CXD - 34

The words slipped out before he could stop them, and the tears clinging to her long lashes trembled for a moment. Her previously pale cheeks flushed faintly with color. As their eyes met, she seemed startled by his gaze, quickly averting her head and burying her face into his chest.

A soft tickling sensation brushed against his shoulder as the head resting there quivered slightly, followed by a short burst of sound—”Hee.”

Yuan Ce: “….”

Yuan Ce stood still, staring at the mud-covered head in his arms, blinking twice in disbelief.

Another tremor rippled through his shoulder—”Hee-hee.”

“…………”

If it were anyone else, they would have been thrown to the ground by now.

Yuan Ce gritted his teeth and turned his head to look at her. “If it doesn’t hurt anymore, do you want to walk back yourself?”

“It hurts so much!” Jiang Zhiyi immediately wiped away her smile, glancing up at him with her brows knitted together in a pained expression. “It really, really hurts!”

Yuan Ce’s expression darkened as he continued walking forward with her in his arms.

Just then, Gu Yu came running toward them, panting heavily, forgetting even to use formal titles as she anxiously asked, “How is the princess?!”

Yuan Ce’s face remained impassive. “She can laugh.”

Gu Yu: “…?”

After the princess had entered the woods, an arm suddenly wrapped around her from behind, pressing a damp cloth over her mouth and nose. Before she could even struggle, she collapsed unconscious.

When she woke up, she found herself sitting against a tree trunk, alone and disoriented. Panicking, she called out and searched everywhere until she discovered the princess lying at the bottom of the animal trap. She rushed to seek help nearby, fortunately encountering General Shen just in time.

At that moment, she didn’t think too much about propriety. In front of a crowd of young nobles, she directly approached General Shen without sparing a thought for the princess’s admirers.

Now, looking back at the group of young men in the woods—some clutching their heads in disbelief, others muttering “impossible” while clutching their heads, and even those calmly chewing on leaves while sitting by the pit—all were similarly stunned.

Gu Yu quietly turned back, hurrying to catch up with Yuan Ce, who had already walked far ahead.

________________________________________

Back at the encampment, Yuan Ce carried her into the tent and laid the person who had been giggling all the way onto the bed. Moving to the foot of the bed, he carefully removed her boots with swift yet controlled movements.

Before Jiang Zhiyi could register the friction or anticipate the pain, her boots were already off the ground. Following that, her socks were also peeled off, leaving her feet bare.

“Ah…” Jiang Zhiyi propped herself up on her elbows uneasily. “Shouldn’t we call my personal physician…?”

“Lie down.” Yuan Ce’s voice was cold and firm.

Jiang Zhiyi obediently lay back down, tilting her head to watch his gaze linger on her feet. The toes of her uninjured left foot curled involuntarily one by one.

“…” Yuan Ce paused his examination, slowly turning his head to glance at the headboard before returning his gaze. Even his usually unassuming eyes hesitated momentarily.

Her bare feet were as white as snow, her ankles slender and delicate, her toes rounded and smooth. Her nails, rumored to be treated with moisturizing oil after bathing, were neatly trimmed and gleamed faintly with a pinkish luster.

Yuan Ce silently averted his gaze. “If you want to avoid pain for the next ten days or so, you’d better let me handle this. Your choice.”

From childhood, Jiang Zhiyi’s minor ailments were always treated by Mr. Huang, the elderly physician, while minor injuries were handled by a dedicated female medic. This was the first time she had entrusted her feet to a man.

Of course, entrusting them to the male medics in the camp would be far worse than letting Yuan Ce take care of her.

“Alright, go ahead then…” Jiang Zhiyi closed her eyes dramatically, as if preparing for martyrdom.

Yuan Ce wasted no more time. “If it hurts, scream,” he said, pressing his fingertips gently but firmly against her slightly swollen ankle, gradually increasing the pressure.

“Ahh—ouch-ouch!” By the fourth press, Jiang Zhiyi cried out in pain.

Yuan Ce stopped, gripping her entire foot and slowly rotating it in all directions.

“Ahh—” She cried out again as he moved to the upper diagonal.

“Is my foot broken? Will I ever be able to stand again?” Jiang Zhiyi winced, gazing up at the canopy of the bed, tears streaming down her face in despair.

“If it were broken, you wouldn’t be able to ask that question.”

“…”

“Then why does it hurt so much? It feels like it’s splitting apart!”

“Because ‘spraining’ is something your fate can’t bear.”

…Was his tenderness made of tofu, crumbling at the slightest touch?

Jiang Zhiyi looked at him with a mournful expression. “I got hurt because of you. Can’t you say something nice?”

Yuan Ce raised an eyelid.

Earlier, Gu Yu had recounted every detail of what happened to him, her tone tinged with subtle reproach.

Naturally, if he hadn’t stormed off earlier, someone wouldn’t have been able to exploit this opportunity.

Yuan Ce frowned, extending his hand behind him to Gu Yu, who handed him an ice pack. Holding Jiang Zhiyi’s foot with one hand and the ice pack with the other, he applied it gently.

