Chapter 81 Your Majesty, Don’t Run Away Again…
Chunxiang's tent was warm, and she could hear broken gasps, mixed with the man's suppressed, hoarse voice: "Are you still running?"
"No..." Wen Xing's eyes were filled with natural tears, like the surface of a clear lake. "...I won't run away anymore."
"Please...don't..."
The voice was cut off by a scream.
"But you're full of lies, sir. I don't believe you anymore."
"What should we do? Let's put shackles on him." A pleasant yet annoying voice uttered dangerous words intermittently: "How about chaining him to me?"
Wen Xing's mind was in a mess. Being torn between excessive joy and excessive fatigue had become a torture.
He could only respond instinctively: "...This time...I won't lie to you..."
"I don't believe it."
After a burst of rapid water flow, Wen Xing was speechless for a long time.
After his body suddenly tensed up, he was overwhelmed by extreme sleepiness, which even made him ignore the pain in his body.
However, the man still refused to let him go and always forcibly awakened his consciousness when he was about to faint.
He murmured, "I won't run away again...let me go...please..."
Too tired.
The most tiring thing he had ever done in his life was running away.
He felt like a piece of meat being targeted by a vicious dog. No matter where he ran, the dog would follow the scent and hold him tightly, refusing to let go.
The only way left for him was to be eaten.
The spring tide had not yet subsided, but his body was on the verge of collapse and he could no longer open his eyes.
Ning Wujie stared at him with his eyes slightly narrowed.
"That's what you said."
After he finished speaking, he bent down and left a tooth mark on his neck, like a master branding his property.
However, the person in his arms had already fainted and showed no reaction despite the sharp pain.
Ning Wujie still didn't let him go.
However, after an unknown amount of time, Ning Wujie paused when he noticed that the person in his arms was gradually getting hot.
He pinched Wen Xing's chin with one hand and placed the back of his other hand on his forehead. It was so hot there that he retracted his hand and his pupils trembled suddenly.
Wen Xing frowned, his lips slightly parted, and even the breath he exhaled was extremely hot.
Ning Wujie patted Wen Xing's cheek, "Sir... wake up..."
There was no response, so he tried again, "Your Majesty?"
The person beneath him still showed no reaction.
Ning Wujie's face darkened, and he decisively turned over and got off the bed. After casually putting on his outer robe, he wrapped Wen Xing in the quilt, carried him horizontally, and kicked open the door.
"Return to the mansion and call the mansion doctor!"
*
In Anxi City, the streets are bustling.
A group of children with pigtails were laughing and weaving through the crowd, singing a ballad that came from nowhere.
"The man in brocade robes sits high up in the hall, his waist jingling with gold, while the poor lady lies alone in her bed, with her own fields producing no food!"
The tender voices of children are particularly harsh in the bustling city.
Several yamen runners armed with swords rushed over upon hearing the noise, chasing after them while shouting, "Who taught you to sing nonsense? Stop!"
The children, like frightened birds, scattered in all directions in the blink of an eye, shouting, "The police are arresting us! Run!"
The yamen runners chased the nimble little figure in the crowded market, drawing the attention of the surrounding people: "What a sin! They even spared the children!"
"Children's words are innocent!"
A fearless man carrying a load shouted in dissuasion: "Why aren't we even allowed to sing nursery rhymes? You didn't mention anyone by name, so isn't this a bit too much?"
"Could it be..." The man rolled his eyes and deliberately raised his voice: "Whose master is confessing himself?"
This sound caused laughter from the onlookers.
The bailiff chasing the child paused and turned to the man, shouting, "How dare you bite me? Capture me!"
However, the man was agile and moved around the streets like lightning. Several yamen runners chased him relentlessly but failed to catch up. They could only watch his figure disappear in the bustling downtown.
*
The atmosphere in the Governor's Mansion was stagnant.
King Xiang suppressed his rage and sternly addressed the attendant who was kneeling on the ground, "I want to see him alive or dead. Even if Li Wenyan sinks into the river, you must fish him out for me!"
The hooded man at the top glanced up and said in a steady yet chilling voice, "Your Highness, instead of worrying about Li Wenyan, why not pay attention to the nursery rhyme that has spread throughout the streets and alleys?"
