Chapter 23: He Seemed as If Scalded

When Liu Lu led Nanny An to the west side chamber, they were met with the disheveled sight of Xia Nianchu slumped on the floor.

Nanny An was bewildered. "Miss, why have you fallen?"

Deep down, Xia Nianchu was filled with resentment. She hated how heartless her cousin, the Heir, had been toward her. She had wanted to offer herself to him—why couldn't he have accepted her with a smile? With her looks and figure, how many men yearned to possess her?

Her eyes brimming with tears, she spoke in a delicate, tremulous voice, "I tripped by accident."

Her plan to compromise the Heir had failed once again. Unable to pin him down, she felt a bitter, agonizing sting in her heart.

Liu Lu had not expected that bringing Nanny An here would result in this. Hadn't her mistress told her to bring the nanny to "catch them in the act"? Seeing her mistress in such a state, she wondered if the Heir had driven her out.

"Has the Heir really disappeared?" Nanny An was not concerned with Xia Nianchu; she only worried about the Heir's safety.

Liu Lu explained that she had searched the entire area around the west wing without finding him, which was why she had come to fetch the nanny.

"I searched all around the west wing and could not find Cousin Heir. However, the door to the west side chamber is closed, and there is no sound from within. I wonder if he is inside," Xia Nianchu said, her voice choked with emotion.

She was truly devastated; a golden opportunity had slipped through her fingers once more.

Nanny An knocked on the door of the west side chamber. Shortly after, the Heir’s raspy voice drifted from inside: "Nanny An, I am resting here. Do not disturb Grandmother; I do not want her to worry."

Nanny An found this strange. She wondered how someone as prudent as the Heir could be resting in the west side chamber. However, she dared not question the business of her master.

"As long as the Heir is well, this old servant shall withdraw." Not daring to ask further, she prepared to lead the others away.

Liu Lu dared not speak, only glancing at her mistress, but Xia Nianchu shook her head at her.

Seeing that Xia Nianchu and her maid were still standing there, Nanny An asked in confusion, "Is the young miss not leaving?"

Xia Nianchu recalled that Shen Shuyi and her maid were in a deep sleep, and the more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. Feeling disgruntled, she decided to drag Shen Shuyi into the fray. "Nanny An, I am worried about Cousin Shen. When I went to visit her just now, I found both her and A-Jian in a deep sleep, unable to be woken. Could something have happened to them?"

Most importantly, why was Cousin Heir on the bed in the west side chamber?

Nanny An’s eyes flickered. "I shall go and see."

She entered the west wing. Seeing A-Jian lying on the floor, she was shocked and tried to rouse her, but the maid was fast asleep, clearly having lost consciousness. As for Miss Shen, she had been sleeping a lot lately, so it was not particularly strange for her to be in a deep slumber.

The other maids and matrons were also baffled by the scene. As they were whispering among themselves, Pei Dongzhou’s voice rang out: "Send for the mansion physician to examine Cousin Shen."

Xia Nianchu turned and met Pei Dongzhou’s tired, handsome face. The Heir’s temperament was truly changeable; this languid air actually made him look somewhat like her fourth cousin. Only, her fourth cousin was gloomy, while the Heir was indolent and decadent.

Nanny An felt that something was amiss with Pei Dongzhou. "Is the Heir feeling unwell?"

Pei Dongzhou’s gaze landed on the open window. "I am fine," he said slowly.

At most, he felt a weakness throughout his body and a strong desire to find a bed and lie down. The incense must have been incredibly potent to knock him out in such a short time. If not for his unique constitution, he would not have woken up so quickly.

He looked at the incense that had burned down to ashes. Was it lit by accident, or was it aimed at him? He remembered the window being shut tight earlier; now that it was open, was it the work of Cousin Xia? And were Shen Shuyi and her maid truly in a deep sleep, or were they feigning it?

Xia Nianchu was gazing at Pei Dongzhou infatuatedly when he suddenly looked over. The man gave her a gentle smile, causing her heart to race and her face to flush crimson.

Pei Dongzhou stood beside Xia Nianchu and asked nonchalantly, "Was the window opened by you, cousin, or by Xia Liu?"

Xia Nianchu was still lost in the warmth of his smile. "I did not open the window."

Liu Lu, standing nearby, added honestly, "This servant did not open it either."

The smile on Pei Dongzhou’s face faded. If it wasn’t Xia Nianchu or her maid, and Nanny An and the others had just arrived, then who had opened the window?

Watching the Heir’s expression grow increasingly cold, Xia Nianchu stepped back cautiously. "Are you alright, Cousin Heir?"

Pei Dongzhou regained his composure. "I am quite well."

He could not be better. He had been drugged time and time again, and this time, it happened right in Grandmother’s He Shou Hall. He clearly remembered collapsing on Cousin Shen’s bed, yet he regained consciousness in the west side chamber. The woman with the greatest motive was currently in a deep sleep, leaving him with no way to confront her.

Aside from Shen Shuyi, he could think of no one else with a motive to drug him. But if she had intended to force a union to become the Heir’s wife, why would she have moved him to the west side chamber instead of taking advantage of the situation?

Xia Nianchu was also curious about what had happened. She asked in a low voice, "Was Cousin Shen also asleep when you arrived, Cousin Heir?"

Pei Dongzhou looked at A-Jian on the floor. "Indeed."

Xia Nianchu wanted to ask why he had looked so drugged earlier, but she dared not.

"When did you arrive at He Shou Hall, Cousin Xia?" Pei Dongzhou made small talk.

Xia Nianchu quickly distanced herself. "Only a moment ago. I heard that Cousin Shen was unwell, so I came to visit. I never expected to find A-Jian on the floor as soon as I entered." She certainly could not admit she had come for him.

Pei Dongzhou went to the bed and leaned over to look at the sleeping Shen Shuyi. He checked her breath; it was steady and full of life—perhaps even stronger than before. When his gaze accidentally landed on her lips, he suddenly felt they seemed less pale than before, even somewhat rosy. They looked as if...

The erotic, stimulating dream he had just had flashed into his mind without warning. Like a man burned, he jerked his hand back.

As Pei Dongzhou stared intensely at Shen Shuyi’s lips, the mansion physician arrived. Pei Dongzhou stepped aside to let him take her pulse.

After checking her pulse, the physician let out a surprised "Eh?" Disbelieving, he checked it again, only to find the same result.

Pei Dongzhou asked urgently, "Doctor Yang, has her condition taken a turn for the worse?"

"The young miss’s pulse is steady and full of strength—it is a miracle!" the physician replied excitedly. "I have never seen such a miracle in all my years! This is cause for celebration!"

Not only was Pei Dongzhou astonished, but everyone else looked at Shen Shuyi in disbelief. Nanny An was overjoyed. "Has the young miss recovered?"