The King went out of Beauty Feng's courtyard with a fierce face.

Xiao Bao was curious but not surprised. The same thing happened to Ping Junwang every time he crossed paths with Feng Yanyan. The young Xiao forgot that it was rare for Wangye to show this thunderous expression.

That day, all of the King's subordinates were wondering what kind of fool offended Wangye that her Highness hid inside her courtyard but sent out a message that could only be summarized as telling them to double their work.

Feng Yanyan was left in the room confused as hell what he did. He went from being mad to he didn't even know what this was.

His three maids were concerned after seeing Wangye storm off like that. But when they entered the room, the younger two immediately turned crimson.

Beauty Feng was short of looking ravaged. Well, that was an exaggeration.

His hair and lapels were messed up and there seemed to be a reddening mark on his neck.

Only JuZi was in her right mind. Her mentality was really strong.

The oldest palace maid approached Feng Yanyan and fixed his clothes.

"Young master... did Wangye for-"

Even before she could use the word force, Feng Yanyan shot up from his seat.

"Zizi, does it look like that?" His smile was the widest she had ever seen.

"I guess not."

Beauty Feng started laughing like a maniac and kept mumbling to himself.

"What in the world? I never knew I had that effect on her. AHAHAHAHAA! Oops I gotta stay quiet." But he was still giggling.

The maidens stifled their secondhand embarrassment as they watched him roll all over the couch like a worm.

In all of Suliang, there was only one Feng Yanyan who could laugh after angering Wan Li Wang like that.

"Young master..." Pu Tao had to douse his happiness with the harsh reality.

He stopped doing his worm-like dance moves and looked at the girl.

"What is it?"

"Just to let you know... her Highness came here without sleeping for days because she learned that you hid in your room and weren't eating."

Feng Yanyan lost the smile on his face.

"Ah, yes. Elder brother Li said that the doctor was surprised that Wangye wasn't running a fever and  still came here." Jiao added.

JuZi looked at the two younger maids. So while she was worrying about the young master, these two were gossiping with Eunuch Cheng. And they were now calling him Elder Brother?

"So young master should not act willfully all the time. Wangye is just too nice. Jiaojiao, go and heat the lunch earlier." She just ended it with this.

Young master Feng obediently ate the lunch served to him.

All the while, he was thinking 'Damn, was she delirious? That's why she did that?'

The next morning...

"Wangye, young master Feng is here." Someone called from the outside.

But the figure on the table kept her forehead propped up by her hand as though she wasn't hearing anything. The only thing in her eyes right now are the multitude of things to do.

In the dim room only lit by the single lamp on the desk, the King looked grim as ever as she read and wrote orders endlessly.

Outside, there was an evident worry on Cheng Li's face. His adoptive father, Chief Cheng Gong, left him in charge of Zhongqing at the orders of the King. The old eunuch would now focus on managing the whole wangfu and wouldn't have time to look after Zhongqing. 

When he saw Feng Yanyan arriving from a distance, the young eunuch looked as though he had seen a hero.

"Master Feng, you're here to visit her Highness?"

Feng Yanyan was overwhelmed by the sudden warm welcome. "Wait, Eunuch Cheng... are you sick? I'm not your father."

He tried pushing the eunuch away politely as the latter was almost kissing his face.

"No, this servant is not sick but... ah you must really help me. Come, follow this servant. You'll know when you see it."

The young eunuch half-dragged him inside Zhongqing and announced his presence. But nobody answered inside.

Beauty Feng was about to shrug and just leave when Cheng Li opened the door without permission. And... pushed him inside.

What in the world?

Feng Yanyan swallowed back a shrill scream. He swore he saw a ghost on wangye's table.

Sadako?!

But when he squinted, it was just Wan Li Wang hunching over her desk under dim lighting.

"W-wangye?" His voice cracked a bit.

What happened to her?

Sadako raised her head and Feng Yanyan was even more scared. If her Highness' face was already pale, it was like a blank sheet of paper now.

He almost tripped over his own feet trying to approach her. "Wangye, I don't think you're alright."

