Chapter 95: I’m afraid that if he dies, there will be no happiness in his life...
This night was exceptionally long, and it seemed as if dawn would never come.
When the emperor woke up, he learned that King Jing had encountered a snake late at night. However, at this critical juncture, all the rituals of autumn hunting and sacrifice had to proceed as usual. There was also a hunting ceremony today. It was impossible to delay important matters because of this, so he only asked King Rui to pay attention to it for the time being.
Since he suffered a stroke, the emperor's temperament has changed a lot. He has been nostalgic for the harem, superstitious about ghosts and gods, cared less and less about state affairs, and became more and more indecisive and foolish.
The emperor heard from one of the eunuchs around him that Prince Jing's danger at this time might be a bad omen. After thinking about it, he felt that there was some truth to it. He summoned Prince Rui to discuss whether to send Xie Jing back to the capital as soon as possible to rest. He completely forgot that he was very happy with Xie Jing yesterday and treated him as a mascot.
Prince Rui didn't expect the emperor to do anything, but he was still a little annoyed by his emperor's lack of compassion.
He patiently tried to reassure the emperor, talked about the country's fortune, and said that King Jing might be warding off disasters and misfortunes, so this year's autumn hunt would surely go smoothly.
The emperor believed it and never mentioned the matter again. Prince Rui came out from the emperor's place and saw Yu Qing on the way.
Commander Yu was usually very serious, and now his handsome face looked gloomy.
"..." King Rui sighed, "You should also come with me."
·
Yu Qing followed Prince Rui into the tent. Apart from the emperor's, his was the most spacious and magnificent tent. In fact, there were several independent small rooms inside.
The two sat down in the outer room, and Yu Qing subconsciously looked inside.
"He's still in a coma, and someone's attending him. He didn't rest for long last night, but at four o'clock in the morning, he had a high fever again, which wouldn't go down. He talked nonsense for a long time, and the imperial physician was busy with him until dawn before he felt better."
Yu Qing frowned and asked, "What did he say?"
A trace of contradiction flashed across Prince Rui's face, and then he said calmly, "Nothing, just calling people randomly, sometimes mother, sometimes royal brother, sometimes yours... I can't hear anything else clearly."
In fact, Xie Tingzhao was just a little unhappy.
The truth is that Xie Jing called Yu Qing much more often than he called him.
If we count titles like "Crown Prince", there will be even more.
He didn't want to admit it, nor did he tell the truth to Yu Qing, pretending that he was still ahead of Yu Qing.
Yu Qing was actually a little worried for a moment that Xie Jing would accidentally leak the secret, but seeing that Prince Rui's attitude towards him had not changed, he felt that it was unlikely.
But King Rui's answer left her stunned for a moment.
I didn't expect that I could be compared with these two people in Xie Jing's place. Moreover, Prince Rui didn't seem surprised.
She gathered herself and asked, "Why is the fever so high? Does the imperial physician have any explanation? I think once the palpitations subside, it will be fine."
"Perhaps..." Prince Rui paused, then waved his hand and said, "Never mind, let's ask him when he wakes up. The imperial physician said it was caused by convulsions."
Yu Qing, however, was unconvinced and felt the imperial physician was being irresponsible. "Seizures and high fever are usually seen in children. Your Highness is an adult now, so why is he still so weak? Is there something wrong?"
Prince Rui said, "His foundation was weak to begin with. He consumed his vital energy in recent years, so he's always a little weaker than others... Also, when he was a child, he was startled by a snake, which crawled into his bedroom and poisoned the palace maids around him. This time, he must have been deeply frightened. When the five emotions are overexcited, they can all transform into fire."
Yu Qing found it difficult to understand these brief words. She hesitated and said, "I don't know that."
Prince Rui said, "A snake? I didn't know that before. Last time, when I was interrogating the Queen's palace maids, they confessed all the evil they had done over the past decade. Only then did I know that there were many things he had never told my mother and me."
Yu Qing's heart was filled with emotions.
She remembered the time she took Xie Jing to Tanyin Temple, where he was frightened by a small, harmless snake. He was very nervous all the way back.
It turns out he was really scared.
After the truth about the princess was revealed, although many details of the past were vivid in his mind, Yu Qing did not think about it anymore.
After all, Xie Jing was very cunning and very good at disguise. Now he could play the princess very well, and it must have been even more real and easy before. She thought that most of those were just tricks to make others let down their guard.
