CH 92.2

Looking at the pale-faced Rong Xia on the bed, Ban Hua held her tongue. She frowned and sat down at the stool next to the bed, “How is Master Count’s injury?”

“Replying to Junzhu, Master Rong’s injury is quite serious, but luckily the inner organs are not hurt, otherwise it would have injured the root.” A doctor with sweat all over finally managed to remove all the fabric covering the wounds. He was very impressed that Master Count did not make any sound.

Ban Hua frowned to see Rong Xia’s lips were pale white to the extent that they were a little greenish. “You are a Count, why couldn’t you tell them to hit lighter?”

“His Majesty was in a fury, the guards did not dare to be negligent. If His Majesty became more upset, the consequences would be more severe,” Rong Xia smiled. “You don’t need to worry, I am fine.”

“Who is worried about you?” Ban Hua humphed. “I am worried if my fiance has problem, I will be accused of being a husband-curse again.”

“Hua Hua don’t worry, I won’t let you bear that indignity again.” Rong Xia stretched out his hand trying to hold hers, but she was too far away so that not only did he fail to take her hand, the action moved his wounds and he frowned in pain.

“Just lie down quietly, why are you moving around.” Ban Hua glared at him, but his eyes were still tenderly looking at her.

Her lips twitching, Ban Hua patted his hand. “Fine, be good, take your hand back.”

Rong Xia laughed softly and obediently took his hand back.

“Master, we are going to disinfect your wounds, please bear with it.”

For doctors, alcohol was the best disinfectant, it was used to clean wounds of dirt and shreds of fabric hiding in the wounds. But alcohol was also very painful when it touched the wounds. Rong Xia was very good at enduring, but when alcohol touched his wounds, the muscles all over his body inevitably tensed up. Sweat ran down his forehead, some fell into the pillow, some got into his eyes, making his eyes prick with pain.

Alcohol mixed with dirt flew down, and the smell of blood and alcohol was plainly hard for the nose.

Damp with cold sweat, Rong Xia told Ban Hua, “Hua Hua, the room is stuffy, go out to get some fresh air.”

“I have fresh air everyday, it’s fine not to get some now.”

Seeing that even his neck was pale, her voice had become much smaller. “Don’t worry, even though you are a bit ugly now, I won’t mind you.”

In midst of the great pain, Rong Xia actually laughed out loud, “Many thanks.”

“It’s fine.” Ban Hua sat steadily on the stool without fidgeting.

Rong Xia’s whole body was soon drenched with sweat, the doctor applied some greenish medicine on the wounds, “Master, your room needs to be airy with windows and door open. Don’t let it become stuffy. We will open a prescription. It is for the medicine to stop bleeding and prevent infection. For the time being, before the wounds are better, do not take anything to enrich the blood, it’s not good for your injury.”

“Have troubled the two of you.” When the medicine touched his back, Rong Xia could feel a pleasant cold sensation spread all over his body. The pain had reduced by more than half.

“Master is polite,” the slightly older one of the doctors said. “The disinfecting part was hard to bear, Master did not make a sound, we admire you.”

“I yell or not, it’s still painful. I’d rather look better in front of the beauty,” Rong Xia smiled. “No matter how, Doctors have helped me a lot.”

Ban Heng who was just entering the door heard it, he couldn’t help humphing a litte. Injured that badly, and instead of lying quietly on the bed, he still had the mood to kiss up to his sister, was this how a gentleman should behave?

“We dare not accept Master’s gratitude,” The doctors hurriedly saluted, “Master needs to take light food, do not eat heavier dishes. We will be here everyday to help Master change medicine.”

After that, the doctors saluted Ban Hua, “Junzhu, shuxia bids farewell.”

“You can go back.” Ban Hua nodded to them, then she turned to Rong Xia, “The weather is getting hotter now. Your bed is stained with blood, you can’t keep using this one. Bear with the pain a little longer, we’ll move you to another room.”

“That is right.” Rong Xia was apologetic, “Today I have troubled Hua Hua.”

“All I did was talking, it’s the doctors who worked, there is no trouble.” Ban Hua sighed. It was not good for an official to be punished with beating by the emperor, it might even be recorded in the annals.

Rong Xia laughed and did not continue arguing the point with Ban Hua. After a moment of silence, he closed his eyes, “Actually you shouldn’t have come today.”

