Wen Qingci did not interrupt the young man. He took out a silk handkerchief and gently wiped away the mud and bloodstains from the lamb’s body.
His movements were incredibly gentle.
Xie Bufeng’s wound was still bleeding.
“They did this to lure me into the bamboo forest,” the young man murmured to himself. “It’s because I didn’t take good care of it…”
If he hadn’t left its side for a moment.
If he hadn’t let it search for food on its own.
If he hadn’t given it freedom…
Would none of this have happened?
Ordinary people encountering such a situation would have long been resentful of their adversaries’ despicable actions.
But Xie Bufeng had already accepted this unreasonable, survival-of-the-fittest primitive law.
He only blamed and resented himself for his negligence and failure.
Was this sadness?
… Xie Bufeng doesn’t know.
All he knew was that never again would a little lamb lie quietly in his arms.
The lamb he had picked up was the only thing in the world that belonged to Xie Bufeng, the only source of warmth for him.
From now on, he had nothing, empty-handed once again.
Wen Qingci shook his head gently.
The fireworks in the Taishu Palace illuminated his features.
“Your Highness, you have done nothing wrong in this matter.” Wen Qingci suddenly spoke, interrupting Xie Bufeng’s chaotic thoughts.
His voice was soft, as if speaking to himself: “…Failure is not a mistake; perhaps ignorance, foolishness, and arrogance are.”
As he spoke, Wen Qingci held the already cold and stiff lamb tightly in his arms.
Having already become accustomed to this world without realizing it, he could no longer ignore everything that was happening.
The cinnabar mark on the imperial physician’s brow pierced Xie Bufeng’s heart without any warning.
“Your Highness, you are not a ‘monster’, but you are sick,” there was no trace of a smile on Wen Qingci’s face, his tone unusually firm. “It’s no different from catching a cold or fever, just a little more special.”
This was an answer that Xie Bufeng had never heard of before.
The young man slowly raised his gaze to meet Wen Qingci’s.
… Just a little more special?
The endless fireworks lit up Wen Qingci’s dark eyes.
For the first time, Xie Bufeng saw something else in those eyes that were full of pity yet devoid of mercy.
Wen Qingci glanced briefly at the beast trap, then shifted his gaze to the young man’s wound.
He spoke slowly and deliberately, “Without pain sensation, it’s easier to get injured, to be in fatal danger without realizing it… In my eyes, you are just an ordinary person, or even a patient who needs extra care.”
Congenital insensitivity to pain is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, occurring in approximately one in a billion cases.
At this moment, Wen Qingci completely forgot about the future invincible boss.
Xie Bufeng was just an ordinary patient to him, clearly having done nothing wrong.
Revulsion, fear, and mockery… Everything that was happening to the young man before him… was simply a disaster born of ignorance!
All of this was absurd and ridiculous.
Xie Bufeng stood motionless in place.
Growing up amidst various resentments and suspicions, he instinctively doubted Wen Qingci’s words.
But… he couldn’t think of a reason why the other would deceive him.
As if sensing Xie Bufeng’s thoughts, Wen Qingci looked into his eyes and gently smiled, “Your Highness, I will never use skills to joke with you.”
This is a promise.
The rhythm of the young man’s heartbeat was completely disrupted.
With the lamb in his arms, Wen Qingci slowly squatted down.
There is an inconspicuous pit in the snow. It seems that Xie Bufeng must have dug it just now.
Wen Qingci gently rubbed the cold forehead of the little lamb, took off his cloak, carefully wrapped it, and solemnly buried it in the soil.
He performed a funeral for the young man.
The flickering fireworks illuminated the entire sky.
The earth and snow turned into a blanket, covering the tiny body of the lamb.
*
Wen Qingci brushed off the fine snow on his shoulders, pushed open the carved wooden door, and casually lit the copper lamp in the corner of the room.
The unfinished notes were spread out on the desk, and a pot of flower tea was still warm in the red clay stove by the window.
This was a world that felt unfamiliar to Xie Bufeng.
“Your Highness, have a cup of tea to warm yourself first.” After saying this, Wen Qingci handed a cup of hot tea to Xie Bufeng.
When Wen Qingci left, he closed the doors and windows tightly. The coal had already warmed the small bedchamber.
Xie Bufeng’s frozen body gradually warmed up.
Although there were several terrifying blood holes left on the young man’s shoulder by the beast trap in the snow, fortunately, it did not injure the bones.
Wen Qingci furrowed his brows and led Xie Bufeng to the table.
Pausing for a moment, he suddenly pressed his hand against the young man’s forehead, “Seems like you have a bit of a fever.”
The injury on Xie Bufeng’s shoulder was serious and must be dealt with as soon as possible.
The rust on the animal trap could easily cause tetanus.
Without further ado, Wen Qingci quickly cleaned his hands, took out a pair of silver tweezers from the medicine box, and carefully removed foreign objects and fabric from the wound on the young man’s shoulder.
After careful disinfection, he applied the specially made Yuzhen powder from the Valley of Divine Physicians to the wound.
He doesn’t know if it’s because of the fever, but Xie Bufeng seemed particularly quiet today, letting him do what he wanted.
Wen Qingci focused on treating the wound without any distractions. He didn’t notice… that the young man’s earlobes had turned slightly red at some point.
It wasn’t until he finished bandaging the wound that Wen Qingci gradually relaxed.
