Chapter 74 The One Waiting for Return "Ning Lu, you can't abandon me."...
Considering that he was still ill and needed to rest, Wei Chun and Wei Zhan had given orders to the servants guarding the main house early in the morning, instructing them to be quiet and not to disturb the two people inside.
When Xie Qinghe woke up, it was already broad daylight.
As she turned over, she felt the tightness of the quilt. Looking down, she saw Ning Lu, who was usually fierce and aggressive, now sleeping peacefully and obediently by the bedside.
Her breathing was shallow, and her sleeping posture was unusually docile and restrained.
Even when he deliberately tried to pull the corner of the blanket from her palm, she didn't resist or struggle.
Xie Qinghe smiled and gently touched the tip of her nose with his fingertips, then raised his hand to gently push the top of Ning Lu's hair.
Her movements were very gentle, carrying the weakness unique to those suffering from prolonged illness, yet also revealing tenderness and lingering affection.
Beneath his palm, Ning Lu's warmth seeped through his hair and into his arm, gradually supporting his frail body.
Wei Chun knocked lightly on the door: "Master, Lord Cen has arrived."
"knew."
Ning Lu's sweet scent filled the air, and Xie Qinghe, unusually, lingered in bed for a while before slowly getting up.
She was usually a heavy sleeper, and given that he had been seriously ill a few days ago and Ning Lu had been staying by his side for days, Xie Qinghe assumed she was exhausted. So he simply gave her the bed, carried her to the bed and settled her in, then quietly closed the door and left.
Cen Wei's visit was simply to report on Xie Qinghe's recent work after hearing that he had woken up, and to inquire about Xie Qinghe's attitude towards Fang Hong and Prince Jing.
The wrath of Heaven is unpredictable, making Xie Qinghe's attitude all the more important.
Unfortunately, this guy was very meticulous. After spending a long time in the study, Cen Wei was unable to glean any information. Instead, he noticed the tired look on Xie Qinghe's face and had no choice but to reluctantly take his leave.
As he approached the door, he paused and turned to look at Xie Qinghe once more.
The man was leaning back in his chair, the sunlight falling on his shoulders and the table, but his handsome face was shrouded in darkness.
He sat upright as always, with a solemn expression, but Cen Wei inexplicably noticed his weakness and haggardness.
I've seen him often these past few months, but his condition seems to have suddenly deteriorated overnight, catching me completely off guard.
Cen Wei suddenly remembered the first time he met Xie Qinghe.
At that time, the late emperor was still on the throne, and Grand Secretary Xie was still in power in the court. Grand Secretary Xie had students all over the court, and he had famous teachers and high-ranking officials. When Xie Qinghe was about to begin his studies, it would have been the easiest thing for him to find a good teacher and make a good future.
Unfortunately, Chief Minister Xie made a bold move and chose Sima Cheng as the tutor for this grandson.
Not to mention that Lord Sima's advocacy of reform and change was hampered by various obstacles, and his future was uncertain, making it neither a long-term solution nor the best course of action. At that time, the relationship between the Sima family and the Xie family was not harmonious. Xie Qinghe, the eldest grandson, was taciturn and aloof from a young age, disliked by his elders, and was a subject of gossip among the court officials.
Lord Sima refused to see him, and Lord Xie left in a huff. Six-year-old Xie Qinghe knelt alone before his teacher's door, silent, without crying or making a fuss.
A pair of small hands, scratched raw and bleeding from nervousness and fear.
Times have changed, and the child who bit his lip and had red eyes back then is now capable of standing on his own and stirring up the political situation.
even……
He even managed to defy public opinion and pull his older, foolish brother up to the top, bringing those who had harmed his mentor's family to justice.
Looking closer, Xie Qinghe slowly turned to the side, reached for the teacup on the table, took a small sip with difficulty, exhaled heavily, and pressed his fingertips against his brow to support himself.
Cen Wei suddenly realized that Xie Qinghe was only twenty-five years old this year.
