60 Returning to the Prince's Mansion
Drifting on the icy pool for a day and a night, the two were assaulted by gusts of cold air. Liu Hanruo's lips were an unhealthy purple, her hands were red, and her legs trembled in the cold. It was a chill that penetrated to the bone. Yet, even in such conditions, Liu Hanruo still relied on extraordinary willpower to struggle and row the oars.
Seeing this, the Carefree King felt a pang of pity and tried to take over several times, but was rejected each time. Looking at Liu Hanruo's forced composure, the Carefree King sighed and said nothing more. He took off his coat and draped it over Liu Hanruo.
The coat, though light, represented a sentiment that warmed Liu Hanruo's heart. However, she knew the Prince of Xiaoyao's health well and knew he couldn't afford to be cold. She casually took off the coat, tossed it to him, and coldly said:
"I know my own body best, so why am I trying to be brave? If I end up half-dead again, that would be a real problem!"
“I…” Xiaoyao Wang’s eyelids drooped slightly, his expression darkened, and his tightly clenched hands seemed to express his unwillingness, or perhaps he was secretly annoyed at himself for being so useless.
Liu Hanruo turned her head away and said nothing more, silently paddling the raft upstream. When the edge of the cold pool came into view, Liu Hanruo's tense face finally broke into a smile.
When the two of them took heavy steps and their feet firmly landed on the solid ground, their troubled hearts slowly calmed down, and by then they were both exhausted.
The carefree prince looked at Liu Hanruo and wanted to take her hand, but she subtly avoided him, and the words he wanted to say were cut short.
"Now that you're back, from now on we'll go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other!" Liu Hanruo said, then turned and left.
Seeing this, the carefree prince became extremely anxious, coughing incessantly, and cried out in distress:
"Cough cough. Ruo'er. Don't go... Listen to my explanation. Actually... cough cough, I am the Carefree Prince—Chu Che... and also your husband... I really didn't betray you!"
The vast wilderness was utterly tranquil. The words of the Carefree King traveled on the wind, reaching Liu Hanruo's ears with exceptional clarity. Liu Hanruo paused, then uttered a single sentence:
"Whether it's the truth or a misunderstanding, it doesn't matter anymore. If there's still even a trace of affection in your heart, please allow me a few more months when we meet again. Once I've finished what I need to do, I'll ask to leave without taking another day!"
Liu Hanruo's clear, cold voice echoed throughout the vast wilderness. The Carefree King wanted to follow the sound, but he lacked the strength. He had barely mustered his inner energy when a sharp pain shot through his chest. Clutching his chest, he knelt on the ground, forced to watch helplessly as Liu Hanruo walked further and further away. The pain in his chest intensified with each wave, and his consciousness began to fade. Before losing all awareness, he silently swore in the direction she had gone:
"Ruo'er, no matter what you think, in my heart, you are my eternal queen, and the only one for me for life!"
As time went by, the sky grew darker and the wind grew stronger. Looking around, the vast wilderness was empty except for a small black figure lying motionless on the ground. If one did not look closely, it would be easy to overlook.
A moment later, several unexpected flames flickered wildly in the dark night sky, appearing unusually abrupt. The flames raced towards the small, dark figure, drawing ever closer. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be several people carrying torches, looking around as if searching for something. When one of them saw the small, dark figure lying unconscious on the ground, he boldly turned the figure over, slowly bringing his torch closer to the figure's face. After seeing the figure's features clearly, he excitedly shouted:
"Steward, we've found him! We've found him! We never expected it to really be the Prince."
After a shout, a middle-aged man rushed over anxiously. When he saw the carefree prince, he was secretly delighted, but when he saw the prince not moving, he became anxious again. He slowly placed his trembling hand in front of the prince's nose, and when he felt a faint breath, he breathed a sigh of relief. He quietly touched his neck, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
The middle-aged man quietly instructed the others to take turns carrying the Prince of Xiaoyao back to his residence, while he himself went to the palace to fetch the imperial physician for the Prince of Xiaoyao.
When the women in the backyard heard their scouts report that the Prince of Xiaoyao had been seriously injured and unconscious and had been carried back to the palace, they were all very anxious and rushed to the Water Moon Pavilion where the Prince of Xiaoyao was staying with all kinds of tonics.
When everyone saw the carefree prince lying motionless on the bed, his breathing growing weaker and weaker, a series of earth-shattering cries rang out. No matter how his personal maid tried to comfort him, it was to no avail. This situation continued until…
When Imperial Physician Liu arrived at the Prince Xiaoyao's residence, he was startled by the mournful wails that filled him with fear, thinking that the Prince Xiaoyao was already dead. He quickened his pace and ran into the inner room.
Imperial Physician Liu approached the bedside and noticed that Prince Xiaoyao's expression was strange; even his breathing had become extremely light, almost inaudible. He sensed something was wrong and quickly checked Prince Xiaoyao's right pulse. When he realized the pulse was weak but not stopped, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself:
"Fortunately, he is still alive. Otherwise... For now, we can only use silver needles to temporarily save Prince Xiaoyao's life. We will report to the Emperor tomorrow at court and see if the physicians have any other solutions."
