Chapter 49
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Indeed, he was still recovering from his own illness, and carrying someone as heavy as Pei Zhou was very inconvenient.
Moreover, returning to the Imperial Palace in Shuzhou with a hidden person was troublesome, especially given Pei Zhou’s unstable mental and physical condition. Entrusting him to Fu Zhen to care for was undoubtedly the best option for now.
“Besides, in his current condition, it’s not convenient for him to move, right? The two of you look like this, yet you want to rush off. You might actually set off on the road soon*,” Fu Zhen continued.
* slang referral to him dying
“…” Fu Nian didn’t deny it.
He was relatively okay, suffering from a fever at most due to infection, but he was not in danger of dying. However, Pei Zhou, as a scholar, was a different case. Fu Nian looked at the injuries on Pei Zhou’s body.
The fresh bandages that had just been changed were seeping blood again, and his clothes were torn and tattered, making him look even more pitiful in the bleak autumn wind.
In the silence, Fu Nian felt a sign of awakening from Pei Zhou on his back, a slight movement of his hand at his side.
“Alright, let’s put him down first. The physician said you can’t leave yet,” Fu Zhen said as he noticed Fu Nian’s silence and reached out to try to put Pei Zhou down.
Suddenly, Fu Nian felt his left hand tightly gripped.
The grip was strong and completely different from Pei Zhou’s usual scholarly appearance. Moreover, the hand was trembling faintly. After holding it for a short while, it suddenly released, indicating that Pei Zhou had fallen back into unconsciousness.
“No need,” Fu Nian suddenly turned around, pushing aside Fu Zhen’s hand and rejecting his offer for help. Then he explained, “The conditions here in the clinic are not good. I will find an inn to provide a place for my friend to rest. If you, sir, also wish to take a break…” At this point, Fu Nian hesitated for a moment, reached into his pouch, and pretended to count some money on the side.
Seeing this, Fu Zhen didn’t insist any further. “You don’t have to spend money. Just go. I also have some matters to attend to, and it’s best for you to rest.”
With that said, Fu Zhen turned and walked away quickly.
Fu Nian, still carrying Pei Zhou on his back, also left the place hastily.
His intuition told him that Fu Zhen was definitely hiding something from him. While he didn’t know what it was at the moment, it was likely not a good thing.
His vigilance had always been strong, especially towards people who were on equal footing with him and had greater strength. To Fu Nian, Fu Zhen was not only a childhood companion but also an assassin who had almost killed him, a stranger he hadn’t seen in a long time.
He hired a carriage overnight and rushed to the city of Shuzhou with Pei Zhou, finally stopping at a large-scale clinic.
“Young man, your friend… doesn’t look good,” the doctor said after assessing them, hesitating.
Fu Nian’s voice was already very tired, but he forced himself to stay alert. “Please, save him. I’ll be back within seven days to pick him up, and money is not an issue.”
After speaking, Fu Nian took out the pouch he kept on him for emergencies and placed it on the counter. It contained half a tael of broken gold and some loose silver.
The shopkeeper opened the pouch and paused for a moment, then said, “I’ll do my best, but whether he can be saved or not is in the hands of fate.”
“Thank you, Doctor! Thank you so much. I will definitely repay you generously.”
After settling Pei Zhou, Fu Nian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Pei Zhou’s injuries were showing signs of infection, and forcibly dragging him to the palace might make matters worse and he really might die.
With the remaining journey ahead, Fu Nian felt a bit more relaxed.
However, the high fever had not subsided, and the medicines he had taken seemed to have little effect. When he reached the outer wall of the palace, Fu Nian leaned against it to catch his breath.
As his body rested, his mind kept returning to the recent events and the things Pei Zhou had said.
Climbing up to the Imperial Physician’s office had almost drained the last of his strength. When he arrived at the front courtyard of the physician’s residence, Fu Nian pushed open the partially open door.
“Cough or fever? Or here for wound medicine?” The voice of a medicine child echoed from inside.
Hearing the voice of the medicine child, Fu Nian finally felt a sense of relief.
The medicine child was busy preparing medicines and didn’t turn around, but added, “If it’s serious, you can wait in the East Courtyard…”
“Thud!”
A muffled sound came from the ground.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
“What’s that smell on you—ah! Master! Master, help!”
“…”
After that, Fu Nian couldn’t hear anything.
He only knew that his body felt heavy, and he had slept for a very long time, dreamlessly.
When he woke up, his limbs still felt as heavy as lead, but he could at least move his neck slightly.
Fu Nian turned his head to look out the window, and the moon hung in the middle of the sky. He estimated that he had slept for at least four hours.
The light armor stained with wolf’s blood had been removed from his body, leaving only the torn inner clothes, which had been cut into strips resembling window decorations for easy access to his wounds.
Inside the room, occasional coughs and snores from colleagues could be heard, along with the faint footsteps of the medicine child. Fu Nian touched his earlobes.
