Feeling a bit stuffy in the room, perhaps due to the weather, Ah-Hao opened her eyes and saw the window was tightly closed. Thinking that this might be the reason, she got up to open it. When she opened the window, there was a person standing outside. Ah-Hao was stunned, and the person outside was equally taken aback.
After Zhang Yu toured the temple, whose foundations weren't even laid yet, Lü Yuan suggested that the moonlight was beautiful and the air was cool that night, perfect for a stroll. So Zhang Yu wandered around aimlessly, accidentally ending up near A-Hao's courtyard, and then, almost by accident, walking up to the window of her room… But why did she suddenly open the window?
The moonlight, as still as flowing water, poured down from the sky. A gentle breeze carried the scent of gardenias to his nose, but Zhang Yu couldn't help but cough twice and look away. In that brief moment of eye contact, Song Shuhao's image was already imprinted in his mind.
Her black hair was loose and she looked a little sleepy, as if she had just woken up. Her face was more serene and serene than usual, and her eyes were bright and clear like autumn water. She wore a loose blue robe. Despite her quiet and detached appearance, she somehow made people... feel restless.
Ahao pursed her lips, not understanding why he had appeared here at this hour. In just a few days, she had become much less perceptive, failing to immediately react by bowing and greeting him. Ahao was about to invite Zhang Yu into the house when the person outside slammed the window shut. She vaguely heard him say, "Don't go out?"
Startled, Ah Hao quickly noticed some commotion in the courtyard. By the time she reached the door, the sounds of fighting had already begun. She was torn between going out and staying in. Her limited skills were insignificant, and going out might even hinder her; staying in… she worried about the situation outside. Just now, she had only seen Zhang Yu; she hadn't seen any other guards or attendants.
Ah Hao finally left the doorway, took a dagger from her dressing case, and returned to the window. She tore a hole in the screen window and peered into the courtyard.
Zhang Yu was all alone; he had to hold off five men in black, who appeared out of nowhere. Each of them was tall and imposing, and their fighting style seemed domineering and ruthless. They seemed to be trying to close in on her, but Zhang Yu single-handedly blocked them each time, though he was injured in the process.
Ahao was anxious and left the window. She heard Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan's voices again, so she went back to take another look and saw that they had finally arrived with their guards. Ahao ran to the door and came out of the room, only to see that there was already someone lying on the ground. No wonder Zhang Yu was holding a long sword.
After someone took over, Zhang Yu naturally stepped back and was protected. Ah Hao had just noticed that he seemed to have been stabbed in the waist, but there had been a previous injury in that area... Ah Hao went to Zhang Yu's side, helped him into the house and lay him down on the bed. After taking the medicine box, she remembered that the room was still dark, so she ran to the table, lit a candle, and held it to the bedside.
Ah Hao didn't speak, only pursed her lips. The candlelight illuminated Zhang Yu's waist, revealing an injury. She first opened the medicine box, then slowly began to undress Zhang Yu. Having cared for Zhang Yu in the past, she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with treating wounds.
At this moment, however, the person who hadn't resisted being brought into the room spoke. Zhang Yu looked down at A Hao's movements and said, "I thought you would only look at my coffin after I died." A Hao paused, and Zhang Yu continued, "Do you also want to wait until I die before you come to my side?"
Ah Hao glanced at Zhang Yu sullenly, still not speaking, but released her hand. Zhang Yu coughed, but pressed her hand down, saying, "You're just going to abandon her halfway through undressing?" The fighting outside hadn't stopped, and Ah Hao felt frustrated. She simply repeated what Zhang Yu had said before, saying, "Let Ling Xiao take a look for you."
“There’s nothing to see…” Zhang Yu said again, gripping A-Hao’s hand tightly. He paused, then whispered, “Do you want to see me die in this nunnery before you’re happy?”
Ah Hao grew increasingly frustrated as she listened to him speak. She tried to pull her hand away, but he held it tightly, leaving her no choice. She then looked at the wound on Zhang Yu's waist; it had bled so much that it had soaked through his outer clothes, and it needed to be treated quickly.
She sighed and asked, "What do you want?" Zhang Yu didn't speak, but just stared at her. Ah Hao finally couldn't hold back and whispered, "Your Majesty, please don't bully people like this."
Zhang Yu smiled and released her hand. "You bullied me first." Ahao remained silent. He continued, "You know I can't stand those words, yet you still insist on saying them. Does that mean you're the only one allowed to bully others?"
If he hadn't done that, hadn't said those things, he would never have let her go. Otherwise, she would have left that very night she was with Ling Xiao. He watched her do so much without saying a word, but he was prepared to confine her to the Yuanshu Pavilion should she dare to escape.
He knew perfectly well that she simply disliked the palace and didn't want to stay there, not that she disliked or hated him, yet he deliberately used this self-inflicted injury to make her unable to resist. Who was really bullying whom? Choosing today—did he foresee this beforehand? And why didn't he let others get too close… otherwise, how could someone with his skills be so easily injured?
Ah Hao was also annoyed. It was just bullying, anyone could do that. With his clothes half undone, Zhang Yu's chest was now half-open. Ah Hao reached into his clothes and began to grope him up and down.
Hearing Zhang Yu's slight panting, she smiled. Zhang Yu frowned and repeated her words, "Ah Hao, don't bully people like that." Ah Hao withdrew her hand and got up to fetch warm water to help Zhang Yu clean his wound, but instead, he grabbed her wrist tightly.
