Chapter 18 Treasured Items Xiao Heng's hand paused, and he looked up to see…
Inside the Weiyang Palace, Gu Xi was lying on the bed, unconscious.
Zhu Yin knelt in front of the bed, gently wiping the sweat from Gu Xi's forehead while tears streamed down her face.
Gu Xi had been pampered and spoiled since childhood. Her master and mistress would never even scold her. Now that she was so badly injured, Zhu Yin hated herself for not only failing to protect her young lady but also causing her to get hurt time and time again.
Xiao Heng sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the shocking handprint on Gu Xi's face, his eyes filled with a terrifying gloom.
"Zhao Fuquan!" Xiao Heng's voice echoed throughout Weiyang Palace, and everyone present was terrified.
"Your Majesty, Chief Steward Zhao has gone to fetch the imperial physician..." Zhao Fuquan's apprentice, Zhao He, quickly reported.
"Where is the imperial physician?!"
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician... the imperial physician is on his way..." Zhao He replied tremblingly. In the years he had served the emperor with Zhao Fuquan, this was the first time he had seen the emperor so angry, and he responded with a heart pounding with fear.
"Tell them to get over here right now!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down..." Everyone was so frightened that they all knelt down.
"The imperial physician has arrived!" Zhao Fuquan's shrill voice suddenly came from outside the door, and Zhao He finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Dr. Li, carrying his medicine kit, entered the room, panting. Zhao Fuquan had already explained what had happened to him on the way. He hurriedly took Gu Xi's pulse and examined her carefully, then looked closely at the injuries on her face.
"Why did she faint?" Xiao Heng asked in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty fainted because of the intense emotional fluctuations she experienced today, which caused her blood and qi to flow in reverse and she was unable to calm down. In addition, her constitution was weak."
When will she wake up?
"Crush this pill and give it to Her Majesty. She should wake up in about an hour. I will also prescribe some calming and tranquilizing medicine. With proper care and rest, she will gradually recover." Imperial Physician Li took out a black pill from his medicine box and handed it to Zhu Yin.
Zhu Yin crushed the pills, dissolved them in warm water to make a medicinal soup, and prepared to feed it to Gu Xi.
Xiao Heng suddenly sat up on the edge of the bed, lifted Gu Xi up halfway, letting her head and body rest on his shoulder, and took the medicine bowl from Zhu Yin's hand.
Xiao Heng gently pried open Gu Xi's lips and teeth with a spoon and fed her the medicine. It took him a while to finish feeding her the small bowl of medicine. After wiping the medicine that had spilled from the corner of her mouth, he gently put Gu Xi back on the bed.
Judge Li watched as the emperor completed these tasks as if no one else was around, his movements extremely gentle, as if he were handling something he cherished deeply.
He was deeply shaken. He had served in the palace for over thirty years and had some understanding of the emperor. It was widely rumored that he was ruthless, vicious, and cold-blooded, and after reading his experiences, he found this to be true.
But today the Emperor treated a concubine so well; even the most favored Consort Xue had never received such treatment from the Emperor. He had never heard of this Consort Gu before, and he never expected the Emperor to treat her so exceptionally. He would have to serve her well from now on.
"How is the injury on her face?" Xiao Heng continued to ask, his face regaining its usual expression, as if the gentle touch just now was an illusion for everyone.
"The injuries on Her Majesty's face are quite severe. We need to apply wound medicine to reduce the swelling first. If we can use a muscle-regenerating ointment to assist in the treatment, she can recover faster, but..." Judge Li hesitated before continuing.
"But what?" Xiao Heng's eyes instantly turned sharp.
Li Yuanpan was terrified, cold sweat trickling down his spine. He said in a trembling voice, "But the Imperial Hospital doesn't have any muscle-regenerating ointment..." Not only did the Imperial Hospital not have it, but the muscle-regenerating ointment was brought in by the Persians, and there were only three bottles in the entire palace.
"Muscle-regenerating ointment...we have muscle-regenerating ointment here..." Zhu Yin said hurriedly, then quickly rummaged through a cabinet, pulled out a wooden box, took out a porcelain bottle, and handed it to Judge Li.
"Doctor Li, is this the muscle-regenerating ointment?" Zhu Yin asked uncertainly.
"Exactly!" the imperial physician exclaimed with delight. "In that case, Her Majesty's facial injury will heal soon. May I ask about the medicine...?"
He originally wanted to ask Zhu Yin where she obtained this item, since the Regenerating Muscle Ointment was extremely precious. If the Imperial Hospital could also get a few bottles, it would definitely be much more effective in treating the injuries of nobles in the future.
But when Zhao Fuquan suddenly glanced at him, he immediately fell silent and dared not say anything more, but his mind suddenly became clear.
Following the instructions of Physician Li, Zhu Yin first applied medicine to Gu Xi's wounds. Before Gu Xi could wake up, Xiao Heng left with his men, leaving only Physician Li and two guards outside the Weiyang Palace.
Before leaving, Zhao Fuquan specifically instructed everyone not to say much about what had happened that day.
One hour later.
"Miss, you've finally woken up!" Zhu Yin cried, throwing herself into Gu Xi's arms.
"What happened to me..." Gu Xi looked at Zhu Yin, whose face was swollen and covered in tears, and remembered everything.
Just now in the Imperial Garden, the Emperor saved her... but she seems to have fainted again. Her health is really getting worse and worse.
But how did the Emperor happen to appear in the Imperial Garden?
"Cailian, why did the Emperor return with you in the Imperial Garden just now?"
