It's hard to meet and hard to leave
The steward's carriage jolted from West Street past the East Gate, making him even more uneasy. He returned to the palace and paced back and forth in front of the virtuous prince's chamber, not daring to enter. He hadn't brought the person back, and he feared that once he entered this gate, a violent storm and thunder would erupt... Then he heard a deep voice from inside, "Come in! What are you standing outside for?"
The butler shuddered and pushed the door open with his head held high.
The room was a mess, just as it had been when the housekeeper left. Cups and plates lay broken on the floor, bedding half-draped over the edge of the bed. Maids and servants huddled trembling, not daring to utter a single breath. The imperial physician stood to one side, hunched over, not daring to approach, his medicine box still dangling from his body. His prince sat alone by the bed, his thin white nightgown stained with faint bright red on his chest. His right hand gently grasped the wound, his expression sullen. The master of the household was always considerate of his servants, but he had never lost his temper like this. This outburst was like a bolt from the blue, shaking the entire household to its core.
"Where are the people?" the butler heard a stern voice asking from above.
The housekeeper shuddered and said, "To answer your Highness, Jing Xiang, no, she refuses to come back..."
"If you haven't found him, what are you doing back?" The Lord's voice was icy cold, and the housekeeper shuddered. He trembled and said, "Prime Minister Jing... asked me to bring a message to the prince... saying that if the prince hears this, he can rest assured and recuperate in the mansion."
"What?"
The housekeeper carefully repeated Zhong Yujing's words, holding his breath and waiting for the attack...
There was silence for a long time. No angry shouts were heard, nor was there the sound of something being thrown. He just coughed a few times, and finally whispered, "Please ask the imperial physician to take a look. How many days will it take for me to recover and get out of bed?"
The butler looked up, and the servants in the room also raised their eyes, only to see that the master's brow had finally relaxed slightly, and his face had turned from pale to pale. The imperial physician was overjoyed upon hearing this. He stepped forward, casually placed the medicine box on the table, and placed his hand on the prince's wrist to feel his pulse. He was very obedient. After a while, the imperial physician put away the diagnosis handkerchief and said to him, "Congratulations, Your Highness. You are out of danger! However..." The imperial physician was puzzled. "Your Highness has been overworked recently. He has already lost too much blood and his vitality has been weakened. Such fatigue and repeated tearing of the wound will inevitably lead to a loss of vital energy. It will be detrimental to his recovery."
A smile played on his lips as he said to the imperial physician, "The king will take care of himself. According to the imperial physician, how many days will it take for the king to recover and get out of bed?"
The imperial physician stroked his beard and said, "It will take another month."
He frowned, "Why is it taking so long? Is there any other way to speed up the recovery? Increase the dosage? Or use acupuncture? As long as I can recover quickly, I will follow the doctor's orders."
The imperial physician pondered for a moment, then said, "I do have a method. I need to come and treat the prince with acupuncture every day, and then use medicine, but..."
He asked anxiously, "Just what?"
The imperial physician looked worried, "It's just that the needles have been used for too long, and the prince may suffer."
He breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "What's the harm? I can handle it, and the doctor can just give me the acupuncture without worry."
The imperial physician stroked his white beard again and said calmly, "Your Highness needs one more cooperation."
"What is it?"
"Rest in bed for half a month. Avoid any more heavy lifting, as it will drain your energy."
The corners of his lips curled up slightly, but he thought to himself, now, I'm afraid it's too late to think about it. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel depressed and irritated, and hurriedly said to the imperial physician: "Starting today, start using acupuncture on this prince."
The imperial physician took the order and began to rummage through the medicine box.
The housekeeper and the servants finally breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly asked everyone to clean up the room to facilitate the imperial physician's treatment. The housekeeper said silently in his heart, it is really strange, in this world today, the only person who can cure the master of the house is probably Jing Xiang.
Zhong Yujing has gotten used to it these days. She waits in her mansion at twilight every day for the servant from Prince Xian's mansion to come and report the news. This has become the most stressful moment of her day, but also the moment she looks forward to the most.
"The prince followed the doctor's orders and rested all day, only getting out of bed and walking around for a short while in the afternoon."
She felt relieved.
"The prince fainted from the pain of acupuncture today, and most of the bedding was soaked... The imperial physician said that acupuncture requires the patient to be awake for it to be effective, so he gave the prince another injection to wake him up. After he woke up, he endured the pain and didn't make a sound. His lips were blue and purple. I was really scared, but the prince just replied indifferently, "It's okay."
"After the imperial physician left, the prince fell into a deep sleep, unable to get up again. He didn't even eat. I was really worried watching him."
Her heart was twisted into a ball, as if being pierced by thousands of needles. She asked the servant, "If he doesn't use needles, it would only take another half a month. Why does he have to torture himself like this?"
The servant said, "I have asked the prince the same question before, but he was determined to do so and I could not stop him."
She clutched the hem of her dress tightly, regretting having told him that, regretting mentioning the word "too late." But now it was too late, and there was no way to take it back. Why had he bothered? Besides, if love was long-lasting, it wouldn't just happen between morning and evening. Yet, he was so impatient...
"The prince's wound has stopped bleeding recently, and his complexion has gradually become rosy. The imperial physician said that he is recovering very well."
The worry that had kept her awake all night was relieved a little.
"The prince can eat normally now. His appetite has improved a lot recently. He can also walk around. The imperial physician said he can get out of bed and move around for half an hour, but he needs to walk slowly."
She was pleased and ate more porridge at dinner.
