Chapter 15: Scars
Wen Ning’an carried the tiger cub back to the room, spread a cloth on the table, and then gently placed the cub on it.
Seeing that Wen Ning’an seemed quite taken with the tiger cub, Feng Qi asked, “Do I need to summon the imperial physician?”
“No need,” Wen Ning’an said. “I can do it myself.”
Wen Ning’an had been on campaigns for many years, and basic bandaging and staunching of blood were second nature to him. He first cleaned the wound with fresh water, then found some bandages in the cabinet to stop the bleeding, and finally, he slowly wrapped it up. Everything seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, yet the bandage was neat, and the knot he tied was quite handsome.
During this time, Xingxing stood by, watching Wen Ning’an’s fluid movements and the weak tiger cub with wide, curious eyes.
“This tiger cub must have been attacked by other beasts in the forest. I wonder why its mother wasn’t there to protect it. Perhaps she couldn’t protect herself,” Wen Ning’an said, pointing to the wounds on the cub, which were clearly not man-made.
“Speaking of which, I remember Fu Che telling me that the hunters at the villa worked together to kill a mother tiger a few days ago.”
“In that case, let’s adopt it and give Xingxing a playmate.” Wen Ning’an wasn’t worried. He knew that even though he could roughly guess the cub’s origin, Feng Qi would still have someone investigate.
“Since we’re adopting it, let’s give it a name. Yue’liang?”
[Translator’s note: The Chinese characters “月亮” (pinyin: yuèliang) mean “moon.” The first character “月” means “moon” or “month,” and the second character “亮” means “bright.” Together, “月亮” refers to the moon as a bright celestial body in the night sky.]
Wen Ning’an said, “This cub is a male. The name Yue’liang is too much like a girl’s.”
“Liangliang, then. A name bestowed by the Son of Heaven is very majestic,” Feng Qi shrugged.
Wen Ning’an smiled and shook his head but didn’t object, and so the tiger cub’s name was decided.
As they were talking, Fu Che’s voice came from outside. “Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Zhou requests an audience.”
Wen Ning’an looked at Feng Qi in confusion. Hadn’t he said there was no need to summon the imperial physician?
Feng Qi explained, “I forgot to tell Fu Che not to have the physician come. But since he’s here now, let him check your injuries.”
Imperial Physician Zhou had been brought from the palace by Feng Qi. He had always been the one to treat Wen Ning’an’s injuries and was also the physician Feng Qi trusted the most. This year, Imperial Physician Zhou had already reached the age of seventy, but his medical skills had not diminished. In fact, his years of experience allowed him to diagnose an illness with just a glance.
“Much better, much better.” Imperial Physician Zhou lifted Wen Ning’an’s wrist, examined it carefully, and then smiled. “You’ll be fully recovered in another week. In the coming days, be sure to avoid sour, spicy, and stimulating things, as well as the harsh sun.”
Wen Ning’an nodded.
Imperial Physician Zhou then turned to Feng Qi and asked, “Your Majesty, has your hand completely healed? This old subject dares to ask for another examination. Your Majesty’s body is invaluable; there must not be any mishaps!”
Feng Qi’s eyelid twitched. Damn it! How could I have forgotten to remind Imperial Physician Zhou to keep it a secret!
Wen Ning’an, however, was staring intently at Feng Qi. Why didn’t I know that Feng Qi was injured?
“What happened to Your Majesty?”
Wen Ning’an was not someone to be trifled with now. It was one thing for the Son of Heaven to offend the Xu family in a fit of rage for his sake—who didn’t know Feng Qi’s temperament? But to fall out with the Empress Dowager for Wen Ning’an, this was not a whim, but…
Rumors were spreading everywhere, and Imperial Physician Zhou dared not speculate. He just straightened his back and answered seriously, “This old subject remembers it clearly. On the sixth day of the month, Your Majesty’s hand was injured by the reins. When Your Majesty came to find this old subject that day, I was terrified! The skin on the entire palm was scraped off, and it was covered in blood.”
Wen Ning’an’s eyes widened, and he was at a loss for words.
The day Imperial Physician Zhou mentioned was the day he had been punished to kneel by the Empress Dowager… No wonder he had said, how could Feng Qi have rushed back so quickly? So it was…
No wonder Feng Qi had been intentionally or unintentionally clenching his fist or hiding his hand these past few days… Feng Qi had done it so naturally that Wen Ning’an hadn’t noticed before, but now that it was exposed, he could see the clues.
Since it was all out in the open, Feng Qi had no choice but to helplessly extend his palm and let Imperial Physician Zhou examine it.
The wounds on his palm had all healed, leaving only faint scars. Imperial Physician Zhou let out a sigh of relief.
After Imperial Physician Zhou left, Feng Qi felt a warmth in front of him. He looked down and saw Wen Ning’an had thrown himself into his embrace, his hands wrapped around his waist, his head resting on his chest.
Feng Qi didn’t know what to say and could only say stiffly, “Don’t mind it. I have thick skin; it’s nothing. You’re used to seeing wounds at the frontier. You also know that reins can’t cause any serious injuries.”
Wen Ning’an sensed Feng Qi’s embarrassment and awkwardness at having his feelings laid bare like this, and he couldn’t help but smile, the gloom in his heart swept away.
“Huaitian, you are so good.”
Feng Qi felt his heart beating extremely fast. He was clearly no longer a naive youth, yet at this moment, an indescribable flutter appeared in his heart, like a first love.
