Chapter 47
Pei Jin slept for a long time, not waking up until the afternoon of the next day.
The imperial physician reapplied the medicine to him, and he got up and washed himself until he could no longer smell the damp earth on his body. Only then did he stop. However, after all that, the sickly redness on his face became more pronounced.
Upon seeing Qi Yu arrive, Pei Jin couldn't help but reveal a restrained smile.
Qi Yu looked at Pei Jin, who was dressed in white and green robes, with his bangs not neatly combed up but half-draped down his back, resembling green bamboo washed by rain. Her gaze lingered on him for a few more seconds.
Whether it was my imagination or not, Pei Jin's expression conveyed a sense of bearing humiliation and hardship.
But his restraint wasn't directed at her; when he was with her, his eyes shone brighter, especially noticeable in the dimly lit room.
Qi Yu said, "I am not your wife."
She came today for this very reason.
Pei Jin hummed in agreement, his smile deepening.
In his mind, this was just an excuse. If it really wasn't true, she should have said directly last night that she didn't have a birthmark on her back, instead of going back to the house to ask for confirmation and only answering him today.
Moreover, this answer was too weak and unconvincing; no one would believe it.
Seeing that he still didn't believe her, Qi Yu didn't explain further. Did he have amnesia and was now clinging to her, and that was her fault?
And Pei Jin's certainty that it was her wasn't wrong; he only remembered the days at Hengwu Courtyard.
Besides, even if she did something to him during this time, could he still hold a concubine responsible for it after he sobered up?
It's impossible to even think about it.
Qi Yu cut to the chase: "I want to see the wound on your abdomen."
Pei Jin unbuttoned his clothes: "It was just bandaged up, only wrapped in bandages, you can't tell anything."
Qi Yu's gaze immediately fell on Pei Jin's hand, which was undone. The veins were prominent and the knuckles were thick; one could see the strength just from the back of his hand.
Perhaps it was because he wrote so much; after all, Pei Jin was a civil official.
But to be honest, even though he had some cuts on his hands and the wounds were washed until they turned white, he still managed to clean them very neatly.
As Qi Yu was thinking this, her hand had unknowingly landed on the bandage on his waist and abdomen, her fingertips gliding lightly as if measuring something.
Indeed, as Pei Jin said, nothing could be discerned.
"Take good care of your injuries." Qi Yu regained her composure and prepared to withdraw her hand and leave.
Seeing this, Pei Jin quickly grabbed Qi Yu's fingertips: "The head injury hasn't been treated yet."
Qi Yu had no choice but to go around behind him, lift his hair, and look at the injury on the back of his head.
After reading it, she could only think that Pei Jin was lucky to be alive.
Pei Jin said, "A few days ago it rained, and I took advantage of the rain to escape the people who were chasing me. I spent two days hiding in a Taoist temple on the mountain. Yesterday, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that the mountain road was not muddy to see if I could cross the mountain, but I slipped and fell down."
"But I was really lucky to meet your wife."
Qi Yu circled back to Pei Jin. While thinking about telling Wei Si what Pei Jin had said, she sternly said, "You are not allowed to call me Madam anymore."
If Wu Shiyan overheard this, even a god couldn't save him.
Pei Jin lowered his eyes slightly: "But besides Madam and Lady, I really don't know what else to call you."
He couldn't use the most common names like Qi Yu or A Yu.
He shouldn't have known that his wife's name was Qi Yu.
Qi Yu: "Then we won't call out anything. His Majesty will come in a few days. If Lord Pei has anything to report, he can report it directly to him."
Pei Jin let it go in one ear and out the other; his eyes darted around, as if he were brewing something.
"hiss--"
Qi Yu frowned and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Does your wound hurt?"
Pei Jin nodded, then placed Qi Yu's hand on his abdomen, a smile on his face: "But it won't hurt if my wife touches it."
Qi Yu glanced at him and pressed down hard.
Immediately, cold sweat broke out on Pei Jin's forehead.
Qi Yu stared at him and tilted her head slightly: "If it hurts, call the imperial physician."
Pei Jin smiled dejectedly, then leaned against Qi Yu, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"This really hurts... Wife, let me lean on you for a while."
Pei Jin was very heavy, and Qi Yu felt that he was taking revenge on her, so he supported her without reservation. She had to hold onto Pei Jin's arm to prevent them from falling to the ground.
Qi Yu was about to push him away, but when she remembered that she had pressed him down hard earlier, which led to this situation, she lost all her temper.
Why is she arguing with a poor wounded man?
Pei Jin showed no intention of getting up, so Qi Yu spotted the soft couch next to her and swayed as she moved toward it.
A few steps later, Qi Yu tried to push Pei Jin onto the soft couch, but Pei Jin reacted faster. In a dizzying moment, she found herself lying on top of Pei Jin, her hair brushing against his cheek, and all she could see was his Adam's apple.
Pei Jin's forehead was covered in cold sweat even faster.
Qi Yu was anxious to get off Pei Jin, but her wrist was grabbed.
She said angrily, "It hurt so much just now when I pressed it, and now you're using your body as a cushion? Pei Jin, what are you trying to do?"
Pei Jin forced a smile and said, "Madam has finally stopped calling me Lord Pei. It sounds too formal."
Qi Yu thought to herself, "Does this make the lady feel less distant?"
But Pei Jin didn't remember calling her anything else; he only called her "Madam" now.
However, now is clearly not the time to discuss these things.
Qi Yu's face turned cold, and she shook off his hand, saying, "Lord Pei, I will send someone to summon the imperial physician."
