Unyielding Spring Mountains - Chapter 65: Wife

Wei Zhen hugged him, whispering softly in his ear, “The King forbade me from coming, but I still wanted to see you. I heard he wouldn’t let the healers treat you. Are you alright…”

She looked up, her gaze gentle. Seeing the snowflakes on him, she reached out with her cold, stiffened hand to brush away the snow from his temples.

She knew well the consequences of running out like this to see him. However, she couldn’t bear to watch him suffer or be apart from him. That voice deep within her heart urged her to come and see him.

The snow fell, the world around them icy cold, yet in his embrace was warmth beyond compare. With tears in her eyes, Wei Zhen rested her head on his shoulder.

Qi Yan said, “I’m fine. Zuo Ying was just here, applying medicine to my wounds.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhen pulled him into the room. “Let me see your injuries.”

She closed the palace doors, blocking out the wind and snow. As soon as she turned around, she saw the crisscrossing vicious whip marks on the young man’s back. Some areas were blackened with clotted blood, while others still seeped fresh blood—an appalling sight that was hard to look at directly.

The guards who carried out the punishment earlier hadn’t even finished all twenty lashes. If the full twenty had truly landed, there wouldn’t be an inch of unscarred skin left on his back.

Wei Zhen approached. “Where’s the bandage? Let me wrap your wounds.”

Zuo Ying handed her the medicine bottle. She supported Qi Yan as he lay down and soaked a cloth in the hot water from a nearby basin, gently wiping away the snow from his body.

A spark flared from the candle. Watching the scene unfold, Zuo Ying quietly withdrew, leaving the chamber to the two of them alone.

Wei Zhen’s figure was illuminated by the candlelight. Lowering her head as she bandaged him, drops of water slid from her damp hair. She paid no mind to her own soaked clothes, the wound on her back, or anything else.

Her fingers traced over the uneven texture of Qi Yan’s skin. She felt his body shiver slightly beneath her touch.

Wei Zhen said, “I know it hurts. Just bear with it a little longer, and it’ll be over soon.”

His cheek muscles twitched, enduring the pain in silence, burying his face into the pillow. Wei Zhen kept talking, trying to comfort him and ease his pain.

Qi Yan’s voice was hoarse, “How are you?”

Wei Zhen didn’t stop what she was doing and replied softly, “I’m fine.”

Qi Yan was silent for a moment, his fingers clenching the pillow. Turning his head, sweat beaded on his forehead, and despite the dim light, his eyes were unusually bright even though his lips were pale. “You were wearing this dress when you went to the banquet. Your wound hasn’t been treated yet, has it? How can you say you’re fine?”

Wei Zhen lowered her eyes and tied a knot with the bandage.

Seeing her remain silent, his voice grew rough with guilt. “What happened today is my fault. You shouldn’t have had to take that lash…”

“Don’t say that,” Wei Zhen shook her head, her heart aching even more at his guilt-laden tone. She finished bandaging his wound and leaned down, her hands resting on his shoulders, her head leaning against his neck. “Qi Yan, you don’t need to blame yourself. Whatever I do for you, it’s my choice, what I truly desire. What happened today is the consequence I’m willing to bear.”

The candle on the stand was burning down to its last bit, and the flickering light cast shadows throughout the room. It was light and dark in turns.

She drew closer to him, her lips pressing against his cheek. “Do you understand what I meant that day when I kissed the corner of your eye before you left?”

She swept aside the stray hairs near his temples and, just like that night, softly kissed the corner of his eye.

A clear tear slid down from the corner of the girl’s eye like a precious gem, falling onto his cheek.

Qi Yan’s gaze froze, and she said softly, “Qi Yan, what I wanted to tell you is that I am willing to walk the rest of this path with you.”

Her gentle words struck his heart deeply. He raised his hand to cup her face, gently rubbing her cheek.

The girl leaned down, her lips pressing against his. Qi Yan was momentarily dazed before she kissed him deeply.

She was soaked through, with melting snow dripping onto the bed, dampening the sheets. The candle went out, and the air around them was thick and misty with moisture.

In the darkness of that night, they kissed each other, his hands holding her damp hair as he felt her cold body tremble against him.

