The last time we met, it was too hasty and I didn't have time to observe.
At this time Wen Qingci finally realized that Xie Bufeng had already matured rapidly in one war after another.
The boy's immaturity has completely faded away, and his temperament is as steady and sharp as a heavy sword, carrying a captivating aura.
The ambition to be an emperor is just beginning to emerge, and the demeanor of a hero is already evident.
Wen Qingci couldn't help but be distracted for a moment.
But the next second, his attention was called back by the slight pain in his wrist.
What followed was a slightly ambiguous kneading.
The temperature on the wrist has spread throughout the body.
In an instant, the memory of that night in Changyuan Town came alive again.
Dim red light, glass fragments...
Wen Qingci immediately looked away and tried to pull his wrist out of Xie Bufeng's hand.
"Your Highness, it's time for you to move on." Wen Qingci suppressed his emotions, smiled and spoke calmly to Xie Bufeng.
The boy finally loosened his fingers slowly at this time.
Xie Bufeng's eyes still didn't move away, he stared at the person in front of him.
The fine snow fell on Wen Qingci's long eyelashes, turning into tiny ice crystals that fell here, trembling gently with her breathing.
The cold wind made the dark eyes look more misty.
All this seemed somewhat pitiful to Xie Bufeng.
It makes people feel distressed and want to bully.
The young man subconsciously raised his hand, wanting to wipe it off for Wen Qingci.
But the hand only paused in the air for a few seconds before it was retracted as if it had been electrocuted, and turned around and moved forward.
"Stand up—" Seeing Xie Bufeng not playing by the rules, the official in charge of ceremonies at the side was stunned for a moment, and quickly signaled all officials to stand up and follow the ceremonial guard into the palace.
Wen Qingci, who was standing there abruptly, finally blended into the crowd.
Like a lamb released by a wolf back into its pack, he heaved a long sigh of relief.
Xie Bufeng was the absolute protagonist of today, and the interaction between the two just now was seen by everyone outside Taishu Palace.
He was sent to the battlefield by Wen Qingci, and at first it was a dead end with no chance of survival.
Therefore, everyone naturally thought that Xie Bufeng, who had returned to the court, should hold a grudge against the other party.
And at this moment, he subconsciously regarded everything that had just happened as a threat.
The moment he turned around and continued walking forward, Wen Qingci noticed the contemptuous looks and expressions of anticipation from the people around him.
At the beginning, Wen Qingci became a third-rank Imperial Academy as an imperial physician, which made him envied by others. In addition, the emperor liked to make decisions through him... As a result, Wen Qingci offended many people inadvertently.
This group of people not only want to see him in trouble, they even want him to die right now.
The snow started to snow heavily again, and in an instant it became bone-chillingly cold.
Wen Qingci looked straight ahead and walked forward as if he hadn't noticed the malicious intent.
The first priority today is to reward the meritorious officials.
This time, the emperor was not stingy at all. With a wave of his hand, he granted a large amount of land and gold and silver to those who had made contributions in this war.
Several generals were appointed to garrison the north.
The person who received the most rewards was naturally Xie Bufeng. The imperial edict was densely written with rewards. The eunuch in charge of reading the imperial edict read it out only after his voice became hoarse.
At first glance, it seemed that the emperor gave half of the national treasury to Xie Bufeng.
At that moment, everyone was sighing over this scene of loving father and filial son in the royal family, as if they had completely forgotten that the emperor insisted on sending Xie Bufeng to the battlefield.
After receiving the reward, the young man looked down at the imperial edict in his hand with disdain.
The reason why the emperor was so generous was that in his heart, he was destined to die tomorrow.
These gold, silver and treasures will not even leave the national treasury. They are just displayed here as a formality.
The awarding ceremony lasted the entire morning, and the celebration banquet started in the afternoon and lasted until late at night.
The Wei Dynasty had never held such a grand palace banquet. In addition to the civil and military officials, those who came to the palace today also included the soldiers who returned from the north with Xie Bufeng.
The emperor left early on the grounds of poor health.
And with the presence of that group of soldiers, the atmosphere at the palace banquet was more lively than ever.
Xie Bufeng sat at the table, and people who came to toast him never stopped.
The banquet lasted for a while, and someone replaced the fine wine in the palace with strong liquor brought from the north.
In a short while, all the officials in Yongdu were drunk.
Under the influence of alcohol, they all crowded around Xie Bufeng, trying to get him drunk.
"This cup is for Your Highness! I congratulate you for leading the troops and washing away the century-old shame of the Central Plains—"
After saying this, the minister, who was already completely drunk, raised his head and drank the liquor in his hand.
When the atmosphere was getting heated, a little head popped up beside Xie Bufeng. Xie Fuyin sneaked in here at some point and asked him curiously, "...Brother, isn't it spicy?"
Although Xie Fuyin asked this, his eyes were full of admiration.
Xie Bufeng was a little surprised.
It seems that my sister is not afraid of strangers at all.
