The Daily Life of a Concubine

Chapter 108

Hearing that there was no need to call anyone, Shihua felt her heart drop. She initially thought the Emperor would place great importance on Bai Jingxian, but it seemed it was nothing special after all. Indeed, in Shihua's eyes, the Emperor's lack of urgency to see Bai Jingxian indicated a lack of regard for her. Unfortunately, having never experienced romantic feelings, she did not understand what consideration truly meant.

Meanwhile, when Zhao Jinrui heard that Bai Jingxian was tired and resting, he thought about how she had been taking care of him and wanted her to rest a little longer. After drinking a cup of water, Zhao Jinrui sat up straight and, with a glance, saw her sleeping on the window bed. A smile unconsciously crept onto his face.

"What time is it?"

"Replying to the Emperor, it's past noon."

"Has He Fangyi had lunch yet?"

Shihua shook her head. "Not yet." Bai Jingxian had fallen asleep as soon as she arrived, with no time for a meal.

"Go and get a cloak to cover He Fangyi; be careful she doesn't catch a chill."

Hearing such caring words from the Emperor made Shihua feel somewhat uncomfortable. However, she understood her position and did not dare to speak much. She quickly found a cloak and gently covered Bai Jingxian with it.

Bai Jingxian was a light sleeper and had been thinking about things; being covered by such a large item naturally woke her up.

"It's you. Has the Emperor woken up?" Her voice was soft, laced with the drowsiness of just waking, yet her words conveyed concern for the Emperor.

"Replying to Your Highness, the Emperor just woke up."

Caught between the two, Shihua felt it was hard to lie and could only speak honestly. Bai Jingxian uncovered the cloak and got up.

"Emperor, do you still have a fever?" She immediately checked his temperature as she approached the bed.

Upon checking, she realized that the Emperor's fever had indeed subsided. What progress was this? When the three children had fevers, they lasted three or four days before their fevers went down after developing the pox. Surely he couldn't be breaking out in pox already?

"Emperor, quickly take off your clothes." Bai Jingxian anxiously began to help him remove his clothing.

This action startled Zhao Jinrui, who grabbed her hand. "What's wrong? Isn't it a good thing that I'm not feverish anymore?" Yet, seeing her anxious demeanor made him feel something was off.

Bai Jingxian had no time to explain. "Shihua, hurry and call for the imperial physician." She broke free from his grip, pushed aside his clothing, and indeed, upon seeing the pox on his body, she took a deep breath.

"The Emperor is in good health." She sincerely praised him. Her guesses had come true, and she couldn't help but express her surprise.

Zhao Jinrui, still in a daze, asked, "You should tell me what's going on."

Seeing how well she understood the progress of the smallpox, he knew she had taken good care of the three children.

"You've worked hard." At this moment, he didn't dare embrace her, especially since he had blisters on his body.

"It's not hard; they are all my children." She smiled gently.

The physician arrived quickly and was astonished to see the blisters on the Emperor's body.

"How could it be so fast?" The physician was confused, but he didn't dare delay in taking the Emperor's pulse. After a while, he called in another physician.