Chu Huaixu's expression changed slightly, and he looked at him strangely.
Song Ting couldn't stand his gaze and instinctively wanted to look away, but she couldn't bear to. For a moment, her expression was even stranger than Chu Huaixu's.
After a long silence, Chu Huaixu finally spoke: "Isn't Your Excellency afraid of dying at the prayer ceremony?"
“I will not die,” Song heard. “My life belongs to you, and I will not die until then.”
"Who do you think you are, sir? If the young emperor and that woman want you dead, do you think you can live?" Chu Huaixu mocked.
Song Ting did not explain, but still said, "I will not die."
After acting like a tyrant for a few years, he really thought he was someone important.
Chu Huaixu cursed inwardly, curled his lips, and slowly opened his other hand in front of Song Ting.
"In that case, please do as you see fit, sir."
The pill was black, and after being held in Huaixu's palm for a long time, it stained his fair skin with a bit of ink.
Song Ting's throat tightened, his heart started racing again, and it felt as if a fire was burning inside him, making his blood boil.
Suddenly, certain scenes from her dream reappeared before her eyes, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment. Song Ting unconsciously swallowed.
Before he could react, Chu Huaixu leaned down and slowly approached him, his fingertips gliding across his face.
The faint coolness on her fingertips sent a shiver through Song Ting, making her swallow more forcefully.
He instinctively reached for the hand, but grasped at nothing. Chu Huaixu quickly dodged him, glancing to the side and landing between Song Ting's legs.
"It seems the adult's injuries aren't as serious as they appear, and he still has the mind to think about those kinds of things."
Following Chu Huaixu's gaze, Song Ting also noticed the strangeness on her body.
"..." His face flushed instantly, and he was speechless.
Chu Huaixu, however, did not want to dwell on the matter and said in a calm tone:
"Alright, my arms are getting sore from holding it up. If the adults want to eat, then—"
The words he hadn't finished speaking stuck in his throat. Chu Huaixu stared wide-eyed, suddenly unable to utter a single word—
Song Ting grabbed his wrists with both hands, and then, in that position, licked the pill off his palm.
Whether intentionally or not, the person rolled the pills very slowly and gently, leaving a wet and hot sensation as their tongue brushed against the skin of their palm.
Chu Huaixu felt as if he had been scorched by a tongue of fire, and subconsciously curled his fingers.
That strange feeling then spread from my fingertips all the way to my heart.
“It’s sweet.” Song Tingwei raised her eyes and stared at him intently. “I’ve taken this medicine many times, and this is the first time I’ve ever tasted its sweetness.”
It was just an ordinary sentence, but he made it sound like a very serious love confession.
"..." Chu Huaixu was once again speechless.
He originally came to mock Song Ting, but ended up being the one who was offended the whole time, and was so angry that his facial features were distorted.
He took a deep breath and said in a cold, sarcastic tone, "It seems you're in a good mood, sir."
Song Ting curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
In Chu Huaixu's eyes, this naturally became Song Ting's provocation. He glared fiercely at the esteemed commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and coldly snorted:
"But I advise you, sir, not to be too smug. Let's see if you'll still be laughing in a moment!"
Song didn't understand what he meant at first, until the blanket covering him was yanked off and Chu Huaixu roughly began to unwrap the bandages from his body.
Song Ting: "..."
"Whom has the lord wronged this time, that he just stands there and lets himself be beaten without fighting back?" Chu Huaixu said sarcastically.
Song Ting's back was covered with whip marks; the person who wielded the whip used all their strength with almost every strike, making each lash both fierce and precise.
Adding to the damage from yesterday's torrential rain, the whip marks became white and swollen from being soaked in the rain, making them look especially gruesome.
The wounds were torn open again overnight, and the blood that flowed out soaked through the bandages wrapped around the body, turning into dried scabs that stuck to the skin.
As the bandages were gradually removed, Song Ting's muscles tensed up, and the veins on his neck stood out.
Chu Huaixu stopped what he was doing and sneered, "Well, can you still laugh, sir?"
Song Ting's face was deathly pale, but the corners of her lips curled up slightly as she looked at him, panting heavily. The meaning was self-evident.
"Hmph." Chu Huaixu stopped laughing unhappily and deliberately pressed on his wound.
This was obviously very painful, and the latter immediately gritted his teeth, but still couldn't help letting out a muffled groan from his throat.
"Hmm." Chu Huaixu was finally satisfied, a slight smile playing on his lips, his movements unconsciously softening.
Song Ting sensed it, turned her face away, buried her face in the pillow, and chuckled quietly.
At this moment, he was awake and felt as if he could imagine how carefully Huaixu had treated his wounds last night.
Just like now.
How kind his little fairy is.
Even though she hated him to the core, she still couldn't bear to let him really die.
—Huai Xu is wrong, how could he not be laughing?
...
The dressing change process lasted a long time and was actually very painful, but because Chu Huaixu was there, Song Ting endured it willingly, and even felt a little regretful when it was over.
Chu Huaixu said coldly, "Alright, go see your Empress Dowager."
The blessing ceremony began at dawn and ended at dusk, lasting a total of three days. Except for the incense offering ceremony on the first day, the rest of the time was spent chanting scriptures in the main hall with the masters.
As the one who leads the incense offering, the Empress Dowager is a crucial part of this ceremony, and no mistakes can be tolerated.
When Song Tingqian went to meet the Empress Dowager, the old lady had already finished washing and dressing and was holding Ruyi's hand as they spoke.
"Your Majesty."
"The Commander is here!" Upon seeing Song Ting, the Empress Dowager waved to him hastily, as if he had seen a savior, signaling him to come over.
"My lord has finally appeared! I was so worried! How is it? Nothing went wrong, did it?"
Song Ting left the temple yesterday under the pretext of inspecting the surrounding security, but disappeared for a whole day. It wasn't until night that his subordinates' secret guards came to report back.
Although the person had returned, the Empress Dowager was still worried and couldn't sleep all night because she hadn't actually seen Song Ting.
Over the years, she had long been accustomed to having Song Ting handle everything.
"You are in charge of the grand ceremony every year, and I really can't do without you," the Empress Dowager said with concern.
Song Ting replied calmly, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I have already checked everything and everything is normal."
"That's good, that's good..." The Empress Dowager finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her face was still pale, and she even coughed softly, "Cough cough cough..."
"Why is Your Highness coughing again?" Ruyi helped her sit back down and gently patted her back to help her catch her breath. "Let's call the imperial physician to take a look later."
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