On the carriage back to the residence, Jiang Suizhou's face was as cold as ice.
He did not expect that Chen Ti would be so eager for quick success that he did not even care about his face.
Of course, he knew what Chen Ti was trying to do. Inviting Huo Wujiu to his courtyard to admire some lousy flowers was a pretense. Seeing that the future master was defeated, Chen Ti purposely stood up for the future master at his banquet and flattered him.
After all, he had always been under Pang Shao's command. His official position was not high, so there were not many opportunities for him to show his face in front of the future master. Last time, Jiang Suizhou had rejected his invitation, but instead made a raft for him, giving him a chance to make the Empress smile.
Sure enough, the future master agreed without giving Jiang Suizhou any chance to refute. He even promoted Chen Ti by half a rank on the spot and rewarded him with a cushy job.
Naturally, everyone at the banquet was happy. Only Jiang Suizhou, who was pretending to be cold, was really cold.
When the palace banquet ended, the rain outside became heavier.
In addition to the heavy rain, a strong wind blew, causing the brocade curtains of the carriage to flutter loudly. A lot of raindrops were blown into the carriage.
In just a moment, half of Jiang Suizhou's shoulder was wet, but he did not feel it at all. He only stared coldly outside the window.
He knew that although this palace banquet was not a Hongmen Banquet, these people were already prepared to use them to make the future master happy. Of course, he could not block all of their attacks. However, he was still extremely unhappy that he was suddenly used by such a flatterer.
Especially … what about Huo Wujiu?
Perhaps he was always afraid that Huo Wujiu would hold a grudge against him and make plans for him. Although today's matter had nothing to do with him, Jiang Suizhou was still irritated because of it.
At this moment, a gust of cold wind whistled in, causing him to shiver from the cold.
His throat itched and he was about to cough.
However, before he could cough, a soft and heavy cloak suddenly fell on his body. The cloak had a warm body temperature, and it wrapped around him in an instant.
Jiang Suzhou was stunned. He looked up and saw Huo Wujiu sitting next to him without saying a word.
It was he who took off his robe and draped it over Jiang Suzhou's body.
"You …" Jiang Suzhou saw that he had taken off his cloak and was wearing thin clothes, so he wanted to take off his robe and return it to him.
Huo Wujiu said, "You've just recovered."
Jiang Suzhou clutched Huo Wujiu's robe. "Hmm?"
Huo Wujiu turned his head slightly and looked at him.
"Put it on," he said.
Jiang Suzhou awkwardly covered himself with the cloak.
Although he was not in good health now, he had been a healthy person for more than twenty years, so he always forgot that he was sick. However, he did not expect that Huo Wujiu remembered it more clearly than he did.
Seeing that Jiang Suizhou had obediently shrunk into his cloak, Huo Wujiu tucked in the corner of his cloak before turning back in satisfaction.
Jiang Suzhou looked at him.
He always felt that the color of Huo Wujiu's lips was not right. They were a bit pale when they came, but now they seemed to be even whiter.
"… Aren't you cold?" he asked.
Huo Wujiu sneered and glanced at him. "How is this cold?"
When it came to cold, the Yang Pass was cold. The night of snow in winter was enough to bury the tent's door. They had to dig and kick to open the door.
In the dimly lit carriage, he raised his eyebrows slightly when he looked to the side, revealing a rarely seen youthful spirit.
It was a bit similar to when he was in the palace, but it was not as aggressive. He even faintly looked like he was showing off.
Jiang Suzhou could not help but chuckle and wrap himself in his cloak.
"If you're not cold, then forget it," he said.
Seeing him smile, Huo Wujiu's gaze couldn't help but pause for a moment and look at him a few more times.
In the darkness of the carriage, the robe on his legs had long since been drenched. The dampness on his injured leg made him feel as if a knife had cut into his bones. He was already in so much pain that he began to tremble uncontrollably.
