Chapter 46.
The body of the Crown Prince of Ningxuan Wang is really, really poor.
Terminally ill, on the brink of death, incurably sick… almost every term used to describe a dying patient could be applied to him.
When Rong Tang first transmigrated to Dayu during the Spring Festival, he opened his eyes and was in so much pain that he vomited blood.
For a moment, he thought he was experiencing death.
Once he came to his senses, Rong Tang lay in bed, keenly feeling the sensations this body brought him.
How to describe it?
It's like walking on a road, and a heavy truck runs a red light, speeding towards you. It first crushes your legs from the knees down. Before you can even react to the pain, the truck driver realizes he took the wrong turn and slowly backs up, taking his time to steer, gradually rolling over various parts of your body.
Feet, legs, waist and abdomen, fingers, arms, up to the head and mind
Every part of him hurt, every inch was torn apart.
A cold pain emerged from his bones, seeped through his organs, and pricked at his skin and pores, as if trying to separate his body and soul.
The pain was worst when it was cold; it eased a bit when the weather warmed. For a while, Rong Tang, unable to bear the pain, joked with the system that if he took this body back to the modern world, the meteorological bureau might worship him as an indicator.
The weather could be predicted by how much pain he was in.
But this pain was not unbearable, at least after living with this body for seven years, Rong Tang was mostly able to ignore the physical pain.
This time, in his rebirth, whether it was due to being away from the main character, less stress and strain, or the royal physician's skills unknowingly improving, he rarely fainted, and even the tearing pain in his bones and muscles was seldom felt.
So much so that he ignored the fact that his body couldn't stand the slightest wind, cold, or hunger…
Let alone staying up all night with worry and stress.
When Rong Tang clutched Su Huaijing, the accumulated grievances of that instant magnified infinitely. The world seemed to spin around him, and he barely managed to mutter his discomfort to Su Huaijing, only to see panic flash across his face, and all the tiredness of the night overwhelmed him in a rush.
Rong Tang's eyes closed, and he fainted.
In the soft morning light, with birds chirping, he collapsed into Su Huaijing's arms, gripping his sleeve tightly as if grasping a lifeline.
-
When he woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar large bed, even bigger than his at Ningxuan Palace, and Rong Tang could barely lift his hands, feeling utterly drained.
He tried to call for someone, but his voice was so hoarse he couldn't even hear himself.
Confused, before he could summon the system to ask what was happening, the door creaked open, letting light in, and Rong Tang realized it was daytime.
Shuangfu entered with a tray holding a bowl of medicine, walking softly around the screen. The moment he saw Rong Tang awake, he paused, and tears began to roll down from his eyes.
He was almost sobbing: “Young Master…”
Rong Tang laboriously wriggled his fingers out from under the covers, lifting them slightly, and croaked, “Don’t cry, I’m not dead yet.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk!” Shuangfu’s tears rolled down his cheeks as he glared boldly at his master, “Young Master, you shouldn’t speak such words!”
Seeing him like this, Rong Tang inexplicably felt a bit of joy.
He still remembered when he first returned to this life, this kid nearly stumbled while getting up from kneeling at his bedside.
Rong Tang smiled, feeling some strength returning, and sensibly corrected himself, “I misspoke.”
Shuangfu’s anger receded as he approached the bed, placing the tray on a side table, then carefully propped Rong Tang up like handling porcelain, supporting him with soft pillows at his lower back, before starting to feed him medicine.
Rong Tang wanted to drink it himself, but Shuangfu shot him a look, unimpressed, “Do you even have the strength in your hands, Young Master?”
Rong Tang: “…”
So fierce.
Just like Su Huaijing.
He sulkily shut up, drinking the medicine while Shuangfu chattered, “You scared us all when you suddenly fainted that day. The Second Prince even came to the courtyard to inquire. The Third Prince initially suggested you recuperate in Song Garden, but your husband disagreed and immediately ordered us to pack up and return to the capital.”
Rong Tang finally had the chance to ask, “Where is this?”
As soon as he spoke, Shuangfu’s look became indescribably reproachful, “Young Master, you really... please don’t say that in front of your husband.”
Rong Tang: “?”
“Your own house that you gifted to him, the place you said you wanted to come to laze around, and now you’re asking me where this is?” Shuangfu, taking advantage of his weakness, grumbled, “Even I feel it’s unfair to your husband.”
Rong Tang: “?”
He blinked in confusion, genuinely wondering, “Whose side are you on?”
Shuangfu: “I’m on the side of whoever’s right. Anyway, Young Master, you’re completely in the wrong this time.”
Rong Tang almost laughed in exasperation, “How come I’m the one without reason?”
He quickly finished the bowl of medicinal soup, which wasn’t as bitter as usual, leading him to suspect Su Huaijing had mixed up the recipe. Shuangfu then asked, “Did you stay up all night on your last night at Song Garden?”
