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. 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.
He will definitely cancel this marriage.
Although it would have some impact on her reputation, as long as he was protecting her in secret, he would naturally choose a suitable marriage for her and give her a husband of her dreams. This would at least prevent her from being bullied. This could be considered compensation to her.
If Nan Yan knew what he was thinking at the moment, she would definitely clap her hands and laugh out loud.
After all, from the very beginning, he was the one who took the initiative to approach the girl, said some ambiguous words, and then repeatedly saved the girl's heart, making her completely moved. Then, after he said "I admit I was the wrong person", he wanted to clap his hands and leave. How could such a good thing happen in the world?
After bandaging his wound, Nan Yan's frown seemed to finally relax. She pursed her lips and smiled softly. She could vaguely smell the scent of herbs in the tent. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she looked at him and said, "You haven't taken your medicine yet? Can I go get it for you?"
Without waiting for his answer, she turned around, lifted the curtain and went out.
She moved quickly, and in a short while, she brought a bowl of steaming medicine to Jin Lili. Seeing that her fingertips were red from the heat, Jin Lili almost subconsciously reached out to take it, put it aside, and then directly pulled her fingers and turned them over and over to examine them.
"Are you stupid? Have you forgotten that your hand is still injured? How dare you take the freshly boiled medicine with your hands? Come here and let me see if you are burned?"
Jin Li looked at her palms carefully and saw that the scars on her palms from practicing archery had not completely disappeared and were now a little red from being burned.
Jin Lili suddenly felt a little irritated for no reason. He grabbed her hand and dipped it into the cold water on the shelf beside him. While washing it, he scolded her in a low voice, "How many times have I told you not to rush when doing things? You dare to take the freshly boiled medicine with your hand. Do you still want this hand?"
He started to mutter again, not even realizing how tightly he was frowning. "Usually, she is so delicate that she would cry and coax me for a long time after being bitten by a bug. How come she is like a piece of wood now, not moving at all? Is it in great pain? Should we ask the imperial physician to come and take a look?"
Nan Yan finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. She tilted her head and looked at people with curved eyebrows. Her eyes seemed to be bright and clear as if they were filled with stars. "I'm not as coquettish as you say. It really doesn't hurt this time. Why do I need to call the imperial physician? If the imperial physician really came, he would probably scold you for making a fuss and report you to the Imperial Hospital."
Jin Lili was still a little worried, frowned, and touched her palm carefully, "Does it really not hurt?"
After making sure that there was nothing wrong with her expression, he let go of her hand and said, "It's okay, it doesn't hurt. Don't be so impulsive in the future."
As he heard her joking words again, he couldn't help but tap her head, "I am an official appointed by the court after all, so what's wrong with asking an imperial physician to come and see me? Besides, it's not like I don't give him money, so how could such a small matter be reported to the Imperial Hospital? Nonsense."
Nan Yan touched her head which didn't hurt at all, and wondered in her heart whether this person had developed a habit of hitting her head, as the force with which he hit her head was becoming more and more appropriate.
She smiled at him again, and then she remembered the bowl of medicine on the table. After a while, it was only a little warm, so she quickly handed it to him, "Oh, you haven't taken the medicine yet. The doctor said that this medicine should be taken while it's hot. If it gets cold, the medicinal properties will be worse..."
"Okay, I'll drink it."
Jin Li looked at the man's noisy appearance, shook his head helplessly, and directly picked up the medicine bowl on the table and drank it all. The bitter medicine spread in his mouth, which still made him frown a little uncomfortably. He was about to ask the maid to make a cup of strong tea, when he heard Nan Yan beside him gently called to him, "Jin Li Li, open your mouth."
Jin Lili didn't react for a moment, and subconsciously looked in her direction. Then he felt something soft being stuffed into his mouth. The sweet and sour taste melted in his mouth, instantly covering up the previous medicinal taste.
He looked down and saw the small purse in her palm, which was stuffed with some candied snacks that all daughters loved. She took out a sour plum and put it to his lips, looking at him with joy and pride.
"After you take this, the taste won't be bitter anymore. This was also the case when I took medicine when I was a kid. It was all thanks to me stuffing some delicious food into my purse every day. Now, shouldn't you thank me?"
Jin Li shook his head, feeling a little amused for a moment, lowered his head and bit the plum, thinking as he bit it, no wonder she always had a sweet and greasy fragrance on her body, it turned out that she had a pouch of snacks hidden around her waist, ordinary noble ladies would not be as greedy as her, and would not be afraid of damaging their teeth with sweet food.
