Chapter 34 Recovering from Injuries.
Lingyi was speechless. Indeed, for Huan'er's sake, she would not only refrain from harming him, but would even pray that Qin Lie would live a long and healthy life.
In just over an hour, the carriage arrived at the prefectural capital, where Qin Lie had a temporary residence.
As soon as Lingyi entered the bedroom, she smelled a strong medicinal smell mixed with a faint bloody odor. Qin Lie was lying on the bed, his face pale and his eyes closed.
Lingyi stood far away, unwilling to go forward, until Qin Xiaoshan saw her and respectfully called out, "Princess."
Qin Lie opened his eyes upon hearing this, and frowned as soon as he saw her. "Why is she here?"
Before Qin Xiaoshan could speak, Lingyi quickly replied, "I'll be going now."
Qin Lie seemed extremely weak and closed his eyes again.
Lingyi waited for a while, but when he didn't say anything more, she suspected that he had fallen asleep. She had no choice but to say to Qin Xiaoshan herself, "Your general doesn't want to see me, so I'll have to trouble you to prepare a car to take me back."
Qin Xiaoshan replied, "The medicine the general just drank has a calming effect; he'll probably sleep until tomorrow morning. Please, Princess, go and rest first, and come back tomorrow."
Lingyi had no choice but to stay here and take a nap, and then go back when Qin Lie woke up tomorrow.
Qin Xiaoshan arranged for her to stay in the courtyard next to the mansion. The room was decorated like a princess's mansion, with everything she used to like and was used to. Even the incense was her favorite kind.
That night, I slept amidst these brocades and silks, the underfloor heating burning brightly, a comfort I hadn't experienced in a long time.
She didn't feel as at ease sleeping on her cotton mattress at home.
The next day, she went there early in the morning. Qin Lie was already awake, and Qin Xiaoshan was helping him wipe his face and rinse his mouth.
She stood there for a while, watching his brows furrow more and more and his face grow darker and darker, but he never uttered a single word: "Get out."
I also heard him ask, "Since you're here to serve me, what are you doing standing there like a log?"
Qin Xiaoshan handed the medicine bowl to her, saying, "I am a rough man and cannot compare to the princess's meticulousness. Please feed the general his medicine."
Lingyi thought of Huan'er three times before carrying the medicine over.
She was perfunctory and careless, and Qin Lie's face was so gloomy it could drip water. They fed each other, but spilled more than they drank. Qin Xiaoshan brought over another bowl, and the two continued to feed each other in silence, not saying a word or even exchanging glances. They finished the second bowl hastily, and Lingyi put down the medicine bowl and asked Qin Xiaoshan, "Is there anything else?"
Qin Xiaoshan said respectfully, "The dressing will be changed in a quarter of an hour. Please wait patiently, Princess."
So another fifteen minutes of silence passed in the room. The two of them were separated by an insurmountable chasm, one in the east and one in the west, until the doctor came with the medicine. Only then did Lingyi reluctantly and slowly move to the bedside.
Qin Lie was only loosely dressed in an undergarment. Lingyi had seen him naked many times before. With a stern face, she took off his clothes and untied them layer by layer. Gradually, the bloodstains on the strips of cloth could be seen. When they were all untied, the hideous wounds inside were revealed. They were so deep that the bone was visible, and the surrounding flesh was purplish-black. Lingyi had never seen such a sight before. She couldn't help but gasp and look away.
Qin Lie seemed extremely impatient and said to Qin Xiaoshan, "You come here."
Lingyi was about to leave when he stopped her again: "When did you say you could leave? Sit here and study properly."
How could I dare to learn from Ke Lingyi?
Each time the dressing was changed and the wound cleaned, the purplish-black flesh had to be cut off. Lingyi was terrified just by hearing the sounds with her eyes closed, let alone opening them to look. Only when there was no more noise around her did she dare to open her eyes. Sure enough, there was no one else in the room, only Qin Lie staring at her with his sinister eyes, lost in thought.
After the dressing was changed, his face was even paler and he was covered in sweat. Only then did Lingyi realize that he hadn't made a sound at all when the flesh was cut off.
Think about that wound again, below the left shoulder, if it were any lower...
She felt a lingering fear and calmed herself down.
Seeing her like this, Qin Lie asked, "Do you feel very pleased to see me like this?"
Lingyi said, "Perhaps you don't believe me, but in my heart, I hope the general is well."
Qin Lie clearly didn't believe it. "Why?"
Lingyi said truthfully, "Huan'er is not even a year old yet. You are his father. If anything were to happen to you, how would he live a good life?"
