CH 63

October 28, 2022Merchie

“All of you, don’t move!”

The old doctor quickly pretended to panic and sprang off the side of the bed to his feet.

“Officers, what are you all doing here so late at night?”

The guards carefully observed the old doctor, before pointing at the small man lying on the bed, “Who is this?”

“Replying to the officer, this is a rich young master from another city. His family sent him to this old man for treatment.”

“From another city? Wake him up, I need to question him!”

The old doctor looked troubled, “Officer, the truth is, this young master has a strange illness; he’s been in a coma for two years, and no one’s been able to wake him up. If it wasn’t for his family’s insistence on keeping him alive, he would’ve been buried long ago.”

At these words, the guards all backed away, their expressions filled with loathing, “This–he’s just a dead person then!”

“No, no, he’s not dead; he’s still breathing. Officer, you can come over and feel it for yourself.” The old doctor stroked his beard and smiled as he spoke.

“Forget it, there’s nothing going on here, let’s go.”

The guards all turned and walked to the door. But before leaving, they swiveled around again and threatened the old doctor.

“You better not be lying to me. Our orders came directly from the Imperial City. If something happens, none of us will be able to bear the consequences, including you!”

“Yes, yes, this old man understands.”

The guards had finally left; Zhao Litang lifted the floorboard and jumped out, before cupping his hands toward the old doctor.

“Thank you, old sir. Although I don’t know why you chose to help us, I will always remember this favor in my heart. If you need help with anything in the future, bring this token with you; you can find me in the borderlands.”

Zhao Litang untied a small token from his belt and was about to give it to the old doctor, but the old man rejected it.

“This old man didn’t save you because he expected anything in return. It seems that fate has brought us together here. This old man’s eyes have never been wrong when it comes to diagnosing people, but here you are, trying to save him no matter what. I’m just lending you a hand, don’t worry about it.”

Zhao Litang had no choice but to take back the token.

“You shouldn’t stay here for too long, you two should leave as soon as possible.”

The old doctor continued, “The medicine I’ve prescribed can prevent his condition from worsening. But he can’t be running around like this anymore, he needs time to rest and recover.”

Zhao Litang lifted the small, comatose man off the bed. With a complicated expression, he carried Qi Changyi and left the inn.

Wu Quan and the coachman had heard the commotion from the guards searching, so they had prepared beforehand. Zhao Litang climbed into the carriage with the small man in his arms, and the group immediately set off once more.

The old doctor stood at the window on the second floor of the inn, and watched the carriage gallop off under the moonlight. He stroked his beard thoughtfully.

During the journey, Qi Changyi woke up several times in a daze, but his consciousness was always cloudy. With bleary eyes, he would ask for a few gulps of water, before fainting again. Fortunately, his body was no longer extremely hot to the touch.

They didn’t dare to make another stop, and sped forward until they finally caught up with the marching army.

Only then did Zhao Litang’s worries dissipate. He ordered Wu Quan to stick by Qi Changyi’s side and take care of all of his needs; if anything happened, Wu Quan was to report to him immediately.

The army continued to march in formation. Zhao Litang gave an order: no one was allowed to enter any town or disturb the commoners. Therefore, their only option was to rest outside of cities.

With Wu Quan’s medical skills combined with the old doctor’s prescription, Qi Changyi’s body was no longer feverish. It may have also been related to the little prince relaxing slightly since meeting up with the army.

Although marching with the army was also a form of strenuous travel, Qi Changyi was well-cared for, and he was no longer burdened by constant worry. He had finally regained some energy and vitality.

But that didn’t mean that his body had fully recovered. In the words of several soldiers who were whispering amongst themselves: “This could be terminal lucidity”.

At last, they had reached the army barracks in the borderlands. Although the land was barren, everybody had everything that they needed. Although the neighboring city’s customs weren’t as progressive as the barbarians, the people there were still far more open-minded than those in the Imperial Capital; there were even a few foreigners1 roaming around.

Qi Changyi’s mother, Noble Consort Ning, was originally a member of one of the foreign clans, so he felt a strange, intimate connection with this city.

Zhao Litang placed Qi Changyi in his own room, in a secluded part of the barracks. There were many people assigned to watch over the little prince at all times, and he was never allowed to have any contact with the burly, crude soldiers. He was to stay in his room at all times and focus on recovery.

Wu Quan, a man who usually spent his time shooting down countless soldiers with a steel gun, was now confined to the barracks all day to serve a soft and adorable little prince. He was like an old momo who worried about every little detail. He treated Qi Changyi as he would his ancestors, cradling him in the palm of his hand and taking care of his every need.

Fortunately, although the small man was of extremely noble status, he was not pretentious at all. On the contrary, he was simple-minded, kind and very cute. No wonder Zhao Litang was always so worried about him.

“Brother Wu, Brother Wu?” Qi Changyi stuck his head next to Wu Quan’s ear, and he raised his voice slightly, “Brother Wu!”

Wu Quan’s eardrums were slightly shaken from the impact, and he finally came to his senses.

“Your Highness, this subordinate does not deserve such a title. If you need something, you just have to give this subordinate an order.”

“My mother told me that when you go out, you have to be polite and proper. Brother Wu treats me very well, and you’re also older than me. If I don’t call you Brother Wu, what else should I call you?”