Jiang Suzhou did not feel any movement because the carriage wheels were moving slowly.
However, it was good that he didn't hear it.
Although he took off his cloak and wrapped it around his legs to relieve some of the pain, he didn't want to see a sick rabbit tremble. For him, the pain would be over if he endured it. However, if he let Imperial Prince Jing get sick from the wind and rain again and go back to take medicine with a fever, he was afraid that the medicine would be so bitter that he would cry.
Today, he even got a nice smile in return. It was really worth it.
—
Jiang Suzhou slept lightly at night.
He went back to his room, changed his clothes, and lay down. He was still thinking about what had happened today. While he was thinking, the sound of the rain outside the window caused him to fall asleep in a daze.
He was awakened by the crisp sound of something small falling to the ground.
He opened his eyes. There was only a single night light outside the tent, but the lightning outside the window was even brighter. He looked sideways at the window and saw a tall silhouette in the midst of the lightning and thunder. The silhouette sat up from the bed with some effort, as if he wanted to pick something up.
Jiang Suzhou hurriedly got up.
"What's wrong?" His voice was a bit hoarse, as if he hadn't woken up yet.
Huo Wujiu did not respond for a moment. It took a lot of effort for him to sit up straight.
Jiang Suzhou hurriedly got out of bed, put on his shoes, and walked over to the bed.
Huo Wujiu didn't seem to notice that he was awake until he was right in front of him. Huo Wujiu's eyebrows were tightly knitted together. He raised his head slightly to look at him and said in a hoarse voice, "Did I wake you up?"
Under the night sky, his face was extremely pale. His forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat, and the strands of hair at the corner of his forehead were wet.
Jiang Suzhou was shocked. He hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
Huo Wujiu raised his hand to rub his forehead, as if he was in a bit of a daze from the pain.
His hand was also trembling.
Jiang Suzhou had never seen him like this before. Even when he was released from prison, his wounds were still inflamed and he had a fever, he was not like this.
"Where are you feeling unwell? I'll ask Meng Qianshan to call a doctor!"
Huo Wujiu shook his head.
"It's nothing. It's raining. My legs aren't feeling very well."
He seemed to be unaware of how sorry he looked at the moment. He was still trying to put up a brave front.
"The medicine fell to the ground. Just pick it up for me," he said.
Jiang Suzhou heard him mention medicine and hurriedly bent down to pick it up for him. There was a small medicine bottle on the ground two steps away. It was made of a simple material, but it was especially sturdy, so it was not broken.
Jiang Suzhou hurriedly handed the medicine to him.
Huo Wujiu trembled as he slowly poured out a pill, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it. He stuffed the medicine into his clothes, closed his eyes, and was about to lie down.
It looked like he was about to go back to sleep.
Jiang Suzhou was stunned. He hurriedly asked, "What kind of medicine is this for?"
Huo Wujiu should not have known that his leg would be broken before he was captured. Why would he carry medicine for his leg with him?
Huo Wujiu frowned and opened his eyes again.
Although he was in so much pain that he was dizzy and disoriented, his vision was blurry, and he could not even feel his body trembling, he knew the reason for the pain in his leg.
When the meridians were damaged, this kind of pain was inevitable when it rained on a cloudy day. Moreover, Jiangnan was wet and rainy. This kind of pain was not fatal, but it was difficult to bear. He thought that when the rain stopped, it would naturally be better.
"It's a medicine that can prevent people from dying." He heard Jiang Suzhou anxiously ask him from the side, as if he had encountered a very serious matter. The corners of his mouth curled up, and his voice was hoarse, with a hint of carelessness.
He didn't think much of it, so why did Prince Jing get so scared?
Hearing his words, Jiang Suzhou's eyes widened.
He was in so much pain, yet he was still taking medicine?
He was clearly tired of living!
"Nonsense!" He blurted out, turned around, and hurriedly left.
"Meng Qianshan!"
