Chapter 653: Hot Springs (1)

He Changdi: …

Captain Guo roughly patted He Changdi’s ramrod-straight back and tried to encourage him. “That’s just how marriage works. Look, I’ve been together with my wife for so many years, and we’ve even had this many kids, yet our relationship is stronger than ever. Listen to me, it’ll work.”

These two old bastards were going overboard with their advice, so He Sanlang quickly stopped them.

He said, “Alright, it’s getting late, you should return to the area, brothers!”

Before leaving, Captain Guo and Zhang Mai reminded He Changdi to pass on their advice to his so-called subordinate.

He Changdi’s mouth twitched; Captain Guo and Zhang Mai were clearly doing that on purpose. The story about his subordinate was just a pretense, and everything referred to He Changdi himself.

Chu Lian didn’t attend the bonfire banquet. While those at the banquet were feasting, gambling, and partying, she had already gone to bed alone.

Perhaps due to the many mishaps during this spring hunt, the original schedule had been considerably shortened.

The emperor’s decree had already been passed down that afternoon. They would head back to the capital the next morning instead of staying an extra day as previously planned.

On the way back, they would only make a stop at the imperial residence in Shangjing for a night, and everyone who participated in the hunt this time would be rewarded with a trip to the hot springs.

Perhaps due to the fact that they were leaving the next day, the bonfire banquet was more lively than usual, but this was no longer of any concern to Chu Lian.

It was only at midnight that the emperor dismissed the banquet.

He Changdi returned past midnight. He again went behind the screen to peek at Chu Lian before going to rest on the chaise outside.

The next day, it took until late morning for the spring hunt party to prepare to leave. The imperial residence in Shangjing was only a short journey away, so there was no hurry.

As He Changdi was considered a military official, he had to guard the emperor alongside the Left Military Guards and the Yulin Army. Therefore, he had been called away by He Lin’s messenger early in the morning.

Chu Lian hadn’t seen him since she woke up.

The last time she had spoken to him was when he had followed the emperor to the hunting grounds, so they hadn’t spoken to each other for two whole days.

Wenqing saw the dull expression on Third Young Madam’s face and sighed inwardly. She asked, “Third Young Madam, everything has been packed. Shall we set off?”

Chu Lian scrubbed her cheeks and forced a smile. When she stood up, she had a dizzy spell, and felt as if the world was spinning.

Wenqing was startled by this. She hastily caught hold of Chu Lian and asked, visibly anxious, “Third Young Madam, are you alright?”

“Woozy…” Chu Lian replied softly.

Wenqing helped her back to her seat.

Once she sat down, the dizziness subsided.

Wenqing stroked her back soothingly. “Third Young Madam, shall I call for the female imperial physician?”

The imperial physician that Sima Hui had sent to check on Chu Lian’s well-being had just been sent back this morning. If Wenqing and Wenlan had known that Chu Lian wasn’t feeling well, they wouldn’t have sent the physician back.

Chu Lian wasn’t the type to stubbornly refuse treatment, so she waved her hand to tell Wenqing to get the physician.

However, before Wenqing could leave the tent, there was news from the Yulin Army to set off.

The Yulin Army’s words were basically the same as an imperial edict; no one could disobey.

Helpless, Wenqing turned back and informed Chu Lian of this.

Chu Lian had no choice but to endure it for now. Luckily, the emperor had given permission for several injured members to travel back by carriage this time. This list included Chu Lian, Princess Leyao, and Xiao Bojian.

Enduring the dizzy feeling, Chu Lian had Wenqing and Wenlan support her onto the carriage.

Once Chu Lian had settled down, Wenqing wanted to look for the female physician, but was stopped by Chu Lian.

“The journey is pretty short. It can wait until we reach the imperial villa at Shangjing.” The imperial physicians who came on the hunt had to ride on horses. They also had to pack their tools and medicines, so they were much busier than them.

Wenlan covered Chu Lian’s knees with a soft blanket, worry in her eyes as she asked, “Third Young Madam, will you be able to last till then?”

Chu Lian smiled. “I’m already feeling a lot better. There shouldn’t be a problem unless I stand for too long. Perhaps this happened because I ate too little over the last two days. Do we have any snacks? Bring me some.”

Wenqing quickly opened an exquisite, fragrant rosewood box and took out several intricately designed white porcelain plates from it.

“This servant expected Third Young Madam to get hungry along the way, so this servant prepared your favourites, Third Young Madam.”

The snacks displayed on the beautiful porcelain plates were shredded beef jerky, special dried anchovies, candied kumquats, and preserved peaches.

Wenlan poured a cup of warm honey water from a silver pot and served it to Chu Lian.

Chu Lian received it and took a sip, then glanced at the snacks placed on the table.

In the end, she picked the slightly sour candied kumquats and preserved peaches.

With the warm honey water filling her tummy and something delicious in her mouth, Chu Lian felt a lot better.

Wenlan watched as Chu Lian ate the candied kumquats and preserved peaches and found it strange. The dried anchovies were usually Third Young Madam’s favourite; she could eat an entire dish without getting sick of it. Why wasn’t she touching them at all today?

However, she didn’t voice her thoughts.

She just silently watched as Chu Lian finished eating and stowed away the remaining snacks.

The carriages that the emperor had sent specially for the injured were incredibly comfortable. Although they weren’t big, they were lined with thick, soft carpets.

The wooden walls of the carriage had also been covered with a soft fabric. Along with the relaxing incense inside, it was so comfortable that people could fall asleep easily.

Halfway through, He Changdi took great efforts to have someone swap shifts with him so that he could go over to the carriage. He wanted to speak with Chu Lian, but when he approached Wenqing and Wenlan, he learned that Chu Lian was asleep.

Since his wife was asleep, he couldn’t just rouse her for this.

Chu Lian seemed to be taking naps very often over the past two days, which He Sanlang found strange. He wondered if she was really that tired, or if she was just avoiding him.

With a thread of helplessness and disappointment, He Changdi continued riding his horse next to the carriage with a frosty expression, guarding Chu Lian’s carriage for thirty minutes.

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