Chapter 21 Chapter 21 More Attachment
The messenger knocked on the door but received no response. The door was locked from the inside, but no one answered. According to investigation, no one had seen her go out since she returned home at 11:00 p.m.
According to the people in the shop, she looked very sad when she left, which showed that something must have happened. Given her personality, she would stay indoors and not even show up for his appointment. I'm afraid it's something serious.
As the sun sets in the west, Qin Jingyao stands alone under the eaves. The entire alley has been cleared, the wooden doors are tightly closed, and only the clear sound of the bells ringing in the wind can be heard.
Qin Jingyao stood with his hands behind his back. The iron door knocker shone coldly in the sunset, but it could not illuminate the black shadow that was lying across the door.
"Knock on the door,"
"yes!"
Tongze immediately went forward and knocked on the door, saying loudly, "Miss Lan,"
After waiting for three breaths, no one answered, so he knocked on the door again, "Miss Lan,"
This was repeated three times, but no one responded. Tongze turned around and asked, "Sir, do you want to break the door?"
People who practice martial arts have sharp ears and eyes. The yard in front of them is not big. If there is a noise, it can be heard even through the gate. But there is no sound in the yard. It is so quiet that it seems that no one is there. It is really unusual.
Qin Jingyao's eyes suddenly turned sharp, and he shouted coldly: "Open the door!"
Tongze immediately drew out the short blade from his sleeve, unbolted the door bolt and opened it.
Qin Jingyao strode in. He didn't even glance at the unusually exquisite scenery in the courtyard. With a tall stature and slender legs, he stepped into the hall with a few big strides. The mess in the hall was immediately visible, and the winding dark red bloodstain was also clearly visible.
His breath suddenly turned cold, and he followed the blood trail to the open bedroom. His phoenix eyes swept over, and at first glance he was shocked by the pink and white furry bear sitting on the bed.
His arms tensed up, ready to strike, but before he could exert force, he realized it was a fake. His gaze darted away, and he was instantly startled by the motionless woman in the peach-pink bed curtains, half curled up under the peach-colored quilt.
“Nong Nong!”
Qin Jingyao's face suddenly changed. He rushed forward and pulled the person into his arms. When he felt the charcoal-like warmth of her body, his tense jaw relaxed a little. He pulled the quilt over and wrapped the person tightly. He ordered in a deep voice: "Close the doors and windows, call the doctor quickly, and ask two maids to come and fetch some warm water."
Tongze took the order and rushed out. In a moment, he returned with a wooden basin, placed warm water on the square table, pushed it to his side, and then retreated silently. The whole process took less than three breaths.
Qin Jingyao turned around and sat on the edge of the couch, his palm covering her forehead, the touch was scorching hot.
Although he had never served anyone, he had read a lot of books and often served in the army, so he was familiar with the emergency methods for high fever.
In an emergency, this was not the time to worry about gender differences. He put her back on the bed, squeezed some warm water over her forehead, and waited for the handkerchief to be changed before he looked at her.
She had a severe fever, her entire face was as hot as if smeared with rouge, her lips were bright red and smooth, her thick black eyelashes were softened and moistened by the warm handkerchief, her breath exhaled a stream of hot air, and her whole body was like a blooming flower, gorgeous and alluring.
Her frown made her look even more frail, like a pear branch soaked in rain, and the pink stamens and pearl flowers on her temples drooped down.
Although the sick appearance adds a different charm,
Qin Jingyao's eyes were as calm as a deep pool. Compared to the present moment, he liked the cunning and lively life in her eyes more.
He stared at her intently, cooling her with a handkerchief. His warm fingertips brushed her brows several times, but the frown remained. He withdrew his hand, lifted the corner of the quilt, and beneath her disheveled skirt, a pair of white satin embroidered shoes were covered in dried blood.
Her long eyebrows twitched slightly, and her hand hooked up the pink satin stockings and took them off neatly along with the embroidered shoes. The unconscious woman on the couch trembled, and she cried out in pain so softly that it was barely audible.
Qin Jingyao glanced at her face and then turned to pinch her slender ankle, his fingertips brushing over the snow-white instep. When he gently bent her calf to examine it, he saw several bright red wounds on the sole of her foot. The blood was oozing from the socks she had taken off, which was particularly glaring on her fair skin.
After a few rustling sounds, the quilt fell. Qin Jingyao washed his hands and felt the hot breath on her cheek and neck. His fingertips paused slightly. Just as he was about to touch the loose collar of her clothes, footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall door. It was Tongze who had gone to prepare the wine earlier and came back.
"Sir, the liquor and tea are here."
Qin Jingyao stopped and said, "Come in, get the medicine for your wound."
