That night, Yan Beimo took Chu Changning to the dock to board a boat and headed towards Jiankang.
The two of them stayed in the house ever since they boarded the ship.
Exhausted, Chu Changning lay on the couch. When he saw the person who had finished his medicine and come in, he turned over and ignored him.
Yan Beimo caught her gaze, climbed onto the bed, leaned over, and took her hand to knead it.
"Ah Ning~"
Chu Changning snorted, "Beast."
He held her down and tormented her for almost an hour and a half, leaving her body covered in bite marks. If she hadn't said she wanted to go back quickly, she didn't know when things would have stopped.
Yan Beimo was completely unaware, pressing close to her and his hands wandering around.
Chu Changning was only wearing a thin gauze dress. Her breath was tingling from his touch. She turned around and glared at him fiercely.
"I completely ignored what the imperial physician just said to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Beimo leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips.
"Fairy."
Chu Changning fiercely wiped her lips, which were red from being kissed, and retorted, "It's all because you're a pervert."
His chest trembled slightly, and a low laugh echoed above him.
Her face flushed, and she covered her head with the blanket.
Yan Beimo stopped teasing her, lifted the blanket, went in, hugged her tightly, and closed his eyes.
It started raining outside the window late at night. Chu Changning woke up groggily and heard the light rain pattering on the deck outside the window. She turned over, lifted the bed curtains, and peeked out.
Yan Beimo was still asleep, his face pale and weak.
There were no candles lit in the room. She used the cool light to carefully examine his thin profile, and frowned.
I haven't seen him for only half a year, and he's lost a lot of weight.
She remembered the medicine he had taken that evening, quietly got out of bed, went to the table, opened the drawer, and took out the medicine bottle.
Before she could even take a closer look, she heard a noise from the other end of the bed, so she quickly put the medicine bottle back.
Yan Beimo lifted the bed curtains and saw a familiar figure walking towards him. He immediately opened his arms and hugged her, scolding, "Where have you been?"
Chu Changning was also impressed; the boy was sleeping soundly, but woke up after being away for a short while.
"Drink water."
Yan Beimo pulled her onto the couch, holding her close and inhaling her deeply.
Chu Changning was too lazy to bother anymore. She glanced at the wound on his chest, hugged his waist, and closed her eyes.
For the past six months, Yan Beimo has hardly had a good night's sleep.
After arriving in the northern border region, he was struck by a golden arrow and fell into a coma. After waking up last night, he barely closed his eyes and spent the whole night staring at the person in his arms.
I was exhausted, and the familiar scent of her made me fall asleep quickly.
As the warships sailed south, several ships docked near Libei, and the Linwei soldiers disembarked.
Chu Changning had already told Xiao Yan to send them to Chaoge, and all the Linwei were willing to go, except for Taozhi, who returned to Jiankang to wait for her.
Not far from Jiankang in the north, we will arrive in Kyoto in two more days.
It was raining and a bit chilly on the boat. Chu Changning came out holding a blue umbrella and saw the man standing at the bow of the boat.
A gust of wind blew, lifting the hem of his robes. Dressed in white, he exuded an air of refined elegance, standing there quietly, like a handful of pure snow.
A light drizzle fell like silk threads, the distant mountains were shrouded in mist, and the entire river surface was shrouded in a hazy, ethereal mist.
Chu Changning glanced at the courtiers standing beside him, then stopped under the ship's railing and quietly watched him.
During their journey these past few days, she often saw him taking medicine in secret. She quietly asked the imperial physician, who only said it was to regulate his qi and blood, and didn't say anything more.
Surrounded by green mountains on both sides, the mountain wind howled, and fine rain slanted down onto the boat.
Yan Beimo noticed the gaze behind him and turned around.
She wore a light green dress and stood under the eaves with an umbrella. Her figure was light and graceful. When she noticed his gaze, she slightly raised the edge of the umbrella to look at him, revealing her pretty face.
"come over."
Chu Changning hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the people around him, took an umbrella and walked over to shield him from the sun, muttering a complaint in a low voice.
"Why didn't you bring an umbrella? Your injury hasn't healed yet."
Yan Beimo put one hand on her waist, took the umbrella from her hand, and the other officials tactfully withdrew.
In the blink of an eye, two people were left on the deck.
Seeing the cold dampness on his snow-white robe, Chu Changning urged, "Go back to your room and change your dressing."
“A-Ning.”
He suddenly called her name, tightened his grip on her waist, and pulled her into his arms.
Confused, she nestled quietly in his arms and whispered, "What's wrong?"
The world was bright and clear, and the cool rain pattered past my ears.
"You are still alive."
His voice was soft and gentle, yet it was like a stone thrown into the lake of her heart, stirring up towering waves.
Chu Changning felt a slight burning sensation on her waist. Cool rain slanted in and hit her face. She blinked and reached out to wrap her arms around his waist.
Two days later, the ship docked at Jiankang Wharf, and the two went ashore and went straight back to the palace.
The news of Chu Changning's return to the palace spread like wildfire throughout the imperial court and the inner palace, sparking numerous rumors.
During Yan Beimo's absence, a table full of memorials concerning military and political affairs accumulated. Upon his return, he received many ministers, and the imperial study was brightly lit all night.
Chu Changning returned to Xuanming Hall, where he usually resided.
Because of her return, Shuangyue came back from Libei to serve her and waited early. Upon hearing the news of her return to the palace, she hurriedly brought the young prince over.
Ayu hadn't seen her mother for a long time. She stood at the door, holding the palace gate, staring at her curiously, neither coming in nor calling out to her.
Shuangyue squatted down, pointed at the stunned Chu Changning, and smiled, "Your Highness, be good and call me Mother."
Ayu didn't speak, but tilted her head and stared at her intently, as if she were observing something.
The midday sun shone in from outside the hall. Chu Changning stared unblinkingly at her son standing at the door, a mix of complex emotions welling up inside her, a bittersweet feeling overwhelming her.
The son has grown up, and his features are very much like his father's.
"Mother--Mother--"
Suddenly, Ayu seemed to recognize her, exclaimed in surprise, and rushed towards her.
Chu Changning's eyes welled up with tears, and he quickly walked over, squatted down, and hugged the person tightly in his arms.
“Ayu.”
Ayu felt that her features were very familiar. He often followed his father to the library in the palace, where there were portraits of his mother. When he missed his mother, he would sneak in to look at them, and she looked exactly like him.
He couldn't help but tilt his head to look, and touched the wetness at the corner of her eye. He paused for a moment, then leaned over and blew on it.
"Don't cry--Don't cry---"
Chu Changning was so excited that he couldn't hold back his emotions. Seeing that his son was still so well-behaved, he was even more moved and picked him up.
Ayu reached out her little hand to touch her face, touching her nose and mouth, staring at her intently as if trying to bore a hole through her.
Chu Changning placed him on the small couch and held him in her arms. Looking at her son's eyebrows and eyes, she couldn't help but kiss his little face and forehead.
Shuangyue brought in tea and snacks, and seeing the mother and son sitting affectionately on the tatami mat, she put the things down for them.
"Your Majesty, please have something to eat first."
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