Everyone knew recently His Majesty’s temperament was unstable. Those punished by him would not be used much. How many people would start to avoid him and Yao-daren? People like the Ban family, who depended on the Emperor’s favour, really should not have been in his house.

If this reached His Majesty’s ear, it would probably turn into Ban family was dissatisfied with His Majesty’s order, or that Ban family had publicly opposed His Majesty. Before his sickness, the Emperor might not have those kind of thoughts, but with the current state of His Majesty, it was hard to say.

A family like Jingting House probably should not have gambled on His Majesty’s favour.

“There isn’t should or shouldn’t,” Ban Hua calmly looked at Rong Xia. “For us, it’s whether we are willing or not.”

Rong Xia stared at her, looking into her eyes, as if trying to look into her soul.

“There are too many uncertainties in life. Even if I didn’t come to see you today, it doesn’t mean our family is guaranteed to be rich forever,” Following the words, Ban Hua laughed. “More than that, I’ve told you our Ban family won’t let ourselves be wronged. If you think I shouldn’t be here, then are you saying, we shouldn’t think of you as one of our own?”

Rong Xia’s eyelashes fluttered, the long eyelashes swept like a brush front of his deep eyes. “Hua Hua…”

“En?” Ban Hua did not understand why he called her name without speaking further.

Rong Xia smiled, “Thank you.”

“Haven’t I told you, don’t speak like that?” She rose from the stool. “Glad to see you are still in such good spirit.”

“Are you leaving?” Rong Xia lowered his eyes and lay down on the bed in a somewhat pitiful posture.

“I am going out to talk to your servants.” She was going to say she was leaving, but Rong Xia’s dejected look made the words come out differently. “I’ll stay with you a bit longer.”

Rong Xia broke into a smile at once. He was already extremely good looking; the pale face coupled with a weak smile made Ban Hua think of a bullied puppy, cute and pitiful.

She was about to step out when she turned to Du Jiu, “Have the servants prepare another room. Don’t put flowers or plants in the room, and no incense either. The room needs to be airy and bright.”

“Yes.” Du Jiu busily nodded and retreated.

“Hua Hua knows many things.” Rong Xia smilingly grabbed her hand, “Talented and good looking, so good.”

“Good looking I can admit, but about talented…” Ban Hua found him being playful again and pulled her hand out. “Don’t praise me again, I am embarrassed already.”

“Being competent is a talent. Poetry and painting doesn’t equate talent,” Rong Xia uprightly said. “Who said the word talent means only poetry and painting?”

Ban Hua felt her being talented or not was still uncertain, but one certain thing was, whenever Rong Xia wanted to praise her, he was never one to lack excuses.

She cherished such an interesting guy so much.

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“Count Rong, Sis.” Ban Heng who had been standing at the door for a long time finally could not hold it. He sucked in a mouthful of cold breath to see Rong Xia’s back. It was layered with medicine, but not bandaged or dressed, so he could see there was no place spared from beating. How many beatings did His Majesty let him be struck?

“Beaten like this, why not have it bandaged?”

Ban Hua looked at the thick layer of medicine on Rong Xia’s back, “Maybe it’s to let the wounds heal?”

“My back hurts just by looking,” Ban Heng stepped back a bit. “Master Rong, I better wait outside.”

He was never a brave man and this time he escaped outside with his scalp still tingling from the sight, as if the wounds would transfer to his own back if he looked longer.

“My brother is a bit timid.” Ban Hua coughed drily. “But he doesn’t mean to offend.”

Rong Xia smiled lightly, “I know.”

Rubbing her itchy ear, Ban Hua changed the topic, “You say, is the Crown Prince… set up?”

Rong Xia averted his eyes, away from Ban Hua’s, “Maybe, or maybe not.”

“So how is the Crown Prince now? He is supposed to be the overseer, but with this problem, and His Majesty being unwell, who else can Court matters be given to?”

“His Majesty and the Empress still have another one,” Rong Xia sighed, “Apart from the Crown Prince, there is still the Second Prince.”

“Second Prince?” Ban Hua frowned. “He is impulsive, vengeful and narrow-minded, how is he capable of ruling?”

“Hua Hua,” Rong Xia helplessly smiled a bitter smile. “Capable or not is not important. What matters is that His Majesty doesn’t trust the Crown Prince anymore.”