She suddenly thought of Pei Jin and wanted to see how his injuries were recovering, so she came here without any palace servants with her. The person who served Pei Jin left when she arrived to change the teacups.
She only had Lin Qi by her side.
But Lin Qi doesn't really care about anything she does; he only shows up when she needs him.
Qi Yu went out to find a palace servant and asked her to bring the imperial physician.
Watching Qi Yu leave, Pei Jin sat up, and even though the cold sweat on his forehead had condensed into larger beads of water, he looked much better.
It's perfectly normal that he felt at ease and in high spirits as soon as he saw Qi Yu.
Madam, this is truly a miraculous elixir.
Pei Jin looked at the wound on his abdomen and thought to himself, "It can't heal completely so quickly. As long as the wound remains, Qi Yu will be more tolerant of him."
When he leaned towards her, Qi Yu could have pushed him away, but she didn't, for fear of hurting him.
After leaving, Qi Yu did not return. She had someone call Wei Si over and told him everything Pei Jin had told her.
Qi Yu asked, "Are the people who are chasing Pei Jin related to His Majesty?"
Wei Si was taken aback by the directness and hesitated for a moment before denying it, saying, "No."
"If His Majesty wants to kill someone, he won't linger for this long."
Qi Yu remained noncommittal regarding Wei Si's final addition.
She then asked, "Regarding Lord Pei's assassination attempt, has His Majesty made any plans?"
"Yes." Does knowing about Lord Pei's disappearance in advance count?
Qi Yu nodded: "Then I can rest assured."
She put the matter aside, and time passed leisurely. Before going to bed, she drank two glasses of wine.
In the middle of the night, two lamps were lit in the corridor. Qi Yu opened her eyes because of the light. She sat up, holding her head, and asked the palace servants who were guarding the room to go out and see what had happened.
The palace servant quickly returned: "Your Majesty, it was Lord Pei who developed a high fever last night. The imperial physician rushed over overnight, but because night vision was difficult, I took it upon myself to light the lanterns."
Qi Yu said gently, "That's how it should be."
The imperial physician who accompanied her to the residence was surnamed Wu. He was quite old, but his medical skills were superb. It was perfectly appropriate for the palace servants to accommodate him and light the lamps.
Moreover, the fact that Pei Jin is gradually recovering is largely thanks to Physician Wu.
Qi Yu decided not to sleep anymore. She got up, changed her clothes, and prepared to go to Pei Jin's place.
She glanced at the tired palace maid and let her stay.
Pei Jin's room was not far from her residence. As soon as she arrived, Qi Yu heard Physician Wu's voice inside: "This shouldn't be the case. Never mind, is the medicine ready? Hurry up and force-feed it to him while he's still conscious, otherwise it will be difficult to feed him."
"Lord Pei, after you finish your medicine, you should get a good night's sleep. You must not do anything that requires much energy."
When Qi Yu entered, she saw Pei Jin holding a bowl, drinking the medicine in one gulp. When he saw her, his smile couldn't hide his exhaustion.
What goes around comes around, and this time it's Pei Jin's turn to fall ill.
Pei Jin seemed perfectly fine during the day. Although she didn't come in the end, someone reported to her that Lord Pei was alright.
Why did the illness become so serious after only a few hours?
Physician Wu was old and couldn't stay up all night. After taking his pulse and giving him his medicine, he followed the palace servants to a nearby room to rest.
Pei Jin raised his eyes, and the people serving him withdrew.
He raised his voice slightly: "You've arrived."
Qi Yu approached: "Don't move!"
Pei Jin had no choice but to abandon his attempt to get up and stared intently at Qi Yu.
Qi Yu said, "Go to sleep quickly, we have to listen to the imperial physician."
Bathed in the candlelight, Qi Yu exuded a strangely gentle aura.
Pei Jin said in a low voice, "I thought you weren't coming."
After all, he hadn't come in the afternoon, but I didn't expect him to soften his heart.
He reached out his hand: "You're the only one left in my memory. I can only sleep peacefully when you're here. Unless you knock me out, could you hold my hand for a while, my wife?"
Qi Yu hesitated for three breaths before finally getting on the hook, urging him impatiently, "Go to sleep quickly."
Pei Jin clasped his hands together and happily shook them.
Outside, one could hear palace servants moving about and talking in hushed tones.
As a Noble Consort, Qi Yu's every move would be under scrutiny, unlike when she was in the Pei residence.
But Qi Yu didn't care. Wu Shiyan's people were everywhere here. No matter how she tried to hide it, Wu Shiyan would eventually find out. So why bother with so many concerns?
Pei Jin is gentler, more obedient, and easier to please than Wu Shiyan. As long as she gives him a little bit of sweetness, he will cherish it like a treasure, unlike Wu Shiyan who is constantly demanding more, unwilling to give up, greedy by nature, and not easy to please.
Besides, Pei Jin only remembered her, so how could she not feel pity for him?
She could tease Pei Jin in her spare time, but she could never tease Wu Shiyan.
That's the difference.
Perhaps because she had drunk alcohol before bed, Qi Yu's gaze lingered on Pei Jin's face. She reached out with her other hand and lifted Pei Jin's chin.
Pei Jin simply held her hand even tighter, his eyes filled with tender affection.
He didn't find the action offensive at all; in fact, he was secretly agitated.
The touch of her slender, jade-like fingers on his skin signified that Qi Yu was thinking of him.
Qi Yu withdrew her hand. See? Pei Jin and Wu Shiyan are really different.
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