They clung to each other like two people drowning, the only support they could find in the depths of water.

The snow continued to fall outside the hall, and the rain did not cease. Within the bed curtains, there was only silence and the sound of their quickened heartbeats.

She was afraid of pressing against his wounds, so she shifted her body, moving her hands away from his back, and rolled over to lie on her stomach on the pillow.

Qi Yan glanced down and immediately saw the wound on her back. He froze for a moment, then placed his hand over it. “Your wound hasn’t been treated. Let me put some medicine on it.”

When he tried to untie her robe, Wei Zhen felt a searing pain as the wound tore away from her skin. Reflexively, she tried to pull away from his embrace.

He pressed her shoulder down. “Just endure it a little longer, and it’ll be over soon.”

Her wounds were indeed in bad shape. Blood still flowed from them, and because of her dark clothing, it had blended in, appearing only as a deeper shade of fabric. But when Qi Yan touched it, his hand came away stained with blood.

She had been caught in the snow, and her wounds hadn’t been treated in time. The blood and fabric were stuck together.

The moment he tried to peel her clothing away, the pain made her cry out. Her face went pale as she trembled uncontrollably.

Lying there, Wei Zhen bit her lip, trying not to make a sound, her fingers clenched tightly around the bedsheet.

Sweating profusely and choking on her sobs, she shook her head, her messy hair swaying. “It hurts so much…”

His hand covered hers, intertwining their fingers as he comforted her, “Wei Zhen, just bear with it a little longer, it will be over soon…”

The next moment, he used the tip of a dagger to cut away the part that was stuck to her flesh and blood. He eased his strength, trying to gently massage her wound, but Wei Zhen still let out a pained whimper, sobbing in his arms.

Qi Yan felt her nails digging into his arm, sending a sharp pain through him.

She was hurting, and so was he.

Wei Zhen’s robes were finally all undone, leaving her upper body covered only by a thin undergarment. She lay there, her slender back exposed under the moonlight.

Waves of pain surged through her, nearly causing her to lose consciousness. Her frail arms stretched forward, desperately trying to grasp something, only to clutch at empty air. Her disheveled hair clung to her cheeks as she gasped heavily. Qi Yan bent down to comfort her.

From her earlobe downward, his touch brushed across her nape, his heated breath spilling from his thin lips.

He said, “Just a little longer, A-Zhen.”

Suddenly, a sharp pain spread across her back, her entire body going stiff. Then she felt something soft fall upon her wound.

He was kissing her wound.

Such an action made her fingers curl up.

His lips were as gentle as silk. The place on her back that had felt like piercing needles gradually eased after being kissed by him, as if the pain had lessened.

Wei Zhen felt as if she were truly hallucinating. She buried her head in the pillow, her shoulders trembling, the cloud-patterned pillow already soaked with her tears.

Tears mingled with memories of the past, all welling up at once. She thought of how she had been forced by circumstances to become a princess sent away for marriage, traveling thousands of miles to Jin. She had suffered all kinds of disdain in Jin and gritted her teeth just to survive and climb her way up. She thought of how her relationship with Qi Yan could never see the light of day, how they could only meet in secret, forbidden to be together. But all she ever wanted was to love a man—just that, nothing more.

Her grievances flowed out with her tears, her eyes red and swollen from crying, as if she wanted to shed all her tears on this one night.

Wei Zhen turned her face to the side, sobbing quietly, letting the pillow absorb the tears at the corners of her eyes.

He kissed her wound, but even that was not as intimate as this. It was as if he was soothing the fragile part of her heart, comforting her wounded soul.

Beyond the pain, it felt as though something unseen was spreading from the wound—soft emotions flooding her chest, gently wrapping around her heart, layer by layer.

He finally finished applying the medicine and bandaging her wound. Panting heavily, she struggled to turn over and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

Even though her back was pressed against the bed and the wound was being crushed, she couldn’t care less.

In the cold night, their embrace and kisses were their only source of warmth.

The pain in her back didn’t lessen, but instead, it sharpened her senses, making her feel his emotions more keenly and the force of his kisses more vividly.

