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Sitting by Wei Qiao's bedside, Xi Chun felt as if her heart was being torn apart, wishing she could take Wei Qiao's place and suffer the pain instead.
She held his hand and pleaded, "Wei Qiao, please get better soon."
Wei Qiao found himself back in the East Palace, where his father, dressed in the crown prince's robes, was reading in the Tiyuan Hall. When he saw him enter, his father smiled and waved to him, saying affectionately, "Ren'er, come to your father."
Wei Qiao smiled and walked towards his father. As soon as he reached the bottom of the steps, he saw his father thrusting a sword at him. "Yan Ren, you have not avenged your father's death, but are only preoccupied with your personal feelings for your children. You do not deserve to live!"
A sharp sword pierced his chest, and Wei Qiao felt a sharp pain. He looked at his father, whose face was contorted in pain, and opened his eyes to find that it was just a dream.
Looking at the familiar bed curtains above him, he let out a deep breath. As his consciousness returned, he realized his hand was being held. Turning his head, he saw Xichun holding his hand as she slept beside his bed. Her sleeping face was serene, a few stray hairs falling onto her fair face. Wei Qiao wanted to reach out and touch her face, but the moment he exerted force, the wound on his left arm caused him to hiss softly in pain.
Hearing the noise, Xichun suddenly opened her eyes and found Wei Qiao staring at her with his eyes open.
"You're awake?" Xichun asked happily.
"Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?" Xichun asked, getting up to bring him some water.
Wei Qiao took her hand and shook his head. "I'm not thirsty. Why are you sleeping here?"
I want to stay with you.
Wei Qiao smiled and took her hand. "What time is it now? How long have I been asleep?"
Xi Chun glanced at the sky outside the window and said, "It's only past midnight. You've been unconscious for two days. The imperial physician gave you an antidote and said that if you take the medicine for another month, you'll recover."
Seeing the fine beads of sweat on Wei Qiao's face, Xi Chun took out her handkerchief and gently wiped them away for him. "The imperial physician said you're not fully recovered yet and shouldn't be exposed to the wind."
"It's alright, I'm not hot. I'm fine here, you should go back and rest," Wei Qiao said gently. Looking at the dark circles under Xi Chun's eyes, he knew this silly girl had probably been by his side for the past two days.
Xi Chun shook her head, "I just want to stay by your side."
"Listen to me, it's the same if you come to keep me company during the day." After saying that, he called out, "Someone come here."
Upon hearing Wei Qiao's voice, A Gui ran joyfully into the room, "Master, you're finally awake!"
Wei Qiao smiled and nodded at him, "Take the girl back to her residence."
Xichun looked at him with reluctance and said, "Then you should rest well. I will come to see you again during the day."
The next morning, A-Gui re-bandaged Wei-Qiao's wound and changed his clothes.
"My lord, the identity of the assassin from that day, Lord Pang, has been confirmed. His name is Qian Peng, originally a musician in Prince Cheng's mansion. He had a lover named Die Meng, a dancer in Prince Cheng's mansion. Last year, when the Emperor visited Prince Cheng's mansion, he took a fancy to Die Meng and forced himself on her there. The next day, when the Emperor wanted to take Die Meng back to the palace, she committed suicide by hitting her head against a pillar. Qian Peng then left Prince Cheng's mansion, and this time he must have come to seek revenge on the Emperor for his lover."
"Who else is in Qian Peng's family?" Wei Qiao asked.
"He also has a foster sister who lives on Jinju Street. The Emperor ordered Lord Pang to wipe out his entire family. This servant rescued her and settled her on an estate in the suburbs of Beijing."
"Furthermore, when the Prince of Jin learned that the Master was injured, he secretly sent someone to deliver many nourishing medicinal herbs to the Master."
Wei Qiao nodded. "I understand. Send someone to tell Prince Jin that I'm fine."
"Where is Xichun? Which courtyard is she currently staying in?"
