Chapter 121 [VIP] Lifesaver (8)
When Nan Yan woke up the next day, the sky had gradually brightened. Nan Yan put on her clothes and walked out of the tent. She saw a faint glow in the eastern sky, with a vibrant and vigorous atmosphere.
However, something seemed a little strange about the tent today, it was too quiet. She looked around and saw that the number of guards near the tent had obviously increased, and they were on high alert. It seemed that last night's assassination still had some impact.
Nan Yan pretended to know nothing. She looked around but didn't see Jin Xinli. She turned around and asked a maid who served her.
"Where's Jin Lili? Why hasn't he gotten up yet?"
The maid hesitated for a moment, thought for a moment, and then lowered her head and answered respectfully, "Master Jin accidentally fell and injured himself last night. He is now recuperating in the tent."
As soon as the maid finished speaking, Nan Yan's expression changed. She grabbed the maid's shoulder anxiously and asked subconsciously, "Did you say Jin Lili was injured?"
The maid nodded again, "Yes, the master accidentally fell last night and suffered some minor injuries, and he has been ordered not to let anyone enter the house to disturb him. Miss Li, please be patient for a while, I will go and get you breakfast first..."
Before the maid could finish her words, Nan Yan could no longer sit still. She turned around and trotted towards his tent. The guards outside didn't stop her when they saw it was her. Nan Yan simply opened the curtain and rushed in.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw Jin Lili, who was wearing a white middle-length coat, leaning on the couch, looking at something. He was holding a few pieces of letter paper in his hand. The more he looked, the tighter his brows wrinkled, and his face looked a little gloomy. It was obvious that he was not in a good mood at the moment.
The maid beside him was carefully treating the wound on his arm. Nan Yan's attention was immediately focused on the injured part of his arm. As the gauze was untied layer by layer, the bright red blood line on his arm became clearer and clearer. The wound was a little red and swollen, and there was still some residual blood around it that had not been cleaned up.
The maid in front of me was obviously a novice, and she was not very considerate when serving people. Especially when she saw the wound skin and gauze stuck together, the maid's action when she pulled it apart was a bit heavy...
Jin Li frowned subconsciously. The big maid serving him was sent to Li Qingrou. The little maid in front of him was so clumsy that it was better for him to handle it himself.
When Jin Lili was about to ask her to leave, he looked up and saw Nan Yan standing at the door. His eyes paused, and then he asked in a low voice, "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to rest and not allow anyone to come in and disturb you?"
Nan Yan did not retreat in anger after hearing this. Instead, she walked forward with red eyes, took the gauze and medicine powder from the trembling little maid, and asked the maid to leave.
She pursed her lips and looked at the bloodstain with distressed and anxious eyes, "How did you get hurt?"
Jin Lili looked at her natural movements, his eyes couldn't help but deepened. His gaze fell on her slightly red eyes, watching her movements carefully and seriously, feeling the slight itching coming from the wound, and seeing her lower her head and gently blow on it twice, his heart suddenly softened again, and then he explained, "It was too dark last night, and I didn't pay much attention to my feet when I walked, and I accidentally fell. It happened that the gravel on the ground was sharp, so I accidentally scratched it."
After saying that, he felt that his tone was too stiff, so he added, "It's actually not a big deal, it doesn't hurt that much, you don't have to worry too much."
Nan Yan's eyes were a little moist. She raised her head and looked at him with tears in her eyes. There was some obvious apology and suspicion in her eyes. "Don't hide it from me. How could a fall leave such neat wounds? It's clearly caused by a dagger." After saying this, her voice was a little choked.
Nan Yan thought about it, and suddenly an idea popped up in her mind. She hesitated and looked at the wound, bit her lip, and finally couldn't help asking him, "Tell me honestly, was I drunk last night and accidentally stabbed you? You were afraid that I would be sad, so you didn't want to tell me the truth?"
Hearing this, Jin Lili was also convinced by her crazy thoughts, but she was quite self-aware and still remembered that she was drunk.
Jin Li couldn't help but chuckle, and subconsciously reached out and pressed his hand on her hair, "What are you thinking about? I'm afraid you'll be sad, but this wound was definitely not caused by you. To be exact, it has nothing to do with you. I don't tell you because this matter has something to do with the court, so I can't tell you for the time being."
