CH 47

October 12, 2022Merchie

Qi Changyi’s vision immediately blurred with tears. “Ugh…it hurts…”

The sudden, crisp sound shocked Pei Zheng, and his grip immediately loosened. The little man’s slender wrist was really too fragile; he hadn’t even used that much force.

Pei Zheng called for Cheng Feng, “Go find the other Imperial Physician, not Jiang Yubai.”

Cheng Feng affirmed the order and walked away, and soon returned with the Imperial Physician in tow.

That Imperial Physician surveyed the scene: Pei Zheng was sitting at the table, his eyes cold. The little prince was kneeling on the ground in his white underrobe, his skin glistening with sweat.

He was suddenly overcome with terror and didn’t dare to speak. He quickly stepped forward to check the little man’s wrist, before he wrapped an arm around the other’s shoulders to help him stand up.

“Let go.” Pei Zheng’s cold voice rang out from behind.

The Imperial Physician was supporting Qi Changyi’s upper body; if he let go, the little man would immediately crash back onto the floor. The wooden floorboards were cold and hard, it wouldn’t be good for his injuries if he continued to kneel on them.

“Lord Pei, I’m afraid the prince will…”

“I told you to let go. His Highness is of such high status, yet here you are, randomly grabbing him. Do you not want your hands anymore?”

The Imperial Physician panicked, and immediately let go of Qi Changyi’s hand. The little man really didn’t have any strength in his legs and was on the verge of falling back onto the ground.

Pei Zheng suddenly stood up. In a single long stride, he stepped forward, caught Qi Changyi, and pulled him into his arms. He carefully avoided touching his wrist, and gently placed him on the bed.

The Imperial Physician had no clue what was going on. Why couldn’t Lord Pei have just placed His Highness onto the bed before he arrived? Instead, Pei Zheng had to wait until he tried to help the little man, before snatching him away with a lethal look in his eyes.

He didn’t dare to make any speculations. He hurried over to the side of the bed to examine His Highness’s dislocated wrist.

Resetting a dislocated bone would hurt just as much as breaking a limb. Qi Changyi bit his lip until it turned white, but he didn’t whimper or cry out.

The Imperial Physician also slathered a thick layer of ointment over Qi Changyi’s swollen knees and wrapped them in a light layer of gauze to prevent any more chafing.

The Imperial Physician busied himself with treating Qi Changyi. When he was finished, his forehead was covered in sweat. He looked up and saw that Pei Zheng had silently left the room at some point; only his bodyguard, Cheng Feng, was still standing outside the door.

After reminding Qi Changyi not to walk on his own for the next few days, the Imperial Physician closed the door and left; Cheng Feng’s eyes followed his every movement.

The room was empty; Qi Changyi was alone. He laid down on the bed and buried his head under the blanket. Only then did he let out a soft groan of pain.

He was in agony from his wrist and knees, and could no longer hold back his sniffles. But he couldn’t let anyone see him like this. He cried and cried. He cried until he was exhausted, and drifted to sleep.

He woke up early the next morning. Li Yu came in to help him change his clothes and brought with him a pot of porridge. Qi Changyi had two bowls this time, a rare occurrence.

The long queue of sedans and horses was already waiting outside. Cheng Feng came to take Qi Changyi downstairs. Per his master’s orders, he carried Qi Changyi on his back. His hands were clenched into fists, and rested on the sides of Qi Changyi’s calves; he didn’t dare to touch the little man directly.

After all, he still wanted to keep his hands.

Qi Changyi was taken back to the same carriage, but Pei Zheng wasn’t inside.

Li Yu leaned on the side of the carriage and whispered, “Your Highness, Lord Pei will be on horseback today, he will be at the front with General Zhao and the other guards. If you’re still tired from last night, you can take a nap right now.”

When Qi Changyi heard that Pei Zheng wouldn’t be riding in the carriage, his shoulders slackened in relief. But he still felt a tinge of dejectedness in the depths of his heart.

He consoled himself, it’s okay, he had liked Brother Pei for so many years now; of course it would be impossible for him to get over his feelings so easily. It was understandable that his heart would still be pining for him.

These thoughts floated through his mind, and he slowly drifted off to sleep inside the lightly rattling carriage. He might have been in the midst of a nightmare; his eyebrows pinched and creased over his closed eyes.

