Therefore, Wan Zhen’er was extremely furious.
Wan Zhen’er did not expect that she would be unable to sleep alone.
Wan Zhen’er stared out the window. The midnight was unusually quiet. The recent weather was unpredictable, and it started raining in the middle of the night. Large raindrops fell, hitting the leaves outside the window, creating a continuous patter.
Wan Zhen’er tossed and turned but could not fall asleep.
Finally, she had to count sheep, but still could not sleep.
While counting sheep, Wan Zhen’er suddenly thought: Has the crown prince fallen asleep?
She wondered: Will the crown prince kick off his blanket?
What if he kicks off the blanket? Will he get cold?
The sky is thundering. Is he scared?
Wan Zhen’er then realized that it was not just the crown prince who was used to sleeping beside her; she had also grown accustomed to his presence. Without him by her side, she felt empty.
Unable to resist, Wan Zhen’er got out of bed and went to the crown prince’s room to check on him.
The candle in the room had not been extinguished, and a soft glow surrounded the space. When the wind blew, the light swayed gently.
The crown prince suddenly cried out: “Aunt, no, don’t leave me!”
Wan Zhen’er hurried to the crown prince’s bedside. It turned out he was having a nightmare. Without Wan Zhen’er by his side, the crown prince either could not sleep or had bad dreams.
Wan Zhen’er crouched at the foot of the bed, looking at the crown prince tenderly. His face was thin and delicate, with a melancholic beauty. His eyebrows were thick, his nose prominent, his lips thin, and his chin pointed.
Because of his lonely and difficult childhood, the crown prince rarely smiled and was not talkative, always appearing gloomy and giving a sense of bone-deep loneliness.
Strangely, the crown prince’s face was red, almost as if blood would drip from it. His expression was painful, as if struggling with something. Wan Zhen’er was puzzled and felt something was wrong. She quickly reached out to touch his forehead. His forehead was hot, like fire.
In his dream, the crown prince continued to cry: “Aunt, don’t leave, leave me! Aunt, don’t leave me!”
Wan Zhen’er was anxious and shook him forcefully: “Crown prince! Crown prince! Aunt hasn’t left you, aunt is here.”
The crown prince slightly opened his eyes and called her: “Aunt.”
Wan Zhen’er said: “Aunt is here.”
The crown prince said: “Aunt, I feel terrible! I miss you!”
The crown prince was sick, and seriously so. His whole body was burning, his consciousness gradually blurring, and his body was twitching intermittently.
Outside, the rain grew heavier. Lightning split the night sky, and rainwater poured down. There was no way to call a royal physician immediately. Wan Zhen’er remained calm, ordering the palace maids to bring basins of cold water and towels. She repeatedly wiped the crown prince’s forehead and limbs with cold, wet towels to help him cool down.
When the crown prince was still the Prince of Yi, he occasionally fell ill, always with a fever.
The royal physicians were snobbish, bowing to the high and stepping on the low. They would come to treat him if they wanted, and not come if they didn’t. When the physicians didn’t come, Wan Zhen’er often used this method to cure the crown prince’s illness.
Once, the crown prince had a fever for two days and nights, burning so badly he could barely call out “Aunt”. Wan Zhen’er tried everything, but nothing worked. She decided to immerse him in water, changing the water frequently.
Whether it was Wan Zhen’er’s folk remedy or the crown prince’s great fortune, before the physician arrived, she had somehow cured his illness.
When the physician came later, it was not the crown prince who took medicine, but Wan Zhen’er.
Wan Zhen’er had been exhausted.
Roughly, it is through practice that experience is gained. Wan Zhen’er, this self-taught street doctor, is often able to cure ailments such as fever, cough, and the like with ease. Wan Zhen’er worked for most of the night, her body weary, and by the time dawn was breaking, the Prince’s fever had subsided.
Wan Zhen’er was still not at ease, so she called a palace maid to bring another basin of water and wiped the Prince’s body again.
When wiping the Prince’s lower body, Wan Zhen’er suddenly realized that the Prince had grown up.
He had begun to develop.
Indeed, the Prince had grown up.
He was no longer the small, timid boy who used to cuddle in her arms, calling her “Auntie, Auntie”. At this moment, the Prince’s slightly thick lips had fine, dense downy hair, and his sleeping face, which was usually expressionless, now showed a hint of masculine toughness and inviolability.
This discovery suddenly made Wan Zhen’er blush.
She didn’t know when it started, but Wan Zhen’er began to enjoy standing in front of the mirror, admiring herself.
In the blink of an eye, Wan Zhen’er was thirty, but the Wan Zhen’er in the mirror was very young, looking barely over twenty. Her hair was black and bright, her skin fine and white, her lips sensual and full. When Wan Zhen’er smiled, her eyes were seductive, her gaze both hazy and focused.
As the Prince grew older, Wan Zhen’er felt she was becoming younger.
At this moment, Wan Zhen’er wore a peach-pink thin garment, a silk gauze robe with delicate pleats, and a jade ring hanging from her ribbon, a gift from the Empress Dowager. Wan Zhen’er had also used tulip grass juice to dye her dress, and when she moved, she emitted an intoxicating, seductive fragrance.
As Wan Zhen’er was looking around, admiring herself, someone suddenly rushed up from behind and tightly embraced her.
Wan Zhen’er didn’t turn back; she just looked in the mirror, motionless. A blush spread across her face down to her neck, with a shy expression like a young girl experiencing first love. Her heart inexplicably began to flutter.
The person embracing her was none other than the Prince.
The Prince she had raised.
The Prince in the mirror had a flushed face, heavy breathing, and was slightly trembling. His Adam’s apple moved up and down as he stared at Wan Zhen’er with a dazed look, an intense emotion burning in his chest like a flame.
At that moment, the Prince felt intoxicated.
Infatuated.
Confused.
His soul had been stolen by his Aunt Wan. He realized his Aunt Wan was such a beautiful woman.
Wan Zhen’er said nothing.
The Prince said nothing either.
They just exchanged ambiguous gazes in the mirror.
The Prince had grown up unknowingly, become a handsome young man. There was no gap between Wan Zhen’er’s body and the Prince’s, and she felt that his body had changed.
Wan Zhen’er’s mind was gradually invaded.
Wan Zhen’er’s body was gradually burning.
Wan Zhen’er and the Prince’s breathing was equally rapid, their heartbeats clearly audible. Wan Zhen’er had never known that the Prince’s embrace was so hot and solid, that his skin exuded a uniquely masculine scent. Inexplicably, Wan Zhen’er felt her heart stirring.
The Wan Zhen’er in the mirror still had a peach-colored blush on her face that refused to fade. Her eyes were filled with shy and passionate emotions. In the mirror, she was fixated on the Prince’s gaze, her expression clearly teasing, stimulating, and flirting.
“Prince, do you remember the promise you made to me when you were young?”
“I remember.”
“Then tell me, what promise did you make to me?”
“I said I would marry you as my wife when I grew up.”
“And now?”
“Now I still want to marry you as my wife.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Prince, you must keep your word.”
“Auntie, I swear I will keep my word.”
Wan Zhen’er suddenly turned around and hugged the Prince, then she kissed him, softly and frantically.