Tongze walked in with his head bowed, placed the warmed wine jar and water on the table, and took out military medicine from his sleeve pocket and put it aside. Without waiting for orders, he bowed and left, standing quietly three feet outside the door, waiting for orders.
He kept his eyes down the whole time, not daring to move an inch beyond his feet.
*
She pursed her lips tightly, and Qin Jingyao pulled her into his arms, bent his knees against her back, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, clamping her jaw. He squeezed her lips and teeth with force, and a hot breath suddenly rushed out. The soft body in his arms trembled slightly, like the wings of a dying butterfly.
He paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on her face for a few moments, then he picked up the teacup and slowly fed it into her slightly parted lips. Fortunately, although she was unconscious, she still had the instinct to swallow. He waited until the tip of his red tongue was satisfied and disappeared, and her lips stopped moving, before he removed the cup.
Qin Jingyao's eyes were deep. He put down the porcelain cup and wiped the wet marks from the corner of her lips with his thumb. Then he let go of her hand and let her lips gently close before putting her back on the bed.
The softness and heat of her lips still remained on his fingertips. The tall figure beside the bed did not hesitate, leaning forward to extend his hand, his black hair sliding down from his shoulders.
In an instant, the strong aroma of wine filled the small space.
*
Lan Nongnong was awakened by a suffocating bitterness. Before she regained consciousness, her hands instinctively reached for the source of the bitterness. At the same time, she struggled to turn over and began to retch violently.
"girl!"
"The girl is awake!"
The maidservants feeding her medicine cried out in surprise. One of them immediately came forward to support her and brought her warm water to rinse her mouth. Another quickly knelt down and said to the man who raised his eyes not far away, "Master, the girl is awake."
Qin Jingyao stood up and walked over, and the two maids immediately lowered their heads and retreated to the sides.
Lan Nongnong's stomach was empty. She had just vomited out the medicine before she could swallow it. She was now curled up in the quilt, pressing her temples with both hands, her knuckles turning white.
Although the high fever subsided, my head felt as if it was being tightened by an iron hoop. My brain was throbbing with my pulse, and the sharp buzzing sound blocked out all the outside sounds. Even time became blurred. I didn't know how long I endured the torment before the annoying buzzing sound finally dissipated.
Lan Nongnong opened her eyes, her head was empty, her heart was also empty, she clenched her hands and suddenly loosened them, blinked, and a line of burning tears flowed out, passing over her nose and into her hair.
The intermittent sobs suddenly turned into suppressed whimpers. She buried her face deeply in her arms, curled up her whole body, and clutched the quilt tightly with her white fingers, her knuckles turning blue and white, as if it was the only support she could hold on to.
Qin Jingyao had not expected her to wake up like this. She was a small ball sinking into the bed, wishing she could hide herself. She cried uncontrollably, her body trembling violently, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
His expression darkened slightly. He waved his hand to let someone leave, lifted his robe and sat down on the bed. He raised his hand to cover her trembling hair and called her softly, "Nong Nong,"
The sudden touch and sound above her head startled Lan Nongnong so much that her whole body trembled. She curled up forward in fear, and her hasty movement of turning back made her head dizzy, but she gritted her teeth and endured the pain.
When her eyes fell on the familiar figure beside the bed and met his gentle and soothing gaze, she trembled all over, and all her tension and defenses instantly collapsed. She could no longer hold it in, pursed her lips, tears streaming down her face, sobbing and suddenly rushing towards him, "Yao Jing!"
Qin Jingyao opened his arms and caught her steadily. Feeling her tightening strength, he also tightened his arms, and stroked her hair to her back with one hand, comforting her again and again, and replied softly, "Don't be afraid, Nongnong, I'm here."
After her breathing became more even, Fang asked softly, "Tell me, what happened?"
His embrace felt like a world of its own, his arms firmly encircling her, silencing every tremor. The reassuring sound of his heartbeat and the gentle, soothing voice fell upon her ears, and she suddenly felt that as long as she leaned against his chest, there would be nothing left to fear.
Lan Nongnong suddenly tensed her back, her breathing stagnated, and her frail body began to tremble violently. The nightmares that she had thought had dissipated with her awakening now seeped back into her limbs through her pores.
Heads tumbled and fell under the executioner's blade, and headless bodies fell like harvested rice stalks. Thick, black blood gushed out from broken necks, winding like a river on the bluestone slabs.
She was pushed forward by the crowd, watching those wide-open eyes, twitching fingers, and even smelling the stench of flesh and blood steaming in the scorching sun.