Rong Tang’s smile froze on his face: “...” Ah, this.
Shuangfu continued, “Did you also suffer from hunger at midnight, but chose not to eat anything, letting your stomach growl?”
Rong Tang: “...” Ah, this.
Seeing his guilty expression, Shuangfu huffed, “And did you keep all your thoughts to yourself, brooding over them alone all night?”
Rong Tang fell completely silent, sizing up Shuangfu, and asked with difficulty, “Were you spying on me in my room in the middle of the night?”
Shuangfu looked even more surprised, “Young Master, you’re a patient. Don’t you know that a physician can tell everything from a pulse?”
After hesitating and biting back his words, mindful of his position, Shuangfu couldn’t hold back and earnestly asked, “How could you dare?”
How could you dare?
At home, in the palace, from the Prince Consort to the servants, everyone took meticulous care of their Young Master. How could he, a patient, be so reckless? Was he tired of living?
After the physician left, Shuangfu entered the room and saw Su Huaijing’s gloomy face. Standing beside him felt like being in an icy lake, chilling to the bone.
Remembering that moment, Shuangfu shivered.
Rong Tang asked, “How long was I unconscious?”
Shuangfu: “Seven days.”
“...” Rong Tang was silent for a moment before asking, “And Su Huaijing?”
Shuangfu: “The Prince Consort took care of you day and night for seven days. He told me this morning that you’d probably wake up today. He instructed me to prepare your medicine at this hour and then went to bathe and rest.”
Hearing the first part, Rong Tang felt a surge of heartache and guilt. As he was about to get out of bed, he heard the second part and paused, “He went to rest?”
Shuangfu: “Yes.”
Rong Tang tried to sort out the logic: “He took care of me for seven days, then told you I would probably wake up today, and then he went to rest himself?”
Shuangfu looked at him with pity, “Exactly.”
Rong Tang: “…”
He hesitated, pausing with his hand mid-air while lifting the blanket, and then asked in a small voice, “Is he... angry with me?”
Shuangfu had a look of 'you're just realizing this now?' and nodded, “Very angry. These past days, everyone in the mansion dared not even make a sound. Whenever we saw the Consort come out to prepare your medicine or to bathe you, we all stayed as far away as possible.”
He couldn’t exactly say why, but everyone in Ningxuan King's Mansion and Song Garden always thought of Su Huaijing as a very kind and amiable person. The servants even gossiped among themselves, saying how fortunate the young master was to have married such a man. Not haughty, not fussy, and both of them were the easiest to serve in the whole mansion.
But when Rong Tang fell ill and didn’t open his eyes for seven days straight, everyone serving in Yong'an Lane saw Su Huaijing's demeanor grow colder each day, his expression becoming more intimidating.
He was still not haughty or fussy and didn't want to be served by others.
The medicine Rong Tang needed was personally prepared by Su Huaijing. Every evening, he would bring warm water and a towel into the room, wipe down Rong Tang, change his clothes, and then leave. At night, he would stay by his bed, barely leaving the room all day.
But everyone just found him very intimidating.
The reason wasn’t clear.
Shuangfu even thought that Su Huaijing didn’t stay with Rong Tang when he woke up because he knew he looked very frightening now. So he went to rest, to calm down, not wanting to scare the young master.
Shuangfu, born and raised in the Long Princess Mansion, grew up with Rong Tang and should be loyal to his master in every way. But this time, he couldn’t help but wish the Consort would scare his master a bit – how could he be so careless with his own health?
He sighed heavily, unable to suppress his bias towards Rong Tang and reminded, “You should think about how to appease the Consort. He’s really very angry this time.”
After Shuangfu took the medicine bowl and left, Rong Tang sat on the bed for a long while before finally raising his hand to cover his face, realizing too late, “Oh no…”
He took a deep breath, called for the system, but for some reason, he couldn’t summon it. Rong Tang frowned, thinking it might have gone into hibernation again, and once he regained some strength, got up to change clothes.
His body didn’t feel sticky, unlike someone who had been bedridden for seven days. It felt more like he had just woken up from a nap. Aside from a bit of bodily weakness, his spirit was surprisingly good.
If not for the fact that he clearly remembered passing out from vomiting, Rong Tang might have thought Shuangfu’s words were a ruse.
As he was changing into his undershirt, he noticed something in the corner of his eye and paused.
Lifting his arm towards the light, he saw several tiny red dots near his veins, resembling needle marks.
Looking further, he found more on the back of his hand, densely packed and overlapping.
Had they used acupuncture this time?
Doctor Chen usually didn’t resort to acupuncture. Did Su Huaijing seek outside medical help?
The thought of the antagonist made Rong Tang slightly anxious. He sighed, lowered his arm, finished dressing, and stepped outside. The sun had not yet reached its zenith.
