novelraw Chapter 545 - 544: Sweet as Honey
Chapter 545 - 544: Sweet as Honey
Mr. Gao’s reminder was indeed very considerate, and Zhu Yu quickly thanked him sincerely.
Mr. Gao thought for a moment and then advised, "I find the Princess to be someone who understands reason, so I’ll say a few more words.
Your Majesty sometimes has quite a temper when he’s angry, but in private he’s the kindest at heart.
Today, it’s probably a case of bad timing, originally making things difficult for Your Majesty, and then the Prince stubbornly making it worse, causing this situation.
When you return, have the Prince take good care of his injuries; there might still be room for reconciliation later. Once the matters of Fan Country calm down, Your Majesty will remember the 20+ years of father-son relationship and won’t really let you suffer outside."
"Well, let’s hope your words bring good fortune, Mr. Gao." Zhu Yu nodded and thanked him.
Lu Qing was beaten to the point of being covered in blood. The talisman planned to carry Lu Qing away, and just then, from the crowd watching the spectacle, someone who couldn’t bear it gave them a large wooden board.
The brothers carefully placed Lu Qing on the board and lifted it slowly, one at the front, the other at the back. Zhu Yu followed beside them, and the group moved through the streets, returning to the Prince Xiao Yao Mansion under the watchful eyes of passersby.
Lu Qing and his group had been away for a long time, and when they returned, they were brought back in a prison cart. Now, being carried back bloodied and bruised, it frightened the few servants in the mansion, who gathered around to ask questions.
Zhu Yu asked the talisman to keep everyone else outside, as she didn’t want anyone disturbing Lu Qing at the moment. She fetched antiseptic medicine that Mrs. Zhao had insightfully prepared and shut the door to attend to Lu Qing’s injuries.
Lu Qing was settled on the bed by the talisman, lying face down. He was conscious the whole time, though outside he just lay against the board, not lifting his head. Now that he was alone, he turned his face and forced a smile at the expressionless Zhu Yu.
Zhu Yu didn’t speak. She walked to the bedside and carefully, taking advantage of the fact that the wound on Lu Qing’s back was still bleeding and hadn’t dried to stick the clothes to his skin, hurriedly cut off that piece of cloth with scissors and tossed it aside.
This exposed Lu Qing’s entire back to her view.
The previously contorted scars on his back were now invisible, replaced by a blur of blood and flesh. It was unclear how many places the stick had struck, causing skin and flesh to burst open and blood to ooze out.
Upon seeing such a scene, Zhu Yu could no longer hold back, and tears rolled down.
The hot tears dropped onto Lu Qing’s back wounds, causing him to flinch instinctively.
Zhu Yu was startled, quickly turning away to wipe her tears, afraid they might fall on the wounds again, causing Lu Qing more pain.
However, the emotions had been suppressed too long, and now, once the tears broke, they were uncontrollable, flowing faster the more she wiped.
Suddenly, another hand hanging by her side was pulled.
Zhu Yu was startled and turned quickly to see Lu Qing struggling to lift an arm and gently hold her fingers.
"It’s alright, don’t worry." Lu Qing’s voice was naturally not loud, as he couldn’t take deep breaths, and his words just managed to be heard clearly. Still, he maintained a calm smile as if he wasn’t the one hurt, and wasn’t in pain at all, "I’m really alright.
Don’t be fooled by all this blood and flesh; in fact, my injuries aren’t severe.
Those guards have a way; their sticks sound loud and seem heavy, but the force is only on the surface. The cuts on the skin are just superficial wounds and won’t harm the internal organs. Just apply antiseptic medicine, and they’ll heal in no time."
"Alright, I understand. Don’t speak for now, just lie still." Zhu Yu held back her tears, nodding.
Lu Qing certainly wouldn’t lie to her, and despite being so severely injured, he still had the strength to say so much, and his mind was clear, which was enough evidence that he wasn’t truly harmed.
With this thought, she felt a little better inside, at least able to hold back tears, and began to tend to Lu Qing’s wounds.
"I need to clean your wounds. It’s going to hurt during this process, and if the tear is too deep, it will need stitching, so you must hold on...
Or if it really hurts too much, remember to tell me, and I’ll think of another way."
"Don’t worry, your husband isn’t that fragile." Lu Qing slowly blinked, as if nodding, "It’s a blessing to have my wife personally tending to my injuries."
"Stop, stop, stop, no more nonsense! How is this a good thing? Better not give it a chance to ever happen again!" Zhu Yu felt those words were ominous and quickly stopped Lu Qing from continuing.
Lu Qing readily agreed and changed his tone, "Keeping my life intact is a blessing in itself; otherwise, there’d be nothing to act."
Zhu Yu agreed with this, so she gently and meticulously treated Lu Qing’s wounds, carefully using her best skills to stitch the tears on Lu Qing’s back, ensuring that although there might be scars, they wouldn’t look as frightening as before.
After stitching the wounds, she used the strong liquor brought by the talisman to thoroughly wash his entire back.
Lu Qing didn’t make a sound, but as the strong liquor splashed onto him, he clenched his teeth, and every muscle in his body tensed instantly.
Zhu Yu then carefully applied the premium antiseptic medicine to the wounds and used a clean, soft cloth to make a large bandage, finally breathing a sigh of relief and sitting weakly by the bedside.
"Tomorrow morning, the Holy Emperor will issue his decree." She said to Lu Qing, "Do you need me to pack anything? Just tell me, and I’ll handle it for you. Rest here tonight, and we’ll leave early tomorrow morning before the decree arrives, so we don’t seem like we’re being driven out."
Zhu Yu’s spiteful appearance made Lu Qing want to laugh, but the slight vibration of his chest still caused pain, so he had to suppress the laughter.
"Wife, your plan aligns with mine; I don’t want to leave in disgrace either.
Soon, please gather our household staff and let them know not to panic when the Palace Attendants come tomorrow to announce the decree and seal the place. They can stay here, and no one will trouble them. They should continue their daily tasks as usual without any change." He said softly to Zhu Yu.
"Alright, and what about things? Is there anything you need me to pack?" Zhu Yu asked again.
Lu Qing shook his head slightly, "Leave behind all the household belongings as they are,
and ask the talisman to prepare a carriage. When it gets dark and quiet in the evening, we’ll leave here."