Chapter 94: The venomous snake. The collar of her inner garment was still damp—she had long been chilled...
When Yu Qing woke up, he had a severe headache.
She touched her forehead and found it was a little hot. She had finally exhausted herself.
He hadn't gotten enough sleep for quite some time, hanging on by his wits. He went on duty as usual during the week, and occasionally led his men out secretly at night to run errands for Prince Rui, so his days and nights were often reversed. In the few remaining free moments, he never rested, his mind completely consumed by Xie Jing, leaving him no peace.
I came out of the dungeon last night and took a cold shower. My hair wasn't completely dry even after the whole night.
This keeps happening one after another, even gods can’t stand it.
Then she found that her menstrual period had also come.
Yu Qing: “…”
Her physique differed somewhat from that of an average person, and coupled with years of martial arts training, she typically only experienced this a few times a year. Each time, she could sense it in advance, and it rarely affected her. But this time, she was completely unaware, yet it happened just as she was. Her entire body and mind were in a state of chaos.
·
Yu Qing had a low-grade fever for two or three days, and he felt sleepy all the time and had little strength.
Actually, it’s not a big problem. It will heal on its own. Apart from a little redness on the face, I don’t look haggard at all.
But she didn't want to move around, and was annoyed by strangers. She just wanted to stay quiet for a few days, so she asked for leave.
When they heard that the prince was ill, everyone in the marquis's mansion was shocked.
Yu Qing hasn't been sick for many years, and no one can remember when was the last time.
The whole family took turns to visit her. The old marquis had come to Huaifeng Pavilion several times, and he himself was still very ill. Sometimes Yu Qing felt that her father was coughing more violently than herself while sitting there, and she asked him to go back first, feeling both amused and helpless.
Yu Qing felt that she didn't need to drink the medicine, but Qiying boiled some for her and it was very bitter, so she had no choice but to drink it obediently.
When Prince Rui heard about it, he sent someone to the Marquis's residence to express his condolences and present generous gifts. Perhaps because he felt that she had indeed been overwhelmed with work recently and felt bad for it, he granted her a few more days of leave.
In his spare time, Yu Qing only has one person in his heart.
She reviewed her interactions with Xie Jing over the past six months, and many times she held her forehead with her hand, lost in thought.
After the failed imprisonment attempt and Xie Jing's release, he did not retaliate and everything was calm.
It was time for the eldest sister and her family to leave Beijing. On the last day of their leave, Yu Qing sent them to the city gate.
Yu Wei bid her farewell reluctantly, and before leaving, she reminded her to consider the method she had mentioned earlier, and to send her a message if she had any problems in the future.
Yu Qing: "...Yeah."
Yu Qing's actions were much faster than Yu Wei's, but he failed miserably in the end and was too embarrassed to tell the other party.
·
She didn't have too much free time, as the autumn hunt was about to begin. The imperial guards had to accompany the emperor to the hunting grounds, and all the ceremonial etiquette was very complicated. The Xuanlin Guards and the Jinyu Guards were on duty, and no mistakes were allowed, so they all waited solemnly.
On the day of departure, the emperor came out of the palace, followed by members of the royal family, princes and nobles. The guards supported the holy carriage and left the capital for the hunting grounds in a mighty procession.
Yu Qing looked at the long line of carriages and horses, wondering where His Royal Highness Prince Jing was.
It was not until they set up camp that she saw Xie Jing. Their tents were in the same area, not far away from each other.
...In fact, she had wanted to meet Xie Jing during this period, but she had not yet figured out how to face him.
He was even able to knock someone unconscious and kidnap them, but now he feels nervous even talking to someone face to face.
The closer I get, the more timid I feel and the deeper my thoughts become.
However, the two of them had no time to meet. Xie Jing didn't know how to hunt, but he still used the excuse that not killing animals was for the sake of blessing. The emperor was very convinced by these mysterious things, and Xie Jing's words touched his heart. It was said that the emperor kept Xie Jing with him and would dine with him that night.
Yu Qing led people to patrol the camp. In the evening, she separated from the guards and returned to her tent. She saw Xie Jing from afar.
Even if it was just a blurry shadow, she knew who it was.
She was actually a little nervous and even wanted to go around it or pretend not to notice it, but her hands were not under her control and she controlled the horse to go in that direction.
Xie Jing also saw her, he stopped, and the rest of the guards followed him and stopped moving forward.
There were so many people gathered in the tents and there was nothing much to say.
Yu Qing dismounted and said, "...Hello, Your Highness."
Xie Jing also said politely, "Hello, Commander."
When the two looked at each other, Yu Qing subconsciously looked away slightly, but she could clearly feel that Xie Jing's gaze was still on her face.
"...I heard that the commander was ill a while ago," Xie Jing said softly, "Is he okay now?"