The Prince's Mansion wasn't just home to Qin Xu and Qin Lie. Aside from Qin Lie's second uncle's family, even the Prince of Dingbei had three illegitimate sons. While the Prince's Mansion wasn't as fiercely competitive as the struggle for the imperial throne, it wasn't a safe haven either. With Qin Lie's growing power, Huan'er's status naturally rose accordingly. Without him, how could Huan'er, with her privileged background, not be bullied?
Qin Lie said "Oh" and slowly said, "So in your heart, once Huan'er grows up, I can die."
Lingyi didn't know how he came to this conclusion, and she didn't know where to begin to refute it, so she could only remain silent.
It was remarkable that Qin Lie, despite his pale face, could still maintain such a gloomy expression, staring intently at Ling Yi with his eyes practically blazing with fire.
When Qin Xiaoshan returned, Lingyi said to him again, "With me here, your general is in a very bad mood, which is not good for his recovery. It would be better for me to go back and transfer people from Jizhou to take care of him."
Qin Xiaoshan said, "I was afraid that the old lady and the others would worry if they knew about the general's injury, so I did not inform Jizhou. The general is injured and poisoned, and is in great pain and confined to bed. It is inevitable that he is in a bad mood. I hope the princess will be understanding."
Lingyi had no choice but to stay.
Having witnessed such a horrific wound, she feared that Qin Lie might not recover well and suffer from some hidden ailment that could shorten his lifespan, so she took great care of him.
She claimed to take good care of him, but in reality, it was nothing more than feeding him water and medicine, giving him porridge, and wiping away his sweat. Qin Xiaoshan was fully responsible for everything else, from washing his body to changing his dressings, and she didn't need to get involved.
The matter was quite easy, except that I had to put up with his sarcastic remarks from time to time.
For example, when feeding him medicine, if the two of them are close together, he might suddenly say, "Princess, don't you feel disgusted being so close to me?"
Lingyi ignored him, letting his words go in one ear and out the other. After he finished speaking, she was often angrier than he was, her face always clouded with anger. Despite how much he disliked her, if she wasn't there when he was awake, he would have Qin Xiaoshan come and wake her, not letting her have any peace and quiet.
For Huan'er's sake, she let him do whatever he wanted, and even during the day when she had nothing to do, she would stay in his room.
Later, she simply asked Qin Xiaoshan for some fabric. While Qin Lie was lying down to recover from his injuries, she sewed and knitted, making several children's clothes.
That day, taking advantage of the fact that his rotting flesh had been cleaned up and he was in a relatively good mood, Lingyi tentatively asked, "I have taken such good care of you, and my birthday is coming soon. General, could you grant me a favor?"
Qin Lie was taken aback for a moment, then mocked, "You have the nerve to say you've put in the effort?"
Aside from giving him medicine and water, she never came to his bedside. If he didn't call her, she probably wouldn't even know he died of thirst in bed.
Lingyi ignored his dissatisfaction and continued, "It's just a small matter, I wouldn't dare to trouble the general." She bit her lip, "I made some clothes and would like to ask the general to give them to Huan'er. You don't need to say that I made them, as long as he can wear them."
Qin Lie picked up the clothes with one hand and said calmly, "They're too small."
"Um?"
“Huan’er is growing up very fast, and he can’t fit into the clothes you made.”
Upon hearing that he was willing to help, Lingyi smiled and quickly said, "Then I'll redo it." She took a couple of steps happily, then turned back to look at him and asked in a low voice, "...May I ask, General, how tall is he now? What size should I make?"
She asked cautiously, her face beaming with a smile, but there was a hint of tears in her eyes.
Qin Lie remained silent for a moment, then said, "The last time I saw him was two months ago."
That meant he didn't know either. Lingyi thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll make a few more, big and small, so there'll be some that I can wear."
After the rotten flesh was cleaned away, most of the arrow poison was neutralized. Qin Lie was in good health and recovered extremely quickly. Within a few days, he was able to get out of bed and walk around. However, his right hand was still immobile, and the remaining poison in his body had not been completely eliminated, so he still had to rest in bed most of the time. Nevertheless, he was already able to handle military and political affairs, and his subordinates often came to report and request instructions.
Qin Lie did not ask Ling Yi to leave. At first, Ling Yi was puzzled, but she quickly realized that she really did not need to leave. After all, no one who came would dare to look at the woman in the general's room. As for military and political affairs, it was all about who was fighting whom or who had occupied whose territory. She not only couldn't understand those names and places, but even if she did remember them, it would be useless.
She tried hard to hear news from Zhuozhou, but after several days, she received nothing.
Gradually, she became too lazy to listen anymore. Despite the raging flood outside, she focused on making clothes for Huan'er.
Occasionally, she could understand some of the things, such as Qin Lie's constant recruitment of new soldiers. The number of refugees in Huangzhou was increasing, and the army offered good treatment, so many men joined the army, not only to support their families but also to make a name for themselves.