"Your Majesty, when I arrived at Xianfu Palace, the Imperial Concubine was not there. On my way back, I met Chief Eunuch Zhao, who told me to return to the Imperial Garden first. Later... I don't know how, His Majesty suddenly appeared..."
After Cailian finished speaking, she saw Gu Xi lower her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
Gu Xi wondered how Xiao Heng managed to get there before Cai Lian, considering that the Imperial Study was not close to the Imperial Garden, while Xianfu Palace was much closer. Considering the distance Zhao Fuquan had to walk to the Imperial Study, she wondered how Xiao Heng had managed to get there before Cai Lian.
Did he come here specifically to save her? Was it because she had saved him before?
In any case, she should thank him for appearing today.
*
Evening came quickly.
Gu Xi had just finished washing up when Zhu Yin was about to apply ointment to her.
"Miss, please bear with it, does it hurt?" Zhu Yin looked at the injury on Gu Xi's face and felt very sorry for her.
"It hurts..." Gu Xi's voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of grievance.
Zhu Yin thought to herself that her young mistress must be in great pain to be acting so coquettishly towards her. Before, when her young mistress was in the Gu household, if she was bullied or injured outside, she would come home and act coquettishly towards her mistress like this. Now that her mistress wasn't around...
Just as Zhu Yin was about to offer some words of comfort, she looked up and saw the emperor standing behind Gu Xi.
"Greetings... Your Majesty." Zhu Yin was startled, not knowing when the Emperor had entered, as neither Hua Yue nor Cai Lian had announced his arrival.
Zhu Yin was worried because Gu Xi had just finished washing up and her face was completely clean! Although she had been beaten beyond recognition, the difference was still noticeable.
Gu Xi quickly realized what was happening. She casually picked up a handkerchief from the bedside and draped it behind her ear to steady herself. She then turned to Xiao Heng and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Xiao Heng stared at Gu Xi for a long time, seemingly lost in thought, before finally saying, "Go down."
"Yes, this servant takes her leave." Zhu Yin had no choice but to obey, and before leaving, she glanced at Gu Xi with concern.
The room fell silent, and Gu Xi couldn't help but hold her breath.
"Your Majesty, I fear my appearance is now damaged and I might offend Your Majesty's eyes..." Gu Xi tried to explain why she was wearing a veil.
Xiao Heng suddenly raised his hand and removed the handkerchief from her face. Gu Xi was so shocked that her eyes widened, and she forgot to move for a moment.
Xiao Heng stared intently at Gu Xi's face, his gaze unusually calm, showing no surprise whatsoever at what he was seeing. His gaze was cold yet carried an inexplicable sense of oppression; his dark eyes were like a bottomless, icy pool, as if they wanted to suck one into them.
Gu Xi's pupils suddenly contracted, and she fell into a state of confusion and bewilderment.
Her mind raced through the various consequences she was about to face: his furious questioning, her feeble explanations, his punishment, her pleas for mercy... Fear crept into her heart, and Gu Xi trembled uncontrollably.
But after a long time, none of this happened.
Xiao Heng simply asked, "Does your face still hurt?"
Gu Xi stared at Xiao Heng in disbelief.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but her question just now seemed to carry concern, and... pity.
"Does it hurt?" Xiao Heng asked again, his tone unusually gentle.
Gu Xi suddenly remembered that when she first met him at Bihe Garden, he had asked her the same question.
"No...it doesn't hurt..." Gu Xi shook her head, somewhat bewildered.
Xiao Heng didn't reply, but picked up the muscle-regenerating ointment next to him and began to apply the medicine to her.
Whether intentionally or not, Xiao Heng hit her a little too hard, and Gu Xi hissed in pain.
Xiao Heng's hands didn't stop moving, and he said indifferently, "Didn't you say it didn't hurt?"
Gu Xi was in unbearable pain and couldn't help but whisper, "Your Majesty, be gentle... it hurts..."
Xiao Heng paused for a moment, then looked up and saw Gu Xi looking at him timidly. Gu Xi was biting her lower lip, her eyes were misty with pain, and her eyes were slightly red.
Xiao Heng's heart suddenly softened, and he sighed helplessly, his movements becoming even gentler.
"Why don't you come to see me?" Xiao Heng asked in a calm tone.
Gu Xi was stunned for a moment before she understood what Xiao Heng meant.
Why? How could she tell him that it wasn't that she didn't want to find him, but that at that moment she never thought of finding Xiao Heng?
She was just a minor concubine, and the person she had offended was Consort Wan, one of his former favorite concubines. Even if Xiao Heng treated her somewhat differently, she didn't think she was important enough for him to come to her rescue.
But the Imperial Concubine was different. She was the one who managed the harem, and given the discord between her and Consort Wan, she was bound to come. It was just unexpected that she wasn't in the palace.
Gu Xi hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and said, "In the past, the affairs of the inner palace were all managed by the Noble Consort. His Majesty is busy with countless matters of state, and I dare not disturb him..."
“You can.” Xiao Heng uttered three words.
Gu Xi looked up at him, but her eyes were blank.
"If it is you, you may disturb me." Xiao Heng paused. "If anyone makes things difficult for you again in the future, have your maid come to me. If I am not here, then go to Zhao Fuquan." Xiao Heng spoke with rare patience.
Gu Xi stared blankly at Xiao Heng. She couldn't possibly misunderstand the meaning behind his words. If those women in the palace who admired the Emperor heard these words, they would surely be overjoyed. But she only felt at a loss.
A note from the author:
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My poor female lead [poor]
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