"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," Su Jing whispered into his ear, softly shouting along with her pushing motion.

  Zong Zhengjin slowly opened his eyes, still feeling a bit weak, "Fei'er"

  "I'm here," Su Jing said, grasping his hand, which felt somewhat warm and abnormal due to the high fever.

  The corners of his mouth rose, and his dimples sank slightly. "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell? Why don't you get up and take some medicine?"

  Zong Zhengjin nodded, wanting to get up, but didn't have much strength, and was somewhat dispirited.

  Su Jing seemed to have not seen anything, calling Su Shun Xian together, slowly helping him up, putting two soft pillows behind his back, sitting on the edge of the bed, picking up a bowl of medicine from one side, scooping out a spoonful to feed him.

  He didn't react, didn't open his mouth.

  Su Shun had just helped the Emperor up and then left, leaving the space for the two of them.

  Su Jingxi didn't get angry, and instead blew on the edge of the cup, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, it won't be too hot. Or rather, just like me, you're also very afraid of bitterness and don't dare to drink this medicine."

  With a somewhat worried expression, "It's just that the emperor doesn't dare, but I am not allowed to let the emperor have his way. Good medicine tastes bitter and is beneficial to the illness, the emperor will have to drink it anyway."

  Zong Zhengjin smiled lightly and nodded for her to bring over the medicine bowl. She drank it down in a few gulps.

  Su Jingxi saw that he was cooperating obediently and felt a little happy, picked up the handkerchief and wiped his mouth for him. "Your Majesty wants to have some honey sauce?"

  Zong Zhengjin shook his head, was he really being treated like a child?

  But this feeling isn't so bad, he hasn't been this vulnerable in a long time.

  He was rarely ill and took medicine infrequently, except for the first few years when his mother, the empress dowager, was alive; afterwards, no one ever coaxed him to take it.

  Apart from his mother, it was her.

  How many times was it because she broke the example, but how many times did she give him a different surprise.

  Su Jing swept her hand over and touched his forehead, still feeling some heat. "Your Majesty, let me help you wipe it again, after wiping it clean you'll feel more comfortable."

  "Talk with me," Zong Zhengjin didn't have the strength, and his words were incomplete, several words took a lot of effort from him.

  Su Jing smiled and said, "Your Majesty can ask me to say anything, but let me wipe you clean first."

  Zong Zhengjin didn't say another word, raised his hand wanting to touch her, but saw the rash on his own hands and listlessly wanted to put it down.

  Su Jing tightly grasped his hand, pressed the palm of his hand against her face, and gazed into each other's eyes. "I love you, no matter what you become, I won't be disgusted with you, because you are you."

  After finishing this sentence, the two people didn't speak for a long time and just kept looking at each other like that.

  Su Jingxi didn't feel embarrassed either, perhaps thinking that there wasn't much time left, and if she didn't speak up now, maybe she would never have the chance again. Speaking her mind wasn't hard, what was hard was that the other person happened to be willing to accept her feelings as well.

  But now, it's clear that none of these things matter anymore.

  After wiping him down, he put on a clean set of clothes again.

  Zong Zhengjin didn't say a word before going to sleep.

  Su Jingxiao was completely indifferent to this.

  How she does it has nothing to do with him, that's her choice.

  Days passed in a flash, and the two of them didn't discuss similar topics again. He didn't drive her away, so she chose to pretend not to know about other things.

  Perhaps because there were so many things to do every day, Su Jing felt that time passed very quickly. Every day, he would sit by his bed and say a lot of things in a disjointed manner, regardless of whether he listened or not, whether he responded or not, and even who he was talking to.

  He had a high fever every night, and Su Jing had to wake up in the middle of the night to wipe him down with alcohol several times, fearing that he would damage his brain due to her own negligence, which for him was worse than death.

  She originally thought she wouldn't wake up and specially asked Su Shuangxiang and Tingyao to call her, but every time it was time, she was more punctual than anyone else.

  Su Jingxiang attributed it to the power of love in a very exaggerated way.

  "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the Emperor has already entered the third stage. Fortunately, there are no blisters on His Majesty's face, and therefore, there will be no scarring afterwards. The skin is red, swollen, and the rash has turned into yellow pus. This stage is also more prone to sudden fever, so we need to be even more careful."

  Dr. Zhang paused for a moment, "This period of time is the most difficult to get through, but after getting through this period of time, it will be the fourth stage, and after scabbing over, you will be able to leave the danger zone."

  Whether it's a happy ending or not, success or failure, all depends on these few critical days.

  Most people can't hold on at this time either.

  Su Jing heard the words and seemed to see a glimmer of hope, not discouraged, she leaned over to the person on the bed, joyfully saying, "Your Majesty, did you hear that? If we can just get through these next few days, everything will be fine."

