Night gradually descended, shrouding this unknown place in danger—but some people just can’t resist running straight toward trouble!
Right now, Ivy Shen lay unconscious on the bed. Thanks to Imperial Physician Fu’s timely treatment—and the thousand-year ginseng root bestowed by Cao Wan’er—her condition quickly stabilized.
Song Zhijue sat nearby, staring at the person on the bed, his heart a whirlwind of emotions—touched, surprised, but mostly aching with worry.
"Sherry, you have to wake up! Mother has agreed—once you open your eyes, we can get married. You’ll be my consort!" For someone who’s always put filial piety first, Cao Wan’er’s acceptance felt like a huge weight off his chest. Privately, he actually thought he should thank her—for once, she’d solved his biggest headache.
"Your Highness, you should rest. Silver Consort will watch over Miss Sherry for you." After seeing Song Zhijue grow thinner day by day, Silver Consort was genuinely worried.
Song Zhijue waved her off. "It’s fine." He kept his eyes glued to the person on the bed. Even now, with Ivy’s face pale as paper, that bewitching beauty still made his heart race.
Seeing this, Silver Consort gently said, "Your Highness, shouldn’t you check on the Empress?"
Song Zhijue paused, then nodded. "Right, I should go see how Mother is doing." He’d been so caught up in his happiness, he’d almost forgotten that she was badly hurt too.
"Your Highness, let me push your chair." With that, Silver Consort got ready to wheel him away.
"No need. Master, stay here and look after Sherry for me. In this palace, I only trust Mother and you. I’m really afraid if we both leave, that guy might show up out of nowhere and mess things up." Song Zhijue sounded anxious. He’d already ordered the guards to hunt down any suspicious people in the palace, but since the enemy lurked in the shadows, he had to stay alert. Besides, Sherry hated having palace maids around, and he figured they were useless here—the only one truly reliable was his master!
Silver Consort trembled slightly at those words—he only trusts her and Cao Wan’er? A wave of happiness quietly welled up inside her.
"Master, master..." Noticing Silver Consort’s weird expression, Song Zhijue frowned and called out to her.
"Oh!" Snapped out of it by his call, Silver Consort quickly nodded at him. "Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, I won’t let anyone hurt her!" She’d promised—whatever he asked, she’d do it, even if this woman was seriously suspicious.
Satisfied with Silver Consort’s answer, Song Zhijue nodded, then called out, "Gavin Wang!"
"At your service!" Gavin Wang dashed in, still jittery—he’d just barely escaped with his life, so now he was super careful not to upset Song Zhijue. One wrong move and he might get zapped by Lightning and die without even knowing how!
"Come with me to Shou’an Hall."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Gavin Wang hurried to comply, reaching for the wheelchair—only to be stopped by Silver Consort.
"Master..."
"I’ll take you out myself and come right back." Without giving Song Zhijue a chance to refuse, Silver Consort wheeled him toward the door. Gavin Wang quickly followed after.
Son, if it weren’t for this ‘man in black,’ your mom would’ve been called away by the Empress ages ago. Thanks to this troublemaker, she’s clinging to every second with you!
"Your Highness, Your Highness!" The voice outside made Song Zhijue frown, and Gavin Wang clammed up in terror. How had someone started shouting the moment they left?
"Your Highness, please let me see Sister Sherry!" The voice kept calling, and behind her stood a tall, burly ‘maid.’
"What’s going on?" Song Zhijue sounded a little annoyed.
"Guard Wang, what do you think you’re doing?" Silver Consort’s voice was just as annoyed. Seriously, who makes this much racket in the middle of the night?
Gavin Wang immediately dropped to his knees. "Your Highness, I think it’s Noble Lady Lana outside. If I may, why not let her in? First, she and Miss Sherry are close sisters; second, last time her shouting actually woke Miss Sherry up early. Maybe this time, with Sherry so badly hurt, her calling out might help her recover!" He kept wiping his sweat, mostly just trying to avoid getting blamed for letting outsiders in.
Song Zhijue nodded. "Go check."
*****
"Ivy... Ivy..." The worried calls made the sleeping girl furrow her brows, slowly waking up.
