Chapter 102: Blushing with Embarrassment

Just as Jasmine had said, the Empress arrived shortly thereafter.

Jasmine suppressed her anxious heart and, under the Empress’s care, finished her morning meal and took several nourishing medicinal soups, until Imperial Physician Hu came to take the princess’s pulse.

Hu stroked his beard thoughtfully and said, “Your Majesty, the remaining toxins in the princess’s body have been cleared, and her health is no longer in serious danger. With careful nurturing from now on, she will fully regain her former vitality.”

“Good.” The Empress smiled with satisfaction, finally feeling reassured. “Thank you, Imperial Physician Hu.”

“It is my duty, Your Majesty,” he replied humbly.

The Empress smiled again. “You have truly labored diligently in treating the princess during this time.”

After speaking, she gave a subtle signal to the attendant behind her.

The attendant understood, producing a silver ingot from her sleeve and handing it to the physician—a customary reward in the palace for ensuring safety.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Hu said respectfully, then gathered his medical box, bowed, and took his leave.

Gu Li’s heart was filled with anxiety, fearing that the physician might have forgotten what the Crown Prince had instructed. Fortunately, before leaving, Hu cast her a reassuring glance, allowing Gu Li to breathe a small sigh of relief.

The Empress remained until noon before finally departing.

During this time, Jasmine found a moment to relay the physician’s words to Gu Li: the situation with General Lie Chang’an remained grave, showing no signs of improvement.

Gu Li was beside herself with worry. After the Empress left, she wasted no time and hurried straight to the side chamber.

It was late autumn now, with a chill in the air, but Jasmine had been meticulous in her care—thick quilts padded the bed, and charcoal fires burned warmly in the room.

Gu Li approached the bedside quietly, gazing intently at Lie Chang’an lying there.

He remained unconscious, his face pale and lifeless, utterly numb and cold to the touch.

Just one glance was enough to bring tears streaming down her face.

Her heart churned with unbearable anguish, overwhelmed by guilt and torment.

“Princess, Imperial Physician Hu just prescribed this medicine; I have already prepared it,” Xiao Qiu said, entering with a bowl of medicine.

“Give it to me, I’ll feed him,” Gu Li said, wiping tears from her face.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Gu Li took the bowl and instructed, “You may leave now.”

“As you wish.” Xiao Qiu withdrew.

Left alone with Lie Chang’an, the room was silent except for the gentle clinking of the medicine bowl and spoon.

Gu Li had no experience administering medicine to others, especially someone unconscious with tightly closed lips who could not cooperate.

She tried several times to feed him, but the liquid slipped down his chin onto his collar, never reaching his mouth. Watching an entire bowl wasted, she grew anxious.

Without a second thought, she tilted her own head back and gulped the medicine into her cheek, then bent down and pressed it against Lie Chang’an’s lips, forcing it in.

Suddenly, he began to cough violently, a harsh fit that made Gu Li’s heart clench painfully. His pale face flushed unnaturally red from the coughing, making him look healthier somehow.

She hurriedly patted his chest to ease his breathing. After a moment, he settled down, though his eyes remained tightly shut, unconscious. At least, this time he did not spit the medicine out.

Gu Li exhaled in relief.

Just feeding him the medicine had left a thin sheen of sweat on her brow.

It was also the time when her own strength was low; otherwise, with her usual endurance—standing under the blazing sun for seven days to help disaster victims in Lihuai County—she wouldn’t have been so fragile.

Yet, thinking back on her “bold” move just now…

Gu Li touched her own soft lips, then glanced again at Lie Chang’an’s sensuous thin lips. Her heart raced wildly, and her face flushed deeply with embarrassment.

She had truly lost her head in her anxiety.

Fortunately, he would never know—otherwise, she’d be utterly mortified.