"I'll have the Xinglin Physician stay at your residence for a while and properly nurse your health." The Sovereign's palm was warm and soft, faintly carrying an elegant, delicate fragrance. By comparison, Mei Meng's hands were dry, cold, and stiff, as though they constantly emitted chill air.
Not only that, Mei Jinghe had also developed a fear of the cold.
She was clearly a Literary Scholar, yet she still dressed more heavily than everyone else, as if she were in a different season from those around her. Genuine worry lingered in the Sovereign's eyes and brows as she regarded Mei Meng like a priceless treasure. "You are my life, after all."
Mei Meng said, "Your Majesty, please don't worry. This is merely a normal consequence of the backlash. After resting quietly for a while, my vital energy will recover."
The Sovereign looked at Mei Meng's ten fingers with pity. The latter's nails had taken on a faint bluish hue, utterly different from their healthy pink-white color in the past. "If I had known this would happen, I never should have let you go to Gao Country in the northwest to attempt the Perfection Ritual of the Way of the Scholar. Even without the Way of the Scholar, you would still be my most capable right hand and trusted minister! My feelings for you have never changed because of such external factors."
She said with heart-rending pain, "Why did you have to suffer so much?"
Mei Jinghe's brows softened because of her words.
"Even so, this is what I have sought all my life. Not to mention merely enduring this trifling backlash—even if it cost me my life, I would walk that road without hesitation! I would give it a try! If I didn't try, how would I know whether this