The deputy general came to report how many soldiers had been recruited, which camps they had joined, and how much food and pay they still needed. At the end of his report, he mentioned that more than eighty camp prostitutes had been recruited from among the refugees. All of them had been investigated and found to be either from respectable families or were government or private prostitutes who had fled from the country. They were immediately sent to several military camps.
After reporting as before, he did not hear a reply from the general. When he looked up, he saw that the general had a complicated expression. He wondered if he had said something wrong and looked to Qin Xiaoshan for help. However, the latter just held his breath and stared at the ground, without giving him a hint with his eyes as usual.
The lieutenant left, bewildered and uneasy, and Qin Xiaoshan saw him out.
Qin Lie cleared his throat and said, "Tea."
Lingyi put down her needlework and brought over some tea. Even though he could use his left hand, she still made him drink it.
Seeing that there was no unusual expression on her face, Qin Lie thought to himself that she was good at putting on an act, and wondered what she was cursing him in her heart.
He was a man of strong likes and dislikes throughout his life; how could he tolerate others wronging or misunderstanding him?
So he condescended to explain, "I have never been to the tent of the camp prostitutes."
Lingyi's mind was filled with images of Huan'er's clothes, so she gave a perfunctory "hmm".
"They were not summoned to their own camp."
".......oh."
Her attitude was infuriating, making her act of explaining herself seem like that of a fool!
Qin Lie said arrogantly, "You don't need to misunderstand. I'm not chaste; I'm just naturally indifferent to desires."
Lingyi said "Oh" again, but before the tone faded, she belatedly realized that he had just said that he was naturally indifferent to desires, and she looked at him suspiciously.
—In recent years, although they have spent little time together, Qin Lie claims that he is naturally indifferent to desires, which is as absurd as saying that a dog won't gnaw on a bone!
Although she quickly looked away, Qin Lie wasn't stupid; how could he not see what she meant?
But this is something I really don't know how to explain.
He was also reckless in his youth.
At that time, only Aunt Liu was in the room; Hui Niang had not yet married into the family. At the celebration banquet, people often presented beauties, and he had taken one or two of them.
He quickly realized it was pointless; since these women couldn't bear him children, there was no need to waste time and energy on them.
Later, Hui Niang entered the room, and Aunt Liu was also in the room. He carefully controlled the timing and demeanor of entering the inner courtyard.
To alleviate their suffering, and even more so for their offspring.
After Hui Niang and Aunt Liu gave birth to their children, he added another reason for going to the mansion: to consolidate Hui Niang's position in the household.
—If her husband doesn't even come to her room, it's a sign of marital discord. Who would truly value her then?
But when it came to the princess, he couldn't say for sure whether he was also unable to resist the temptation of beauty, or whether her seductive skills were amazing, or whether stolen goods were truly more appealing. That's why he repeatedly sneaked into her boudoir at night, and after several nights of lovemaking, he still felt that he had tasted the sweetness and could not stop.
This matter is not something to be discussed with outsiders, especially not with her.
His face darkened again, and he said angrily, "Stop making those clothes all day long. Even if you finish them, Huan'er will never be able to wear them!"
Lingyi immediately became anxious: "How could you do this? You clearly promised!"
Qin Lie retorted, "When did I ever agree to that?"
Upon reflection, he only reminded her that the clothes were too small and tacitly allowed her to make more clothes; he never actually said he would take the clothes back with him.
His injury not only made him moody, but he also started acting like a child.
Ling Yi was furious, and her face turned cold. "In that case, General, please take good care of your injuries. I have matters to attend to at home, so I won't bother you any longer."
After saying that, he turned and left, very resolutely.
“Liu…” This was not a place she could come and go as she pleased. He wanted to stop her, but he couldn’t bring himself to say her name. Thinking of this, he was furious again and said coldly, “If you promise me one thing, not to mention these clothes, you can even bring Huan’er over for her birthday.”
He held her by the throat, forcing Lingyi to turn around: "What is it?"
His face was full of disgust and disdain. "Your name stinks. Change it."
Lingyi couldn't help but think to herself, this person seems heroic, but in reality he is extremely petty, and he can hold onto the angry words spoken during an argument for so long.
It's just a name, why would she be reluctant to part with it? "What does a name matter as long as I can see Huan'er?"
He had already made up his mind, "Quiet or gentle, you choose one."
A gentle breeze, still waters flowing deep.
Either one is hundreds of times better than Lingyi.
Lingyi said, "General, please do as you please—are you really sending Huan'er over? You're not lying to me?"
When she asked the question, her bright, expectant eyes were full of hope. Her previous answers were just perfunctory. Qin Lie stared at her for a long time, and finally squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Look at yourself, what do you have that I would lie to?"
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