Tan Hua - Chapter 34

Song Liqing’s fingers were torn and bleeding. It’s said that the ten fingers are connected to the heart, and Song Liqing felt the pain piercing his heart.

He gritted his teeth, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. After shelling a whole plate of pine nuts, he was drenched in sweat, and his forehead was soaked with sweat.

“Qiyu… I’m done shelling,” Song Liqing presented the plate, his hands trembling so much that he barely held it steady.

Jun Qiyu looked at the plate of bloody pine nuts, even the edges of the porcelain plate were stained with blood, and Song Liqing’s hands were torn and bloody, a horrifying sight.

He softened for a moment, feeling a hint of pity, but he wouldn’t let him off easily.

“Your blood is all over them. Can these pine nuts still be eaten?” Jun Qiyu said coldly, “Enough, a useless person who can’t do even the tiniest thing, go back.”

Song Liqing raised his head and asked, “What about the banquet on the Emperor’s birthday? Did you agree to go?”

“Hmm…”

Jun Qiyu nodded reluctantly. 

Hu Nu’er saw Jun Qiyu’s reluctant expression and knew he was relenting again, feeling dissatisfied.

Dozens of slaps weren’t just a small injury!

It took a full ten days for the swelling to subside!

How could he let Song Liqing off so easily?

“My lord, it’s time for your foot bath. My nails can’t touch water, so why not let the Crown Prince Consort do it for you?” Hu Nu’er suggested.

Jun Qiyu’s eyes darkened. “You still haven’t let go of your grudge?” Jun Qiyu directly pierced his thoughts.

Hu Nu’er opened his mouth, looking like he was about to cry.

“Hu Nu’er is not a vengeful person, nor intentionally making things difficult for the Crown Prince Consort. You people from the Central Plains say ‘the sovereign is the subject’s backbone, and the husband is the wife’s backbone.’ Letting the Crown Prince Consort serve you a foot bath shouldn’t be considered a humiliation, right?”

Jun Qiyu thought about it. After all, Song Liqing hadn’t done much to serve him.

The Emperor said they were equal, but Jun Qiyu insisted on having him serve him once.

“Then come.”

Although Song Liqing was not delicate and did everything himself, he was, after all, from a prestigious family. His father was a high-ranking military officer in the court, and in the General’s Residence, he was a young master living a life of luxury. How could he have done such a servant’s task?

“I won’t.”

Song Liqing would rather endure physical pain than endure the humiliation of his character.

“I can teach you, Crown Prince Consort,” Hu Nu’er smiled gently, “Xiaoqin, bring in the hot water.”

Xiaoqin did as instructed. The water was boiled with medicinal herbs, and she sprinkled some white powder into the copper basin, turning the hot water yellowish.

Song Liqing smelled the pungent scent of medicine.

Hu Nu’er continued, “My lord fought battles in the Western Regions, practicing martial arts and marching every day. His feet were the most tired. Once, he was trampled by a warhorse during a battle, leaving some hidden injuries. These medicines are all for promoting blood circulation and removing stasis. Hu Nu’er serves my lord’s foot bath every day and massages to relieve… I’ll leave it to the Crown Prince Consort from now on. Since you love my lord deeply, I’m sure you’ll be willing.”

Song Liqing didn’t say anything, kneeling on the ground, he helped Jun Qiyu take off his shoes and socks.

Jun Qiyu soaked his feet in the medicated water, closing his eyes to enjoy it.

“It needs to be soaked for a quarter of an hour, and massaging at the same time can better enhance the efficacy of the medicine,” Hu Nu’er urged him, “Crown Prince Consort, please.”

Song Liqing clenched his fist gently; his hand was still bleeding.

He endured the pain and put his fingers into the water.

The steaming hot water felt like blades now, cutting into Song Liqing’s skin, making him hiss in pain. The potent medicine stung, and Song Liqing felt like his fingers were being twisted on a blade.

Song Liqing’s face turned pale instantly, lips devoid of color.

He held onto Jun Qiyu’s ankle, only able to massage with the pads of his fingers.

Hu Nu’er stood by and said, “Crown Prince Consort, you need to use more force to clear the blockages and channels. What’s the difference between this and scratching an itch?”

Song Liqing had no choice but to massage harder. His eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and he breathed heavily.

The medicated water promoted blood circulation, but he already had blood stasis. Instead of stopping the bleeding, soaking in the water made it worse.

The harder he pressed, the harder it was for the blood to clot.

In just a moment, the medicinal water was stained pink with blood.

Jun Qiyu opened his eyes and looked down at Song Liqing’s sweating face, pale and delicate, with a straight, delicate nose and tightly pursed lips.

His hands were gentle and soft. Although Jun Qiyu didn’t feel the skillful massage like Hu Nu’er’s, just the touch of his skin made Jun Qiyu feel tingles all over his body.

A heat rose in Jun Qiyu’s abdomen.

But he had already made it clear that he wouldn’t touch Song Liqing. Still, he kept thinking about him, which made him lose face.

“Your fingers are weak, and you can’t even find the acupoints. You have no feeling. Leave,” Jun Qiyu waved his hand to dismiss him.

Song Liqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Trembling, he lifted his hands from the water, his fingertips, once covered in blood and flesh, now turned pale from soaking.

Song Liqing found that his fingers had lost sensation and couldn’t move.

Well, at least it didn’t hurt as much now.

“Qiyu, about the Emperor’s birthday…”

“I know,” Jun Qiyu said impatiently, “I’ll allow you to go, but you should know what to say and what not to say. You should be aware.”

“Okay…” Song Liqing forced a smile on his pale face, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

After bowing, Song Liqing quickly left the Pleasure pavilion.

Jun Qiyu, however, was stunned for a moment.

He had already resolved Hu Nu’er’s resentment, and Song Liqing had shown submissive attitude. Why didn’t he feel happy at all?

Hu Nu’er took the initiative to massage Jun Qiyu’s old injury on his foot.

“My lord, what are you thinking?” Hu Nu’er asked with a hint of jealousy, “Feeling sorry for him?”

“Not exactly,” Jun Qiyu felt a bit annoyed.

“Just… he never called me ‘Your Highness’ before.”

Hu Nu’er was puzzled, “What’s wrong with that?”

“I don’t know,” Jun Qiyu couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

“Thank you, Your Highness… Thank you…” Song Liqing had never been so formal with him before.

“He used to call me by my name, always ‘Qiyu’.”

At least in Jun Qiyu’s memory, Song Liqing rarely addressed him as ‘Crown Prince’, always calling him ‘Qiyu’ affectionately.

“It means he has realized his position and is more respectful to you,” Hu Nu’er smiled, while wiping Jun Qiyu’s feet with a clean silk cloth and bending down to kiss his foot.

Previously, Hu Nu’er had used such gestures to humble himself to the dust, without dignity, to gain Jun Qiyu’s trust.

He knew very well how to please Jun Qiyu.

“It’s not that,” Jun Qiyu lost focus for a moment, murmuring to himself, “It’s unfamiliar.”

In the main courtyard.

Xiaodi held a bottle of gauze and looked at Song Liqing worriedly.

“Young Master, you have to endure a bit.”

“Just do it,” Song Liqing said, biting down on a strip of coarse cloth.

Xiaodi poured the medicine on his fingertips and where the nails had fallen off.

Tears streamed down Song Liqing’s face, and the veins on his slender neck were visible.

“Mm… hmm…”

The night was silent, only Song Liqing’s chest emitting a mournful cry.

Song Liqing had never been a strong and tough person.

He was most afraid of pain.

Author’s note:

I cried…