I was terrified by the bear bile!
“But he still won’t wake up. Sooner or later this will be exposed; if something else goes wrong…” Xiong Xiaoyi pushed Song Jiuyuan away angrily, pacing back and forth helplessly, “What kind of quack doctor did your sister find!”
Just as she was complaining, Song Jiuyuan's younger sister, Song Qiuqi, happened to bring in a bowl of meat porridge. She immediately retorted angrily, "How can you blame me? Our little village is the only one in dozens of miles around. It's already difficult enough to find someone who knows medicine!"
The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old. She was pretty and had a capable air about her. She rolled up her sleeves, held a bowl of porridge, raised her eyebrows, and drank it in a sweet voice, which showed a bit of sharpness.
Seeing Xiong Xiaoyi pout and turn to look outside, Song Qiuqi rolled her eyes at him and handed the bowl of meat porridge to her brother.
Song Jiuyuan took the food, walked to the bedside with practiced ease, sat down, and began to feed Yun Lie without complaint.
The meat porridge was made by simmering a thick meat broth until it was soft, and many medicinal herbs were added. You could smell a strong medicinal aroma as soon as you stirred it with a small spoon.
"Elder Qi said that His Highness is seriously injured and has lost a lot of blood. In addition, he has been fighting continuously for nearly three months. It is normal for him not to wake up for a while. His life is not in danger." Song Qiuqi, having calmed down from the anger she felt at being unjustly blamed, explained to Xiong Xiaoyi in a kind and gentle manner.
The old man she mentioned, Qi, was the only reliable doctor in this small village.
Xiong Xiaoyi grunted in response, scratching his head anxiously, and turned to look at Yun Lie, who was still lying on the bed with his eyes closed.
“His Highness has been eating much more easily these past few days,” Song Jiuyuan said. “Old Master Qi came to check his pulse this morning and said that he might wake up in another three to five days.”
With a deadline set, Xiong Xiaoyi felt a little more at ease and wiped his face with his palm. "You siblings have had a hard time these past few days. I'll stay here today, so you can get a good night's sleep."
****
Soldiers are naturally alert. As soon as there was a slight noise on the bed, Xiong Xiaoyi, who was sleeping on the floor under the bed, immediately sprang up, grabbed a tinderbox, and lit the small oil lamp by the bedside.
A sudden glimmer of light made Yun Lie close his eyes again immediately, which were only half open. Xiong Xiaoyi panicked and reached out to shake him, "Since you're awake, don't go back to sleep!"
Yun Lie seemed to calm down for a moment, then slowly opened his eyes again, this time with a clearer gaze than before.
"Do you want some water? Do you want something to eat? Is your mind clear?" Xiong Xiaoyi rubbed his paws together with a mixture of joy and nervousness.
"Shut up," Yun Lie's voice was hoarse and rough, "How long have I been unconscious?"
"It's been about ten days," Xiong Xiaoyi reassured him. "I've finished handling the aftermath, and the battle report has been sent back to Beijing. You don't need to worry about anything."
Yun Lie nodded weakly, "Go and prepare. We'll set off back to the capital at daybreak."
Xiong Xiaoyi was shocked: "You've just woken up. You should rest for at least two or three days before setting off. Otherwise, the bumpy ride might turn a non-existent problem into an one-way trip."
"No, we must set off immediately."
"What's the rush? It'll only take a couple of days!" Xiong Xiaoyi was very dissatisfied.
"I had a terrible dream..." Yun Lie closed his eyes heavily and exhaled a breath of lingering fear.
He dreamt that a chubby, fair-skinned little girl stood beside Luo Cuiwei, tugging at Luo Cuiwei's clothes and pointing at him, asking—
Mother, who is this uncle?
That's terrifying! Absolutely horrifying!
He must get back immediately!
must!
We'll go back without stopping!
----2018/3/10 6:46:22|51867225----
43. Chapter Forty-Three
Heaven and earth are a great kiln, where charcoal is heated in the sixth month.
After the Great Heat on June 11th, the weather gets hotter day by day.
Although since the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the Imperial Household Department had frequently sent officials to Prince Zhao's residence to discuss the preparations for the grand wedding with Luo Cuiwei, and Gao Zhan had also reported the news of "a great victory at Linchuan, and Prince Zhao is unharmed" on the fifth day—
But none of this could dispel the inexplicable unease in Luo Cuiwei's heart.
What hurt her most was that she couldn't do anything about it.
Even if she didn't understand military and political affairs, she knew that the news from Linchuan was related to military intelligence. Since the court was suppressing those news and not making a big fuss about it, there must be some hidden reasons and considerations. If she wanted to find out more, she might cause trouble for Yun Lie.
So she could only suppress her unease and speculations, always maintaining a calm and composed smile during the day, discussing matters with the officials of the Shaofu and arranging and managing all matters of the Zhaowang Mansion with Uncle Chen, keeping herself extremely busy.
Only when all the lights in her bedchamber were extinguished after nightfall, and she tossed and turned alone in the quiet darkness, did she dare to show her vulnerability and fear on her face.
This was probably the most helpless time she had ever experienced in her life.
Fortunately, she hid her heavy thoughts well, not letting anyone else see them; only the moon knew.
On June 16th, Luo Cuiwei could no longer bear the pressure in her heart, so she simply returned to the Luo family mansion and chatted with her father, Luo Huai, for most of the day in the main courtyard.
Her father was injured, so she dared not bother him to worry about her anymore. She could only talk about some trivial good things, such as the news that Luo Fengming brought back from the south, and discuss Luo Cuizhen's studies and future.
After a long day, the frustration she felt had been greatly relieved.
At dusk, after having a medicinal meal with them for dinner, she returned to Prince Zhao's residence.
She arrived at Prince Zhao's residence at just past 7 PM. Perhaps it was because some calming herbs had been added to the medicinal meal, and coupled with her restless sleep these past few days, her body was already extremely exhausted. At this moment, a drowsy and sleepy feeling welled up inside her.
After giving a few instructions to Steward Chen, she went alone through the main hall to prepare for an early bath and bedtime.
As she passed through the central courtyard, her steps gradually slowed, and she finally stopped in front of the small garden in the courtyard, staring blankly at the scenery.