The wound was indeed very painful, but Hongli had truly felt Su Yushan's care for him. He had no regrets, only that it was all worthwhile.

"You are my woman. I will not only take advantage of you in the tent, but I will also protect you when it matters. This is my own choice. No one forced me. Don't blame yourself, don't be afraid! It's over. I will be fine."

His voice grew weaker and weaker, and the strength with which he held her shoulders less and less. Su Yushan knew he must be having a hard time, so she got up, wiped away her tears, and stopped bothering him, asking the doctor to apply medicine and treat his wounds as soon as possible.

After the wound was properly treated, Hongli took off his blood-stained old clothes, and Li Yu brought out a clean robe from the carriage. Chang Yue helped him change.

His arm had just been bandaged, and Su Yushan was afraid that he would pull on the wound when he raised his arm, so she helped him by putting the sleeve on his right arm.

Throughout this time, she kept her eyelashes lowered. Hearing her suppressed sobs, Hongli raised his left hand and caught a tear hanging on her long, wet eyelashes. It was warm and hot, burning his heart. Hongli felt relieved but also heartbroken. He forced a smile and coaxed her:

"Look how scared you are! I'm the one who's injured, and I didn't even cry. Why are you crying?"

Because she was scared! When she read books before, the characters being shot by arrows seemed to be just like being pricked by needles, a trivial matter that would heal quickly. But when she actually saw ancient people being shot by arrows and witnessed the arduous process of treatment, she realized how difficult it was for ancient people to live a good life!

The arrowheads didn't need poisoning at all, because the rust itself was deadly. While she was being bandaged, the doctor told her that during campaigns, soldiers sometimes would stick animal filth to their arrowheads. This would spread like a plague, infecting the entire camp even if the wounded enemy soldier received timely treatment—the consequences would be unimaginable!

The more she learned, the more terrified she became, fearing that Hongli's injuries would worsen. "I...I feel the pain for you, it hurts just watching it."

"It doesn't hurt anymore, don't be afraid."

At this moment, he was pale and lacked his usual vigor. Su Yushan didn't believe him. "You're lying. How could it not hurt? You're just trying to fool me."

His little girl is not easy to fool! Hongli sighed softly and said truthfully, "Alright, I won't lie to you. It does hurt a little. If you don't want me to be distracted by comforting you, then don't cry anymore. If you cry, my heart aches, and how can I rest in peace? Just stay with me. As long as you are by my side, I can endure any pain."

Sniffing, thinking of his condition, Su Yushan nodded, holding back tears, "Okay, I won't cry, as long as you're alright."

At this moment, Hongli was completely exhausted. He should have lay down to rest, but this was the southern suburbs, which was not safe, so he had to return home first.

On the way back, even though the driver deliberately slowed down, the carriage still jolted slightly. He wouldn't have noticed it normally, but now that he was injured, the slightest bump caused pain in his wound. However, to avoid worrying her, he endured it without uttering a sound.

Even without him speaking, Su Yushan could sense the change in him from the strength with which he held her hand. Her heart ached even more, and she hated herself for being useless, unable to help him.

"What can I do to make you feel less pain?"

Leaning back against the soft cushions, Hongli smiled slightly and forced a smile, "How about you kiss me?"

She was talking about serious matters! Su Yushan was both embarrassed and anxious. "What time is it? You're still in the mood for jokes?"

Hongli couldn't help but cough, and the cough aggravated his muscles, causing another wave of pain.

Su Yushan quickly poured him a cup of warm tea, which he took and drank a couple of sips, feeling slightly better. After calming down a bit, Hongli said:

"Isn't this just an attempt to distract yourself?"

She didn't know if his method would work, but there were no other options at the moment. She desperately wanted to alleviate his pain, so she could only try her best.

In reality, Hongli was just saying it casually, but she took it seriously and actually moved closer to him.

This time, unlike before when she would only kiss his cheek sparingly, she carefully placed a kiss on his lips, earnest and devout, as if she truly hoped that this kiss would ease his pain.

The familiar fragrance wafted over, and Hongli couldn't control himself. He unconsciously wrapped his arms around her waist. Not satisfied with a light, fleeting kiss, he extended his soft tongue and deliberately deepened the kiss.

She wanted to refuse, but remembering his injury, she slowly withdrew her hand. Fine! As long as he felt better, she would grant his wish.

It was rare for her to be so proactive, and he wanted to continue savoring her wonderful taste. Unfortunately, the sudden pain in his wound was unbearable, and Hongli couldn't help but release her, letting out a soft hiss.

Seeing this, Su Yushan nervously withdrew her hand, her eyes full of worry, "Did I hurt you?"

Suppressing the stinging pain, Hongli shook his head. "It's not your fault. This wound always hurts in waves. It's alright, just bear with it and it will pass."

At this moment, he had no time to do anything else and continued to lean against the cushion, clenching his fists to support himself.

Su Yushan's heart pounded like a drum, and she felt increasingly guilty. "You shouldn't have risked your life to save me. Don't forget, you are a prince, the future..." She was about to say that he was the Qianlong Emperor, but she immediately changed her words.

"The best candidate to succeed to the throne, the Emperor has high hopes for you, you bear a heavy responsibility, and you should not risk your life. In case... I mean, in case the arrow hit a vital spot, if something really happened to you, the Emperor would be devastated."

"And what about you?" He ignored her previous words and only asked this one question. Su Yushan was a little confused and stared at him blankly, but then she saw him turn his head to look at her and ask in a soft voice:

"If I die, you..."

What if... Hongli died? She couldn't even imagine such a scenario, and immediately rejected his hypothesis, "No, you will be fine, healthy and strong, and you will live to be eighty-eight!"

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