Chapter 1: Chapter 162

A-Wu tried hard to control her blushing, but there was truly no way; her face heated up again, her fingers gripped the quilt tightly, and her mouth parted slightly.

Chu Mao fed her the medicine spoonful by spoonful, then personally attended to her to rinse her mouth, picking a rose-soaked candied cherry from a celadon porcelain box filled with preserves and stuffing it into A-Wu's mouth.

A-Wu reflexively tried to clench her teeth to prevent Chu Mao from putting the preserve in. She was accustomed to bitter medicine and had long since no longer needed things like candied fruit to mask the true bitterness. Little did she know that her movements were not as fast as Chu Mao's; as soon as she clamped her teeth shut, she bit down on Chu Mao's index finger before he could withdraw it.

A-Wu didn't know whether to bite harder or spit it out, but Chu Mao's eyebrows twitched, and he smiled quite wantonly. A-Wu felt her tongue being teased by him, which was truly unbearable.

A-Wu steeled her heart and bit down hard. There wasn't much flesh on his finger to begin with, so she hit bone instantly; it was as hard as an iron rod. A-Wu herself felt a toothache, but looking at Chu Mao, there wasn't a trace of the pain she expected on his face. Instead, he smiled even more broadly. "Alright, careful or you'll chip your teeth."

A-Wu bashfully released her mouth. Chu Mao's magnanimity made her feel too embarrassed to continue being so childish.

Chu Mao paused, then said somewhat sheepishly, "It would make my heart ache."

A-Wu stared blankly as Chu Mao took the index finger he had pulled from her mouth and put it into his own mouth. If that finger had been bitten until it bled, his actions would have made sense, but A-Wu clearly saw nothing more than two tooth marks on it.

A-Wu naturally could not understand this kind of lover's teasing; she only felt that this was... too... too unrefined. But then again, had there been few instances of Chu Mao being unrefined these past few days?

Putting herself in his shoes, A-Wu thought that if she were Chu Mao's wife, even if he were incapacitated, she wouldn't personally attend to him—er, his urination. She couldn't stand such filth.

A thought flashed through A-Wu's mind instantly, and she stared at Chu Mao in dumbfounded shock. Could it be that Chu Mao, like her, had also had his "insides replaced"? This thought terrified A-Wu; she felt like crying without tears. She still wanted the Prince Qi who required eight maidservants just to enter a washroom. The more A-Wu pondered this, the more frightened she became. Could it be that some profligate son had taken over Prince Qi's body? Then could he still ascend the throne in the future? If he couldn't ascend...

A-Wu simply didn't dare think any further.

"I want to eat," A-Wu suddenly blurted out. It wasn't without reason; currently, A-Wu felt her whole body was weak and limp, which was due to not eating for these past few days. Who could stay lively after being hungry for seven or eight days? She had to eat; only with strength could she investigate the situation clearly.

"You just took medicine, so you can't eat just yet. Lie down for a while first." Chu Mao had already seen Lv Ruoxing's boots peeking out from under the door curtain.

Chu Mao rose to help A-Wu lie back down, tucked her quilt in, and then leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I'll be right back. If you need anything, call someone to fetch me."

After Chu Mao went out, Wen Mei entered.

A-Wu used all her strength to prop herself up. Seeing this, Wen Mei hurried forward to help her lean back. A-Wu twisted her arm uncomfortably, and Wen Mei quickly let go; she was still not used to people touching her. As for Chu Mao, A-Wu felt tears welling up again, but that was simply because she had no way to resist him.

"Has His Highness been injured these past few days?" A-Wu asked anxiously.

Wen Mei was stunned by A-Wu's abrupt question, and only after reacting did she shake her head.

"Has he been ill?" A-Wu asked again.

"No. During the days the Princess was in a coma, His Highness stayed by your side, caring for you without even loosening his clothes. He has grown a circle thinner," Wen Mei said. If Chu Mao had heard this, he would surely have praised her as a "good girl."

What she feared most had indeed come true; Wen Mei's words crushed A-Wu's last shred of hope. Indeed, it was Chu Mao who had been personally, er, attending to her these past few days. But if Chu Mao hadn't had his "insides replaced," A-Wu would have to think much more deeply.

"Are the people at Yulan Hall alright? How is Nanny Sang's health?" A-Wu asked again. This was what she cared about most right now.

"His Highness has invited Imperial Physician He to consult Nanny Sang, so the Princess need not worry. As for the situation at Yulan Hall, this servant does not know; this servant has been serving in the Ice and Snow Forest these past few days," Wen Mei said softly.

Hearing that a physician was looking after Nanny Sang, A-Wu felt half-relieved. Although she found Nanny Sang's nagging tiresome, it didn't mean she didn't care about her. However, Wen Mei clearly knew about the matters at Yulan Hall, yet she was playing coy now. Though her limbs were weak, her mind was very clear.

A-Wu was so angry she wanted to laugh. Chu Mao and Wen Mei were both keeping tight-lipped, which only made her more worried. She only hated that her body was so unreliable. As for this Wen Mei, A-Wu had originally thought she had won her over; otherwise, she wouldn't have helped her turn the tables on Mei Ying during that incident. But looking at it now, the master in this girl's eyes was still only Prince Qi.

A-Wu's gaze toward Wen Mei inevitably sharpened. She couldn't help but wonder how much Chu Mao knew about Mei Ying's matter—perhaps he knew everything. If so, wouldn't her own schemes have been seen through by him, leading him to inwardly curse her for having a filthy heart?