"It's not spicy," the young man smiled and gently rubbed Xie Fuyin's head. Finally, seeing that the little girl was still staring at the wine cup on his table, he asked teasingly, "Would you like to try it?" She seemed to be in a good mood.
"No, no, no!" Xie Fuyin shook her head like a rattle and quickly took a half step back. "Mr. Wen said that drinking is not good for you." She said seriously.
Seeing this, everyone around started laughing.
The three words "Mr. Wen" made Xie Bufeng's smile freeze for a moment.
He subconsciously wanted to ask Xie Fuyin something, but the girl hurriedly slipped away as if she was afraid that he would make her drink more.
The young man finally couldn't help it and allowed himself to look for Wen Qingci here.
His gaze passed over the crowd and fell on a corner of the banquet hall.
Before they knew it, their identities had been swapped.
Wen Qingci finally put on his cloak. He sat alone by the window, without moving anything on the table.
A gentle breeze blew in from the window behind, slowly lifting up the corner of Yuebai's clothes.
What's up with him
Are you feeling unwell or is the food not to your taste
On the way back, Mingming reminded himself to restrain himself from taking the initiative to look for Wen Qingci.
But now Xie Bufeng was shaken just by a glance.
Just as the boy was struggling over whether to go over, a familiar figure appeared in his sight.
As Xie Bufeng's cousin, Su Yuzheng was also invited to attend the celebration banquet.
But she did not come to congratulate Xie Bufeng, but appeared in front of Wen Qingci.
She asked with some concern: "Mr. Wen, are you okay?"
Su Yuzheng also noticed that from the beginning of the banquet until now, the food on Wen Qingci's table had not been touched.
Su Yuzheng's feelings were very obvious.
Wen Qingci didn't mean that, so except for the chance encounter in the clinic last time, he had been deliberately keeping a distance from Su Yuzheng.
"It's okay," Wen Qingci shook his head, "Thank you Miss Su for your concern."
The cold wind made his head dizzy, and Wen Qingci indeed had no appetite at all.
At this time, Wen Qingci's chest was tingling and numb. He tried hard not to cough, but a strong iron smell still came out of his mouth.
"How can this be?" Realizing that Wen Qingci's condition was really bad, Su Yuzheng couldn't help but feel a little anxious, "Or I'll go and tell your aunt for you-" You go back and rest first.
Before Su Yuzheng could finish her words, she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps.
Thank you for coming.
At the celebration banquet, the young general took off his black armor.
As soon as he arrived, he deliberately blocked out all the light here, trapping Wen Qingci in darkness.
"Why is Miss Su here?" Although the young man was asking Su Yuzheng, his eyes were always on Wen Qingci's face. "When did you two become so familiar with each other?"
I don’t know if I was overthinking it, but Wen Qingci actually heard a hint of grievance in Xie Bufeng’s words.
Su Yuzheng was stunned for a moment, she quickly turned around and saluted Xie Bufeng, and answered without thinking too much: "We... are not familiar with each other, I have only met Mr. Wen a few times outside the palace."
Su Yuzheng couldn't help but look back at Xie Bufeng with a bit of doubt... Why did she feel that there was a hint of gnashing of teeth in her cousin's words
And felt a strong hostility from it.
Su Yuzheng inexplicably competed with him: "Yes... It was in a clinic, what's wrong, Your Highness?"
Meeting Wen Qingci in the clinic was a normal thing that couldn't be more normal, and Su Yuzheng didn't feel guilty at all.
But the hostility in the boy seemed to be a little stronger.
She couldn't help but take a step back, wanting to stay away from Xie Bufeng.
The atmosphere suddenly became very strange.
At this moment, Old Lady Su, who was not far away, saw this scene.
The old lady thought that Su Yuzheng had disturbed Xie Bufeng and Wen Qingci's business talk, so she finally called her back: "Yuzheng! Come back soon—"
After watching the girl in light pink palace dress leave reluctantly, Wen Qingci and Xie Bufeng were the only ones left in the corner of the banquet hall.
Calm down, calm down!
After Wen Qingci repeatedly told himself to stay calm, he finally raised his eyes and asked Xie Bufeng with a smile, "What do you want to see me about, Your Highness?"
His tone was still as gentle, but his voice had become a little hoarse at some point.
The clinking of glasses, the elegant ladies in fine clothes, faded away rapidly at this moment, and seemed as if the scene happened in another world.
Wen Qingci, who was sitting behind the desk, finally realized and wanted to salute.
But the young man seemed to have guessed his plan, and slowly placed his fingers on Wen Qingci's shoulder, interrupting his action.
Xie Bufeng leaned down, and the distance between them was only half an arm's length.
Looking from behind, Wen Qingci looked like a prey pinned down by the young man, unable to escape.
The boy closed his eyes and let himself take a greedy sniff.
The familiar bitter fragrance spread like mist.
"It seems that Mr. Wen has made a lot of friends during this period and is living a good life." Xie Bufeng whispered in Wen Qingci's ear.
The voice, which was deliberately lowered and slowed down, sounded extremely dangerous.
