Chapter 62 (Revised)

I will take care of you for the rest of my life.

"This servant doesn't know why, but the young master only bowed and greeted him, without saying anything else."

Ling'er answered in detail, "This servant saw that Consort Yi originally didn't want to pay attention to the young master. However, Consort Fang suddenly blocked the young master's way and made sarcastic remarks, even mentioning Lord Zhang Gui... After Consort Fang instigated her, Consort Yi also became disgusted with him, had someone use a knife to injure the young master, and warned the young master not to be too proud."

"Fang Concubine..."

After listening, Lu Qin pondered for a moment and said, "Chang Le once said that Consort Yi is not good at vying for favor, but Consort Fang is a formidable person."

This makes it even stranger, since they have absolutely no connection with Consort Fang...

Could it be that she wants to curry favor with Consort Yi and find a powerful backer?

Or perhaps he had some old friendship with Zhang Gui, and after learning about the events on Xuande Street, he couldn't stand Hao Jingshi being the first to speak out, so he wanted to take the opportunity to teach him a lesson?

As Lu Qin pondered to herself, a "snap" sound came from inside the room. The wick of the lamp on the table had exploded, drawing her attention. She looked up.

Ling'er quickly stepped forward to take a look, then turned back. After observing the situation for a while, she finally found an opportunity to speak.

"Madam, may I ask if I may speak?"

"Actually, you know the young master's temperament. He was willing to suffer a loss this time because he knew that this matter should not be blown out of proportion. He kept it from you because he didn't want to cause you any more worry. So please stop thinking about it."

Lu Qin sighed after hearing this. Indeed, the disaster had already occurred, and the culprit was in the heavily guarded palace, making it difficult for her to contact him. What could she do?

If we are fixated on revenge, it will alarm the Hao family and powerful figures, and involve others, which will only make things more troublesome.

Hearing this sigh, Ling'er understood what she was thinking, and without saying anything more, she silently stayed by her side.

Lu Qin began to prop her cheeks up, looking at Hao Jingshi's pale face, and gradually remembered that he had knelt for her in the snow for a long time, and when he lay on the bed after fainting, he looked just like that.

He remained as stubborn as ever, unwilling to show even the slightest weakness in front of her, even after enduring countless torments. This had not changed over the years.

"Cough cough..."

While Lu Qin was in a daze, Hao Jingshi's chest suddenly rose and fell. He slowly opened his eyes, looking slightly bewildered.

Seeing this, Ling'er cleverly took the chicken soup from the table and retreated, saying she would reheat it.

"Husband." Lu Qin leaned forward and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "How are you?"

Called by her, Hao Jingshi became a little more awake and, realizing he was lying in bed, subconsciously raised his hand.

The gauze has been changed.

He keenly detected the lingering scent of Chinese medicine by the bedside, a hint of tension flashing between his brows. His voice was hoarse as he asked Lu Qin, "You... have you called a doctor?"

"Yes." Lu Qin's heart swelled, and an indescribable feeling welled up inside her. "The doctor said that your injury was too deep, you lost too much blood, and you didn't have dinner, so you couldn't hold on and fainted."

Hao Jingshi struggled to sit up: "What else did he say..."

"Slow down." Lu Qin reached out to help him, acting as if nothing was wrong. "It's nothing, I just prescribed some herbal medicine for you to rest and recuperate."

Hao Jingshi stared at her silently, clearly not quite believing it.

His eyes flickered, he turned his face away, and said bluntly, "Didn't the doctor tell you that I'm already crippled?"

Hearing his disordered breathing and slightly self-deprecating tone, Lu Qin's heart trembled.

She tried her best to calmly reassure him, "Yes, he did. I won't hide it from you. Actually, I had a feeling when my husband tested me earlier. Even if the doctor hadn't said anything, you would have told me sooner or later, right?"

Upon hearing this, Hao Jingshi's jaw tightened, and he glanced helplessly at the bedpost, window, and gauze curtains before finally looking back at Lu Qin, revealing an unprecedented expression of self-deprecation.

"Um."

The night breeze slipped through the crack in the window, ruffling a strand of hair by his ear, and his voice became hesitant.

"The Imperial Concubine told me today... that the Emperor has privately inquired about our clothing shop. He highly values ​​your abilities, and if you can pass the test, you may become a female official."

“I know that even without my designs, you would find a way to keep the clothing store open, or do something else…”

At this point, Hao Jingshi fell silent for a moment, as if struggling with his inner thoughts.

