She knew he was afraid that she would move around due to the pain and affect his movements. She stretched out her other hand and placed it on her chest to separate herself from him. She didn't care about the difference between men and women in other places and just let him do what he wanted.
His face was above hers, and her forehead was pressed tightly against his collarbone between his shoulders through his clothes. When he breathed, she could feel the vibration of his chest and the warm air he exhaled.
Suddenly, he said abruptly: "Do you know that I bought that hairpin as a gift for you?" His tone was very light, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
She was stunned when she heard that, and immediately said in surprise: "How can—" The last word suddenly disappeared, and a muffled groan of pain came out of her throat.
While she was distracted talking, he moved his hands and put the bone back.
Xia Yue's hand, which was between the two of them, grabbed the clothes on his chest and squeezed it tightly, clenching it into a fist. She didn't make the next move for a long time. She almost fainted, her eyes were black, she could hardly see anything, her mind was a mess, she seemed to have lost consciousness due to the pain, and she couldn't recover for a long time.
He took the opportunity to tie up her palms with strips of cloth and a stick.
Then, she felt a warm hand reaching out to pat her back. It was stiff and strong at first, then gradually became gentle, again and again, just like her father's hand when she had a toothache when she was a child.
After she calmed down for a while, he let her go, squatted down and gathered the snow on one side, then grabbed some, squeezed it into a few balls, then stood up and took off his coat again, and tore a long piece of cloth from the corner of his robe. He applied the snowball in his hand to the back of her hand, then wrapped it with the cloth, and bandaged it tightly with several layers.
His action caused her forehead to break out in a thin layer of sweat, but she remained silent.
Shang Rui did all this silently, then draped his hemless dress over her, lifted the hem of his robe, and squatted down with his back to her: "Come up."
He spoke so matter-of-factly, as if they had known each other for a long time, which made Xia Yue feel at a loss. She had always been soft-hearted, and now he was speaking kindly, which made her feel a little embarrassed. Fortunately, she was not a shy person, and there was no better way now, so she knew the situation, protected her left hand, moved her upper body with difficulty, and then lay on his back.
She didn't dare to get too close, because her left hand couldn't move, and she had to use her other intact arm to not only exert force, but also to prop up her upper body to prevent her chest from touching his back. But as soon as he stood up, she slid down. She was startled and subconsciously hugged his neck, not caring whether they were touching or not.
He carried her on his back, walking in the snow, one foot deep and one shallow, but walking steadily. It was just a blink of an eye that he rolled to the bottom of the ditch, but now he found that the road was actually quite long when he walked back.
Somehow, the sky cleared up again. Although the sun could not be seen, sunlight could be seen pouring down from the edge of the clouds.
He had just taken off a piece of clothing and gave it to her, so he was wearing less clothes, but even in such icy weather, he was still sweating.
Xia Yue suddenly wanted to shrink herself into a small, thin ball, become lighter and lighter, and not gain so much weight.
She was a person who would gain weight as soon as she ate, but she was thin because of her small bones, so if you didn't look closely, you would think she was thin. She used to be very careful, but after that incident, she no longer cared about love and marriage, and never cared about it again. But she didn't know that one day she would be carried on the back of such a man.
Her head was resting on his neck, and the hot breath from his clothes was blowing through her face.
Only then did she remember that if he hadn't deliberately diverted her attention just now, she didn't know whether she would have fainted from the pain.
At this moment, she could look at the back of his ears and his hair from behind. His hair was very dark and thick, just like his eyes, dark as ink, yet unfathomable. At this moment, she suddenly thought of Zi Jin. He was most similar to him in nose and mouth, so his profile was also similar, but his eyes were so different.
With so many random thoughts and her relaxed guard, she lost all her energy and her body was already exhausted. She fell asleep in a daze, leaning on his shoulder.
After climbing to the top of the mountain, Shang Rui wanted to stomp his feet to shake off the snow on his boots, but when he heard the clear and gentle breathing behind him, he hesitated and finally gave up.
