Chapter 41 Imprisonment "My heart, have you never noticed?"...
Xiao Jiang was awake for a long time.
The first thing she saw when she woke up was the completely unfamiliar furnishings in the room, and she wondered whether she was dead or alive.
But soon, the pain in her back returned as her body awoke. She realized that not only was she not dead, but she had also been imprisoned.
Hearing the folk songs being sung outside, she realized that it was already autumn.
The people outside chatted for a long time, and she listened for a long time. She didn't understand what they were talking about, but she vaguely knew it was related to her. However, she didn't recognize any of the people they were talking about, such as the Crown Prince and the Imperial Preceptor.
I just feel a lot of pain in my body.
She didn't mean to interrupt the conversation outside, but after lying on the bed for a while, she wanted to get up. However, when she raised her hand, she couldn't muster any strength and fell back onto the bed. This noise actually made the outside quiet down.
She then realized that her hands were tied, with the other end of the rope tied to the corner post of the bed. Not only her hand, but also her other hand and her feet were tied to the same rope.
She lay back down calmly, no longer struggling.
The door was suddenly pushed open forcefully, and a figure rushed towards her bed. Bright light suddenly flooded the room, making Xiao Jiang's eyes momentarily unable to adjust.
She closed her eyes, and it took her a while to see who it was.
"Are you awake? Is anything bothering you?" Qin Yuqi's flustered face filled her vision.
"Your Highness, Your Highness..." the physician behind him carefully reminded him, "How about this old minister examines this young lady first?"
Qin Yuqi then obediently made way for the physician, but he did not step back. He stood firmly at the head of her bed, staring intently at the physician's every move.
The dried blood from the gauze clung to the wound. The physician carefully peeled it off layer by layer. When he encountered gauze that required a bit of force to tear, he moistened it with water before separating it. His movements were extremely gentle. But the closer he got to the wound, the larger the area of blood that was stuck together became. The physician used a little more force, and before Xiao Jiang could even frown, he heard Qin Yuqi scold him.
"Be gentle!"
This pressure left the physician quite helpless. By the time the dressing was finally changed, a fine layer of sweat had seeped from his forehead.
"Fortunately, the wound was not infected with heat. The young lady had previously lost blood and fainted, but now that she has woken up, she has already pulled through. All that's left is for her to rest and recuperate to replenish her blood and energy. Once the wound has healed and new flesh has grown, there will be no major problems."
The medical officer casually untied the bandages on the patient's limbs. Originally, he was afraid that the patient would touch the wounds unconsciously, but now that the patient was awake, these things were no longer necessary.
Upon hearing these words, Qin Yuqi visibly breathed a sigh of relief, though his eyes darkened for a moment when the physician untied the bandages.
No one knows how panicked he was when he arrived at the sacrificial site and saw her lying motionless on the stone table, covered in blood. He was so panicked that he forgot to draw his sword and rushed to the demon, trying to shield her from the demon's attacks with his own body.
At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind: she couldn't die.
Whether she was human or monster, he just wanted her to live.
Jia Qianyang stopped when he saw who it was. "That's enough. She's of no value now. Since Your Highness wants to protect her, I'll spare her life. Whether she'll appreciate Your Highness's kindness or not depends on Your Highness's fate."
The sorcerer laughed mockingly and then vanished like a gust of wind.
The accompanying physician advised him not to have too much hope, as she had lost too much blood and might not survive. But he refused to believe it and insisted on using various precious medicinal herbs to keep her alive.
On the way back from Liyue Village, he kept praying to the gods he had never believed in, begging them to let her live.
Only when he received confirmation from the physician did Qin Yuqi finally feel completely relieved.
He knew it; he always had.
She is such a tenacious person that, given just a moment to catch her breath, she can make a comeback, like a spark on a wasteland that can reignite with the slightest breeze.
Everyone in the room was dismissed, except for Qin Yuqi, who remained.
The person on the bed remained motionless; even when her dressing was changed, she didn't even flinch, remaining so quiet as to seem unresponsive.
Qin Yuqi knelt beside her bed, holding one of her hands tightly to confirm that she had truly survived.
He held her hand tightly, pressed it against his forehead, and his shoulders trembled slightly.
Xiao Jiang let him do as he pleased, but then she heard a low sob.
She thought impatiently, "She's the one who's in pain, so why is he crying?"
After a long while, Qin Yuqi said in a choked voice, "You should rest well. I'll come see you again tonight."
Qin Yuqi got up from the ground, tidied his appearance, and was about to turn and leave when he heard a hoarse voice behind him.
Why did you save me?
Why not let her die in Liyue Village, perishing in the flames with everyone else? Now, every time she closes her eyes, the night of blood and fire appears in her mind. He led her away, but she knows she can never escape the sacrificial site of that night.
Qin Yuqi stood frozen in place, the accumulated worries and anxieties leaving him utterly exhausted, and now all of that seemed utterly ridiculous. After a long while, he suddenly let out a soft laugh, turned to face the pair of cold eyes on the bed, and could no longer suppress the surging emotions within him.
"Don't you understand? I love you! I love you, Jiang Yuhuo! I want you to live, to stay by my side, and to be with me forever!"