Lan Nongnong knew clearly that the bloody illusions that haunted her in her coma were all her excessive imagination, but what made her even more horrified was that all of this had actually happened in reality.
What terrified her most was that the history books she had read had somehow corrupted her mind. Listening to the tragic story of an entire family being executed, she could calmly analyze the inevitable logic of the power transition as if dissecting a corpse.
The Quan family usurped power first, and the Chiang family formed a clique and plotted rebellion later. The overthrow of the entire family was just the inevitable cycle of history. Those innocent people who were crushed into dust became the necessary sacrifices in the power transition.
But understanding does not mean agreement. She comes from an era where human life is regarded as the most important thing. Even the death penalty has to go through layers of verification for fear of wrong judgment.
And the world before our eyes actually allows the entire street to be dyed red with blood, and allows the cries of children to be drowned out by the trumpets of victory. This is not just an understatement in history books, but a real life reality -!
She clenched her shaking hands tightly, unable to accept it, and even more terrified to adapt to this world where death was allowed to be displayed publicly and even carefully designed into art as a deterrent.
The pain of homesickness is like a blunt knife cutting flesh. She misses her parents and family madly, and misses the time when there were psychological counseling and anti-anxiety drugs.
But all the fear was stuck in her throat, and she couldn't find anyone who could understand her words. In the end, her body collapsed before her will, and this high fever became her only refuge.
Lan Nongnong's throat was filled with a thousand tons of grievances, but she couldn't utter a single word. The more she shook her head, the more her tears flowed. Her body clearly wanted to break free from this embarrassing weakness, but her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood.
Although Qin Jingyao didn't know what she had experienced in the past few days, the trembling back under his palm, the disordered breathing, and even every taut hair were conveying to him a fear of being on the verge of collapse.
Since she refused to say anything, he stopped asking, but she didn't see that his eyes suddenly sank.
Before she woke up, the guards had reported her whereabouts for the past few days. Except for the neighbor next door who brought her food as agreed, she had stayed indoors and no one had visited her. Until this morning, she went to the clothing store and stayed there for less than an hour. Since returning, she has not left since.
His hand was still stroking her hair and slowly moving down to her back. Everything about her was so simple, almost transparent. The only variable was the half hour she stayed in the clothing store.
After taking her pulse, the accompanying imperial physician said that she was suffering from shock, anxiety, and depression, which was why she had a high fever. Judging from her pulse, it seemed that she had an old illness that had not been cured and her vital energy was depleted, which was why she was easily disturbed.
He lowered his eyes to the top of her slightly disheveled hair. The confession of the clothing store owner had not yet been delivered. However, considering her usual temperament, she was so bold and straightforward, and acted freely. What had happened to her that caused her to become so frightened and sick, and she was still in a state of panic.
What was the root cause of the disease in the past and what was the reason?
The person in his arms began to breathe more steadily. Qin Jingyao withdrew his hand, gently lifted her pale face with his fingertips, and slowly wiped away the tears on her cheeks with his warm fingertips. He said softly, "Are you feeling better? You've been unconscious for half a day and haven't had a drop of water. First, have some porridge, and then take the medicine."
He gathered her scattered hair and said in a deep voice, as if the sound of metal and stone clashing, "Don't worry about anything. It's important to take care of yourself. I'll take care of everything."
Lan Nongnong looked up at him, listening to his gentle comfort, her heart, which was wrapped in loneliness and coldness, suddenly trembled, as if she had fallen into a hot spring.
People gradually pulled themselves out of their paranoid ruts, the coldness began to subside from their fingertips, the warmth spread along their blood vessels to their heart, and even their tense shoulders and neck gradually relaxed.
When I came to my senses, I felt my eyes were sore and I wanted to cry again.
Lan Nongnong sniffed, blinked her heavy eyes, and held back her tears. She rubbed his palm lovingly, hugged his waist tightly with both hands, and snuggled deeper into him.
Taking a deep breath, his voice still trembling, he murmured hoarsely: "Yao Jing, Yao Jing,"
"Yes, I am here."
The woman murmured over and over again, and Qin Jingyao only frowned when she called his name, but he responded patiently.
He placed the back of his hand lightly on her forehead. Although the high fever was barely suppressed by the silver needles, her skin was still hot and humid. The maid quietly brought some porridge. He just grabbed her wrist and tried to help her up, but the person in his arms suddenly trembled and wrapped her arms around him tighter, like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood.
Helpless, he could only gather his arms and hold her horizontally on his lap like a child. Not wanting her to be frightened, he firmly wrapped one arm around her waist and with the other hand scooped up some porridge with a spoon, gently placed it against her lips, and coaxed her in a low voice: "Nong Nong, be good, eat a little."
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