Chapter 44
Yu Zhi hugged the kitten tightly in his arms, as if he was grabbing the last piece of driftwood when drowning.
As he stepped onto the platform like a zombie, Yu Zhi vaguely sensed someone shouting something. His ears were buzzing, and his head was dizzy. He could hear nothing except Luo Tingshi's soft, slow breathing.
The soft fur rubbed against his neck. Yu Zhi slowly lowered his head and met a pair of big grape-like eyes.
The kitten seemed to have noticed something.
It rubbed against Yu Zhi, stretched out its little paws and gently stroked the side of Yu Zhi's face, as if to comfort him.
Yu Zhi's eyes turned red.
On the day of his wedding, Luo Tingshi and his daughter were missing, and his son was his only support.
Yu Zhi grasped the kitten's paw and trudged into the altar hall. Guards carried Luo Tingshi in and carefully placed him on a small couch. Imperial Physician Zhang hurried forward to assess Luo Tingshi's injuries.
The black robe was slowly taken off, Yu Zhi turned his head away, tears wetting his eyelashes.
Luo Tingshi didn't want him to see it.
He doesn't look.
"Your Majesty! Fortunately, this blocked the attack and prevented the heart from being damaged. He can still be saved!" Imperial Doctor Zhang took out a blood-stained object, wiped it, and handed it to Yu Zhi. "This appears to be yours."
Yu Zhi held a broken object stained with blood in his palm, stared at it for a long time, and then he remembered.
This is a kitten stone pendant that he carved himself.
When he was five years old, he wanted to give his father a birthday gift. He worked for a long time with the craftsman his father had found for him, and finally carved a decent one. But then the rockery fell down, and to thank Luo Ting, he gave him this little cat stone pendant.
Unexpectedly, Luo Tingshi kept it close to his heart.
Yu Zhi held the kitten stone pendant tightly and couldn't help but look at the person on the bed.
Red, blood red.
The entire plain-colored undershirt was dyed red. Yu Zhi covered the eyes of the kitten in his arms, held his breath, and did not dare to disturb Doctor Zhang who was treating Luo Tingshi.
Every moment of waiting felt like his heart was walking on a mountain of knives and a sea of fire. His heart was being tortured into pieces, and the pain was unbearable.
Although Doctor Zhang said there was hope, what if...
Yu Zhi never thought that in the future, Luo Tingshi might not exist in his life.
Luo Tingshi, nothing can happen to you.
-
"Your Majesty, the bleeding has stopped. Emperor Sheng is not in danger for now."
Doctor Zhang smiled, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, stood up and said to Yu Zhi, "Your Majesty needs careful care. Let him rest for a while."
Yu Zhi's taut nerves suddenly relaxed, his vision went dark, and he staggered back a few steps.
"Your Majesty!" The attendant rushed forward and supported Yu Zhi.
Doctor Zhang looked at him worriedly and said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to take your pulse."
Yu Zhi shook his head, gently pinched the kitten's head, turned him around, and whispered, "He was just pinched by the neck and is frightened. Go take a look at him and see if he's hurt anywhere."
Doctor Zhang picked up the limp kitten and carefully examined it. He said in a deep voice, "It's only slightly injured, but it's nothing serious. Your Majesty, please don't worry too much. This little... kitten is very strong. Even after being injured, it didn't cry out. It's very considerate of Your Majesty."
Yu Zhi leaned over and looked at the kitten, his brows gloomy, and said in his heart: "Good child, it is your father who has let you down."
"Meow~" the kitten called softly and yawned.
Doctor Zhang: "Your Majesty, he is under my care, please rest assured."
How can Yu Zhi be at ease?
He was deeply worried about his daughter's whereabouts, and subconsciously turned his head to look towards the palace outside the hall. Outside the hall, in the slanting sunlight, the shadows of two people were cast long on the stone steps.
It’s the Emperor and the Lord!
Yu Zhi looked closely and saw that his father was holding a furry kitten in his arms.