Physician Liu acted swiftly and skillfully, inserting needles into the various acupoints with remarkable speed and precision. After completing this task, he bowed and addressed Consort Liu, who stood beside him:
"Your Highness Consort Liu, the Prince's injuries are very serious. Please forgive my incompetence; I can only save the Prince's life for the time being."
Upon hearing Physician Liu say that the illness was incurable, Liu Hanxue could no longer remain seated. She slapped Physician Liu hard across the face, and with a crisp 'smack', Physician Liu could only kneel down in fear and humbly admit his mistake, daring not to utter a single complaint. However, Liu Hanxue would not stop there. She raised her foot and kicked Physician Liu hard, one kick after another. Not only did she slap him, but Liu Hanxue was still not satisfied and began to curse him repeatedly.
"You are the imperial physician, receiving a salary from the state. You are raised for a thousand days to be used for one, yet you cannot even cure the prince. What use are you?! You are not even as good as a watchdog! Fool! In my opinion, you are a quack!"
As a physician, he naturally possessed a strong sense of pride and could not tolerate any questioning. Although Imperial Physician Liu's official rank was not high, he had never been looked down upon like this before, subjected to beatings and insults. Such humiliation caused him to lose face, and he no longer cared about anything else, so he got up and took his leave.
"Since Consort Liu says that I am merely a quack doctor with a false reputation, I will not embarrass myself any further. I urge Consort Liu to find someone more skilled!" After saying this, Imperial Physician Liu's face turned ashen. He bowed and took his leave. "Please forgive my lack of skill. I will go back and study medical books. I only hope that Your Highness can be kind with your words. I take my leave!"
Although it was night, the fact that Prince Xiaoyao was seriously injured and the imperial physicians were helpless, leading to his angry departure from the mansion, was no small matter. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the news spread like wildfire from the mansion. Before long, the news of Prince Xiaoyao's critical condition became widely known, spreading throughout the streets and alleys. Of course, it also reached Ouyang Ziren's ears.
Upon receiving the news, Ouyang Ziren rushed to the Prince Xiaoyao's residence, only to get into a dispute with the guards outside the gate. It turned out that Ouyang Ziren, preoccupied with saving the Prince Xiaoyao, completely disregarded the guards, refusing to utter a word and attacking anyone who blocked his way. He forcefully barged into the residence, which led the guards to believe he had ill intentions, and they stood guard one after another.
And so, things became increasingly complicated. Watching the guards advance and retreat in front of him, Ouyang Ziren grew impatient. He raised an eyebrow, gave them a cold glance, and said calmly:
"Get out of the way!"
Instead of making way, the guards stood ready, their eyes fixed on Ouyang, watching his every move. If they detected any unusual activity, they would attack him en masse.
The situation reached a stalemate, with neither side willing to back down. Ouyang's patience was wearing thin, and he began to show no mercy. Just then, a clear voice rang out from afar:
"stop!"
Following the sound, they saw a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in plain clothes running towards them. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was none other than Princess Liu Hanruo, the carefree princess.
"His Highness is seriously injured and needs to rest, yet you are fighting here. Don't you all have a death wish?! You should know that Mr. Ouyang is His Highness's close friend and is here to treat His Highness. Why don't you step down!" Liu Hanruo questioned the guards with an air of authority.
Upon hearing Liu Hanruo's words, the guards all took their leave. Liu Hanruo was about to speak to Ouyang Ziren when she saw him give her a meaningful look before turning and leaving, leaving Liu Hanruo standing there somewhat embarrassed.
After Ouyang Ziren left, Liu Hanruo sighed and murmured softly:
"Didn't you say you never loved him? Didn't you say you'd go your separate ways and never see each other again? Then why did you feel so anxious and worried after hearing that he was on the verge of death? Why did you feel so anxious and worried and couldn't help but want to come back to see him? Sigh, never mind, now is not the time to think about these things. I should hurry up and go see the Prince of Xiaoyao."
Liu Hanruo followed Ouyang Ziren closely and arrived at Shuiyue Pavilion, only to hear bursts of crying, which disturbed her. She frowned and walked quickly into the inner room before Ouyang. As soon as she entered, she saw Liu Hanxue lying on Xiaoyao Wang's body, wailing loudly.
She raised an eyebrow without saying a word, quietly taking Liu Hanxue's pulse. Realizing there was still a glimmer of hope, she breathed a sigh of relief and then rebuked her:
"His Highness needs to rest. What kind of behavior is this, wailing and howling like a banshee! Go cry in your own courtyard and don't disturb Doctor Ouyang's treatment of His Highness!"
Upon hearing Liu Hanruo's voice, Liu Hanxue's expression changed from one of weeping to one of haughtiness, and she said disdainfully:
"She's just an unfavored woman, what right does she have to criticize me? Besides, the prince is seriously ill, yet you only showed up now. Who knows where you went to have an affair!"
Liu Hanruo seemed oblivious to Liu Hanxue's mockery, focusing instead on the pale-faced Prince Xiaoyao lying on the bed. In that instant, memories of the past flooded her mind—joy, anger, happiness, and sorrow. Overwhelmed with grief, her eyes reddened, and she could only place all her hopes on Ouyang Ziren.
---Aside---
Updates will resume today. Thank you for your support and concern. Yaomei has basically recovered.
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