After speaking, he didn’t care about her reaction and strode off in a hurry.
Yu Jiao froze, clutching the medicine in her hands. She recalled the words the doctor had said before leaving, and a warm flush spread to the back of her neck, making the medicine bottle feel scalding in her hands.
“What is the Princess Consort of Yan thinking?” Chu Yin teased lazily, his gaze playful.
“Uh… I’m thinking about how to apply it to you,” Yu Jiao said, lowering her head to look at the bottle, speaking almost instinctively.
The air fell silent for a second.
She suddenly looked up and met those teasing eyes on the bed.
Chu Yin’s interest piqued slightly. Watching her face turn red, he raised his tone in a sing-song “Oh,” and asked, “How… apply it?”
She wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but it seemed like he deliberately emphasized the last word, carrying hidden meaning.
Her earlobes felt as if they were on fire. Yu Jiao wanted to rub them, but he stared at her without blinking, speaking slowly: “I mean how to apply the medicine to the Prince. What were you thinking?”
“Oh,” Chu Yin said nonchalantly. “The Prince was thinking of applying it too.”
Yu Jiao opened the medicine patch and squatted by the bed, puzzled. The red clothing was mixed with blood, and she couldn’t see where the wound was.
Chu Yin glanced at her. “Take off your clothes.”
“Ah?” Yu Jiao felt her face heat up. For some reason, the doctor’s words came back to her—this man!
She already knew he wasn’t talking about the medicine.
Anger welled up in her chest, but when she met his half-smiling, half-teasing eyes, she pursed her lips and then deflated, swallowing uncomfortably. “The Prince doesn’t have enough strength right now.”
Chu Yin gritted his teeth. Not enough strength…
Fine. Just wait. One day, she would cry.
He glanced at the flush on her face, sneered, and said, “The Prince meant applying the medicine by taking off your clothes. Princess Consort of Yan, what are you thinking now?”
Her wedding dress was already loose. After being disheveled by the wind, the straps hung even more loosely, faintly revealing her graceful figure and slim waist.
Who would have thought that an innocent little rabbit could hide a wolf in her bones?
Yu Jiao felt both shame and embarrassment. She pressed her lips together and remained silent, her cheeks already bright red. She muttered softly, “I’ll apply the medicine to the Prince.”
Chu Yin lay back on the bed, his narrow eyes glancing at her lightly biting lips, and chuckled, “Good, start peeling.”
Yu Jiao’s hands trembled as she grabbed his clothes, fingertips brushing against his chest. Even through the fabric, she could feel the firmness.
He watched leisurely as her ears turned pink, her blush deepening, amusement growing in his eyes.
She shot him an annoyed look, took a deep breath, and began to untie his sash. After a long while, she hadn’t managed to untie it and had only messed it up further, sweat forming on her forehead.
Chu Yin’s lips curved slightly. “How can you see clearly if you don’t get closer?”
Before she could respond, he suddenly grabbed her wrist with one hand, looped the other around her waist, and pressed down firmly.
“Ah!”
Yu Jiao gasped, pressing her face against his chest. When her nose almost touched his skin, she wanted to support herself on his chest with her elbows. But remembering his weak state, she worried he might not withstand it.
So she gave up resisting and pressed herself fully against him.
The hand on her waist tightened, and Chu Yin rested his chin on her hair, rubbing it gently, closing his eyes in comfort.
The wolf in her rabbit’s skin was soft and fragrant.
Through their clothes, Yu Jiao seemed to hear the rhythm of his heartbeat—strong and steady.
“What is the Princess Consort of Yan doing lying on the Prince? Weren’t you supposed to peel off my clothes?”
Yu Jiao froze, realizing her mistake. She was flustered, scrambling to sit up, and, seeing the irritating clothing straps, tore them off without thinking.
“Tsk, Princess Consort of Yan is quite wild.”
Her fingers trembled visibly. She pressed them down and smiled faintly. “Thank you for the compliment, Prince.”
The redness on her earlobes didn’t deepen as expected. Chu Yin, looking bored, snorted and urged her to apply the medicine quickly.
She removed his upper garment, revealing large patches of skin, but no wound.
Her gaze shifted to his trousers, lingering on his lower abdomen for a moment.
Chu Yin looked at her, half-smiling. “How do you apply it without taking off your trousers?”
Yu Jiao’s face turned red, pouting angrily. “The Prince never said the wound was down there!”
“Hmm.” Chu Yin’s eyes darkened slightly. He closed them and said slowly, “Then don’t take it off.”
Yu Jiao looked up in surprise. Before she could speak, he added coldly, “If you can’t even take off trousers, you might as well be like a lamp wick burning.”
She was both angry and embarrassed, twisting her fingers, glancing at him, stomping her foot.
Resigned, she closed her eyes, bracing herself as she slid her hands to his trousers, pinching the edges and trying to pull them down.
After a long time, they seemed impossible to remove. She quietly peeked through a slit in her eyes to observe.
Chu Yin lay on the bed with eyes closed, motionless. Without his gaze, the shyness in her eyes diminished somewhat, but… it was still difficult to undress him.
She could only whisper, “Prince, lift your hips a bit.”
He, surprisingly, cooperated, lifting his hips.
The wound was slightly below the abdomen. Yu Jiao looked at the undergarment and breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Yin peeked with one eye and slowly closed it again.
Hmph, truly a wolf.
Not being able to fully undress him left her a little disappointed.
Yu Jiao composed herself, forcing herself not to look, and used the clean part of her sleeve to wipe the blood from the wound.
When Chu Yin opened his eyes, Yu Jiao’s wedding sleeve was already stained dark red. He glared, forcefully pushing her hand away and growling, “Who allowed you to use your sleeve?”
Yu Jiao stumbled back, supporting herself with both hands, blinking in confusion at his sudden anger, stammering, “I… I… this sleeve is clean.”
Clean. She was clean.
Something so clean should be dirtied, ruined together with him.
Chu Yin’s blood surged in irritation. Yu Jiao moved closer, smoothing his breathing, softly saying, “Don’t be angry… don’t be angry. I’ll use a clean handkerchief next time, okay?”
He lifted his eyelids lazily, noticing her furrowed brow and the blood still not wiped from the wound, his expression full of disdain. He snorted with boredom.
He slightly regretted letting that thing pierce his lower abdomen.
After Yu Jiao finished applying the medicine, she changed him into clean clothes. After all the fuss, Chu Yin had already closed his eyes, breathing steadily.
She reached out to straighten the blanket around him, exhaling in relief, and tiptoed to turn away.
“Weren’t you supposed to be able to serve people?” a hoarse voice sounded behind her. Yu Jiao jumped, her heart rising, and turned back to sit properly by his side.
Chu Yin glanced at her. “The Prince meant personal, close service.”
She looked at her blood-stained outer garment, thought for a moment, took it off, bent down to remove her shoes, and then looked up, meeting a pair of teasing eyes.
“Prince… what… what is it?”
“Take off your clothes,” he said, the corner of his eyes lifted, pointing at her. “How can you provide close service without taking off your clothes?”