She lowered her eyes, held her forehead, and whispered, "...Last night... His Highness noticed something was wrong, but I didn't go into his tent to check... It was indeed negligence, and it was my fault."
Yu Qing is usually polite and upright, but he has always been strong in the court, decisive and resolute, and will not give in. He rarely makes mistakes in his work, so naturally he never complains.
This was the first time King Rui heard him describe himself in this way. He paused and said, "If someone intends to harm you, you can't guard against it."
He was also puzzled. Why was Yu Qing acting so gentlemanly this time, refusing to even enter the tent? He imagined that the two of them must be secretly affectionate. He hadn't paid much attention to Xie Jing recently. Could it be that the two of them had a new conflict?
Seeing Yu Qing feeling very guilty, Prince Rui did not ask any further questions.
He said, "I didn't expect someone to take action so early. I was too impatient. I want to see what confidence they have. If they dare to provoke me at this time, then I will fight them to the end."
Yu Qing thought for a moment and said, "According to the intelligence we received earlier, some of those noble families are still waiting and watching. Even if they were willing, they wouldn't have enough time to prepare too much. If they were more cautious, they wouldn't act now. Wouldn't that alert the enemy? This hunting ground is heavily guarded, and if something goes wrong, it will be strictly guarded. If they want to rebel, they can only mobilize troops now."
Prince Rui narrowed his eyes and thought, "That's right. It's as if someone lost their temper and acted impulsively... Ever since Ah Jing returned to the capital, some people have been targeting him... No, it was wrong before he came back. Their hatred for him is strange. I don't even know where it came from. He's not a troublemaker..."
Yu Qing was silent for a moment. Prince Rui thought he had some opinion, but then he heard him say, "...Does Your Highness usually call him A Jing?"
Prince Rui: “…”
He thought to himself, forget it, just two lovers.
Yu Qing realized that she had asked a foolish question. However, her heart was now entirely devoted to Xie Jing.
Prince Rui said, "Jing is his nickname, don't you know?"
Yu Qing said: "I know."
She had always remembered it; Xie Jing had told her this when they met again. Even though he had a new name after being crowned king, Yu Qing had grown accustomed to calling him by it. Outsiders probably didn't understand, so it seemed a little more special. Even now, hearing Prince Rui call him that, she felt an indescribable strangeness.
Prince Rui asked, "If you don't call him that, what do you call him?"
Yu Qing: “…”
She looked at Prince Rui's inquiring eyes, her mind was stuck, and she blurted out the truth: "Call me...Princess."
Prince Rui: “……?”
He was a little confused about the young people's interests and was speechless for a moment. But after thinking carefully, he said, "Okay, she does look like a princess."
The brief conversation between the two did not last long. It was almost time for the Autumn Hunting Ceremony. King Rui would preside over the ceremony this year, and Yu Qing would also go to guard the emperor.
She was near the emperor, her eyes scanning the neat and solemn crowd from near to far, thinking that the person who harmed Xie Jing was among them.
The last time Xie Jing fell into the water in front of her, she had suspected him of framing her, but now, she no longer had the heart to question anything. Whenever she thought of Xie Jing's face, her heart felt heavy. Even standing on the stage, she couldn't help but feel hostile towards everyone present, feeling that everyone was responsible, including herself.
She had experienced many extremely dangerous situations, but the feelings would fade away afterwards. Only this time, the more she thought about it, the more scared she became, and she was almost at a loss.
What if Xie Jing wasn't so sensitive and attentive? What would have happened if he'd gone to bed confused at night?
A poisonous snake crawled on his body in the middle of the night, but he was still sleeping.
So, when we wake up this morning and walk into his tent, there will only be one corpse.
Last night, just imagining that scene made her tremble uncontrollably. If the lifeless, cold, and stiff Xie Jing appeared before her, it would surely be a nightmare she would never forget. It would never be over.
Just hearing the news of his death had already devastated her. If she had seen it with her own eyes, she might have gone mad. She hadn't been able to control herself when Xie Jing was alive, and if she lost him again, she didn't know what she would do.
At most, she just wanted to keep herself and Xie Jing separate and not disturb each other, but she never thought that Xie Jing would die.
This was a truly sleepless night, a night of burning inwards. The immense fear choked her throughout the night, making it impossible for her to breathe. She realized that her previous worries and anxieties were nothing. She still had some hesitation, worrying about gains and losses, but that wasn't true fear at all.