Hearing this, Nan Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could completely relax, she suddenly thought of something and became a little uncomfortable. She then asked hesitantly, "I was drunk last night... am I not behaving myself?"
She bit her lip, and it was obvious that she was a little worried about herself after getting drunk, and she was even more worried that she had done something messy and disturbing.
Seeing her slightly red cheeks in front of him, lowering her head to carefully treat his wounds but never daring to look up at him, Jin Lili suddenly wanted to laugh. His mind suddenly recalled how she looked when she was drunk last night, with her red cheeks, her dazed eyes, and her obedient appearance of only clinging to him and only willing to be hugged by him, and in the end, when she was bullied, she would only cry out his name...
Thinking of Nan Yan like this, Jin Li couldn't help but feel a little soft in his heart. He lowered his head and smiled, and suddenly asked back,
"What do you think is disturbing?"
Perhaps she didn't expect him to ask such a question, which made Nan Yan stunned for a moment. When she reacted, she immediately turned her face away uncomfortably.
She clenched her fingers slightly, her knuckles turning white. After a long while, she hesitated and said in a muffled voice, "It's just... did I say some nonsense, some things that sounded inexplicable."
In fact, she was not drunk at all last night, and she was naturally very clear about her condition after being drunk. However, asking this question was just to help him recall the truth he just learned yesterday. After all, pretending to be drunk is not an easy thing.
Sure enough, Jin Lili on the opposite side was slightly stunned after hearing what she said. He seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes fell on her obviously nervous expression. His face instantly turned cold, but he concealed it very well and soon returned to normal. Then he raised his eyes and looked at her lightly, and his eyes gradually became calm. "What's wrong, is there something in your heart that you can't say? Or are you secretly hiding a secret that you want to tell me, so you say such strange things?"
When he said this, there seemed to be a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.
Nan Yan blurted out almost subconsciously,
"Of course not."
After she finished speaking, she realized that her tone might have been too anxious, and she couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable.
Then she pulled the corner of her mouth towards him subconsciously, revealing a dry smile and said, "How is that possible? What secrets can I have in my heart? I'm just worried that I'll say something unreasonable when I'm drunk and make you unhappy, so I'm so nervous. Please don't let your imagination run wild, okay?"
As she spoke, she lowered her head and carefully sprinkled the powder on the wound. After wrapping the last layer of gauze on it, she gently tied a slipknot. She had a slightly frown on her face throughout the whole process, her eyes fixed on the wound, as if she was afraid that if she used too much force she would hurt him.
Jin Xinli's gaze fell on her gentle and delicate face. He should have been angry and distant from her, but for some reason, he suddenly felt an indescribable depression in his heart and his eyes became a little dazed.
She rarely looked so serious and focused, but the few times she was serious and focused were all when she was with him, when she was learning archery, when she said she would make sleeves for him, and now when she was bandaging his wound...
Jin Lili was lost in thought. He was completely immersed in his own thoughts at the moment. In fact, she was not so willful and arrogant. Life with her was not so unbearable. In fact, it could be said that she was quite happy, at least very relaxed. There was no need to beat around the bush. She would say it when she was unhappy, and would shamelessly pester him and act coquettishly. When she was angry, she would take the initiative to let him coax her. Moreover, she did not hold grudges. If she was bullied, she would quickly forget it and go to find the other party the next day. She was a typical person who only remembered to eat but not to be beaten. She looked heartless all day long, but occasionally she was very sensitive when it came to the people and things she really cared about...
Especially during the time she was with him, she had restrained her willful temper and matured a lot. If they continued to be together like this, they might become a loving couple in the future.
But he has already found his true savior, the only salvation in his darkest and most desperate moment, and the girl he fell in love with from the beginning. How could he give up?
Moreover, he already knew everything she had done. If she hadn't deliberately deceived him and kept the jade pendant for herself, how could he have missed the woman he really loved for so long? And how could he have ended up in this situation!