"Pomegranate Courtyard. Fuqing said that courtyard is closest to the front courtyard." Agui now realized that the ambiguous atmosphere between the master and Miss Xichun was not just their wild guesses, but all of it was true.
"Master, what are your plans regarding Miss Xichun? Are you going to elevate her to the status of a concubine?"
Wei Qiao hadn't yet considered how to settle Xi Chun's affairs. He naturally liked her, but he couldn't marry her; he already had someone else in mind for his principal wife. Xi Chun could be his concubine. He had never had a woman by his side, and taking a concubine would likely attract attention. Many people had seen her before, serving in the Yuanhe Palace, and now wasn't the time for her to appear openly in his life.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and said to Agui, "Give Xichun the best allowance in the manor, and that's how it will be in terms of status for now."
A-Gui didn't understand Wei Qiao's considerations. The person was already by his side, yet he wasn't taking them into his room. However, he was always loyal and would never object to Wei Qiao's decisions. He nodded, "Yes, this servant will give the order."
As soon as A-Gui stepped out of Wei-Qiao's bedroom, he ran into Xi-Chun and Fu-Qing, who were carrying food boxes, in the corridor.
He greeted Xichun, "Has the young lady come to see the master?"
"Yes, has Wei Qiao woken up yet?"
"Master has woken up, young lady, please go in."
Agui gave Fuqing a look, and Fuqing knew he had something to say to her, so she said apologetically to Xichun, "Miss, I suddenly have something to do. This..."
"Okay, you can go ahead and get busy." Xichun took the food box from Fuqing's hand.
Wei Qiao heard their conversation at the door. He looked towards the gate and met Xi Chun's gaze. Today, Xi Chun was wearing a pale yellow cross-collar jacket and skirt embroidered with lilies, and two silver butterfly hairpins in her hair. The two butterflies fluttered up and down as she walked, making her look indescribably gentle and charming.
Xi Chun quickly walked to his side and noticed that he had changed his clothes and his complexion was much rosier. She smiled gently at him, placed the food box she was carrying on the table, and took out a bowl of porridge and a few side dishes from it.
"You haven't eaten for two days. This is wolfberry porridge that Fuqing specially ordered the kitchen to make." Xichun brought the porridge to the bedside and wanted to hand it to him.
Wei Qiao had felt much better this morning, but now that he saw Xi Chun, he wanted to pretend to be weak. He pretended to wince in pain, pursing his lips and furrowing his brows.
Seeing that he suddenly felt pain again, Xichun put down the porridge she was holding on the low table beside her and asked him worriedly, "What's wrong? Is your wound hurting again?"
Wei Qiao took her hand and smiled, "Yes, the wound is a little painful, but it's nothing serious. It's just that I don't have the strength to lift anything right now."
Seeing his gaze fixed on the porridge, Xichun comforted him, "It's alright, I'll feed you."
Xichun picked up the porridge, scooped out a spoonful, blew on it to cool it, and brought it to his lips. After watching him drink it, she asked him, "How is it?"
"It tastes good!" Wei Qiao's face still looked sickly, but he was extremely satisfied.
With Xichun feeding him, Wei Qiao finished a whole bowl of porridge. Xichun took a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and suddenly remembered that she hadn't let Wei Qiao try any of the side dishes she brought. She said apologetically, "I forgot to give you the side dishes."
"It's alright, porridge is delicious on its own."
Wei Qiao held onto Xi Chun's hand as she wiped his mouth, his eyes fixed on her. Now she was finally by his side.
Xi Chun felt a little shy under his direct gaze. She turned her head away to look at the autumn-colored bed curtains, but her heart was filled with joy.
She was finally with Wei Qiao. She was no longer a widow of the Wei family or a concubine of the emperor; she was now with Wei Qiao as her own person. The scene she had dreamed of countless times had finally come true.