Prince Xiang's face darkened. "My Lord, don't believe that nonsense! It's all lies made up by Li Wenyan!"
The hooded man said, "Whether I believe it or not is not important. What's important is..." He paused, "Three people can make a tiger. Even if the rumors are false, if they spread widely, it will be enough to shake the morale of the army. Your Highness's reputation is related to the success or failure of our rebellion. Are you aware of this?"
"Once everyone in the world is convinced that Your Highness cannot continue the Wen clan's ancestral temple, not only will the people discuss it, but I'm afraid there will be unrest in the army. After all, there are many relatives with the surname Wen, so it may not necessarily be necessary..."
"My Lord!" King Xiang closed his eyes, suppressing his anger. "Instead of making sarcastic remarks here, it's better to find a way to ban this nursery rhyme."
The hooded man said calmly, "If it can be banned in southern Yunnan, can it be banned outside? Can Your Highness stop the world's gossip?"
"It's only been two days and the news has spread throughout the streets and alleys. Your Highness, can't you guess who is behind this?"
King Xiang uttered three words between his teeth: "Never, no, disaster!"
Gao Meng, who had been sitting at the bottom, bowed and said, "Sir, if you ask me, we should capture the thief and the leader. Why don't we mobilize our main forces to storm Tanping? Even though the terrain is difficult, we can definitely take it with our military strength. As long as we get rid of Ning Wujie, everything will be solved!"
The hooded man pondered for a moment and said coldly, "Ning Wujie is waiting for your army to besiege Tanping."
"Given his personality, he would never dare to occupy Tanping without any preparation. He must have hidden his forces in the dark, and he is using me as bait, waiting for our army to come out in full force."
Gao Meng was puzzled. "How is this possible? His forces have long been tied down on multiple fronts. Even the Ningyuan Army dared not rashly send troops south because of the Shuofeng tribe's restless movements. Where would he get the troops?"
The hooded man glared at him coldly, "You've forgotten that the Jinshan Guard is stationed in Qianchuan, the closest to us. If our army attacks Tanping, the Jinshan Guard will attack us from both sides, or even attack Anxi directly to save Zhao. The consequences will be disastrous."
He sighed softly, "If we had Tanping, we could have taken Qianchuan first, and Jinshanwei wouldn't have been a concern. But now..." He glanced at Prince Xiang with a look of accusation, "Now that we've lost Tanping, our army is really in a passive position."
King Xiang felt guilty immediately after being glared at by him, and tried to defend himself: "It was Ning Wujie who was too cunning..." However, before he could finish his words, the hooded man raised his hand to stop him.
Gao Meng said, "So are we just going to sit there and wait for death?"
The hooded man thought for a moment and said solemnly, "Then Li Wenyan's method might really work."
Prince Xiang was puzzled: "Li Wenyan is full of lies, why do you still believe him?"
The hooded man took a sip of tea and asked, "Your Highness, didn't you see Ning Wujie's expression when Li Wenyan jumped into the water that day?"
He suddenly laughed as he said this: "It's really wonderful."
This incoherent sentence startled both of them.
The hooded man put down his teacup and said coldly, "If I'm not mistaken, Li Wenyan has probably been captured by Ning Wujie."
"Why don't we give him a hand?"
*
Wen Xing's head felt dizzy and his whole body ached.
His consciousness went up and down several times. The pain and burning sensation forced him to try to wake up, but his body always seemed to be pressed down by something, and he couldn't move at all. His eyelids were extremely heavy.
I could only vaguely hear some vague sounds——
"...Sir, you caught a cold after falling into the water and have a high fever. You need to reduce your fever first..."
"...Here's the prescription, boil the medicine..."
Soon, something cool and wet was placed on his forehead. The slight coolness eased his headache, and his consciousness sank again, sinking into chaos.
Inside the room, the candlelight was dim.
Ning Wujie sat beside the couch and wiped Wen Xing's forehead with a wet towel to cool it down.
The mask used for disguise was taken off completely and placed beside the couch.
The person on the couch had wet hair, a sickly flush on his cheeks, and his long brows were furrowed in pain.
Ning Wujie looked at that familiar and indescribably beautiful face, and his heart softened.
He sighed.
