Chapter 2 Yu Xi (2) Zhao【Revision】
The cold palace wall pressed against Lin Jiaojiao's back, and the rough stones brought a biting chill through her wet plain outer robe.
But at this moment, indifference was the best tranquilizer for her. After the fear left, her injuries made her gasp for breath. Every breath brought a tearing pain in her right shoulder. Cold sweat slid down her forehead like a stream, mixing with the wine that had just been spilled, making her look miserable.
"My Lady...My Lady, how are you?" Chun's voice was filled with tears as he supported her almost limp body tightly. Her small body was shaking violently due to fear and exertion.
"Still...still alive..." Lin Jiaojiao's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper. She squeezed out a word with difficulty, and her vision went dark.
The life-or-death experience she had just had at Jiuchi Palace had left her completely exhausted. Her heart was still pounding wildly in her chest, nearly breaking her ribs. She tilted her head slightly and looked at Chun's equally pale, tear-stained face. "Chun... let's... go back..."
"Yes! My Lady Concubine!" Chun was like grabbing a life-saving straw, supporting her with all his strength. The two of them staggered, almost supporting each other, and moved towards the side hall. Each step was extremely heavy, and made a hollow sound as they stepped on the cold and hard ground.
The palace servants and slaves they met along the way, seeing them from afar, all lowered their heads in panic as if they had seen a ghost, crawled on the ground, and dared not breathe.
Were those eyes filled with fear, curiosity, and even a subtle hint of pity? Lin Jiaojiao had no time to think about anything else. All her energy was used to fight the excruciating pain in her body and the exhaustion she felt after surviving the ordeal.
Finally returning to the simple side hall filled with the bitter aroma of herbs, Chun almost half dragged and half carried her to the hard couch covered with animal skins.
"Water..." Lin Jiaojiao's cracked lips moved, and her weak body left her with only instinctive needs at this moment.
Chun hurriedly took out a ceramic bowl and carefully fed her a few sips of slightly cool well water. The cold liquid slid across her burning throat, bringing a brief sense of clarity.
"My Lady, your injury..." Chun choked up as he looked at the dark red bloodstains that had reappeared on Lin Jiaojiao's right shoulder.
Lin Jiaojiao looked down and forced a wry smile that was uglier than crying: "It's okay... I won't die..." She tried to move her right arm, and the piercing pain made her gasp, "Hiss... It's just... I may not be able to show you how to break a stone with my chest for a while..."
Chun was stunned by her inappropriate "nonsense", and then her tears fell even harder: "My Lady! Please stop talking, this servant... This servant will go and get the doctor!"
"Don't..." Lin Jiaojiao weakly raised her hand to stop her. "Going now... wouldn't that just put us in danger? That violent... king is furious..." She remembered Di Lugui's eyes, like the abyss filled with murderous intent and suspicion, and she felt a lingering fear. "First... help me deal with it first... do you have a clean cloth and water?"
Chun nodded quickly and brought clean linen and water from the deep well.
She carefully untied Lin Jiaojiao's wet outer robe and inner garment, revealing a hideous wound on her right shoulder. There were three claw marks deep enough to see the bone, with the skin and flesh turned inside out, the edges red, swollen, and hot, mixed with wine and sweat, looking horrifying.
Chun's hands were shaking violently and tears were falling down her face. She used a wet linen cloth to wipe the dirt around the wound very gently, her movements as light as a feather brushing.
"Hiss..." Every touch brought a sharp sting. Lin Jiaojiao bit her lower lip tightly, the veins on her forehead bulged slightly, and cold sweat soaked her hair. She forced herself to distract herself and her eyes fell on Chun's trembling hands, "Chun... stop shaking your hands... if you shake again... I'm afraid you'll take my shoulders off..."
Chun was so frightened by her words that her hands froze, and then she cried even harder: "My Lady! This servant... This servant didn't mean it!"
“Alright, alright… I was just kidding…” Lin Jiaojiao smiled weakly, her face as pale as paper, “Go on… Just be gentle…”
Host Vital Signs Scan: Right Shoulder Wound: Moderate Risk of Infection (Wine Contamination). Blood Loss: Small. Energy Reserves: Low. Recommendations: Clean wound, keep dry, and replenish energy.
The system's notification chime sounded coldly, with a subtle hum of… accelerated data flow? It seemed the previous conflict had consumed a significant amount of its computing power.
Lin Jiaojiao rolled her eyes silently in her heart: "Suggestions? I was going to suggest that you give me a cheat code... such as resurrection with full health on the spot or something..." She could only complain in her heart, and could only grit her teeth and endure it in reality.
After finally cleaning the wound, Chun re-bandaged it with clean linen. Lin Jiaojiao leaned against the cold wall, feeling as if her whole body was falling apart, and fatigue overwhelmed her like a tide.
The fear, like a maggot on her tarsal bone, had not completely dissipated. The last look Di Lugui gave her was like the sword of Damocles hanging over her head.
"Chun..." She said weakly, "Just now... in the wine pool... why did those people... speak up for me?"
