Chapter 68: C52.2 Story.

Chapter 52.2

Li Wenjian's body stiffened for a moment before relaxing. He pushed away slightly, creating some distance between himself and Zhao Heng, gently caressing her cheek, and bending his lips slowly, earnestly replying, "Aren't you alright now?"

The wind blew through the window, sending a chill through the bathing chamber. Zhao Heng stood in front of Li Wenjian, her body soaked through, water dripping from her feet.

"Go take a bath quickly," Li Wenjian stood up, rubbing her wet hair, and asked, "Do you need help?"

Zhao Heng sneakily glanced at him, then immediately lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, blushing slightly as she said, "I can manage."

Li Wenjian smiled at her and turned to leave the bathing chamber.

After he had just hugged her, his body was also soaked with water, but he didn't feel the cold. Instead, he raised his hand to brush past his lips and felt a burning sensation on his lips.

*

In the Huayang Palace, the women of the harem had already gathered.

Tomorrow, the Third Princess was going to get married, and this was her last family feast before leaving her chambers.

The corridors were adorned with octagonal palace lanterns, with red threads hanging down and swaying gently in the wind.

Concubine Meifei looked towards the head of the table, not knowing what the Empress was saying. The Empress shot a glare at the Emperor, then looked away with a slight hint of displeasure and a smile on her lips.

As she picked up her tea, she lowered her head and saw her reflection swaying in the water. No matter how many years had passed, the Emperor's eyes only had the Empress in them. The clear, cold light in her eyes, the slight tremor in her hand. She slowly set down the tea cup, with only a silent sigh in her heart.

“Your Highness,” a palace maid rushed into the Hua Yang Palace and reported, “The Fourth Prince fell into the water at the Garden.”

“What!?”

Empress Meifei was shocked, her eyes widened in disbelief. Cheng Garden was a place where few people passed by at night, and sometimes people who fell in took days to be found. She stood up with a gasp, her legs feeling weak, her lips trembling, but she couldn't speak.

“How is he now?” the Emperor asked as he got up.

The maid replied, “Luckily, Lady Liangyuan and the Eighth Princess passed by Cheng Lake. Lady Liangyuan jumped in and saved him, and he has already been taken back to his bedroom.”

“Quick, help me go see him.” Meifei was sweating cold sweat, trembling as she walked back with the help of the palace attendants.

The Empress frowned and asked, “What about Lady Liangyuan? How is she?”

The maid replied, “After saving the Fourth Prince, His Highness arrived and took her back to the East Palace.”

“Go to the imperial physician's office, find a few physicians, and send some to the Shangyang Palace and the East Palace.” The Empress's frown finally eased when she heard that everyone was safe. “With the weather getting colder, they need to be careful not to catch a chill after falling into the water.”

*

After taking a hot bath and drinking ginger soup in her bedroom, Zhao Heng climbed into bed to sleep. Her eyelids were heavy, and her mind was hazy as she drifted off.

Li Wenjian returned after freshening up and found Zhao Heng curled up in the bed, with an unusually flushed face peeking out from under the covers.

Sensing something was wrong, he reached out and felt her forehead. She seemed to have a fever, probably from being in the water.

Li Wenjian called out, “Mu Gui,” but before Mu Gui could respond, Lian Zhou appeared with a bowl of medicine in hand.

“The Empress instructed the imperial physician to prepare this medicine to dispel the cold,” Lian Zhou reported proactively.

Li Wenjian glanced at the blue porcelain bowl and tightened his lips. “Give it to me.”

Zhao Heng dreamt that the limping doctor gave her a candy and then forced her to drink a bowl of medicine. Out of anger, she bit the doctor's blackened arm stained by the medicine. When she opened her eyes, she saw Li Wenjian sitting by her bed, his white robe still damp from his bath, with a look of surprise in his dark eyes.

He held a blue porcelain bowl with steam rising from it, and the thin mist highlighted the clarity of his eyes.

“Not letting go yet?” Li Wenjian said calmly.

It was at that moment that Zhao Heng realized the medicine in her dream was real, and she was now biting the hand Li Wenjian had reached out to feed her.

“What did you dream about?” Li Wenjian asked, spooning some medicine to her lips.

Zhao Heng didn't lean in to drink, she pursed her lips and looked at the bite mark on his hand, her ears turning slightly red. Slowly sitting up on the bed, she hoarsely said, “Give it to me, this is too bitter to drink like this.”

Li Wenjian handed her the bowl, and she drank most of it in one gulp.

Li Wenjian was taken aback for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to her.

“Do you feel unwell anywhere else?” Li Wenjian asked.

Zhao Heng shook her head and slowly retreated under the covers. Li Wenjian pulled the blanket up, tucking it tightly around the four corners. “Then go to sleep, you'll feel better after a nap tomorrow.”

Zhao Heng raised her head and suddenly met his gaze. “Aren't you going to sleep, Your Highness?”

In the warm glow of the room, Li Wenjian looked at her clear eyes under the soft light, perhaps understanding that she was not yet sleepy.

Shaking his head, he got up and walked to the cabinet, pulling out a small porcelain bottle. Sitting back on the bed, he took her arm out from under the covers, dabbed some ointment on her hand where she had bitten by the snake.

The golden light fell on his profile as Zhao Heng felt a tingling sensation in her hand. "What is this?" she asked.

