Sensing the tense atmosphere, the imperial physicians quickly knelt. “Your Majesty! This young lady’s wound is too deep, and she’s lost too much blood. It will surely leave a lifelong scar!”
Hearing this, Qing Yun released his grip and asked calmly, “Is her life in danger?”
The physicians shook their heads vigorously, replying, “Please rest assured, Your Majesty. This young lady has passed the critical period. She just needs proper care and will recover soon. However, her health may not be as robust as before, and she might suffer from blood deficiency for life!”
Qing Yun turned to look at Huang Bei Shuang, lying quietly on the bed. He reached out and gently rubbed her forehead. Seeing sweat even on her eyelashes, his heart filled with pity. Forgetting the presence of the physicians, he softly kissed her cheek, feeling her faint breath.
The kneeling physicians secretly watched Qing Yun, feeling extremely awkward. They dared neither to interrupt nor to retreat abruptly, glancing at each other, unsure of what to do.
“Miao Jing!” After a while, Qing Yun stood up and sat at the table, calling for the palace guard captain Miao Jing. “Arrange for Mang Liu’s people to take care of her. From now on, all regular medical examinations by the imperial physicians must be conducted in my presence.”
Miao Jing nodded, and Qing Yun smiled before striding out.
Seeing King Jing Tian leave, the physicians finally breathed a sigh of relief and stood up wearily. Since returning to the palace, His Majesty hadn’t slept for a day and night, just sitting there watching them treat the young lady on the bed.
“Lord Miao!” The oldest physician asked curiously, “Who is this young lady? How should we… address her in the future?”
Miao Jing looked back at Huang Bei Shuang on the bed, pondered for a while, and replied, “Uh… just call her Niang Niang (Imperial Consort). As for anything else, don’t ask what you shouldn’t!”
In Fen Tian.
Ruo Wen returned empty-handed after a day of pursuit! Now, he sat with a grim face in the inner chamber where the beauty had been confined for merely half a day. His anger was beyond consolation, and no one dared to try. He grabbed the blanket Huang Bei Shuang had used; it no longer held any warmth, as if her playful charm that night had been just a spring dream. Again, it was like this. She was just a woman, not a wisp of smoke, yet why was she so hard to capture? Even when within his grasp, she could slip away silently.
Man Hu and the others stood outside, not daring to enter and see what was happening. After a while, Ge Xin Wei and Ruo Lan Fei Wen brought wine. They knocked on the door three times, and Ruo Wen’s cold voice came from inside, “Who is it?”
Ruo Lan replied, “Leader! It’s us. Didn’t you ask for wine? We’ve brought it.”
“Come in!” Ruo Wen said.
The three women pushed the door open and entered. With a creak, the door closed behind them.
“Will the leader kill them?” Man Hu said blankly, standing outside, seemingly thinking these three women might not come out alive.
“At times like this, I’m really glad I’m not a woman!” Lang Tou grinned mischievously, patting the dust off his bottom as he stood up. “Let’s go! When the leader’s anger subsides, he’ll surely make some big moves. Why bother about them? They’re just there to eat, drink, and sleep with him!”
“Oh! So Huang Bei Shuang isn’t like that?” Man Hu seemed unconvinced.
Lang Tou looked at his frustrated chubby face and laughed, “Let’s wait until the leader sleeps with her. Just mentioning her makes me a bit sick, as if she’s here specifically to ruin our plans!”
Hearing this, Man Hu nodded. The two looked back at the tightly closed room behind them for a long while before turning to leave.
In Tian Du, Ice Palace. The night was deep, with the north wind howling.
Huang Bei Shuang woke up. Before her eyes fully opened, her brows furrowed, indicating that her wound still hurt. Instinctively, she turned her head to look around and saw Qing Yun sitting nearby, reading a book. It was late, perhaps the middle of the night. He sat by the table, the room brightly lit. He seemed so engrossed in reading that he hadn’t noticed her awakening.
Huang Bei Shuang lay there, watching him silently. He was truly handsome, with long black hair falling over his shoulders, the ends slightly messy. His sword-like eyebrows and star-bright eyes, though delicate, couldn’t hide an indescribable air of arrogance. His tightly closed lips seemed ready to command the world at any moment. It was such a man who, in just a few days of interaction, had made her feel nothing for That Zhan.
“Seen enough?” Qing Yun’s gaze remained on his book, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. He had likely sensed her gaze long ago and was genuinely pleased to see her awake. “Anything you want to say?”
Huang Bei Shuang sat up. “I’m very hungry!”
Qing Yun put down his book and clapped his hands. Immediately, palace maids entered with food, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Huang Bei Shuang looked at the fragrant dishes before her, swallowing hard. She grabbed the chopsticks, ready to dig in, but Qing Yun stopped her. He tasted several dishes before putting down his chopsticks. “Eat now!”
This was poison testing. It was surprising that Qing Yun had to be so cautious even in his place.
“Eat! Weren’t you hungry?” Qing Yun knew what she was thinking but just smiled.
“Will it always be like this?” Huang Bei Shuang asked while eating.
“…” Qing Yun grunted upon hearing this. “It will always be like this.” He then walked to the bed, lowered the curtains himself, and lay down. “I’ve watched over you for a day and night. I should sleep too. This is my bedchamber. You’ll stay here from now on!”
Huang Bei Shuang looked at the thick, dark green curtains and asked uncertainly, “The bed… there’s only one!”
“Sleep with me,” came Qing Yun’s brief reply.
Hearing this, Huang Bei Shuang’s face flushed red. Feeling her emotions in turmoil, she lowered her head and continued eating.
After she finished eating, she wandered around the room for a while, looking at the moon and then at the patterns on the carpet. Finally, having calmed down a bit, Huang Bei Shuang took a deep breath and crawled into the bed curtains. As soon as she got on the bed, Qing Yun opened his eyes. Huang Bei Shuang froze, seeing him awake, and suddenly hesitated to slip under the covers.
Qing Yun just smiled, lifted the blanket, and embraced her as they lay down together. They closed their eyes, their hot breaths gradually intertwining.
“Thinking carefully, we don’t seem to have many memories together,” Huang Bei Shuang said softly, her head buried in his chest.
“What kind of memories do you want? How long do you want to remember? A day? Two days? Or a month? A year? Or perhaps a lifetime?” Qing Yun laughed and said, “From now on, you can have as many as you want!”
Huang Bei Shuang also smiled, saying, “Actually, you never beat around the bush with me. In just a few words, it’s all sincere.”