Jiang Zhiyi sucked in a sharp breath, wincing painfully and covering her face with her hands.

Yuan Ce: “What are you hiding?”

Who would want their beloved to see them grimacing in pain? Jiang Zhiyi whined pitifully, “Can’t I hide from you?”

“You don’t look ugly—”

Jiang Zhiyi abruptly parted her fingers, peeking out with one eye to look at him. “Really?” After a moment’s thought, she added, “Just not ugly?”

“Beautiful as a celestial maiden, alright?”

Jiang Zhiyi snorted. “Take out ‘that’ and ‘alright?’”

Yuan Ce: “Beautiful as a celestial maiden.”

“Who’s beautiful as a celestial maiden?”

“…You.”

“I’m who?”

He was only humoring her to distract her from the pain, and yet she kept pushing her luck.

Yuan Ce restrained himself, switching to his left hand to apply the ice pack more gently, lest his right hand accidentally exert too much force. Then, deliberately enunciating each syllable, he spoke her full name.

“But you didn’t used to call me that…”

“…”

“How did you used to call me? Have you forgotten?”

There was no need to remember; hadn’t she written the answer into her poetry? Yuan Ce closed his eyes briefly, steadying himself, before uttering a single word: “Yi.”

A moment later, he repeated it: “Yi.”

“Does saying my name burn your mouth?!” Jiang Zhiyi pouted unhappily. “Fine, then tell me—who is ‘Yi-Yi’?”

“...You can think of it as whoever you want.”

“Of course, I want it to be you!”

Yuan Ce averted his eyes, remaining silent for a long while. Hearing another pained gasp from behind him, he gazed at the tent’s canopy and took a deep breath. “Alright, mine.”

“Good. Next, repeat everything you just said in one sentence.”

“............”

“Is that enough?” Yuan Ce turned his head back.

Jiang Zhiyi sighed, covering her face. “I have to make my own sentences just to hear something nice. Even feeding each word to you bit by bit, you still refuse to say it... My feet aren’t cold; it’s my heart that’s chilled.”

“...”

Yuan Ce opened his mouth, then closed it again, turning his head to look behind him.

Gu Yu had been listening to this exchange with an amused grin but quickly composed herself when she caught Jiang Zhiyi’s glance. She retreated to wring out a towel by the washbasin, pretending not to eavesdrop.

After a long wait, a strained, gritted-teeth sentence finally emerged from inside the tent, as if forced under duress—

“My—Yi—Yi—is as beautiful as a celestial maiden.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the tent flap was suddenly lifted.

Yuan Ce clamped his mouth shut, stiffly turning his neck to look.

The man who had entered froze, hesitating at the tent entrance. He blinked, then softly murmured, “It seems... I’m not needed here?”

Jiang Zhiyi’s lips had barely begun to curve into a smile when she abruptly stopped, turning her head to see a stranger. She immediately scooted further into the bed.

Yuan Ce hastily pulled the bed curtains closed.

By the entrance, the man in pristine white robes, with hair tied neatly by a jade pin, bowed slightly in apology. Taking a step back, he said, “I came in haste to help, but it seems I’ve disturbed the two of you. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Wait,” Yuan Ce called out, frowning. “Since you’re already here, check her pulse.”

Jiang Zhiyi looked puzzled. “A doctor we know?”

Yuan Ce nodded. Earlier, when Gu Yu came seeking help, she had blurted out, “The princess fell into a hunting trap and is unconscious.” Such an injury could range from minor to severe, so naturally, they needed a trustworthy physician. Before rushing to the grove, Yuan Ce had already sent someone to fetch a doctor from Xuan Ce Camp.

This man was Li Dafeng, the best military doctor in Xuan Ce Camp. He had nursed many soldiers back from the brink of death, including Yuan Ce himself.

If there was any doctor Yuan Ce trusted, it was this one.

Li Dafeng stepped forward and bowed. “I am Li Dafeng, a military doctor from Xuan Ce Camp. If the princess has reservations, I can diagnose her through the traditional method of using a silk thread.”

Diagnosing via silk thread was a practice reserved for noblewomen in the palace. It wasn’t necessary here, so Jiang Zhiyi extended her hand, tilting her chin. “Just do it normally.”

Li Dafeng placed three fingers on her wrist. After a moment, he asked, “Has the princess consumed alcohol recently?”

Jiang Zhiyi had been lying there regally, but at this question, she turned her head in surprise. “You can tell that just from my pulse?”

“Drinking during emotional turmoil harms the liver and spleen. The princess should be cautious in the future. Additionally, your blood stasis isn’t minor. Apart from your ankle, did you injure anywhere else?”

Jiang Zhiyi moved her body slightly and shook her head. “No.”

“You should have a female medic examine you thoroughly later. If there are no other bruises, this blood stasis is likely due to the sprain. General Shen can massage your foot daily with medication afterward.”

Yuan Ce coughed lightly.

Li Dafeng glanced at Yuan Ce. “Of course, others can do it too.”

“I wouldn’t trust anyone else.” Jiang Zhiyi smiled faintly. Seeing how young yet skilled and eloquent this doctor was, she studied him more closely. Suddenly, her brows furrowed. “Why do I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before?”

