"Take a deep breath", Gongsun Li inhaled at the physician's instruction who was now inspecting her.

"Hmm", he hummed thoughtfully before taking her hands to check her pulse.

"As far as this one can see, furen is healthy and well." The physician declared his opinion to the emperor sat beside his seemingly patient, his expression stoic.

"No." G.Li mewled, "Maybe daifu[1] forgot examine Li's stomach, it's aching"

Daifu: '......'

"This one would dare to disagree, furen's stomach is totally good and healthy."

"Li's back?! It's hurting too!"

The physician's eyebrows started twitching.

What's with this little concubine trying to turn her perfect healthy body into a sick one?

"Furen's back doesn't seem to have any problem either."

"My head? It's pain-

"Healthy."

"Lungs?"

"Healthy"

"My liver?"

"Healthy."

"My hair? I swear It's falling like rain in the the south-

"Stop!" the emperor stood up and indicated the physician to leave, his gaze zeroed on his wife who looked like bursting into tears in any minute.

Literally, G.Li was on verge of an emotional breakdown. For the last three days, she was being tortured with Zhu Zhen's endless stamina in bed. Excuses, tricks, sweet mouth method, she used everything but still couldn't stop her husband from tossing her in bed every night. So after a lot of thinking, she found out an effective method which is called 'pretending to be sick'.

But to her utter misery, Zhu Zhen started pacing like a slayed chicken till the moment she told him she was feeling sick. His entire aura changed from a lusty wolf to a mother hen in a second, and G.Li being G.Li, felt like kicking his face for it.

"Laoye" fake cough cough "Laoye, don't worry for Jianqie. Qie will be alright if qie takes rest for a few days" she requested in a sick voice and Zhu Zhen seemed to agree with her. But no! That chipmunk had to go and call a physician. Now as far as G.Li could make out from his fierce expression, her little stunt of pretense got caught. Her body turned cold from the fierce glare that was being directed at her by a certain emperor. Under that hot glare, G.Li swiftly turned the other side on the bed and cowered herself in a fetus position.

Zhu Zhen's lips arched upward forming a cold smile but his tensed jaw and the sharp glint of his eyes made the rage turmoiling inside him evident.

"Gongsun Li" he called, his voice low and commanding. A shiver ran down her spine, he called her name! He never called her name!

I think the time of my death has come, huhuhu.

Not risking to fire up his rage, she slowly sat up on the bed, her lashes drawn downside with guilt.

"F- forgive jianqie-

"Why?" his voice was shaken.

Gongsun Li glanced up at him to meet her gaze to him. His eyes flashed with hurt but only for a moment, then it vanished like it was never before. His expression was stoic showing no emotion but G.Li knew better.

She stood up to get closer to him but Zhu Zhen stepped backwards as if her close proximity was hurting him. Guilt spread in her heart like ants.

"Answer me, Gongsun Li. Why?"

"Lao-

"Don't! Don't call me that. You don't mean it."

Gongsun Li gulped with hurt at his words blinking the tears away. She thought her heart was incapable of emotions, but why his words stung so much?

"Your highness, I- I-

"Tell me, Li'er. Am I so unlikeable?"

"Huh?" she could not process his words.

"Am I so unworthy that you detest my touch so much?"

The vulnerabilty, the hurt in his words shook her insides up so much that G.Li backed a few steps on her own.

"No! I-" Zhu Zhen did not let her finish her sentence as he paced up to her and grabbed her elbows, his grip on her so hard that she whimpered at the pain.

"You have no idea" he growled "You have no idea how you make me crazy. You have no idea how my heart stops beating thinking of anything bad happening to you. If you had, you would never pull this stunt. If you could feel a bit of what I felt all this morning, you would never!"

If his words had the ability to stab, they would slice G.Li's heart into thousand pieces by now. Tears streamed in her eyes with guilt, the hurt hidden in his rage slicing through her.

She knew she deserved this pain, so she didn't try to move him when his grip turned more harsh on her, but she couldn't take the pain more, a whimper tearing through her lips,

"Laoye, you are hurting me."

Zhu Zhen's smiled bitterly,

"Not as much as you are."

by others