It was obvious that he had always liked a gentle and reserved woman like Li Qingrou. He had been looking for her for so long, and there was no way he would let her go. Moreover, if she hadn't been interfering, he and Li Qingrou would have been engaged by now. So it was only natural that he canceled the engagement. He would not give up the person he had liked from the beginning just because of guilt.
這個婚事他是一定會退的。
雖然會對她的名聲造成一些影響，但往後只要有他在暗中護着，他自然會給她再挑一門适合的婚事，賠她一個如意郎君，總不至于讓她被人欺負，這也算是對她的補償了吧。
南嫣要是知道他此刻的想法，肯定會忍不住撫掌笑出聲來。
畢竟從一開始，就是他主動接近人家姑娘的，說了一些似有非無、雲裏霧裏的話，然後又三番兩次的英雄救美，惹得人家姑娘徹底心動了，再來一句認錯人就想拍拍手走人，天底下哪有這麽好的事情呢。
替他包紮完傷口之後，南嫣的眉頭好似這才舒展開來了，她抿着唇朝人輕輕一笑，隐約聞到這營帳中彌漫的草藥味，忽然又想了什麽似的，這才望着他說道，“你的藥是不是還沒喝，我去給你拿過來好不好？”
說着也沒等他回答，轉身就撩開帷幕出去了。
她的動作也很快，不過一會兒的時間，就端着一碗還冒着熱氣的藥碗到靳厭離的面前，看到她指尖都被燙紅的模樣，靳厭離幾乎是下意識地伸手接過，放到一邊，然後直接拉着的手指翻來覆去地檢查着，
“你是傻了嗎？忘了自己手上的傷還沒好嗎？剛熬好的藥你也敢直接用手來拿，快過來讓我看看，有沒有燙傷？”
靳厭離仔細翻看她的手掌，看她掌心之前練習射箭時磨出來的傷痕還沒有完全消掉，這會兒又被燙的有些發紅。
靳厭離心頭一時間竟沒由來得有些煩躁，直接不由分說地捉着她的手浸到了一旁架子上的冷水裏，一邊清洗一邊低聲訓斥了句，“我說過你多少次了，做事情不要着急，剛煮好的藥你也敢直接用手拿，這手還想不想要了？”
他說着又開始念叨起來，連自己都沒意識到此刻的眉頭擰得有多緊，“平日裏嬌氣的被蟲子叮兩下都要拉着我哭哭啼啼哄上好一陣兒，怎麽現在倒跟個木頭一樣，一點動靜都沒了？是不是疼得厲害，要不要讓太醫來看看？”
南嫣這下終于沒忍住“撲哧”一聲笑了起來，她歪着頭，眉眼彎彎的瞧着人，眼裏好似溢滿了星辰一樣明亮清潤，“我哪有你說的那麽嬌氣啊，這次是真的不疼，哪兒還用得着喊太醫啊？太醫要是真來了，估計都得罵你小題大做，要跟太醫院告你的狀了。”
那頭靳厭離還是有些不放心，皺着眉，仔細摸了摸她的手心，“真不疼嗎？”
确定她表情真的沒什麽大問題之後，這才松了手，“行了，不疼就好，以後可千萬不要這麽沖動了。”
說着又聽到她那番打趣的話，忍不住敲了下她的腦袋，“本官好歹也是個朝廷命官，請個太醫過來看看病又怎麽了，再說又不是不給他銀子，這等小事怎麽可能會告到太醫院，胡說八道。”
南嫣摸了摸一點都不疼的腦袋，心底尋思着，也不知道這人是不是敲出習慣來了，這敲人腦袋的力道也是越來越合适了。
她又朝人笑了笑，随後才想起桌上的那碗藥，耽擱了一會兒都只剩下一點餘溫了，便趕緊遞過去給他，“哎呀，藥還沒喝呢，大夫都說了，這藥要趁熱喝的，涼了藥性就不好了……”
“行了，我喝就是了。”
靳厭離看這人咋咋呼呼的樣子，搖了搖頭有些無奈，直接就拿起桌上的藥碗一飲而盡，苦澀的藥汁在口腔內蔓延，還是讓他有些不适地皺了皺眉，他正要吩咐丫鬟去沏一杯濃茶來，就聽到身旁的南嫣輕輕朝他喊了一聲，“靳厭離，張嘴。”
靳厭離一時間沒反應過來，下意識地朝着她的方向看過去，然後便感覺有什麽軟軟的東西被塞進嘴裏了，酸甜的味道在口中化開，瞬間就将先前的藥味全都覆蓋了。
他低頭看過去，這才看到她手心的那只小荷包，裏頭塞了一些女兒家都愛吃的蜜餞零嘴兒，她又翻出一顆酸梅，然後遞到他嘴唇，歡喜又得意地望着他。
“吃了這個就不苦了，我小時候吃藥也是這樣的，得虧我每天都會在小荷包塞些好吃的，這下子，你是不是該感謝我了？”
靳厭離搖了搖頭，一時有些好笑，低頭咬住那顆梅子，邊咬還邊想，怪不得她身上總有股甜甜膩膩的清香在，原來是腰間藏了一荷包的零嘴兒小吃，尋常人家的貴女哪有像她這樣貪吃的，也不怕甜壞了牙。
靳厭離低笑了聲，忍不住叮囑，“以後夜裏少吃些這些甜膩的東西，否則牙疼的時候可沒人幫得了你。”
南嫣哼了兩聲，轉過臉去不理他，“我好心幫你壓壓藥味，你怎麽還詛咒我牙疼呢，我白心疼你了。”
靳厭離看她使性子的嬌俏模樣，忽然覺得有些心軟，捏了捏自己的手心，終究還是沒忍住捏了把她的臉頰，“行了，說什麽詛咒呢？我好心提醒你，你居然還生我的氣，以後牙疼了可別纏着我說沒有提前告訴過你。”
聽到他學着她的語氣說完，南嫣忍不住笑了起來，轉頭看他一眼，而對面靳厭離看到她笑了，嘴角便也不受控制地揚起了一抹細微的弧度。
……