This man was willing to sacrifice his life to escape from him.
The scene of Wen Xing falling into the water came to mind, and a ball of anger ignited in his dark eyes again.
The uncontrollable anger suddenly rose, and dark thoughts popped up uncontrollably again.
The shadow guard knocked on the door, "Master."
"Come in." Ning Wujie didn't even raise his eyes, but reached out to feel the temperature of Xing's neck. Seeing that it was still hot, he couldn't help but frowned.
Suixing pushed the door open and walked in. When he saw the face of the person on the couch, his steps froze.
The "Li Wenyan" mask was placed on the bedside.
Jupiter: ...
Although I already knew that this "Li Wenyan" was His Majesty, I still couldn't help but be shocked when I saw his true appearance with my own eyes.
Ning Wujie looked up and saw Suixing's stiff expression. He said coldly, "Speak."
Suixing lowered his head and said, "Master, Xinghe has indeed contacted Tingchaoyuan. Our people have followed the spies sent by Tingchaoyuan, and we should be able to capture him soon."
Ever since Xinghe revealed his whereabouts at the post station, their men have been following him. Although they lost him for a while after he fell into the water the day before yesterday, fortunately, Xinghe revealed his whereabouts again at Linxian Tower, so their master decisively led his men to raid Linxian Tower.
Suixing: "Now that we have a clue about Tingchaoyuan, Xinghe, are you going to close the net? I'm worried that if we lose them again, it will be difficult to track them down."
Ning Wujie shook his head, "Let him be."
His gaze lingered on Wen Xing's face again.
Your Majesty...Once I catch the man who helped you, you will no longer have a chance to hide from me.
Suixing added, "Yesterday's incident has been investigated. The guards protecting the inner courtyard were drugged."
He knelt down as he spoke. "It was my negligence. Although all the guards in the General's Mansion have been replaced by our own men, we have also recruited servants from within the city to take care of you, sir. I'm afraid there are some of Prince Xiang's men among them. I didn't know who to look after, so I'm going to arrest all of them right now. Master, please punish me."
Ning Wujie glanced at him and said coldly, "No need."
Jupiter was puzzled: "Why?"
Ning Wujie lowered his eyes and looked at the sleeping person, feeling both angry and distressed.
Although His Majesty promised him not to run away again, this man's words in bed are never counted.
He no longer believed it.
He said solemnly, "They will take action again and use this opportunity to catch this hidden person."
Jupiter bowed his head in agreement.
"Besides, Prince Xiang has escaped, and I'm afraid your identity will soon spread throughout southern Yunnan. Although Tanping is currently under our control, we are still outnumbered..."
Even if we count the master's plan of crossing the river in white clothes, their number is no more than a thousand. Even if they occupy all the key positions, the defenders of Tanping number 20,000.
Ning Wujie was not surprised, and simply said, "It's okay, our reinforcements should be arriving soon."
"Pass the order down. The entire city of Tanping is under martial law immediately. No one is allowed to go out."
His fingertips occasionally swept across Wen Xing's smooth wrist, and the skin was still hot.
"Also..." Ning Wujie's eyes moved, thinking of what Wen Xing said before he jumped into the water, a cunning light flashed in his eyes, "You send someone to spread a message..."
Suixing put his ear close to the master and couldn't help but chuckle after hearing it clearly, but when he saw his master's expressionless face, he swallowed the laughter back.
"yes!"
Jupiter received the order and left the room.
Ning Wujie threw the handkerchief back into the cold water, wrung it dry and placed it on Wen Xing's forehead again. However, it was soon warmed by the man's hot forehead, and the man still had a high fever.
Ning Wujie's brows were furrowed tighter and tighter.
He called the servant outside in a deep voice: "Go prepare the bathtub and get some warm water."
The attendant responded.
About a cup of tea later, a bathtub was set up behind the screen outside the dormitory.
Ning Wujie personally tested the water temperature, and after confirming that it was only slightly lower than body temperature, he carried Wen Xing over.
The person who was unconscious due to a high fever was so weak that he could not sit still in the bathtub. As Ning Wujie put the person into the water, Wen Xing slid down like a boneless person.
Ning Wujie quickly supported Wen Xing's chin and prevented his mouth and nose from sinking into the water.