Thinking of this, A-Wu couldn't help but feel a trace of guilt. Although Mei Ying and the others had attacked first, her own methods were not exactly honorable.

The more A-Wu thought, the more exhausted she felt. She lay there with her eyes squinted for a while before she heard Chu Mao calling her, "A-Wu, get up and have some porridge."

A-Wu was helped up to a sitting position by Chu Mao. Chu Mao placed a cloth pad against her chest before picking up the millet porridge, which was at a just-right temperature, and scooped a spoonful to feed her. A-Wu intended to have Wen Mei serve her meal, but she had questions for Chu Mao, so after thinking it over, she didn't ask.

With the light cucumber and bamboo shoot bits in the millet porridge, A-Wu finally had some taste in her mouth. Perhaps because she had been hungry for so long, her appetite wasn't as large as she imagined, yet she was determined to regain her strength, so she forced herself to eat even when she couldn't take any more.

Chu Mao did not indulge A-Wu; once more than half the bowl was gone, he set down the utensils. Seeing that A-Wu still looked like she wanted to eat more, he brought water for her to rinse her mouth. "You've only just woken up, and your stomach is still weak; you cannot eat too much. Once you are better, I will take you to Jufang Garden for a meal." Jufang Garden was a famous restaurant in the capital; if one wanted to eat there, one had to book seven or eight days in advance. Furthermore, they did not offer takeout; whether it was for the imperial relatives or wealthy merchants wanting to outsource a banquet, no one could use connections to get it—if you wanted Jufang Garden's food, you had to go to Jufang Garden.

The nobility in the capital also had grace; they feared that acting too ostentatiously would scare away the head chef and result in everyone being unable to enjoy the delicacies, making them a target of public criticism.

Thus, even in her previous life as the noble Princess Kangning, A-Wu had never had the fortune to eat at Jufang Garden once.

As it turned out, Chu Mao's words hit the mark. Since one's mouth is softened by the food one eats, A-Wu's expression inevitably softened as well.

However, A-Wu still insisted on saying what she needed to say. "Your Highness, what exactly did Zi Shan and the others do wrong?" A-Wu blinked her large, watery eyes, which were filled with both anxiety and pitiableness; her eyelashes trembled slightly like a butterfly in the wind. She knew very well how to utilize her physical advantages. To put it nicely, A-Wu was clever and sensible; to put it bluntly, A-Wu was simply soft-boned in front of Chu Mao, unable to stand firm at all. Even with Chu Mao treating her like that, she still didn't dare utter a single harsh word.

From the beginning, Chu Mao had used Yulan Hall to hold A-Wu's lifeline.

"They failed to protect their master," Chu Mao answered very concisely. In reality, much more than that had angered him. After A-Wu fell ill, they had actually failed to notify him immediately; even Li Yanguang hadn't said anything. In the end, it wasn't until it was time to invite He Nianfang that Nanny Hao came to notify him.

Chu Mao asked himself that he had never suppressed Yulan Hall, yet the girls of Yulan Hall actually did not understand how to protect their master and were even manipulated by Nanny Hao; that was one reason.

Secondly, Zi Shan had taken it upon herself to try and go to the Rong residence, which also crossed Chu Mao's taboo. Regardless, this was not something a mere maid should decide. Of course, Chu Mao also had to admit that in his heart, he was a little afraid of his parents-in-law finding out about A-Wu's condition, fearing it would break their hearts and make it difficult for him to be a good son-in-law in the future. Of course, this was on the premise that Chu Mao had never thought A-Wu would die.

As for the gravest crime, A-Wu had realized it by now.

"It wasn't Zi Shan and the others' fault; how could they possibly contend with Yuan Chun?" A-Wu exclaimed, her mind involuntarily recalling the scene of that day—the rhythmic, cracking sound of the cane.

Chu Mao immediately covered A-Wu's eyes, which had widened in terror, and pulled her into his arms. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he comforted her in a low voice, "Don't think about it, don't think about it anymore. It's all in the past. It will never happen again, never again..."

Seeing A-Wu so frightened, Chu Mao felt even more resentment toward the group of girls at Yulan Hall. He hadn't known A-Wu would be so terrified, but how could the girls who had served her since childhood not know? No matter how skilled Yuan Chun's martial arts were, in Chu Mao's eyes, Zi Shan and the others should have run headfirst into death rather than letting A-Wu fall into such a state.

A-Wu quieted down under Chu Mao's comfort. It had to be said that having a solid and warm embrace at a time like this indeed made one feel much better. A-Wu also had her own set of coping mechanisms, which was to choose to forget everything. Forget what happened at Hongyao Mountain Villa that day, forget the excessive things Chu Mao had done to her; if she couldn't forget heartlessly, then given her awkward temperament, she would surely obsess herself to death.

"Failing to protect their master"—this was no light accusation.

A-Wu tugged at Chu Mao's sleeve. "They have served me since they were young."

Chu Mao said, "Once you have recovered your health, I will let them out. After all, they are your maids."

A-Wu did not dare to plead for Zi Shan and the others any further, fearing it might have the opposite effect. She would, of course, recover quickly.

A-Wu wanted to ask one more thing: if Zi Shan and the others were punished, then were Nanny Hao and Xiangsi spared? But both fearing Chu Mao and fearing she would lose her temper and explode, she opened her mouth but ultimately did not ask.

"Your Highness, why did I sleep for so long? What happened to me?"