In fact, Yu Qing did not claim to be sick, he just asked for leave and only told the King Rui the reason. Xie Jing probably found out from him.
"...Nothing," Yu Qing said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Xie Jing asked, "Where are you going, Commander?"
Yu Qing said, "Go back to the tent."
Xie Jing hesitated, perhaps wanting to ask something, his eyes revealing concern, but in the end he said, "Okay, Commander, you've been working hard protecting the emperor these days. Rest early. The hunt will begin tomorrow."
In fact, Yu Qing no longer cared about hunting or ranking. She almost wanted to say that there was no need to rest too early.
She had dinner in her tent and turned off the lights, not feeling sleepy at all. Last time, she and Xie Jing had shared a tent.
During the day, she took him out for fun and horse racing, and when she came back at night, she would fall asleep looking at his sleeping face.
It's been a long time since I last saw Xie Jing. We only saw each other briefly today, so I didn't even get a good look at him.
In fact, she should have had a few words with him. She was just too indecisive.
Yu Qing thought, if Xie Jing didn't go hunting tomorrow and stayed near the tent, could she come back halfway and look for him?
The emperor is old and will not go hunting in person this time. Yu Qing only hopes that he will stay with his concubines and not call Xie Jing away again.
She vaguely heard some noise outside and the footsteps of guards passing by, so she came out to take a look.
Xie Jing was outside the tent, surrounded by several people who were talking to him.
Yu Qing paused for a moment, then walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"
In addition to her, people from other tents around her also came out after hearing the noise, or sent people to inquire. At this time, no one was probably asleep. Xie Jing did not expect to disturb so many people and was a little hesitant.
"...Exactly," Xie Jing said, "The smell in my tent is a bit strange and not very pleasant. I wanted to ask someone about it."
Yu Qing: “…”
She was speechless for a moment, wondering how to solve this problem for him?
At the same time, two guards emerged from his tent and reported, "Your Highness, we haven't noticed anything unusual. This is a hunting ground where animals usually gather. There's soil beneath the tent, so the smell is probably normal..."
Xie Jing: “…”
He felt bad for a moment, as if this made him seem very picky and willful, so he said to the guard, "Well, okay, I understand."
Yu Qing said, "How about we get His Highness a new tent?"
Xie Jing said: "...Don't bother, they should be about the same."
Yu Qing: "How about some more incense?"
Xie Jing said: "...Well, I'll try."
Yu Qing sighed silently, and as she turned around, she thought again: lighting incense might not be enough to suppress it. What if the two things mixed together and became even weirder? She looked back and saw that Xie Jing had already returned to the tent.
She wondered if Xie Jing could sleep well.
Last time she made careful preparations for the princess, but now she is not with Xie Jing and cannot do it herself.
This hunting ground was really not very good. There was nothing there. No matter how well decorated the tent was, it was still very simple, much worse than his bedroom in the palace. There were also many mosquitoes, rats and ants in the wild. I wondered if the people on his side were not careful enough and drove them away for him... Yu Qing was always worried that he would suffer.
·
Xie Jing just lay down, but still felt uncomfortable.
The bed was hard, the pillows were a bit rough, there were faint insects chirping outside, and there was a strange smell in the tent.
I’ve been here for autumn hunting before, so why didn’t I find it so bad?
It seemed that because Yu Qing was there, he didn't care much about these things.
He slept restlessly and didn't know how long he had been sleeping with his eyes closed. In the dim light, he seemed to hear a rustling sound.
The hunting grounds were not as peaceful as the mansion. At first he did not open his eyes and did not pay much attention to it. But as he listened, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
This sound was not coming from across the tent, but... not far from him.
Xie Jing frowned, propped himself up, and glanced under the couch. Without a light on, he couldn't see clearly.
There was a breeze outside, and the light from the patrolling guards leaked in through the gaps in the tent, illuminating the ground for a moment.
There were several bumps on the originally smooth carpet, and... a long, curved black shadow was crawling out.
Xie Jing's whole body was covered with hair, his mind was blank, and he froze on the spot.
"Someone come..."
He didn't even shout out the first time.
This scene awakened a very old memory: the corpse of the palace maid, the slippery touch, and the crying sound... He was completely shrouded in shadow, with ringing in his ears and dizziness.
He raised his voice as high as he could: "Someone come!"
Before he could finish his words, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. The next sentence was stuck in his throat and he couldn't shout it out no matter what.
·
Yu Qing vaguely heard a shout. In fact, she was so far away that she couldn't hear whose voice it was, but she had a bad intuition and immediately got up and left the tent.
The guards hurried over with torches and gathered outside the tent not far away.
She realized whose residence it was and was immediately startled. She rushed over and heard someone inside calling "Your Highness Prince Jing" and someone else saying "snake".
