Chapter 153 Moving to the Hall of Ideological and Political Education
Su Luoxue looked at him with heartache as he endured the pain, tears streaming down her face: "You fool...you are the biggest fool in the Great Zhou Dynasty..."
Yuwen Che endured the sharp pain from the medicine being applied to his back and reached out to support her arm: "Don't squat for so long, get up first..."
Su Luoxue stood up with his help, her gaze unable to leave his gruesome wound. She took a deep breath and took the ointment and gauze from the imperial physician: "Let me do it..."
With trembling fingers, she carefully dipped the ointment into the wound and applied it little by little to the burned and festering flesh. Each touch felt like a knife cutting into her own heart.
Tears fell silently like pearls from a broken string, dripping onto the edge of his wound and bringing a cool touch.
Yuwen Che felt the trembling of her fingertips and the hot tears, and instead chuckled softly, trying to ease the tension: "What's this... When I led troops into battle, the injuries I suffered were far more severe than this..."
Su Luoxue couldn't suppress her sobs: "Does it hurt a lot?"
Yuwen Che paused for a moment, then did not deny it, his voice low but clear: "It hurts."
He turned his head slightly to look at her tear-streaked face. "But... Xue'er, losing you is a thousand times, ten thousand times more painful than this. If something really happened to you today, I would rather be dead."
Su Luoxue's hand paused.
"Li Dehai!" Yuwen Che called out loudly.
Li Dehai, who had been waiting to the side, quickly stepped forward and said, "This old servant is here!"
"Go and fetch me a clean robe."
"Yes, this old servant will go right away!" Li Dehai immediately turned around and instructed the palace servants.
Su Luoxue and the imperial physician carefully treated the wound on Yuwen Che's back, their movements extremely gentle.
Cheng'an and Tingxue, who had been comforted in Yuwen Hao's arms, stopped crying when they saw their father injured. The two little ones broke free from Yuwen Hao's embrace, ran to Yuwen Che's side with their short legs, and jumped into his arms on either side.
Yuwen Che quickly reached out and caught the two children, saying gently, "Cheng'an, Ning'er, run slowly, be careful not to fall."
"Father..." Cheng'an looked up, his big eyes still brimming with tears, "Does it hurt?"
Tingxue leaned closer to him, puffed out her cheeks, and carefully blew on his injured back: "Father, let Ning'er blow on it for you... it won't hurt anymore if I blow on it..."
As she spoke, her little mouth trembled, and her voice trembled with tears, "Father, Ning'er was so scared just now..."
Cheng'an clung tightly to Yuwen Che's clothes: "Father, Cheng'an is scared too..."
Yuwen Che's heart softened, and he held the two children in his arms, whispering to comfort them, "Don't be afraid, your father is here, everything will be alright."
The two children snuggled against him affectionately, their little hands gripping him tightly, as if only in this way could they gain a sense of security.
Yuwen Che then raised his head and looked at Yuwen Hao, who had been standing quietly not far away. The child had his head down, his small hands tightly clutching the hem of his clothes, and his thin body seemed to be trembling slightly.
He's only seven years old. How could he not be afraid after experiencing such a life-or-death situation?
Looking at him, he seemed to want to get closer but didn't dare, clearly still shaken but trying to appear calm.
He paused for a moment, then reached out his hand to the lonely figure, his voice gentler than ever before:
"Hao'er, come here, come to your father."
Yuwen Hao looked up at him, his eyes instantly reddening. He subconsciously wanted to step forward, but seemed to be nailed to the spot. His small hands twisted the hem of his clothes tightly, and his voice was weak and feeble, with suppressed sobs: "Father... Your son... Your son is alright."
Seeing him like this, Su Luoxue felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
Yuwen Che gazed at the child who was clearly afraid but pretending to be strong, and spoke again, his voice softening, "Hao'er, come here."
Yuwen Hao's lips moved, and tears welled up in his eyes. He longed for that warmth and wanted to rush into his father's arms like Cheng'an and Ning'er, but the long-standing estrangement and fear made him dare not.
Cheng'an crawled out of Yuwen Che's arms, ran to Yuwen Hao's side, and stretched out his little hand to pull him tightly: "Brother Hao'er, come here!" He then pulled him in front of Yuwen Che without saying a word.
Cheng'an looked up at Yuwen Che and said, "Father! Just now, when the door couldn't be opened inside the room, and Mother was banging on the door, it was Brother Hao'er who held my sister and me tightly in his arms! He even told us not to be afraid!"
As Yuwen Che listened to his son's innocent yet clear words, he thought of the scene in the sea of fire where Hao'er used his small body to protect his younger siblings. An indescribable sense of guilt and a belated pang of heartache welled up in his heart.
He reached out and pulled Yuwen Hao in front of him, making him stand before him. He gently placed his large hand on Yuwen Hao's thin shoulder: "Good child... Father knows, you are a good child."
Yuwen Hao's tears, which he had been holding back, suddenly burst forth. He could no longer control himself, and his small body trembled violently from crying. Finally, he choked out the grievances and fears that had been suppressed in his heart for so long:
"Father..."
Yuwen Che looked at his eldest son, who was crying in front of him for the first time, and gently patted his back. His tone softened. "Alright, don't cry anymore... In the future, you can be like Cheng'an and Ning'er. If you are afraid or wronged, come to your father."
Yuwen Hao nodded through his tears, "Father... Your son understands."
Li Dehai returned carrying clean robes, and the imperial physician and Su Luoxue had already treated and bandaged Yuwen Che's wounds. Su Luoxue took the robes and carefully dressed him, saying, "Raise your hands slowly...be careful not to pull on the wound."
Tingxue also tiptoed and clumsily stretched out her little hands to help: "Ning'er also wants to help Father Emperor get dressed!"
Su Luoxue quickly quickened her pace and gently stopped him, saying, "Ning'er, be good. Father has an injury on his back. Let Mother come over. Don't hurt Father."
Yuwen Che looked down at them, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Xue'er, this is the first time you've helped me change my clothes."
Su Luoxue's cheeks flushed slightly as she muttered softly, "No way... It's you who never lets me get up early, insisting that I sleep in a little longer..."
The smile in Yuwen Che's eyes deepened.
Su Luoxue tied his sash for him, then looked at the three children and said gently, "Be good, Father is injured, so don't bother him anymore, okay?"
Yuwen Che instructed Li Dehai: "Li Dehai, immediately send people to clean up Fengyi Palace and temporarily house the Crown Prince, Princess, and Prince An there. Expedite the repairs of Guanju Palace."
He turned to Su Luoxue: "Xue'er, you and I... shall stay in the Sizheng Palace for the time being."
Su Luoxue asked with some confusion, "Why don't we live with the children in Fengyi Palace, but instead go to Sizheng Hall?"
Li Dehai quickly leaned closer and whispered, "Your Majesty... Fengyi Palace... is the palace where... the deposed Empress Shen used to live..."
Su Luoxue immediately understood and stopped asking questions, simply nodding gently: "Yes, I'll follow A-Che's arrangements."
Yuwen Che's gaze swept over the three children nestled beside him, finally settling on Yuwen Hao, whose eyes were still red.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
