Forced to die for his loyalty, he was reborn in the arms of the cold and cruel regent!

He moved closer and closer, his eyes as deep as stars, staring into hers, as if he wanted to see something in her calm eyes.

Shen Mengyao took a step back unconsciously, her cheeks slightly hot. She tried to keep her voice steady: "Your Highness, you are too serious. Your Highness is broad-minded. How could he feel resentment over such a small matter? Besides, the relationship between you and your Highness is just friendship. I dare not interfere in your private affairs."

Upon hearing this, Qi Sui'an curled up a playful smile. He did not continue to move forward, but slowly retreated to the desk, gently stroking the corner of the desk, as if thinking about something.

After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice more serious: "Shen Mengyao, you know that not everything in this world can be easily summarized by the word 'friend'. The feelings I have for you are more than just friendship."

Shen Mengyao's heart tightened. She had always known this, but she had never expected that he would break the delicate balance between them at this moment.

She looked up at Qi Sui'an. His deep eyes seemed to contain a thousand words, which made her afraid to look directly at him. She took a deep breath and tried to make her tone sound more firm: "Your Highness, I know that my status is humble and I am not worthy of your favor."

She, Shen Mengyao, is definitely not a substitute!

When Qi Sui'an heard this, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal. He chuckled with a hint of self-mockery in his tone.

"Shen Mengyao, you are good at rejecting people." Qi Sui'an's voice echoed in the study room, with a hint of loneliness that was hard to detect: "Does my feelings for you really mean so much to you?"

Shen Mengyao quickly shook her head and explained, "Your Highness has misunderstood. I have no such intention. It's just that I know that I have a stubborn personality and don't want to be anyone's shadow, let alone hinder Your Highness's future because of a private relationship. Your Highness is a rare talent and deserves a better woman to accompany him."

Qi Sui'an chuckled, but there was no smile in his eyes: "A better woman? What is better? Do all women in this world have to be judged by appearance, or by family background?"

What's more, the best woman in his mind is already...

Shen Mengyao felt a warm current in her heart when she heard this, and she also became more resolute in her position. She slowly spoke with a firm and gentle voice: "I am very grateful for your kindness, Your Majesty. But love cannot be forced. I am willing to maintain this pure friendship with Your Majesty, enjoy the beauty of the world together, and go through difficulties together, but I don't want to get involved in the turmoil of love."

Qi Sui'an stared at Shen Mengyao, with a strong desire for possession flashing in his eyes, but in the end it gradually dissipated and turned into a sigh: "Forget it, it was me who forced it. Since you have no intention, I will not force it."

Shen Mengyao nodded gratefully, feeling mixed emotions. She knew Qi Sui'an had a strong personality, and it was not easy for him to say such words.

An indescribable emotion welled up in her heart, and she bowed softly and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. I'll take my leave now."

The moment she turned around and left the study, Shen Mengyao seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden, but the respect and gratitude in her heart for Qi Suian became even deeper.

Forget it, forget it, there is no use thinking too much. The situation in the court is very complicated and the eldest prince is eyeing her covetously. It is not easy for her to deal with her own affairs.

The weather is gradually getting cooler, and the hottest summer is about to pass.

Luochuan's internal breath was disordered, so Bei Lan came to help and used his internal force to regulate his internal breath. His pulse became much stronger, but he couldn't wake up.

After the imperial physician finished the acupuncture, he stroked his beard and sighed, "It seems that the Yang Qi is insufficient. I have a folk remedy. Catch a hundred cicadas, add the dew on the lotus flowers at sunrise, boil them into a thick soup, and drink it hot. Maybe it will get better."

"Is it really useful?" Shen Mengyao remained skeptical. This medicinal herb was not expensive, and Luochuan was taking a long time to wake up, which really made her anxious.

The imperial physician stroked his beard and smiled confidently, "My princess, you may not know this. Although this is a folk remedy, it often contains simple wisdom. Cicadas are yang in nature and sing in midsummer. Their energy can replenish the yang in the human body. The lotus dew at sunrise is pure and fresh, and contains the vitality of nature. The combination of the two is indeed unique in regulating the balance of yin and yang in the body."

After Shen Mengyao heard this, although she still had some doubts in her heart, she had no better solution at the moment, so she decided to give it a try. She immediately ordered her servants to prepare and make sure to collect the freshest lotus dew at sunrise.

There are lotus flowers behind the water and clouds. They were planted a little late, but they are blooming now. However, it is almost autumn now, and cicadas are not easy to catch. I spent the whole afternoon with a pole and only caught more than ten!

Cuiwei looked at the cicada in the bamboo tube and sighed, "Not to mention the poor appearance of these cicadas, some of them are almost dead. I'm afraid the stronger and more energetic they are, the more useful they are. The imperial physician didn't tell me about this prescription earlier."

"Perhaps they have no other choice but to use this folk remedy." Shen Mengyao sighed and said, "Let's collect them first and catch them tomorrow."

Cuiwei carefully placed the bamboo tube in a cool place and picked a few leaves to feed the cicadas inside.

"Where is Xiaoqi?" Shen Mengyao felt as if she hadn't seen her for a whole day. Ever since she was able to get out of bed, Luochuan's condition naturally could not be hidden from her, and she would visit Luochuan almost every day.

“I don’t know.” Cui Wei seemed to have thought of something and suddenly raised her head: “When the imperial physician took Luo Chuan’s pulse, I saw her outside the door, but I didn’t see her afterwards.”

Shen Mengyao's eyes flashed, and she said in a deep voice: "Could it be that she went to catch cicadas, but her body is not well yet."

Shen Mengyao felt uneasy. She knew very well that although Xiao Qi looked weak, she had an unyielding tenacity in her bones. At this moment, she must be determined to catch those hard-to-find cicadas for Luochuan, regardless of her own health.

"Cuiwei, you stay at home to take care of her. I'll go out to look for her." Shen Mengyao said as she hurriedly walked out the door, secretly praying in her heart that Xiaoqi would not have any accident.

As night fell, the streets of the capital were dimly lit, but Shen Mengyao had no intention of appreciating the bustling scene. Her mind was all on Xiao Qi.

At first she was like a headless fly, not knowing where to go, but when she thought carefully, if she wanted to catch cicadas, she would definitely go to a place with many cicadas, a place with lush aquatic plants, where there might be quite a few cicadas.

She walked along the river bank, searching as she went, and finally, she found Xiao Qi's thin figure beside a remote lotus pond.

Xiao Qi was holding a thin bamboo pole, trying to reach the willow tree in the lotus pond, trying to pick off the cicadas that were roosting there. Her face was pale, and her forehead was covered with beads of sweat. She was obviously exhausted, but she didn't care about her own safety at all, and rushed forward directly holding the pole.