Your Highness, your wife has had her virginity mark applied and married someone else.

As Wei Yuan entered the room, the atmosphere instantly became heavy.

Shen Mingshu subconsciously stood up and took a step back with some defensiveness.

"You... what brings you here?"

"..." Wei Yuan's eyes were dark and unreadable as he stared intently into Shen Mingshu's eyes.

"I'm bringing you food."

His voice was flat, as if it were truly only for this purpose.

Shen Mingshu looked at the tray filled with her favorite dishes and lowered her eyes slightly, saying, "Thank you."

"..."

The room immediately fell silent.

Wei Yuan's damp gaze seemed glued to Shen Mingshu's head, causing Shen Mingshu to unconsciously lower her face further and further.

"You can leave now."

As soon as she finished speaking, a strong pressure came over her. When Shen Mingshu looked up, she saw Wei Yuan standing in front of her. The low pressure around him made her feel a little breathless.

She took a step back, bumped into the corner of the table, stumbled and fell to the side of the table, and hurriedly blocked Wei Yuan who was constantly approaching.

"Don't—"

Her wrist was instantly gripped tightly, forcing Shen Mingshu to look at him.

Wei Yuan's eyes, red with tears, betrayed his brokenness: "If I hadn't come to find you, would you have never been prepared to explain?"

Her voice was low and hoarse, filled with grievance, like that of a pitiful person betrayed by a heartless man.

Shen Mingshu turned her face away, her eyes glistening with tears: "A-Yuan, you didn't lose out with this move."

"Don't you know how my mother died? You also felt sorry for my sister, didn't you?"

Wei Yuan seemed deaf to everything else, pressing her for an answer: "Shen Mingshu, are you really going to become the adopted daughter of my enemy?"

"..."

There are some things that Shen Mingshu is unwilling to say so explicitly.

But Wei Yuan's questioning had already labeled her as unrighteous and immoral.

Shen Mingshu sighed deeply, turned to look at him, and was about to speak when Wei Yuan leaned down and forcefully pulled her into his arms, yet then humbly explained.

"I don't blame you, Ming Shu. I won't blame you. As long as you say you had no choice, that this was just a temporary measure, I will believe you. I believe you completely, Ming Shu."

"..."

Shen Mingshu remained silent. Wei Yuan paused, tightened his grip on her arm, and reminded her in a hoarse voice.

"Ming Shu, the imperial examination is about to begin..."

"..." Shen Mingshu didn't want to disturb his exam preparation, but she also knew that it was better to say some things now than to escalate the situation later due to their entanglement.

"Ah Yuan, you shouldn't blame me in the first place."

Wei Yuan stiffened as Shen Mingshu pushed him away.

Shen Mingshu's eyes were clear, her tone gentle yet cold.

"I was there for you through the hardships of your scientific expedition. I also tried my best to support you when you chose to take on the responsibilities of the Guard. But you were the one who let me down first."

"You can marry other women, but I can't even touch other men."

"You may gain fame and fortune, but I cannot do anything to wrong you."

"Ah Yuan, you have never treated me as your wife."

"From beginning to end, all you've ever craved is the possession of me."

"No," Wei Yuan retorted with a morbid obsession, "Ming Shu, it's because I love you that I care about you so much."

Shen Mingshu: "If you love me, you will know not to do to others what you would not have them do to you."

Wei Yuan lowered his eyes: "Ming Shu, I have no other choice at this moment."

"I understand." Every word Shen Mingshu spoke seemed to carry a thousand pounds of weight: "But I also hope you understand that I had no other choice."

Both are seeking official positions and career advancement, so who has it harder than whom?

"..."

Wei Yuan looked up at Shen Mingshu, his eyes filled with a hazy gray that made it impossible to discern his emotions.

"Ming Shu, women cannot go far in officialdom. If you wish it this way, I will not force you."

"But you can only be mine."

……

night.

Seeing that the light in Shen Mingshu's room remained on for a long time, the servant softly reminded her, "Your Excellency, it's time to rest."

There was no response from inside the room. Just as the servant was about to remind him again, he caught a glimpse of Lu Yanzhi out of the corner of his eye. He was startled and was about to bow when Lu Yanzhi stopped him and waved for him to leave.

The servant glanced inside the room, then bowed and left.

inside the room.

It took Shen Mingshu a whole day to finish checking the book accounts. As she looked at the figures for money and grain recorded in the books, her vision became increasingly blurry.

Her head bobbed on the ground repeatedly; she was so exhausted that she finally slumped down.

Just as she was about to hit her head, a large hand steadily supported her face.

Lu Yanzhi chuckled helplessly, "We'll still keep pushing ourselves like this."

He gently lifted Shen Mingshu's face, carefully placed her on his shoulder, and tenderly lifted her up in his arms.

Every step I took toward the room was steady and precious.

Perhaps it was the chill of the night carried by Lu Yanzhi's clothes that made Shen Mingshu, who was feeling a bit stuffy from the candlelight, rubbed against the cool air.

The brocade fabric felt soft against her skin, and Shen Mingshu leaned against it comfortably, unwilling to leave even when she was put down.

Lu Yanzhi lowered his eyes to look at his outer robe, pondered for a moment, and took out a handkerchief from his pocket.

As they exchanged fingers, his fingertips touched the soft skin on Shen Mingshu's cheek, and he involuntarily stopped.

"Ah Shu—"

Lu Yanzhi called out with tenderness and affection, but suddenly realized something was wrong.

His gaze sharpened as he touched Shen Mingshu's forehead, and he was alarmed—she had a fever!

The headmaster urgently summoned the resident doctor overnight, thinking that some great scholar was dying. He didn't even have time to put on his shoes properly, and he even lost one of his shoes on the way.

Seeing that it was just the newly appointed supervisor who had a fever, he sadly touched his messy beard and said helplessly.

"Headmaster, if you call me that again, I will be the one in need of emergency care in the future."

Lu Yanzhi, feeling embarrassed and apologetic, took the shoes from the servant's hands and squatted down to return them to the host.

"I apologize, I was too hasty. But could you please take a look at the injury on her neck?"

When the chaplain saw that Lu Yanzhi had condescended to be there, his expression also became solemn.

The bruises on Shen Mingshu's neck looked terrifying against her fair skin.

But it's clear that there are signs of improvement, as the medication had already been applied.

The doctor in charge of the ward took her pulse: "Is there anything wrong with your voice, Your Excellency?"

Lu Yan was taken aback and looked at the servant who was attending to Shen Mingshu. The servant hurriedly said, "It's alright. The supervisor ate dinner normally and there's nothing wrong with her."

"Hmm... then the injury wasn't too deep. Applying medicine daily should be enough. It's just that the body's foundation is too weak."

The chaplain looked at Shen Mingshu's wrist, which could have been broken with a single pinch, and his expression was not good.

"The abbot must not work too hard and neglect his meals. His body is already depleted and he is currently only hanging on by a thread. If he continues to work so hard, even a small cold may take half his life in the future."

Lu Yanzhi knew that Shen Mingshu was unwell, but he didn't expect it to be this bad.

Didn't you take care of yourself when you went to see the miracle doctor with Wei Ziye?

Lu Yanzhi cupped his hands in greeting: "Please, sir, make your move."

The doctor stroked his beard and nodded, but his hand, which was taking the pulse, could not detect a clear and complete pulse. His brows furrowed tightly.

"Strange, why is this pulse so unusual?"

"..."