What's next? Take her back on horseback? Look at her thin arms and legs. After falling like this, can she still withstand the bump
He suddenly remembered that Tian Yuan's family had a farm nearby. He had been there before when he was hunting foxes on snowy days. It was only a mile or two away from here.
Shang Rui looked at the road ahead, then led the horse and continued walking towards that direction with her on his back.
When he returned to the main road and was almost at the village, he saw Ming Lian and Yao Chuang coming to look for him.
Shang Rui's shout before leaving the city just now made the group of people afraid to follow. However, Ming Lian didn't dare to chase, nor did he dare not chase, so he had to wait far away. When they reached the small road, they couldn't get too close, so they had to find a corner to wait, but after waiting for a long time without seeing any movement, they gradually spread their nets to search again.
When Yao Chuang saw that Shang Rui was carrying the girl on his back, he suddenly turned pale and dismounted to catch her.
Shang Rui said, "Forget it. I can just carry her in. It's only a few steps away." After walking a few steps, he turned around and ordered, "We're already here. Go find a doctor nearby."
Yao Chuang received the order and immediately followed it.
three
When they arrived at the manor, it was just a hunting resort of Tian Yuan, with only an old couple and a servant guarding the huge yard. They didn't know Shang Rui's identity, and had only met him once. Knowing that he was a distinguished guest, they warmly cleaned up the best room for Xia Yue.
After a while, the doctor came, and the owner of the manor, Tian Yuan, also came.
Tian Yuan bowed slightly to Shang Rui and raised his hand, saying, "Sir, can I have a word with you?"
Shang Rui nodded and followed him out.
When they arrived at the flower hall, Helan Xun came up to them and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Huai has rebelled."
Shang Rui sat down slowly after hearing this. The cup of hot tea had gone cold, so Ming Lian changed it again. He removed the lid of the cup, gently stirred the tea leaves on the water, and asked, "When?"
"Early this morning." Helan Xunxun said.
"How's the situation?" he asked again.
"The Prince of Huai detained the local officials of Huaizhou and Xuzhou."
"How is the Xuzhou camp?"
"No news."
"Where is Xu Yang?" Xu Yang is Xu Jingye's eldest son. He had just gone to the Xuzhou camp in the Southern Territory to take up his post in the summer.
"Life or death is uncertain." Helan Xun replied.
He and Helan Xun have had a tacit understanding for many years, and they have become clear after a few exchanges.
Shang Rui quietly sipped his tea and suddenly asked, "Is he alone?" This question was asked suddenly, and he didn't say anything else. I don't know what he was thinking about or who he was referring to. Even Ming Lian next to him felt puzzled.
But Helan Xun understood and answered: "The King of Huai is named after the King of Yan Ping..."
"Go on." Shang Rui asked.
Helan Xun glanced at Shang Rui and answered hesitantly, "Prince Huai announced to the public that he wanted to... restore the orthodoxy."
Unexpectedly, Shang Rui did not get angry after hearing this, but instead sneered slightly.
"He is stupid." Shang Rui said.
This time even Helan Xun was stunned.
He continued, "Yu Ranyu, he is very stupid."
Helan Xun remembered something and said, "The spies reported that the Princess of Jingtan wants to marry the King of Yanping and choose a date for the wedding." The King of Yanping and the Princess are close relatives of the same clan. Such marriages are common in Korea, but they are not unprecedented. Everyone knows what the King of Huai is thinking by spreading the word that they are going to get married.
Shang Rui smiled again: "Does Wei Shangren still want to be an emperor?"
He stood up and prepared to return to the palace. Now that Xu Yang was under the control of the rebels, his safety was uncertain. Once the court got the news, it would soon be in chaos.
He left the front hall and passed the corridor, walking very slowly, as if he was trying to sort out his thoughts. Helan Xun and Tian Yuan followed him, neither daring to speak rashly. When they reached the hanging flower door of the front room, Shang Rui looked up and suddenly thought of another person.
So he turned back alone and went straight into the room where Xia Yue was staying.
She had a fever, and the doctor was waiting next door, while the old woman who had been taking care of her had gone to boil medicine, and Minglian was outside.
At this moment, there were only him and her in the room.
