Chapter 65: Antidote
Sheng Qianheng felt that the imperial physicians of Qianlin were useless! He shoved him away, then turned and squatted by the bed, holding Chu Yi’s hand tightly.
The imperial physician nearly fell, then turned to look at Lianfang.
Lianfang slowly shook her head.
The pregnancy-protecting medicine was decocted and brought into the room in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Lianfang placed the medicine on the small table by the bed. Just as she was about to feed him the medicine, Sheng Qianheng looked sideways at her and asked, “Should he drink it now?”
Lianfang: “Yes. The imperial physician said he has to drink it now. Otherwise, both His Highness and the little highness in his belly will be in danger.”
Sheng Qianheng cursed “quack” under his breath but still took the medicinal soup. “But he’s still unconscious. How do I feed him?”
Lianfang took out the tool she had prepared in advance and handed it to Sheng Qianheng.
Sheng Qianheng looked at what seemed to be a long wooden stick, but the inside was concave in a specific arc. “This is…?”
Lianfang explained, “This is a tool for feeding medicine. You have to insert it into His Highness’s mouth and then pour the medicine in.”
Sheng Qianheng’s brows furrowed unconsciously. This was practically torture.
“I’ll feed him myself. There’s no need for this tool.”
After bowing, Lianfang withdrew from the room.
Sheng Qianheng slowly helped Chu Yi up, then took a mouthful of the medicinal soup and kissed his lips.
But he found that almost all the medicine he passed over overflowed from the corners of Chu Yi’s mouth. He tried several times but still failed. In the end, he still had to use the feeding tool.
Sheng Qianheng squatted by the bed all the time. He looked at Chu Yi’s almost bloodless face and felt a pang in his heart.
He couldn’t imagine how Chu Yi had spent the past two months alone.
He slowly leaned down, his forehead resting on Chu Yi’s. He murmured, “A-Yi, come back with me. I’ll take good care of you both.”
Sheng Qianheng only stood up and walked around when his legs were completely numb. He walked to the door. Just as he was pushing it open, he happened to meet Lianfang’s eyes. Sheng Qianheng was the first to ask, “The imperial physician said before that he has a resistance to my xìnxiāng. What does that mean? Zhen is A-Yi’s Qianyuan. Both the child and he need Zhen’s xìnxiāng.”
Chu Yi had instructed Lianfang not to tell Sheng Qianheng about the pill, but she didn’t want to see her master suffer like this.
She would rather risk being reprimanded by Chu Yi and said, “Your Majesty, please forgive this servant for my insubordination. My master has been taking a pill to suppress his xìnxiāng for these two months in order to protect this child. Naturally, this pill can also reduce the need for Your Majesty’s xìnxiāng. He has already been taking it for two months.
Your Majesty’s sudden appearance will only impact the effectiveness of the medicine my master has been taking for these two months. If you truly love my master, please take a step back… Lianfang has said all she has to say.”
Sheng Qianheng looked back at the still unconscious Chu Yi on the bed, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Chu Yi felt as if he had fallen into a dream again. He could no longer distinguish between reality and illusion.
In the dream, he was as he was before he had transmigrated.
On that day, he was still working overtime at the company, revising a proposal. But after working overtime for several nights, he really couldn’t take it anymore.
When Chu Yi tried to get up to get another cup of coffee, he only felt that his legs were numb. He reached out to massage them but found that his body seemed to be out of his control.
In a moment, he had fainted at his workstation.
When he opened his eyes again, he had already entered this book. But the images in the dream flickered, as if some fragments had been deliberately flashed past.
He only felt a terrible headache.
When Chu Yi opened his eyes, he stared at the bed beam in a daze for a long time.
When his thoughts returned, he immediately reached out to touch his abdomen. The curve was still there. His child was still fine in his belly.
Perhaps the movement of his hand was too big. Sheng Qianheng, who had been kneeling by the bed, looked up and saw that Chu Yi was awake. He asked in a low voice, “Are you still uncomfortable anywhere?”