"Running away again?" Zhang Yu asked with a hint of anger. Ahao pointed at the back of his hand with her finger. "This is my residence. Where could I possibly run off to?" She then explained, "His Majesty's wound needs to be cleaned. There doesn't seem to be any more noise outside. I'll go fetch some warm water."
Zhang Yu, however, seemed not to believe her and did not release her wrist. He suddenly sat up from the bed and said, "If you're scared, I'll go with you." Since he hadn't had time to take off his shoes, getting out of bed would be easy. As soon as he finished speaking, he was already standing next to A-Hao. A-Hao couldn't help but mutter, "Who's scared?" Instead, Zhang Yu, still holding her wrist, led her forward.
...
While bandaging Zhang Yu's wounds, Lü Chuan reported from outside that everything had been taken care of. A-Hao quietly asked, "Who was it? Something didn't seem right..."
"People from Dayuan."
Despite his injuries, he didn't rest properly and instead followed her around, resulting in him losing his imposing manner. Ah Hao could hear that he sounded weak, but she didn't ask any questions. Only when he mentioned being from Dayuan did she ask again, "Did you plot to assassinate His Majesty?"
When Ahao asked, Zhang Yu glared at her. Could it be that they came to kill her? Just as she was feeling confused, she heard Zhang Yu say, "They're here to kidnap you to Dayuan." Hearing this, she was even more confused. She wanted to ask more, but Zhang Yu was too lazy to say anything more and remained silent.
He didn't speak again until he finished bandaging Zhang Yu's wound. A-Hao didn't pay attention and tidied up everything on her own, while Zhang Yu seemed to be lying on the bed without making any moves. A-Hao had to whisper, "Your Majesty, it's late, you should go back to the palace."
Zhang Yu simply shifted to a more comfortable position, half-opened his eyes, and smiled at her, "I'm injured and can't walk. I guess I'll have to wait until I'm healed before I can go back."
“This is a nunnery…” Ah Hao whispered to him again. Zhang Yu called out to Lü Yuan outside the door, and Lü Yuan immediately responded, saying very “sensibly,” “Yes, Your Majesty, from now on, this is Jingyun Temple.”
Ah Hao: "..." Knowing that she couldn't outmaneuver Zhang Yu in this matter, she stopped arguing and said, "Then Your Majesty, please rest well here. I will go rest elsewhere and come to see you again tomorrow morning."
Zhang Yu reached out and grabbed Ah Hao's arm again, sneering, "Go rest somewhere else, and I'll kill all the nuns in this nunnery."
"...You tyrant."
Author's Note: ︿(￣︶￣)︿︿(￣︶￣)︿︿(￣︶￣)︿
Hahaha, His Majesty's petty nature is so cute!
In short, it's my favorite thing n(*≧▽≦*)n
***
In the story, A-Hao is just an ordinary girl from a normal family. Within the harem, she's considered a normal person, but in a place like the harem where values are often lacking, normal people are actually quite rare... Many of her actions, I think, are actually very normal reactions.
Seeing innocent people die because of her would evoke fear, trauma, and nightmares, and she wouldn't think Zhang Yu's actions were good. She simply disliked the harem, or rather, she didn't love Zhang Yu enough to be willing to risk her entire life for him even if she disliked the harem.
So Ah Hao is very comfortable not being in the harem. Actually, His Majesty likes her just the way she is. Mwah, everyone.
Chapter 81 Update
Threatened that she couldn't sleep anywhere else, Ahao had no choice but to dig out an extra blanket and make a makeshift bed on the floor. Her daily routine had been very regular lately, and she was exhausted after tossing and turning until late at night. Although she knew in her heart that Zhang Yu wouldn't just say he wanted to recuperate at Jingyun Nunnery, Ahao still held onto a sliver of hope that he would leave after one night at most.
Zhang Yu watched coldly as Ahao actually slept on a makeshift bed on the floor, without even considering resting with him, or even the possibility of sharing a bed with each other under a blanket. He was quite annoyed. With a sullen face, he got off the bed, pulled Ahao out of the covers, and threw him directly onto the bed.
Despite sleeping on the floor, A-Hao didn't mind or feel uncomfortable, and quickly fell asleep on the soft pillow. Suddenly, Zhang Yu picked her up and put her back on the bed, waking her up instantly. Before she could even struggle to sit up, Zhang Yu had already returned to the bed, held her in his arms, and pulled the blanket over them both. The whole process was remarkably smooth and seamless.
Ah Hao was held tightly in his arms, unable to move and struggling to breathe, feeling very uncomfortable. She wanted Zhang Yu to release her, but also had to consider his injuries; she dared not move too much without causing him any harm. She could only utter, "Your Majesty... I can't breathe..."
Hearing this, Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment before loosening his grip slightly. If Ahao moved, he would hold her tightly to his chest again. Ahao was forced to give up struggling and tried to reason with Zhang Yu, who at this moment didn't seem like someone willing to reason.
"Your Majesty, you have an injury on your back."
"Um."
“Your Majesty, you have an injury on your waist.” Ah Hao repeated what she had just said, and added, “It’s not advisable to make any big movements, as you might accidentally aggravate the wound.” She looked up at Zhang Yu and sincerely advised him.