久久久久久

***

Hua Zhu Yu quickly used her hands to pull it back as she awkwardly said, "Your Highness, please spare this servant. If His Majesty finds out that this servant has bewitched master, it will be difficult for this servant to preserve this life. How can this servant be compared to Your Highness’s pampered self? Since young this servant has endured countless adversities so this servant’s injuries heal faster than most. The injury is not serious, His Highness should rest a.s.sured. What about Your Highness, are you alright?" He was only punished with twenty staves, furthermore, the one delivering the punishment did not dare to be heavy handed with him!

"Oh! If it’s not serious then that’s good!" Huangfu Wu Shuang tiredly said, "Those old pedantic officials, if this prince ascends the throne must definitely humiliate each and every one of them. We’re both men yet were attacked this way! Is it any different from saying that this prince is not allowed to have eunuchs to serve, or that Imperial Father shouldn’t have eunuchs waiting on him either? Hmph, this prince doesn’t care, Yuan Bao, come apply this medicine for this prince!"

Once he was done talking, he pulled down the cold towel that was placed on his body without any reserve. His lower body was covered by a pair of white pants but they were now pulled down, exposing his behind.

The smooth curve of fair skin was presently marked with purple swollen bruises.

Hua Zhu Yu nearly covered her eyes but tried to suppress the impulse. She quietly wondered, will my eyes sting later? She then slowly placed her hands down and applied the medicine for Huangfu Wu Shuang.

Once she was done applying, her hands reeked of medicine. All she wanted to do was quickly leave to wash her hands clean but then she saw Huangfu Wu Shuang pull up his pants, slowly raising himself to a sitting position on the bed. He then patted the bed and said, "Yuan Bao, lie down here, this prince shall apply the medicine for you!"

With a stiff smile, Hua Zhu Yu replied, "Before coming, this servant has already applied the medicine, there’s no need to trouble Your Highness."

"Then let this prince take a look, you’ve already seen the injuries on my behind, you have to let me see how it is!" Huangfu Wu Shuang said with a smile.

"Your Highness, you don’t need to be so good to this servant, this servant really cannot afford it!"

Hearing this, Huangfu Wu Shuang widened his dark eyes to gaze at her with a look full of grievances as he said, "This time it was this prince’s fault. If you weren’t helping this prince deal with Ji Feng Li, he wouldn’t have retaliated against you like this! Anyways, let this prince apply the medicine for you once, otherwise this prince’s mind won’t be at ease."

Hua Zhu Yu continued to forcefully smile and say, "Your Highness, this servant’s injury is no big deal, this servant shall withdraw first."

She then turned around and headed for the door.

Huangfu Wu Shuang seized the bottle of medicine and chased after Hua Zhu Yu who had ’covered her head and sneaked away like a rat,1’ no it was more appropriate to say that she scampered off with her bottom sticking out.

The issue of ’evil-doer bewitching his master’ may not have eliminated Hua Zhu Yu, but it still left behind a disaster for her to deal with.

Though Huangfu Wu Shuang did not have a broken sleeve, after this incident, whenever he saw Hua Zhu Yu, he couldn’t help but have muddled thoughts. Seeing her radiant face, he couldn’t help but want to kiss it. Catching glimpses of her pale wrist, he couldn’t help but want to hold it and not let go. And seeing her slender waist, he couldn’t help but want to embrace it. Having such thoughts greatly distressed Huangfu Wu Shuang.

Sometimes, Huangfu Wu Shuang doubted, did he truly have a broken sleeve!?

He then wondered if it was because he had matured so the desires in his body were intensifying and as a result, he had such muddled thoughts.

Thinking up to here, Huangfu Wu Shuang just wished the Consort Selection would proceed faster so that Wen Wan can quickly become the Crown Princess Consort. Then, he wouldn’t have such muddled thoughts.

The Consort Selection was also coming to an end. More than ten maidens were entering the palace. Wen Wan and An Rong were also included in the group.

But the Emperor had yet to decree who would become the Crown Princess Consort and who would be Kang w.a.n.g’s Princess Consort. To escape from the fiery hot weather, the Emperor decided to take a retreat to the Summer Palace and finalize the decision regarding the consort selection once he returned.

Thus Huangfu Wu Shuang contemplated if he should find a maidservant to be intimate with but after musing over it he wanted to give his pure body to the person residing in his heart. Consequently, he busied himself every day, running to and fro.

On the 6th month of every year, the Royal Family would depart upstream along the Qing Lake towards the Qing River to arrive at the Summer Palace for a retreat. This year was no exception. In the early days of the 6th month, the Consort Selection was already coming to an end while the Head of the Ministry of Rites presented the Emperor with an auspicious day to set out.

The Emperor, Empress, Imperial Consorts, Crown Prince, prince, ministers, the newly elected 10 maidens, and imperial guards ... all boarded the ships and departed from the Palace.

On typical days, the Qing River was bustling with people but on the day the Emperor left the Palace, not even a shadow of person could be seen. Only the processions of guards stationed on opposite sides of the river could be seen, a picture of austereness.

Along the river was the sight of a great ship along with a few smaller vessels. There was one ship for the Emperor and princes, one for the Empress and Imperial Consorts, and one for the ten maidens. Huangfu Wu Shuang and Kang w.a.n.g boarded the same ship and since Hua Zhu Yu was Huangfu Wu Shuang’s eunuch, she naturally was allowed to follow him.

Imperial guards boarded all the ships, following along for protection as more than a hundred ships set sail in the path towards the direction of Jiang Bei.

t/n

idiom for ‘flee in shame’

On a side note have you guys read Love in Another Life: My Gentle Tyrant translated by Cathartic City? It’s sooo good and filled with so much angst yet I can’t stop reading and have been binge-reading for the past 2 days to catch up. You guys should check it out if you haven’t already!