Jin Lili chuckled and couldn't help but remind him, "Eat less sweet things at night in the future, otherwise no one will be able to help you when you have a toothache."
Nan Yan snorted twice and turned away, ignoring him. "I was kind enough to help you suppress the smell of the medicine, but you cursed me for having a toothache. I felt sorry for you for nothing."
Seeing her coquettish appearance when she was in a bad mood, Jin Lili suddenly felt a little soft-hearted. He pinched his palms, and finally couldn't help but pinch her cheeks. "Okay, what curse are you talking about? I kindly reminded you, but you are still angry with me. Don't pester me and say that I didn't tell you in advance when you have a toothache in the future."
Hearing him imitate her tone, Nan Yan couldn't help but laugh and turned to look at him. Seeing her smile, Jin Lili on the opposite side also raised a slight arc at the corner of his mouth uncontrollably.
…
After that, the forest garden was always peaceful, the assassin never appeared again, and during the time when Jin Xinli was recuperating from his injuries, he basically never left the tent. As time passed, the autumn hunt that lasted for more than 20 days was almost over.
Although Jin Lili kept the news strictly under control, rumors gradually spread around the camp. After all, there is no wall that is impenetrable in this world.
At first, Nan Yan was kept in the dark. She had no idea that there were rumors that her fiancé and her step-sister were getting close. When someone reminded her, Nan Yan scolded them back, saying that they were talking nonsense...
How could Jin Lili get involved with Li Qingrou? He hadn't even left the camp in the past few days and had been recuperating in the tent. How could he do such a mess?
Although she thought so in her heart, Nan Yan also noticed something was wrong after a while. Jin Lili seemed to be acting strange recently. He was often lost in thought and sometimes he could not be heard even after being called several times. Moreover, he was always busy recently, but she did not know what he was busy with. She had never seen him leave the tent...
The reason he stayed in the tent was naturally to take care of the injured Li Qingrou. Li Qingrou had woken up a long time ago. From the moment she was injured, she had been kept in the tent by Jin Lili for recuperation. Because the location of the tent was relatively remote and there were special maids and guards guarding it, not many people knew about it.
But as time went on, there were always people who happened to see it by accident, and there were also maids who let the secret slip, so that's how the rumor spread.
Nan Yan knew all about this in her heart, but she still looked clueless.
On the last day of the autumn hunt, after a grand farewell banquet was held in the palace, the emperor finally set off for the palace in a grand manner. The civil and military officials who accompanied him naturally followed closely behind, but some left a little later, including Jin Linli and his entourage.
In fact, Jin Nili's injuries were not serious, but Li Qingrou's wound on her back was quite deep. If he set off rashly, it might aggravate the injury, so Jin Nili postponed his departure for a day or two.
Nan Yan naturally stayed along with them, but she didn't know about this. She just thought that Jin Xinli's wound had not healed yet, so she would check on the wound on his arm every day to feel at ease, just like now.
Jin Lili looked at Nan Yan, who was unaware of anything, with his eyes slightly lowered. He didn't know why, but the closer it was to the time of departure, the more complicated and hesitant he felt in his heart. His heart was so blocked and he felt a little uncomfortable.
Just as he was immersed in his own thoughts and didn't know how to start, the maid outside the tent suddenly came in. Seeing Jin Lili, she hesitated for a moment and said, "My lord, Miss Li insisted that her wound had healed and insisted on taking the maid away by herself. She said she didn't want to delay your return to the court. As a result, as soon as she stood up, the wound on her back split open and a lot of blood flowed. My lord, you... go and have a look."
At the end, the maid cautiously glanced at Nan Yan beside her.
When Jin Lili heard that Li Qingrou's wound was bleeding, he frowned subconsciously and scolded her as he walked out, "How did you take care of her? Didn't you tell her not to get up? Why didn't you keep an eye on her and call a doctor?"
The maid quickly responded, "Yes, yes, but Miss Li refused to listen and insisted on getting up. We couldn't stop her..."
"Okay, there's no need to say these useless words. Let's go see how the person is doing first."
Jin Lili paused for a moment while saying this. He turned to look at Nan Yan, who had a confused and unexpectedly nervous expression. He stared at her deeply, but in the end said nothing.
Never mind, she'll find out sooner or later.
As Jin Xinli was thinking this, he felt as if something had pricked his heart. The slight pain made his breathing choke for a moment, but he quickly ignored it because he had already arrived at Li Qingrou's tent.
Seeing the little bit of color on the other person's face that had finally recovered faded away completely, Jin Lili felt 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...
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