’re finally awake. Do you know you slept for a whole day and night?” Shen Hezhi exclaimed, pulling her into his arms the moment he saw her open her eyes.

The sudden gesture stunned Yan Heru. Why was Shen Hezhi so emotional?

He realized his behavior was odd and awkwardly released her.

Yan Heru smiled, already guessing the true reason for his concern. Rather than worrying about her, he was worried for himself—if she died, who would detoxify him?

Now Yan Heru understood why he had been so agitated when she claimed she could cure him. The chill poison was not only fierce but clung with a tenacity ordinary physicians could not overcome. Had she not chanced upon a medical text, she would have been powerless as well. At first, she had thought it merely a powerful chill poison, but clearly, it was much more than that.

“Your Highness, are you feeling any better?” Yan Heru asked gently.

“A little,” he replied. “What about you? Mo Yi told me you were so afraid I’d catch cold that you sat with me all night, and now you have a chill yourself.”

Yan Heru hadn’t realized she’d caught a cold, but that explained her long sleep. Indeed, she had been worried for Shen Hezhi and had covered him with her cloak. She had been so cold she lost consciousness and remembered little after that—thankfully, Shen Yi and the others had arrived.

“It was my duty. As long as you’re safe, nothing else matters. I’m fine, really—cough, cough…” Yan Heru forced a smile, trying to reassure him, but her body betrayed her as she coughed twice.

Shen Hezhi frowned and immediately ordered, “Mo Yi, go prepare some ginger tea to ward off the cold.”

Mo Yi was momentarily stunned before nodding. Their prince had never shown concern for any woman before; he went off to fetch the ginger tea with a spring in his step.

Mo Yi might not understand, but Yan Heru did. She now saw clearly why Shen Hezhi treated her so well.

“Your Highness, I’ve discovered something about your poison. There are two possible ways to treat it, but you must choose which to pursue.” Yan Heru explained both options to Shen Hezhi in detail.

Without hesitation, Shen Hezhi chose the faster, harsher method. This surprised Yan Heru, who had expected him to pick the less damaging approach.

“Very well,” she replied simply. Whatever choice he made, she would abide by it.

The room fell silent.

Perhaps feeling the atmosphere was too strange—and since Mo Yi still hadn’t returned with the ginger tea—Shen Hezhi changed the subject. “Last night… weren’t you curious why the Sixth Prince let us go so easily?”

Yan Heru nodded.

She was curious, but she had no intention of inquiring further. Whatever the reason, it had nothing to do with her. All that mattered was survival and keeping Yan Hecheng safe.

“Actually, my relationship with the Sixth Prince is quite poor—one could even say it’s hostile. Last night he saw I wasn’t afraid of him and suspected I might have brought reinforcements. If he lost to me, it would be humiliating, so he decided to retreat and bide his time before causing trouble again,” Shen Hezhi explained.

Yan Heru nodded. So that was the reason. No wonder the Sixth Prince’s attitude had shifted so drastically.

But the relationship between those two… “hostile” hardly seemed sufficient. Yan Heru felt as though theirs was a struggle to the death.