Just then, Xu Si brought over dinner: "Your Majesty, dinner is here."
Su Wanyan said to Su Chien, "Alright, you should go and rest now. Later, have Xu Si bring dinner to your room as well."
Xu Si glanced at Su Chien, then at Su Wanyan, and pursed his lips, not daring to say a word.
So, he was the only one doing all the work in the entire mansion.
Su Wanyan brought the meal into the room. In addition to the porridge that was usually given to Yu Nanqing, there was also chicken soup, two small dishes of stir-fry, and a bowl of nourishing ginseng soup.
Su Wanyan placed the meal on the table first, not in a hurry to eat. She sat on the edge of the bed and glanced at Yu Nanqing. He had his eyes closed and his expression was calm and peaceful, as if he were asleep.
His breathing was barely perceptible, as if he were deliberately suppressing it, and it was slightly erratic at times. Su Wanyan knew he wasn't asleep, so she asked, "How are you feeling?"
Yu Nanqing did not speak.
Su Wanyan didn't care. She estimated that the time was almost up, so she started to pull out the silver needles stuck in his body one by one.
After he was dressed, Su Wanyan reached out and grabbed his arm, using the leverage to turn him over to the side.
Yu Nanqing then opened her eyes and cooperated with her strength.
Su Wanyan placed two pillows under him, making his upper body tilted, took a small spoonful of porridge, blew on it, and then held it to his mouth.
Yu Nanqing looked at her with his long eyes and said in a gentle voice, "Help me up, I'll eat by myself."
"Oh." Su Wanyan nodded: "Okay."
It also saved her the effort.
She gently helped Yu Nanqing sit up and lay on the bed at an angle.
Even though he still had a wound on his back, Yu Nanqing seemed not to feel any pain. Even when she pressed on it or changed his dressing, he didn't utter a sound.
Su Wanyan handed him the porridge: "You can eat more today."
Su Wanyan is gradually increasing the amount of food he eats, making him eat smaller meals more frequently.
After giving her instructions, she picked up the soup bowl and took a sip. It was delicious and refreshing. She then picked up the bowl, shoveled some rice into her mouth, and then picked up a stir-fry dish and put it in her mouth.
He casually said, "I asked Xu Si to look for the doctor who treated you before, but we can't find him."
“…” Yu Nanqing took a sip of porridge and fell silent upon hearing this.
"Xu Si said that the doctor went back to his hometown. I don't know if it's true. We agreed that he would come back in seven days. Why didn't he finish the follow-up examination before going back to his hometown? If it was really urgent, he could have left a note or asked someone to pass on a message."
Su Wanyan, her mouth bulging, turned to look at Yu Nanqing: "Did the Emperor order him to leave? He wouldn't have killed someone to cover it up, would he?"
She felt uneasy about killing someone to cover it up; a perfectly healthy person could just disappear like that, especially because of Emperor Yuanhe's selfish desires.
Yu Nanqing's gaze shifted to Su Wanyan, her pupils reflecting her thirst for knowledge.
After a long silence, he finally uttered three words: "It's not that bad."
This is the truth. The other party was just an ordinary citizen. Emperor Yuanhe was in a high position and had no need to go to such lengths to taint another life with his hands.
Moreover, Emperor Yuanhe had been on the throne for seven years. No matter how suspicious he was, he wouldn't kill innocent people indiscriminately. Otherwise, wouldn't his seven years as emperor have been in vain?
Relieved by Yu Nanqing's affirmation, Su Wanyan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
Yu Nanqing's eyes flickered slightly: "You trust me that much?"
“You’re a prince and a war god, you’re knowledgeable and experienced, and your thinking is more comprehensive than mine. Of course I trust you.” Su Wanyan picked up a small bamboo shoot and placed it in front of him: “Want to try it? It’s especially crisp and delicious.”
Yu Nanqing looked up: "Eat it?"
"Yes!" Su Wanyan put the bamboo shoots into his porridge: "You can eat a little bit. If you weren't so weak, you could eat all the dishes here."
After saying that, he sighed and added, "Hey, you need to get well soon. I can't handle this on my own."
"..." Yu Nanqing looked at the untouched bamboo shoots in the porridge, her brows furrowing slightly: "Why do you think I can still get better?"
Su Wanyan scratched her cheek as she ate. He wouldn't believe her no matter what she said now. In his eyes, she was just a quack doctor who had learned on the spot. She couldn't bring herself to say anything that would make him believe her.
Seeing that Su Wanyan didn't speak, Yu Nanqing composed himself and didn't press the matter further. He scooped up some bamboo shoots from the porridge and put them in his mouth, chewing them gently. Just as Su Wanyan had said, they were indeed very crisp and delicious.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had tasted something this delicious.
"Why are you so persistent in helping me?" Yu Nanqing's voice suddenly rang out calmly.
Su Wanyan turned her head and looked up, only to see Yu Nanqing staring at her intently.
She thought about it carefully, and finally laughed and said, "I'm not at ease."
“If you hadn’t sent me off in this predicament, I probably would have really left. But you’re barely able to take care of yourself right now. The price you’d have to pay after sending me off would be too high. You’d owe someone this kind of favor for life. How can I be at ease?”
“You don’t owe me anything.” Yu Nanqing lowered her eyes, looking at the porridge in her hand.
Since he became paralyzed, everyone who came near him tried to kill him, but no one had ever been as heartless as Su Wanyan.
No one was as foolish as her, willingly serving a disabled prince.
"Have you still not given up on the idea of sending me away?"
Yu Nanqing frowned slightly: "The Eldest Princess is arrogant and self-important. Last time you refused her banquet, she will definitely find an opportunity to retaliate against you. The Emperor has granted the Eldest Princess military power. Her power in the capital is no less than that of the person sitting on the dragon throne. How can you fight against her?"
Su Wanyan put down her chopsticks, leaned closer to Yu Nanqing by the edge of the bed, and looked at him expectantly: "What do you want to do?"
"On the 30th of July, the Ksitigarbha Festival, the palace will hold a sacrificial ceremony and a family banquet to celebrate with you. The Princess will very likely summon you to the palace for the banquet on that day. If you refuse again, you will face death next time."
“So…” Yu Nanqing pursed her lips, tightening her grip on the half-bowl of porridge in her hand, “I need to get you out of the city before that happens…”
“Every time you say that if I don’t leave now, I’ll miss my chance, but you always create opportunities for me to escape.” Su Wanyan blinked and suddenly smiled: “I didn’t expect you to value me so much. I’m so surprised.”
Yu Nanqing was speechless, and rubbed his temples in annoyance: "Su Wanyan, I wasn't joking with you..."
“I know, but I’m not leaving,” Su Wanyan said with a smile.
Yu Nanqing gasped, “You!”
Then she took a breath and said, "Why are you so stubborn?"
"I'll leave after you've recovered. Then you won't be at anyone's mercy and will be able to send me away more easily. At that time, you won't be a fish to be slaughtered, and the price you pay will definitely not be as great as it is now."
Yu Nanqing frowned: "Su Wanyan..."
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