Xie Bufeng’s skin, with its various scars, devoid of pain sensation, made him more susceptible to injuries and less concerned about them than ordinary people.
In Wen Qingci’s eyes at this moment, Xie Bufeng was just an ordinary patient.
Seeing these scars, Wen Qingci’s tone became more serious: “Injuries are never trivial. If Your Highness accidentally gets injured again in the future, you must tell me immediately and never be as careless as before.”
“Do you understand?”
“…Mm.”
It was already midnight.
Unlike the empty and cold Yuguang Palace, the candlelight in Wen Qingci’s bedchamber could fully illuminate it.
The flickering warm yellow light, coupled with the warmth of the small bedchamber, made it feel like a completely different world from the Taishu Palace in the snowstorm.
After bandaging the wound, Wen Qingci went to the cabinet and took out a brand new quilt, laying it neatly on the bamboo bed.
Xie Bufeng was seriously injured and needed to rest well.
Compared to returning to the Yuguang Palace to fend for himself, it was better to let him stay here for a while, to be taken care of by Wen Qingci himself.
No one cared where Xie Bufeng was in the Taishu Palace, and Wen Qingci, who was used to living in a dormitory with six people, didn’t mind having one more roommate.
It would be good to have the eunuchs bring a folding screen tomorrow morning.
While sorting out the medicine box, Wen Qingci said to Xie Bufeng: “Your Highness will stay at the Imperial Medical bureau until he recovers from his injury. I will boil the medicine now, and you can rest first.”
His tone was still gentle, but no one could refuse a word.
Walking to the door, Wen Qingci stopped as if he remembered something again, “By the way, there are new undergarments on the right side of the wardrobe. Your Highness can pick a set that fits you.”
After saying this, he lifted the lantern and walked towards the front courtyard.
Different from the cold brocade in the Yuguang Palace, the bedding in Wen Qingci’s bedchamber was all made of cotton cloth.
The bedding had been sun-dried not long ago. Besides the familiar bitter fragrance, it also carried a warmth that Xie Bufeng could not describe.
…
Unconsciously, it was already midnight.
Wen Qingci did not disturb the sleeping physician. He brewed the medicine himself and brought it back to the bedchamber.
By this time, the feverish young man had fallen into a deep sleep.
Approaching, Wen Qingci could see tiny beads of sweat on Xie Bufeng’s forehead from an unknown time.
Wen Qingci quickly put the medicine aside, sat in front of the couch and touched his forehead.
“So hot…”
No, he must cool down physically first.
After spending nearly an hour in the side hall where the medicine was brewed, Wen Qingci had never slept so late after transmigrating.
Although he was extremely tired, he braved the snow to fetch a basin of cold water, soaking the silk handkerchief to apply cold compresses to Xie Bufeng, being exceptionally careful in his movements.
“Your Highness, wake up and drink the medicine first.”
After doing all this, Wen Qingci woke Xie Bufeng up.
Xie Bufeng was drowsy from the fever, hesitating for a moment before finally realizing where he was.
… Not in the dark and damp Yuguang Palace, nor in the imperial mausoleum on the desolate Suzhou Plain.
But in the Imperial Physician’s Bureau, in Wen Qingci’s small bedchamber.
Seeing the young man motionless, the person by the bed found it difficult to make a decision.
Although Wen Qingci often did household chores, feeding medicine was something he had never done.
Worried that he might choke Xie Bufeng by accident, Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment before placing the already lukewarm medicine bowl in the young man’s hand: “Drink the medicine first before going back to sleep.”
“Mm.”
As if unaware of the bitterness, Xie Bufeng quickly drank up the medicine.
The next moment, his eyelids drooped heavily once again.
“Don’t rush, don’t rush.” Wen Qingci quickly took the bowl and tidied the silk handkerchief on Xie Bufeng’s forehead.
There was no burning coal to heat in the side hall dedicated to brewing medicine.
After spending nearly an hour there, Wen Qingci’s hands were already freezing cold.
Feeling the coldness, the feverish Xie Bufeng subconsciously grabbed his wrist.
A slight chill quickly spread throughout his body from his fingertips.
The bitter fragrance emanating from Wen Qingci’s body inexplicably relaxed him, even reassuring him.
Xie Bufeng hadn’t slept so soundly for a long time.
“Your Highness, let go, I’m going to get up.”
“Your Highness, uh… Xie Bufeng?”
Wen Qingci called several times, but the young man showed no response.
He tried to pry open Xie Bufeng’s fingers, but to his surprise, the other’s strength was much greater than he had imagined.
What a coincidence, the candle in the room also burned out at that moment.
Wen Qingci’s vision was plunged into darkness.
“Forget it…” Exhausted, Wen Qingci didn’t want to fuss anymore. He let out a few coughs, sighed resignedly, and fell asleep heavily in front of the bed.
The fireworks in the Taishu Palace had stopped at some point.
The moonlight reflected on the snow and illuminated the small courtyard.
Unconsciously, Xie Bufeng had a long dream.
In his dream, he returned to Suzhou, where he found a new lamb…
Soft, warm, and somewhat fragile.
Xie Bufeng exerted a gentle force, wanting to embed it in the palm of his hand.
This time, it must not be lost again.
🥺 awww.
“All he knew was that never again would a little lamb lie quietly in his arms.”
me after reading the summary: oh boy
T_T things will get better
Oh man what a somber, tender, and emotional chapter!
So one is a lamb and other is a rabbit..ok😂