Chapter 75 "Why does Father still take this so seriously..."

"Why would your father actually harm you?"

Liu Ying and Wu Liu pushed open the door on either side, and Feng Mian helped Bai Li Xunzhou into the room, stepping into the light streaming from inside.

This was the first time she had ever seen Baili Xunzhou so badly injured. On their wedding day, he had just returned after repelling an ambush, his knife wounds gruesome and bleeding, yet he showed no sign of distress. Now, however, he was so weak that he could barely walk.

The prince is still his own father, yet he's incredibly ruthless.

On the rosewood chaise lounge by the window, a new, light blue satin cushion with a dark embroidered orchid pattern had been placed. Baili Xunzhou leaned half his body against Feng Mian, who helped him sit down on it.

The familiar scene reminded Baili Xunzhou of the last time he was on this chaise longue, when Feng Mian carefully applied medicine to him. He suddenly felt a dryness in his throat, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, but then he remembered what he had said on this chaise longue, and his face darkened.

People can never truly empathize with their past selves. He simply couldn't understand how he could have told Feng Mian on their wedding night that she could follow Princess Yongning's example and keep male concubines.

Are you out of your mind?

Behind him, Feng Mian was unaware of his turbulent emotions and was about to open his collar to check his injuries.

The slender fingers, about to touch the black collar, suddenly stopped, and the fingertips curled back.

"I'll go and call Shanyi to come and apply the medicine for you."

"This won't do!" Baili Xunzhou turned around, quickly raised his arm, and in the chaos, grabbed Feng Mian's waist.

His long, slender fingers rested on her thin waistline, the warmth of his palms burning through her thin clothes, making Feng Mian tremble slightly and unable to take a step.

Bai Lixun was still unaware of what was happening, his mind preoccupied with finding a way to say something without revealing his true intentions and thus keep her there.

He sat on the chaise longue, leaning slightly forward as if nestled in Feng Mian's arms, his head tilted back close to her waist, his clear black and white eyes filled with earnest light.

"It would be too shameful for Shanyi to see me beaten like this by my father. Please help me, okay?"

He had never said anything so vulnerable, so coquettish, and his ears began to burn.

Bai Lixun secretly rejoiced that there were many candles burning inside the room, so if asked why his ears were red, he could say it was because of the candlelight.

The surrounding lights and candles cast shimmering light from all directions, casting flickering shadows on the two of them.

Feng Mian lowered his head and saw that Baili Xunzhou's dark eyes were glistening with moisture.

Her heart trembled violently. She bit the soft flesh inside her lip with her pearly teeth, nodded, and then remembered to push away the hand that was wrapped around her waist. "You... let go first, I'll go get the wound medicine."

Her slender, white fingers rested on the boy's hand, which was a size larger than hers. Her fingertips touched the protruding knuckles, and the contrast between her pale fingertips and the back of his hand, which had a slight difference in skin tone, was striking. Both of her fingertips trembled slightly at the same time, and the slightly larger hand quickly withdrew, the back of the hand gently brushing against her pale fingertips.

Baili Xunzhou withdrew his hand and obediently sat upright on the chaise longue, his gaze following Feng Mian as she went to the dressing table to retrieve the wound medicine. Only after she returned with the medicine did he turn his back to her.

His slender fingers deftly untied the leather belt at his waist, but as he was about to take off his outer robe, he stopped, letting out a deep sigh, "My arm hurts so much, I can't lift it."

He tilted his head slightly, not daring to look at Feng Mian. His long eyelashes trembled, and with his ears burning red, he said softly, "Help me one more time."

Bang, bang.

Amidst the two slow, anxious heartbeats, her pale fingertips finally touched the black collar once more, gently removing her outer robe before reaching forward to her waist to untie the sash of her inner garment.

As he leaned forward, Feng Mian's breath gently brushed against Baili Xunzhou's neck, the slight warmth causing his neck to quickly turn red.

Feng Mian peeled off his clothes layer by layer, and saw that his shoulders and neck were covered in a white and reddish-white skin. Before she could even wonder, she saw the deep marks on his shoulders and back where he had been hit by a sword sheath, which stretched all the way down to his narrow waist.

She couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Father was too ruthless!"

“I took care of him from his shoulders to his waist, I almost spanked his buttocks.”

The bronze mirror reflected the figures of the princess and the Prince of Dingbei. The Prince of Dingbei removed the princess's hairpins and jewelry while speaking with a smug tone, trying to take credit for the task.

"You seem to enjoy beating your son?"

The Prince of Dingbei was overjoyed that his son, who was always the one to go against him, had come to him willingly to be beaten. However, he couldn't admit it out loud, so he argued, "Isn't this to fully cooperate with his self-inflicted injury scheme? It will make our daughter-in-law feel sorry for him as soon as she sees him, and once she feels sorry for him, won't our relationship improve?"

The princess shook her head helplessly, "Then let's hope that A-Zhuo's self-inflicted injury wasn't in vain."

The candlelight flickered and swayed. Fingers smeared with ointment gently traced the marks on Baili Xunzhou's fair skin, causing him to shiver from the itch. Feng Mian then patted his shoulder with her palm.

"Don't move."

Bai Lixun's boat immediately stopped moving, silently exhaling gently, his shoulder and back muscles still tense and taut.

Yu Hen lowered himself into his lower back, and Feng Mian gently pushed against his spine, whispering, "Lie down."

Baili Xunzhou obediently leaned forward against the pillow, when he felt a hand grab his waistband and pull him down, startling him so much that he almost sat up abruptly.

He kicked his legs, clutching his lower back, and half-turned around, like a frightened wolfhound with its fur standing on end. His once sharp eyes were now wide open, showing a hint of innocent bewilderment, and he stammered, unable to speak: "You, you..."

Why are you taking off his pants?

Feng Mian was startled by him, her hand still hovering over his waist. She opened her mouth and stammered, "I...I'm injured..."

Baili Xunzhou's heart pounded wildly, his face flushed red, and he secretly blamed his father for hitting him in the wrong place. How could he, how could he...

He had secretly planned to use a self-inflicted injury as a pretext to subtly employ his charm, but how could he, how could he...

Both of them kept their eyes down, neither daring to look at the other, and the air gradually thickened as if a pot of syrup had been poured over it.

Knock knock, the door was suddenly knocked on, followed by Qingyi's measured voice: "Your Highness, there is military intelligence to report."

The transparent bubble enveloping the house was popped, and the viscous syrup gushed away.

The two people inside the room came to their senses. Baili Xunzhou stood up, pulling up his waistband. The heat behind his ears hadn't subsided. He felt that his reaction just now was really making a fuss over nothing and was extremely embarrassing.

He's been through all sorts of ups and downs, it's just a simple matter of taking off your pants and applying medicine between husband and wife, why is he acting like he's been caught red-handed?

Tomorrow, I must go to my father's study and find the forbidden books he has hidden away to study them!

After calming his turbulent emotions, Baili Xunzhou said reluctantly, "Then I'll go out for a bit."

"Hmm, hmm, the medicine is almost applied." Feng Mian nodded haphazardly, placed the wound medicine on the couch, and was about to help Baili Xunzhou get dressed when she saw that the person who had just said that he couldn't lift his arm had already quickly put on his inner garment, his fingertips deftly tying the ties.

"Is your arm alright?"

Baili Xunzhou froze, slowly lowered his hands, and looked at Feng Mian with a surprised expression, "It was fine for a moment, but now it's not fine again."

"..."

It seems the condition of this arm depends entirely on his words.

Feng Mian didn't expose him. Instead, she stepped forward to help him put on his outer garment and fasten the leather belt. Only when she tightened the belt with both hands did she realize how strong and lean his waist was.

My fingertips are itchy, and I want to touch them.

Feng Mian held back, about to pull her hand away, when Baili Xunzhou's well-defined hand covered the back of her hand, almost enveloping it in his palm.

He said gently, "You should get some rest. If I'm busy too late, I'll just stay at the camp and come back tomorrow."

Feng Mian nodded, and Baili Xunzhou reluctantly walked towards the door. He stopped at the door and turned back to instruct, "You haven't eaten much today. Have someone bring you a bowl of hot soup later to warm your stomach before you go to sleep, okay?"

