Chapter 30.2
Time passed quickly.
Zhao Heng finished writing, stood up and massaged her neck before noticing that Li Wenjian was still reading. She waited for the ink on the paper to dry before lifting the sheet and walking over to him, bowing, "Your Highness, I have finished writing."
Li Wenjian took the paper filled with words. Her diligent practice had led to significant improvement, a stark contrast to the messy handwriting from over a month ago. He picked up a paperweight, flattened the paper on the table, and then, with a fine red pen, carefully circled the errors.
Standing aside, Zhao Heng watched him correct her work, feeling her heart clench with each stroke of the pen on the paper. By the time he finished marking the paper in red, she uncomfortably bit her lip.
"Not bad, you've made progress." Li Wenjian pointed at her writing, "Handwriting is a reflection of a person's character. If the foundation isn't laid well from the beginning, it will deviate further and further... Although your writing has some flaws, the beauty overshadows them. Practice more on the areas marked in red when you go back."
Relieved, Zhao Heng let out a sigh.
Receiving even a non-praising encouragement from someone exceptional, made her feel inexplicable joy. Her eyes curved with a smile, nodding enthusiastically, "Okay."
Li Wenjian picked up the teacup on the desk, blew on the hot tea and took a sip.
Weariness washed over him again.
After packing up her belongings, Zhao Heng walked over to Li Wenjian, bowed, and began to leave. Just as she took a step out, she turned back to glance at Li Wenjian, a small smile on her lips, unable to resist sharing, "I went horseback riding today."
Li Wenjian looked up at her.
Her clear, bright eyes displayed a rare excitement.
Was horseback riding that enjoyable?
Worth being cheerful from the afternoon until now.
He chuckled and nodded, "Was it fun?"
"Yeah!" Zhao Heng nodded vigorously, then shook her head after a pause.
It wasn't just fun. It was the feeling of letting go and being carefree in the wind that captivated her. In that moment, she didn't have to think about anything, feeling an unprecedented lightness, as if all worries disappeared.
"It's a shame I still don't know how to ride, Xiao Ning guided me." Zhao Heng expressed a hint of regret. If she could control the reins herself and steer, it would be even better.
Li Wenjian picked up the teacup next to him, took a sip, intending to offer to teach her to ride in the future, but just as he opened his mouth, he unexpectedly yawned.
"I've lingered for too long." Zhao Heng suddenly became clear-headed, looking at the darkening window outside, realizing it was time for the prince to rest, "I'll take my leave to not disturb Your Highness's rest."
Li Wenjian nodded and didn't stop her, as he was utterly exhausted.
Zhao Heng smiled and thanked him, swiftly walking out.
Watching her cheerful steps fade away, Li Wenjian yawned again, feeling too tired.
He got up and walked out, planning to wait for Zhaoheng to fall asleep and then immediately knock her out, rushing back to bed.
Tired.
He stepped out of the threshold, only to see Zhao Heng coming back again.
Outside, the rain was pouring down heavily, creating a layer of mist under the streetlights.
Her toes were wet, she lifted her skirt and shook it, looking at Li Wenjian, "The rain is too heavy..."
"Your Highness." Her voice was a little flustered, and she looked at Li Wenjian with a flicker in her eyes, "Can I stay here for the night?"
Li Wenjian remained composed, knowing she has stayed here before, saving him another trip to the Changqiu Palace.
He agreed readily, "Sure."
Zhao Heng followed Li Wenjian back to the sleeping quarters. Fei Yu had already prepared Li Wenjian's nightwear, upon seeing Zhao Heng, he hesitated for a moment, then quickly went out and returned with a shanlan-colored round-necked robe.
It was the same one she wore the last time she was caught in the rain in the East Pavilion - Li Wenjian's old clothes from his youth.
Fei Yu brought in hot water and quickly left.
Zhao Heng handed Li Wenjian a towel to wash up, as she had ridden a horse in the afternoon, sweating profusely. She had hot water poured into the bathtub in the adjacent room and planned to take a bath.
When the water was ready, Zhao Heng glanced at Li Wenjian in the sleeping quarters, only to find him already asleep on the bed.
She quietly walked into the adjacent room, peeled off her clothes, and stepped into the bathtub cautiously.
The warm water enveloped her, relieving the fatigue from her body and spreading a comfortable warmth throughout. She sighed in relief.
At the same time, she noticed some minor scratches on her body. Especially on the insides of her thighs, from the friction against the horse's belly, there were faint bloodstains.
She checked carefully, finding no serious injuries. She thought to herself, she would find some ointment to apply tomorrow when she returns to the Changqiu Palace.
When the hot water cooled down, she got up from the tub, dried off the water on her body, and put on Li Wenjian's robe.
She had lost some weight recently, and the oversized robe swayed around her even more. The pant legs piled up on her shoes, and she carefully walked while holding them.
Just as she reached the sleeping quarters, a palace maid stood outside and called softly, "Zhaoxun."
She walked to the door, and the palace maid handed her a sky-blue porcelain bottle, saying, "His Highness asked me to give you this medicine for your injuries."
Zhao Heng was surprised.
When did he ask someone to send medicine?
How did he know that she was injured?
The palace maid seemed to sense her confusion and said, "His Highness asked me to give it to you when you were preparing to take a bath."
Was it because he knew she would get hurt riding a horse, so he prepared ointment specifically for her injuries?
Zhao Heng held the bottle in her palm, turned back to the sleeping quarters, and looked at Li Wenjian. He was already asleep, breathing softly and evenly.
Seeing him asleep, Zhao Heng's gaze roamed freely, not blinking as she looked at his face.
His face was truly impeccable.