之後的林苑一直都是風平浪靜，刺客也再沒出現過，而在靳厭離養傷的這段時間裏基本上沒怎麽出過營帳，随着時間過去，為期二十多天的秋獵也差不多快要結束了。
雖說靳厭離把消息掌控得很嚴密，但是營帳附近的風言風語也漸漸傳了起來，畢竟這世上沒有不透風的牆。
一開始南嫣還被瞞的嚴嚴實實，她根本不知道外頭隐約在傳自己的未婚夫跟庶妹似乎走得很是親近，有旁人提醒她，還被南嫣反罵了回去，說她胡言亂語……
靳厭離怎麽可能會跟那個李清柔攪和在一起呢？他這幾日連營地都沒出過，一直在帳內養傷，怎麽可能會做那些亂七八糟的事情呢？
不過她心裏雖然這麽想，但時間久了，南嫣明顯也察覺到了一絲不對勁，最近的靳厭離似乎變得有些奇怪，經常會想着某些事情很出神，有時候一連喊他好幾聲都聽不見，而且他最近總是很忙，但又不知道他到底在忙什麽，根本就從沒見他出過營帳……
不出營帳自然是在照顧受傷的李清柔，如今的李清柔也早就醒了，從她受傷的那一刻起就一直被靳厭離留在營帳內靜養，因為營帳的位置比較偏，而且有專門的丫鬟、侍衛守着，所以知道的人并不多。
不過時間久了，總會有無意中撞見的人，而且丫鬟中也有說漏嘴的，因此謠言也就是這麽傳起來的。
對此南嫣心裏知道的一清二楚，不過面上仍是那副一無所知的模樣。
一直到秋獵結束的最後一天，行宮舉行完一場盛大的慶功告別宴會，皇帝禦駕總算浩浩蕩蕩的啓程回宮了，随行的文武百官自然也緊跟其後，不過也有稍慢一些再行離開的，這其中就包括的靳厭離一行人。
其實靳厭離的傷已經沒什麽大礙了，只是李清柔的後背的傷口比較深，冒然動身，很可能會加重傷勢，所以靳厭離就推遲了一兩天再出發。
而南嫣自然也跟着留下來了，不過她不知道這事，只是以為靳厭離的傷口還沒好，每日總要再來看一下他胳膊上傷口才算放心，就比如現在。
靳厭離看着眼前什麽都不知道的南嫣，眼眸微垂，也不知道為什麽，越是臨近離開的時間，他心底反倒越有種複雜猶豫的情緒，心頭堵得厲害，悶悶的有些難受。
就在他沉浸在自己的思緒中不知該如何開口時，營帳外的丫鬟突然進來了，看到靳厭離，猶豫了片刻還是說道，“大人，李姑娘非說自己的傷已經好了，硬是要帶着丫鬟自己離開，她說自己不想再耽誤大人回朝的時間，結果剛起身，背上的傷口就裂開了，流了不少的血，大人您……快過去看看吧。”
說到最後，那丫鬟還小心翼翼看了身旁的南嫣一眼。
靳厭離一聽到李清柔的傷口出血了，便下意識地皺了眉，一邊往外走一邊訓斥道，“你們怎麽照顧的，不是說了不讓她起來嗎？為什麽沒有看住人，去請大夫了嗎？”
丫鬟趕緊應道，“請了請了，但是李姑娘不聽，非要起來，奴婢們實在攔不住……”
“行了，這些無用的話就不必說了，先去看看人怎麽樣了？”
靳厭離說着這話腳步忽然又停頓了一下，他轉頭看着表情茫然且有些意外緊張的南嫣，深深與她對視了一眼，但最終什麽話都沒說。
算了，她遲早都會知道的。
靳厭離這樣想着，偏偏心頭好像被什麽蟄了一下似的，細細密密的痛讓他呼吸微窒了一瞬，不過很快就被他忽視下去了，因為李清柔的營帳已經到了。
Seeing the little bit of color on the other person's face that had finally recovered faded away completely, Jin Lili felt angry for a moment. He went forward and picked up Li Qingrou who was sitting on the chair and put her on the bed, "Didn't I tell you to take care of your body? When will the wound heal completely if you move around like this? Have you forgotten what the doctor said? It takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone. The wound on your back is very deep. If you don't take good care of it, it will easily cause a root of disease."
Li Qingrou was still struggling, but she didn't expect this man to just pick her up. Especially when he lowered his head to speak, the strange aura belonging to a man instantly came over her face, making her blush.
"Jin...Master Jin, why are you here?"
Li Qingrou bit her lip, looking a little uncomfortable, "I clearly told them not to disturb you."
