Chapter 29: Taishan Journey (3) Feeding Xie Yun the Medicine
During the march, Xie Yun was assigned to the rear, with the Emperor and Empress' carriages not far ahead. Yan Huinan and Yu Xian escorted the troops, one in front and one behind, traveling day and night.
Although Yan Huinan wasn't near her, he had someone assigned to keep an eye on her. She now had no chance of escape, all hope was gone, and the rest of her life seemed to be coming to an end.
The feeling of having lost all hope permeated Xie Yun's every limb, as if it were pinning her to the spot, nailing her to the Great Zhou people's pillar of shame. This crushed her completely. As a result, she contracted an illness midway through her journey, due to excessive grief, fatigue from the journey, and unfamiliar climate. Her appetite decreased, and she vomited everything she ate.
In the evening, they arrived at Yuansong, which was only a few days away from Fenggao. The local officials of Yuansong had already sent people out of the city to greet them.
Xie Yun's condition also worsened.
The old doctor took Xie Yun's pulse and told Yan Huinan that she suffered from a weak spleen and stomach. Furthermore, she had already suffered numerous injuries, and had previously used strong medicines to treat them, hoping for a quick cure. However, the underlying illness had left a lasting impression on her, and she was now emotionally depressed. She had recently traveled during the rainy season, and now she had developed a fever that was lingering. She needed someone to watch over her at night.
Finally, he prescribed some prescriptions and asked someone to go down and watch over the frying.
Yan Huinan was visibly annoyed and asked the imperial physician, "Why hasn't he recovered after all these days of treatment?!"
The old doctor knelt down and explained, "Madam seems to have taken some harmful medicine before, which has damaged her spleen and stomach and caused a loss of appetite. However, this medicine was not taken recently, so it is difficult to determine its exact nature. I can only use some mild medicine to slowly regulate Madam's health."
Yan Huinan subconsciously looked at Han Zhen: "Is there any medicine that is harmful to the body?"
Han Zhen was deeply shocked. His wife had always taken contraceptive soup after having sex with the general. The general was often away from the barracks, but his wife had taken it quite often. This must have been the cause.
But the lady was unconscious now, and she didn't dare tell Yan Huinan, "I...I don't know what medicine the lady took. She was bitten by a snake before, and she also has wounds on her body. Maybe the detoxification and pain relief medicines have conflicting ingredients..."
The old doctor nodded. "That's possible. Besides, Madam has been weak since childhood. When the general and Madam accompanied the late emperor to Mongolia, Madam also fell ill with a fever. As long as she stops taking harmful medicines and slowly recuperates, she will recover."
The old doctor is now a veteran of the Imperial Medical Bureau. It was he who accompanied the late emperor on his trip to Mongolia. When Xie Yun fell ill, it was he who pestered the late emperor to send the most respected doctor to treat Xie Yun.
Yan Huinan waved his hand and asked everyone to leave. "I understand."
The statement of facts seemed to slap him in the face. Where did all those injuries on Xie Yun come from? It was Yan Huinan who caused them...
Indeed. He knew she had suffered from motion sickness as a child, and she'd always get sick if she wasn't properly cared for during long trips. Later, she'd been well enough to recover, and now, after not seeing her for so many years, he'd completely forgotten about it!
Yan Huinan changed into soft pajamas and stayed by Xie Yun's bedside, applying a cold towel to her every once in a while to cool her down.
After a while, Si Wen came in with the prepared medicine. "General, the medicine is ready. I'll call Han Zhen to feed Madam the medicine."
Yan Huinan shook his head and held out his hand, "Give it to me. Go and make some sugar water."
Si Wen: “Yes.”
Yan Huinan first placed the medicine on the bedside table. He climbed onto the bed, gently picked up Xie Yun, let her sit on him, and fed her the medicine bit by bit.
But Xie Yun didn't know whether she couldn't swallow it or didn't like the bitter medicine, her brows furrowed even deeper.
Although Yan Huinan had treated Xie Yun well in the past, he'd never done anything this attentive for her. He'd always just give orders, never allowing anyone else to make mistakes. Most of what he did for Xie Yun was like a big brother protecting a little brother, or a big brother doting on a little sister. How could a young marquis like him, a young noble, personally take care of such a detailed matter? He certainly wasn't capable of such meticulous care. Just because he was willing didn't mean he could.
But on the battlefield, there are more things to do personally and more things to learn.
He scooped another spoonful and tried to feed it to the person in his arms, but he threatened without mercy: "Xie Yun, if you still don't know what's good for you, this general will leave you to fend for yourself."
But Xie Yun was so dizzy from the fever that she couldn't hear him, and all the medicine he had given her spilled out.
If it were anyone else, Yan Huinan would never personally administer the medicine. Just because he knew how to do it didn't mean he was willing to do it.
But he just frowned and quickly took the handkerchief, rushing to wipe it before the medicine flowed into her neck. If the medicine soaked her clothes and her collar, how could she rest?
There was no other choice, so General Yan had to hold the medicine in his mouth and feed it to Xie Yun himself. His tongue pried open Xie Yun's teeth and sent the warm medicine inside.
Xie Yun seemed to sense something and hummed softly. Because her mouth was blocked, the medicine could only flow down her esophagus. But she still choked on the first sip, and she couldn't stop coughing.