"Your body... can it go on like this? If we can't get back in time, why don't you call Physician Luo?"
"He won't die anytime soon." After a slight pause, Xie Qinghe chuckled, "At least he won't die before Prince Jing."
“I see that girl is always clinging to you and seems to care about you a lot, so why doesn’t she do anything about you? She just lets you ruin yourself.”
"I know my own body best, so I can't blame others."
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Qinghe saw a playful smile appear on Cen Wei's upright and unyielding face. Only then did Xie Qinghe realize that his defense had been too abrupt. He waved his hand to shoo him away, his tone unusually inflective.
"Let's go quickly."
"Jiming, congratulations, you've finally started living like a human being again."
Cen Wei glanced at Wei Chun, who was smirking to himself, and pulled him into the conversation: "Wei Chun, don't you think so? All these years, even when he's in an audience with the Emperor, he has a stern face, like he's demanding payment. Have you ever seen him defend anyone?"
"Lord Cen has said what we dare not say."
The two people outside walked away laughing and joking. Xie Qinghe finally relaxed and lowered his eyes to breathe.
The courtyard is unusually quiet today.
The silence made him feel uneasy, even flustered.
I slowly stood up, leaning against the edge of the table, and walked back to my dormitory after the dizziness subsided.
It was noon, and the sunlight streamed in from outside.
Wisps of smoke curled above the incense burner, lingering in the air. As the door opened, a gentle breeze stirred, shifting its direction and drifting along the bedside curtains.
His small figure on the bed remained in the same sleeping position as when he left, showing no sign of getting up.
She chuckled to herself, thinking she was lazy and sleepy, but as she slowly moved closer to the bed, she realized something was amiss.
Ninglu's sleeping posture is the most unrestrained; she can't maintain any particular position for an hour.
Xie Qinghe unconsciously quickened his pace to the bedside, gently hooking Ning Lu's fingertips with the corner of the blanket.
Ning Lu.
There was no response.
The silence breeds an even stronger sense of panic. He grips her wrist, inhaling and exhaling, increasing the pressure, and when he speaks again, his voice trembles almost imperceptibly.
"Ning Lulu?"
There was still no sound.
With each breath, all the blood in his body flowed back to his heart, and a fine chill and tingling sensation spread through his limbs and bones. Xie Qinghe gripped Ning Lu's shoulders tightly and raised his voice.
The obviously off-key sound startled the guards on duty outside, who rushed in without regard for etiquette.
Ning Lu appeared calm and composed, her eyes tightly closed, unresponsive to being shaken by those around her, like a lump of mud.
The usually aloof Xie Qinghe now had bloodshot eyes, tightly clutching the man's clothes, his fingertips almost piercing through the fabric and embedding themselves into the man's body.
Just then, Wei Chun returned, and the two of them stood frozen at the door.
Having followed Xie Qinghe for many years, this was the first time they had ever seen him so flustered and disoriented.
"I'll go fetch the doctor." Wei Chun was the first to react and rushed out.
Wei Zhan followed closely behind, but was stopped by Xie Qinghe.
"Wait a minute."
His drooping head suddenly lifted, and he looked at Wei Zhan: "Go and invite Daoist Tongguang."
That night, a report came that, unfortunately, Master Tongguang had gone on a sermon a few days earlier and was no longer at Yongning Temple.
Xie Qinghe's bodyguards all came out to search for him.
For two consecutive days, all the doctors in the vicinity of Changzhou who could be named were brought to the guesthouse.
There are seventeen in total.
Everyone said that Ning Lu was in good health and had no hidden illnesses. As for why she was in a coma and unable to wake up, they couldn't find the reason.
Xie Qinghe, on the other hand, stayed by her side day and night, never leaving her side.
His phoenix eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, with dark circles under them, and his lips were chapped and bloodshot. You could tell he was in bad shape without even taking his pulse.
Those with more courage advised him to take his medicine and rest, but when they looked up and met those sinister, piercing eyes, they dared not say another word.