Chu Yi tried to get up, but his whole body was weak. He could only ask Sheng Qianheng for help. “I’m tired of lying down. I want to sit up. Give me a hand.”
Sheng Qianheng immediately stood up, but perhaps because his legs had been kneeling for a long time, the blood circulation was poor, and he stumbled a little when he stood up.
After Chu Yi had sat up steadily against the bedpost, he didn’t know what to say for a moment. He vaguely remembered what he had said to Sheng Qianheng before he had fainted.
Although Sheng Qianheng couldn’t use his xìnxiāng to sense Chu Yi’s state and emotions now, he could see the discomfort on his face when he was with him…
He poured a cup of tea, helped Chu Yi drink it, and was about to get up and leave the room.
Seeing that Sheng Qianheng hadn’t said a word and was about to leave, Chu Yi’s injuries had not yet recovered.
When he spoke, Chu Yi felt a pain in his throat. He must have been fed medicine with that tool again. He said hoarsely, “Where are you going?”
Sheng Qianheng pressed his lips together and said in a low voice, “The imperial physician said that my xìnxiāng will make you uncomfortable, so I have to keep my distance from A-Yi. I won’t disturb your rest.”
Just as he was about to step out the door, Chu Yi immediately stopped him. “Sheng Qianheng, those words I said before I fainted were all said in a fit of anger…”
Sheng Qianheng immediately turned around and strode to the bed, pressing, “Which sentence? The one that said ‘if the child is gone, then I should get lost and go back’?”
Chu Yi nodded.
Sheng Qianheng had originally thought that it would take a lot of effort to make Chu Yi change his mind. But Chu Yi had taken the initiative to bring up this matter. It seemed that he was not a heartless person.
“A-Yi, do you still have me in your heart?”
Chu Yi didn’t like to lie, so he said bluntly, “Sheng Qianheng, it’s an unchangeable fact that I’ve fallen in love with you, but I don’t want to go back to Da Mo.”
He had thought it would be good news, but in a moment, it was destroyed. The corners of Sheng Qianheng’s lips twitched slightly. “A-Yi, what on earth do I have to do for you to forgive me?”
Chu Yi touched his belly and shook his head slightly. Sheng Qianheng had not wronged him, nor did he need to apologize to him.
Neither of them owed the other anything.
“Sheng Qianheng, there has never been a matter of forgiveness between us. If you insist on taking me back to Da Mo, then please go back. I won’t go.”
Sheng Qianheng was puzzled. The position of Empress was already Chu Yi’s, and his palace now only had Chu Yi and Ruotao. After Ruotao gave birth, a blood test with the child would solve everything!
What else was Chu Yi dissatisfied with?
Even though he had many questions in his heart, he only said, “A-Yi, since you’re not willing to go back to Da Mo, then I’ll stay here in this Qianlin and accompany you.”
Chu Yi knew Sheng Qianheng’s character. No matter what he said, he couldn’t drive him away.
He was unwell now and had no intention of arguing with him. He could only say, “After your body has recovered in a few days, you should leave my residence. As for your desire to stay in Qianlin, it has nothing to do with me.”
The two of them confronted each other like this. Even though they both knew that the other still had a place in their heart, no one was willing to confess their love…
Sheng Qianheng looked at the face that was already wrinkled and, squatting down, looked up at him, then said in a high-pitched voice, “A-Yi, can you stop taking that xìnxiāng-suppressing pill in a few days?”
Chu Yi was suddenly surprised. “How did you know?”
“The imperial physician told me. He said it was because of the pill, and because I kissed you. The xìnxiāng in my saliva clashed with the medicine’s effect, which caused your severe abdominal pain.” Sheng Qianheng pinched the pad of Chu Yi’s thumb and rubbed it gently. “I’m by your side now. Even if it’s for the child, don’t push me away anymore, okay? I won’t push my luck anymore. As long as you need xìnxiāng to soothe you, I’ll always be here. I’ll just be your tool. You can use me anytime, anywhere!”