The airflow generated while speaking licked Wen Qingci's neck and shoulders like a snake's tongue, causing a slight shudder.
What happened in the north that night once again intruded into Wen Qingci's mind at an inopportune time.
"… "
Wen Qingci forced himself to turn sideways to adjust his breathing, pretending to be calm: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My life... is the same as usual."
Most of the people at the celebration party were drunk, and they looked over here in a somewhat presumptuous manner.
It burned Wen Qingci's body like fire.
The boy laughed softly.
Wen Qingci then smelled a faint scent of alcohol.
"Are you drunk?"
Xie Bufeng recalled that when he was in Songxiu Mansion, he seemed to have pretended to be drunk in front of Wen Qingci.
The boy's mind was extremely clear, but he deliberately did not deny Wen Qingci's words.
Even those dirty, dark and shameful thoughts that had been hidden in his heart for who knows how long were awakened by this misunderstanding.
The young man took advantage of this misunderstanding and tightly grasped Wen Qingci's right hand.
"Your Highness, what are you going to do?!" Wen Qingci's words finally showed some anxiety, "This is Taishu Palace." He reminded.
But Xie Bufeng seemed not to hear his warning.
The young man held Wen Qingci's hand tightly, pressed it against his back, and used his hand to touch the scars on his back.
The two bodies were pressed tightly together at this moment.
Even through the winter clothes, Wen Qingci could feel each other's disordered heartbeats and breathing.
Seen from behind, their posture was extremely ambiguous.
—The young man held Wen Qingci tightly in his arms, while the imperial physician, dressed in moon-white, placed his trembling hands on Xie Bufeng’s back.
The palace banquet fell silent in an instant.
Everyone's eyes widened and they all turned their gazes here.
"Your Highness, you are drunk, get up quickly." Wen Qingci said in a low voice.
Xie Bufeng shook his head, and under the influence of alcohol, he let himself speak in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "I was hurt a lot, and I thought I would never see you again."
Even through the thick winter clothes, Wen Qingci could feel the hideous protrusions of his hands.
It is not difficult to imagine how deadly this scar is.
Wen Qingci's fingers shrank back as if burned by fire, but were held tightly by Xie Bufeng and could not move.
Xie Bufeng used to disdain playing the victim and exposing his weaknesses.
Besides, he was born without the sense of pain, so he didn't think these injuries were a big deal.
But now, feeling the slight trembling of Wen Qingci's fingers, Xie Bufeng couldn't help but continue speaking one sentence after another.
With just a few words, the young man described the bitter cold of the north before Wen Qingci's eyes.
At this moment, even he did not realize that his behavior was to seek comfort and tenderness from Wen Qingci.
Like a wild beast, it exposed its belly and showed its wounds.
Someone accidentally knocked over the wine jug just now, and now every corner of the banquet hall is filled with the aroma of wine.
Wen Qingci also seemed drunk.
His hands stopped struggling.
Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment, then gently stroked Xie Bufeng's shoulders as if comforting a small animal.
His movements were unnaturally gentle.
The young man slowly loosened his hands, allowing himself to indulge in the tenderness.
However, today's excitement is not destined to end so early.
A drunken sergeant appeared here from somewhere, mumbling something and holding a wine glass.
He held onto the pillar to steady himself, and raised his glass high: "Cheers—General, lead us to victory!"
The sudden sound woke Wen Qingci up, and he finally pulled his hand back.
etc!!!
What did I just do?!
The next second, after noticing that Wen Qingci was also here, the slow-reacting soldier was stunned for a moment and said, "Also... and Doctor Wen. If it weren't for your recommendation, we wouldn't be here today."
The "grudge" between Wen Qingci and Xie Bufeng had also spread throughout the army.
There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
But Wen Qingci suddenly took a step back, as if he didn't hear the emotion, and picked up the wine glass on the table that he had never touched.
The cold jade wine glass brought him back to his senses.
In order to force himself to calm down quickly, Wen Qingci picked up the wine glass and took a sip.
The burning sensation, along with the cold wine, burned into Wen Qingci's stomach through his esophagus.
The entire chest and lung area began to feel uncomfortable.
He didn't expect that the wine in his glass was not the mild imperial wine usually used in palace banquets, but the same strong northern liquor that the man in front of him was drinking!
Wen Qingci started coughing heart-wrenchingly.
His body suddenly lost strength and he managed to hold onto the wall to avoid falling down.
"Ahem... It's nothing serious, just an old problem." He turned away, trying to hide his embarrassment at the moment.
But I didn't expect that the young man's hand would climb up again at some point.
Xie Bufeng held Wen Qingci's hand, drank the liquor in his hand, and then threw the jade wine glass heavily aside.
Accompanied by a sharp sound of breaking jade.
Wen Qingci finally couldn't help coughing up blood.
He subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to cover it, but his left hand always hung limply at his side, and his right hand was tightly grasped by Xie Bufeng, making it impossible for him to move at all.
The blood pierced into Xie Bufeng's eyes like a knife.
(End of this chapter)