Is your daughter okay?
Yu Zhi burst into tears of joy, quickly turned to the palace gate, walked forward and asked anxiously, "Father, is she okay?"
"Someone wanted to steal the cat, but we were a step too late, and my brother was taken away." Ye Jiang's almond-shaped eyes, which had always been smiling, turned cold. She looked up at Yu Zhi and saw that his face was pale. Ye Jiang felt extremely guilty. "We are sorry for you. Your father has sent all the Yulin Guards to look for you."
Yu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm glad my sister is okay. Don't be afraid, father. My brother is with me. He has some minor injuries. Doctor Zhang is treating him."
As the father and son were talking, Yu Heng carefully looked at Yu Zhi and confirmed that he was only frightened and had no external injuries. Yu Heng felt relieved and asked, "Where is he? I heard that you two were assassinated on the way here."
"Father, my Lord, he was seriously injured and almost died."
In front of his father, Yu Zhi became the child he used to be, throwing himself into Ye Jiang's arms and crying bitterly: "He... did it all to... save me."
Ye Jiang hadn't seen Yu Zhi cry in years, and his heart ached. Knowing that Yu Zhi was truly frightened this time, he gently patted Yu Zhi's back and soothed him in the same gentle voice as when he was a child: "It's okay to vent. He loves you so much, he won't be willing to leave you."
He and Yu Heng looked at each other, and the two of them took Yu Zhi into the hall.
Not long after, Yu Zhi awkwardly emerged from Ye Jiang's arms, wiped the tear marks from his face, and turned around hastily: "I'll leave the kitten to you. I'll go take care of him."
As he sat in front of Luo Tingshi, Yu Zhi was still filled with regret. As the king of a country, it was too embarrassing to hug his father and cry in public.
But when he saw Luo Ting's pale face, he instantly lost all idea.
Yu Zhi gently held Luo Tingshi's hands, carefully stroked the thin calluses on his palms, and prayed silently.
Luo Tingshi, please wake up soon.
The sun slanted across the east wall, casting a brilliant golden glow. Luo Tingshi's pale face looked even paler under the golden light. Yu Zhi poured a glass of water, moistened Luo Tingshi's lips, and patiently fed him a little at a time.
Perhaps it was because he had cried too hard earlier, but Yu Zhi's eyelids felt very sore. He forced himself to drink up the water while feeding Luo Ting, but before he even put down the cup, he was suddenly overwhelmed by sleepiness.
"Bang--" The porcelain cup in Yu Zhi's hand fell to the ground.
He tilted his head and fell asleep on the edge of the bed.
-
When he opened his eyes again, Yu Zhi found himself in a palace.
He looked around and his eyes fell on the moon-gray palace walls outside the window. He was full of doubts. Why did this place look like the Sheng Kingdom Palace?
There was some noise outside, and Yu Zhi followed the sound.
Getting closer and closer to the sound, Yu Zhi hid behind a pillar and quietly peeked out.
A woman in a jade-pink palace dress was reprimanding her child. Though beautiful, she had a ferocious expression. She cursed at the child fiercely, looking incredibly terrifying, completely ruining her good looks.
The child in front of her was blocked by her and her face could not be seen clearly.
For some reason, Yu Zhi felt that he was very familiar.
Tired of scolding, the woman turned and took out a small box from a nearby antique shelf. She opened the lid with her slender fingers. Yu Zhi looked at it curiously, and saw a flash of silver light, and Yu Zhi caught a silver needle.
What is she doing with the needle?
The woman sneered, pulled up the child's clothes, and stabbed the child's finger with a needle.
"Scream! Why aren't you screaming?" The woman stabbed the child fiercely as if she was crazy.
No, we have to stop her.
Yu Zhi rushed out without a second thought, quickly stepped forward to push the woman away, but missed. Yu Zhi stared blankly at his own hands, tentatively reaching out to push her, but the moment he touched her shoulder, it passed through.
He couldn't touch her.
