Chapter 177 Wounded
Li Yuanzhao then slowly raised his injured right arm and took a look at it.
She frowned slightly and said to Chen Yanqing, "Give me your dagger."
Chen Yanqing didn't dare to delay and hurriedly took out the dagger that Li Yuanzhao had given him from his pocket and handed it over.
After taking the dagger, Li Yuanzhao held the blade up to the fire to heat it.
Then... in the next instant, he pressed the scalding hot blade directly onto the bleeding wound!
With a sizzling sound, a strong smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Chen Yanqing felt a chill run down his spine and clenched his fists tightly.
The scene was painful to watch, but Li Yuanzhao didn't even flinch.
Only after the bleeding from the wound stopped did Li Yuanzhao slowly remove the hilt of the knife; the skin and flesh at the wound site were already slightly charred.
She reached up and tugged at the hem of her inner robe, tearing off a relatively clean piece of fabric, which she was about to use to wrap her wound with one hand.
Upon seeing this, Chen Yanqing quickly took the bandage and began bandaging her wound.
His heart ached so much that his throat tightened, and he didn't know what to say. He could only move more gently, carefully avoiding the scorch marks around the wound, and wrap the cloth tightly around it again and again.
She even held back her strength when tying the knot, afraid of pulling on the wound and causing her more pain.
After the bandaging was finished, he noticed that Li Yuanzhao's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
He hurriedly took out a neatly folded plain handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her face.
Chen Yanqing focused intently on her pale face, his gaze fixed on her pale cheeks. He even breathed very softly as he wiped her face, completely unaware that Li Yuanzhao's gaze remained fixed on his face.
Only after wiping away the sweat did Chen Yanqing take a half step back, unexpectedly meeting Li Yuanzhao's gaze.
He felt a little flustered by that gaze, and subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in his hand. Confused, he asked, "Your Highness? What's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell somewhere?"
Li Yuanzhao shifted his gaze from his face to the handkerchief clutched in his hand.
"I remember, this is the one I threw away back then, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yanqing felt as if someone had exposed a secret he had kept hidden for a long time, and his cheeks instantly turned bright red.
This was indeed the one she used to wipe the blood off her knife when she accompanied His Highness on a hunt, and then casually tossed it into the grass.
Somehow, he secretly picked it up and kept it close to his body.
Unexpectedly, when I took it out in a moment of panic today, she recognized it at a glance.
"At that time, my subordinates thought it would be a pity to throw it away and felt it was a waste, so... so they picked it up."
He stammered his explanation, his eyes darting away, avoiding her gaze.
He glanced at the roasted rabbit and quickly changed the subject, "Your Highness, the rabbit is ready. Please eat some to replenish your strength."
As he spoke, he quickly walked to the fire and carefully took the roasted rabbit off the stove.
The outer skin was baked to a golden brown and crispy, still sizzling with oil, and the aroma instantly filled the entire cave.
He deliberately tore off a large piece of the tenderest rabbit leg meat, blew on it to cool it down, and then handed it to Li Yuanzhao.
Li Yuanzhao didn't continue the previous topic and simply reached out to take it.
After watching Li Yuanzhao take a bite of rabbit meat, Chen Yanqing asked with a hint of anticipation in his eyes, "Your Highness, how is it? Is it delicious?"
After slowly chewing and swallowing a mouthful of rabbit meat, Li Yuanzhao looked up at Chen Yanqing and said, "It's alright."
Chen Yanqing's eyes lit up instantly.
Having been by Li Yuanzhao's side for so long, he had long since figured out her personality and knew that for her, such an evaluation meant satisfaction.
He excitedly tore off a piece of rabbit back meat, sat down next to Li Yuanzhao, and ate it heartily while chattering away.
“I’ve been cooking for myself since I was a child. It’s common for me to roast fish or pheasant in the wild. Back in the countryside, people from all around praised my roasting skills. Once, a young lady from a local gentry family secretly tasted my food and even begged her parents to let her marry me!”
"If I hadn't been away from home and hadn't forgotten to bring any seasonings, it would have tasted even better."
At this point, he turned to look at Li Yuanzhao, "But it's alright, once we return to the capital, I'll cook for you every day!"
Li Yuanzhao looked at his overjoyed expression and simply replied, "I don't lack imperial chefs."
Chen Yanqing's smile froze for a moment, then he scratched his head and said, "Then I really can't compare to the imperial chef."
As he spoke, he tore off another piece of meat and handed it to her, as if afraid she wouldn't have enough to eat.
After finishing his meal, Li Yuanzhao leaned against the cave wall, lay down, closed his eyes, and said, "Keep an eye on things, I'm going to take a nap."
Chen Yanqing quickly replied, "Alright, Your Highness, please rest assured and sleep well. I'm here."
After he finished speaking, he added some dry branches to the fire.
After finishing all that, he saw that cold winds were constantly blowing in snowflakes from the cave entrance, chilling him to the bone.
Without a second thought, he turned around, walked to the cave entrance, sat down with his back to the inside, and used his body to shield himself from the wind and snow.
The cave was eerily quiet for a moment, with only the crackling sound of burning branches in the fire, much like the sounds of a stove on a winter night in the countryside.
He quietly watched Li Yuanzhao, and felt that these days of fleeing for his life were now strangely reminiscent of the peaceful life of an ordinary person.
Her eyes were closed, her eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them.
His usually sharp, penetrating eyes were hidden away, and even his intimidating aura had faded, leaving only a rare gentleness.
His thoughts drifted far away, and he suddenly remembered the first time he met Li Yuanzhao.
At that time, she sat upright on her tall horse, her face cold and stern. One lash of her whip left him lying in bed for half a month before he recovered.
But who could have imagined that in just one year, this face that once terrified him so much that he dared not look at it directly would gradually become the face he cared about most in his heart.
She was so cruel and wicked to him.
But he felt that he loved her so much he was dying.
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