"Ivy, Ivy, wake up, please wake up!" Perched on the rooftop, Ethan Chu barely dared to breathe. As soon as he saw them leave, he slipped in through the window. Good thing Song Zhijue had sent all the maids away, or this would have been a real mess.
"Uh... Who are you?" Ivy, half-awake, heard the calls and quickly opened her eyes—only to see an old man’s face looming over her. Instantly, her brows knitted in confusion.
Seeing this, Ethan Chu quickly wiped off the disguise with his medicine and tugged—his handsome, worried face finally appeared. "Ivy, it's me."
"E-Ethan Chu?" Ivy Shen stared in shock. How did he get here? Wasn't he supposed to have left?! She tried to sit up, frantically glancing around—was this guy trying to get himself killed?
"They've all gone out. Ivy, how are you? How did you get hurt? Does it hurt here?" Ethan Chu gently helped her lie back down, his face full of concern.
Ivy Shen snapped back to her senses, "Why are you here? This is the imperial palace—this is the Crown Prince's bedroom! You have to leave, now, Silver Consort is right outside!" Suddenly she was panicking. If it were any other time, she could handle Silver Consort, but now she was too weak. If Ethan stayed, he'd be in real danger.
"It's fine, they've all gone out. Ivy, how did this happen to you?" Ethan Chu's face was pure worry, making him look even more charming.
Ivy Shen had never seen him look like this before and was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered, "Go, hurry up and leave, I'm fine."
"I know you're worried about me, but don't be." Ethan Chu squeezed her hand, heartbroken. "Don't worry, nobody knows I'm here. I came alone and snuck in." He knew exactly what she was worried about.
"Nobody knows? Are you sure?" Ivy Shen frowned.
"Relax, I promise. I came alone, the others went to the Martial Conference. Don't worry."
Hearing this, Ivy Shen was speechless. Relax? This was the third one! Every single one said, "Don't worry, nobody knows," but they kept sneaking in, turning the palace into a powder keg. Oh, heavens!
Seeing Ivy Shen's weird expression, Ethan Chu thought she was mad and quickly said, "Don't worry about me, I won't drag you down. I just care about you. Even if I get caught, I'd die happy."
Ivy Shen was left speechless by his words.
"You know, I just couldn't focus on the Martial Conference. I kept worrying about you, afraid you'd get hurt. But... but you still ended up injured. Idiot." Ethan Chu looked at her pale face, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.
At that, Ivy Shen's nose tingled. She didn't know what to say. Ever since she'd saved this man by accident, their fates had been hopelessly tangled together.
A king, willing to share her with six other men—how much courage and love did that take?!
But before Ivy Shen could think any further, footsteps sounded outside. Hearing them, she panicked, "Go, hurry, get out!"
Ethan Chu hurried to the window, cracked it open, and frowned, "Why are there suddenly so many guards?"
"What?" Ivy Shen was shocked, but the footsteps were getting closer.
"Quick, hide under the bed!" Ivy Shen looked around, confirming the space was safe, and urged him.
"Under the bed?" Ethan Chu rushed over, but after looking at Song Zhijue's bed, he grumbled, "How could a king hide under another man's bed? If word got out, I'd die of embarrassment."
Ivy Shen was speechless and snapped, "Are you crazy?!"
"I..."
The voices outside were getting closer. In a panic, Ivy Shen pointed to the inside of the bed, "Quick, get in here!" she said urgently.
Ethan Chu froze for a second, then grinned like a kid, "Okay!" With that, he dove into her bed, curling up on the inside.
As soon as he slipped under the covers, Ethan Chu caught her unique scent. Even though she was covered in medicinal ointments, that fragrance kept drifting out. At that moment, Ethan Chu was over the moon—after all this time, he'd finally made it onto her bed!
Suddenly, Ethan Chu's breathing sped up, his throat tightening. Ivy Shen could feel the temperature on the inside of the bed rising and her heart skipped a beat.
Unconsciously, Ethan Chu reached out and brushed against her bare skin, as if he couldn't believe it was real...
Ivy Shen froze when his hand suddenly touched her.
Oh no, she—
She'd forgotten—she wasn't wearing anything under the covers...
******
PS: Sorry for the late update today, sob sob, forgive me, pfft~~~