Meng Qianshan stood on his side, skillfully filling a pot with fresh, hot tea.
He placed it beside him and asked carefully, "Where is Your Highness
staying tonight?"
With Madam Huo's appearance today, he definitely could not serve His
Highness in bed. Moreover, he had a fever, and His Highness was weak.
What if he passed his illness to His Highness?
Jiang Suizhou watched Doctor Zhou and did not speak for a while.
Meng Qianshan sensed that His Highness wasn't in the mood to speak, so
he also quietly waited at his side and asked no further.
A moment later, Doctor Zhou turned around and knelt in front of Jiang
Suizhou.
"Your Highness, Madam Huo is suffering from a high fever due to wound
inflammation…" He added hurriedly, "Madam Huo endured it, but he has
been burning up for some time. His injuries are quite serious, so if this
continues, I'm afraid it will endanger his life!"
Jiang Suizhou frowned, "It's that serious?"
Doctor Zhoufu nodded, "I'll immediately boil some medicine and change
his bandages later. As long as his fever subsides in time, it won't be a big
problem."
Jiang Suizhou nodded. "Tell Meng Qianshan to boil the medicine, while
you change the bandages for him now."
Doctor Zhou agreed promptly.
Jiang Suizhou propped one hand on his cheek, turned his head sideways and
looked at Huo Wujiu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Although Huo Wujiu was sitting upright, he was already dizzy from the
fever. His eyes that were glaring at everyone just now were also shut
heavily.
Doctor Zhou carefully unwrapped his bandages to clean his wounds. Blood
had soaked the gauze, making it stuck to the flesh. Even when he carefully
unwrapped the gauze, the wounds were still inevitably torn.
Huo Wujiu's eyes were closed, but his brow was furrowed. He pursed his
lips and still restrained himself from gasping even in his muddled state.
Only the trembling of his brow as his bandages were ripped open revealed
that he was in pain.
Jiang Suizhou suddenly remembered something.
When he was a child and still living in his father's house, his brother, born
from a younger woman he didn't know, once pushed him down the stairs
and caused him to twist his ankle. His mother was in a bad mood those days
and always crying, so he did not dare to let her know. He limped back to his
room and endured the pain all night.
The feeling of enduring the pain alone was so torturous that no amount of
reading could distract him from it.
But for Huo Wujiu, it seemed to have become a habit engraved in his
bones.
Jiang Suzhou couldn't resist staring at Huo Wujiu's body, unable to
extricate his eyes for a second.
It was covered in crisscross injuries, fresh, bloody, and very deep.
…It must hurt like hell.
He sat there quietly, watching Doctor Zhou clean Huo Wujiu's wounds,
rewrap them in gauze, and help him lie down.
Doctor Zhou then reported to Jiang Suizhou. He knelt once more, and said,
"Your Highness, his bandages have been changed. Later on, just give
Madam the medicine and sponge him with cold towels to cool him down.
Once his fever subsides, there'll be no serious problem."
Jiang Suizhou nodded and raised his hand, signaling him to go and do it
himself.
Doctor Zhou went to prepare a handkerchief and placed it on Huo Wujiu's
forehead.
Not long after, Meng Qianshan came back with the medicine.
He handed the medicine to the doctor and returned to Jiang Suizhou's side,
bowing down and asking, "Your Highness, it's getting late. Why don't you
go back to Anyin Hall and rest for now?"
Seeing that Jiang Suizhou was staring at Huo Wujiu, he did not forget to
add, "If you are not at ease, I will leave some more people here to keep
watch."
He naturally knew that Huo Wujiu would not burn to death, and that there
was nothing to worry about.
However, he could not help but think of the original Huo Wujiu.
Back then, there must have been no one to bandage him or change his
dressing. To survive such a high fever like this one, it was a wonder how
many days and nights he burned up. He had forcibly dragged his life back
from Yama's hands.
Having experienced what it was like to exercise patience in pain alone,
Jiang Suizhou suddenly felt reluctant to leave.
A few moments later, he ordered lightly, "Go find a book for me."
Meng Qianshan was stunned. He forged ahead and replied without thought,
"Is Your Highness not going to leave…?"
Jiang Suizhou raised his eyes and looked at him, forcing the second half of
Meng Qianshan's words back into his mouth.
Meng Qianshan could only nod repeatedly and go find him a book.
——
When Huo Wujiu woke up, it was already late at night.
He opened his eyes in the dark, feeling something on his forehead. He
raised his hand and pulled it off, and saw that it was a damp, cool
handkerchief.
He frowned.
It seemed that he has been feverish since the afternoon today. This was
nothing unusual. He was wounded so many times on the battlefield and
occasionally suffered fevers. A good night's sleep was all it took.
In the evening, King Jing seemed to have visited, and before he figured
what the latter was going to do, Huo Wujiu had fainted from the fever.
Huo Wujiu lifted his hand and touched his forehead.
A cool patch.
He was fully sober at this point, but an extremely surreal feeling arose deep
within him.
He was a prisoner of war captured by the enemy, a tool sent to King Jing's
residence to humiliate him. However, he was now lying peacefully on a
bed. His wounds were treated and now clean and fresh; his forehead was
covered with a cool handkerchief; and the air was filled with a faint smell
of medicine.
It was distinctly bitter, yet calming and soothing.
He was born at the border where life was gruelling. He was extremely
resistant to any fall, and had never been so cared for in his life.
He turned his head sideways and saw a man sitting in the dim light.
