Beloved Empress

Chapter 140

Han Yi Xiao is very calm at the moment . Once you’ve been on the battlefield, you would learn to keep your emotions in check during the most nerve-wrecking moments . “I need to take off your clothes to check your wound . It’s covered in blood,” he says calmly .

Bai Jiu feels a little embarrassed, “I feel a little cold, so let’s not take it off . Just tear off the fabric on my back, where the arrow is lodged . ”

Han Yi Xiao nods, “Alright . ” He helps her lie down on the mat . He grasps the arrow that has been lodged on her back and says, “Please bear it for a moment . ”

She nods at him, “Go on . I can endure it . ”

Han Yi Xiao tightens his grasp around the arrow and takes a deep breath before quickly pulling it out . Blood immediately spurts out from the wound .

A couple of soldiers arrive, bringing hot water and clean clothes .

Han Yi Xiao quickly tries to stop the blood flow . He tears the back fabric of her shirt, revealing the wound that has turned black .

He could not help but curse, “Despicable bastards . ”

“What is it?” asks Bai Jiu .

“The arrow-head was laced with poison,” replies him truthfully .

She smiles, “Since they intend to kill the Marquis of Ning Nan, they naturally have to resort to underhanded methods . Could you tell what kind of poison it is? Will I survive?”

“Don’t say such ominous things . This General will not let anything happen to you . Just bear with it for a moment,” says Han Yi Xiao before lowering his head and sucking the poison out of the wound .

(TN: :OOOOOOOOOO #AmShook)

Her back feels warm and Bai Jiu’s heart unwittingly increases it’s beats . Her face reddens and her wound suddenly doesn’t hurt anymore . She puts her head down, worrying about him, “You must not do that, General Han! What if you accidentally swallow some of the poison?”

“Don’t worry . It will be fine,” replies Han Yi Xiao calmly as he spit the black blood that he sucked from the wound . He repeats the process until the blood that he sucked out is red in colour . It is only then that he heaves a sigh of relief .

He helps Bai Jiu sits up, “I’m worried that the poison might spread through your blood, so now, I’m going to help you completely eliminate the poison through internal power . ”

Bai Jiu looks at him before nodding .

Han Yi Xiao could tell that there is something wrong based on the look on Bai Jiu’s face, “Why is your face so red, General Bai? Are you in pain somewhere?” He quickly touches her hand and immediately finds it hot . “Why is your hand so hot, General Bai? Are you having a fever?”

She quickly shakes her head, “No . It’s just that the weather is too warm . I’m fine . ”

“If you feel sick somewhere, you must tell me,” reminds Han Yi Xiao .

She nods .

He sits behind her and begins channelling his inner power to eliminate the poison .

Once he managed to get rid of all traces of poison inside her body, he lets her lie down again . He cleans her wound, applies medicines on it and wraps it with a bandage . Only after all that is done did he finally let his guard down . “Alright, the wound has been cleaned . It’s very deep, so it might take a while to completely recover . ”

She smiles at him in amusement, “Don’t worry, General Han . I am young and strong, this little injury is nothing . ”

Now that she no longer appears burning up, Han Yi Xiao cannot help but scold her, “Who told you to block the arrow for me? Do you know how dangerous that was? You are lucky the poison is not highly toxic, otherwise you would have died . ”

Ths is the first time Han Yi Xiao has ever scolded Bai Jiu after she entered the camp . Although she feels a little intimidated seeing such a stern version of him, she knows that he is only upset because he cares about her . She smiles .

Han Yi Xiao becomes angrier when he sees her smile, “You are actually smiling after going through all that? Are you really that tired of living?”

She looks at him earnestly, “Of couse I want to live . I still want to learn from you . But, if we are to compare the value of our lives, between you and me, your life is much much more important . That’s why I can happily take an arrow for you . If I have to do it again, I will . ”

“I don’t need you to do that for me . I am your Great General, it is my responsibility to protect you . I don’t need any of you to endanger your own life to protect me,” says Han Yi Xiao resentfully . It is always him protecting someone else; this is the first time someone is protecting him . That protection is coming from someone so young and weak too, someone who has not even been in the camp for too long . Seeing her getting hurt, hurts him so much .

“We are your subordinate, we ought to protect you,” retorts Bai Jiu .

“Your responsibility is not to protect me, but to protect the country and it’s people . ”

“In my opinion protecting you is the most important thing . You are the pillar of the country, the protector of the realm . As long as you’re fine, the kingdom will be fine, no one would dare to try to invade our kingdom . Protecting you is even more important than protecting the kingdom and the people . ” She is just a young girl, she is not particularly brave or ambitious . She will be happy as long as she managed to protect the person that she cared for .