"Wei Qiao, thank you for saving me." She looked at Wei Qiao gratefully, but there was something else she kept in her heart: thank you for giving us a future.
Seeing her serious expression, Wei Qiao reached out and stroked her head, saying softly, "Xichun, you have to stay with me from now on."
"I will." Xi Chun cupped Wei Qiao's face and gently kissed his forehead. Wei Qiao, I will always be by your side.
Zhao Yu came in to deliver medicine to Wei Qiao and stumbled upon this intimate scene between the two. He was about to turn away when he remembered that the medicine couldn't be delayed; the imperial physician said it should be drunk while it was hot. He could only cough twice helplessly.
Hearing the sudden cough, Xi Chun turned around and saw Zhao Yu. She quickly stood up and moved aside. Wei Qiao looked at Xi Chun's nervous appearance with amusement. She had been so bold just now, but became shy as soon as she saw someone.
Zhao Yu brought the medicine to Wei Qiao and said, "Master, the medicine is ready. The imperial physician instructed that it should be drunk while it's hot."
"Okay, bring it over." Wei Qiao said to Zhao Yu with a smile, but his eyes never left Xi Chun beside him.
Wei Qiao took the medicine bowl and drank it down in a few gulps. He handed the empty bowl to Zhao Yu, who picked it up, glanced at the two of them, and quickly left.
After Zhao Yu left, Xi Chun served Wei Qiao a cup of water, and Wei Qiao then recounted to her everything that had happened at Chuyun Temple that day. Knowing that she was a sacrifice offered by the emperor to pray for a child, Xi Chun felt a wave of fear; without Wei Qiao, she probably would have died in that fire.
After chatting for a while, Xichun, worried that Wei Qiao wouldn't be able to rest well while she was there, said, "I'll go back first. You get some rest, and I'll come see you again this afternoon."
Not long after returning to Shiliu Courtyard, Fuqing led four maids to Xichun's side, saying, "Miss, these are the maids that Master instructed to prepare for you."
Xi Chun glanced at the four people in front of her, which reminded her of the four maids assigned to her by the Imperial Household Department in Qianfu Palace. She didn't actually like having many people serving her, so she mustered up her courage and said to Fu Qing, "Fu Qing, I think I only need one maid to serve me."
“Miss, this Pomegranate Garden is large, and one maid cannot handle it all. If you are worried about noise, you can keep one maid to serve you personally, and the other three can stay to clean the garden.”
Hearing Fu Qing say this, Xi Chun couldn't refute it. She glanced at the four people in front of her, among whom was a girl who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old. Xi Chun pointed at her and said, "Then let her serve me."
Fu Qing glanced in the direction Xi Chun pointed and said to the four of them, "Narcissus, stay here. The three of you can go down on your own."
"Miss, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
"Okay, thank you very much, Fuqing."
After Fuqing left, only Xichun and Shuixian remained in the room. Shuixian had only been transferred from the estate to the manor recently. She was the unpopular second child at home, so she was always a bit timid.
When Xichun saw Shuixian, it was as if she saw her former self. She pulled Shuixian in front of her and said gently, "Your name is Shuixian?"
Shui Xian looked up at Xi Chun. This girl was truly beautiful; she had never seen such a beautiful woman before. Xi Chun's bright eyes stared at her, making Shui Xian a little shy. She whispered, "Yes, this servant... this servant's name is Shui Xian. I am a servant born into the household, and my family works on a farm in the suburbs of the capital."
After becoming familiar with Narcissus, the two of them started doing needlework in the house. Narcissus was responsible for sewing clothes for herself and her two younger sisters for all four seasons, so she was also very skilled at needlework.
Wei Qiao, who was lying in bed in the front yard, was feeling uncomfortable and asked A Gui to bring him a book to read.
"Master, Aunt Ling Shuang has arrived," Zhao Yu reported as he entered.
Wei Qiao put down the book in his hand and said to Zhao Yu, "Quickly invite Aunt in."
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