Lu Qin paused for a moment, a strange premonition creeping into her mind. She could almost hear Hao Jingshi's heart pounding, the sound completely irregular and disordered.

After a moment of contemplation, Hao Jingshi opened his mouth again, his voice heavy with emotion: "Rather than being a burden to me, I'd rather give you your freedom, I..."

"Young Master, Madam."

Before Hao Jingshi could finish speaking, Ling'er suddenly pushed the door open and entered, interrupting him whether intentionally or unintentionally.

As if oblivious to the tense atmosphere, she smiled and handed the steaming bowl to Lu Qin, even thoughtfully turning the spoon handle around for her.

"Young master, this chicken soup was made by the madam herself. You must try it. This servant will take her leave now."

"..."

"Squeak".

The door to the house was gently closed, and the two people inside stared at each other blankly, as if they had completely forgotten what they had just been saying.

After a while, just as Hao Jingshi was about to continue speaking, Lu Qin suddenly scooped up a spoonful of chicken soup, blew on it, and fed it to him.

"Husband, be careful, it's hot."

"..."

Hao Jingshi glanced at the bowl of chicken soup, drank it silently, and Lu Qin then fed him a second spoonful.

Hao Jingshi hesitated for a moment before drinking it down. He vaguely understood her thoughts; she was stopping him from saying those words.

As he drank the delicious soup she had personally prepared, he did indeed hesitate.

The two began to take things seriously without saying a word. One focused on feeding the other soup, while the other focused on drinking it. Neither of them said anything more, as if they were leaving each other room to maneuver.

In the quiet night, the only sounds were the clinking of bowls and spoons and the soft sucking sounds.

After finishing the bowl of soup, the air became quiet again, and Hao Jingshi gazed at Lu Qin.

Lu Qin placed the empty bowl down, returned to sit in front of him, and took the initiative to tightly grasp his left hand.

“You know, I often thought about what the fortune teller said and worried that you would get into trouble,” she said. “Now that it has happened, on the bright side, it’s like we’ve gotten through this ordeal, and I can finally rest easy.”

"Can……"

“My lord, in this world, who can have a smooth journey?” Lu Qin interrupted gently. “I don’t want to see you so dejected. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Who can predict what will happen in the future? Perhaps our good fortune is far from over.”

Hao Jingshi paused for a moment, then fell silent again, looking down at his hands wrapped in layers of gauze.

Seeing this, Lu Qin gently placed her hands on his right hand to block his view.

She then patiently asked, "Let me ask you this: if I were the one who was injured today, would you have considered divorce?"

Hao Jingshi looked away: "No."

"So I won't either." Lu Qin gently took his hand and placed it on her heart, saying each word clearly, "Husband, I know you can't accept it right now, that's why you said those words."

She smiled at him, and her words, spoken in a very soft tone, left a deep impression on his heart.

"Besides my father, you are my only family and the person I care about the most."

"I am your first wife, and I will never betray you, no matter what, unless I die."

"..." Upon hearing this, Hao Jingshi suddenly turned his head away in silence.

After a long silence, he suppressed his emotions and managed a weak "hmm," saying, "No, you mustn't say things like 'death' again."

Lu Qin agreed, and seeing him slowly shrink into the blankets, she said, "I'm sleepy too. Let's not think about anything and get a good night's sleep."

She got up to change into her nightgown, and when she returned, Hao Jingshi had already poked his head out of the covers, as if he had come to terms with it.

Lu Qin snuggled into the covers and rested her face against his back.

Her hands gently slipped under his armpits, encircled his chest, and she hugged him from behind.

"Even if you can't be cured, I will take care of you for the rest of my life, don't worry."

After he finished speaking, the last flame in the lamp burned out, leaving only the cold moonlight in the room.

A faint breath escaped the silence, and Hao Jingshi's shoulders trembled slightly, it was unclear whether he was crying or laughing.

...

Hao Jingshi rested in the mansion for several days. In front of Lu Qin, he still acted as if nothing was wrong, talking and laughing as usual.

But Lu Qin could tell that the disability of his right hand was a huge blow to Hao Jingshi, since he had been pampered since childhood and had never suffered any grievances or humiliations.

She had secretly witnessed it a few times. In private, Hao Jing would often stare blankly at the white gauze on his hand, or silently raise his hand to examine it, as if he didn't recognize it.

His eyes revealed a hint of dejection, a stark contrast to his usual spirited demeanor.