The high fever had subsided somewhat but had not completely disappeared.
Once awake, going back to sleep became difficult. Fu Nian tossed and turned on the bed for the latter part of the night and finally decided to get up.
Within Shuzhou Palace, there were numerous hot springs wells for bathing.
Fu Nian filled a bucket with warm water and patiently scrubbed his bloodstained clothes, as well as the wolf’s blood from his prosthetic limb.
After washing away the stench of blood, it was already late in the night, and Fu Nian checked his schedule for the next day. He had hardly any free time.
Taking advantage of this moment, he inquired with his awake colleagues and learned that the Northern Kingdom Prince had already arrived at the Shuzhou Palace. So far, there hadn’t been any hostile actions, and he had ostensibly come to “console” General Dou’s injuries.
After gathering information, Fu Nian followed his usual habit and laid on the rooftop, watching the subtle changes of the stars over the mountain stream.
From the rooftop of the pharmacy, he could see the main hall in the distance, illuminated by lights.
Fu Nian diverted his gaze and tried to focus on the night view of the mountain stream.
“…Please convey to His Majesty that the sedative leaves were already added to the earlier medicine. It shouldn’t be taken again within two hours. If he can’t fall asleep, he could try soaking in the hot spring for a while. Practicing calligraphy or swordplay definitely won’t help him sleep.”
“…”
“…I know His Majesty is accustomed to having the Empress by his side to fall asleep, but this is not the palace. I’m at a loss.”
“…”
Fu Nian listened to the quiet conversation between the royal physician and the Gonggong under the eaves of the room.
It was almost dawn, and Chu Zhaoyi hadn’t slept yet.
In the past, Fu Nian had only known that Chu Zhaoyi was diligent and sometimes lacked sleep due to his responsibilities. On holidays, Chu Zhaoyi would also take the opportunity to sleep in a bit longer.
Now, could it be that without the “Empress” from the palace, he couldn’t fall asleep anymore?
Fu Nian thought back to that day when he witnessed the bizarre actions of Chu Zhaoyi regarding his death.
… In the end, Fu Nian wasn’t sure of his own psychological state. He found himself on the rooftop of the main hall, wanting to see Chu Zhaoyi’s current situation.
Inside the Shuzhou Palace, Chu Zhaoyi’s residence was located in the East Warm Pavilion, quite a distance away. Fu Nian could sense that there were at least five shadow guards patrolling inside and outside the pavilion, making it nearly impossible to enter.
He didn’t force it and didn’t get too close, stopping near the corridor outside the Warm Pavilion to observe from a distance.
Only a dimly lit candle was left in the bedroom, casting a dim yellowish light. From this distance, Fu Nian could only hear the person in the room tossing and turning, sighing repeatedly. Occasionally, there were muffled sounds, but he couldn’t discern what they were.
After a while, Fu Nian saw Li Gonggong approach the bed, pull back the curtains, exchange a few words, and then step out. The cycle of sighing, tossing, and sighing repeated.
Listening for a while, Fu Nian quietly left.
Seeing Chu Zhaoyi suffering like this made him feel uncomfortable.
“Oh, finally found you.”
Just as he was returning to the courtyard, Fu Nian saw Li Gonggong waiting at the entrance.
“Looking for me?” Fu Nian hurriedly bowed.
“I’ve been looking for you for a while. Let’s go,” Li Gonggong hastily said.
“What brings you here?” Fu Nian asked as they briskly walked together.
“Since His Majesty left the palace, he has only slept for two hours since he arrived. No matter how much medicine and incense he tries, he can’t fall asleep anymore. His Majesty wanted to inform you about this yesterday, but he saw that you were in a coma due to illness and didn’t want to disturb you. As soon as he heard you woke up, he rushed over.”
Fu Nian had indeed heard the royal physician’s words earlier, but he confirmed by asking again, “Isn’t His Majesty usually fine in the Chengyuan Hall? If he can’t sleep, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Well…” Li Gonggong hesitated for a moment before continuing, “This palace and the sleeping Palace are different. Anyway, when it comes to you, you just go inside. Whatever His Majesty asks you to do, you do it.”
Not convenient to say.
It seemed to be true that without the “Empress” from the palace, Chu Zhaoyi had a hard time falling asleep.
Fu Nian remained silent as they continued on their way.
When they arrived at the East Warm Pavilion, Fu Nian heard the sounds of tossing and turning and occasional sighs from inside the bedroom, even from behind the closed door.
Fu Nian discreetly grabbed a veil from the table and covered most of his face, leaving only his eyes exposed. “Do I need the mute medicine?”
“No need. Just go inside,” Li Gonggong said, opening the door for him.
Fu Nian walked into the room and knelt down behind the curtains. Before he could speak or bow, he heard the exhausted yet irritable voice from inside, “Li Gonggong, did the royal physician agree to prescribe a sedative this time?”
