Ch 81: Taking The Pulse

In a past life, Physician Qi had earnestly told Meng Tingyue that Prince Qing was absolutely not her destined soulmate.

Master said that Prince Qing’s temperament was wild and untamed, and his desire for power was extremely strong. It was only because of his constant illness that he appeared so harmless.

But once his condition improved, in order to achieve his goals, he would definitely stop at nothing.

When Meng Tingyue heard this, she simply smiled faintly and said, “In this world, whose heart is completely devoid of ambition?”

Master was ultimately unwilling to personally cure Prince Qing’s stubborn illness, but after Meng Tingyue’s repeated pleas, he finally relented and passed on the cure to her, letting her personally treat Prince Qing.

And Prince Qing, after his illness was cured, was indeed as Master had said, ruthless and unscrupulous in achieving his goals.

In her previous life, as she was dying, she vaguely heard that Prince Qing intended to harm Master…

If, because of a momentary whim of hers, Master suffered misfortune, her heart would be burdened with guilt for the rest of her life and would be unable to find solace.

“Your Highness, the medicine is ready.” A maid servant gently knocked on the door and, after receiving consent, slowly entered the room.

Shen Yunheng noticed a vaguely melancholic aura surrounding Meng Tingyue. His gaze inadvertently fell upon the medicine bowl on the table. “Bring the medicine to the Crown Princess.”

“Crown Princess, it’s time for your medicine.”

The maid servant’s voice brought Meng Tingyue back to her senses.

She smelled the bitter herbal medicine and slightly furrowed her brows.

“What kind of medicine is this?”

The maid servant was about to reply when Shen Yunheng’s voice preceded hers.

“This is medicine to prevent wind-cold. I’ve noticed you coughing these past two days, so I specially ordered the kitchen to prepare it.”

“Drink it. I don’t want someone coughing in my ear all day. If you infect me, it will only affect my ability to handle official duties.”

Upon hearing this, the sadness and momentary touch of emotion that had appeared in Meng Tingyue’s heart vanished. Her gaze lingered between Shen Yunheng’s face and the herbal medicine.

She reluctantly picked up a small bowl of medicine juice, and each sip seemed to be a silent struggle against her inner resistance, until the bowl was empty.

Afterward, she almost eagerly grabbed three pieces of candied fruit and stuffed them into her mouth, using the sweetness to dispel the lingering bitterness in her mouth.

Her gaze fell back on Shen Yunheng. He was completely focused on the official duties on his desk, his profile picturesque, but still unable to conceal his innate nobility and aloofness.

Meng Tingyue secretly grumbled to herself: If you’re really afraid of being infected, don’t sleep here. In the vast Crown Prince’s Mansion, is there a shortage of beds for His Highness’s precious body to rest?

Don’t tell me the Crown Prince is picky about beds and can’t sleep if he changes beds. If he were really picky about beds, he wouldn’t have slept in the study these past few days.

After much thought, Meng Tingyue came to only one conclusion—the Crown Prince was looking for trouble.

Shen Yunheng had already noticed the undisguised gaze. He slightly turned his head, his gaze sharp, piercing Meng Tingyue. “Do you have something to say to me?”

“How could I? Your Servant would not dare.” Meng Tingyue smiled, her smile perfunctory and insincere.

“You seem quite daring.”

“Husband must be busy with official duties recently and a little restless, right? You’re having these kinds of hallucinations. Why don’t you let Your Servant take your pulse, so you won’t worry unnecessarily, or be affected by the wind-cold I may have inadvertently passed on to you.”

Meng Tingyue emphasized the words “wind-cold.”

Shen Yunheng looked at her for a while and, under Meng Tingyue’s gaze, gave an unexpected answer, “Good.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Tingyue tilted her head slightly, a flash of surprise in her eyes, suspecting she had misheard. “Husband trusts me so much?”

Her slightly clumsy action fell into Shen Yunheng’s eyes. The intense darkness in his eyes seemed to soften somewhat. He nodded regally, turning his wrist to allow Meng Tingyue to examine him.

Meng Tingyue was not afraid. She took a soft cloth from the side, carefully placing it under Shen Yunheng’s wrist, her fingertips gently resting on his pulse.

At that moment, the woman’s fair and jade-like skin contrasted with the man’s slightly rough wheat-colored skin, forming a vivid and vibrant picture, inadvertently touching Shen Yunheng’s heartstrings.

His gaze involuntarily followed her nimble hands to her slightly exposed neck, as white as congealed fat, finally stopping on her small and delicate face, which seemed no bigger than his palm.

Shen Yunheng’s profound gaze fell upon her face, as if seeing a familiar person through her.

Meng Tingyue felt uncomfortable being looked at like that, so she lowered her eyelids and focused on taking his pulse.

Shen Yunheng’s health was worse than it was on the day of their grand wedding.

Meng Tingyue slowly withdrew her hand from his wrist, her expression serious, her words carrying an unquestionable seriousness. “Your Highness already suffers from mania. The slightest emotional fluctuation is like adding fuel to a fire, only making the condition worse.”

“May I ask Your Highness, have you been taking the medicine to calm the mind and soothe the spirit on time recently?”

A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Yunheng’s eyes, then he nodded slightly. “Recently, state affairs have been cumbersome, and I have occasionally neglected it, sometimes forgetting.”

Meng Tingyue frowned slightly upon hearing this, her words revealing a hint of displeasure and concern. “With Your Highness’s current physical condition, that medicine must be taken strictly three times a day, without fail, to stabilize the condition. The slightest deviation will greatly reduce the efficacy.”

“Your Highness’s status is prominent, and emotional fluctuations are inevitable. Therefore, even if the medicine is taken, it’s as good as not taking it.”

“If Your Highness does not cherish your body like this, even if you handle the affairs of Great Zhou in an orderly manner now, His Majesty will grow old one day. When state affairs become even more burdensome, will Your Highness’s body be able to hold out until then?”

As a physician, the most disliked thing is a patient who does not cherish their body and does not take their medicine on time.

Even if she hated the bitter taste of the herbal medicine, for the sake of health, she would grit her teeth and take it on time.

The Crown Prince’s premature death in his past life was likely due to the fact that even an indestructible body couldn’t withstand such excessive consumption and neglect.

“I know my own physical condition.” Shen Yunheng said calmly.

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue’s anger grew stronger. “Your Servant dares to say this, but throughout history, many emperors died young because they did not know restraint in their youth, only regretting it in their old age.”

She paused slightly, her gaze sharp, continuing, “The former dynasty, which was once glorious, didn’t it gradually lose its foundation and finally collapse into dust because it was eroded by internal pests for a long time?”

“The human body is no different.”