She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Zhao Yi couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking after listening to that kind of play at the Dream Pavilion today.

What will they do next?

He lay stiffly on the bed, holding his breath and waiting for her to make a move.

Hearing a rustling sound nearby, Zhao Yi couldn't help but turn his head to look.

Her hand emerged from under the covers, pulling the blanket to her chest, revealing half of her fair arm, which shone brightly in the dim night.

"Water." Shen Qingtan's throat was parched, her head was spinning, and she felt weak all over. She mumbled, "Liuyue... I want to drink water."

Zhao Yi noticed that she couldn't open her eyes, her voice was slightly hoarse, and she was coughing uncomfortably.

He threw back the covers, got out of bed, went to the table, lit the oil lamp, and poured a glass of warm water.

Liu Yue was keeping watch outside when she heard movement inside the house, so she stood by the window and asked, "Second Master, has Second Madam woken up?"

"Yes, she wants to drink water."

"Second Master, Second Madam doesn't have a high alcohol tolerance, so she must be a little drunk. Once she falls asleep, the alcohol kicks in and she feels very uncomfortable, and she's not very clear-headed, unlike when she's sober."

Liu Yue's words were somewhat vague, but she suggested, "Why don't you go sleep in the study, and I'll stay here tonight to take care of you, Second Mistress?"

Zhao Yi refused, saying, "No need, I'll take care of her."

“Second Madam never drinks alcohol, except for two cups of wine at her coming-of-age ceremony, when she was drunk. When she is sick and delirious with fever, she is very uncomfortable and her condition is different from when she is sober.” Liu Yue paused for a moment and explained, “It is probably a habit she developed from being pampered as a child… Please bear with her.”

"it is good."

Zhao Yi guessed that Shen Qingtan would be more boisterous, because she was usually too calm and never panicked no matter what happened.

"Liu Yue..."

Shen Qingtan propped herself up and sat up, her eyes glazed as she looked in the direction Liu Yue was speaking.

When Zhao Yi saw that she had woken up, he quickly walked to the bedside and handed her a glass of water.

Shen Qingtan's vision was blurry and doubled. Instead of taking the cup, she pulled his wrist and leaned in to drink the water from his hand.

Zhao Yi's hand trembled uncontrollably, his gaze fixed intently on the top of her head.

After drinking the water, Shen Qingtan felt much better. She cleared her throat and coughed.

Zhao Yi asked in a low voice, "Would you like to drink more?"

Upon hearing Zhao Yi's voice, Shen Qingtan asked in confusion, "Second Master?"

Zhao Yi gave a soft "hmm".

Shen Qingtan looked up at him, her mind filled with the image of the scholar buying rouge from a woman in a rouge shop.

With hazy eyes, she asked, "Do you want to buy rouge?"

Zhao Yi: "..."

The cup in my hand almost slipped and fell to the ground.

"I……"

"I'm not buying, I'm going to sleep."

Fearing she might say something shocking, Zhao Yi quickly interrupted her.

Hearing his somewhat fierce tone, Shen Qingtan's expression fell. She lay listlessly on the bed, as if she had suffered a great injustice. With her back to Zhao Yi, she pulled the blanket up to cover her head, intending not to pay any more attention to him.

Zhao Yi watched her retreating figure, which exuded an aura of "I'm angry" from head to toe, and couldn't help but rub his brow bone helplessly.

He placed the cup on the table, extinguished the oil lamp, and lay down beside her again.

Zhao Yi hadn't thought of what to say to apologize, and was worried that she would get bored, so he turned to her side and reached out to pull down the blanket covering her head.

The person in the bed suddenly turned her head, and her lips inadvertently brushed against the back of his hand.

A soft, tingling sensation surged through Zhao Yi's heart, his hand seemed to go numb, his deep gaze fixed on her moist red lips, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

The next moment, she hugged the arm that was stretched out in front of her, tilted her head slightly, and looked at him with her watery eyes: "If you coax me, I will forgive you for being mean to me."

