Chapter 40
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“You are going to the Imperial Hospital.” Yun Qingci looked at his injury.
Li Ying’s arms were white and covered with a layer of lean, powerful muscles. But now his flesh was grinning with open teeth, quite shocking.
Li Ying returned those cuts to him.
Yun Qingci actually didn’t like wounds. He didn’t like being injured himself, nor did he like others to be injured.
Although, he did feel a little bit happy right now.
Because Li Ying finally understood how he had felt then, when he was thrown out. Yun Qingci once thought that sooner or later, he would ask Li Ying to pay him back for all those wounds.
He was crazily in love, but it didn’t mean that he was really crazy. When he harmed himself, he was not confused, but quite clear-headed. He knew what he was doing. He was indeed forcing Li Ying to soften and forcing Li Ying to look at him. When he couldn’t force Li Ying, he went to force his father. As long as he got what he wanted, nothing else mattered.
Later, Li Ying treated him well, and Yun Qingci felt that these few wounds were worth it. But whenever Li Ying treated him badly, he felt that one day he would have to get it back.
Now he had gotten it back.
It was impossible to say that he wasn’t happy.
But when it comes to being happy, there are other things mixed in.
Out of some bizarre vengefulness, he deliberately did not promise anything to Li Ying, just like Li Ying had not given him enough sense of security back then.
Yun Qingci also thought, what’s so special about you cutting yourself, let me do it if you dare.
Li Ying was really in distress. He handed over the knife: “If you are still dissatisfied, stab me a few more times, or kill me.”
Yun Qingci: “…”
What’s so special about you letting me stab you, let’s see if you have the ability to cut yourself… Forget it, he’d already cut himself.
He took a step forward, supported Li Ying and said, “I’m not leaving now, Ah Ying, you go check your injury first.”
Maybe it was because Yun Qingci’s attitude softened or maybe it was because of his sentence ‘I’m not leaving now’, but Li Ying told him: “I still have a lot to say to you.”
Yun Qingci said, “I will listen.”
The short dagger fell to the ground, and Li Ying completely lost consciousness.
Yun Qingci stretched out his hand to catch him, his long eyelashes lowered as he called Liu Ziru. When the latter hissed seeing one of Li Ying’s arms, Yun Qingci said softly: “I didn’t do it, it was him.”
Prime Minister Yun couldn’t say a word.
These two children, now one was crazier than the other. He looked at Yun Qingci’s indifferent expression, and there was a stormy wave in his heart.
While Li Ying was unconscious, his hand was clutching the corner of Yun Qingci’s clothes. In order not to interfere with the doctor, Yun Qingci had to take a dagger and cut off his cuff. He got up and left the bedside.
Prime Minister Yun called him aside.
Yun Qingci obediently followed him out and said, “Father.”
“Xiao Ci…” Prime Minister Yun paused for a while and then said: “You, don’t you want to separate?”
Yun Qingci didn’t say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. “He is injured,” he said instead.
“Listen to father.” Prime Minister Yun’s voice was very low: “Before, I opposed your marriage because you, like your mother, couldn’t put up with insults, and His Majesty will definitely have his harem. I was worried that you would act extreme, hurt yourself and endanger your family.”
Yun Qingci nodded; he could understand: “What does Dad mean now?”
“But now, His Majesty has become so extreme… He can hurt himself to keep you today. After that, won’t he hurt you to make you stay in the future?”
Prime Minister Yun said solemnly: “You must persevere in the matter of peaceful separation.”
Yun Qingci unconsciously put his hand behind his back.
Li Ying really embarked on the path he had taken. Back then, he had harmed himself for Li Ying. Later, on the first night after returning to the palace, he heard Liu Ziru quietly say something similar to Li Ying.
“This servant knows that Your Majesty has feelings for the Lord Empress, but since the Lord Empress can do such things to himself, what if…”
“He won’t.” Li Ying turned and told Liu Ziru: “In the future, I will coax him better.”
That night, Li Ying apologized to him, patiently took the ointment and personally smeared it on his forehead. Yun Qingci was full of grievances and suddenly broke down at that moment.
