Feng Jin continued to sigh, then turned her head away directly. “The more you know about this matter, the more worried you’ll become. I’ve already prepared the medicine for you, but you refuse to take it. You insist on getting to the bottom of things, only to suffer in the end.”
Chu Chenyi slumped onto the chair as if he had lost all strength. His heart felt like it was being fried in a hot oil pan; the discomfort was unbearable.
He had anticipated such an answer when he arrived, but he had still held onto a sliver of hope, which gave him the courage to come. Now, his disappointment was as great as his hope had been.
Lin Yuwei’s bright, delicate face immediately fell. Her eyes darted around, her expression shifting from initial shock to disbelief, then slowly to acceptance, and finally, to resignation.
After all, their marriage was a bestowed imperial decree. When Chu Chenyi was crippled, she had obediently married him. Now, even if Chu Chenyi had an hidden ailment, or even if he were to die this very instant, she couldn’t divorce him. After much thought, all she could do was accept her fate. Why else would she be burdened with such misfortune?
Having adjusted her mindset, Lin Yuwei managed a strained smile. “Sister Feng Jin, then… then is there any way to cure this illness?”
Sister Feng Jin had even managed to save someone who was on the brink of death. Chu Chenyi, who had been crippled, was now as healthy as ever. She was certain he could cure Chu Chenyi’s illness this time.
“This…” She had only intended to scare Chu Chenyi, not realizing she had actually tricked Lin Yuwei.
“Sister Feng Jin, please tell me the truth. I can accept it.”
Since the matter was already decided, she had no chance to go back on her word. She could only choose to accept the reality.
The worst outcome would be that Chu Chenyi’s illness could never be cured in this lifetime, and there was no worse ending than that.
“Yuwei, you must think carefully. If it is truly so, then the rest of your life…”
Chu Chenyi finally came to his senses and heard what Feng Jin had said. He stared intently at Lin Yuwei, eagerly awaiting her next answer, his heart clenched as he waited for the final outcome.
“I… I…” Lin Yuwei hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I… I’ve thought it through. No matter the result, I will accept it.”
Hearing Lin Yuwei’s answer, Chu Chenyi slowly breathed a sigh of relief. At least they wouldn’t part ways immediately, which was a good thing.
“Alright then. Since your mind is made up, I can’t say much more. As for Prince Jing’s illness, it’s not that it cannot be cured.”
Chu Chenyi’s eyes immediately lit up as he stared at Feng Jin. “Can it truly be cured?”
“If Prince Jing doubts me, then you don’t have to let me treat you. You can find another expert. I naturally won’t stop you.”
With that, Feng Jin stood up, preparing to leave. Chu Chenyi immediately stopped her. “Wait… I believe you. I naturally believe you.”
“Sister Feng Jin, don’t be like this fool. He’s just dim-witted. He certainly doesn’t mean to disbelieve you. Sister Feng Jin, please be magnanimous and help him by treating him properly.”
Lin Yuwei glared fiercely at Chu Chenyi, as if to blame him for speaking carelessly. “Why don’t you quickly apologize to Sister Feng Jin!”
Chided, Chu Chenyi paused for a moment. When he came to his senses, he still couldn’t face her directly and mumbled vaguely, “Sorry…”
“Did Prince Jing just speak? I don’t think I heard anything. Could my ears be malfunctioning?”
Feng Jin rubbed her ear, pretending not to have heard, and looked at Chu Chenyi with a feigned question.
“Why don’t you speak louder? Who can hear you mumbling like that?”
Lin Yuwei shouted, nudging Chu Chenyi hard with her elbow and signaling him with her eyes to hurry.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Chenyi wiped his face and shouted at Feng Jin, “Sorry, it was this Prince’s fault!”
“That’s more like it. Alright… Since I’m so magnanimous, I’ll reluctantly forgive you this time.” Having received a satisfactory answer, Feng Jin generously forgave Chu Chenyi.
“Yuwei, come in with me. I’ll write a prescription for Prince Jing to take.”
“Okay…” Lin Yuwei nodded, then followed Feng Jin inside.
Seeing this, Chu Chenyi hesitated for a moment, then decided to follow. As he reached the doorway, he was rebuked by Feng Jin.
“This is my secret prescription. Only women should know it. If a man sees it, he will become infertile. Does Prince Jing still intend to follow us inside?”
Feng Jin stood still, looking provocatively at Chu Chenyi. If he insisted on going in, she wouldn’t stop him, but the consequences would be his own responsibility.
Knowing that he feared becoming infertile the most, Feng Jin deliberately used this to scare him.
Chu Chenyi’s foot, which had been stepping forward, stopped mid-air. He hesitated, then silently withdrew it. He didn’t care about going in.
Without another word, Chu Chenyi turned and left.
“You…”
Just as Lin Yuwei was about to speak and ask him to stay, Feng Jin grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into the room.
“I deliberately sent him away. There’s something important I need to tell you.”
After the two entered the room, Feng Jin ensured no one was outside before locking the door and then told Lin Yuwei everything about how she had deliberately deceived Chu Chenyi.
“What!” Lin Yuwei exclaimed in surprise. “Sister Feng Jin, then why did you deliberately lie to him? Even I was scared by what you said. Is Chu Chenyi really… really…”
Fortunately, it was all false, just a false alarm. The heavy stone that had been weighing on her heart finally lifted, and Lin Yuwei breathed a sigh of relief.
“I just wanted to scare Chu Chenyi. Who knew you would take it seriously? You still doubted my diagnosis that day.”
“It’s not that I doubted, but hearing you say that, I couldn’t help but worry. If Chu Chenyi were truly ill, then my entire life would be spent suffering with him.”
Feng Jin covered her mouth and chuckled. This girl was indeed naive, but she was also pure-hearted and kind, remaining devoted to Chu Chenyi even after learning of his illness.
“Sister Feng Jin, stop laughing. My heart is still unsettled. I was so worried!”
“Alright… alright, I won’t laugh. But this way, it’s for the best. At least it made Chu Chenyi believe he has an hidden ailment and personally witness your unwavering devotion…”