Zhao Yi lowered his eyes to look at her delicate appearance, his stiff body relaxed, his eyebrows and eyes unconsciously softened, and he raised his other hand to gently stroke her smooth hair.

He said in a hoarse voice, "I didn't yell at you."

Shen Qingtan made a soft "hmm" sound, like a little kitten that had been stroked comfortably, hugged his arm tightly with both hands, and curled up to snuggle closer to him.

Zhao Yi gazed at her peaceful sleeping face, her rosy lips slightly upturned, as if he had soothed her.

This was the first time since they got married that she had been so close to him and so dependent on him, and his heart softened.

Zhao Yi pulled back his blanket and pulled her into his arms to make her more comfortable.

He had previously thought that Liu Yue meant she was troublesome, but he never expected her to become clingy, easily wronged, and very spoiled, needing to be coaxed and pampered.

The air was filled with her delicate fragrance, and Zhao Yi closed his eyes, finding it somewhat of a torment.

-

The next morning, a ray of sunlight shone through the window through the roof tiles into the room.

Shen Qingtan stretched her hand out from under the covers, rubbed her eyes and woke up. She was surprised to find herself sleeping on the edge of the bed, in Zhao Yi's bed, with her head resting on Zhao Yi's pillow.

She was stunned for a moment, her mind went blank, and she couldn't remember anything about what had happened last night.

Could it be that she got drunk last night and forcibly took over his bed?

Shen Qingtan's drowsiness vanished instantly. She abruptly threw off the covers, got out of bed barefoot, and searched for Zhao Yi.

She found no one in the inner room, so she went to the screen, but he was nowhere to be seen in the outer room either.

Just as Shen Qingtan was about to call Liuyue and Tingxue in, she heard a noise from the bathroom behind her. She turned around and saw Zhao Yi coming out, covered in steam.

He was wearing only a white undergarment, his dark hair was half-dry and scattered down his back, and he coughed a few times with the back of his hand to his lips.

Shen Qingtan pursed her lips, and seeing his tired expression from not having slept well all night, she felt even more guilty.

"I……"

"Put on your shoes." Zhao Yi looked down at her fair and delicate feet, frowned, took her embroidered shoes from the foot pedal, and placed them beside her feet: "The ground is cold, be careful not to catch a cold."

Shen Qingtan's cheeks flushed red. She scratched the ground with her toes, slowly put on her shoes, and muttered, "It's chilly in the morning. You're frail, why did you take a bath? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

"Cough cough...cough..." Zhao Yi coughed violently, his pale face turning red as if from the force of the cough. He frowned and asked, "Do you remember what happened last night?"

Shen Qingtan paused for a moment, then took a deep breath: "I took up half of your bed... I didn't mean to."

Zhao Yi asked, "Anything else?"

Shen Qingtan asked in surprise, "There's more?"

Zhao Yi: "..."

He saw her eyes widen in shock, then lower her eyelids as if deep in thought, and then frown in frustration because she couldn't remember.

Aside from last night, Zhao Yi had never seen her with such a rich array of expressions.

He said in a serious tone, "Well, you took my bed last night, and I stayed up all night watching over you. I have official business to attend to today, so I'll take a shower to wake myself up in the morning."

Feeling guilty, Shen Qingtan said with concern, "Then... then please ask the physician to take your pulse. Would you like some herbal soup or medicinal cuisine to help you recover?"

"No need, regular herbal medicine will suffice." Zhao Yi coughed lightly, changing the subject, "Aren't you going out today?"

Upon his reminder, Shen Qingtan suddenly remembered something: "Yes, I need to go back to the Marquis's residence today."

She glanced at the sky and called Tingxue and Liuyue in to help her with her washing and grooming.

Zhao Yi watched her busy figure, no longer seeing the soft and clingy demeanor of last night, and felt a pang of regret.