Chapter 112: In a Sorry State
"I'm asking you a serious question..."
Song Hemei didn't refuse, but in the end, she didn't let her come and do it either.
Yu Yeqing hadn't actually intended to let her dirty her hands in the first place; just hearing her nod in agreement was enough for him.
The medicines for bruises, sprains, and external injuries prepared in the room were originally things he'd worried Song Hemei might need for wounds in hidden places. He'd planned to take her to the clinic first to confirm no bones were broken, then bring her home so he could apply the medicine himself. But he hadn't expected them to be used on himself instead. His movements were swift as he tore open the already-slashed pant leg, quickly cleaned the wound, and sprinkled the medicine over it.
Song Hemei watched with a racing heart. The wound wasn't terribly serious, but looking at the bleeding area, and the way the scissors flashed with a cold gleam as he bandaged it, her face grew paler and paler. The flash brought back the scene she had glimpsed through the crack in the door when Cao Lingchun was giving birth.
She instinctively averted her gaze, bracing her hands on the desk and taking deep, ragged breaths.
Yu Yeqing finished binding the wound and looked up to notice her strange state. Ignoring the injury on his leg, he immediately rose and went to her side. "What's wrong? Are you unwell?"
He helped her sit down, his heart clenching at her pale complexion, his fingertips turning cold as he reached out to touch her cheek and forehead.
Song Hemei grabbed his hand, pressing it against her cheek and rubbing against it. "It's nothing, just a little dizzy. I'll be fine after sitting for a while."
Perhaps she still had some selfish motives—she didn't want to talk about Cao Lingchun.
The dying wish of a deceased person was not to seek justice or air grievances for herself, but to hope for her son's safety. Whether this thought was right or wrong, no outsider could judge.
Although Yu Yeqing could be trusted, it was better to say as little as possible about Cao Lingchun's death. As if by doing so, she could deceive the heavens and make the gods forget this matter, so that it would never see the light of day again.
She casually tugged at his sleeve, then snuggled into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his narrow waist and burying her head in his chest. "I don't want you to be hurt. You didn't get injured when you went to the yamen, but you had to get hurt when you came up the mountain to find me. Are you deliberately trying to make me feel guilty?"
Yu Yeqing's body stiffened slightly. He simply hugged her back, his fingertips stroking through her slightly disheveled hair, gently rubbing her earlobe as well.
"The one who should feel guilty is me."
He let out a slow sigh, pulling her tighter. "You've never been this disheveled before."
A shadow passed over Yu Yeqing's eyes.
Even on the day she fled from the wedding night, when he saw her riding toward him in a bright red wedding dress, clearly having escaped in a hurried, bumpy flight, she hadn't looked as unkempt as she did now, with her clothes soiled and her hair in disarray.
Song Hemei lifted her head from his chest, her almond-shaped eyes tinged red as she looked at him. She said nothing, but in his eyes, she appeared both wronged and pitiful, making his heart tighten and ache. He was the one who should feel guilty and blame himself.
"Do you want to bathe and rest?" He took her wrist, slowly crouching half-kneeling in front of her, his hand resting on her leg. "Are your legs sore?"
Song Hemei looked at him, so cautious and attentive toward her, and felt he was being too careful. But letting him massage her legs was absolutely out of the question—she had suffered the consequences of that kind of loss of self-control before.
Instead, she asked him, "Will you still need to go to the yamen afterward? You were the one who discovered the infiltrating Northern Wei people and led the garrison to suppress them, right? Shouldn't that count as a merit? Will you get a promotion when you return to the Capital?"
Even if he didn't get promoted, wouldn't it at least make those colleagues dislike him a little less?
She had seen how those people ganged up to ostracize others. When it happened to her, she could let it slide, but knowing it happened to Yu Yeqing made her feel reluctant to ignore it.
Yu Yeqing couldn't help but chuckle. "I was on an inspection tour here; this matter falls within my duties. It can't be considered a merit. Fortunately, it wasn't too serious, or else I would be the one facing accountability."
Song Hemei's heart suddenly tightened. She realized being an official wasn't easy. When he saw Jilang a few days ago and said he wasn't suited for office, it sounded provocative at first, but in truth, it was the honest truth.
She squeezed Yu Yeqing's hand, her head slightly bowed, murmuring, "No wonder Shao Wen'ang always seems so idle. When he's busy, it's mostly just banquet socializing to maintain relations with colleagues. So it's true—when the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. Even if blame comes down, it barely touches him. So unfair."
Yu Yeqing laughed softly, his deep, husky voice carrying a coaxing tone. "But my salary is higher than his too."
His usually distant and reserved eyes held a hint of amusement. "Do you like high salaries?"
Song Hemei hissed. "Well, it's hard not to like it, but I still can't get over the unfair feeling."
Yu Yeqing laughed again and stroked her hand. "Alright, then I'll faithfully transcribe his actions and have him assessed according to regulations. He won't be able to stay idle and just scheme anymore."
Only then did Song Hemei feel comforted. She shook his hand and told him to go back to the Song residence with her. He was injured right now—how could she let him boil water?
But he wouldn't allow it. "I brought you out of the residence properly; how can I let you go back looking so disheveled?"
Song Hemei clicked her tongue and put on a stern face. "Disheveled, disheveled... Do I look ugly to you right now?"
Yu Yeqing had never been asked such a question by a girl before. He instinctively answered, "Of course not."
