Chapter 41 A Chance Encounter, Protecting the Minister (Part 3) It turns out the general has a particular fondness for this…
Upon arriving near Chu Huaili's barracks, Xiao Lingyi gestured for her maid to carefully help Ye Yixiang to the front of the house. She stopped and gave Ye Yixiang a gentle yet slightly apologetic smile: "Miss Ye, I'll leave you here."
"If... if Princess Zhaoning or anyone else says anything unpleasant, please don't take it to heart."
She paused, her tone becoming more frank, "There's really nothing between me and General Chu. Although the General is indeed a young hero, with exceptional talent and charm, attracting the hearts of many young ladies from noble families in Chang'an, however..."
She slightly raised her chin, the moonlight shining on her beautiful face, exuding a confidence and ease nurtured by her scholarly background and power: "There are plenty of good men in this world, each with their own merits. I, Xiao Lingyi, am not so shallow as to hang myself on one tree, especially one that... clearly has no interest in me."
Ye Yixiang looked at her with some surprise, meeting her clear and bright eyes, and then nodded gently: "Miss Xiao is magnanimous, I understand. Thank you."
After saying goodbye to Xiao Lingyi, Ye Yixiang struggled to move into the room alone. As soon as she entered the space filled with Chu Huaili's cool and refreshing aura, her tense nerves relaxed slightly, but an overwhelming wave of fatigue and the increasingly intense pain in her ankle swept over her.
She slumped down on the edge of the bed, took a deep breath, and pressed her hand around her swollen and painful ankle.
Sure enough, moving around a lot aggravated his injuries.
She tried to take off her shoes and socks herself, but found that the swelling had tightly gripped the fabric, and any slight force caused excruciating pain, so she had to give up.
Just then, hurried and familiar footsteps came from outside the tent, accompanied by a call: "Arao!"
He's back!
Ye Yixiang's heart tightened, and she subconsciously pulled the scattered clothes beside her to quickly cover her injured right foot and the disheveled hem.
The curtain was suddenly thrown open, and Chu Huaili strode in. He held an exquisite porcelain box in his hand, his face showing a hint of joy, but the moment his gaze fell on Ye Yixiang, all his expressions froze.
Her hair was disheveled, with a few strands of black hair stuck to her pale cheeks by sweat. Her clothes were covered with mud and grass clippings, and she exuded an indescribable fragility.
His brows furrowed instantly, the smile vanished from his eyes, replaced by a look of deep concern. He tossed his things onto the low table, strode over to her, and knelt down, urgently grasping her shoulders, his voice strained with anxiety: "What happened?! Who did this to you?!"
Ye Yixiang looked up and met his anxious gaze. She tried to force a reassuring smile, but it was distorted by pain: "It's nothing... I just fell off my horse and got some mud on my body."
"Are you injured?!" He scanned her entire body with sharp eyes.
She shook her head again, trying to pull her hand back and hide it: "It's really nothing..."
However, Chu Huaili had already keenly noticed her attempts to conceal herself, as well as the dried blood and dirt on her fingertips. Without a word, he grabbed her wrist, looking at her battered fingertips, his heart aching with a mixture of pain and anger: "What happened to your hands? What have you been hiding?!"
Seeing that he had noticed, Ye Yixiang had no choice but to confess in a low voice: "I... accidentally fell into a hunter's abandoned trap. It was Miss Xiao and her brother who saved me."
"A trap?!" Chu Huaili's face instantly darkened. He didn't ask any more questions, but reached out and firmly yet gently lifted the skirt that was covering it.
The horribly swollen right ankle, its skin a bluish-purple and translucent, was starkly exposed under the light, creating a shocking contrast with the other slender foot.
Chu Huaili's breath hitched, his tightly pursed lips stretched into a straight line, his jaw tightened, and he forced out the words through clenched teeth: "Injured like this, with bones dislocated, you still dare to say you're fine?!"
“I can handle it myself,” Ye Yixiang said urgently, trying to remain calm. “I just need to find some cedar bark or bamboo strips to secure it…”
"Nonsense!" he interrupted sharply, his eyes filled with unwavering determination. "Injury is no child's play!" Before he finished speaking, he had already bent down, one hand under her knees and the other supporting her back, and lifted her up horizontally.
"Chu Huaili!" Ye Yixiang exclaimed, struggling, "Put me down! This little injury doesn't need to alarm the imperial physician..."
"Don't move!" His deep voice carried an undeniable force, his arms as firm as iron hoops, as he carried her swiftly towards the outside. "Your injuries are serious."
Under the heavy darkness, the campfire roared, filling the air with the aroma of roasted meat and wine.
Noble ladies and noblewomen sat around the stove, their laughter and chatter filling the air. Amidst this peaceful and lively scene, Chu Huaili strode in, carrying Ye Yixiang, whose hair was disheveled, instantly capturing everyone's attention.
"Look! General Chu is holding a beauty in his arms!"
"Tsk tsk, that's a bit too reckless, doing it in public..."
"Hey, what do you know? Look at that profile, the lines of that neck... truly fair skin and delicate bones, so beautiful it makes me want to pity you."
"No wonder General Chu is so nervous. If it were me, I would also be afraid of dropping it."
Countless gazes, a mixture of curiosity, inquiry, amusement, and undisguised amazement, fell upon them.
Embarrassed, Ye Yixiang buried her face in his neck, her ears burning: "Chu Huaili, put me down... so many people are watching..."