Jin Lili frowned slightly when he heard this, especially when he saw some bloodstains on her back, his eyes showed a hint of helplessness, "If I don't come, will I just watch you leave like this? Li Qingrou, the wound on your back has opened again, did you know that? Have you not been taking medicine properly recently?"
Speaking of this, Li Qingrou's expression was obviously a little unnatural, and a little aggrieved, "The medicine is too bitter, it's really hard to swallow."
Perhaps it was because Jin Lili's attitude towards her was too gentle recently, which made her subconsciously indulge in it. Especially after knowing that the person he liked had always been her, Li Qingrou really felt that she was very lucky.
Hearing this, Jin Lili was a little helpless and directly ordered the maid to bring the medicine, "Come here, I will feed you, don't miss a single sip, otherwise I really don't know when your injury will heal..."
Just as Jin Xinli was feeding her medicine one mouthful at a time, a figure appeared at the door of the tent. No one knew how long she had been standing there or what she had seen. In short, when Jin Xinli turned his head, he happened to meet those confused and helpless eyes, just staring at him blankly.
The moment Jin Lili looked at her, he felt as if his heart was being grasped tightly by someone's hand. It was shaking uncontrollably and even his breathing was a little difficult.
Especially under Nan Yan's gaze, he suddenly felt an indescribable sadness and guilt in his heart, and he almost lost his grip on the spoon.
Li Qingrou obviously saw her as well, but she didn't have a good impression of Li Nanyan who showed up unexpectedly. She even felt a little resentful in her heart. If she hadn't interfered, she would now be Jin Lili's legitimate fiancée.
Jin Lili took a deep breath, put the medicine bowl on the table, signaled the maid to come forward and serve, and turned to look at Li Qingrou, then whispered soothingly, "There are some things I haven't explained to her clearly, but now that she has seen it, I will just go and explain it to her. You rest well here, and you can go see the doctor if you have any problems. As for going back, don't worry, I will take care of it."