Thick eyebrows, deep eyes, thin lips, straight nose - even the crisscrossing eyelashes seemed meticulously arranged as if glued on. His entire face was like a painting meticulously drawn by a skilled artist, exuding a noble and divine aura.
Yes, divine - compassionate and noble, making people reluctant to touch.
After a while, she yawned. It was late, time to sleep.
Her gaze wandered around the soft couch, but she ultimately decided to sleep on the bed. She had previously slept on a soft couch because the crown prince had wounds, and she was afraid of pressing on his injuries. Now that his wounds had healed, she had no reason to sleep separately from him.
Due to grandma's forty-nine days, she and Li Wenjian had not shared a bed before, but now she had no reason to refuse this.
She knew the crown prince was chaste and not interested in women, but if he occasionally showed interest, she probably wouldn't resist. After all, in her position, she had to fulfill her duties.
With this in mind, her heart brightened, no longer entangled. She quietly crawled to Li Wenjian's side, pulled a corner of the blanket, and draped it over herself.
Closing her eyes, the throbbing pain in her legs slowly spread. She finally understood why the prince had sent her medicine - it was so painful.
Afraid of waking Li Wenjian, she fumbled in the darkness to open the porcelain bottle.
A big man lay beside her. Even though she had prepared herself mentally for anything to happen, she still felt a sense of shame. She couldn't bring herself to apply the ointment with him so close. She rolled up the pant leg lightly near her thighs and accidentally touched the man beside her.
Li Wenjian, half asleep, mumbled, "What's wrong?"
"I..." Zhaoheng's hand tightened the brocade quilt in fear, "I, I'm applying medicine."
The man beside her, still drowsy, said, "Okay, I'll help you."
Zhao Heng was stunned. In the dim light, she looked at Li Wenjian's face, which was red with embarrassment, almost hot enough to bleed.
She had promised he could touch her, it was her obedience, she shouldn't reject his touch. It was bound to happen sooner or later, there was no way to avoid it.
In the pitch-black darkness, time seemed unbearable.
Forget it.
After a long time, she squeezed out a small voice, "Thank you, Your Highness."
A long silence followed, and Li Wenjian's long breath was the only response. Zhao Heng half-sat up, looked at him in the dim light to confirm that he was asleep and sleep-talking, sighed in relief, lay back down, applied the medicine quickly, rolled down her pant leg, and fell asleep.
Li Wenjian had a dream. He dreamt of Zhao Heng's teenage years -
A fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, like a half-opened begonia, knelt in a dim, dark room, her neck and limbs bound with iron chains.
The room had only one skylight, casting a beam of dusty light into the room. She knelt behind the beam of light, her body trembling slightly. Suddenly, she glanced at him, then picked up a dagger from the table and slowly cut a piece of tender flesh from her other arm.
Li Wenjian wanted to stop her, but his throat felt tight, and he could only let out a hoarse moan.
The pale-faced girl lightly bit her lip, her trembling fingertips reaching for the gauze on the table. As her fingertips barely touched the corner of the gauze, a sudden gust of wind outside the skylight swept the gauze off the table, swirling in the air before settling by his brocade boots.
Immediately after, the girl lifted her eyes and stared directly at him in the darkness, her snow-white shoulders trembling slightly as she spoke softly, "Help me, Your Highness, please help me."
His gaze fell on her bleeding arm, her pain seeping into him like thick smoke, slipping into his body, penetrating his heart...
It overwhelmed his chest, making it almost difficult to breathe.
"Okay, I'll help you."
When Li Wenjian woke up, his mind was still a bit foggy as he looked at Zhao Heng's eyes and brows so close by, taking a while to react.
He thought Zhao Heng staying at Eastern Palace was like when she took care of him, and they would sleep separately.
Li Wenjian never liked sharing a bed with anyone, so he was very surprised as to why she had slept on the bed last night, having no recollection at all.
Lowering his head, he noticed Zhao Heng was sleeping in her arms, her oversized collar pulled down slightly, revealing a large expanse of snow-white collarbones. Without opening his eyes, he reached over to adjust her collar.
Zhao Heng, disturbed in her sleep, let out a sleepy, coquettish whimper, like a cat's lazy, sleepy murmurs.
Li Wenjian paused in his action to fix his collar and looked at Zhao Heng. He was too tired the night before, falling asleep before she did, so she didn't sleep so peacefully. Her hands were clasped against her chest, curled up into a small ball, nestled tightly in his arm, her cherry lips pursed, a hint of tears in the corners of her eyes, as if she was haunted by nightmares again.
He glanced at the window, where only a faint, faint light shone through.
It was too early, so he let her continue sleeping.
He raised his hand, preparing to press the acupoints on the back of her neck.
Unexpectedly, his sleeve caught on something, and as he tugged it free, he found that she had tightly gripped a corner of his sleeve in her hand.
Zhao Heng, who was not in a deep slumber, suddenly woke up, releasing her tightly clasped hands, the sleeve of his garment crumpled in her palm.
Zhao Heng groggily opened her eyes, looking at Li Wenjian's slightly astonished expression, belatedly realizing what had happened.
She awkwardly glanced at the slightly wrinkled, damp sleeve of Li Wenjian, curling her toes involuntarily.
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Author's notes:
Zhao Heng: Are you going to sleep or not?
Li Wenjian: Are you going to sleep or not?
Zhao Heng: I can sleep.
Li Wenjian: Then sleep.
Zhao Heng: Why aren't you sleeping yet?
Li Wenjian: You sleep first.
Zhao Heng: How can I sleep if you're not?
Li Wenjian: Do I need to coax you to sleep?
Zhao Heng: Damn it, didn't you say you were going to sleep?