Wen Qingci’s heartbeat was thrown off by the man beside him.
He instinctively raised his right hand, clutching the fabric at Xie Bufeng’s waist.
After a few breaths, Wen Qingci slowly closed his eyes.
His long, thick lashes trembled gently with his breathing.
Perhaps it was the heavy rain weaving a net that drew Wen Qingci and Xie Bufeng tightly together, making their world shrink until only the two of them remained.
Wen Qingci thought back to the twenty-sixth year of Tianchu, the day they first met.
He had lost all his memories.
The world was a blank slate to him.
Xie Bufeng was the first person to break into his world.
From then on, Wen Qingci’s joys and sorrows always seemed to be tied to him, always related to him.
Amid the patter of rain, Wen Qingci suddenly realized… he had long since grown used to a world with Xie Bufeng in it, even grown used to a world where it was just the two of them.
“All right…”
Wen Qingci’s voice, carried by the rain, fell softly into Xie Bufeng’s ear, becoming blurry and distant.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
With his eyes closed, Wen Qingci gently asked, “Your Majesty, what is it that you want?”
Xie Bufeng’s body suddenly went rigid.
He stood frozen, as if he couldn’t believe he’d actually heard Wen Qingci speak, or perhaps the rain was so loud he was imagining things.
Xie Bufeng was still wearing his ceremonial crown.
The cold gold brushed Wen Qingci’s neck as he moved, sending a chill through him.
When Xie Bufeng still didn’t answer after a long while, Wen Qingci finally turned slightly, moving his neck away from the crown, and softly asked:
“Your Majesty, why aren’t you saying anything?”
His voice finally snapped Xie Bufeng out of it.
Suddenly, Xie Bufeng pulled Wen Qingci tightly into his arms.
His hands were trembling.
Xie Bufeng didn’t speak; when he looked up again, his eyes were dark.
Wen Qingci sensed danger and instinctively tried to retreat, but the carved wooden door behind him blocked all escape.
The door shook with a heavy creak.
Before Wen Qingci could finish his sentence, his words were swallowed by a kiss.
“Your Maj-”
Xie Bufeng kissed Wen Qingci hard on the lips, their tongues meeting and stealing his breath in an instant.
The kiss was almost fierce.
Xie Bufeng bit Wen Qingci’s lips, chased after his retreating tongue, licked his palate, sending a tingling sensation through him.
Wen Qingci’s strength left him at once, as if a faint current was flowing from where they touched to every corner of his body.
With Wen Qingci’s promise, the volcano in Xie Bufeng’s heart finally erupted, wild and uncontrollable.
Wen Qingci’s mind went completely blank.
…He didn’t even know when the kiss ended.
The sound of rain vanished.
All Wen Qingci could hear was his own ragged breathing.
Xie Bufeng gently pulled Wen Qingci into his arms, holding his limp left hand, kissing the cinnabar mark on his forehead and softly saying, “Early spring, She Festival. Come with me to the sacrifice… Afterwards, we’ll return to Songxiu and visit your family, all right?”
By “She,” he meant the gods of land and grain.
In this era, such rituals were especially important.
The Wei dynasty followed the previous dynasty’s customs, where the She sacrifice was second only to the grandest imperial rites.
…If Wen Qingci’s understanding was correct, the sacrifice to the gods of land and grain was jointly presided over by the emperor and empress.
Xie Bufeng’s lips pressed gently to Wen Qingci’s forehead.
In his heart, he and Wen Qingci had already been joined as a couple a year ago.
The surging Yin River Grand Canal and the people on both banks had all borne witness.
Xie Bufeng would never deny any of their past.
So he wanted Wen Qingci… to join him directly in the sacrifice to the land and grain.
——————————
The sun set behind the western hills, and the birds returned to the forest.
After days of heavy rain, it finally stopped.
With the rain gone, Yongdu was peaceful.
And inside the Imperial Medical Bureau, everyone finally had a rare bit of leisure today.
The illustrations for “Relieving Calamity in the Apricot Grove” were still not completely copied.
At dusk, Wen Qingci returned to the bureau.
As soon as he appeared, the physicians immediately gathered around.
But aside from watching him draw, they were even more eager to take this chance to discuss medicine with Wen Qingci.
However, before many questions could be asked, everyone noticed… the emperor, having finished reviewing memorials, had followed them over again.
Xie Bufeng sat at the desk beside Wen Qingci, idly flipping through a medical book left there, and said casually, “Continue as you were, don’t mind me. I’m interested in medical theory as well-today I’m just here to audit the class.”
Interested?
Audit?
Though they didn’t know Xie Bufeng as well as Yu Guanlin, everyone immediately realized-His Majesty was not interested in medicine, he was interested in the person sitting here.
The small side hall instantly fell silent at Xie Bufeng’s arrival.
Though he only sat there, the faint scent of dragon’s blood incense carried a pressure that filled every corner of the hall.
Seeing this, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but lower his gaze with a smile.
He also self-consciously tugged at his collar, instinctively covering all the skin there.
…Wen Qingci hadn’t expected Xie Bufeng to be so utterly shameless.
After Wen Qingci nodded earlier, Xie Bufeng had behaved like a wolf cub in need, wanting to bite everything.
Especially his neck, now marked with red spots that stood out starkly on his pale skin.
Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it.
Realizing he was no longer hiding behind a veil, Wen Qingci immediately lowered his head, pushing aside all stray thoughts and focusing on the medical texts and questions at hand.
After a while, seeing that no one was speaking, Xie Bufeng slowly closed the book and said in a deep voice, “What’s this-so many gathered here, but not a single question?”
He frowned, with a hint of displeasure in his tone.
