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Having arrived at the “damn idiot’s” chambers, Suiren quickly opened the door and stepped aside in order to let Maomao in. The very first thing the apothecary spotted, was the bed with the young noble lying in it and Gaoshun standing beside him, who immediately turned his head into her direction as soon as he heard her enter. The aide was as composed as usual, however also wore a deeply concerned expression on his face. Which was understandable, since the young lord was almost like a son to him. The only illumination in the room was the flickering light of a few candles, which only managed to intensify the oppressive atmosphere hanging in the air and allowed the darkness of the evening place itself like a heavy stone onto the souls of the people present there. A brazier was producing a pleasant warmth, but Maomao noticed that Jinshi was still trembling under his blanket as if he was standing barefoot under an icy downpour. “I’m glad you came, Xiaomao.” The aide took a few steps towards her. “Could you please take a look at him?” “What happened, exactly?” she inquired, approaching the bed. “Lady Suiren told me that he suddenly collapsed.” “That’s right. He just finished his bath, and I wanted to have a brief talk with him about tomorrow’s work, before he goes to sleep. And as he intended to move on to the couch for that, his knees suddenly gave out under him.” “A-Apothecary…” Jinshi uttered with a miserable voice, when he saw Maomao, and let out a sneeze. But she didn’t pay him any attention, instead placing her hand on his forehead as soon as she arrived by his side. As already expected, it was as hot as a piece of metal under a blazing sun. “I see. He didn’t hit his head, did he?” she asked Gaoshun. “No, luckily not. I immediately noticed that he was falling and managed to catch him just in time. Then I carried him to bed.” “Good that you were there, then.” Maomao admired Gaoshun’s fast reflexes. She was really glad, because a bump on his head or a concussion were surely the very last things Jinshi needed in his current state. “Don’t feel like laughing anymore, do you?” she thought bitterly, leaning over him. There was no trace of mockery nor malicious joy in her thoughts — she was certainly far away from being a saint, but by no means the type of person to rejoice at the misery of others, no matter what kind of grudge she was holding against them. The only thing she was feeling right now was anger. Nothing but anger at Jinshi’s stubbornness and carelessness that had been the reason for his collapse. Why, just why was he doing that to himself? For what purpose? But now wasn't the right time to be carried away by her personal feelings. First and foremost, she was an apothecary and currently had a patient in need of treatment in front of her. That was the only thing that mattered right now. Her scolding would have to wait for later, when he would feel better again. Jinshi looked helplessly at her from half-closed eyes. His hair, that was spread over the pillow, was still a bit damp from his bath, and his cheeks flushed red from the fever. Apart from that, he was breathing heavily and through his mouth, since his nose was surely stuffed. Right now, he was truly different from the Jinshi she had met just a few hours ago. However… “Damn! He’s looking like a walking pheromone even when he’s sick.” Maomao couldn't help thinking. Him lying in his bed with that expression, the occasional sweat drop running down his gorgeous face, his blush and the disheveled sleepwear, made the apothecary assume that a considerable amount of people of both sexes would feel the desire to do… stuff to him, if they should ever see him like that. Good that there was no one else but the four of them in that room. To be that good-looking was really more of a curse than a blessing… She turned around to Gaoshun and Suiren, who were standing next to each other now and waiting for her diagnosis. “Alright, there is one thing I can already tell you: no matter what you have wanted to talk to him about, working is definitely out of the question for him tomorrow,” Maomao said in a calm, but firm tone. The aide and the chief lady-in-waiting both nodded. “That goes without saying,” Gaoshun replied. “Work can wait in that case. The top priority right now is the young master’s recovery.” “At least one who gets it,” Maomao thought and turned back to Jinshi in order to examine him. “Please open your mouth and stretch out your tongue, sir.” He obeyed, and she took a look at his tongue and his throat as far as it was possible in the dim light. Then, without saying a word, she removed the blanket from his upper body and pulled his sleeping robe slightly apart in order to expose part of his chest. That made Jinshi tremble even more violently and