After the long winter snow melted and the ice on the bluestone slabs thawed, the news of Chen Qing's recovery finally came. The imperial physician took his pulse for the last time, gave him some instructions on matters that needed attention, and then left the Prince Xian's Mansion and returned to the palace to receive his reward.
Early that morning, the Xianwang Palace's carriage stopped at the gates of the Zhong residence, and the steward personally came to take Zhong Yujing to the Xianwang Palace. In the carriage, Zhong Yujing felt a mixture of joy and sorrow. Half a month ago, she had reluctantly left him, severely injured, behind, hoping for a speedy recovery. And he, in order to survive this long yet brief half month, had endured countless hardships, just to see her soon. Meeting was hard, parting was hard too, and now she only regretted the clattering of the horses' hooves, unable to gallop faster.
The moment she gently pushed open his door, before she could see his figure clearly, she heard a snap behind her, and the door was closed by his backhand, and he took her into his arms... The familiar restraints were tied around her waist, and the familiar face appeared before her eyes, her vision was so clear, and her breathing was so rapid.
"You have such a cruel heart, leaving me behind." He frowned slightly, his eyes filled with anger and grievance.
Her hands clasped his broad back, "I just want you to get better soon..."
"You only thought about my body, but never considered my feelings."
“…”
She was speechless for a moment, and finally said: "I can't have the best of both worlds. I have to do it temporarily because of the situation. I..." The rest of the words were swallowed up by her... She only remembered that she felt guilty towards him and wanted to please him, but she was powerless and could not keep up with his pace... The emptiness and longing were filled, and her consciousness finally fell into confusion. Later, she could not remember anything, but only remembered the infinite joy in her heart and the incomparable satisfaction of her soul.
The two leaned on each other, feeling tender and affectionate. Even without words, they felt at peace. She seemed to suddenly remember something, "Let me see your wound. Is it really healed?"
He chuckled softly, his breath caressing her hair. He rested his hand on her head and said softly, "It's really healed now, don't worry~" But he let her touch the wound to check... As expected, there was a deep and shocking scar, which was even clearer than the mark of the family.
Her heart began to throb with pain again. He saw it, so he leaned her head against it and whispered, "I must leave a mark for you, engraved in my heart."
Her heart began to beat violently again, each beat so deep and profound, shaking all her emotions and filling her whole body.
She suddenly remembered something and looked up at him. "I haven't asked you yet, but the Zishu family seal and the carvings on the jade pendant you gave me seem to have the same writing style. It's like...an ancient script. What is that?"
He smiled gently and said, "That is the writing of the Zishu family. Only those of Zishu blood can recognize it. The mark on my body means "Zishu". The handwriting on the jade pendant is my name. Father engraved it for me personally. It is an ancient jade handed down from the Zishu family. It is a token given by my father to me to pass on to my wife."
She looked at him, startled for a moment, then tears welled up in her eyes. It turned out he'd already been determined to be with her. She'd been clueless, and he'd been beating around the bush just to get her to accept his feelings. Everything seemed preordained. She could only bury her cheek in his, clinging to him tightly, like leaning against a pulse, their heartbeats mingling, their rhythms aligned, becoming one.
"I will report to Yihong immediately. After all this time, I'm afraid Sun Zili has thoroughly investigated Wenren Rang. There are many things I still need to explain to Qiguo."
In reality, Zhong Yujing knew, needless to say, that even if some things weren't done, the situation had already forced them to this point, and now they had become something that had to be done. But when it came to Wenren Rang, there was one more pressing matter. Zhong Yujing said, "It would be best if Wenren Rang could come clean about everything. That way, King Yao's true face could be revealed to the world, letting everyone know that his reputation as a virtuous man was a fabrication, and that he was even more sinister and depraved than even King Ping. I've always believed that a beastly heart masked in human skin is more hateful and unforgivable than the publicly known darkness!"
Chen Qing sneered, "At this point, his actions and those shady dealings are exposed. Even if he wants to be buried with me in the earth, it will only make things worse. He can't do that for a moment!" He said firmly, then lowered his head and continued to look at her, his eyes softening. "Once everything is settled in Qi Kingdom, I will set off for Qing Kingdom."
She understood what he said, it was what she expected and not surprising, so she nodded slightly and just listened to him.
"There are many things to attend to on this trip to Qing. Perhaps it will take some time..."
It was inevitable, she understood it in her heart, and listened silently without saying a word.
"It will be safer for you to stay in Qi Country, and I will have fewer worries."
She nodded, and finally said: "I won't let myself become your worry." She lowered her head again and said nothing, but the sadness of parting was about to happen, and it was inevitable that she would raise her eyebrows, but it came back to her heart. She was silent for a while, and finally said: "You must remember, you must be extremely careful in everything, and don't put yourself in danger easily. The most important thing is to return safely!" She bit her lip, and finally did not say those four words. She was afraid that if she told him "come back soon", he would do something like would rather suffer to earn back and reunite with her as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, he said: "Don't worry, I will come back soon, and won't keep you waiting for long~" Her heart was instantly wrapped in a warm quilt, soft, warm, comfortable and steady. She looked up at him again, and heard him say: "When I return from Qingguo, I will take you back to Qingguo and take you home together."
Melting ice and snow surged into the mountains and rivers, stirring every nerve, vowing to transmit this scorching warmth into each other's bodies, wondering if it could soothe the pain of a moment's separation. It was like two vines, entwined and inseparable, finally growing into one, flourishing upwards, sprouting lush branches and leaves, and radiating a unique vitality in this bleak and decaying winter.
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