Li Wenjian retracted his hand. "It's ointment to detoxify. It might sting a bit. I was going to apply it while you were asleep."

With a gentle breeze rustling the leaves outside, she looked at his face as he bent over the table.

The warmth of Li Wenjian's palm had warmed the small bottle in it. He placed it by Zhao Heng's pillow. “Remember to apply it every three hours.”

“It's nothing,” Zhao Heng said, lowering her eyelids. Her gaze involuntarily lingered on the shadow of his figure on the bed curtains. “When it swam towards me, I was already on guard and kicked it away.”

“Are you scared?” he blinked uncomfortably.

Confusion flashed in Zhao Heng's eyes at first, then she understood. She shook her head. “Not scared. I used to be a snake catcher for a while when I was young.”

She turned to look at Li Wenjian. “Maybe I deserve some credit for the snake soup I had during that time.”

Her voice was hoarse, as if she was feeling uncomfortable. Li Wenjian walked to the desk, filled a cup with hot water, and helped her sit up, placing the cup in her hand.

Supporting her as she sat up, he placed the cup in her palm.

“Not only can you practice medicine and hunt, but you can also catch snakes...and your embroidery is so exquisite. Aheng, how talented you are!” Li Wenjian asked with a smile.

This statement was not very subtle, and Zhao Heng felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she finished her glass of water and quietly said, "I'm not as talented as you make me out to be."

Li Wenjian thought for a moment and said, "You are very talented now. At just over seven months, you can write so many words, read so many books, make delicious tea, arrange flowers beautifully, and play the zither decently."

Zhao Heng looked up at him, her gaze slightly surprised, "Am I really that talented?"

"Yes," Li Wenjian replied, placing the tea cup she held aside.

As Zhao Heng blinked, she suddenly asked, "Why do you never ask me about my past?"

Li Wenjian looked at her pale face, "Everyone has a past. To me, your past is just a story, and I don't want to make you relive any painful memories by asking."

"It's not all painful," Zhao Heng said, looking at him gently, "There are many happy moments too."

In the silence of the night, the candle flames flickered.

Li Wenjian saw a faint smile in her eyes and his lips curled slightly, "Tell me about your experiences in the village, let me broaden my horizons."

"In the countryside, there's nothing extraordinary, just trivial matters. I'm afraid you'll find it boring," Zhao Heng said.

"Everyone has their own experiences, and yours are unique to me. Your experiences are a lesson for me," Li Wenjian smiled. "Tell me, I love hearing about anything you have to say."

"Alright," Zhao Heng nodded, snuggling into the covers. "Come closer, I'll tell you slowly."

Li Wenjian's gaze fell on the sleeve she held, and he reached out to meet the clear gaze of the woman before him. With anticipation in her eyes, he took off his shoes and socks and lay down beside her.

Perhaps due to her fever, Zhao Heng's voice was slightly hoarse. She thought for a moment and said, "Do you know what it's like to pick water chestnuts?"

"No," Li Wenjian answered truthfully.

Zhao Heng continued, "Not far from my home, there's a pond full of water chestnuts. I used to go there with my grandmother to pick them. She would row the boat, push aside the water chestnut leaves floating on the surface, and slowly row the boat into the depths of the chestnut grass. My grandmother would sit at the bow and collect the chestnut leaves on the boat, arranging them carefully. But I was a naughty child and couldn't stay still on the boat. I would jump into the water to catch fish, that's how I learned to swim."

Li Wenjian looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Zhao Heng blinked and asked, "Don't I seem a bit unlike a typical woman?"

It was only after entering the palace that she realized women were supposed to walk with small steps, maintain a steady posture, and not jump into the water at the slightest opportunity.

"I only know that you are very talented," Li Wenjian said.

Seeing that he showed no signs of disdain, Zhao Heng continued, "My grandmother would carry a bamboo basket to hold the peeled water chestnuts. When I came up from the water, I would sneakily grab a couple and put them in my mouth. As she peeled fewer, she would laugh and ask me, 'Aheng, did we invite a mouse on the boat?' It always made me burst into laughter..."

As the night wore on, the candles on the stand gradually burned down. Zhao Heng fell asleep unknowingly, her head buried on his shoulder, breathing softly and steadily.

She talked all night about her village life, and Li Wenjian learned about harvesting water chestnuts, planting wheat and radishes, how radishes grew in winter, and that hunting didn't always require a bow and arrow.

Through her words, he glimpsed another side of Zhao Heng.

Li Wenjian turned his head to see her peaceful sleeping face. He raised his hand to adjust the strand of hair that had fallen on her nose. However, his gaze unexpectedly fell on her eyelashes, and the light in his eyes softened. Eventually, he gently reached out, cupping her delicate and soft cheek, lightly pressing his lips against her slightly pursed ones.

Before dawn, Zhao Heng woke up briefly, feeling disoriented. She found herself somehow snuggled into the arms of the Prince. Her face was pressed against his chest, and when she moved slightly, the Prince furrowed his brows in his sleep. He pulled her closer, embracing her tightly. Her nose lightly brushed against his throat, a moment of ticklish sensation causing her whole body to stiffen.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Heng decided to stop moving and just leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes again.

———

Author's Note:

Li doggie: My wife kissed me~~~

Aheng: A dog just stole a kiss from me!!