The weather turned cold before anyone realized it, yet Baihua Palace seemed busier than ever.
The hour was late. Chu Ruo sat on a small daybed, her back pressed against the wall. Her eyes were nearly fluttering shut from exhaustion; it looked as though she hadn't slept in a very long time.
Nan Muxue approached from the other side. Seeing her like this, a pang of heartache shot through her. She moved to pull Chu Ruo into her arms, but before she could speak or reach out, Chu Ruo sensed her presence. She leaned her head against Nan Muxue’s shoulder of her own accord. "Xue’er..."
"Are you very tired?"
Chu Ruo nodded. "A little."
"Go back to the room and sleep."
Chu Ruo wrapped her arms around her, not forgetting to squeeze out a smile even now. "Is Nan’er asleep?"
"Mhm. She’s better after taking her medicine."
Half a month ago, the young disciples of the palace had begun falling ill one after another. They suffered from fevers, diarrhea, and red rashes all over their bodies that were agonizingly itchy. No one knew the cause, and the illness seemed to only spread among children; the adults were completely unaffected. While it wasn't life-threatening, it was miserable. Some of the younger disciples had scratched their skin raw because the itching was so unbearable.
A few days ago, Nan’er had also succumbed. They didn't have any truly effective remedies, and they had even resorted to feeding her the Heart-Purifying Dew given by Bai Zhier. Chu Ruo had been incredibly anxious, guarding the girl day and night while still handling other affairs during the day. She hadn't closed her eyes in days, pushing herself to the limit. Now, she was finally as exhausted as a spent dog.
"It’s so strange. How did this happen out of nowhere?"
Nan Muxue let out a soft chuckle.
Hearing the laugh, Chu Ruo looked up. "What are you laughing at?"
"My Ruo’er finally looks like a proper master now."
Chu Ruo laughed along with her. "Are you praising me or mocking me?"
Nan Muxue brushed her fingers over Chu Ruo’s eyes. "You worry so much about others, yet you pay no mind to yourself."
"I..."
"You’re exhausted to this point, yet you’re still forcing yourself to stay upright."
"I’m alright."
"You’re too tense over Nan’er."
"Of course I am. Her status is special."
Nan Muxue pressed her lips against Chu Ruo’s. "I’ve told you, nothing is more important than you."
"Mhm, my wifey is still the best." Chu Ruo leaned back comfortably, her voice taking on a slightly spoiled tone. "Wife, I’m so tired..."
"Go bathe, and then sleep."
Chu Ruo suddenly began nuzzling against Nan Muxue’s neck, her nose wandering here and there. Nan Muxue endured the ticklish sensation, catching her and asking with a smile, "What are you sniffing for?"
"You have a scent on you. It’s so fragrant. I’ve always thought you smelled wonderful, even though you don't like using those scented powders."
"Enough. Go bathe."
Chu Ruo hugged her wife tight, her eyes half-closed. "I want to wash with my wife."
"Alright." Nan Muxue surprisingly didn't call her a pervert. Instead, she indulged her with a gentle nod. This made Chu Ruo ecstatic, and she pushed her luck further. "Give me a kiss, hurry."
Of course, Nan Muxue always granted her every request.
The next day, while Chu Ruo was reviewing palace affairs, she was so drowsy that her head suddenly slammed onto the desk. Her subconscious reaction was to call out for her beloved. "It hurts, Xue’er..."
Nan Muxue wasn't originally there, but as luck would have it, she happened to walk in at that moment. Hearing the cry, she hurried over. "Let me see."
A gentle breeze seemed to follow her touch. Chu Ruo enjoyed it immensely, hugging her beloved once more. "Why did you come over?"
"You’re exhausted. Stop doing these things."
Chu Ruo shook her head. "I’m fine. Be good and go rest."
"You tell me to rest every day while you busy yourself like this. Do you expect me to just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor?"
"Mhm. I’m going to usurp your power and seize total control of Baihua Palace for myself."
"Stop your glib talk."
"I can handle it alone. Didn't you manage everything by yourself before? Don't worry."
Nan Muxue didn't say anything more, but starting the next day, she increased the disciples' training and delegated tasks to others. Finally, Chu Ruo wasn't so busy anymore.
"Are you stripping me of my authority?"
"Yun Shuang and the others haven't come to question me yet, but you’re already dissatisfied? Besides, wasn't this your idea?"
"Yes, I did think about it, and we discussed it. The power in Baihua Palace was too concentrated. Now that there are more branches and the number of people is constantly increasing, dividing the ranks into layers is better for future management."
"I agreed, so I’m simply moving the schedule forward." Nan Muxue pinched Chu Ruo's cheek and smiled. "What are you dissatisfied about?"
Chu Ruo had never expected the "Little Scorpion" to be so efficient. She had immediately established ranks: Elders, Protectors, Hall Masters, Incense Masters, Disciplinary Envoys, Sect Instructors, and so on. "You..."
"You married me, yet your mind is spent elsewhere?"
"So, you’re saying you have a selfish motive for this?"
Nan Muxue bit her lip and admitted it frankly. "Yes."
Good news arrived: Nan’er began to recover. Perhaps it was because of the non-stop work over the past few days, but once she heard Nan’er was getting better, the tightly wound string in Chu Ruo’s heart finally snapped. After holding on for so long, she finally collapsed from exhaustion. When she woke up, she had a splitting headache and couldn't bring herself to get out of bed.
Since they had married, it was rare to see Nan Muxue handling palace affairs personally. Now that she had suddenly returned to it, the others were trembling in fear. Fortunately, she mostly kept her head down in the study and didn't say much.
"Hey." Chu Ruo snuck up behind her at some point and suddenly embraced her. "Why is my wife so busy?"
Nan Muxue set down her brush and raised a hand to caress her lover’s face. "You’re awake. Why did you come here? If you’re not feeling well, you should have stayed in bed."
"I missed you. Hug me."
Nan Muxue pulled her around and settled her onto her lap. Chu Ruo was uncharacteristically well-behaved. "You know I can't sleep when you’re not there."
"Liars."
"...Ahem. Take your medicine. Once you’ve taken the preventative medicine, I can kiss you..."
Nan Muxue remained expressionless. "Then we simply won't kiss."
*Muah!* Unfortunately, the other party had already succeeded. "Hehe."
"Shameless."
"Mm-hmm, I don't care." Chu Ruo smiled, glancing at the desk. Then, she paused. "Wifey, you aren't being very focused either."
"How so?"
"Look at what you wrote here..."
"Is there a problem?"
"The content is fine," Chu Ruo said, picking up the paper and pointing at two very clear characters. "But these two words—'Ruo’er'..."
Only then did Nan Muxue realize she had absentmindedly written the girl's name while her thoughts wandered. She immediately tried to snatch it back. "Give it to me..."
Chu Ruo laughed wantonly. "Haha! You miss me that much, huh?"
After playing around for a while, both felt a bit weary. Since there wasn't much to do today, they simply returned to their room. "Xue’er, time flies so fast. Look, the weather turned cold in the blink of an eye. Wotou’s wife is about to give birth to a little Wotou soon, too."
"Mhm."
"And Nan’er—now that she’s fine, I can rest easy."
"You shouldn't spoil her too much."
"You... when did I ever spoil her? I was just afraid something would happen to her."
Nan Muxue unbuttoned Chu Ruo’s robe. "She needs to be tempered."
Chu Ruo gave a cheeky grin. "Then what about me?"
"You? You are my only one."
"Xue’er." Chu Ruo reached up and gently pulled the jade hairpin from Nan Muxue’s hair. A waterfall of long hair cascaded down, breathtakingly beautiful. "I love you to death."