Tears glistened in the corners of Wei Zhen’s eyes.

She leaned against him, listening to the beating of his heart.

She used to like the young man before her, liked his high-spirited, dashing demeanor, liked the way he wore a lazy smile with the occasional flirtatious arch of his brow, liked how he gave her gifts for her birthday. But today, when he spoke before the King of Jin, saying he wanted to marry her, showing no regret for being with her, it was the first time she felt that the man before her was someone she could entrust her entire life to.

She straightened up, her long hair falling onto his back, her lips pressing against his back, kissing over his wound.

Qi Yan looked at the girl’s actions, “A-Zhen—”

Wei Zhen raised her eyelashes, “What’s the matter?”

Qi Yan said, “Do you remember, on the night of your birthday, you told me your secret?”

Her hand was enveloped by his, placed against his chest, his heart beating vibrantly beneath her palm.

He said, “I also have a secret.”

Wei Zhen asked, “What is it?”

Qi Yan spoke softly, “Wei Zhen, I like you too.”

If before today, he simply liked her and wanted to be with her, then seeing her run to him so resolutely made something like an endless tide of emotions erupt within him.

His secret was not really a secret; she should have already known.

He looked at her, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

Wei Zhen, I want to ask you to marry me and be my wife.

He lay on the bed, Wei Zhen leaning against his shoulder, her hand gripping his fingertips. The two of them remained awake for a long time, as if wishing time could stop at that very moment…

The world was quiet, and snow had fallen throughout the night. The next day, when Wei Zhen woke up, the person beside her was already gone.

She crawled up from the bed, and at her slightest movement, the wounds on her body throbbed with pain. She gasped, enduring the pain as she got out of bed. Barefooted, she stepped onto the cold ground. Just as she was about to call someone, Qi Yan appeared from behind the screen, already fully dressed.

His hair was tied up with a jade crown, and he wore splendid robes. Aside from his slightly pale complexion, there was no trace of yesterday’s disheveled appearance.

He sat down by the bed. “You’re awake. When I woke up this morning, I reapplied your medicine.”

The surge of emotions from last night had receded. As Wei Zhen recalled it, they had only embraced and slept through the night, like two wounded little creatures licking each other’s wounds.

On the table lay a brand-new dress, prepared for her.

Qi Yan walked over, picked up the dress, and handed it to her. Wei Zhen turned her back to him, putting on the robe. “You woke up so early today. Are you planning to go out later?”

Qi Yan replied, “Yes, I intend to go see the King of Jin.”

The hand holding her dress trembled, and she looked back at him. “You want to see the King?”

Qi Yan nodded. “The King of Jin asked me to await his judgment, but I can’t just sit around waiting for his summons.”

Instead of waiting passively, it was better to take the initiative.

He smiled. “Don’t worry, nothing will happen to me.”

Wei Zhen understood that Qi Yan’s connection to the state of Chu ran deep. If the King of Jin were to act against him, who would take over the matters of Chu? Would that person be as capable as Qi Yan in suppressing King Chu and managing the officials and nobles of Chu? That remained uncertain.

This was Qi Yan’s bargaining chip.

Just like how the King of Jin said that Wei Zhen still held some value to him.

What Wei Zhen could offer the King of Jin went beyond playing the qin, applying medicine, or massaging his temples. She had once advised the King of Jin based on her experience managing land in Chu. She understood the military forces, food supplies, and taxation of Chu, all highly classified information. She could present her assessments of the state of Chu to the King of Jin. She had already completed most of this work, and the King of Jin was waiting for her to present those secret records after the New Year.

Furthermore, her brother, far away in Chu, was trusted by the newly enthroned King of Chu and held a high position. If Jin did not treat Wei Zhen well, news reaching Wei Ling’s ears in Chu could stir great trouble.

Last night, when she defied the king’s order and ran out of the King of Jin’s palace, it was not done recklessly. It was precisely because she knew she held some value to the King of Jin and wanted to take a gamble.

A gamble that the King of Jin would eventually agree to let them be together.

Wei Zhen put on the dress, fastened the sash, walked up to him, and held his hand. “Qi Yan, I will go with you.”