Chapter 133: Let Him In

The awkwardness of her movements only deepened Qiao Qingyun’s smile. She reached up to cover her wound, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "It hurts here."

"Did you forget to apply the anesthetic? Chuncheng! Chuncheng! Hurry up and change the Princess's dressing!"

Zhong Shi, looking like a frantic boy, ignored everything else and hauled Chuncheng, who was still downstairs preparing medicine, up to the room.

Once everyone realized that Qiao Qingyun was doing much better, they swarmed around her, bombarding her with questions until her head began to ache.

"Alright, alright, it’s nothing serious. I deliberately avoided the vital spots; I’ll be fine."

"Nothing serious? The Princess might not know, but you lost so much blood yesterday... Qingluo... Qingluo was already prepared to be buried with you."

At this, Qingluo burst into loud sobs again. Hongying laughed, comforting the girl while teasing Qiao Qingyun, "The Princess may not know, but this girl, Qingluo, wouldn't listen to anyone yesterday. She started crying and just couldn't stop."

"Haha."

Qiao Qingyun gave no face at all and laughed heartily.

After obediently having her dressing changed, she turned to look at Yuan Zaichun and Liufu, who had been standing to the side. They dared not approach, yet their lips couldn't help but curl up in ecstasy.

Perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps out of fear—the reason they had been so reluctant to face the woman before them now that she was awake—they stood rooted to the spot, not daring to step forward.

"Why are you all just standing there?"

Qiao Qingyun asked, drawing everyone's attention back to Yuan Zaichun.

The noble Crown Prince, after a night of torment, looked disheveled and ghastly pale. His eyes were shot with weary red veins, and his stubble had grown out significantly. Without a closer look, one might have mistaken him for a beggar off the street.

"Are... are you alright?" Yuan Zaichun opened his mouth. He had a thousand things to say to Qiao Qingyun, but when the words reached his lips, they turned into a simple inquiry.

Liufu watched anxiously, but due to Zhong Shi’s presence, he dared not speak out of turn. He simply stood behind Yuan Zaichun with his head bowed, feeling a sense of relief for Qiao Qingyun’s sake.

"I'm fine, just a bit of pain from the wound. Your Highness must have a thousand things to attend to; you don't need to wait here. Why don't you head back?"

"No... I..."

"The Princess said it: the Crown Prince has pressing state affairs to attend to. You should go back and rest."

Zhong Shi issued the dismissal. For some reason, Qiao Qingyun sensed a hint of jealousy in their behavior. Perhaps it wasn't just her imagination; their hostility toward Yuan Zaichun was palpable.

"Don't..."

Qiao Qingyun wanted to intervene; after all, one of them was the Crown Prince. If Zhong Shi offended him, would he have an easy life ahead?

Unexpectedly, Yuan Zaichun was unusually compliant this time. He nodded, cast a lingering look of reluctance at Qiao Qingyun, and turned to leave with crisp, decisive movements.

"Eh?"

Before the woman could say anything else, Zhong Shi immediately stepped forward. Seeing her hand, which had been swollen from where Xu Lu had pricked it yesterday, he felt a pang of heartache and ordered, "Qingluo, go to the Hundred Flowers Courtyard and have them prepare some food and bring it over. Keep it light."

"Yes."

Once everyone had dispersed and only Zhong Shi and Hongying remained in the room, Qiao Qingyun hung her head. "You shouldn't have spoken to Yuan Zaichun like that just now."

The moment the words left her lips, she felt a wave of profound sorrow radiate from Zhong Shi, and she immediately realized her mistake. Zhong Shi’s only motivation had been to protect her; how could she plead for someone else?

"I..." Before Qiao Qingyun could explain, Zhong Shi stood up abruptly. "This subordinate understands."

With that, he turned and walked out. Qiao Qingyun wanted to call him back, but before she could, he had vanished. She could only sit on the bed, exchanging glances with Hongying.

Recalling her brother’s attitude toward Qiao Qingyun, Hongying’s voice was filled with a hint of grievance. "Princess, saying things like that is truly hurtful. My brother nearly went mad because of you."

"Hm?" Qiao Qingyun raised an eyebrow. "Mad?"

"Isn't he? When you were brought here yesterday, you were covered in blood. After Chuncheng bandaged you, he said it all depended on your will to live. My brother nearly wanted to follow you to the grave."

Qiao Qingyun: ...

Damn it, the injury had been so severe yesterday that she hadn't known anything.

For some reason, a wave of deep guilt toward Zhong Shi welled up in her heart, and she lowered her head.

Zhong Shi, having stepped outside, was not idle. He headed straight for the Crown Prince's mansion without changing his clothes, which were still stained with blood. Even the sword hilt in his hand was dyed red. His arrival at the gate startled the guards, who drew their swords and shouted, "Halt!"

"I am here to see the Crown Prince."

Zhong Shi lowered his gaze, his eyes cold. He didn't understand why, even at this point, Qiao Qingyun was still intent on shielding the Prince. Was the Prince really that wonderful?

"Who are you?" the guard asked warily.

"Zhong Shi, Young Master of the Lu Kingdom."

"Zhong Shi?"

Everyone present knew who Zhong Shi was, but the title "Young Master of the Lu Kingdom" was unfamiliar. When the Crown Princess had left in the past, she had taken a guard with her.

"Are you from Princess Qingyun’s side?" one of them asked.

Zhong Shi nodded. "Yes. Is the Crown Prince in?"

"He is. Allow us to report your arrival."

In the main hall, Yuan Zaichun was wounded, his injuries yet to be treated. When Bu Shenglian walked in and saw the scene, her face turned pale with fright. She rushed over, kneeling at Yuan Zaichun’s feet with tear-filled eyes. "My Lord, what has happened to you?"

Yuan Zaichun did not speak, his body drenched in a cold sweat from the pain. Yet, when he recalled Qiao Qingyun’s body, nearly pierced through, he realized these pains were nothing.

Liufu sighed deeply and ignored her. Just as they were finishing the bandaging, a guard rushed in from outside. "Your Highness, Zhong Shi is outside asking for an audience."

"Zhong Shi?"

Liufu’s brow furrowed. Yuan Zaichun, who had been resting with his eyes closed, snapped them open, his entire being radiating a murderous aura.

But when he thought of Qiao Qingyun’s heavily wounded state, the killing intent vanished as if it had been a hallucination.

"Why is he here?" Yuan Zaichun asked.

Having not eaten for a day and a night, the man’s voice was raspy to the extreme. The guard shook his head. "This subordinate does not know; he only asked to see the Crown Prince."

"Let him in."

"My Lord! You must not!"

Liufu immediately protested, his muscles tensing, his guard up to the highest level for fear that Zhong Shi might attack. "My Lord, you saw it yourself—he had killing intent toward you! If the Princess hadn't woken up early today, I fear..."

"How insolent! To think someone would dare harbor killing intent toward my Lord? My Lord, let me have the guards drive him away!" Bu Shenglian interjected, eager to show her devotion. She became even more agitated at the mention of Qiao Qingyun’s name.

"Let him in." Yuan Zaichun had made up his mind. He waved his hand, and the servant ran out to bring the man in immediately.

Zhong Shi walked in, covered in scars and dried blood, looking like a creature from another world compared to the freshly changed Yuan Zaichun.