Li Ying laughed at him: “I didn’t see you crying when you were cutting yourself. What are these tears for now?”
Yun Qingci flattened his mouth and looked at him. Perhaps his expression was too pitiful; Li Ying didn’t say anything. Instead, he took off his cotton boots, moved to his side and stretched out his arm to embrace him.
That night, Yun Qingci felt wronged for a long time, and Li Ying coaxed him for a long time.
Yun Qingci knew that he would not hurt Li Ying. He loved him more than anything, and everything he did was just to get his pity. Just like Li Ying now, he appeared to be crazy. But no matter how much of his flesh was cut off, Yun Qingci knew that everything about it was Li Ying’s calculation to get Yun Qingci’s sympathy.
He talked and looked distinctly insane, but he was actually more clear-headed than anyone else.
Even though Prime Minister Yun and Liu Ziru both turned pale, even though normal people would feel that they should stay away from Li Ying, Yun Qingci was not afraid of him at all.
He even felt familiar and at ease.
That’s what love was. That’s what love should be like, as it was for him in the previous life, and for Li Ying in this life.
Whether he loved Li Ying or not, he would not abandon him at this time.
“Xiao Ci…” Prime Minister Yun said again: “His Majesty is no longer the person he used to be. Look at him being like that – is there even a shadow of his past self? I heard that it was not enough for him to send his concubines out of the palace, he even ordered them to be beat with fifty boards… I advised him to act cautiously and think about everything. What good will it do to offend so many families at this moment?”
“…Are you listening to Dad?!”
Yun Qingci tilted his head and said slowly: “I’ve heard.”
“Then what do you think?” Prime Minister Yun waited nervously for his answer.
“Human instinct is to seek profit and avoid harm,” Yun Qingci said, “People like Li Ying understand it even better than others. He hurt himself in order to keep me, which means that in his heart, I am more important than him.”
Prime Minister Yun couldn’t understand what he said: “You mean…”
“He won’t hurt me,” Yun Qingci said seriously: “I know he won’t.”
Back then, Li Ying had never had any experience with someone like Yun Qingci before, and he still was able to trust without hesitation that Yun Qingci wouldn’t hurt him. So, there was no reason for Yun Qingci not to trust him.
Li Ying was very bad. Yun Qingci hated him, But he wouldn’t join the others in rejecting him because of his hatred. He knew Li Ying wasn’t the way others saw him.
He knew it.
Just like Li Ying knew.
Li Ying woke up quickly, almost as soon as his arm was bandaged and while the imperial doctor was still writing the prescription.
The corner of the clothes in his hand was cut off neatly. His fingers unconsciously clenched again and again, until the entire piece of fabric was squeezed in his palm.
He opened his eyes abruptly and sat up.
“Your Majesty…” As soon as Liu Ziru stepped forward, Li Ying pushed him away, stood barefoot, and rushed from behind the screen.
Prime Minister Yun was shocked when he was immersed in Yun Qingci’s weird theory.
Yun Qingci stood in front of him, holding a hand stove, his expression a little careless.
Li Ying’s heart dropped back into his stomach.
Yun Qingci also saw him and frowned as his gaze fell on the other party’s feet. Li Ying just woke from a coma at this moment, but more so just regained a trace of physical strength and forced himself to get up because he was afraid that Yun Qingci would leave.
His condition was still very bad.
“What are you looking at me for?” Yun Qingci said, “What? Do you want me to take care of you?”
“No.” Li Ying paused and said, “I really have something to say to you, yes, I have a lot to say to you.”
“Don’t be anxious.” Yun Qingci urged him, “Go back and rest.”
Prime Minister Yun didn’t convince Yun Qingci to leave.
That day, Yun Qingci stayed in Jiangshan Palace. One of Li Ying’s arms was tightly wrapped. According to the imperial doctor’s words, even if the injury got better in the future, it would definitely leave scars.
Because the cuts were too deep.
Li Ying slept for a long time, waking up several times on the way. Knowing that Yun Qingci was still there, he fell asleep again peacefully.
In the evening, Yun Qingci asked the dining room to deliver food and began to eat slowly.