Yan Huinan hadn't expected to choke her, and his annoyance intensified. He quickly put down the medicine bowl, hugged Xie Yun, and patted her back with one hand, soothing her. As he did so, he softly said, "You're so delicate. The most stubborn thing about you is your mouth, and the least delicate thing about you is your temper."
Xie Yun couldn't hear anything now, so Yan Huinan muttered to himself. Actually, he wasn't in a bad mood, because Xie Yun really had no chance of escaping anymore, and that damned brat Lou Cheng should have received the message by now.
She was in his arms at this moment, truly held by him, right before his eyes. He was willing to spend all his time taking care of Xie Yun. They had plenty of time. A lifetime to spend entangled with each other. As long as he killed Xie Qingyun and avenged himself, he would let go of the past, and nothing would stand between him and Xie Yun.
After so much time, he will eventually forgive Xie Yun.
After that, Yan Huinan's movements became even gentler, and he didn't choke her again when feeding her. It took him more than ten mouthfuls to finish the bowl of medicine. Just as he was about to finish, Si Wen prepared the sugar water and went into the bedroom without even having time to report.
The scene he saw frightened him so much that he quickly covered his eyes, but he remained calm. As expected of someone who had been with Yan Huinan for many years and had seen a lot of the world, he said, "General, the sugar water is on the table. I'll leave first."
Yan Huinan let go of Xie Yun, held her in his arms, and said calmly, "Bring it here."
Si Wen: "Okay." But he couldn't help but remind Yan Huinan, "General, you have to take care of yourself now. You are the commander of this trip, and you can't make any mistakes."
"No problem." He thought of what the imperial physician had said before, and asked, "When Si Wu was with Madam before, did he tell her what medicine she had bought?"
Being asked this question suddenly, Si Wen thought for a moment and recalled a small matter that Si Wu had asked him to do. "Before leaving, Si Wu gave me some medicinal wine, saying that it was made by the Madam and the doctor, and that the Madam had asked him to keep it for the general. Now it is my turn to keep it for the general. We don't know about the other herbs. The Madam is a doctor, and she always buys some of the herbs and mixes them herself."
Yan Huinan: "I understand. Go ahead. If Madam buys medicine again, save some of the dregs. That way she won't cause me any trouble."
Si Wen was embarrassed. The general was still as hard-mouthed and soft-hearted as before. "What about the medicinal wine?"
"Give it to me, of course."
After a while, Si Wen brought a few porcelain bottles.
After Si Wen left, Yan Huinan fed Xie Yun some more sugar water. He took a sip and found it a little too sweet. Well, sweetness would help to offset the bitterness of the herbs.
After feeding her, he took a porcelain bottle and played with it in his hand. He lowered his eyes to look at Xie Yun and muttered, "What a waste of time."
He said that, but he still held Xie Yun in his arms, subconsciously stroking Xie Yun's back again and again, like coaxing a child to sleep, to calm her down.
-
Lou Cheng did receive the message sent back by Yan Huinan.
"Third Prince, Yan Huinan is too arrogant! This is a naked demonstration! We can't let him go!" Kou Xin was very angry.
Lou Cheng, who was originally writing a memorial, paused. He clenched his teeth, wishing he could tear Yan Huinan to pieces. But on the surface, he still looked calm and composed. He smiled and said, "You won't let him go? He's the God of War of the Great Zhou. Even General Bai can't do anything to him, so what can you do?"
Kou Xin was speechless and knelt where he was, not daring to move.
Lou Cheng: "Alright, stop bragging. Go back and recuperate, and keep a close eye on my eldest brother's new kid. He's a venomous snake from the Miao region, and he's not easy to tame. He's not afraid of poisoning himself to death."
Kou Xin nodded, "Yes!"
As soon as Kou Xin left, Xie Shaohua came uninvited.
"I warned you long ago not to embarrass yourself. Xie Yun is cruel and stubborn, she has always looked down on you. Now that you, a spineless person, have married me, she will be even less likely to look at you. Why bother..." Before Xie Shaohua could finish her words, Lou Cheng grabbed her neck, "Ah!!"
Under the dim light, Lou Cheng's face darkened, his eyes filled with ruthlessness. "Who do you think you are? How dare you stand here and taunt me? You'd better understand your place. It's your Xie family that relies on me. Do you know how many people want your father's life right now? If it weren't for me, do you think you could have lived peacefully in Daliang until today? Don't forget, your current wealthy and leisurely life is given to you by me!"
The strength of his hands kept increasing, almost strangling Xie Shaohua to death. She slapped his hands hard and struggled!
"Uh... three..."
Lou Cheng loosened his grip and threw her to the ground. Xie Shaohua collapsed on the ground exhausted, breathing heavily and coughing uncontrollably.
This is a madman! This is really a madman!
Lou Cheng looked down at her condescendingly, his words filled with pity: "I don't care if you are stupid, domineering, or arrogant. But as long as you behave yourself in the future, you will still be my concubine."
Xie Shaohua lay on the ground, speechless for a long time. Xie Yun was clearly just a lowly concubine's daughter, yet everyone was vying for her. And why did they let him be the backup?
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The author has something to say: Hard-mouthed, hard-mouthed, hard-mouthed
Fenggao: the old name of Tai'an (Han Dynasty)
The whole article is fictional, and history is mixed. If you mind, you can read other good articles~
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