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Wei Chun and Wei Zhan exchanged a glance, then dragged the doctor who had given the reply away and locked him in the woodshed.
Xie Qinghe is known to be cold-hearted and ruthless, leaving no room for retreat in his actions. But Ning Lu is different; despite her small stature, she is incredibly kind and compassionate, a trait she has maintained since their time in Zhujia'ao.
During the time she was by his side, he deliberately restrained himself a lot.
Things seem different now than they used to be.
If Ning Lu doesn't wake up...
The door slammed shut behind him, and Xie Qinghe's arm veins bulged as he breathed heavily, his chest heaving.
"Has Tongguang been found?"
"Found it, it's on its way back, in two days at most."
Xie Qinghe turned his head and looked out through the crack in the window.
Two more days...
The 17th day of the lunar calendar is already a gibbous moon.
This year's celestial phenomena are special; around the fifteenth of each lunar month, the moon will always appear as a full moon.
He remembered that the night he first met her was also a full moon.
The suspicions in my mind that I dared not look at directly spread like wildflowers after the rain, dazzling and glaring.
As Ning Lu remained unconscious for longer and longer, he could no longer discern what he was afraid of.
I'm afraid she won't wake up...
Or perhaps, she's afraid that the person who wakes up won't be her.
An unhealthy heart caused a sharp, stabbing pain in the muscles of the chest.
The porcelain in my palm hummed, and finally cracked with a snap.
The old wounds started bleeding again.
At the same time, a mouthful of dark blood gushed from Xie Qinghe's mouth.
The maids and guards inside immediately knelt down and bowed.
He ignored it, grabbed his sleeve and deftly wiped away the bloodstains with the back of his hand, then took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands clean and tossed it back onto the table.
"Wei Zhan".
"Your subordinate is here."
“Arrest all the people from Yongning Temple.”
His almost numb expression at this moment was more like the calm before the storm. Wei Zhan sensed danger and did not dare to move immediately.
"grown ups."
“If the Tongzhi Emperor does not live a day, kill one of them.”
His fingertips curled and tightened, his lips and teeth clashed, and his purplish-blue lips turned white from being bitten, from which a string of beads of blood seeped out.
Looking at Ning Lu, his eyes filled with grievance and resentment. He spoke slowly and deliberately, through gritted teeth.
"Yu Lanzhou and Hongyu were also brought along."
Whether it's Ning Lu or Liu Yunying, he wants them to watch...
If she doesn't want him anymore, he'll make her lose everything she cherishes and cares about.
If it were Liu Yunying who woke up, he would...
He locked the person up and searched the world for secrets, looking for that ridiculous and absurd method of time travel.
She wanted him to give her an explanation in person.
Why was I still feeling his pain the night before, still vowing to be good to him, and then waking up to find myself in utter despair?
The same thing happened last time.
He coaxed him, saying, "Buy me a pot of hot wine, and I'll tell you all my secrets."
Then, they didn't return for a long time, and I couldn't find them anywhere.
She's always like that.
He had already been very restrained, afraid that she would be scared, afraid that she would dislike him, afraid that she wouldn't have her freedom...
He was so afraid of losing her, knowing she was afraid and cared, so he chewed up and swallowed all his fear, panic, pain, and discomfort little by little.
Why isn't that enough?
His eyes were bloodshot, his face was as pale as paper, and his chest burned with pain with every breath.
Only the two of them remained in the room. Xie Qinghe closed his eyes tightly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
Ignoring all the discomfort in my body, I struggled to my feet and walked towards the bed.
He stumbled with each step, his toes colliding with his heels, and fell forward, landing on the steps in front of the bed. His elbows and palms were lightly scraped, leaving a bright red mark.
As if unaware, he crawled forward with difficulty, hooked his fingers around her warm fingertips, clasped his hands together in his palms, and reverently pressed them against his forehead.
Take a deep breath, again and again...
He remained silent for a long time, his eyes welled up with tears, and his nose trembled slightly.
"Ning Lu, you can't abandon me."
"No."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com