After everything that happened, Liu Ziru didn’t dare to talk any more. He doubted that Li Ying would forgive him once he regained consciousness, even if his intentions were good.
He stood by the screen, looking outside from time to time, and then looking inside.
Making sure that the one outside was eating very well, and the one inside was sleeping very well… Well, the one inside was awake.
He hurriedly leaned forward and brought the emperor’s boots to put on.
Li Ying’s gaze fell on him, and Liu Ziru’s temples were cold with sweat. But the other party didn’t say anything, just patted him lightly on the shoulder, and the dragon boots walked away from him.
Liu Ziru went limp on the ground.
“Awake?” Yun Qingci said, “Rinse your mouth and eat something.”
Li Ying seriously sat down beside him, picked up his chopsticks and then turned to look at him.
Yun Qingci blinked and said, “Eat, do you want me to feed you?”
Li Ying retracted his gaze, pinched a green cabbage leaf with his uninjured right hand and put it in his mouth.
“Why is your health so bad now?” Yun Qingci asked, “If you’re like that when I get a little angry with you, can you handle it?”
“Are you just angry with me?” Li Ying subconsciously grasped this point, and Yun Qingci glanced at him: “Are you worthy of me to be angry with you?”
He really wanted to make peace.
Li Ying lowered his head, and the tip of his chopsticks touched the bottom of the bowl. It was not that his health was bad, but he didn’t expect the spell to backlash.
His internal organs seemed to be crushed and twisted.
But in fact, even if everything didn’t go well, this backlash was not incurable. As long as he gave up his obsession or changed his obsession, it would get better.
However, he couldn’t let Yun Qingci go.
Suddenly kicking his feet, Yun Qingci said, “Why don’t you speak? Didn’t you have a lot to tell me? What’s wrong with your body?”
“My body is normal,” Li Ying whispered: “It’s just that you mentioned it so unexpectedly that I couldn’t react.”
“Oh.” Yun Qingci didn’t ask any more questions. He asked someone to pour a bowl of soup and took small sips with a spoon. It was not only a matter of pride, of making others lose face and not letting others make him lose face.
If he couldn’t take this little blow, what kind of emperor was he?
That being said, he still glanced at Li Ying’s pale face and felt that he hadn’t actually seen him look healthy since he was reborn.
He raised the small bowl in his hand and said, “The soup is delicious.”
Li Ying immediately understood what he meant, a smile overflowing in his eyes, and he personally filled a bowl.
It was tonic soup.
The implication of Yun Qingci’s words was that it was delicious, so you should have some too.
Li Ying’s heart warmed up. Obviously, he used to get much more before, but now he would feel relieved even because of this little kindness.
After the meal, Yun Qingci told him: “I am returning to Chaoyang Palace.”
The warmth in Li Ying’s heart faded quietly, and he said, “I will go with you.”
“You, it’s better not to strain yourself too much.”
“I have something to tell you.”
“About what.”
“Everything… the things hidden from you, I want to make them clear to you.”
Yun Qingci looked at him for a while before saying, “Okay, let’s go to bed and talk.”
After half an hour, Yun Qingci changed clothes and took the lead in climbing onto the dragon couch. After another quarter of an hour, Li Ying came to him, his long hair loose.
As soon as he went to bed, Yun Qingci involuntarily looked at his nose but quickly retracted his gaze and said, “Speak.”
Why was Li Ying’s nose so beautiful?
The two leaned against the head of the bed together, Li Ying raised his head slightly. From Yun Qingci’s perspective, the tip of his tall nose and his long eyelashes looked even more conspicuous. He withdrew his gaze again, already a little absent-minded.
But Li Ying seemed to be preparing very patiently.
It took him a long time before he said, “The first thing I want to confess to you is that Empress Dowager Zhang is not my biological mother.”
“The second thing, your eldest brother has always been alive, and he has another identity. Even I, at this time in my previous life, didn’t know anything about it.”
“The third thing, putting you into the Cold Palace… let’s talk about the first two things first.”
He exhaled a sigh of relief, looked at Yun Qingci and said, “Which one do you want to hear about first?”
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