She was more afraid of Xie Jing dying than of him hurting her. Xie Jing might not betray her, and even if he did, Yu Qing would still have a way out. But Xie Jing had almost died.
If he died, she would have no happiness in her life.
What's even more terrifying is, if she gets to know everything about Xie Jing from then on and finds that many things are not what she expected, what should she do?
·
Yu Qing did not participate in the autumn hunt.
She informed the emperor that an incident had occurred in the camp the previous night and that she would arrange for guards to strengthen patrols and security for the next few days to prevent further mishaps. This was her duty, and the emperor naturally had no objection.
Half an hour after the autumn hunt began, Yu Qing gave instructions to his subordinates and returned to the camp.
She didn't know whether King Rui's personal guards would let her go, but unexpectedly, the guards in the tent did not stop her when they saw her.
She wondered if Xie Jing or Prince Rui had given her instructions in advance? When had it been? She was still extremely wary of Xie Jing, but everyone around him seemed to have tacitly assumed her safety, as if they had completely accepted her.
"Where is His Royal Highness Prince Jing?" she asked softly.
The servant took her to the innermost part, behind the screen, where Xie Jing was lying on the bed with his eyes closed.
Yu Qing wanted to get closer to take a closer look, but he couldn't bear to look any longer.
How could a person be so fragile? She thought to herself, it would be best if Xie Jing didn't go anywhere, didn't do anything, just stayed in the mansion every day, clothed in fine clothes and fed with delicious food, and cared for like a precious flower.
After a while, the servant came over with the medicine, and Yu Qing whispered, "Is this for His Highness?"
The servant nodded and said, "The imperial physician prepared the medicine. It's time to drink it, but Your Highness's fever hasn't completely subsided yet..."
She felt that since Xie Jing was asleep, she didn't want to disturb him, but she couldn't stop taking the medicine. She went forward and touched Xie Jing's forehead. It was indeed a little hot, which was different from usual.
Because they were in the hunting ground, no one would bring extra maids with them. Except for the concubines and noble ladies accompanying the emperor, who had personal servants, the people left in the tents of others were all attendants.
If it were Qiu Lian and the others, perhaps they would be more considerate. However, she wasn't very familiar with the servants around Prince Rui, and she felt that they were not very careful. Seeing him help Xie Jing up, she frowned and finally couldn't help but say, "...Or let me do it."
Xie Jing might not be asleep, but rather unconscious. He was helped up without opening his eyes, and the color of his lips and skin almost blended into one. Yu Qing carefully fed him a few sips of medicine and found that he was very easy to take. Perhaps he had some perception in the chaos and knew that he was taking the medicine without any rejection.
He was too well behaved, and Yu Qing felt a little uncomfortable.
Finally, she put down the bowl and placed Xie Jing back steadily. She looked at his face, hesitated for a moment, and finally said to the servant, "Excuse me...can I be alone with His Highness for a while?"
The waiter was a close associate of Prince Rui, intelligent and knowledgeable, and knew a lot about the inside story. Seeing Yu Qing's interest, he nodded and said, "Then I'll wait outside. Your Excellency, please feel free to ask for anything."
Once everyone else left, it was just the two of them.
Yu Qing's calm expression finally relaxed. She stared at Xie Jing blankly, her eyes wandering over him, her face full of concern.
Xie Jing suddenly coughed softly a few times, and then his eyelashes moved.
He was dazed and only knew that he was in Prince Rui's tent. Seeing a shadow in front of him, he said in a hoarse voice: "...Royal brother?"
Yu Qing said: "Your royal brother is not here, it's me."
Xie Jing asked: "...Yu Qing?"
He then opened his eyes wide and stared at Yu Qing without moving his eyeballs. Yu Qing didn't know if he could see clearly, so he said, "Yeah."
Xie Jing murmured, "I'm dreaming."
He closed his eyes listlessly. Yu Qing didn't know what to say. She felt helpless and wanted to laugh. She said, "You're awake. This isn't a dream. Don't you recognize me?"
She touched Xie Jing's face and felt that he was not conscious at all. After thinking for a while, she asked, "Where else do you feel uncomfortable now?"
Xie Jing shook his head.
Before Yu Qing could breathe a sigh of relief, Xie Jing whispered, "I feel uncomfortable everywhere."
Yu Qing held her forehead and sighed, "You're almost dying of pampering, Princess."
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