Chapter 121 You say, I will believe.
Xue Han frowned: "The lake water is too cold at this time of year."
“It’s not an old ailment…” Qiu Heng’s face was pale, her expression conflicted.
"Don't worry, Miss Qiu, I won't tell anyone else."
Qiu Heng pursed her lips, hesitating, "I think it's too absurd, and I'm afraid Lord Xue won't believe me if I tell him, but I'm also very anxious about it. What if it's true—"
"I believe you." Xue Han looked at the helpless girl and said earnestly, "If you say so, I will believe you."
"I met the Crown Prince when I left the palace, and then... I had a dream."
"What dream?"
“A nightmare.” Qiu Heng tried her best to keep her voice calm. “I dreamt that the Crown Prince’s residence was on fire, and the Crown Prince was trapped in a tall building. Because the rescue was delayed, he was already dead when he was finally pulled out…”
Xue Han listened quietly, his expression remaining largely unchanged.
Qiu Heng's voice gradually lowered: "Lord Xue, doesn't this sound absurd?"
"No. I also have some strange dreams, and I have nightmares."
Most of his dreams were nightmares.
In different nightmares, the little girl experiences different tragedies, but what remains the same is that he is forever powerless to help her.
He only stopped having nightmares when the little girl from his dream grew up and stood properly in front of him.
"But this dream was so real. I could even feel the heat of the flames and see the names of the tall buildings that were engulfed in flames."
"What's your name?"
“The Tower of Stars.” Qiu Heng looked into Xue Han’s eyes and said, word by word, “That tall building that caught fire was called the Tower of Stars.”
Xue Han's gaze suddenly turned serious.
The Imperial City Guard was responsible for protection and was familiar with the layout of the Autumn Hunting Palace. Indeed, there was a tall building in the Crown Prince's residence called the Star-Picking Tower.
"The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and his fate is in the hands of the nation. I know it's absurd to take a dream seriously, but I'm also afraid of what might happen..."
Xue Han finally felt relieved.
He thought something had happened to her, but it turned out she was just troubled by nightmares.
“A nightmare that is too realistic is indeed unsettling. Miss Qiu, there’s no need to worry about it. I’ll arrange for more people to patrol.” Fearing that Qiu Heng might think he was being perfunctory, Xue Han asked again, “Are there any other details in Miss Qiu’s dream? I’d like to pay more attention.”
Qiu Heng's face still showed fear, but she breathed a sigh of relief.
Having dealt with Xue Han so many times, she had come to know him somewhat. He might not believe in her dreams, but he would keep the promises he made.
“Details—” Qiu Heng pondered, “The fire in the dream started around midnight, it seems…it seems to be tomorrow night!”
"Okay, I've got it." Xue Han said solemnly.
Qiu Heng's expression relaxed: "Thank you, Lord Xue."
"Sixth Miss Qiu, you are too kind. The safety of the Crown Prince cannot be taken lightly. Autumn is a dry season and is prone to fires, so we should be extra careful."
Qiu Heng smiled and said, "I am grateful that Lord Xue is willing to believe me. If it were someone else, they would definitely think I'm talking nonsense or having a fit of hysteria."
"If something like this happens again, just tell me."
Qiu Heng saw the smile in Xue Han's eyes and lowered her gaze slightly.
His guilt was far too effective.
"Has Miss Qiu's old ailment flared up recently?" Xue Han suddenly asked.
Qiu Heng shook her head: "Not recently."
"The attacks are unpredictable?"
"Um."
Xue Han turned his gaze to the rippling blue lake: "What about in winter?"
Qiu Heng paused for a moment, then smiled slightly: "I'm used to it."
Xue Han also fell silent.
"Lord Xue, I'll head back now."
"I send you."
Qiu Heng did not refuse.
This secluded mountain forest was filled with melodious birdsong, and Xue Han stopped walking.
Qiu Heng sniffed: "It smells like blood."
Upon receiving a slightly surprised look from Xue Han, Qiu Heng said, "I deal with spices, so I'm quite sensitive to their scents."
A perfumer who can rise to prominence cannot have a dull sense of smell.
The word "also" immediately reminded Xue Han of the awkward situation he had experienced before, and he couldn't help but cough lightly: "Ahem, let's go take a look."
He walked ahead, firmly shielding Qiu Heng behind him.
"It's a fawn, and it's injured."
Qiu Heng took a step forward and looked toward the source of the bloody smell.
It was a deer curled up, with feathered arrows stuck in its legs. Its eyes were wet as it looked over, and it was snorting softly.
"It escaped from the hunters." Xue Han said, squatting down to comfort the fawn, quickly pulling out the arrow with one hand and using a handkerchief to cover the wound with the other.
The fawn let out a painful groan, whether from exhaustion or from a spiritual awareness that it was being rescued, it barely struggled.
"Miss Qiu Liu, could you please fetch some wound medicine for me? It's in the blue pouch at my waist."
Qiu Heng nodded and took out a bottle of ointment from the pouch hanging on Xue Han's waist. She immediately recognized it as Renxintang's top-grade wound medicine.
Xue Han caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and quickly reminded him, "It's not this one, it's the other bottle."
"Oh." Qiu Heng put the porcelain bottle back and took out another bottle.
It is also a superior wound medicine from Renxintang, but in a larger quantity.
Does it make a difference?
Qiu Heng looked puzzled and uncorked the bottle.
Xue Han took the wound medicine and carefully sprinkled it on the deer's wound, then said, "I'll have to trouble Miss Qiu to help me get the strip of cloth."
Where?
"In the bag on the other side of the waist."
Qiu Heng took out a roll of cloth: "I'll do it."
"I've already touched it, so don't touch it anymore."
Seeing Xue Han skillfully bandaging Xiao Lu's wounds, Qiu Heng smiled and said, "Lord Xue carries quite a lot with him."
“They’re all commonly used,” Xue Han said casually.
Qiu Heng fell silent.
Xue Han tied a knot in the cloth strip: "Alright, let's go."
On her way to wash her hands by the lake, Qiu Heng glanced back at the deer.
"Even though the wound has been treated, he might not survive." Xue Han didn't turn around. "Won't Miss Qiu Liu think I'm overstepping my bounds? I was prey to begin with—"
“No. When we hunt, it was prey; now that we’ve encountered it, it’s a living being.” Qiu Heng turned her head to look at Xue Han and smiled gently. “Lord Xue truly has compassion for the poor and weak.”
Xue Han: "..." I should have found a different excuse back then.
Back at her lodgings, Qiuheng took a bath and changed her clothes, and ate dinner with great relish.
"Girl, I've noticed you're in a good mood today."
Qiu Heng sat on the bed, relaxing against the soft pillows, and did not deny it: "It's not bad."
The most important thing about this autumn hunting trip went smoothly, so I was in a good mood.
Although she reminded Xue Han, she still planned to secretly go and keep an eye on things the following night, just in case.
As night deepened, Qiuheng fell asleep. After some time, she vaguely heard a commotion.
Qiu Heng sat up abruptly, her heart pounding for no apparent reason. After listening intently for a moment, she immediately got up, grabbed her coat from the screen, put it on, and hurriedly went outside.
Fangzhou, who was sleeping in the outer room, woke up to the noise and asked in confusion, "Where are you going, young lady?"
"I'll go out and take a look."
After saying that, Qiu Heng ran into the courtyard and saw flames shooting into the sky from the direction of the palace, and the noise became even clearer.
(End of this chapter)
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