"My heart, have you never noticed it?"
He moved closer, staring intently into her eyes, trying to discern her wavering.
But she was neither surprised nor moved; her golden eyes held only indifference.
"So what? Your so-called love is killing her entire clan?"
The calmer she remained, the more agitated Qin Yuqi became. "They poisoned the Qin family's wine. Don't they deserve to die? If I had been there, I would have been poisoned too! As for you, I never ordered you to be harmed. It was that sorcerer who acted on his own..."
Snap—
The person on the bed suddenly sprang up and slapped Qin Yuqi hard across the face.
The crisp sound of the slap landed on the ground, and the air immediately fell silent.
Clang—
Suddenly, a large pile of things fell to the ground behind the screen with a clatter.
Qin Yuqi was startled by the sudden blow and turned his head to the side, his cheek burning. But before he could even think about his face, he saw Xiao Jiang collapse to the ground, completely exhausted. He immediately caught her.
Qin Yuqi swept his gaze across the screen and shouted sternly, "Who's in there? Come out!"
A timid little palace maid emerged from behind the screen. As soon as she saw Qin Yuqi, she knelt down on the ground, trembling like a leaf.
"I deserve to die, Your Highness, please forgive me!"
Yu Ling'er was so frightened that her soul almost flew away.
She heard footsteps at the door and, feeling guilty, quietly hid behind the screen.
She absolutely did not mean to eavesdrop or peep. If she had known this would happen, she would never have come in even if she had ten times the courage. She would never have dreamed of His Highness the Crown Prince being slapped in the face...
When the person on the bed slapped her, she was so shocked that she instinctively stepped back, which caused her to bump into the sink behind her, scattering a bunch of toiletries on the floor.
Yu Ling'er's mind was filled with only one thought: It's all over, everything is over...
When she heard the Crown Prince summon the guards and angrily order her execution, Yu Ling'er was speechless and couldn't even beg for mercy; her mind went completely blank.
"Haven't you killed enough yet?"
In the midst of the chaos, Yu Ling'er heard a weak, hoarse voice. The voice seemed to be suppressing immense pain, and it could only utter a few words through clenched teeth.
The question was so soft it was almost inaudible, but it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over the Crown Prince. Not only did his anger dissipate, but he also seemed to lose all strength as if his mind had been struck down.
In the end, His Highness the Crown Prince simply waved his hand, and two warriors took her away.
Upon seeing the sunlight and her fellow palace maids again, Yu Ling'er finally lost her strength and collapsed to the ground.
She's saved her life.
...
In the inner room separated by a door, Qin Yuqi tightened his grip on the person in his arms, listening to her breathing grow heavier and heavier. He whispered softly in her ear, "Jiang Yuhuo, is that how you see me?"
That slap had exhausted all of Xiao Jiang's strength, and the wound that had just been bandaged tore open again. The intense pain caused her already pale face to break out in a cold sweat, while Qin Yuqi tightened his grip, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
A drop of warm, unidentified liquid landed on her neck. The person holding her took a deep breath before continuing, "A ruthless person who disregards human life, isn't that right?"
"...Heh, but this person only has you in his heart. He only wants your love. If you were willing to give him even a little bit of affection, he could become anything you want him to be. You would stand in front of those who bullied you, risking your life, so why can't you ever be a little kinder to him?"
The gentle, tender voice gradually turned somber, "It doesn't matter if you don't want to. Now you only have me by your side. We'll have plenty of time, we'll be together forever. You can only be mine."
He then coaxed her further, "Jiang Yuhuo, forget about Liyue Village, and be an ordinary couple with me, okay? When I inherit the throne, you will be the Empress of the whole world. No one will be able to hurt you anymore, no one will think you are a monster, and everyone will have to obey you..."
The person in her arms did not respond for a long time.
Qin Yuqi hugged the ground so tightly that his arms trembled, so much so that he couldn't tell whether the trembling was coming from himself or the person in his arms. By the time he realized something was wrong, Xiao Jiang's eyes were already closed, her teeth were clenched, and a trickle of blood was oozing from the corner of her mouth.
Qin Yuqi immediately slapped her face, "Open your mouth, Jiang Yuhuo, let go quickly."
He gripped her chin tightly, forcing her to open her mouth, and skillfully placed his fingers between her teeth, making her bite down. If he hadn't noticed in time, she probably would have bitten her tongue to pieces. That's how she was; even when the pain was excruciating, she would only endure it without making a sound.
Qin Yuqi endured the pain in his fingers and gently patted her body, "It doesn't hurt anymore, it doesn't hurt anymore, it will be fine soon. The doctor said that your injury will recover soon. You need to rest quietly for a while and don't move around anymore."
He lowered his head and gently kissed away the cold sweat on her forehead, his warm breath lingering on her skin. "Once you're better, I'll sit still and you can hit me however you want, as long as it makes you feel better."
As the contractions subsided, the person in his arms lay limply against his chest. Qin Yuqi gazed quietly down at the face of the person in his arms, occasionally giving them a light peck, his eyes growing increasingly deep. "But it's not appropriate to do this in front of outsiders. You don't want them to die because of you, do you?"
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