“Since you think I’m so good, then let me do that thing.” Feng Qi’s hand covered Wen Ning’an’s head, stroking it gently.
The person in his arms stiffened for a moment. Before Feng Qi could sigh, Wen Ning’an propped himself up on Feng Qi’s shoulders, looked up, and kissed his cheek. Although it was just a light kiss, like a dragonfly touching water, it was as if something had spread through his whole body from his cheek.
Feng Qi was still immersed in this feeling, unable to extricate himself, when the next moment he felt a coolness in his arms. Wen Ning’an had broken free from his embrace and slipped away.
Watching the figure quickly slip out of the room, Feng Qi couldn’t help but laugh out loud to the empty room. Although he had to deal with those boring memorials next, his mood was not affected at all.
Outside the door, Fu Che watched the two of them and couldn’t help but smile.
After leaving the Hall of Nurturing the Mind in one breath, Wen Ning’an looked at the lush green courtyard and felt the urge to wander around.
This was his first time at the summer villa, so he was completely unfamiliar with it. He just walked wherever his heart took him.
The summer villa lived up to its name. Its purpose was for the Son of Heaven and the nobility to escape the heat, so its construction was very particular about comfort, with both luxurious and elegant areas.
Before coming here, Feng Qi had briefly described it to Wen Ning’an. The summer villa had both mountains and plains, lakes and rivers. The place where Wen Ning’an was staying was very close to a river, so he could faintly hear the gurgling of the stream wherever he went.
Wen Ning’an frowned. There seems to be another sound mixed in with the sound of the flowing water.
The sound of frolicking…
Wen Ning’an heard the laughter of men and women, but he keenly sensed that this laughter was not well-intentioned, but rather full of ridicule.
Driven by curiosity, Wen Ning’an followed the sound. After winding through a few narrow paths, he saw a scene that greatly surprised him.
In the courtyard, a small boy of about five or six was tied up with a rope and hung from the branch of a towering tree, swaying slightly. The little boy seemed to be terrified, not moving at all, not even daring to cry. Tears dripped down his face, and his face was as pale as paper.
And under the tree was a group of laughing eunuchs and maids.
One of the eunuchs was holding one end of the rope, shaking it up and down, even pretending to let go.
“Ooh…” With the sound of the rope rubbing and the violent shaking, the little boy couldn’t help but tremble, and the crowd laughed even more happily.
Wen Ning’an frowned. This is… this is simply outrageous!
Swoosh—
The eunuchs and maids, who were grinning from ear to ear, saw a flash before their eyes. A figure leaped into the air like a gust of wind and cut the rope with a small knife.
Wen Ning’an held the knife in one hand and caught the little boy with the other, carrying him back to the ground.
The little boy clung tightly to Wen Ning’an’s collar, sobbing.
When the crowd saw Wen Ning’an’s face clearly, the smiles froze on their lips, and they all knelt on the ground with a clatter. Looking up slightly and seeing Wen Ning’an looking at them with a displeased expression, it was now their turn to tremble.
Feng Qi’s name, the Emperor’s title, struck fear into people’s hearts, and so did the person the Emperor valued.
It was explicitly forbidden in the palace for servants to bully and fight with each other, as it affected work efficiency. Now, they had been caught red-handed by General Wen.
“Does bullying a small child make you feel very satisfied?”
“General Wen, spare our lives! General Wen, spare our lives!”
Wen Ning’an looked at these ugly people who fawned on their superiors and bullied their inferiors and only felt annoyed. Hearing their cries was even more grating, so he just waved his hand. “Go and receive your punishment from Eunuch Fu yourselves. Don’t think you can get away with it. I remember each of your faces clearly.”
Their lives were saved. The crowd felt as if they had just walked through the gates of hell. They kowtowed one after another. “Thank—thank you, General Wen!”
After the eunuchs and maids left, Wen Ning’an looked at the still-sobbing little boy, patted the top of his head, and smiled. “What’s your name?”
“N-no name,” the little boy said after wiping his tears. “My mother’s surname is Bai, so everyone calls me Ah Bai.”
“Then what about your mother and father?”
Ah Bai lowered his head. “I don’t have a father. My mother died of illness two years ago… It’s because Ah Bai was useless, couldn’t buy medicine for my mother…”
Wen Ning’an sighed. This child was all alone; it was only natural that he was bullied.
“Ah Bai, do you know Eunuch Fu?”
Ah Bai said, “I do. Eunuch Fu is also a big shot, but he’s very nice to us. I see him every morning when I’m working in the imperial kitchen.”
“Good, that’s good. In the future, if you’re bullied, go find Eunuch Fu to help you. I’ll talk to him.” Wen Ning’an took off the jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Ah Bai. “Keep this. Eunuch Fu will know when he sees it.”
“Thank you, big brother!” Ah Bai carefully tucked the jade pendant into his robes.
Looking at Ah Bai’s soft and sweet voice, Wen Ning’an reached out and ruffled the top of his head again.
“General Wen!”
Wen Ning’an turned his head and saw a young eunuch from Feng Qi’s side running towards him from not far away, his face full of relief and joy.
“General Wen, we’ve finally found you! You weren’t in the Hall of Nurturing the Mind, we were all so worried!”
The young eunuch panted. “His Majesty has ordered us to bring you back. He said it’s almost noon, and the sun is starting to get harsh. General Wen should not be outside.”
Wen Ning’an shook his head and smiled faintly.
“I’m heading back now.”