Huo Wujiu sat on the bed. His ears were buzzing, and he could faintly hear Jiang Suzhou's anxious voice.
Tsk, it was just a small matter. Did they have to make such a big fuss?
"Making a mountain out of a molehill."
Huo Wujiu clicked his tongue impatiently, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.
— —
Lights were lit all over the Anyin Hall. In the cold rain, the hall lit up with a warm light.
Doctor Zhou checked Huo Wujiu's pulse and carefully examined his injuries. After a long time, he stood up.
"How is it?" Jiang Suzhou next to him asked.
Doctor Zhou bowed to him and said, "Your Highness, this is a symptom left behind by the damage to Madame's meridians. Every cold day, rain, or snow, she will experience unbearable pain."
Jiang Suzhou frowned, "Is there any way to treat it?"
Doctor Zhou shook his head.
"There's no other way, unless Madame's meridians are restored to their original state … However, the meridians in Madame's legs are completely broken. It's really difficult to treat them."
Jiang Suzhou's frown deepened.
He naturally knew that Huo Wujiu's legs could be cured, but the doctors in his residence didn't have the ability. He originally thought that it would be enough to wait for a doctor who could cure Huo Wujiu's legs three years later. However, he didn't expect that these three years would be so difficult for Huo Wujiu.
It was just raining, but it was already so painful. The air in Lin 'an was humid, and there was a lot of rain. Wouldn't Huo Wujiu be punished for three years?
He didn't speak for a while.
Doctor Zhou carefully looked at his expression and said, "However, if we warm Madame's legs with a quilt and a hot water bottle, it can more or less alleviate the pain."
When Jiang Suzhou heard this, he hurriedly ordered Meng Qianshan, "Why don't you go and prepare it?"
Meng Qianshan hurriedly responded and ordered the maids to get busy.
Doctor Zhou left. After a while, the maids brought in a thick quilt and covered Huo Wujiu's legs.
Jiang Suzhou asked, "Is it better?"
Huo Wujiu sat on the bed and looked at Jiang Suzhou.
At this time, Imperial Prince Jing was still wearing his sleeping clothes. He only casually put on an outer robe and sat on the chair in front of his bed.
It was late at night, and it was obvious that he wasn't in good spirits. There was a tired look on his face, and his complexion didn't look good. Perhaps because he was afraid that he would feel cold, Meng Qianshan specially poured a hot water bottle for him to warm his hands. At this time, he was unconsciously holding the warm and fluffy thing in his hand and frowning as he looked at himself.
If there was any use for this quilt … Huo Wujiu really didn't feel it. He only felt that it was suffocating.
Ever since his legs were crippled, his blood vessels weren't smooth, so his legs were often cold. Even if he covered them with a quilt, it was difficult to warm them up.Moreover, the water vapor was pervasive. It could even penetrate his skin, let alone this brocade and cotton.
However, he didn't seem to want to see Imperial Prince Jing disappointed. Although he felt that it was useless, he still said perfunctorily, "It's better."
Sure enough, that pair of foxy eyes suddenly lit up.
Immediately after, Imperial Prince Jing seemed to realize what he was holding in his hand. He lowered his head and looked at the warm and fluffy hot water bottle.
It was white and made of rabbit fur. It was soft and fluffy, as if he was hugging a rabbit.
He watched as Imperial Prince Jing carefully lifted his quilt and stuffed the hot water bottle, which looked like a white rabbit, next to his legs.
Then, he paused for a moment, as if he had thought of something.
The next moment, a hand that was warm from the hot water woman's warm hand covered his leg through the thin layer of his pajamas. She clumsily and carefully rubbed it up and down, then slowly rubbed it a few more times.
"This … is it better?"
He heard Imperial Prince Jing ask.
Huo Wujiu didn't know how to answer him.
Although his legs were crippled, it wasn't as if he couldn't feel them.
He couldn't tell if they were better or not. He only felt a surge of electricity shoot up from there and numb half of his body.