In the open space in front of the small cottage, Feng Suige sat motionless, watching the newly hired maidservants from town bustling in and out, carrying buckets of clear water in and buckets of blood-red water out, pouring them into the hidden ditch beside the courtyard with a splash.
Xia Jingshi appeared behind him at some point, standing quietly for a while before speaking, “Once the doctor has treated Xiyang’s wounds, I’ll have her moved here so you can look after her more easily.” Feng Suige trembled slightly and lowered his head to ask, “Is she alright?” Xia Jingshi glanced at the small cottage and sighed softly, “Go to her. I’ll take care of things here.”
Seeing Feng Suige, Yi Xiao, who was half-leaning against the headboard, immediately sat up. “I heard Xiyang was injured—how is she now?” Feng Suige’s steps faltered, “I thought you’d be angry.” Hearing this, Yi Xiao smiled, “If you had abandoned her to stay here with me, you wouldn’t be Feng Suige.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her faint smile, Feng Suige’s eyes inexplicably welled up with tears. He couldn’t help but lean forward and embrace her, “I’m sorry, I didn’t take good care of you. If I hadn’t left you alone in the room, you wouldn’t have been kidnapped…” “Don’t say that,” Yi Xiao comforted him, gently patting his back. After a pause, she suddenly said, “First, tell me how Xiyang is doing, then I have something very important to tell you.”
Hearing her serious tone, Feng Suige forced down all his emotions and tried to speak calmly, “All the remaining black jade essence has been used, but it not only failed to stop the bleeding, it was completely washed away by the blood—the doctor said if the bleeding can’t be stopped, she won’t make it.” Yi Xiao was shocked, “Is the injury that severe?”
Feng Suige closed his eyes and nodded, “Almost half of her shoulder was split open… I should have learned from past mistakes and left someone to guard her when I left.” Yi Xiao silently held his hand, and after a while, she finally spoke, “No one wanted this to happen.” Feng Suige smiled bitterly, “It’s too late for regrets now. We can only leave it to fate—you said you had something important to tell me earlier, what is it?”
Yi Xiao sat in a daze for a while, until Feng Suige asked repeatedly. She finally spoke, “Although it’s not the best time to say this, I still want to tell you early.” Feng Suige involuntarily tightened his grip on her hand, looking into her eyes nervously, “What do you want to say?”
Giving him a faint smile, Yi Xiao said softly, “The doctor just checked my pulse and said I’m almost two months pregnant.”
As if suddenly struck by a gong next to his ear, Feng Suige wore a stunned expression. He stared at Yi Xiao for a long while before hesitantly asking, “What did you say?” Yi Xiao sighed, “I said, by early summer next year, you’ll be a father!”
Feng Suige was dumbfounded for a moment, then suddenly his face flushed red, but in an instant, all color drained from his face again. Meeting Yi Xiao’s puzzled gaze, he gently caressed her cheek and whispered, “I’m glad you came back safely—if anything had happened to you, I would never have forgiven myself.”
On his hurried return journey, Feng Suige’s heart was still a mix of emotions. Yi Xiao’s pregnancy was joyous news, but Xiyang’s condition weighed heavily on his mind like a large stone.
In the past, on the battlefield, when he encountered soldiers with such severe injuries, he would order his guards to deliver a final blow—not out of cruelty, but because he had seen firsthand the suffering of those who died from blood loss, their convulsions turning death into a nightmarish process. So, letting them bleed to death would be truly cruel.
Entering the courtyard, he saw Xia Jingshi standing there with his hands behind his back. The doctor had come out of the cottage, standing before him with blood-stained hands. Hearing his footsteps, Xia Jingshi looked over, his expression as calm as ever. “You’re back.”
Suppressing the unease in his heart, Feng Suige nodded, “How is she?” Xia Jingshi remained silent, but the doctor fell to his knees in shock, saying dejectedly, “Although this humble one has done everything possible, the wound is too large, and the patient is too weak. In the current situation, at most, she can…” “Enough!” Feng Suige couldn’t bear to hear more and turned to leave, but Xia Jingshi called him back, “Wait.”
After dismissing the doctor, Xia Jingshi walked behind Feng Suige and, after a long silence, said softly, “Do you intend to let her bleed to death?” Feng Suige jumped as if stung by a hornet, “What do you mean?!”
“You should understand,” Xia Jingshi’s voice was as natural as if discussing the weather, “Continuing like this will only cause her more suffering. If you truly care for her, make a decision soon.”
Feng Suige lowered his head in silence.
Xia Jingshi was right, but this was Xiyang, the Xiyang he had grown up with, the Xiyang he had cherished and protected.
“I can’t do it,” Feng Suige finally spoke, his voice slightly trembling, “She’s family, connected to me by blood. How can you expect me to do such a thing?”
Xia Jingshi looked at him steadily for a while, then smiled faintly, “Alright, if you’ve decided, let me do it.”
Feng Xiyang lay quietly on the bed, dark red blood seeping from the wound on her back, rolling onto the bed and soaking the bedding. The scattered peonies in the brocade seemed to glow brilliantly as if feeding on her life force.
Her body felt as if it had split open, a burning pain from her shoulder to her back. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was his shocked eyes, those clear eyes that she never thought could show such emotion.
People kept coming and going around her, but none of the voices were his. Even her royal brother had disappeared. Had they all gone to Yi Xiao’s side? No, he hadn’t. He was nearby, she could feel it.
Suddenly, she heard light footsteps. The people bustling around her quickly retreated, and then someone walked to her side, reaching out to feel her forehead. The familiar fragrance—it was her royal brother.
She tried to open her mouth, wanting to ask where he was, but couldn’t make a sound. As she grew anxious, a hot drop fell on her cheek, winding its way to the corner of her lips. So salty—were these tears? As she wondered, her royal brother suddenly withdrew, the slight breeze he created making the wetness on her cheek feel icy cold. She heard a bang as the door was slammed shut.
Still confused, she heard the rustle of clothes again, and a warm finger brushed across her cheek, making her whole body shiver.
It was him. He was speaking.
“This is the second time,” he seemed to be smiling, yet also sighing, his breath warm on her forehead, “Perhaps it’s all fated. In this life, I’ve had too many things beyond my control, but I haven’t asked for much, only hoping for her happiness—I’ve been unfair to you, allowing you to give so much without offering the same in return.”
She had wanted to just listen, but tears uncontrollably seeped from beneath her lashes. She had never been so close to him before, neither physically nor emotionally.
“Can you hear me?” Still, those hands, gently wiping away her tears, “I don’t want to deceive you, so I won’t promise you the next life. This life, I owe you. In the next life, I could die for you, but I will only live for her alone.”
He gently lifted her head, and a porcelain cup warm with his body heat touched the corner of her lips. Cool liquid gradually flowed into her mouth, and she swallowed instinctively.
It was so bitter.