Yu Qing grabbed a torch from someone nearby and stepped into the tent. He immediately saw the winding traces and snake shadows on the ground. His pupils suddenly shrank. The guards who arrived first were also a little flustered and didn't know how to deal with it. They hurriedly drew their swords and tried to stab, but they didn't hit the vital points and instead forced the snakes to crawl wildly.
She said, "Highly poisonous, be careful!"
Yu Qing raised his sword and killed a few of them. After calming down, the rest of the people also killed them one by one. Some snakes were still showing their fangs and spewing venom when they were dying. They were very fierce and anyone who came into contact with them would probably be in trouble.
"...Your Highness? Your Highness?" someone called.
She looked up at Xie Jing, only to see that Xie Jing was leaning against a servant, and hadn't said a word from beginning to end.
Prince Rui also rushed over after hearing the noise. His clothes were not very neat. When he saw the scene in the tent and the snake corpse, his expression changed. He first walked to Xie Jing and helped him over from the guards.
Xie Jing's face was as pale as paper, and his breathing was rapid. Prince Rui whispered, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Can you get up?"
Seeing Xie Jing's hand on his heart, still unable to speak, Prince Rui frowned and asked, "Is it here? Does it hurt?"
Xie Jing nodded.
Yu Qing's heart tightened, and she wanted to check on Xie Jing, but with Prince Rui present, it would seem strange for her to approach. Prince Rui gently patted Xie Jing's back to soothe him, then checked his pulse and heartbeat, saying in a deep voice, "...No, it's too fast."
She couldn't help herself, so she walked forward, bent down, and held Xie Jing's wrist.
First, he was frozen, and then he felt that Xie Jing's pulse was indeed frighteningly abnormal, which showed how frightened he was.
Prince Rui exchanged a glance with her, but without reacting to her sudden action, he ordered, "Quickly summon the accompanying imperial physician to have His Highness the Ninth Prince placed in my tent."
There are poisonous snakes sneaking into this place, and now it is in chaos. Xie Jing will be safer with Prince Rui.
She watched the guards take Xie Jing over, and subconsciously followed half a step, staring intently, wanting to remind the two men to be careful and slow down, but she felt that their hands and feet were clumsy, and she was afraid that Xie Jing would feel uncomfortable being held by them.
Prince Rui also turned away and left, giving her a few instructions before leaving. Even if he didn't say it, Yu Qing knew what to do. She ordered people to keep a close watch on the tent and not allow anyone to enter or leave. She also asked the guards to comfort the nobles who were disturbed nearby.
The guard lifted the thick blanket and found the ground underneath was noticeably softer and had holes in it. Yu Qing smelled a strange odor.
It was very faint, almost imperceptible through the soil and carpet. She guessed it was used to repel snakes. They'd prepare the snakes beforehand, then use drugs to force them out of the ground. Someone dug deeper, and surprisingly, they unearthed two more live snakes.
Thinking that these things were so close to Xie Jing, she clenched her hands.
...At night, Xie Jing may have discovered something unusual.
But he was not familiar with the wild, so when he heard others say that there was the smell of animal remains, grass, and soil, he thought it was normal.
She was clearly there at the time, so why did she just leave so casually without staying to take another look?
Yu Qing regretted it very much.
After arranging these things and collecting the evidence, she came to King Rui's tent, where the lights were still on.
After standing there for a while, Yu Qing finally saw an attendant coming out. He stopped him and asked, "How is His Royal Highness Prince Jing?"
The man was startled by the sight of the commander standing silently in the darkness and said, "He's getting much better. The imperial physician just gave him some heart-protecting medicine and acupuncture. He should be fine now."
Yu Qing's tense nerves relaxed a little, and his heart palpitations were mild and severe. If something happened, he might not be able to be saved.
Although Xie Jing was young, the scene just now was too thrilling. She was scared when she thought of the pale face and cold hands.
Although she heard what others said, she still couldn't let go of her worries because she didn't see Xie Jing.
She slowly walked a few steps closer, looking at the gap in the tent. At this time, King Rui stepped out. His face was gloomy, and he seemed to be outside to get some fresh air. When he saw Yu Qing outside, he was stunned for a moment, his eyes slightly complicated.
Yu Qing opened his mouth, and Prince Rui said, "It's okay, go to sleep. The imperial physician is watching over you, so you don't have to worry too much. We can discuss the rest tomorrow morning."
She hadn't asked yet, so how did King Rui know why she came?
Yu Qing had no choice but to say, "Okay, I'll take my leave."
With Prince Rui there, she couldn't keep looking back. Returning to her own quarters and taking off her outer garment, she discovered the collar of her inner garment was still damp—it had long been soaked with cold sweat.
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