Chapter 62 You...are a woman, aren't you?

Chapter 62 You...are a woman, aren't you?

Chen Yanqing was beaten with fifty lashes, his spine felt as if it had been broken, and he fainted on the spot from the pain.

The imperial physician examined the patient and shook his head, saying, "The injury is deep to the bone; whether he can survive depends entirely on fate."

For the next two weeks, Chen Yanqing remained bedridden, unable even to turn over.

At first, even the slightest movement of a finger would aggravate the injury on his back, causing him to spasm in pain, his body drenched in cold sweat, over and over again.

Every day, the maidservant would feed him bitter medicine on time. The medicine would drip down his neck from the corner of his mouth, but he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand to wipe it away.

He struggled on the brink of death for more than half a month before finally managing to save his life.

On the day he was able to barely get out of bed, Chen Yanqing supported himself against the wall and slowly moved to the window.

The sunlight outside the window was just right. The old banyan tree next to the main hall of Xihe Hall was growing vigorously, with its emerald green branches stretching out at an angle and its leaves swaying gently in the wind.

He gazed at the greenery and suddenly chuckled softly, his voice slightly hoarse but filled with warmth.

This punishment is different from the previous ones.

The pain of fifty strokes of the cane was real; it hurt so much that he often woke up from nightmares at night.

But Li Yuanzhao's words, "Have someone take good care of him, there's no need for him to serve you closely anymore, let him recover first," actually made him feel a little sweet inside.

This kind of overt punishment combined with covert compassion was something he never dared to imagine before.

Now, he had already seen through his feelings for Li Yuanzhao, and had personally heard her say, "You are more special to me," so he felt that the punishment of fifty lashes had become a kind of "reward."

Even though the wound on his back was still throbbing, the sweetness in his heart overshadowed all the bitterness, making him feel that the pain was worth it.

Although he survived, the days of recuperating were incredibly boring.

Every day, besides lying down, I just stare blankly at the banyan tree outside the window; I have nothing to do to pass the time.

His courtyard was right next to the pharmacy of that "demon" Xiao Lingdang.

For the past two weeks, Chen Yanqing had been so bored that he used his crutches as an excuse to go to the pharmacy several times to ask for some pain relief ointment.

At first, Xiao Lingdang was cold and indifferent to him, without a trace of a smile on her face. Often, Chen Yanqing would ask three questions before she would give a faint reply, her tone full of aloofness.

But later, when they talked about herbs, Xiao Lingdang saw that Chen Yanqing actually knew a little about herbs. Her guardedness gradually lessened, and she was occasionally willing to talk to him more about the intricacies of medicine making.

Every time Chen Yanqing came, he would lean against the door frame of the pharmacy and quietly watch Xiao Lingdang pound medicine and make ointments in front of the furnace.

The two chatted occasionally, sometimes about which herbs needed to be dried in the morning dew, sometimes about the medicinal effects of which ointment. Their conversation was casual but not lonely.

Sometimes, when Little Bell saw that he was bored, she would take a tattered medical book from the corner of the bookshelf and throw it to him to help him pass the time.

Chen Yanqing wasn't idle either. Seeing the herbs that needed to be dried in the shade in the pharmacy, he took the initiative to move them to the well-ventilated corridor and carefully turned them over to dry.

Over time, the two gradually became acquainted.

That afternoon, Chen Yanqing moved to the entrance of the pharmacy again.

Since he no longer needed to be served, he had not used the human skin mask for some time.

Skin that has been deprived of sunlight for a long time has an almost transparent paleness.

Seeing Little Bell squatting on the ground sorting through a pile of thorny purple flowers, he laughed and said, "This 'Ghost-Fearing Blossom' is extremely poisonous, yet you dare to touch it directly."

Little Bell looked up at him, but when her gaze fell on his handsome face, she awkwardly looked away.

"You're still not fully recovered, yet you come here every day. Aren't you tired?"

“It’s better than lying here.” Chen Yanqing leaned against the door frame, his tone tinged with frustration. “Staying in this courtyard every day, unable to even leave through the main gate, I’m going to rot away.”

I wonder how Li Yuanzhao is doing lately?

Has she gotten used to not having me by her side to serve her?

Does she... ever think of herself?

These thoughts clung to him like vines, and he couldn't help but ask again, "By the way, how has His Highness been lately?"

Little Bell continued working on the herbs with her head down. Hearing this, she didn't even look up, her voice flat and indifferent: "It's fine."

What he didn't say was that Xihe Palace had been very lively these past few days.

That young master Lin served His Highness almost every day.

I saw the two of them playing chess in the garden yesterday. His Highness laughed several times. He was so relaxed, which was a rare sight for him.

I've heard that at night, Young Master Lin often stays in His Highness's bedchamber, only leaving the following morning...

These words stuck in his throat, and looking into Chen Yanqing's concerned eyes, he ultimately didn't say them.

After all, this is His Highness's private matter, and judging from Chen Yanqing's appearance, his feelings for His Highness are probably not ordinary.

Upon hearing the words "pretty good," Chen Yanqing sighed inwardly.

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Xiaolingdang's nimble hands handling the herbs. He casually said, "I see you are quite knowledgeable about pharmacology and know how to make poisons. With such amazing skills, why are you just sitting in the Princess's palace as an ordinary pharmacist? Wouldn't that be a waste?"

Upon hearing this, Little Bell seemed to remember something and suddenly became lost in thought.

Without noticing, a thorn in my hand pierced the skin of my thumb, causing it to bleed.

"hiss--"

Seeing this, Chen Yanqing disregarded his still unsteady legs and quickly stepped forward, grabbing his injured finger.

"This flower is poisonous! How could you be so careless!"

Little Bell was startled when he gripped her finger. She tried to pull her hand back, but he held it even tighter.

"It's nothing, just a minor injury..."

Little Bell turned her face away uncomfortably, her voice lowered.

"What do you mean 'it's nothing'?" Chen Yanqing glared at him. "The thorns of this 'Ghost's Bane' can cause dizziness and nausea if stained with blood, and can even be fatal if they are not. Don't you know that?"

After saying that, he took out a clean handkerchief he always carried with him and quickly pinched it tightly above the wound to prevent the toxin from spreading along the bloodstream.

Looking at his downcast eyes and concerned expression, Xiao Lingdang suddenly felt a tightness in her throat.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only whispered, "...Thank you. I can do it myself."

Chen Yanqing then released his grip on the wound.

Little Bell lowered her head, carefully using a silver hairpin to remove the thorn, then took the antidote ointment and carefully applied it to the wound.

After he finished doing all this, he looked up and saw Chen Yanqing still staring intently at him.

Little Bell's heart skipped a beat, and she looked away shyly. "It's all done, nothing's wrong. Why are you still staring at me?"

Chen Yanqing suddenly spoke up, catching him off guard, "You... are a woman, aren't you?"