Fated Hearts [一笑随歌]

Chapter 34

Feng Xiyang lay quietly in bed, starting to fear the pale blue morning light that seeped through the window lattice at dawn. Daybreak meant that yesterday was gone, and another lonely day would sweep away another piece of her youthful vitality like the wind.

Her body was gradually recovering, but she still felt listless. Ever since Xia Jingshi left that day, he hadn't come back, and she couldn't bear to send someone to invite him again—he simply didn't care, and to pester him further would only bring humiliation upon herself.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she suddenly heard a commotion outside, the sound of hurried footsteps. Feng Xiyang instinctively tilted her ear to catch the faint words being spoken, "...coughing up blood... the physician..."

Coughing up blood. The physician. Who in the palace could be coughing up blood to cause such panic among the servants?!

Feng Xiyang suddenly sat up, and a sudden wave of dizziness accompanied by darkness overwhelmed her. She wobbled and fell off the bed. The maid who was standing guard outside heard the noise and pushed the door open to check, just in time to see Feng Xiyang struggling to get up from the floor.

The maid gasped in alarm and rushed over to help her up. "Your Highness, how did you fall?"

Feng Xiyang stood up with the maid's assistance but only grabbed her to ask, "Who is coughing up blood? I heard someone coughing up blood!"

The maid hesitated for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure, but judging by the situation, it should be His Highness..."

Before she could finish, Feng Xiyang had already flung her hand away and was running outside.

"Princess, put on a coat! Your shoes, too! Your body hasn't fully recovered; you can't catch a cold..." The maid shouted, grabbing the shoes from the floor and the plain silk cloak hanging by the bed as she chased after her.

Ignoring who she might bump into along the way, Feng Xiyang ran blindly through the corridors and pavilions. Several maids followed at a distance, their calls falling on deaf ears.

"So what if he doesn't care? Does such a minor setback make him forget all the promises he made to Father before our wedding?" Feng Xiyang thought dazedly, the wind whooshing past her ears.

She didn't know where he was, so she would find him herself. Once she found him, she would tell him face-to-face that no matter what he thought, she would never let go. Love, at its peak, was blind. One day, she would uproot Fu Yixiao from his heart completely.

Someone approached her from the front. Instinctively trying to dodge, she was a second too slow and collided heavily into them. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, restraining her. She struggled and screamed, "Let go of me! I need to see him!"

"I'll take you to see him," Xiao Weiran's calm voice reassured her. "But you need to go back and put on a coat."

Feeling a wave of relief, Feng Xiyang realized she was nearly exhausted. Had Xiao Weiran not been supporting her, she would have collapsed.

Insisting on not returning to her room, Feng Xiyang wrapped herself in the cloak the maid had brought and hurried after Xiao Weiran. He spoke no further, merely leading the way at a steady pace she could manage.

They passed through the inner halls of the palace, heading towards the study. The faint scent of perilla sandalwood, known for its invigorating properties, wafted in the air.

Feng Xiyang felt a jolt of energy and quickened her steps. Turning a corner, she wasn't surprised to see a crowd gathered outside the study, with many soldiers and servants anxiously standing on the stone steps, craning their necks to peer inside.