With such considerate arrangements made by the other party, even though Li Qingrou was reluctant to let him leave, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.
When Jin Lili turned around to look, the figure at the door had already left.
Jin Lili pinched her fingers, turned around and chased after her, and finally found her in the tent where she had been living. She was curled up on the couch, hugging her knees with her hands, curling herself up into a ball.
Jin Lili's heart ached slightly. He lowered his head and gave her a complicated look. After hesitating for a moment, he finally turned his head away and said in a low voice, "After I go back, I will cancel the engagement."
When Nan Yan heard this, she seemed to be stunned, tears fell involuntarily, and then she suddenly looked up at him.
"You lied to me..."
Jin Li lowered his head to meet her eyes, his eyes were dim, and his tone suddenly became somewhat sarcastic, "You are the one who deceived me all along! Do you want me to explain it to you word by word? Who was the one who saved me in the farm? Who took the jade pendant for himself? And who was the one who made the best of a bad situation and kept deceiving and hiding the truth?"
Hearing this series of questions, Nan Yan's face turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye.
She clenched her fingers so hard that her knuckles turned white from excessive tension.
In fact, from the moment she saw Li Qingrou, she already had some vague guesses in her heart, otherwise with her personality, it would be impossible for her to turn around and run away without saying a word.
Jin Lili seemed to want to make everything clear at once. "If you hadn't intervened, she and I wouldn't have missed each other for so long. I never understood why you were so nervous every time I came to the Li Mansion and saw Li Qingrou. It turns out that you knew everything from the beginning to the end, and knew that what I did was a liar from the beginning to the end. You were even more afraid that she would reveal the truth, so you were so jealous of her."
"I didn't!" Nan Yan cried and subconsciously refuted. She raised her eyes and looked at him aggrievedly, "Yes, I did hide it from you, but you clearly recognized the wrong person at first."
She jumped off the bed, rushed to him, and asked while crying, "Could it be that what you said before about liking me, taking care of me and loving me forever were all lies?"
She grabbed his sleeve tightly, tears flowing out of her eyes uncontrollably, anxious and aggrieved, "It's obviously me who has always been with you, she only saved you once, can all the past and love be erased just because I'm not your savior?"
She cried so pitifully that the tip of her nose turned red. Jin Lili had never seen her so sad before.
Jin Lili frowned instantly, and he subconsciously brushed her fingers away, ignoring the tightness in his chest.
"I've said before that the person I liked from the beginning was the one who saved me at the farm. That wasn't you. Even if you concealed the truth and took my place, you're still not the one I like."
As soon as the words fell, the person in front of him cried even more sadly. She still reached out to grab his sleeve, "You lied to me, you clearly said that no matter what I did wrong, you would forgive me. How could you not like me at all? You lied to me!"
Unfortunately, before she could touch the other person this time, Jin Lili grabbed her wrist and squeezed it tightly. He said in a cold tone, "I've said it before, the person I like from the beginning is Li Qingrou. All my tolerance and love for you are based on the mistaken belief that you are my savior. You think I like you, but in fact you are just her substitute. Now that the real owner has been found, how can I still like you!"
Just as he finished speaking, Nan Yan's tear accidentally fell on the back of his hand. The scalding temperature almost made him withdraw his hand subconsciously. Nan Yan's eyes filled with tears looked at him sadly, and there was a sadness and grievance that she had never felt before.
Being looked at like this, Jin Lili could hardly raise his eyes to look at her. He turned his face away subconsciously, and then said calmly, "I will come to cancel the engagement as soon as possible."
After saying this, he turned around and walked out, his steps even hurried, without even looking at Nan Yan who was in the room.
It was not until the other person's back completely disappeared that Nan Yan wiped her tears, quickly stopped crying, adjusted her mood, and drank a cup of fresh tea to replenish water.
After all, there was no one around, and no one would watch me if I kept crying like that. Besides, it would not look good if my eyes were swollen from crying. Besides, I was pretty tired after crying for so long.
It would be better to let her sleep a little longer to recuperate...