"Your Majesty, I’ve brought tea for you." Zhou Shengsheng called softly as she approached Ming Siran’s private tent.
"Come in," a deep male voice responded from inside the tent.
Ming Siran had not brought Hai Shan with him this time, only his guard, Li Rong.
Even though Zhou Shengsheng was here to treat his illness, her primary role was still that of a palace maid, so serving Ming Siran was her duty.
It was at this moment that she secretly decided that in her next life, she would definitely be a carefree princess who would be waited on hand and foot.
[Ah Fat, is this thing really effective if added to the tea?] Zhou Shengsheng placed the teacup on the table and stepped aside.
Ming Siran, who had been reading, paused and glanced at the teacup beside him.
[Don’t worry, Shengsheng. I’ve checked. Besides injection, it can be consumed directly. However, this virus is much more expensive than the treatment serum.]
Zhou Shengsheng looked at her dwindling points, feeling as though her heart was bleeding.
It’s fine, it’s for the plot, she comforted herself.
Even though he knew the tea was poisoned, Ming Siran still drank it. Before the tea touched his lips, he said slowly, "After we return, you’ll go back to the Zhu Kingdom."
Zhou Shengsheng lowered her head and acknowledged the order.
She would be returning a few days earlier than expected.
[Great!] She secretly cheered in her heart, giving herself a mental thumbs-up (＾－＾)V.
The bitter tea seemed to make his chest ache. Did she really not want to stay by his side?
That night, the camp was bustling with activity, and Zhou Shengsheng was abruptly pulled out of bed by Li Rong.
"What’s wrong, Guard Li?" She pretended not to know, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
Li Rong, however, looked grave. "Miss Shengsheng, something has happened to His Majesty."
The two hurried to Ming Siran’s tent.
Imperial Physician Zhang, wearing a simple isolation suit, came out, looking exhausted. "It’s smallpox..."
This single sentence drained all the color from Li Rong’s face.
"How could this be..." she stammered.
"Now, we must find someone to take care of His Majesty. Miss Shengsheng, do you know anything about smallpox?"
Imperial Physician Zhang looked at Zhou Shengsheng with hope in his eyes.
Zhou Shengsheng pretended to think. "I’ll need some time."
Li Rong, aware of her abilities, also looked at her expectantly.
"Miss Shengsheng, you go and research. I’ll take care of His Majesty," she said with a sense of duty that moved everyone present.
At this critical moment of life and death, Guard Li had stepped forward to serve His Majesty. What a loyal servant!
Zhou Shengsheng, however, was stunned.
No, you can’t!
If you go, what will Jiang Zhiyu do?
"No! Guard Li!" Zhou Shengsheng suddenly raised her voice, startling everyone.
Li Rong quickly responded, "No! Miss Shengsheng! I can do it!" Mainly because you’ll definitely cure him, and I can earn some favor with His Majesty!
"Guard Li, I only have a thirty percent chance of curing smallpox. As His Majesty’s trusted aide, you must not risk yourself at this time!" Zhou Shengsheng advised earnestly.
Hearing that she only had a thirty percent chance, Li Rong suddenly felt a wave of fear.
"Miss Shengsheng, you’re right. But His Majesty can’t be left alone. Who will take care of him?" She quickly took the opportunity to step back.
Zhou Shengsheng smiled slightly. She had been waiting for this.
No one saw where she pulled the person from, but by the time they realized it, a stunningly beautiful girl stood before them, still rubbing her sleepy eyes.
Li Rong’s lips moved slightly. "Miss Shengsheng, are you sure about letting Miss Jiang do this?" Can she even take care of people?
"Don’t worry, Miss Jiang’s feelings for His Majesty are as vast as heaven and earth!" Zhou Shengsheng said with a fist pump.
While Jiang Zhiyu was sleeping, Zhou Shengsheng had secretly given her a vaccine. Even if the entire camp were infected, she would be perfectly fine.
Products from the interstellar era were just that reliable.
In the end, Jiang Zhiyu was forced into a protective suit, given a long list of instructions, and pushed into Ming Siran’s tent.
In the original story, Jiang Zhiyu had taken care of Ming Siran tirelessly for two days and two nights, and he miraculously recovered.
Now, since Ming Siran had smallpox and not the plague, it was unlikely he would recover naturally. Zhou Shengsheng could only "develop" the cure after two days.
Two days were neither long nor short, but for the imperial physicians who were on edge every moment, it was excruciating.
Zhou Shengsheng had it even worse. Every few minutes, a physician would come in to check on her progress, making it impossible for her to slack off. Even comforting Jiang Zhiyu had to be done secretly.
Tomorrow would be the final day. Zhou Shengsheng quietly slipped into Ming Siran’s tent.
Jiang Zhiyu had already fallen asleep.
She had no idea how to take care of someone, so Zhou Shengsheng had to teach her everything, even coming in at night to wipe Ming Siran’s body herself.
Burning with fever, Ming Siran opened his eyes groggily and saw the distinct red mole under the lamplight.
He knew it was Zhou Shengsheng.
When people are sick, they become particularly vulnerable, even regressing to a childlike state.
"It hurts..." he mumbled.
His usually sharp eyes were now clouded with the haze of prolonged fever, and his pale face made him look pitiful.
It suddenly reminded Zhou Shengsheng of Little Ming.
Perhaps Ming Siran had truly been like Little Ming when he was young.
"Shengsheng... it hurts." Seeing her ignore him, Ming Siran called out urgently.
Zhou Shengsheng continued to ignore him, focusing on wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Pursing his lips, he realized she was determined not to respond.
If she had poisoned him, why not just kill him? Why go through the trouble of using another woman as a cover while secretly taking care of him herself?
In his feverish state, Ming Siran couldn’t understand.
She didn’t kill him because he was the male lead and couldn’t die.
She took care of him personally because she was afraid someone would notice Jiang Zhiyu’s lack of experience and punish her.
Everything she did had nothing to do with Ming Siran.
After finishing her tasks, Zhou Shengsheng put everything down and turned to leave without hesitation, but a weak, burning hand grabbed hers.
"Shengsheng... don’t go," the man on the bed said hoarsely.
Zhou Shengsheng gently pulled her hand away and said calmly, "Your Majesty, go to sleep. You’ll be better tomorrow."
After tucking Jiang Zhiyu in, she left without looking back.
---
Two days later, after Zhou Shengsheng’s "hard work," the cure for smallpox was finally ready.
The imperial physicians were overjoyed. In one trip, two of humanity’s greatest threats had been solved. What a joyous occasion!
After Ming Siran recovered, he never summoned Zhou Shengsheng again, even seeming to avoid her. Instead, he kept Jiang Zhiyu by his side.
Zhou Shengsheng often heard Jiang Zhiyu’s cries and Ming Siran’s angry shouts from the carriage.
Sigh, the sweet couple from the original story could only exist in the original story. Now, their relationship was more like a Husky and a German Shepherd fighting—utter chaos.
She had thought she would be able to pack up and return to the Zhu Kingdom soon after returning to the palace, but an unexpected visitor disrupted her plans.