Han Yi Xiao sighs helplessly as he looks at her, “Looks like this General will have to reiterate your responsibilities one by one, once we return to the capital . ”

She smiles, “Alright, feel free to reiterate everything to me once we reach the capital . ”

He looks at her solemnly, “This General will say it once and for all; do not ever do that again, no matter what the situation is . ”

Bai Jiu lowers her head and did not reply him .

Han Yi Xiao refuses to let the matter rest, “Did you hear me? Answer me . ”

Bai Jiu hugs herself, “I feel so cold . ”

He shakes his head helplessly before pulling her over and hugging her to keep her warm . “Do you feel better now?” It is in the middle of summer, and no one expected this to happen, so no one bothered to take any blanket with them . She has just been poisoned, it is normal for her to feel cold .

She blushes again while nodding, “Much better . ”

She smiles sweetly while in his embrace . She closes her eyes and slowly drifts to sleep .

When Han Yi Xiao hears her uniform breathing and knows that she has fallen asleep, he gently puts her down and covers her with his outer coat . Then, he walks out .

The other soldiers dare not sleep inside their tents . Instead, they huddle outside their tents while leaning against each other to sleep .

When Han Yi Xiao sees this sight, he says, “All of you can rest inside your tents . The assassins will not come back tonight . ”

“Yes!” reply his subordinates .

Although Han Yi Xiao told his subordinates that the assassins aren’t coming back, he dares not loosen his guard . He only wishes for his soldiers to get ample rest so that they can continue the journey properly tomorrow . He sits under a tree near the camp and looks around . His position enables him to see everything under the slope clearly . He glances at Bai Jiu’s tent before closing his eyes to rest .

Han Yi Xiao is the type that really cares for his comrades . He does not mind bearing all the difficulties as long as his comrades could rest properly .

The next day, when the sky is already bright, the soldiers leave their tents only to find their General sleeping under a tree outside . They feel guilty yet impressed at the same time .

When Han Yi Xiao wakes up and finds the other soldiers already awake, he stands up and approaches them .

“General, we shouldn’t have let you sleep outside all by yourself while we rest inside our tents . This is all our fault,” says one of the soldiers self-deprecatingly .

Han Yi Xiao speaks in an even tone, “You don’t have to feel guilty over anything . This General thought the tent was too hot and decided to rest outside . Alright prepare breaktfast . Then, we’ll pack up and continue our journey . ”

“Yes,” the soldiers begin to efficiently do their duties .

Bai Jiu slept really well last night . She sits up after waking up, and when she sees the coat that is covering her, she smiles sweetly . Her face turns red when she remembers what happened yesterday .

When Han Yi Xiao walks in, it is into the sight of Bai Jiu deep in thoughts, “What are you thinking about, General Bai? You look so out of it . ”

Disturbed from her thoughts, Bai Jiu blushes and avoids eye-contact from him . “Nothing . It’s just that this General thought that I sure am blessed with long life . I thought I would’ve died for sure . ”

“Stop speaking nonsense . All the other soldiers keep saying that you are blessed with luck . You will definitely live until you are 100 years old . ” Han Yi Xiao sits next to her . When he notices her red face, he becomes worried, “Do you still feel sick, General Bai? Why is your face so red? Are you having a fever?” He checks her forehead .

“I’m fine, General Han . It’s just that the weather is too warm today,” she quickly replies him .

Han Yi Xiao withdraws his hand, “The weather is indeed warm today . It will be even worse at noon . I wonder if your body will be able to take it . ”

“You don’t have to worry about me, General . This little injury is nothing to me . What is an injury to a martial artist? Let’s hurry back to the capital . Once we hand the Marquis of Ning Nan to His Majesty, all our work will be done,” insists Bai Jiu .

Han Yi Xiao nods .

She hands him back his coat, “Thank you for this, General Han . ”

He takes it, “Your clothes is drenched with blood, you should change it . Otherwise, the people in the next village we’re passing through will be frightened by the sight of you . If you can’t do it yourself, I can help you . ”

Bai Jiu immediately rejects his offer, “There is not need to trouble General Han . I can do it myself . ”

He nods, “Alright, then I will not bother General Bai . Come out for breakfast after you’ve changed . ”

“Alright, I will be there soon . "

Han Yi Xiao walks out of the tent .

Bai Jiu lets out a sigh before muttering, “Han Yi Xiao, would you still treat me like this if you know I’m a woman? You would probably kick me out of the army, no? Or perhaps, you’d follow the military law and kill me . You would never be able to accept my identity as Duke Zhen’s daughter . ” Thinking about all that made the usually optimistic Bai Jiu sullen .

Breakfast is ready .

When Bai Jiu walks out of her tent after changing her clothes, her back feels sore . The wound aches . However, she must bear the pain . No matter how painful it gets, she must not expose her identity as a female .