Chun was picking up the blood-stained cloth while whispering, "I...I don't know...Maybe...Maybe the king is too...too majestic...Everyone...Everyone sees that you, my concubine, are so badly injured and...so frightened...I guess they can't bear it..." She secretly raised her eyes to glance at Lin Jiaojiao's pale profile. She looked so frightened and fragile that even she felt distressed. "And...My concubine, you...you are so beautiful...They...they probably can't bear to look at you..."
Good-looking? Lin Jiaojiao twitched the corners of her mouth. This face was indeed the source of trouble, but in the situation just now, was it just because it was good-looking?
She recalled the fleeting flashes of pity in the nobles' eyes, the whispered pleas of the slave girls... Perhaps it was her desperate, utterly miserable, yet frightened and vulnerable appearance that unexpectedly touched a lingering ray of compassion in some people's hearts? Amidst absolute violence and terror, that tiny shred of kindness, like a flickering candle in the wind, unexpectedly saved her life.
"Heh... I didn't expect... that relying on your looks to make a living... can actually save lives..." She murmured self-deprecatingly, her voice so soft that it was almost inaudible.
At this moment, a steady sound of footsteps was heard outside the hall. Different from the heavy footsteps of the soldiers, it had a unique rhythm.
Chun shuddered with fear and hurriedly stood in front of the couch.
A man in his thirties, dressed in a dark hemp robe, appeared at the door. His face was gaunt, his eyes were calm, and around his waist hung several small leather bags and bone needles. He exuded a faint herbal fragrance. It was the royal court's shaman, Zhao.
He bowed slightly to Lin Jiaojiao who was lying on the couch, and said in a calm voice: "Your Majesty, Zhao, has been ordered by the king to come and check on the injuries of the concubine." His eyes fell on Lin Jiaojiao's bandaged shoulder, and then swept across her pale, tear-stained cheek. A very faint ripple passed through the depths of his eyes, like a small stone thrown into a calm lake.
Lin Jiaojiao's heart tightened. A royal order? Surveillance? Or...?
Zhao seemed to notice her wariness and did not approach. He stood a few steps away and said gently, "Although the king is furious, he is concerned about the concubine's serious injuries and has specially ordered me to come here. Please rest assured, my concubine, and allow me to observe."
His voice had a strange soothing power. Lin Jiaojiao hesitated for a moment, nodded slightly, and Chun carefully made way.
Zhao walked forward slowly, without touching her, but carefully observed the bandaging and her complexion. His eyes were calm and focused, as if he was examining a precious work of art, with the rigor of a doctor, but also seemed to have... a hint of imperceptible gentleness?
"The wound has been contaminated with wine, so we need to prevent it from festering." His voice remained calm. He took out a smaller pottery jar from his leather bag and handed it to Chun. "This is a newly prepared wound medicine. It clears away heat and toxins. Change it daily. Also..." He took out another small package, "This is a powder to calm the nerves and soothe the nerves. Take a small amount with warm water before bed to help you sleep."
Chun quickly took it, tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes: "Thank... Thank you, Doctor!"
Zhao nodded slightly, his eyes falling on Lin Jiaojiao's face again.
Because of the pain and fatigue, her eyes were a little dazed, her long eyelashes drooped, casting thick shadows under her eyes, her lips were bloodless and slightly pursed, revealing a stubborn fragility. This look was more impactful than any carefully applied makeup.
Zhao's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he lowered his eyelashes, hiding the emotion in his eyes. "My Lady, your injuries are serious. You must rest and recuperate. Do not exert any more strength or disturb the wound." He paused, then added, "If you develop a fever at night, please send someone to call me."
After saying this, he bowed again, turned around and left, his steps still steady, as if the momentary gaze just now was just a routine.
Lin Jiaojiao watched his back disappear through the doorway, her tense nerves finally relaxing a bit. "This medical officer... seems alright?" she muttered to herself. "At least he's better than that tyrant..."
[External Individual (Zhao) Biosignal Analysis: Emotional Fluctuation (Mild). Behavior Pattern: Consistent with a physician's duties. Threat Level: Low.]
The system's prompt sounded, as if evaluating Zhao.
Lin Jiaojiao didn't pay attention to the system. She just felt her eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and fatigue was like a heavy lead block pressing down on her. Chun carefully covered her with the animal skin.
Silence returned to the hall, with only the occasional sound of wind outside the window and the vague noise in the distance, and the bitter scent of herbs lingering at the tip of the nose.
Lin Jiaojiao curled up on the cold couch, the pain in her right shoulder coming in waves, like a blunt knife cutting into her flesh. The shadow of death seemed to recede for a moment, but fear and uncertainty about the future enveloped her like a thick fog. Thirty days... could she really live to see the fall of the Xia Dynasty? Would that tyrant... let her go?
She slowly closed her eyes, but the violent eyes of Di Lugui beside the wine pool and... Zhao's calm and peaceful back when he left emerged involuntarily in her mind. Finally, her consciousness slowly sank into darkness.
Energy Core: Recovering… Redundant visual data cleanup complete… New data record added: External entity (Zhao) - Behavior pattern (Assistance). Logic module:… Running smoothly…
The system's notification sound echoed softly in the silence, with a strange, almost regular humming sound, like the steady breathing of some sleeping giant, like a lullaby for her, making her feel at ease.
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