Chapter 65: Climbing Over the Wall

It was near midnight.

Shen Yu, who had drunk a bit too much tea, intended to get up to use the restroom, but before she even reached the courtyard, she saw a figure struggling to climb the wall.

Since Mu’en Hall was part of the Imperial Palace, the courtyard walls were built tall and smooth.

There were even invisible barbs on the tiles atop the wall, all designed to ward off assassins; naturally, it was not easy to scale.

Thud.

Before Shen Yu could speak, the figure fell hard to the ground, letting out a delicate wail of pain.

“Lady Cao?”

Shen Yu recognized the person climbing the wall at a glance — it was Cao Xiangning.

‘Why isn’t this girl sleeping? What is she doing here, trying to climb over the wall?’

“Ah!”

Having been discovered, Cao Xiangning instinctively used her hands to cover her face, which was flushed with embarrassment.

The oil lamp in Shen Yu’s hand shone on her face, making her awkwardness plain for all to see.

“You are… You are…”

At that moment, Cao Xiangning frantically reached for the small notebook that had fallen to the ground.

She did not care how disheveled she looked or that it was covered in mud; it seemed that only by holding it could her heart find some peace.

“You are… Physician Attendant Shen, right?”

Cao Xiangning flipped through the notebook in her hand, looking Shen Yu up and down several times before finally recognizing her with great caution.

“You don’t remember me?”

‘How much time has even passed?’

Shen Yu was astonished.

From the look of things, the strange illness of Marquis Dingyuan Cao Zhen’s beloved daughter was indeed not simple.

It was not even midnight yet, and she had already forgotten everything that had happened during the day.

She even had to rely on her notebook to recognize Shen Yu.

“I have a strange illness. I forget many things. I have to rely on the notebook in my hand to recognize others, including my parents, and even myself.”

Cao Xiangning nervously gripped the corner of her skirt with one hand while holding the notebook tightly to her chest with the other.

Her tone carried a hint of embarrassment, as if she herself could not believe she was ill.

But that was what the notebook said.

Moreover, after waking up from a nap, her mind was a complete blank; she could not even remember her own name.

Out of necessity, she could only choose to believe the notes she had written down.

Following the records in the notebook, she could more or less recall some scattered fragments.

In truth, this was her life every day — relying on the notebook in her hand and fragmented memories to recall who she was and what she was supposed to do.

“But I can still remember you, Physician Attendant Shen. You helped me and saved my life. Plus, you are a very, very gentle person. The notebook says I have a very favorable impression of you.”

Cao Xiangning held the notebook tightly.

She lowered her eyes and spoke softly.

The Shen Yu before her eyes indeed matched Cao Xiangning’s tastes.

She was beautiful and spoke gently; it was clear that what was recorded in the notebook was the truth.

“What… are you doing?”

“Right! I have something very urgent to do. Physician Attendant Shen, can you help me?”

Cao Xiangning instinctively grabbed Shen Yu’s arm, as if grasping for a lifeline.

“You are recovering from an illness right now. Didn’t your notebook say so? You spent a long time in a place full of patients with the Hundred-Year Sores; you are at high risk of contracting it yourself.”

“Your father specifically left you here with me to be observed for a few more days. Lady Cao, listen to me. Nothing is more important than your health. It is quite cold tonight, so you should go back and rest.”

Before Shen Yu could finish speaking, tears began to well in Cao Xiangning’s beautiful eyes.

“It’s very cold… if I don’t go, they will die…”

“Who? Who will die? Where are you going?”

‘Did I say the wrong thing and upset this young lady?’

Shen Yu was stunned.

She thought she had offended her, causing her to start crying.

But now it seemed that it was not her fault.

“Look at these! These are all things I wrote in my notebook while I was clear-headed. I have to do it! I must…”