"Wait for me to come back, and I'll earn you an imperial title."
Gu Zhixing took a deep breath and looked at Shen Jintang with a gentle yet firm gaze.
Then he turned around and instructed Xinghui and Liuhuo, who were standing guard beside him, "Take good care of her, but don't tell her I've been here, or she'll be angry that I didn't listen to her."
Xinghui's eyes were already red, and she nodded heavily, tears welling up in her eyes.
Liu Huo solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice steady: "Your Highness, rest assured."
Gu Zhixing took one last look at Shen Jintang, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, before finally turning and leaving.
In the chaos, Shen Jintang felt heavy all over, as if she were trapped in a thick darkness.
Occasionally, she could hear indistinct sounds, like someone talking, or like the wind.
She tried hard to open her eyes, but couldn't break free no matter what she did.
At one moment, she seemed to feel someone holding her hand. The person's palm was warm and dry, which made her feel inexplicably at ease.
She struggled to see who it was, but all she could see was a blurry light and shadow, vaguely revealing a figure in white from behind.
She tried to call out to him, but her throat was too dry to make a sound.
The person seemed to say something, but she couldn't hear it clearly. She only remembered that the voice was deep and gentle, like a promise, or like a farewell.
Then darkness swept in again, and she fell into a coma once more.
——
When I woke up again, it was a bright and sunny morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the bedding, casting a warm glow.
Shen Jintang stared blankly at the unfamiliar rooftop, feeling somewhat lost.
Where is she?
She remembered that she chased Gu Zhixing away, then felt a headache, so she went back to her room to sleep. And then... what happened next?
Just as I was in a daze, the door creaked open.
Xinghui walked in carrying a basin of water. As soon as she looked up, she met Shen Jintang's bewildered gaze.
"Clang!"
With a crisp sound, the basin of water was accidentally dropped and fell to the ground, splashing water everywhere.
Xing Hui was stunned for a moment, then rushed over and hugged Shen Jintang tightly, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "Master! Master, you're finally awake!"
Shen Jintang was a little breathless from being hugged so tightly, but she couldn't help but smile. She gently patted her back and said softly, "Why are you crying? I'm perfectly fine."
Xinghui cried even harder, sobbing, "You were unconscious for so long, I... I almost thought I would never see you again..."
Shen Jintang's heart softened, and she gently comforted him, "It's alright, I'm fine now, don't cry."
Once Xinghui's crying subsided, Shen Jintang asked softly, "What's wrong with me lately? What happened?"
Xinghui sniffed and recounted the events that had occurred during this time to Shen Jintang, deliberately omitting Gu Zhixing's story.
After listening, Shen Jintang frowned slightly, seemingly lost in thought.
"Master, please have something to eat first," Xinghui said softly.
Shen Jintang nodded, rested for a while, and managed to eat half a bowl of congee before getting up and putting on his clothes.
Xing Hui was about to stop Shen Jintang, but she gently waved her hand to stop her: "You've been lying here for so long, it's time to go out and take a look."
The early spring wind still carried a chill. Shen Jintang pulled her clothes tighter and slowly walked out of the room.
A gentle breeze brushed across her thin shoulders, carrying the damp chill unique to the rain, causing her to shiver slightly.
The streets in the west of the city were much cleaner than she remembered. The filth that had been piled up had been cleaned up, and everything was moving in a positive direction.
Pedestrians came and went along the streets, their faces showing a hint of joy, as if the clean streets had brought new hope.
"Master!" Xinghui chased after him, carrying a gray rabbit fur cloak, her voice tinged with worry, "Your fever has just subsided..."
Shen Jintang let Xinghui tie the cloak for her, but her gaze was fixed on the alley entrance.
Several young children were squatting on the bluestone slab playing with pebbles. When they saw her looking over, they all stood up, clasped their hands together, and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, Lady Siyan!"
The child's clear voice startled the sparrows perched under the eaves.
Shen Jintang paused, a hint of confusion showing on her face. She wasn't used to this kind of scene.
She doesn't want to be remembered.
Because she should have died more than half a year ago, and every day she has stolen now is for revenge.
Her greatest wish was to die alongside her enemy in the already dilapidated Kyoto.
Not far away, a woman who was hanging clothes to dry jogged over, awkwardly wiped her hands on her coarse cloth apron, and said cautiously, "Sir, are you feeling much better? My husband was just talking about it the other day, saying that it was all thanks to you, sir, for leading us in digging the drainage ditch..."
The woman suddenly fell silent, as if realizing she had said something wrong, and a look of panic appeared on her face.
Shen Jintang's eyes flickered slightly.
Dig a drainage ditch?
She clearly remembered that before she fell into a coma, the project had just finished surveying the terrain and had not yet officially started construction.
So she didn't do the digging of the drainage ditch.
Who could it be?
Shen Jintang couldn't help but think of the white figure she vaguely saw when she first woke up.
Could it be him?
Shen Jintang frowned, seemingly lost in thought.
Xinghui, however, tried to gloss over the matter, saying softly from the side, "Master's health has just recovered, so let's not concern ourselves with these things now. Later, other officials will naturally take over."
We can't exactly tell our master that Gu Zhixing was the one who helped them dig the drainage ditch during this time, can we?
Gu Zhixing had just instructed them not to tell anyone before he left.
While she should thank Gu Zhixing for saving her master, she couldn't repay kindness with enmity by revealing the truth and letting her master scold the disobedient Gu Zhixing.
Yes, yes, yes.
The woman stood to the side, smiling and nodding, her eyes filled with gratitude and awe.
Shen Jintang didn't pay too much attention and walked slowly along the rammed earth road. More and more faces peeked out from between the low thatched huts.
Someone shoved freshly cooked shepherd's purse dumplings into Xinghui's hands, while someone pointed at the newly built thatched roof and mumbled something.
These once numb and listless eyes now reflect a faint light, as if a renewed hope for life has been rekindled.
As they turned past the threshing ground, Shen Jintang suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Three men wrapped in dirty burlap were drawing water from a well. As the buckets were lifted, withered leaves and suspicious flocculent matter floated on the murky water.
The lame old man gulped down the water, and as his Adam's apple bobbed, a drop of water ran down his gray beard and onto his patched-up front of his shirt.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Xing Hui followed Shen Jintang's gaze but didn't notice anything amiss; she only saw the men drawing water.
Shen Jintang stared at the murky water in the bucket, his brows furrowed slightly, and a thoughtful look in his eyes, as if he were pondering something important.
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