Li Dafeng replied, “I’m from Chang’an. My father once served in the Imperial Medical Bureau. We left the capital about seven or eight years ago. Perhaps the princess saw me back then.”

Yuan Ce glanced at Jiang Zhiyi. “Your memory seems quite good.”

Understanding his meaning, Jiang Zhiyi immediately responded, “Impossible! Aside from you, General, I don’t remember anyone for that long!”

Yuan Ce tilted his chin upward and turned his head away.

“But why do I feel like I saw you just a couple of days ago?” Jiang Zhiyi peeked out from behind the curtain.

Sensing Yuan Ce’s displeased gaze, Li Dafeng bowed slightly and prepared to leave.

“I remember now!” Jiang Zhiyi suddenly sat up, steadied by Yuan Ce’s hand. Pointing at Li Dafeng, she exclaimed, “How does this military doctor look so much like Princess Baojia’s male companions?”

Yuan Ce: “?”

Li Dafeng: “...”

Yuan Ce raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t all those men you found that day similar to me? Two eyes, one nose?”

“...” So he had come that day!

But Jiang Zhiyi didn’t dwell on her own affairs. Leaning toward Yuan Ce, she whispered, “That’s different! If it were just one resemblance, fine. But all of Princess Baojia’s male companions bear some likeness to him. If you were to piece together their noses, eyes, mouths, and ears separately, you might end up with his face...”

Yuan Ce glanced at Li Dafeng, who had frozen mid-departure. Turning to Jiang Zhiyi, he said, “He can hear you saying this.”

“…Oh, really?” Jiang Zhiyi cleared her throat and waved dismissively with a smile. “Doctor Li, please don’t take it to heart. It might just be a coincidence.”

Li Dafeng nodded. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

Yuan Ce happened to have a few questions for Li Dafeng, so he followed him outside, leaving Gu Yu to tend to Jiang Zhiyi.

Jiang Zhiyi, cleaned up and changed by Gu Yu, became lost in thought over this startling revelation. Remembering Princess Baojia, she suddenly recalled—

She had already asked Pei Zisong about marriage, and her relationship with Yuan Ce had inadvertently been revealed. Didn’t that mean she could finally open the third pouch?

With the ice pack easing the pain temporarily, Jiang Zhiyi felt a bit better. She beckoned to Gu Yu. “Quick, where’s my brilliant plan?”

Gu Yu realized what she meant and pulled out the peach-colored pouch from her sleeve.

Jiang Zhiyi hastily untied the string and unfolded the note. As she read the words, her eyes widened with each character.

Gu Yu leaned over. “What is it, Princess? What does the third plan say?”

Jiang Zhiyi quickly folded the note, even though Gu Yu couldn’t read. Still, she panicked inexplicably, blinking blankly at the air and swallowing nervously. “N-nothing. It’s nothing.”

Outside the tent, Yuan Ce finished questioning Li Dafeng and idly studied his face—high nose bridge, peach blossom eyes, thick eyebrows, thin lips—

“What kind of romantic debt did you leave behind in Chang’an seven years ago?” Yuan Ce clicked his tongue lightly.

“You should probably sort out your own romantic debts first,” Li Dafeng teased, lifting his chin toward Yuan Ce. Smiling mischievously, he picked up his medical bag and walked away.

Yuan Ce stood there, raising an eyebrow. Turning back to the tent, he thought—

Even saying “my Yi-Yi” hadn’t been difficult. How hard could settling this debt be?

Thinking this, Yuan Ce lifted the tent flap and stepped back inside, only to nearly collide with Gu Yu carrying a basin of water.

Alone in the tent, Yuan Ce looked at Jiang Zhiyi lying back on the bed and approached her.

Jiang Zhiyi lay there with her hands clasped neatly, breathing deeply with nervous anticipation.

Yuan Ce walked to the bedside, preparing to apply medicine. Sitting down, he first glanced at her ankle. “Does it still hurt?”

Jiang Zhiyi blinked, her gaze flickering. “I-it still hurts...”

“Still hurts?” Yuan Ce frowned and reached for her foot.

But Jiang Zhiyi grabbed his sleeve. “Though I do know a way to stop the pain...”

“?”

Jiang Zhiyi gestured for him to come closer. “Lean in—”

Remembering how she had whispered to him earlier, Yuan Ce said, “There’s no one else here now.”

“Just come here!” Jiang Zhiyi urged impatiently.

Yuan Ce hesitated, then leaned down slightly—

Suddenly, a pale hand shot up, grabbing his collar. The next instant, he was pulled down without resistance.

The person beneath him tilted her head up, her soft lips gently brushing against the corner of his mouth.

Yuan Ce’s hand, braced on the bed, tightened into a fist. Staring at the fluttering curtain, he froze in place.

The kiss was as light as a dragonfly skimming the water, fleeting and delicate.

From the corner of his eye, he saw her trembling, plump lips glistening with moisture. They parted slightly as she murmured, “This way, it won’t hurt anymore...”