The sound of the clepsydra drifted leisurely over, and the third watch of midnight had arrived. Outside the window, wisps of rain wrapped around a bone-chilling cold, condensing a cold, damp moisture across the rosewood floor, as if even the air had frozen solid. At this moment, the Prince Ning’s estate was enveloped in an atmosphere of unease, entirely devoid of its usual tranquility.
“Imperial Physician Zhou, hurry over.” Huayi stood to one side with an anxious expression, her voice filled with a sense of urgency.
Ever since returning from the night market, Ji Yanche had suddenly broken out in a cold sweat, his entire body growing freezing cold, while a turbulent storm surged within his chest, causing him to cough up blood. Bright red blood droplets spattered onto the pristine white silk quilt, a striking and horrifying sight.
Meng Qing squatted halfway beside the bed, his hands tightly gripping Ji Yanche’s hand. His eye rims were reddened from excessive tension, tears swirling within his eyes, ready to spill over at any moment.
“It is all my fault, it is entirely my fault, knowing full well that your body was unwell yet.”
Filled with self-reproach, Meng Qing spoke with a voice choked with tears. He was well aware that Ji Yanche was already afflicted with a potent poison and suffered from chaotic circulation within his body, meaning he ought to have maintained a light diet and relied on medicine for gradual recovery, yet he had gone and consumed so much fiery liquor instead.
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Ji Yanche’s weak yet resolute voice.
“It is not Qingqing’s fault.” Following closely behind came another bout of violent coughing, bright red blood spilling from his fingertips and slowly sliding along his pale wristbones into his ink-colored wide sleeves.
That glaring flash of red pierced straight into Meng Qing’s nerves. He froze completely, his entire body seeming rooted to the spot. Even when the imperial physician came over to pull him away, he made no reaction, simply staring blankly at the blood on Ji Yanche’s hands.
Yet Ji Yanche, having finished coughing up blood, acted as though a heavy burden had been lifted, regaining his strength instead. He turned his hand over to clasp the palm Meng Qing was about to withdraw, and though the strength was not heavy, he gripped it tightly.
Ji Yanche laboriously propped himself up into a half-sitting position, shedding the sickly aura from just moments before in an instant, looking even more spirited than before. Completely ignoring Imperial Physician Zhou, who had rushed over in a flurry, he simply looked gently at Meng Qing and asked softly, “Were you frightened?”
Meng Qing finally snapped back to his senses. Without answering, he turned to look at Imperial Physician Zhou: “Doctor, quickly examine His Highness!”
After carefully taking his pulse, Imperial Physician Zhou’s face suddenly revealed a look of pleasant surprise.
“His Highness has coughed up the stagnant blood from within his body, and a portion of the poison has been discharged along with it. This is truly a wondrous blessing!”
Hearing these words, Meng Qing’s suspended heart finally landed safely on the ground. Imperial Physician Zhou gave a detailed rundown of several precautions and prescribed a few new medicinal formulas before hurriedly taking his leave.
Only the two of them remained in the room, quiet to the point where only each other’s breathing could be heard.
Ji Yanche reached out and gently wiped the tears from Meng Qing’s face, the slightly cool teardrops catching on his fingertips as if soaking into his heart as well.
“Frightened out of your wits?” Ji Yanche’s voice was low and gentle, carrying a hint of heartache.
Meng Qing did not reply, his tears simply flowing without stop.
Ji Yanche lowered his voice further, carrying a helpless tone.
“To actually frighten our Qingqing like this, your husband is truly to blame.”
Meng Qing hugged him, burying his head deep into the curve of his neck, and spoke in a muffled voice:
“Husband, you must take good care of yourself, you must never come to any harm.”
Feeling the warm breath of the person in his arms, Ji Yanche felt an indescribable softness in his heart. He softly gave his promise, then added:
“Qingqing must also remain safe and sound.”
The Prime Minister’s Residence
“I curse your ancestors, Bai Wujuh, do you know what this is called? This is fucking rape! This is breaking the law, do you understand!”
Xinian lay limply across the bed, the soreness of his body serving as a constant reminder of what had happened last night. Ever since he transmigrated into this dog-shit of a broken world, he had not experienced a single day of comfortable peace.
Looking at the impeccably dressed man before him, Xinian wished he could hack him into a thousand pieces and chop him into eight segments. Yet his body hurt too much to muster any strength, leaving him able only to output with his mouth, cursing him with the most venomous language possible.
Bai Wujuh possessed a bone structure carved from white jade, his brow bones slightly furrowing like distant mountains, his phoenix eyes canted upward. When unsmiling, his entire person exuded a cold aloofness that kept people a thousand miles away, presenting a heartless appearance. At this moment, dressed in a dark-colored brocade robe, he coldly eyed Xinian throwing a tantrum on the bed without expression.
“Prince Ning returns to court today with numerous affairs to attend to, so I will not be returning at midday. Stay obediently inside the Prime Minister’s residence, and do not harbor thoughts of running away again.” Seeing the red marks on Xinian’s body, the way he sucked in a breath of cold air because his movements pulled at his wounds, and his face that bore a seven-tenths resemblance to an old friend, he lowered his voice. “Be a good boy and do not cause me annoyance. If you find it too boring, go out of the estate for a stroll, and I will have someone keep an eye on you.”