Shuangfu had mentioned that the doctor advised a liquid diet for his first meal after waking. Rong Tang sat in the corridor outside Su Huaijing’s room with a small bowl, sipping the porridge while eagerly watching the door.
After finishing the porridge and switching to a book of tales, halfway through the afternoon, when the sun began to set, Shuangfu brought another bowl of medicine, urging him to return to his room and wait. Rong Tang shook his head and firmly refused.
Su Huaijing had watched over him for seven days; the least he could do was let the young man see him first thing upon waking up, right?
Rong Tang stubbornly sat on the corridor railing, waiting. When he got numb, he would stand up for a walk, then sit down again when tired.
The light and shadow in the small courtyard gradually shifted, with the tree shadows merging into the dusk until they blended into the night.
Occasionally, passersby would catch Rong Tang's hopeful gaze, shining brightly with anticipation. He would watch for two seconds before dejectedly lowering his head upon realizing the door hadn't moved, continuing his wait for the next sound.
Xing Feng watched from the shadows, inexplicably reminded of a kitten his master once kept in Shu.
It was just like that, patiently and sensibly waiting for the master to spare a moment to play, content with just that brief interaction for a whole day of self-entertainment.
Xing Feng watched with a startled heart, then turned to enter through a hidden door, only to be shocked by the scene before him.
Su Huaijing wasn't sleeping; instead, he sat at his desk with a thin gold chain wrapped around his wrist, deep in thought.
The chain stretched from Su Huaijing's fingers, trailing along the floor to the foot of the bed, where the wooden planks had been replaced by a five-foot-tall cage.
"The cage was crafted from soft gold, each of its main frames wrapped in golden wire into intricate patterns, with luxurious and beautiful roses and roses interwoven, colored with cinnabar."
"The cage perfectly enclosed the entire bed, the chain passing through the cage door and extending inside, its final destination unknown."
"Xingfeng instinctively sensed danger, daring not to think further or look any longer, quickly bowing his head, 'Master.'"
"Su Huaijing did not respond, his gaze lowered, pensively looking at the cage, then shifting back to the desk, seemingly dissatisfied, furrowing his brow and suddenly asking, 'Too short, don’t you think?'"
"Xingfeng was momentarily stunned, 'What does the master mean?'"
"Su Huaijing raised his hand, the chain producing a crisp sound. Pointing towards the cage, he said, 'The height is too short. If Tang Tang gets tired of lying down and wants to stand, he might hit his head.'"
"Xingfeng’s eyes widened, his heart trembling, unable to respond."
Su Huaijing nonchalantly picked up a brush, adding a few strokes to a paper on the table, then tossed it to Xing Feng: "Have the craftsman remake it to these dimensions."
He paused, then critically added, "Redraw the flowers on it too; they’re too ugly."
Standing up and removing the chain, he glanced outside at the sky, seemingly talking to himself or perhaps to Xing Feng, his brow slightly furrowed in distress: "I don’t really want to go out. I don’t want to see Tang Tang."
The lively Rong Tang who talks, laughs, and gleams with bright eyes, playfully coquettish towards him.
Su Huaijing didn't want to see him at all at this moment.
Sinister thoughts churned in his heart. He just wanted to capture Rong Tang and lock him up, not letting him move freely under the vast sky, not wanting him to faint silently the moment he’s out of his sight.
The moment his fingers touched the pulse, Su Huaijing almost thought Rong Tang was about to leave for the heavens, to become his little deity.
The body he had carefully tended for two months couldn’t withstand a bout of intense anger, excessive worry, and restless nights...
The irony made Su Huaijing almost want to force Rong Tang awake with needles, rather than continuously suppressing his anger to slowly nurse him back to health.
Su Huaijing thought, it might be better to just lock him up.
He disliked all the unpredictable variables.
He loathed anyone who could cause emotional upheaval in Rong Tang, yet there were always such people outside.
"I want to lock him up," Su Huaijing murmured, then quickly negated his own thoughts: "But he wouldn’t like that."
It might be better not to see each other.
Another night, after he had suppressed those thoughts, he would then go see Rong Tang.
Just as he resolved to rest, Xing Feng reminded him in a low voice, "Master, the wind has picked up outside."
The night was deep and dark; it was the fifteenth of April, with the moon shining bright in the sky, and people gathered on earth in reunion.
“Ah-Choo!” Rong Tang suddenly sneezed.
Su Huaijing opened the door, looking down solemnly at the person sitting on the corridor in front of the door.
Rong Tang, with his head lowered and wiping his nose, heard the sound and looked up instantly. His eyes, more captivating than the moonlight, shone with unhidden joy, like the world's most adorable and well-behaved pet.
“You’re awake!”
Author’s note:
Huaijing: I want to lock him up, keep him away! I don’t want to see him! Xing Feng: But there’s a breeze, and your wife is outside in the wind... Tang Tang: Ah-Choo! Huaijing: … (opens the door) (stares at wife) (give you one second) (hug me!!!)