"good."

Bai Lixun left the house, looking back every few steps.

Qingyi, who was waiting outside the door, muttered to herself: "His Highness is moving so slowly today."

As night deepened, a lamp was habitually left on in the room, its thick shade emitting only a faint, firefly-like glow.

Behind layers of draped bed curtains, Feng Mian, dressed in a moon-white nightgown, pulled the quilt up to her chin and closed her eyes to sleep.

“I don’t know Princess Anle, I only know you.”

The moment she closed her eyes, Baili Xunzhou's words under the stars and moon echoed in her ears.

She opened her eyes and stared at the pomegranate flower pattern embroidered on the bed curtains above her head. After several days, she finally lay down in the familiar and warm bed curtains, and her relaxed mind began to repeatedly recall Baili Xunzhou's every word and action over the past few days.

What did he mean by that?

Feng Mian rolled over and lay on her side, staring at the fingers in front of her. She thought back to when she applied medicine to Baili Xunzhou today. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with smooth and beautiful muscle lines. His waist was slender but not weak and seemed to have dimples. He was very beautiful.

She blushed suddenly, lowered her head and buried herself in the blankets, kicking her feet on the bed. Only when she felt a little short of breath did she peek out again, revealing a rosy face.

After calming down, she began to feel that Baili Xunzhou was very problematic. On their wedding day, when she offered to apply medicine to him, he was extremely reluctant. Today, he even pretended that he couldn't raise his arm and tricked her into helping him take off his clothes.

Something's definitely wrong with him.

However, I have no practical experience in the matter of sealing my heart with love. Although I really want to ask him, "Aren't you going to get a divorce?", I don't know how to ask him properly.

Feng Mian kept this thought in mind, letting his mind wander through various scenarios, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Feng Mian was having breakfast when someone came to deliver a message that Fu Ciyan was requesting an audience.

What urgent matter could he have to do so early in the morning?

A maid led Fu Ciyan in. He was wearing a fine linen robe in jade green, with a dark leather belt neatly cinching his narrow waist. He strolled in lazily, as if entering his own backyard.

Feng Mian politely asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No." He sat down in front of Feng Mian without ceremony. "Since the princess has invited me to have breakfast together, then I will not stand on ceremony."

Sealing Sleep: ...

She only asked if I had eaten breakfast and where I had been invited.

"Alright," she swallowed a mouthful of soup and asked, "Young Master Fu, is there anything important that brings you here so early?"

Fu Ciyan slowly peeled an egg and said, "I'm here to say goodbye."

Feng Mian was taken aback, only then remembering that she had met Fu Ciyan by chance in Heishigou. He was not her relative, friend, or subordinate, so naturally he would leave.

Fu Ciyan wasn't a particularly likable person, but for some reason, Feng Mian felt a little reluctant to see him go.

After all, we had spent several days together and gone through the epidemic together, so we could be considered friends who had gone through thick and thin together.

The world is vast, and we may never have the chance to meet again.

"If you ever need any help in the future, feel free to send me a message. There's a plaque with the character '封' (sealed) hanging under the eaves..."

“These are all shops under your name.” Fu Ciyan interrupted her, a hint of a smile in his eyes. “I know. Your shops are doing very well. Half of the merchants in Northern Xinjiang are practically part of the Feng family.”

His words even seemed to carry a hint of pride.

Feng Mian found it a bit strange, but didn't think much of it. He then asked, "Where are you going? Do you need someone to escort you?"

"Go to Shengjing to see an old friend. Princess, there's no need for you to see me off."

As he spoke, the air of a frivolous young master suddenly calmed down, and he appeared much more profound, as if shrouded in mist.

"We may never meet again, so I'm giving this to you..." he said, extending his hand, which was half-holding something, toward Feng Mian.

"stop!"

A sharp shout came from the direction of the courtyard gate.

Feng Mian turned her head and saw Baili Xunzhou standing at the courtyard gate with a bow and arrow in hand, the arrowheads pointed at Fu Ciyan.

-----------------------

Author's Note: The princess poked his head in exasperation: What are you ashamed of!