With that, he turned and left, leaving Xinian alone to continue roaring in place.
“My bah, you’d better get hit by a carriage on the road and bitten by a dog.”
After an unknown length of time, Xinian finally grew tired of cursing, closing his eyes in exhaustion to lie on the bed and rest. His mind was an absolute mess, recalling his original life as if it were a lifetime ago.
He had originally been a conscientious young police officer. While executing a mission, he was unfortunately shot in the shoulder by a criminal and hospitalized for recuperation. When his high school cousin came to visit him, she cheerfully mentioned that she had recently read a novel featuring a pitiful little supporting character who also happened to be named Xinian, asking him with a giggle if it wasn’t a huge coincidence.
Xinian had scoffed at the time, remarking that it was merely sharing the same name. But days of recuperating from injuries were exceedingly boring, so he listened as his cousin recounted this trashy, melodramatic novel: the Xinian in the story was a stumbling block and troublemaker on the romance path of the secondary pairing. Because he was a simpleton who understood nothing of romance, he performed all sorts of green-tea, white-lotus deeds, creating numerous troubles for the secondary couple before finally being trampled to death by a crowd amidst chaotic movements.
Xinian: …
A fool goes home, a fool is safe.
Who could have known that upon waking up, he would transmigrate into this little fool.
Reflecting upon this, Xinian felt another wave of agitation. Feeling that he truly ought to step outside to get some fresh air and clear his head, he struggled out of bed, tidied himself up swiftly, and prepared to head out of the estate.
Prince Ning’s Residence
When Meng Qing woke up, the sunlight was already streaming across the bedchamber through the window, while Ji Yanche had long since gone off to court. Looking at the empty space beside his pillow, Meng Qing could not help slipping into a daze.
For over two months since their marriage, Meng Qing’s first sight upon opening his eyes every morning had been Ji Yanche. In the beginning, when Ji Yanche’s health was poor, what he saw was always his quiet sleeping visage, and he would invariably steal a moment to admire him before being willing to get up.
Later on, as Ji Yanche’s health gradually improved and his vigor grew increasingly robust, he would wake up before Meng Qing every single time. The moment Meng Qing opened his eyes, he would see Ji Yanche lying sideways, propping his head with one hand, a gentle smile hanging on the corners of his lips as his eyes looked at him brimming with love, softly saying, “Morning, Qingqing.” Then, he would lean down to deliver a light kiss like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Now that he was suddenly absent, Meng Qing found it difficult to adapt for a moment, feeling as though his chest was blocked by something, stuffy and dull.
When mealtime arrived, Meng Qing had lost his appetite as well. He listlessly poked at his rice, sighing from time to time: “When will His Highness return from court? Once court is dismissed, will he head straight back to the estate?”
Deshun was left not knowing whether to laugh or cry: “After court is dismissed, His Highness still has to go to the Council of State for discussions. If he has spare time, he will return to the estate at noon. But today is His Highness’s first day officially returning to court to take over affairs, so there are numerous matters of state, and I fear he will not return at midday.”
Hearing this, Meng Qing silently nodded in understanding, yet the yearning for Ji Yanche in his heart surged like the tide, completely uncontrollable.
“Does the Princess Consort wish to play tile games? Cuju is fine as well, this old servant feels he has made great progress recently and will surely let the Princess Consort play to his heart’s content.” Deshun attempted to cheer Meng Qing up by offering a suggestion.
“No, I am not in the mood.” Meng Qing put down his bowl and chopsticks, his expression weary. “I am somewhat tired, I am going to rest for a while.”
Deshun looked at their Princess Consort’s lonely retreating figure and sighed: You just woke up, didn’t you?
“Meng Qing~ This Prince has come to find you to play.” A bright, clear voice abruptly shattered the quiet of Prince Ning’s estate. Ji Lingfeng bounced and skipped as he pushed open the door, completely lacking the composure and dignity a prince ought to possess.
“Fifth Imperial Highness, why have you come?” Meng Qing was genuinely surprised. Today was not a day off from the Imperial Academy, yet he had walked in through the main gates; was he openly playing truant now?
“I told you to just call me Lingfeng, and what kind of look is that on your face? I did not skip class.” Ji Lingfeng triumphantly tossed his hair. “Third Brother granted me leave.”
“His Highness?” Meng Qing was even more astonished.
“Mhm-hm, the first time leaving you all alone in the estate, Third Brother was worried you would be bored, so he specifically secured leave for me to come keep you company.”
Meng Qing was startled, his chest burning with warmth. Ji Yanche was always so gentle and considerate, treating him with the utmost devotion without a single detail overlooked.
Watching Meng Qing’s face blooming with romantic agitation, Ji Lingfeng continued to “add fuel to the fire,” contributing to the romance between his older brother and sister-in-law.
“Tsk tsk tsk, this is the first time I’ve seen Third Brother care so deeply for someone, one might truly call it.”
“Deep affection indeed.”