Shang Rui stood three feet away, just looking at her from afar, never approaching. Quietly, without saying a word. Somehow, it seemed that things happened earlier than expected, and he felt a little complicated.
Xia Yue was lying on the bed, frowning, her lips were pale, and the corners of her mouth were dry and chapped. She changed into clean new clothes, and the doctor she invited had rebandaged her wounds. She was covered with a thick quilt, and the brazier in the room was warm enough.
He suddenly remembered that he looked at her like this on that spring night.
She is Yu Sheng's daughter.
Looking back, Yu Sheng secretly disobeyed Xu Jiayang and returned to his hometown in the Western Regions to observe mourning for three years in the name of mourning. However, he secretly adopted Ran Yu, who had survived the disaster, and suddenly disappeared on the way to mourning. Unexpectedly, he turned back and went to Jinluo near the capital to hide his name and change it to Minyi. Many other things were taken for granted. However, since Ran Yu went to the Southern Region to conspire with the King of Huai, Gao Xinyu unexpectedly appeared in her body. He could not see through this.
Brother and sister? Is it really just brother and sister? Then why did she recognize the wrong person that day? Even if he kissed her, she had no scruples.
Shang Rui was such a shrewd and meticulous person. Now standing in the same place, he went over all the clues carefully in his mind and had a general idea in his mind.
Thinking of this, he suddenly laughed, but his expression was as if covered with a layer of frost, and the corners of his mouth were raised with a hint of coldness.
Suddenly, the charcoal fire in the brazier crackled and exploded slightly.
He lowered his head to glance at the fire, and when he turned his gaze back to the bed, he found that Xia Yue was awake and looking at him.
He was not embarrassed, nor did he explain why a man and a woman were alone in a room. He just said, "They said you were awake when the doctor came just now." But his tone became cold, and there was no warmth in his eyes. "This is my friend's farm. You should heal your wound first. If you need to go back in a hurry or ask someone to bring any message, just tell the servants." After saying that, he left.
After seeing the people leave, Xia Yue opened the quilt and tried to sit up. Her left hand was already swollen, so she could only turn to the right first, and then use her right hand to support the bed surface to prop up her body. She sat on the edge of the couch, a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
The old lady surnamed Huang came in with a bowl of medicine. Seeing Xia Yue was about to get out of bed, she hurriedly helped her to sit down at the table on the other side.
After Xia Yue drank the medicine she was brought to, she was about to ask them to find a car to take her back to the city.
But the old woman asked, "My master asked me to ask the young lady if she wants to send a message, or if he thinks an old woman like me is not satisfactory and wants to bring a personal maid from home."
Xia Yue took the handkerchief she handed over, thought for a moment while wiping her mouth, and asked, "May I ask the name of your master?"
"My master's surname is Tian."
"I really want to thank you in person." Xia Yue said.
"What a coincidence! The master has just left."
"Where is the gentleman who sent me here?"
"Let's go together."
"I just don't know what to call that gentleman."
"I don't know either." The old woman smiled.
Xia Yue asked a few more questions, but the old woman said politely that she didn't know. She wanted to find out who the man was, because she had met him three times but didn't even know his name.
But after the old woman's vague words, the uneasiness that had been rising in her heart from the beginning became even stronger. She was a straightforward person and could not hide anything in her heart. At this moment, she suddenly didn't know what the uneasiness was. She always felt that there must be something wrong, but she couldn't find it.
She thought about it and made a decision - she would stay for a while.
Since she had made up her mind, she simply asked someone to take the letter home to avoid worrying them. But at nightfall, the person who brought the letter actually brought He Xiang back with him.
"Miss!" He Xiang burst into tears when she saw Xia Yue's injuries. "That Mr. Hong is a bully. He kidnapped you in broad daylight and injured you like this."
"His last name is Hong?"
"Yes, that's him."
"how do you know?"
"That's what Brother Yao, the one who came to pick me up, said."
"What's your name, Hong?"
"It seems to be a single name, Wu. I only heard the sound and don't know which character it is. But Second Brother Yao doesn't want me to tell you. He said he wouldn't dare to say anything before his young master tells him."
