Tao Lengshuang felt the words held a deeper meaning and her gaze towards Mo Lingxi changed: "You're not planning to take advantage of my illness to do something, are you?"
As she spoke, she covered her mouth and coughed a few times, her throat growing increasingly sore and itchy.
Ah, it felt so uncomfortable!
Seeing her on the verge of losing her temper, Mo Lingxi felt even more apologetic and self-reproachful: "No, you're sick, how could I possibly do anything while you're ill?"
Tao Lengshuang still didn't quite believe him, her eyes fixed on him suspiciously: "You have no credibility with me."
"...Why?"
"Think about what you did yesterday, would you still expect me to believe you?"
Mo Lingxi pondered his actions from the previous day and didn't feel he had done anything wrong, but he knew better than to argue.
"I just want to take care of you when you're sick. We can't have Xiao Feng and others taking care of you."
Tao Lengshuang stated that she could take care of herself and didn't need the great Mo Lingxi to look after her.
If Mo Lingxi were to care for her, who knew what might happen? She didn't want to find herself in an awkward situation for no reason.
Mo Lingxi insisted on taking care of Tao Lengshuang, saying it was his fault she had caught a cold, and therefore, he should be the one to care for her.
The ailing Tao Lengshuang fell silent. Her throat was both itchy and sore, and she was too weak to argue with this man any further. She simply pulled the quilt over her head.
Afraid of suffocating her, Mo Lingxi gently pulled the quilt down: "You're already uncomfortable, you can't do this."
"I'll make you some porridge. Drink some and then sleep a bit more. After you wake up, take your medicine, and you should be fine in a couple of days."
Tao Lengshuang, with her back to him, opened her mouth to breathe, her nose also blocked. She felt truly miserable.
Mo Lingxi paid no mind to her attitude. He instructed Xiao Feng to take good care of Tao Lengshuang and then went to the kitchen to make porridge.
Aunt Wang San and Aunt Shen Er were also cooking in the kitchen. Seeing Mo Lingxi arrive, they inquired about Tao Lengshuang's condition and offered any help they could provide.
Mo Lingxi thanked them and, just as he was about to start cooking, remembered he didn't know how to care for the sick. He asked Aunt Wang San and the others what precautions to take for someone with a cold.
Aunt Wang San and the others explained in detail what to watch out for, emphasizing the importance of asking Tao Lengshuang frequently, and that the Mo family's medical skills were top-notch.
When Mo Lingxi finished cooking the porridge, he brought it to Tao Lengshuang, helped her sit up, and then carefully blew on each spoonful to cool it before feeding her.
"I had planned to take you to see a play in a couple of days, but seeing you like this, it's not possible for now."
He sent Xiao Feng to the kitchen for porridge, reminding him not to wander off and to stay in the main hall after he finished.
Xiao Feng obediently agreed, saying he would stay in his mother's room after finishing his porridge and wouldn't go anywhere.
He wanted to take care of his mother.
Tao Lengshuang watched Xiao Feng leave the room and quietly asked about the Sheng family: "Have you found out which families have grudges with the Sheng family?"
Mo Lingxi replied that there were too many: "Over eighty percent of the court officials have grudges with the Sheng family."
"..." Should she say the Sheng family was too upright, or that their status made others envious?
Mo Lingxi seemed to guess the reason for Tao Lengshuang's speechlessness and continued, "However, very few people actually dared to make a move against the Sheng family."
"Anyone with a brain understands that the current ruler still relies on the Sheng family, and General Sheng's might shakes the heavens. If anything were to happen to him, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Tao Lengshuang wasn't entirely clear on these matters, but she understood the importance of a powerful general: "Are there any specific suspects?"
Seeing her coughing incessantly, Mo Lingxi handed her warm water and replied that they were still investigating: "It seems everyone is a suspect."
"The ruler wants to get rid of General Sheng but has no suitable replacement and doesn't want his reputation tarnished. Naturally, those below him want to please him."
Tao Lengshuang let out a sneer, her eyes filled with disgust, but she also understood that these were not matters a commoner like her could interfere with.
"We can only continue to investigate the Sheng family's affairs. I hope we can find useful clues in a short period."
She had a feeling that if the Sheng family's affairs could be clarified, she would understand why the mastermind had repeatedly targeted and plotted against her.
Mo Lingxi assured her he would investigate as quickly as possible and told her not to worry and to focus on recovering.
Tao Lengshuang glared at him indignantly. If it weren't for this scoundrel, how could she have fallen ill? Just thinking about it made her angry.
Mo Lingxi rubbed his nose and patiently fed her porridge, mentioning their plan to see a play once she recovered.
Tao Lengshuang worried about missing a good show: "Let's go see the play tomorrow. We should be able to see a good show, and I'll be upset if I miss it."
Sheng Li had wronged her so many times. Now that she finally had a chance to see Sheng Li's downfall, she absolutely had to witness it.
Mo Lingxi disagreed, worried about her condition worsening. He put on a stern face: "It's freezing cold now. What if your illness gets worse?"
"I'll have them postpone the plan."
Tao Lengshuang was unwilling to postpone the plan. Who knew if something might go wrong if it was delayed?
She stared at Mo Lingxi without speaking, conveying that if he didn't agree, she would continue to stare at him like this.
Mo Lingxi was both exasperated and amused, but he absolutely refused to let the sick Tao Lengshuang go to the play. He patiently reasoned with her.
Tao Lengshuang was adamant. She was determined to see Sheng Li suffer.
"I am a doctor myself, I can take care of myself."
"Haven't you heard that a physician cannot heal themselves?"
"...Mo Lingxi, if you absolutely refuse, then I'll go alone."
Mo Lingxi knew she was capable of doing such a thing. He sighed with a headache: "Alright, alright, I'll take you to see the play, but you have to listen to me obediently."
Tao Lengshuang was satisfied and smiled brightly: "I'll listen to what's reasonable, but I won't listen to what's unreasonable."
Mo Lingxi chuckled: "Then tell me, what is reasonable?"
Tao Lengshuang's throat hurt, and she didn't want to waste time arguing with Mo Lingxi. She simply lay down to rest.
She needed to conserve her energy, waiting to see Sheng Li's downfall.
Mo Lingxi shook his head, glanced at Xiao Feng who had quietly entered, whispered a couple of instructions to him, and then went to the kitchen to wash the bowls.
When Tao Lengshuang woke up, it was already noon.
She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a while. It was only when she heard Mo Lingxi's concerned voice that she snapped back to attention.
"Still groggy from sleep?"
Tao Lengshuang turned her head to look at him, only to see Xiao Feng pounce over and land on her.
"Mother, are you feeling better?" Xiao Feng's big eyes were full of concern. "Xiao Feng and Father have been guarding Mother. Father did go out for a bit, though."
Tao Lengshuang stroked his head and took her own pulse: "Much better."
Her voice was less hoarse, and her pulse had improved significantly. Now, she just needed a few days of good rest to recover.
"Yay!"
Xiao Feng's smile was brilliant. He said in his milky voice, "Then Mother needs to rest well and not run around, okay? Xiao Feng will watch you."
"If Mother runs around and doesn't rest properly, Xiao Feng will be angry and won't talk to Mother."