For the next few days, Pei Zheng rode on horseback at the front of the queue. They had reached the desolate wilderness; they were miles away from any city or town. They passed by many hills and forests; in this environment, no one could afford to let their guard down.

Qi Changyi was the only one riding in a carriage; at night, he had no choice but to sleep in it, while everybody else set up tents.

Whenever it was time to eat, the guard squad stopped to rest their horses, and Li Yu would bring food to the carriage.

Without Pei Zheng around, Qi Changyi’s mind was at ease, and he slept relatively well at night. His wrist and knees were healing nicely, and he could already walk again. Even his pale face was slowly regaining its color.

This was the plus side of being young: no matter what kind of shit his body went through, it would always be good as new after a few days.

The carriage rolled to a stop; it was time to eat again. However, the person who opened the carriage door was not Li Yu, but Pei Zheng, whom Qi Changyi had not seen in several days.

Qi Changyi’s curved eyebrows immediately collapsed. “Brother Pei, it’s you.”

“Disappointed, are you?” Pei Zheng climbed into the carriage. The eunuch behind him placed the food on the little desk before quickly closing the carriage door and practically running away.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” Qi Changyi lowered his head and anxiously clutched at his red skirt.

“Then what did Your Highness mean?”

“I, I just wanted to ask where Xiao Yuzi went.”

“Don’t worry. I haven’t done anything to him for now.” Pei Zheng tilted the little man’s chin up. “As long as you continue to behave, and stop being so rebellious.”

Qi Changyi nodded slowly, but his expression was aggrieved; he hadn’t been disobeying Pei Zheng on purpose, after all.

“I haven’t seen you in so many days, let me take a look at you. I want to see if anything has changed.”

Pei Zheng leaned closer, his eyes squinted, and he stared at Qi Changyi’s beautiful face. “Why do you look prettier now, hm?”

His pale skin had returned to its usual rich, creamy hue, and his cheeks were slightly rosy; even his bloodless white lips had bloomed with red once more.

Pei Zheng’s hot breath tickled the side of his face, and the tips of Qi Changyi’s ears immediately flushed red. “I, I don’t, I look the same as before…”

As soon as he finished speaking, his stomach growled loudly.

The corners of Pei Zheng’s lips lifted. “Are you hungry?”

“A little.” The redness from Qi Changyi’s ears had now spread to his face. “But, only a little bit…”

At these words, his stomach growled even louder.

The corners of Pei Zheng’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. He let go of the little man and shifted back slightly. “Eat up.”

Qi Changyi sat down in front of the desk and began to eat. He resembled some kind of small animal; he would stuff his cheeks until they bulged before he began to chew slowly. Then he would swallow, and the cycle would repeat.

Pei Zheng looked on as the little man’s cheeks puffed and flattened. He felt that this little man who silently shoved food into his mouth was very cute. He didn’t notice the tenderness in his own gaze.

“Eat slower, don’t stuff so much into your mouth at once. No one’s going to steal your food.”

Nobody except Zhao Litang.

“Lord Pei.” Zhao Litang spoke. “In a bad mood, are you?”

Pei Zheng’s expression was murderous as he glanced coldly at Zhao Litang.

“So the negotiation with A’mu Le didn’t go well? What the hell are you two scheming, is it such a guarded secret that you can’t even tell me?”

Pei Zheng snorted coldly, “General Zhao, you can’t even perform your own duties well, yet you’re still in the mood to be meddling in my affairs?”

Zhao Litang choked in anger. He had been placed in charge of ensuring the prince’s safety en route, but they weren’t in the borderlands; he wasn’t the one calling the shots here. These guards were all from the Imperial City, which, to put it bluntly, meant that they were all under Pei Zheng’s command.

Their little chat was over before it even began. The queue slowly continued forward in a neat, quiet manner.

They traveled for a long while before reaching a flat, dirt road. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew in from out of nowhere; dust flew up into the air, the horses neighed and thrashed in panic, and the queue’s formation immediately dispersed.

No one could see who shot that first arrow. Scarlet blood ran, and someone tumbled off of their horse. A panicked voice pierced through the hazy smokescreen of dust.

“Damn it, we’re being attacked by bandits!”

Notes:

Sorry that was a bit anti-climactic wasn’t it

News news news, I have recruited a proofreader, Kai-sama! If you ever read back over old chapters and suddenly see that they have proper grammar and sound good you know someone worked their magic. Let’s give our thanks~

As always, thanks for reading~ Do let me know if there are any issues