He seemed not to hear her, tightening his grip on her and walking steadily and quickly through the chattering crowd, carrying her all the way into the brightly lit Imperial Medical Bureau.
Seeing this, Physician Liu, who was on duty, dared not delay and quickly stepped forward.
Chu Huaili carefully placed her on the soft couch and said in a deep voice, "Please trouble the imperial physician to take a close look at her ankle."
Physician Liu acknowledged and gently cut open the stocking on her right foot. When the swollen, shiny, and bruised ankle was fully exposed, Chu Huaili's pupils contracted sharply. She stood silently by the bed, her lips pressed tightly together, her gaze fixed intently on the physician's every move.
Physician Liu held his breath, his withered fingers carefully pressing and probing around the injury. When he touched the dislocated bone, Ye Yixiang tried her best to suppress it, but fine beads of cold sweat still appeared on her forehead, and a suppressed groan finally escaped from her lips.
The groan of pain pierced Chu Huaili's heart like a needle. He took a step forward, almost to stop him, but he forced himself to remain still, managing to squeeze out only a few words: "Be gentle!"
Physician Liu said repeatedly, "General, rest assured, I understand." He steadied himself, used very little force, and after finding the right spot, he took advantage of Ye Yixiang's unpreparedness and suddenly exerted a clever force.
With a soft, crisp sound, the dislocated bone finally returned to its original position.
Ye Yixiang shuddered in pain, her fingertips digging deeply into the soft cushion beneath her.
Chu Huaili immediately leaned down and covered her tightly clenched fist with his warm, large hand.
The subsequent application of medicine and the securing of the bandage with layers of cedar bark and cotton cloth went much more smoothly. Chu Huaili maintained his bent-over posture throughout, holding her hand tightly, his gaze never leaving her wound, his expression focused and tense.
After Physician Liu finished bandaging and washed his hands, he respectfully reported: "General, Miss Ye's ankle has been repositioned. Although the injury is serious, fortunately, it has not damaged the root. However, for the next half month, she must not put weight on it and needs to rest well and change the dressing on time in order to recover completely."
Chu Huaili's tense expression eased slightly, and he nodded gently: "Thank you for your trouble, Imperial Physician." Before he finished speaking, he bent down again, his arms passing under her knees and back, and steadily lifted her off the soft couch.
Just then, the tent flap was lifted again, and Ji Xianqing, the heir of the Marquis of Zhen'an, dressed in blue, walked in with Liu Yiyi.
Liu Yiyi's expression froze when she saw Ye Yixiang being held in Chu Huaili's arms. Her eyes flickered with a hint of guilt, and she forced a smile as she awkwardly greeted him: "I didn't expect... the General and his wife to be here as well."
Ji Xianqing's gaze swept over Ye Yixiang, a mocking smile curving his lips. He said coldly, "I thought it was some kind of lady, but it's just Miss Ye." His words were contemptuous, deliberately ignoring the sensitive old title.
Ye Yixiang didn't even raise her head.
The Marquis of Zhen'an's lineage were also important officials of the previous dynasty. However, they surrendered the city early when Emperor Jingyuan raised his army, and thus gained the title of "meritorious service in following the emperor," which allowed them to retain their wealth and honor. If we really want to talk about it, the emperor's father and the Marquis of Zhen'an were on good terms when they were young, and the two of them were even "arranged to marry in the womb" in the joking of their elders.
Now that times have changed and the world has changed, when old friends meet again, all that remains is irony.
“I didn’t expect Miss Ye to be so resourceful,” Ji Xianqing said again, her words sharp as knives. “She’s already managed to get involved with General Chu right after her husband’s death. She’s truly a woman who doesn’t yield to men.”
He deliberately made sarcastic remarks, and seeing Chu Huaili's cold gaze, he didn't hold back, but instead intensified his mockery, "Tsk, if I had known this would happen, back then when the Third Prince sent beauties to the General's mansion, the General refused to accept them. It seems they didn't win the General's heart. If I had known earlier that the General preferred this kind of... married woman's charm..."
Before he could finish speaking, a dark figure moved with lightning speed! Chu Huaili still held Ye Yixiang firmly with one arm, while his other hand gripped Ji Xianqing's neck like an iron clamp, forcefully cutting off any more unbearable words that followed!
"Uh!" Caught off guard, Ji Xianqing's face flushed red instantly, and he struggled to breathe, his hands futilely trying to pry open the arm that wouldn't budge.
Liu Yiyi was terrified, her face turning pale. She cried out and hurriedly stepped forward to plead, "General, please calm down! General! This is the heir of the Marquis of Zhen'an. I beg you to show mercy!"
Chu Huaili's face was ashen, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light, and the murderous aura emanating from him made the temperature in the entire imperial physician's tent drop several degrees. He stared at Ji Xianqing, whose face had turned purple from suffocation, and said each word with a voice that was icy cold: "You, try uttering another word of nonsense."
Ye Yixiang never expected him to be so furious over a sarcastic remark. Seeing his knuckles turn white from the force, and Ji Xianqing's face turning purple, she quickly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Yanqing, don't be impulsive."
Physician Liu was also terrified, repeatedly bowing and pleading, "General, please reconsider! You absolutely mustn't!"
Hearing her gentle persuasion, the anger surging in Chu Huaili's eyes subsided slightly. He snorted coldly and abruptly let go.
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