“Li Gonggong?”
“I’ll go call Li Gonggong right away,” Fu Nian changed his words.
Suddenly, the curtains were forcefully pulled back from inside the bed.
Fu Nian looked up and couldn’t help but furrow his brows at the sight of Chu Zhaoyi.
The weariness on his face couldn’t be adequately described by the term “fatigue” alone. In addition to the dark circles under his eyes, the bloodshot eyes were particularly distressing.
“It’s you,” Chu Zhaoyi’s tightly furrowed brows slightly relaxed as he spoke in a less irritable tone than before, “Come over.”
Fu Nian remained silent and stopped by the edge of the bed.
He closed his mouth and tightened the veil covering his face.
“Lie down,” Chu Zhaoyi said when he saw that Fu Nian didn’t move.
Fu Nian considered for a moment and decided to sit down at the edge of the bed instead.
He knew himself well. His body still remembered how to move, and he could easily climb into Chu Zhaoyi’s embrace like he did before.
“Tsk.”
“——！”
The hem of his clothes was abruptly pulled, and Fu Nian fell unceremoniously onto the bed, feeling a bit dazed.
He turned his head away and didn’t look at Chu Zhaoyi. He remained silent.
Chu Zhaoyi didn’t say anything either.
After a long while, Fu Nian felt a warm breath against the nape of his neck, very light and slow, somewhat tickling. However, this time, Chu Zhaoyi didn’t pull him closer, and he didn’t request that Fu Nian remove his clothes. He just stayed close to Fu Nian’s neck, and he didn’t even press his forehead against him.
Fu Nian let out a sigh of relief, and his posture relaxed a bit as he laid down.
Listening to the breathing next to his ear, Fu Nian could tell that Chu Zhaoyi was still awake, but he had stopped tossing and sighing, instead lying quietly.
“Is your wind chill better now?” After a long silence, Chu Zhaoyi asked in a calm tone.
Fu Nian didn’t respond.
He wasn’t sure if he could speak. Based on past experience, speaking abruptly might only anger this unpredictable master even more.
Chu Zhaoyi: “Speak.”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I’m much better,” Fu Nian replied calmly.
After answering, Fu Nian hesitated for a moment and then spoke again, “You… should rest for a while. When I came in, Li Gonggong mentioned that you haven’t slept for many days. Enduring like this is detrimental to your health, and… well, it’s not good.”
After saying this, Fu Nian almost wanted to smack himself in the face.
Why did he meddle in this? He didn’t care whether Chu Zhaoyi could sleep or not.
“This is the first time you’ve spoken with concern for Zhen.”
Fu Nian: ….
He didn’t respond but corrected himself in his mind: Even if he only counted this lifetime, it wasn’t the first time he cared; it was just the first time he had spoken it aloud, and that too while he was still groggy from the fever.
Fortunately, he didn’t get scolded for interfering.
The room was filled with a strong aroma of tranquilizing incense, which wasn’t overpowering, but combined with the scent of herbs and ink on Chu Zhaoyi’s body, it made Fu Nian feel a little lightheaded.
After lying there for a long time, Fu Nian finally noticed that Chu Zhaoyi’s breathing had become much calmer.
Had he finally fallen asleep?
Fu Nian quietly turned his head to take a look. It was apparent that Chu Zhaoyi was asleep, although not peacefully. Even in his dreams, his expression remained distressed, far from relaxed.
The blanket seemed to have separated from his body.
Fu Nian knew that Chu Zhaoyi must be having a dream. Without dreams, his sleeping position would have been quite elegant and even pleasing to the eye.
This time, Chu Zhaoyi had only asked him to lie beside him, without any physical contact, and there was even a physical gap between them. Fu Nian was confident that he wouldn’t disturb the person sleeping beside him with small movements like getting up from the bed.
It wasn’t that Fu Nian was eager to leave; he just wanted to call Li Gonggong to help cover Chu Zhaoyi with the blanket.
His prosthetic joints made a slight noise when bending, and he didn’t want to accidentally wake Chu Zhaoyi, who had finally fallen asleep…
Fu Nian carefully moved a bit closer to the bedside, holding his breath. When he reached the edge of the bed, he prepared to get up when suddenly, the breathing behind him became heavier.
He thought Chu Zhaoyi had woken up and hastily stopped his movements.
“Don’t leave.”
The voice from behind was very soft, almost a whisper, and upon careful listening, it carried a hint of pleading.
Fu Nian froze, not daring to move, and waited for several seconds before daring to turn around to confirm.
Chu Zhaoyi’s brows were still furrowed, and his breathing indicated no signs of waking up.
Just when Fu Nian was about to let out a sigh of relief, he suddenly noticed a few tears in the corner of Chu Zhaoyi’s eyes that hadn’t dried yet.
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