Qi Changyi blinked as he looked up at Wu Quan. He looked so innocent and harmless that Wu Quan couldn’t help but stutter out,

“F-fine…you can…call this subordinate whatever you’d like…”

“Brother Wu, the sun finally came out today! I want to go out for a walk, can I?”

Wu Quan hesitated for a moment. The weather was quite nice, and the sun warded off the chilly air. It was slightly warmer outside, but the winter wind was still bitterly cold.

“Your Highness, your body is still too weak. You can’t be exposed to the wind; what if you caught a cold, that would be…”

Qi Changyi gently tugged at Wu Quan’s sleeve, “But…I haven’t been outside for so long. I promise that I’ll be good, and I won’t go anywhere I’m not supposed to. Brother Tang is out on patrol today, so he probably won’t be back too early. I just want to go outside and take a look, please?”

As he spoke, the small man’s eyes slowly reddened; anyone would find it difficult to refuse him.

“F-fine. We have to come back after, at most, half an hour!”

“Okay!” Qi Changyi flashed a smile, and nodded vigorously.

Wu Quan wrapped the small man in a thick cloak, before pulling the fluffy collar up and covering most of his face. Only a pair of shining, almond-shaped eyes were exposed.

The moment he stepped out of the barracks, the freezing wind enveloped him, and the little prince couldn’t help but shiver despite his thick cloak and layered robes.

Wu Quan led the way, and Qi Changyi obediently followed behind him with his head lowered. As they passed the training grounds, the soldiers’ earth-shatteringly loud chants made the small man steal several more glances at them. However, these glances caused those men to immediately freeze in place.

They never had a chance to see the person that the general had hidden away in the barracks. Now, their eyes were pinned on the small, milk-white figure that was trailing behind Officer Wu. Though his fluffy collar obscured most of his face, those gorgeous eyes were enough for them to ascertain that this person was definitely a little beauty.

They had reached the city gate. Before they walked through it, Wu Quan instructed Qi Changyi, “Your…Little Master, you mustn’t stray away from me, or pretend that you feel fine when you don’t. If you feel tired or cold, we’ll go back.”

Qi Changyi’s head nodded from under the fur collar. Only then did Wu Quan lead him into the city.

There were also many small stalls cramming the streets of this city; they sold anything and everything that one could possibly want.

Wu Quan stayed close to Qi Changyi, and matched his slow footsteps. They watched as passersby and street vendors haggled. They watched as a lively group of small children ran and jumped around.

Qi Changyi walked up to a stall that was selling lanterns. He didn’t expect that a town in the borderlands would have such delicate things. It was a pity that they were all in very simple shapes; there was no rabbit-lotus lantern among the selection.

“Did Little Master find one that he likes? I’ll buy it for you.”

Qi Changyi didn’t say anything. His bright eyes dimmed slightly, before he shook his head and walked away in silence.

Not too far away, someone who was selling candied haws was walking down the street. His arms were full of those shiny red fruits on straw skewers, and he was hawking loudly as he walked.

Qi Changyi suddenly halted. He gazed at the bundle of candied haws, and his mind was overcome by inexplicable memories. The more he stared, the blurrier his vision became.

“Brother Wu, I want to eat those…”

Wu Quan glanced at the hawker, before waving his hand, “You can’t, those candied haws are definitely filled with germs. You can’t eat whatever you want right now. If you ate anything weird, it could be fatal.”

Qi Changyi slowly lowered his head, “Mm, I know. I just asked casually, I don’t actually want to eat it that much.”

The two walked aimlessly on the streets for a while. Qi Changyi’s breaths gradually became labored, and a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead. He was extremely weak, and he was already out of breath after just a few steps.

Wu Quan said, “Little Master, why don’t we stop here for today? Let’s go back.”

Qi Changyi nodded, and let Wu Quan support him as they turned back to walk out of the city.

At this moment, a horse’s neigh suddenly sounded from behind them. Two neat columns of guards came out and cleared the way, pushing all the passersby to the sides of the street.

Qi Changyi was almost shoved away as well, but fortunately, Wu Quan managed to grab him in time. He took the small man to the side of the path and hid underneath a nearby stall’s wooden awning.

The clip-clop of hooves drew nearer and nearer. Several people raced through the street on horseback, flanked by neat rows of armored imperial guards.

The mighty army of guards stayed in place for a while, until the soldiers at the head of the group finally continued forward to follow the people on horseback. Everybody on the street speculated amongst themselves about what had just happened before they all continued about their business.

The small man standing beneath the wooden awning stiffened. His eyes widened slightly as he stared at the now empty street, completely frozen.

Just now, the person who rode past was wearing a luxurious black robe. One could only catch a glimpse of his cold, determined expression. But even if no one else could see it clearly, Qi Changyi could recognize it in an instant.

It was Pei Zheng!

Qi Changyi’s entire body was slowly sapped of its warmth, and his fingers gripped the edge of his cloak.

Wu Quan had also seen Pei Zheng, and he became slightly nervous.

“Quick! We have to get out of here!”

Notes

Oh dear…

Thanks for reading~

1.This refers to the different foreign clans in China only.