  Su Jingxiang didn't care whether he had listened or not, and continued to say, "I believe that Your Majesty can get through this, you definitely can."

  Zong Zhengjin's eyelids moved slightly, but he didn't open his eyes or speak.

  Su Jing knew he must be extremely uncomfortable, but she had no way to help him. Many times, unless one has personally experienced it, they can't discover that many things are not just a matter of words, and language is so pale and powerless.

  She traced the outline of his face with her hand, smoothed out his eyebrows, leaned in close to his ear and said, "Your Majesty, don't give up, for the sake of your concubine and Ju'er."

  His body showed no signs of abating fever, but Su Jing didn't want to give up and continued to insist on repeatedly wiping him down.

  These past few days, she has been sleeping very little, and under her eyes, a faint shadow has appeared that cannot be stopped. She doesn't even have the energy to take care of herself, single-mindedly thinking about how to help him hold on.

  This process, even if she didn't experience it personally, must be extremely painful.

  A man who was normally strong and decisive, standing tall and firm on the ground, yet due to the torment of illness, furrowed his brow and clenched his fists time and again.

  Because she hadn't noticed before, he had been holding on too tightly, to the point where his fingernails had dug into her flesh, leaving streaks of blood. She took it upon herself to cut all of his fingernails off.

  At night she fell asleep, also lying on his bedside and not going to the couch, both hands holding his hand, as long as he had a little reaction, she could wake up.

  Zong Zhengjin woke up to find her wiping him with great effort, and there was no one else beside her.

  Zong Zhengjin didn't want to guess either, why she didn't want others to be here, because he didn't need to think, he knew that she must not want to show her weak side in front of others, even if he wasn't very concerned about it.

  Or maybe I used to care, but now I don't care as much anymore.

  She is actually not virtuous, nor obedient, and even more disobedient. However, her every frown and smile, her every move, somehow pleased him, and he unknowingly placed her in his heart.

  He is an emperor, he knows that he cannot truly put her in his heart, can spoil her, can indulge her, but alone cannot love her, cannot be moved emotionally, and even more cannot be moved to the core.

  This is not allowed.

  The result of his forced actions was like that of his parents, loving in vain and dying in agony.

  If the person lying here is his father, then his mother must also be like her, guarding him by his side.

  But on the contrary, if the person lying here was the Empress Dowager, his father, the Emperor, would not have treated her in the same way as the Empress Dowager did to her, although it was cruel, but that was his father.

  But if the person lying here was her, he didn't know how to choose for the first time, he wasn't his father emperor, nor was he his mother empress.

  She would die for him, but he wouldn't die for her.

  Perhaps, therefore, he would not live well, but he would live.

  "If I die," Zong Zhengjin said as she looked over, her eyes extremely disapproving, yet he persisted in saying, "you must live on."

  Even if I die, I hope you can live on.

  Live for me.

  "If you can, go to that Jiangnan water town, I believe you will like it there," Zong Zhengjin didn't know where he got the strength to say so many words.

  Su Jingxi did not cry, nor did she smile, her face calm as she gazed at him, "I will die before the Emperor."

  If she had to die, she would absolutely not die after him.

  Whether he can survive this time or not.

  Zong Zhengjin was somewhat disheartened. She was always too persistent about certain things, no matter how many times she was told otherwise, she would only insist on what she wanted to insist on.

  Perhaps it was because of her personality that no matter how much others advised her not to fall in love with him, she still fell deeply in love with him and refused to let go.

  Even if it's death, I won't be able to.

  Perhaps such a temperament is too strong, too stubborn, but that's her, that's his her.

  "Then go die," Zong Zhengjin said somewhat irritably.

  Su Jing heard his childish words and wanted to laugh, but endured it. "If I die, will the Emperor be sad?"

  Having said that, he didn't wait for his response and carried the basin of water out.

  Zong Zhengjin's gaze followed her, if she died, would he be sad?

  It's natural to feel sad.

  How can I not be sad?

  So as not to make himself sad, he should get better too.

  There are so many reasons for him to get better, what reason is there not to hold on?

  In the third stage, it was indeed more violent than before. He had been dizzy for two days, including taking medicine and fluid food, all of which were fed to him by Su Jing one bit at a time.

  Ever since then, after someone helped him up, she didn't want anyone to stay and disturb them, even more so, she didn't want others to sympathize with him in front of her.

  He doesn't need it, she doesn't need it either.

  She believes he will get better.

  Never had he been so wretched before, for the first time being weak in front of her, regardless of whether he was aware or not, regardless of whether he cared or not, she didn't think it was worth it.

  From start to finish, she never thought of asking him why he suddenly contracted smallpox.

  From start to finish, she just wanted him to get better soon, as for other things, they were not important.

  "You must get better, I'll be with you."

  I will be with you till death do us part.

  Palace Concubine (Yi Shu)

  Gong Shu