Volume One, Chapter 43: My Lord, Let This Servant Attend You.

Xie Shu was immersed in the cold water, the freezing chill biting into her bones, yet the scorching heat inside her showed no signs of abating. An unbearable, mounting desire gripped her heart, and she let out a low, soft gasp. A light sheen of perspiration had already broken out across her delicate collarbones. She couldn't help biting down on her lower lip, while the movements of her fingertips came to an abrupt halt.

Not enough...

Just a little more...

At this moment, Xie Shu could only resent that man for being utterly devoid of romance—a cold-hearted, unfeeling boulder that could not be chipped away.

For a fleeting moment, a wave of indignation surged within her. Had she not been poisoned by an aphrodisiac, she would never have deigned to look at him twice.

Yet, the mere flash of that face in her mind caused the burning tide to surge back over her once again.

This water simply wasn't cold enough!

Suddenly, a voice echoed from nearby.

"If My Lady does not disdain him, Lianyu is willing to serve My Lady and help relieve your distress." Beyond the screen, a slender figure knelt on the floor, clothing half-undone.

It was only when a hand with distinct, delicate knuckles partially pushed aside the corner of the screen that Xie Shu saw the kneeling person was Lianyu.

Lianyu knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against his chest, not daring to easily raise his head.

This was the rule drilled into him at the Yuechun Pavilion; when serving noble patrons, one was expected to prostrate oneself low, as humble as dust.

Had it been in the past, Lianyu certainly would have been unwilling. Even though he had lost his memories, a man's dignity and pride still remained within him; how could he ever casually serve others with his physical appearance?

Originally, he had only been worried about Xie Shu, waiting outside in the outer chamber, but seeing both Lvlui and Baizhi driven away, he grew terribly afraid that if something went wrong while Xie Shu was alone inside, no one would ever know.

Back at the Yuechun Pavilion, when the madam wanted to punish disobedient servants, her most customary method was administering drugs. The stronger the drug, the harder it was to endure, and the easier it was for the victim's mind to shatter.

Bucket after bucket of icy water had been poured down from overhead; in the dead of winter, the pain was all the more piercing. Overcome by persistent anxiety, Lianyu's mind shifted, and he climbed in through the window.

Yet... that single, delicate gasp had frozen him in his tracks.

Only when the sound of splashing water rang out once more did a sudden strand of greed take root in Lianyu's heart.

Gazing at the woman drowning in passion before him, Lianyu took a soft, tentative step forward, a trace of secret elation welling up inside him. If... if the person he served was to be her, why ever not?

Xie Shu raised her gaze to look. The slender figure behind the screen overlapped with the image of the person in her memory, but as her thoughts gradually cleared, she abruptly realized something was amiss.

No, it wasn't him.

"You, come here." The next second, Xie Shu extended her hand, crooking her finger at Lianyu. Crystal-clear droplets of water slid off her smooth, delicate hand, sending ripples across the surface.

A flicker of joy passed through Lianyu's heart. Half-kneeling, he obediently crawled forward. Lifting his peach-blossom eyes, he rested his chin lightly on the edge of the wooden tub. As their gazes met, he instinctively slid his right hand into the water and whispered, "My Lady, let this lowly servant serve you."

However, the very instant Lianyu was about to touch Xie Shu, a glint of lucidity suddenly broke through the hazy, clouded depths of her dark eyes.

Xie Shu grabbed Lianyu's wrist in a firm grip, dropping her voice to a low, threatening murmur: "Tell me, how did you get in here?"

Lvlui would never have left her alone inside the room.

Startled by Xie Shu's swift reaction, Lianyu stammered in a panic, "I... I sneaked in through the window just now."

The window of this room faced the outer wall and was left unguarded, naturally leaving an opening. Over the past few days, Lianyu had wandered around the entire small courtyard multiple times, long since committing the layout to memory.

Lianyu always felt that he was exceptionally attentive to maps, routes, and similar spatial details, capable of remembering them completely after just a single walk-through.

Xie Shu suddenly remembered that by the outer wall stood a small stone stool, one she had placed there herself when she was a child, purely for sneaking out in the middle of the night to find Xie Yu.

"My Lady..."

"Although I bought you, your slave registration has already been canceled. You don't need to refer to yourself as a servant, nor do you need to call me My Lady." Xie Shu released her grip. She had already sent people to investigate Lianyu's background; he was indeed a pitiful man suffering from amnesia, which was why she had asked Steward Chen to run an errand at the household registration office and secure him a citizen's status.

There was no need to be overly wary of this person.

Still... having someone break in so unceremoniously left Xie Shu feeling deeply displeased.

"Consort Heir, I only wanted to help you. If you soak in this cold water for too long, I fear you will fall ill by tomorrow." Lianyu withdrew his hand, standing obediently to one side with his eyes fixed on his own toes, speaking with genuine concern.

"You've truly learned every single trick of the Yuechun Pavilion to perfection." One had to admit, this Lianyu truly lived up to being the man who had infatuated that overbearing Princess Le'an to the point of turning her world upside down; he had almost managed to seduce her as well.

However, this person's background was far too lowly; Xie Shu was not so desperate for company that she would accept just anyone.

As for the effects of the aphrodisiac...

Xie Shu took a deep breath, and then submerged her entire head directly into the cold water. The chilling frost closed in from all sides, washing away every single one of her wild, wandering thoughts completely.