clench his hands into fists, when his bare skin came into contact with the air. Finally, the apothecary started pressing her ear against different spots of his chest, trying to listen to his lungs the best she could. Asking him to take deep breaths and cough a few times. Jinshi flinched and widened his eyes at every touch, but let her do as she pleased without as much as a single objection coming over his lips. No rattling sounds in his lungs. At least something. “Does it hurt when you cough?” she asked, straightening her back again. Jinshi shook his head. “Good.” Maomao covered him up once more. “And, Xiaomao?” Suiren approached her, full of worry. “As far as I can see, it’s indeed merely a cold,” the apothecary replied, bringing one of her hands to her chin. “But it can still develop into a bronchitis or a pneumonia, so it’s still a bit too early to sigh out in relief.” “He has already suffered from colds, of course, especially as a child, but this is the first time he collapsed from it, this is why I was so scared.” Suiren smiled at her. “What a blessing that we have you here with us.” Without the apothecary having to say a word, the diligent chief lady-in-waiting dunked a cloth into cool water, wrung it out and placed it onto the young lord's forehead. He sighed softly as it touched his skin. It surely felt pleasant on his heated forehead and aching head. “In fact, it has only gotten to such a point because a certain someone didn't listen to me and strained his already weakened body way too much. And the hot bath ended up being more than his circulation could take.” Maomao glared at her patient, who still didn't pronounce a word. Well, as it seemed, she wasn't able to suppress her anger completely, after all. But then she sighed in resignation. “But alright. Nothing we can do about that. In any case, he now has to concentrate on getting better. He needs a lot of sleep and preferably several days of bed rest, so that his body can fight the illness more effectively.” Without adding another explanation, she turned her back to him and headed to the door. “You're… l-leaving… already?” she heard Jinshi ask in a slightly husky voice, before he let out a cough. “Just going to prepare your medicine. I’ll be right back, Master Jinshi.” And with these words, she left. *** Having arrived in her room, Maomao cast a fleeting glance at her herb basket that was still standing in the same corner and quickly sat down at her table in order to continue preparing the cold remedy she had started earlier. A complete silence was reigning in the room, since the apothecary was working alone and without producing even a sound, being fully concentrated on what she was doing, while the only candle burning on the table was projecting her shadow on the wall. Each movement of her hands was well-versed and experienced, clearly showing that this wasn’t by far the first time she was preparing it. It almost seemed as if she wasn't sitting in the Imperial Palace, but at her father’s apothecary that was stormed by patients, every year when the cold season began. Maomao worked as fast as she could, since she absolutely wished to avoid giving Jinshi enough time to fall asleep while she was away. She didn't want to have to wake him up in order to give him the medicine, after all, sleep was the exact thing he needed right now, so it would be extremely unfavorable to disturb him. When the cold remedy was finished, she poured a dose into a little bowl and the rest into a bottle, and then swiftly started to gather ingredients for an ointment that should help the young lord breathe better. A decongestant, so to say. “Camphor, mint… and then lavender and rosemary oil for a soothing effect,” she muttered, placing different flasks and small packages on the table. About a quarter of an hour later, the ointment was ready, and Maomao gave it into a bowl as well. Next, she took a tray, put the two bowls and a spoon on it and hurried back to Jinshi. *** Noticing with a certain relief that the young noble was still awake, Maomao placed the tray on the bed and grabbed a chair in order to sit down next to him. “Do you need some help, Xiaomao?” the always attentive Gaoshun asked her, still faithfully standing by the bed and waiting for instructions. Maomao gave him a brief look. “Thank you very much, I actually do. Could you please help him sit up and hold him in place? I need to give him his medicine and he may choke on it if he takes it while lying.” “Of course.” The aide did as told, grabbing his lord under the arms and carefully pulling him up into a sitting position. In the meantime, Maomao took the bowl with the cold remedy into one hand and the spoon into the other. “I’m not sure whether you’re currently able to drink it by yourself out of the bowl, Master Jinshi, hence I’m going to give it to