Ning Wujie thought for a moment, then decisively pulled the person out, took off his clothes, and then held the person back in the bathtub.
Two adults sat in the bathtub, and the water in the tub suddenly overflowed, making a splashing sound and wetting the ground.
He put his arms around Wen Xing's waist, let him sit on his lap, and supported his head so that it leaned back on his shoulder.
The smooth skin of the other person's back pressed tightly against his chest and abdomen.
Ning Wujie's breathing became heavier and he sighed helplessly.
After an unknown amount of time, the person on his body suddenly took a breath, and an unclear mutter came out of his throat. Then he turned around, instinctively looking for a comfortable position, and finally lay on his side in Ning Wujie's arms, with his face pressed against his neck.
The man curled up his legs like a cat, and his arms naturally wrapped around Ning Wujie's waist.
He lowered his eyes and saw that tiny water droplets had hung on the eyelashes of the person in his arms, and a few drops had fallen on her fair cheeks, like dew hanging on freshly peeled lychees.
The face he had been thinking about day and night was now leaning obediently in the crook of his shoulder. The blush on her cheeks had mostly faded, leaving only a faint pink stain on the whiteness of fresh snow, like peach blossom powder lightly sprinkled on milky white cheese, making people feel itchy just by looking at it.
Ning Wujie's eyes were dark. He endured it again and again, and finally, he carefully lifted the other person's chin and gently kissed the other person's lips.
Wen Xing's consciousness was floating in and out. The high fever made him unable to think. He only felt as if his lips were being bitten, ground and gnawed, which was painful and itchy.
"Hmm..." He seemed to be awakened by the kiss, but he had completely forgotten who he was. He only uttered vaguely: "Ning...Wujie..."
Ning Wujie paused and retreated a little.
Wen Xing only lifted his eyelids slightly, revealing his half-closed crescent-shaped eyes. There was a hazy look in his eyes, as if they were a little out of focus.
Wen Xing took a deep breath, "You... are so annoying..."
"Can you...let me...retire properly..."
retire?
Ning Wujie pondered for a moment, roughly guessing the meaning of the word, then narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice: "You can retire even if you return to the palace."
Wen Xing took a moment to react, her beautiful brows gradually furrowed as she muttered in dissatisfaction, "Return to the palace? No... I'll be exposed... and then... everything will be in vain."
Ning Wujie didn't understand what was meant by "exposure".
But he could guess the reason why Wen Xing was unwilling to return to the palace, so he comforted her, "Then I will cover up for Your Majesty, okay?"
Wen Xing's brows furrowed even deeper, and he even tried to push Ning Wujie away in resistance, "Don't call me Your Majesty... I don't want to be... Your Majesty..."
The hand pushing against his chest was soft and weak, scratching his heart like a cat's claw.
"I don't want to go back to the palace...I don't want all my efforts to be wasted..."
Ning Wujie grasped the man's struggling fingers and held them in his palm. His breathing was slightly stagnant as he soothed him softly, "Okay, if you don't want to do it, Your Majesty, then don't do it."
"If not Your Majesty, what should I call you?"
His eyes moved as he spoke, "Li Wenyan?"
Wen Xing blinked his heavy eyelids and blurted out: "No."
Ning Wujie laughed: "Aren't you Li Wenyan?"
"I don't want to do... Li Wenyan..."
Ning Wujie was puzzled, "Why?"
Wen Xing's consciousness fell into chaos again, and his lips were too heavy to open.
Why?
have no idea......
Maybe it's because you are deeply in love with Li Wenyan and always chase after him.
But that's not me...
Realizing that the person in his arms had fallen into a deep sleep, Ning Wujie sighed helplessly.
He let go of Wen Xing's fingers, reached out to touch the other's forehead, and when he saw that the temperature had returned to normal, he picked her up and stepped out of the bathtub, then lifted his bathrobe and covered her with it.
The water slid down his calves, dripping all the way, and finally stopped in front of the bed, flowing into a puddle.
Ning Wujie put the person back on the bed, then he climbed onto the bed and hugged the person tightly in his arms.
Your Majesty, don't run away anymore...
-----------------------
The author has something to say: It will be dropped in the next chapter.
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