Song Hemei's mood eased a little upon hearing this. "Stop thinking about nonsense. Just rest and recover properly. At worst, Jilang will nag me a bit. Do you think something this big happening in the middle of the night can be kept secret? Let's just go back honestly—it's better than you aggravating your wound."
She didn't give him a chance to argue further. She pulled his hand and stood up, leading him straight outside to mount the sturdy chestnut horse.
On the way, she told him to hold her, just like when they came.
Yu Yeqing naturally buried his face in her neck, rubbing against the delicate skin of her nape with the jostling of the horse.
He felt that being cherished by her like this was wonderful, even making the wound on his leg feel worth it.
Repeated words of deep affection and the ultimate embrace seemed to fill him less and less. He needed more—clearer, stronger expressions of concern. For an instant, he even thought if his injury were a little more serious, would she care about him even more?
But the moment that thought arose, he immediately recalled her wronged and guilty gaze, and he suppressed it himself. If gaining her concern meant making her sad, then forget it.
When they finally returned to the Song residence, Song Jilang indeed looked displeased. As Song Hemei was being pulled into the inner chamber by Chunhui for a careful examination to see if she had any injuries, he sat in the outer room and spoke in an unfriendly tone: "Lord Yu, when my elder sister left with you, she was perfectly fine. How did she end up like this when she came back?"
Yu Yeqing lowered his eyes, his expression sincere. "I'm sorry. I failed to protect her."
Song Jilang frowned. Though young, he exuded considerable presence at this moment.
"What good is it that Lord Yu apologizes so quickly? What matters is how to prevent this from happening again."
From inside, Song Hemei grew anxious. At times like this, scolding him would only put her at a disadvantage. If he said there wouldn't be such incidents again, Jilang would just ask how he could guarantee it, going back and forth endlessly. His intention to prevent such danger was genuine, but more than that, he was venting his dissatisfaction born of worry for her.
Inside, she hadn't taken off her clothes. She just held Chunhui's hand and had her feel around from top to bottom, barely convincing herself there were no injuries.
Besides, after he'd had too much to drink the night before, he hadn't held back. She didn't even need to look—there were definitely marks on her body. If Chunhui actually saw them, she wouldn't know which was more unbearable: the embarrassment of people knowing she'd been unrestrained, or the awkwardness of having those marks mistaken for injuries from danger.
She hurried outside, interrupting his interrogation. "Alright, alright, I'm fine. The one hurt is him."
Song Hemei considered Jilang's feelings as she walked over to stand beside him, raising a hand to pat his head. "I know you're worried about me. It wasn't for nothing that I spoiled you."
She paused, then instructed, "But don't let Father and Mother know about this, or they'll overthink things."
Song Jilang, though unwilling, nodded obediently.
She coaxed him a couple more times, and with Yu Yeqing's promises and apologies, the matter was temporarily settled.
After bathing and changing clothes, she could finally rest properly. Song Hemei pulled Yu Yeqing to sleep with her for a while. Unfortunately, just after noon, he had to leave hastily. Word had it the yamen staff had come to the Song residence looking for him.
When he returned again, it was after another whole night, only showing up by the evening of the following day.
Song Hemei watched him toiling with his injuries, looking so haggard, and couldn't help saying, "Is it always like this for all of you? It's like you're risking your lives to work."
Yu Yeqing untied his outer robe, turning back to see her dressed rather informally, leaning by the door holding a round fan.
Looking at her, his Adam's apple bobbed. He couldn't help stepping over to her, pulling her into his arms, and bending down to capture her lips. He only let go when she raised her hand to pound on him, then continued to remove his outer robe as if nothing had happened.
Song Hemei was rendered speechless by his actions. "I'm asking you a serious question. Why are you always thinking about improper things?"
But Yu Yeqing's tone was calm. "Having you wait for me makes me very happy."
Song Hemei's face stiffened. She tapped his shoulder twice with the round fan. "I'm asking you a question, and you're getting happy over nothing. What do you have to be happy about?"
Yu Yeqing turned back, grabbing her wrist that held the fan, and used his other hand to take the fan away. Instead, he began to fan her himself, his movements awkward but careful and attentive. "When important matters arise, this is how it has to be. But my colleague has already received the message and taken over, so I don't need to keep working on it."
That was more like it.
Song Hemei was in a good enough mood not to argue with him. She ordered food to be brought, and they had dinner together.
But with this matter temporarily settled, the trip to Pingzhou couldn't be delayed. Especially after the appearance of the Northern Wei people in Changzhou, they needed to investigate Pingzhou even more urgently.
The next day, Song Hemei packed her things and boarded the carriage with him to go to Pingzhou.
She finally met his colleagues, as well as the scribes who were supposed to accompany him.
According to regulations, an Investigating Censor on tour should be accompanied by guards and attendants to prevent unforeseen circumstances. Now that they were going to Pingzhou, especially after the incident with the Northern Wei people, it was necessary to bring guards.
Sitting inside the carriage, she listened to the commotion outside. A somewhat older voice said, "It's only been a few months, and Lord Yu has already gotten married here?"
Yu Yeqing didn't evade. "Yes."
The colleague asked further, "Has Lord Lu been informed of this? Your acting first and reporting later is really—"
Before he could finish, another voice, full of mockery, cut in: "Why say all this, Lord Zhang? Lord Yu is different from us after all. Getting married is nothing major. Even if he stays here for years without returning, no one will fault him for it. In a few years, Lord Yu will have children running around his knees, and he'll still be our superior."
Song Hemei's hands clenched in her sleeves inside the carriage.
So this was what he meant by entering the civil service through hereditary privilege and being disliked by others?
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