The man was asleep, holding a book in one hand on his lap while
supporting the side of his head with the other. His eyelashes were long,
covering a pair of eyes that were always cold and arrogant.
The light shone on his side profile, coating him with a soft glow.
Huo Wujiu realized that he was guarding him.
His breathing hitched uncontrollably.
Jiang Suizhou did not sleep well again tonight.
He was sleepy from reading, not knowing when he fell asleep, and Meng
Qianshan also gave him a blanket to prevent him from catching a fever.
But when he opened his eyes, he still felt dizzy and lightheaded, especially
because the couch was extremely hard. It was very uncomfortable after
sitting for a long period of time. He sat there all night, making his body sore
all over.
Jiang Suizhou felt somewhat infuriated.
How did the original owner arrange such a room for Huo Wujiu? With such
simple furniture, did he not consider that Huo Wujiu would sleep on the
sofa here one day?
He sat up and found that the sky was getting brighter. The aroma of food
drifted in. It should be Meng Qianshan directing the people to prepare
breakfast.
Jiang Suizhou stood up and glanced at the bed.
It was empty. Where was Huo Wujiu?
Jiang Suizhou had just woken up and was still a bit confused, so he froze
and looked around.
He was caught off guard when his gaze collided with a pair of cool, dark
eyes.
Jiang Suizhou was startled to see Huo Wujiu sitting by the window in the
faint daylight. He was holding the book Jiang Suizhou had read halfway last
night, flipping through it at random.
Just by looking at his movements with the book, it was evident that Huo
Wujiu wasn't a man who could read at all.
He raised his eyes to look at Jiang Suizhou, his gaze cold and his face
expressionless.
His eyes looked like they could see right through people.
Jiang Suizhou suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed. He didn't do anything,
but for some reason, he felt a little guilty.
…Perhaps because of his choice to keep watch all night, his persona was
more or less in ruins.
Jiang Suizhou withdrew his gaze as if nothing had happened and coldly
called out, "Meng Qianshan?"
When Meng Qianshan who was outside heard his call, he trotted inside to
wait upon Jiang Suizhou.
Meng Qianshan had always been garrulous. As long as Jiang Suizhou didn't
interrupt him, he could talk like nobody's business for hours on end. Jiang
Suizhou happened to be embarrassed, so he let him nag. Afterward, as if
Huo Wujiu was nonexistent, Jiang Suizhou finished breakfast, then fled.
Today, there was no grand court assembly, so he could go to the office.
Before leaving, he remembered to remind Meng Qianshan, "Don't forget to
move Madam Huo into my courtyard."
Meng Qianshan repeatedly assured him.
After Jiang Suizhou left, Meng Qianshan returned to Huo Wujiu's
courtyard, bringing some people with him.
The courtyard was remote and dilapidated, and Huo Wujiu didn't bring
anything with him. Furthermore, he only stayed there for one night, so there
was really nothing to move.
However, Madam Huo's status obviously wasn't the same as when he first
entered the mansion. It would be negligent to just bring him to the King's
courtyard, right?
So, Meng Qianshan served Huo Wujiu breakfast with great care. After Huo
Wujiu had eaten his fill, he smiled so much that he couldn't see his lips and
asked, "Madam Huo, is there anything else you want to buy? I'll have
someone fetch it."
Huo Wujiu didn't speak.
This servant was noisy and always currying favor, a bit of an eyesore.
Even more so because Meng Qianshan already regarded Huo Wujiu as a
favored concubine, making him sick.
Meng Qianshan was completely oblivious. Hearing no response from Huo
Wujiu, he made arrangements by himself. "Robes for all seasons must be
made. I'll go and invite the tailors in a little while. And Madam's
wheelchair, I'll also find a carpenter to build a new one, all right? As for the
servants who'll attend to you…"
He met a pair of dark eyes.
Seeing that Huo Wujiu was looking at him, Meng Qianshan hurriedly
bowed and stepped forward, only assuming he had something to order:
"Madam?"
However, Huo Wujiu only gave him a faint glance with eyes as cold as a
bottomless pool, a glance that chilled his heart and lungs.
"I don't need anything," he said coldly. "You, just get away."
Meng Qianshan choked, and his enthusiasm was doused with cold water.
He fled in embarrassment.
…I never thought that Master would like someone as fierce and
unreasonable as him.
He was too difficult to serve.
——
Although there was no grand court session, Jiang Suizhou had to go to the
government office every day, but the Ministry of rites was more leisurely
than other places. In addition, his job was sinecure, so he had nothing to do
all day long.
On top of that, his boss, Ji You, was a good old chap.
From the records about this man in history books alone, it was clear that he
was an idle official averse to trickery and was only fond of the four forms
of poetry. Although the late emperor appointed him Number One Scholar,
he was always a lukewarm official and spent his time writing beautiful
poetry.
Ji You wasn't at all close to Jui Suizhou, and at first glance, wasn't in their
camp, but nor was he hard on him. Even seeing that he looked unwell, Ji
You said with a smile that there was nothing important for the day, and that
Jiang Suizhou could go home earlier to rest.
Jiang Suizhou breathed a sigh of relief.
For him, whether it was the imperial court, or his own harem, the water was
a little too deep, so he had to always be alert and vigilant.
On the contrary, working his shift at the government office was a rare
breather.
For the first time, he took a good rest in the government office with the
mentality of a middle-aged man who didn't want to face the family pressure
after work and hid in the car to smoke for a long time before going upstairs.