The physicians beside Wen Qingci finally realized-they were competing with the emperor for his attention!
If they monopolized Wen Qingci’s time and did nothing, wouldn’t that thoroughly offend Xie Bufeng?
Standing at Wen Qingci’s left, Huo Yike shivered:
“Uh… Physician Wen, I’d like to ask, how should one treat severe headaches, numbness in the upper limbs, and wasting thirst syndrome?”
He immediately handed over his case notes.
Wen Qingci read for a moment, then said softly, “You should invigorate yang, activate blood, unblock the channels, and relieve pain.”
With that, he picked up his brush and wrote down a reference prescription.
Sitting beside him, Xie Bufeng couldn’t help but glance at the paper.
Wen Qingci’s handwriting was slender and elegant, each character graceful and original.
As Wen Qingci wrote, Xie Bufeng couldn’t help but recall…
How Wen Qingci had once written “Your Highness, wishing you peace” on a slip detailing medicine effects and usage, but never delivered it.
His hand unconsciously touched the wool bracelet on his wrist.
Only when the familiar texture met his fingertips did Xie Bufeng’s heart finally settle, bit by bit…
The physicians had originally wanted to get closer to Wen Qingci.
But Xie Bufeng’s presence was impossible to ignore.
As emperor, Xie Bufeng exuded authority even without anger; his presence was simply overwhelming.
At the same time, the physicians noticed from his occasional frown that His Majesty wasn’t entirely joking.
-He really did understand some medical theory.
Whenever a physician made a basic mistake out of nerves or distraction, Xie Bufeng’s expression would subtly change.
…It was truly terrifying to have the emperor catch you lacking in skill.
So after only a few questions, everyone quickly stopped, not daring to take up more of Wen Qingci’s time.
Immersed in medicine and unafraid of Xie Bufeng, Wen Qingci didn’t notice this.
When he realized they’d stopped asking questions so quickly, he asked, “Are those all the questions for today?”
Huo Yike, who was familiar with Wen Qingci, glanced at Xie Bufeng and quickly said, “Uh, yes! Physician Wen has been so busy lately, your health is most important. Please go rest-we’ll study the rest ourselves, no need to trouble you further.”
“Yes, yes!” everyone echoed.
No one dared say more, lest they waste Wen Qingci’s time and be remembered by Xie Bufeng.
“All right,” Wen Qingci coughed lightly, stood up, and walked around the desk toward the door. “See you all tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, see you tomorrow!”
As those words rang out, Xie Bufeng also slowly stood up.
He and Wen Qingci walked out side by side, but just as they reached the door, Xie Bufeng suddenly stopped and said in a low voice, “I’ll return to Jinyi Palace as well.”
For the past few days, Xie Bufeng had lingered in the Imperial Medical Bureau’s small courtyard bedroom every night.
But because Wen Qingci hadn’t made things clear and given him a definite answer…
Xie Bufeng would leave the Imperial Medical Bureau every day just before dawn.
It was the same at night-after finishing his work, he would first return to Jinyi Palace, and only come here late at night.
You could call his actions discreet, but not truly so.
At the very least, the physicians on duty here were already well aware, but none of them dared to mention it.
At this moment, Xie Bufeng’s voice was as calm as ever.
Those pale amber eyes showed no waves.
But standing beside him, Wen Qingci could hear a hint of anticipation in Xie Bufeng’s tone.
After saying that, Xie Bufeng picked up the lantern hanging nearby and walked straight out of the hall.
Wen Qingci suddenly paused where he stood, squinting with a smile.
Then he stepped over the threshold and followed.
He reached out his right hand and gently took hold of Xie Bufeng’s sleeve.
Wen Qingci’s movement was small and used little force, but Xie Bufeng stopped in his tracks instantly.
“Your Majesty, there’s no need to keep up this pretense.”
His clear, slightly amused voice carried distinctly to Xie Bufeng and every physician in the hall.
It was early autumn, yet Xie Bufeng felt as if a spring breeze had brushed past his cheek.
He turned around, no longer heading for Jinyi Palace.
Instead, he immediately took charge, openly grasping Wen Qingci’s right hand-the one holding his sleeve-firmly in his own.
The wool bracelet slipped down with the motion, brushing past Wen Qingci’s fingertips.
Warmth spread from palm to limbs, and Wen Qingci saw the corners of Xie Bufeng’s mouth lift in a faint smile.
“All right.”
The soft lantern light illuminated the long palace corridor, spilling into the small courtyard of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Like blood flowing through veins, returning to the heart…
*
That night, Xie Bufeng removed the screen from the bedroom.
Then, in a sudden hurry, he left, off to who knows what business.
The cramped room felt a little more spacious with the screen gone.
After a while, Wen Qingci suddenly heard a gentle creak at his ear.
-Xie Bufeng had returned to the bedroom.
Wen Qingci, as usual, was bent over his medical texts and instinctively glanced back.
But before he could turn, his vision suddenly darkened.
…What was this?
Startled, Wen Qingci instinctively raised a hand to brush it away.
“Don’t move.”
Xie Bufeng’s slightly hoarse voice came from beside his ear.
After a few seconds, Wen Qingci realized… it wasn’t darkness, but a deep red filling his vision.
“Come here, Qingci.”
Xie Bufeng’s voice, filtered through the red, reached Wen Qingci’s ears.
He gently took Wen Qingci’s hand and helped him up.
For a moment, the deep red swayed, as if flames were burning on his heart.
Wen Qingci paused, and finally, through the red and embroidery, realized-
What Xie Bufeng had gently placed on his head was a bright red bridal veil.
What was Xie Bufeng planning for tonight?
#
Xbf gets thing done. I approved. Will it turn into a wedding night? 😏