you spoon by spoon. Just in case,” she explained calmly and dipped the spoon into the medicine. “Please open your mouth now.” “F-Fine…” Jinshi obeyed without any protests. Even though he did grimace after every spoonful and also gagged from time to time, he swallowed everything up until the last drop. “Yes, it’s quite bitter, I know,” Maomao commented during the procedure in a slightly irritated undertone. “But there’s no way around it, Master Jinshi. See it as a punishment for your carelessness.” She knew that the taste was strong enough to perceive it even with a stuffed nose, but there was nothing she could do about it. After all, medicine didn't have to taste good in order to be effective. But she did have some mercy in the end and helped him to wash down the unpleasant taste with some water Suiren had brought in the meantime, using a handkerchief to wipe away some stray drops from his chin and the corners of his mouth after she was done. “Alright, this will do,” she said. “This should be enough for the moment, and you’ll probably feel a bit better soon. I prepared more of it and will give you another dose tomorrow morning. Or if necessary, during the night, if you shouldn't feel any better, after all.” Then she took the second bowl and got up from the chair. “And now I am going to apply an ointment that is supposed to make breathing easier for you.” She looked at Gaoshun, who was still patiently holding up Jinshi. “And for that, I need to strip you to the waist.” The aide understood and helped her expose his lord's upper body. The latter started to shake like a leaf once more and twisted his mouth. “Co…Cold…” “I know. Bear with it,” Maomao commented dryly and dipped the fingers of her right hand into the ointment. Then she started to thoroughly rub it onto his chest. Very soon, the smell of lavender and rosemary started filling the air. She was so absorbed in her task that she didn't notice that Jinshi's cheeks got even redder while he was carefully watching each of her movements, despite his slightly clouded mind. And even if she noticed it, she would probably blame it all on his fever. But the one who did notice, was Suiren. The chief lady-in-waiting, who had visibly calmed down since she had heard that her young master wasn’t suffering from any severe illness, brought her hand to her mouth and chuckled to herself while she went to fetch more water for the apothecary. Maomao proceeded to rub the ointment into his back as well. “There, finished. And now, you should sleep,” she said and couldn't help giving Jinshi's shoulder a brief pat before sitting down again and cleaning her fingers with the water she had gotten from Suiren. Yes, in the end, she did feel a bit sorry for him. No matter how scary she might get, she wasn't a monster, after all. And besides, she was sure that he had learned his lesson and acknowledged his error. Or at least she hoped so. Gaoshun dressed Jinshi again, laid him back down and covered him with the blanket. The young lord turned his head to Maomao. “Apothecary…” She looked at him. “Yes, sir? Do you need something else?” He gave her an almost pleading look and then stretched out one of his trembling hands, placing it on top of the apothecary’s that was lying on her lap. “Would you stay with me… for a bit?” He sounded like a little boy who was afraid of the dark. Maomao was a bit surprised at the beginning and raised an eyebrow, but then sighed. “All right, Master Jinshi.” She didn't move her hand away. Not even when he started to gently caress her fingers with his thumb, right until his eyes closed… *** A few minutes later, Jinshi finally fell into a deep sleep, with his hand still on top of Maomao’s. Gaoshun took his leave when he saw that he wasn't needed anymore and headed to his own chambers, while Maomao kept sitting on her chair and silently watching the regular movements of Jinshi's chest. She really hoped the young lord would continue to sleep like that until morning. In any case, she had done everything she could for now. In the meantime, Suiren was preparing spare clothes for the young noble, in case he sweated too much during the night and needed to change clothes. She smiled at the apothecary. “You should go to sleep as well, Xiaomao. I’m sure you had a long day and are exhausted. Don't worry, if you are needed, I will come and get you.” Maomao looked first at her and then once again at the calmly sleeping Jinshi. “You are right,” she replied after a while. “With him sleeping like that, there is certainly no reason for me to sit here and watch over him.” She gently freed herself from his grip and placed his now limp hand back on the bed, before getting up, taking the tray with the now empty bowls and heading to the door. “Please call for me as soon as he wakes up. Even if it’s in the middle of the