An emperor having to stay in bed due to being paralysed from a stroke was already a big blow. Then the talk circulating outside of how benevolent the Crown Prince was, of him having better character than the Emperor. This talk reaching the Emperor’s rear was like a thorn in his heart. Before this thorn could be pulled out, the Crown Prince was said to have secret meeting with a harem concubine, so how could Emperor Yunqing bear it?

A man’s status, reputation and dignity was robbed away; Emperor Yunqing, who was being tortured by illness, how could he stay calm?

Emperor Yunqing did not even think of the possibility that the Crown Prince was set up. He could only think of how his dignity as the emperor had been challenged.

Rong Xia and Yao Peiji was nothing but an excuse to vent his rage and humiliation, a cloth to cover his shame. The affair of the Crown Prince and the concubine would not spread outside the Palace, but the choice of the overseer definitely had to change.

“If the Second Prince becomes the overseer, would it affect you?” Ban Hua remembered the Second Prince and Rong Xia did not to see eye to eye.

Wasn’t it the case of rage due to love rivalry?

The Second Prince liked Shi Feixian, but Shi Feixian liked Rong Xia. Thinking that way, actually she was the final winner, because Rong Xia’s fiancee was herself.

Roughly… that way, wasn’t it?

“Even if it was not the Second Prince, with my condition I can’t attend the Court anyway,” Rong Xia flatly laughed. “I am sick, I can only recuperate. Whatever happens at the Court, I can’t do anything even if I want to.”

Ban Hua thought he was upset, she tried to comfort him, “Don’t take it to heart. Some people in the Capital are unable to keep their mouth shut, so whatever unpleasant thing they say, you don’t have to care too much. Nothing is more important than health. Your most important task right now is to recuperate well.”

“I am not upset,” Rong Xia was still smiling. “Fame and riches are like clouds, not touchable, can’t be held onto. I don’t care about it.”

“It’s good that you can think that way.” Ban Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

A gentleman was a gentleman. In their eyes riches was no different from dirt. Unlike herself – whenever she thought of how her title would vanish in 4 years’ time, she became too upset to breathe.

It couldn’t be denied, the gap was too big.

“It’s just a pity, I was going to use my day off to fly kites with you,” Rong Xia looked at the sunlight outside the door. “By the time I am healed, it will be unbearably hot, it won’t be a good time for flying kites anymore.”

“Not a problem, next autumn is not too late,” Ban Hua persuaded. “We can fly kites any time, this is just a small problem.”

The corner of Rong Xia’s lips curved up, like the sunlight of an early spring day, gentle and warm, not scorching.

The words Ban Hua used to persuade Rong Xia were not wrong. The day after Rong Xia was beaten, the Crown Prince fell sick and the Second Prince came to oversee the Court. Without looking, the Second Prince approved the sick leave requests submitted by Rong Xia and Yao Peiji.

At the Court’s current situation, some thought Rong Xia must have been discarded by His Majesty, otherwise how could the Second Prince so easily let Rong Xia recuperate at home without even bothering to say a word of retention? Moreover, an acting Minister of Revenue and acting Minister of Personnel were quickly appointed to take over Yao Peiji’s and Rong Xia’s tasks.

The key point was, that these currently were temporary placements, but after a period of time, would these temporaries became permanent replacements?

Some people, who were on good terms with Rong Xia on the surface only, began to gradually moved away from him. These people never visited him after the injury.

From that point, Ban family had once again became the laughingstock of the Capital with various rumours flying. Like, they thought they had found themselves a good son-in-law, but who knew this son-in-law lost his power at once, and his ministerial position would soon disappear too. There were many titled people at the Court. Those with titles but without a real job were considered not worth mentioning. Ban family’s tremendous luck had turned into sorrow, let’s see if they still dared to be arrogant.

Even several ladies who had previously professed interests towards Rong Xia had stopped mentioning his name. A good looking man was invaluable, but status was still more important. Who was willing to part with prestige and wealth?

Even without Rong Xia, there would still be Li Xia, Zhang Xia, Wang Xia. As long as one was rich, one was not afraid of lacking these.

Everyone was waiting to see His Majesty’s attitude, and dared not approach Rong Xia.

Only Ban family were the fearless ones. With their brave but foolish hearts, deliveries of various stuff reached Count Cheng’an frequently.

Everyone thought Ban family was courting disaster. Half a month later, a decree summoning Ban family was issued by the Palace. Fule Junzhu’s name was notably the focus of the invitation.