"Who are you?"
While he was stunned, a familiar voice came from behind him, and Yu Zhi turned around suddenly.
Luo Tingshi!
It was the young Luo Tingshi.
Yu Zhi remembered everything in an instant. Luo Tingshi was seriously injured while saving him. He was taking care of him and somehow fell asleep.
Could this be a dream? Why does the scene before my eyes seem so real?
"Who are you talking to?" The woman shuddered with fear. She glanced across the empty space in front of her and then turned to look at her son, who was staring at her. She gritted her teeth and said, "Damn it, you're trying to scare me!"
When he was little, Luo Tingshi tilted his head, looked into Yu Zhi's eyes, and said to him, "Your eyes look a lot like someone I've met. Well, your appearance is a bit similar, too."
The child in front of her seemed to have really seen something. The woman looked around in horror, screamed, dropped the wooden box, and stumbled out of the hall at a rapid trot.
Yu Zhi watched her leave coldly, then slowly leaned over and squatted in front of Luo Tingshi.
The child in front of him looked to be about nine years old. Could it be Luo Tingshi who had returned from Yu Country?
Yu Zhi lifted the child's hands and saw the dense needle holes on them. A raging rage rose in his chest. He asked in a trembling voice, "Has she always treated you like this?"
The child raised his finger and touched the corner of Yu Zhi's eye, his eyes showing an infatuation: "You really look like him."
Yu Zhi's heart trembled.
A feeling of being stared at by a cold beast suddenly came over me.
The child in front of me is only nine years old, how could he be like this...
Yu Zhi asked tentatively: "Who is he you are talking about?"
The child glanced at him and said, "You are a lonely ghost, so it's okay to tell you."
Yu Zhi: “???” How did he become a wandering ghost?
"The Crown Prince of Yu, a beautiful yet timid child." The child raised the corners of his lips, a dark look in his eyes that made Yu Zhi shudder. "He's so beautiful when he cries. If only he could hold me like that for the rest of his life, crying to me with tears in his eyes..."
A quarter of an hour ago, Yu Zhi was still feeling sorry for him.
A quarter of an hour later, Yu Zhi just wanted to get away from him.
How come Luo Tingshi was even more perverted when he was young than when he grew up?
Yu Zhi tapped little Luo Tingshi's forehead hard and lectured him, "You're still young, don't harbor such dark thoughts. If you like someone, you should do your best to protect them, not bully them, understand?"
Little Luo Tingshi remained silent.
Seeing that he was unmoved, Yu Zhi felt a headache growing.
"You're hurt. Let me apply medicine on you."
Little Luo Tingshi raised his hand to refuse: "No need, I'm already used to the pain of the flesh, no medicine is needed."
Yu Zhi: “…”
When he was young, Luo Tingshi really deserved a beating.
...But it's better not to do something like that with a woman. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. She was too cruel.
Yu Zhi frowned, grabbed little Luo Tingshi's wrist by force, pressed his hand on the table, took out a bottle of medicine from his arms and applied medicine to him.
Even stranger, how did the little medicine bottle even enter my dream? The touch of the cooling ointment was so clear.
Is this... really a dream?
If it wasn't a dream, where was his Luo Tingshi?
"Are you here to take revenge on someone? Did that woman kill you?" Little Luo Tingshi supported his chin and looked at Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi: "...What a mess."
Little Luo Tingshi glanced at the crown on Yu Zhi's body and said, "This dress is for offering sacrifices to heaven and earth. Are you the emperor? This doesn't look like a Dasheng crown. It looks more like one from the Yu Kingdom."
Yu Zhi applied the medicine to Xiao Luo Tingshi and said with a fake smile, "Why do you care so much? I came here to find my man, but he doesn't seem to be here."
Little Luo Tingshi asked, "What's your husband's name? What does he look like?"
Yu Zhi was about to answer when a light bulb suddenly lit up in his head and he lowered his head in disbelief.
When he can meet little Luo Ting.
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