night.” “I will.” *** Maomao quickly changed clothes, blew out the candle on her table, and then let herself fall on her back onto her bed, crossing her hands behind her head. Night had already fallen, and pale moonlight was entering through the window. “Phew, I’m so tired,” the apothecary thought, yawning, and turned her head into the direction of her herbs that were still standing at the same spot as before, untouched. “In the end, I didn't have time to hang them up to dry before going to bed. Oh well, then tomorrow, I hope.” She sighed in resignation, turned onto her side and covered herself with her blanket. “But I should hurry up and sleep now, who knows when Lady Suiren’s going to come for me.” But the dose she had given to Jinshi should be enough for now. At least, he had fallen asleep rather peacefully, as she had witnessed with her own eyes, so it was very possible that the medicine’s effect would last until morning. That would be the best case. Maomao was pretty sure that the young lord would go back to being the usual heavenly nymph in a few days. However, the fact that he had collapsed earlier… was nevertheless still a bit concerning, she had to admit. The apothecary angrily turned onto her stomach. Nah, that was entirely his own fault! To take a hot bath while having a fever! What a stupid idea! That served him right! Judging by the sounds of his lungs, he luckily wasn't suffering from pneumonia, at least. But that didn't guarantee that he wasn't going to eventually catch it anyway. They had to be careful with that. Maomao resolved to listen to his lungs again the next morning. She turned onto her back and started to grumpily stare up at the ceiling. With the way Jinshi was treating his body, it was absolutely no wonder he had gotten sick. Although she had realized by now that he was probably holding a pretty high position in the court, she still failed to get why he was doing all these things to himself in the first place. That paperwork he was constantly sitting at, was definitely not worth wrecking your own body! No, she didn't understand him. At all. If he continued that way, he would most likely not live a very long life… She had heard these stories herself. Stories of people who worked themselves to death. Who just collapsed one day to never get up again… Maomao let out another sigh and sat up. “But right now I have another question,” she muttered. Then she took her pillow and pressed it against her face. “Why can’t I stop thinking about him!?” she then screamed into the pillow, surprised by her own emotional outburst. “What he does with his own body, is not my business at all! If he wants to destroy his health so badly and leave this world as soon as possible, he should just go ahead! It has nothing to do with me! I’m just doing my job here, damn it!” Breathing heavily and boiling with anger, she tossed the pillow back on the bed and tousled her hair in frustration. Then she hugged her knees and took a few deep breaths, trying to force herself to calm down and return to her usual composed demeanor. With modest success. No, she would definitely not be able to sleep in that state. Maomao didn't know at whom she was more angry: at the unreasonable Jinshi or rather at herself for wasting precious sleeping time. “No, really, why am I doing it? Why am I constantly thinking of him? I prepared him the same remedy as for all the other patients who came to pops’ apothecary with a cold, I know it’s effective!” This time, there was not only irritation, but also bewilderment lingering in her voice. Genuine bewilderment. Because it was the very first time she was thinking so much about a patient and didn't have the slightest clue why. What made him so different from the rest? Even though Maomao was blessed with an insatiable curiosity and loved mysteries, she felt pretty much helpless from time to time when it came to feelings. No, not just any feelings. But her own. Maomao frowned and looked at her hand, the very one Jinshi had placed his own hand onto earlier, before falling asleep. His large, slightly cool hand that had softly caressed her fingers and had finally stopped trembling after a few minutes… She took another deep breath, got up, changed back into her everyday clothes, took the bottle with the remaining cold medicine and the spoon and finally left her room. Whom did she want to deceive here? She obviously cared about that stubborn fool. If she didn't, she would be sleeping like a log right now. *** Suiren looked up in surprise as the door to Jinshi's chambers opened again, but then smiled when she saw who had arrived at such a late hour. “Let me guess: you couldn't sleep, so you chose to come back and check on the young master, am I right?” “Grmph,” was everything Maomao had to say to that, which surely could be interpreted as a “yes”.