"Why would Second Brother Yao tell you this?"
"He is from the same hometown as us, and he is also from Jinluo."
Xia Yue seemed unable to find any flaws in these words.
After a while, Xia Yue asked again: "What does Hongwu do?"
He Xiang shook her head: "I don't know."
Xia Yue looked at the night sky, frowning and saying nothing.
Late at night, the stars hang lonely in the corner of the sky.
All palaces and halls were locked, and the entire palace fell into silence. Very few people knew what was happening in the south thousands of miles away.
A sturdy man hurried into the palace with a man in a black cloak, whose hat hid his entire face.
The imperial guards guarding the palace were under the control of Shang Rui because of Hongwu. After the last poisoning, Empress Dowager Xu must have known the severity of the situation. She allowed Shang Rui to remove the Xu family's power from the imperial guards and prevent them from reaching the palace again. The man leading the way was Yao Chuang, and the man following closely behind him was Wang Xiang, the father of the current Queen Wang Xiaoxiang, Wang Ji.
This time, the secret summons was made late at night. The matter was urgent. Hongwu was a big man and attracted the wind. The comings and goings were afraid that the news would leak out. However, Yao Chuang was rarely seen. Therefore, Yao Chuang came with Wang Xiang to receive the imperial edict late at night.
Two people walked into the Kangning Hall one after the other without notifying anyone, but Shang Rui had been waiting for a long time.
When Wang Ji saw Shang Rui, he knelt down and said, "I was delayed on the way and am late."
Shang Rui raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "It's not too late now."
Hearing Shang Rui's words, Wang Ji was slightly stunned, then he tucked up his sleeves and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Prince Wang, to make a long story short, I urgently summoned you today because Prince Huai rebelled."
Wang Ji was slightly startled when he heard this. The emperor suddenly summoned him late at night. He thought something big was going to happen, but he didn't expect it to be so big. But he was also an old man who had seen the ups and downs in the court, so he immediately asked, "Where is Xu Yang?"
"I don't know yet. Now that Prince Huai has detained local officials of all ranks and the news has been blocked, there will probably be urgent reports at the court tomorrow. Before that, I want to make a decision with my father-in-law so that I can make the next move." Shang Rui said straight to the point.
Wang Ji quickly bowed and replied, "I am terrified."
"Okay, there's no need to talk about the empty ones. Take a look at this first, and then we'll talk about the rest." After saying that, Shang Rui asked Ming Lian to hand the brocade on the table to Wang Ji.
Wang Ji spread his hands and took a quick glance, then knelt down again. Just as he was about to speak, Shang Rui stopped him: "We are all family, Master Taishan, there is no need to be so formal."
The two talked until three o'clock in the morning. Before leaving, Shang Rui took Wang Ji out of the palace. The night wind blew, and the clouds were blown away by the wind. The stars appeared to increase in number, flickering and densely covering the sky.
Shang Rui said very slowly: "Wang Qing, look at these stars. When there are many clouds, they can hide for a while, but as soon as there is wind, they will all twinkle immediately."
Wang Ji bowed and said yes, then continued: "The Wang family will definitely be the emperor's cool breeze and relieve his worries."
Shang Rui waved his hand after hearing this and said, "I also believe that Wang will definitely help us. It's getting late. You and I still have a lot to do tomorrow. Please leave."
Wang Ji restrained his expression, bowed and retreated.
After leaving the imperial city, Wang Ji gathered his sleeves and said to Yao Chuang, "Master Yao, please stop. I will go back by myself." After saying that, he strode forward.
When Wang Ji returned to the prime minister's residence, Wang Qing came to him and said, "Father."
Wang Ji glanced at him and went into the study. Wang Qing ordered someone to guard the yard, followed him into the house, and closed the door behind him.
Wang Ji turned on the light, turned around and looked at his son with a serious expression.
Wang Qing stood where he was, without asking any further questions, and waited quietly for what would happen next.
"There was a mutiny in the south," said Wang Ji.
"How is it possible? When did it happen? Why was there no news at all?" Wang Qing asked several questions in a row.