Lu Qin was very worried. In order to help him through his most emotionally unstable period, she closed her clothing shop for several days and took care of him without leaving his side.

After a few days of treatment by the doctor, Hao Jingshi's complexion improved. Lu Qin was worried that he would feel bored, so she suggested that they go for a walk together to get some fresh air, but he was unwilling to see anyone.

He said, "Go to the clothing shop, don't worry about me."

Lu Qin said, "Husband, come with me."

"I don't want to go out with this tied up, it looks awful." Hao Jingshi said with disgust, looking at his hands. "Go ahead, I won't do anything rash."

After hearing this, Lu Qin twitched the corner of her mouth and dared not go any further. Instead, she simply sat down and started talking to him to make him laugh.

“I’m not going. What if I come back and find my husband hanged here?”

Hao Jingshi was very sensitive: "I can't even tie a knot, and you're worried I'll hang myself?"

Lu Qin interrupted, "After lunch, I'll call Xuan Lan and Ling'er over so we can play leaf cards together."

"Does Madam want me to pick up the cards with my feet?"

Lu Qin interrupted again: "My husband, you don't know this, but actually your hand looks just like the wishing deity in folk religion."

"What kind of deity? I've never heard of such a thing."

“That shows how ignorant my husband is. This wish-granting fairy is a cat named Doraemon.”

Lu Qin began to tell him stories vividly, describing things like a magic pocket and a time machine in great detail.

After listening for a while, Hao Jingshi finally managed to divert his attention. He stopped looking at his hands, looked up, and smiled helplessly.

"...Nonsense."

With Lu Qin by his side, Hao Jingshi's mood gradually improved, he began to accept the facts, and would often make fun of himself.

Seeing him like this, Lu Qin was finally able to go to the clothing shop with peace of mind. When others asked, she only said that her husband was ill and had not been able to leave the house recently.

Two days later, Hao Jingshi asked her about her future plans. She thought for a moment and said seriously, "The clothing shop is something we built together, so naturally I can't bear to give it up. How about this, since my husband's right hand is not convenient, he can use his left hand to paint."

Hao Jingshi thought she was joking and didn't take it to heart. But the next day, Lu Qin really found a calligraphy teacher. He was dumbfounded, but when he turned around, he saw her smiling triumphantly.

"Husband, don't be discouraged. Practice your calligraphy and painting diligently, so that everyone will still be wearing clothes designed by you in the future."

Hearing her words, Hao Jingshi was surprised and moved. He had made many assumptions, such as Lu Qin changing to another painter to draw the clothing designs, or Lu Qin selling all the clothes and opening another shop. But he never thought that she would let him continue to draw with his left hand.

Lu Qin had no intention of giving up on him, nor did she think he was a useless person. Her patience made him ashamed, ashamed that he had ever had the thought of giving up on himself.

Yes, he was too immersed in pessimism. His left hand can also write and draw; it's amazing that she thought of that.

Hao Jingshi began to focus on practicing calligraphy and painting. During the day, he followed his master to learn, and in the evening, he would wait for Lu Qin to return so he could show off his achievements for the day.

"Wow, my husband's calligraphy is so elegant, the strokes are so powerful, and the characters are so well-formed. There is no one like him before or since. It is truly a masterpiece." Lu Qin praised the crooked characters in an exaggerated way, "It's even better than what I write with my right hand."

"Madam, you're too kind with your compliments." Hao Jingshi once again revealed his familiar nonchalant demeanor. "I've been wondering why all the cows on the ground have disappeared lately."

"Um?"

Lu Qin was puzzled as to what this had to do with oxen, and then she heard him explain, "The lady has been praising oxen to the skies."

That's a really lame joke.

Lu Qin understood and silently slapped the paper into his arms.

Hao Jingshi smiled, then expertly crossed his arms and looked down at her rolling her eyes at him.

His wife was always so lively and interesting. Looking at her beautiful face, he thought, if life were always like this, then... that would be fine.

Without her by his side, he didn't know how difficult the days would be.

If she weren't by my side...

She wasn't there?

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Hao Jingshi's mind, and his smile gradually faded.

Lu Qin said that everything the old man said had come true. He had survived this ordeal, so she was relieved and no longer needed to worry.

But she didn't know there was another thing the old man had mentioned...

No.

Hao Jingshi abruptly interrupted himself.

No, he absolutely cannot accept that.

He was determined to find a way, even at the cost of everything, to prevent this from happening.