The King only replied with a zombie-like groan and was about to duck and work again. But Feng Yanyan held her forehead and hissed.

It was piping hot, he could probably fry an egg on her head.

Beauty Feng's heart beat spiked. Wan Li Wang could die at this rate.

"Cheng Li, call an Imperial Doctor now!" His voice boomed in a baritone he never knew he could achieve in this lifetime.

Outside, the young eunuch didn't even question the order. He already had a hunch that it was like this but he always remembered his godfather's advice to never preempt wangye. He knew that she would rage if he called a doctor without informing her first.

But now that Beauty Feng was here, he wouldn't worry about that anymore.

Meanwhile, King Wan Li was still fussing to keep doing the memorials. Feng Yanyan had to hold both sides of her face.

"You maniac, stop that! Do you think you're omnipotent?" He was both helpless and angry at her.

He swore he never thought how she lived all these years if this was how she treated her body.

Never in this life did he imagine he would hoist someone up and carry them but here he was.

The woman fought over dominance despite her weakened state and didn't want to part from her beloved work.

"Xuyi!" An annoyed gaze met soft dull ones.

She stopped fussing. A hint of clarity suffused her gaze. "Feng... Yanyan?"

"Be good. Stop working when you're sick."

"Ben dian can handle-"

Long Xu Le broke free from his grasp and tried to walk on her own. But not even three steps and her legs gave way. Warm hands caught her.

"See? Be good."

Worry laced Feng Yanyan's gaze. Her state was serious if she couldn't even stand on her own.

Since she refused to be carried, he had to bear all their weight together while walking.

"Lead me to your room."

When the doors opened, there was a panic-stricken Cheng Li. "T-the doctor will arrive soon."

Feng Yanyan just nodded. He didn't have the energy to talk. It was heavy! This woman, was she packed with lead inside instead of muscles and organs?

With great difficulty, they arrived at the King's chambers. Xiao Bao was already alerted of what was happening since Feng Yanyan entered her Highness' study.

He made sure no spy was inside Zhongqing right now. So even though Beauty Feng shouted earlier, no one could report the King's situation to Tanglin palace.

What Feng Yanyan also didn't know were the numerous eyes in the dark, following his every move. One single suspicious twitch from him and he will be killed.

It wasn't an overestimation because the only reason Beauty Feng was with her Highness right now was that King Wan Li herself didn't express dissatisfaction. Her body language was at ease with the mei ren.

They were all trained as hidden warriors who specialized in reading the room as much as they reduced their presence while honing their fighting skills. Wangye could still recognize the person in her delirious state. That spoke much about how the master trusted the person.

But Feng Yanyan didn't know his life was hanging by a thread. He was about to yell for someone to fetch water when a hand grabbed his arm.

"Don't... don't alert them." The hoarse voice was barely above a whisper but filled with conviction.

For a second, Feng Yanyan was frozen in place. This woman... she couldn't even get sick inside her own home without worrying that someone will tell her enemies?

"But I already yelled for the doctor earlier." He worried.

The ill King merely nodded her head. It looked like someone would take care of that.

"Alright, tell me where to get cool water."

After being pointed to the bathhouse, Feng Yanyan ran along. He realized what a sad life Wan Li Wang had led.

Always stoic, always perfect, always on guard. If he was put in her place, he would be insane in the first week.

Well, it was good that he was here. If not, he wondered if her Highness would just collapse inside her study without anyone knowing.

If the shadow guards knew what he was thinking, they would show up in front of him just to prove that Wangye was never alone in the fights she fought.

Several moments later...

When a middle-aged woman who was almost glowing with ethereal iridescence entered the King's chambers, she saw a beauty tending to her Highness. With hands on her back, she quietly approached.

"Cold water? Quick thinking, young lad." With a wizened voice, she uttered.

Feng Yanyan was surprised by this presence but realized she might be the doctor. But why was the doctor looking like she got the best swag in this whole goddamn universe? 

Her hair pulled up in a bun had streaks of gray here and there but the way she dressed and carried herself made someone think that she was a celestial.

---
Oh boy, there will be new characters introduced in the next few chapters!

Edited: Feb. 17, 2023