"Consort Heir!" Seeing Xie Shu submerge herself entirely within the wooden tub, Lianyu cried out in alarm, terrified that she might harm herself.

A moment later, Xie Shu slowly emerged from the water. The moment Lianyu caught sight of her movement, he hastily dropped back to his knees.

Throwing a sideways glance at him, she noted that he at least knew some basic rules.

"I suppose I don't need to soak in this cold water all night, do you think?" Having stayed in the water for a long time, Xie Shu naturally noticed that the potency of the drug had diminished significantly. It was just that she had momentarily indulged herself, wanting to follow her impulses and have a reckless little fling.

Who could have predicted that someone would break in and ruin the mood?

"No, you don't." Lianyu's voice was low and gentle as he replied, "Once the wave of heat gradually subsides, you can get out. If you still feel unwell during the night, Consort Heir, just bear with it a little longer; once dawn breaks, it will pass."

"Understood." Xie Shu waved a hand dismissively toward the door, her tone distinctly impatient. "Why haven't you rolled out of here yet? Could it be that you're hoping to help this Consort Heir dress?"

Lianyu's face flushed crimson with shame. He knew it—how could she possibly ever take a fancy to someone like him?

"Yes, I'm leaving right now." Lianyu answered, his face pale and his heart turning cold. He deeply regretted his momentary rashness, terrified that he had permanently earned Xie Shu's annoyance and hatred.

Having lost his memories and been sold into such a filthy, degrading place, he had long since regarded the woman before him as a celestial fairy descending from the heavens, as well as his sole reason for wanting to survive in this world.

He longed, more than anything, to be looked at by her just a little bit longer.

Before the bronze mirror, Lianyu gazed at his own astonishingly gorgeous face, and for the very first time, a thought crossed his mind: What if this face were even more beautiful? He remembered the flash of sheer astonishment that had crossed Xie Shu's eyes when they first met.

And just now, within the inner chamber, that trace of infatuation and lingering reluctance beneath Xie Shu's hazy gaze...

She must have liked this face, hadn't she?

By the time Xie Shu finally emerged from the cold water, her body was thoroughly chilled. A sudden gust of cold wind made her shiver uncontrollably, and she sneezed several times in quick succession. Fortunately, the drug's effects flared up only intermittently, and the two opposing forces neutralized each other enough that the suffering remained bearable.

Lvlui hurriedly brought a basin of hot water into the room for Xie Shu to soak her feet, lit three warm braziers, ordered several layers of thick quilts to be laid out, and finally handed over a bowl of herbal decoction, saying, "This is a remedy to clear heat and dispel toxins. Drink it quickly."

"If I run a high fever tomorrow, go fetch Madam Wu." Xie Shu rubbed her temples, feeling too dizzy and lethargic to gather her wits.

Lvlui inwardly thought that her young mistress must have lost her mind from the drug; Madam Wu had left the capital half a year ago to travel the world! Where on earth could they find her now? But at that moment, wanting nothing more than for Xie Shu to get some rest, Lvlui simply gave a perfunctory, "Yes, yes, yes."

That night, her sleep was filled with restless, passionate dreams.

Meanwhile, inside the Chen'en Marquis Estate, the Aloeswood Courtyard was already thrown into complete chaos.

The young man lying on the bed was entirely drained of color. Ning容笙 (Ning Rongsheng) had originally hoped to have that unspeakable wound treated properly at a medical clinic, but who could have expected that Dr. Zheng, upon taking a single look, wouldn't even dare to touch it for fear of losing his own head on the spot.

Ning Rongsheng had threatened him, "If you can't cure me today, don't expect to stay alive tomorrow."

Dr. Zheng enjoyed a considerable reputation in the capital, but how could an ordinary commoner dare to lock horns with an imperial heir? Under duress, he could only plead, "This humble one will try, I will try."

Having no other choice, Dr. Zheng carefully inspected Ning Rongsheng's lower region. "Extracting this arrow will inevitably cause agonizing pain; I beg the Heir to drink this bowl of anesthetic decoction first."

The pain had long since caused the veins on Ning Rongsheng's forehead to bulge fiercely. The moment the large bowl of murky medicine was brought over, he gulped it down in a single breath.

Because the dose was heavy, it took effect rapidly. Within moments, Ning Rongsheng fell into a heavy, drugged slumber.

Dr. Zheng cast a glance at Little Jiu, rolled up his sleeves, and very carefully drew the arrowhead out millimeter by millimeter. However, the young man's private parts had been pierced completely straight through; the moment the arrow was pulled out, that member hung loosely by a thread, practically severed.

Panicking inwardly, Dr. Zheng didn't dare utter a sound. He simply signaled his young apprentice with a glance, and the boy hurriedly fetched the powdered wound-healing medicine and cloth strips. The two of them hastily bandaged the area and urgently instructed Little Jiu to take his master away at once.

"If a single word of today's events leaks out, I'll take your lives!" Seeing that his master had yet to wake up, though the bleeding had finally stopped, Little Jiu rushed to carry him back to the Chen'en Marquis Estate.

The moment they left, Dr. Zheng packed up his bundle that very night and fled with his young apprentice.

Having practiced medicine in the capital for so many years, he was perpetually prepared to run for his life! After all, these nobles thought nothing of demanding someone's life in compensation, and his humble skin was certainly not worth paying with!

As for the Heir's injury? It had nothing whatsoever to do with him anymore!