Chu Yi lowered his gaze to his slightly swollen belly. He had endured a lot of discomfort from taking the medicine these past two months. Now, Sheng Qianheng’s proposal seemed to be a good idea, but he was still hesitant, not knowing if Sheng Qianheng would go back on his word.
“What if you push your luck, go back on your word, and force me?”
Sheng Qianheng raised his right hand in an oath gesture, solemn and serious, and said, word by word, “By the heavens above, I, Sheng Qianheng, swear here that if I ever have any crooked thoughts while providing soothing xìnxiāng to my wife, Chu Yi, I will be impotent for the rest of my life, will not have a good death, and will enter the Rakshasa hell after death, never to be reincarnated!”
Chu Yi immediately raised a hand to cover Sheng Qianheng’s lips. After a long thought, he finally said, “Don’t say such things…”
Sheng Qianheng’s gaze was fixed on Chu Yi’s lips. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his nose smelled the scent coming from Chu Yi’s palm. He only felt as if his desire was about to be aroused.
Chu Yi felt that the situation was not right and immediately withdrew his hand, warning Sheng Qianheng, “You’d better take back that vicious oath of yours…”
Sheng Qianheng turned his back, looked at his own reaction, and couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. Then he replied to Chu Yi, “A-Yi, I won’t force you to do anything anymore. Believe me.”
Chu Yi felt the faint fetal movement from his abdomen, and his eyes stung slightly. Since when had his every move been affected by the child in his belly?
He looked at Sheng Qianheng’s back and couldn’t bring himself to be harsh. But he also couldn’t accept the love that Sheng Qianheng was giving him, which was not for him.
Just as he was about to speak, he heard Chu Mingzhao’s knock on the door. “Beggar, are you there?”
Chu Yi and Sheng Qianheng both looked at the small figure outside the door.
Chu Yi wanted to get up and find a place to hide, but in the end, his body was not well, and he was very weak. Sheng Qianheng looked at Chu Yi’s worried expression and asked in a low voice, “Who is she?”
Chu Yi: “My older brother’s daughter, the eldest princess of Qianlin! Pick me up and hide me in that cabinet!”
Sheng Qianheng was puzzled. “Why?”
Chu Yi didn’t have time to explain. He saw that Chu Mingzhao had already pushed the door open…
Chu Mingzhao looked at the two of them, slowly approached, and after seeing clearly that it was her Royal Uncle, she tugged on Chu Yi’s sleeve and asked, “Royal Uncle, why are you in this room? Isn’t this where the beggar lives?”
Sheng Qianheng pointed to himself and asked, “Am I a beggar?”
Chu Mingzhao looked up at Sheng Qianheng, her neck tilted back. “That’s right. Royal Uncle said you’re a beggar he saved!”
The two of them both looked at Chu Yi, who could only give an awkward smile.
He coughed several times to hint to Sheng Qianheng that he was weak. Seeing this, Chu Mingzhao asked, “Royal Uncle, what’s wrong with you? Are you sick? Shall I summon an imperial physician?”
Chu Yi rubbed Chu Mingzhao’s head and said, “It’s nothing. Royal Uncle is just tired! I’ll be fine after a little rest!”
Chu Mingzhao nodded. “Then Zhao’er will go back to my room to review my lessons and not disturb Royal Uncle. Zhao’er will take my leave!”
Just as Chu Mingzhao was about to turn and leave, she saw that Sheng Qianheng was standing in place, motionless. She reached out and took his three fingers, leading him toward the outside.
Sheng Qianheng could naturally break free from Chu Mingzhao, but he found this little girl so cute that he couldn’t bear to. He could only look back at Chu Yi for help, but Chu Yi had already closed his eyes and lay down.
After leading Sheng Qianheng out of the room, Chu Mingzhao carefully closed the door, then asked him, “Are you Royal Uncle’s heartless husband?”
Sheng Qianheng froze on the spot and unconsciously “ah-ed.”
But in a moment, he nodded again.
He would admit to being Chu Yi’s husband! It could only be him
