"He'er, you're awake? How are you? Can you move your legs and feet? Can you move them?" Qin Xiaoniang asked anxiously before Song He'er had fully woken up.
"Wait a minute, let her calm down before she speaks. She hasn't come to her senses yet!" Zhang Xiue advised from the side.
Song He'er's vision gradually cleared. The warm and comfortable cushion felt like lying on a cloud. If it weren't for the dark military tent above her head, Song He'er would have really thought she had gone to heaven.
"Mother, I'm not dead."
"Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"It was...it was Jiang Huaifu's soldier who saved me. He was poisoned. Is he alright?"
Qin Xiaoniang never expected that her daughter's first words upon waking would be to ask if the man was alright, and a bad feeling immediately arose in her heart.
"He's fine. The doctor examined him; it was just a superficial injury. It's been bandaged up and he's taken medicine. I think he should be alright now, right?"
Upon hearing this, Song He'er forced herself to sit up.
"Mother, he didn't just suffer minor injuries... cough cough, he's been poisoned. I accidentally fell off the cliff, and he was pricked by thorns on the vines while trying to save me... It's my fault, I didn't want him to die..."
Seeing her daughter's anxiety, Qin Xiaoniang patiently explained, "He's really alright. We all saw it with our own eyes. But you, how did you fall off the cliff? It's all thanks to the young prince who saved you. Otherwise, if you fell from such a high cliff, would your mother still be able to see you?"
Zhang Xiu'e chimed in, "Yes, you really are lucky this time. But then again, we should still thank them properly. However, we are still criminals in distress, so what valuable things do we have to give them?"
Song He'er knew the weather outside. The snow hadn't melted for years, and the temperature was extremely low. If a gust of wind blew, it would freeze people to the bone.
How could someone with such serious injuries stand outside like that?
Thinking of this, Song He'er threw off the covers and was about to go out, but as soon as her feet touched the ground, she tripped and fell hard.
Qin Xiaoniang helped her up and complained, "What are you doing? You almost lost your life from hypothermia just now, and your hands and feet are still frozen stiff. Now that you've finally recovered, you must be too weak. What do you want to do? I'll do it for you."
Song He'er didn't want to owe Jiang Huaifu anything more. After all, they would be completely separated in the next day or two, and probably would never see each other again in this life. If he were to become disabled in his arm because of this, she would never have peace of mind for the rest of her life.
"Mother, I'm fine. I'll recover naturally once I get dressed. Go... call him in. Don't let him get cold outside. The toxins in his body haven't been completely expelled. If he keeps enduring this, things will only get worse sooner or later!"
Qin Xiaoniang looked at her daughter with heartache, but when she turned to look at Jiang Huaifu, who was sitting on the stone outside with a pale face, she did feel a little sorry for him.
She is a kind-hearted person who is never selfish and only thinks of herself. She feels the same way when she sees other people's children suffering.
Moreover, Jiang Huaifu was the benefactor who had once saved her daughter, so she couldn't possibly watch him suffer pitifully in the cold outside.
"Alright, Mother, go ahead. Madam Zhang, these children are all fine, so take them all out. Although we don't have a carriage anymore, we can wrap them in some leather and let them sit under a rock where there's no wind, so they won't be so cold!"
Zhang Xiue nodded. "I understand."
Nowadays, there are far fewer children. In the past, apart from Huan Ge'er, the two youngest children were Su Yu's wife's two children. Now that the mother and her three children are gone, there are only Li Qiang's wife's two children, and Zhang Xiu'e's Nian Jie'er. The youngest is Huan Ge'er and Wang San's youngest son. All in all, there are only five children.
After Qin Xiaoniang left, she cautiously approached Jiang Huaifu's side.
Jiang Huaifu thought something had happened to Song He'er, and he immediately became tense.
"Your Highness, please go inside and rest. It's too cold here. He'er has already woken up and is fine."
Upon hearing that Song He'er was unharmed, Jiang Huaifu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, she gently waved her hand, declining Qin Xiaoniang's offer.
"Alright, I'll stay here. You can continue your journey once she has fully recovered."
Looking at Jiang Huaifu, whose face was deathly pale, Qin Xiaoniang felt a pang of guilt. "We've been delayed for most of the day, and I'm afraid we can't leave now. But we must set off tomorrow. We are deeply grateful for Your Highness's care over the past few days; we will never forget it. However, we are currently penniless and unable to repay your kindness..."
Jiang Huaifu usually only listens to the 'key points' in what he hears. He only cared about the sentence 'I have to leave first thing tomorrow morning.' Hearing Qin Xiaoniang's anxious departure, a look of worry immediately appeared on his face.
"How do you plan to leave tomorrow? Your carriages, vegetables, and quilts have all been lost on the escape route. Why don't we wait until tomorrow? I will send someone on horseback to Luancheng to buy them. It will only take a day or two to go back and forth, and they will be back by the day after tomorrow at the latest. It won't be too late to leave then."
Qin Xiaoniang smiled and politely declined Jiang Huaifu's offer.
“Xinzhou is a desolate place in the Central Plains where criminals are exiled. Those who go there are there to be punished, not to enjoy themselves. No matter how much Your Highness gives us, we probably won't need it. First, we have nowhere to spend it. Second, when we pass through the post stations, we will definitely be searched and inspected by the local officials. Only after our names are registered can we enter smoothly. Thank you for your kindness…”
Hearing her say that, Jiang Huaifu was immediately disappointed, and then he started coughing violently.
The physician beside him quickly supported him, saying, "Hurry and help His Highness into the tent. His health condition is such that he can't afford to get cold!"
The soldiers rushed forward, lifted him up, and tried to carry him into the tent, but Jiang Huaifu insisted on refusing.
"Release me!"
"Your Highness! If anything were to happen to you, how could we possibly explain it to the King and the Queen!"
Qin Xiaoniang stepped forward and personally helped Jiang Huaifu up, patiently persuading him, "If you have a clear conscience, it's alright for the two of you to be in the same room. I am He'er's biological mother. I believe in my daughter and in Your Highness's character. Please go in and receive treatment from the physician."
Jiang Huaifu was very stubborn, but because Qin Xiaoniang was an elder, he couldn't continue to defy her and could only follow the physician into the tent...
Song He'er had already hidden to the side, leaving Jiang Huaifu with a large open space.
The physician placed Jiang Huaifu, whose face was as pale as paper, on a blanket and then carefully took his pulse.
"How is he?" Song He'er asked weakly.
The physician shook his head. "This is bad. We really need to return to the palace as soon as possible and allow your child to rest properly. The environment here is not suitable for healing. Your Highness's wound has been exposed to the cold repeatedly, and now it's turned bluish-purple and festering. We shouldn't push you any further; please return to the palace immediately..."
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