When the other soldiers see her, they immediately crowd around her in concern, “How is your injury, General Bai?”

“Does it still hurt, General Bai?”

She smiles at them brightly, “Thank you for your concern, brothers . I am fine . Although the wound hurts a little, it no longer hurts once I heard how worried everyone is . See, your concern is more effective than medicines!”

The other soldiers laugh, “Looking at the way you’re teasing us, it looks like you’re really fine now . ”

“If you really like our words of concern, we’ll each say one to you everyday, what do you think of my suggestion?”

Another soldier quips in, “I agree . Just don’t get annoyed, General Bai!”

Bai Jiu raises her eyebrows, “Who’d get annoyed by sweet words? I’m just afraid you guys would get annoyed saying it! Hahaha—-“

“Hahaha—“ the others burst into laughter as well .

Han Yi Xiao shakes his head while smiling . She is already injured to that degree and yet she is still able to laugh like nothing is wrong; he really admires her . She is like the camp’s happy pill . Wherever she is, there will be sounds of laughter .

Another soldier speaks up, “General Bai, you are injured because you were trying to protect the Great General Han . All of us here really admire you . Once we rest for the night, we will catch pheasants and hares for you . We will roast it for you . We will help you get better even quicker . ”

Bai Jiu points at them one by one, “You promised me! You must never break it . ”

“It’s a promise!” reply her comrades .

When the Marquis of Ning Nan sees this, he turns to Han Yi Xiao, “This General Bai is a rare talent . He will definitely become a pillar of the country in the future . You sure have good eyes, to have hired such a person under you . ”

A trace of smile can be detected on Han Yi Xiao’s lips . He is really glad that he has selected her back during the martial arts tournament . She does her jobs really well and has never let him down .

They resume their journey after breakfast . Han Yi Xiao lets Bai Jiu shares the Marquis of Ning Nan’s carriage out of concern for her injury .

Bai Jiu initially refused, but after everyone else persuaded her, she could only agree .

Frankly speaking, now that they are sitting inside the same carriage, this is the best chance that Bai Jiu could ever get to kill the Marquis of Ning Nan . She could just give him a slow-acting poison that would ensure his death before they reach the capital . However, she has now completely abandoned the plan to kill him .

She saw how hard Han Yi Xiao tried to protect the Marquis of Ning Nan last night; to the point where he completely disregarded his own safety . She knows that the Marquis’ safety is really important for Han Yi Xiao . Although she does not know what is really going on between the Emperor, the Marquis and her Father, all she knows is that it is really important for the Marquis to live . Although killing the Marquis would be helping her father, she also knows that doing so would affect so many innocent people . That’s why she decided that she’d help send the Marquis to the capital . Whether he is innocent or guilty of the crime accused of him, only the Emperor could determine that .

The Marquis of Ning Nan looks at Bai Jiu, who has been quiet from the moment she boarded the carriage . He smiles benevolently, “General Bai is a young hero . The Great General Han must be proud to have you as a subordinate . ”

Bai Jiu laughs as she looks at him, “Don’t praise this General, Your Grace . This General might get cocky . ”

The Marquis shakes his head while smiling, “You will not . This old man has always prided himself in knowing how to read people . Certain people are young and capable, yet reeks with arrogance . People like that can never achieve big things . As for you however, you are young, capable and righteous . I cannot see any trace of proudness at all . You mix well with your subordinates without paying attention to ranks, you will never get cocky . Last night, by blocking that sword, you saved both General Han and myself . If anything had happened to General Han, this old man would have perished as well . In a way, you saved two lives last night . ”

Bai Jiu shakes her head, “Your Grace, I am not as great as you make me out to be . Both you and General Han are blessed, even if I hadn’t been there, nothing would’ve happened to you . In fact, this General failed to properly protect you yesterday . You suffered a fright and was almost injured, this General failed in his duties . I should be apologizing to you right now . ”

The Marquis laughs, “If we’re going by your logic, it is still this old man’s fault for forcing you to help General Han . ”

She shakes her head, “No, no . You were only worried about General Han . ”

The Marquis of Ning Nan smiles, “Alright, let’s not bring up the past . Just that, the next time a similar situation crops up, take care of your own safety first . Do not put yourself in harm’s way just to save this old man . ”

“Your Grace, do you really not fear death?” whenever she interacts with the Marquis, she feels as though he is not really a bad guy .

He laughs, “Who doesn’t fear death? But if death has a value, then, there is not need to fear it anymore . ”

“You don’t look like someone who plans on rebelling . Why did you hide a dragon robe? Could it be that someone framed you?” inquires Bai Jiu cautiously .

He calmly smiles, “Right now, corrupted officials are powerful at court . His Majesty wishes to pluck them out, but they have grown too powerful . They are too arrogant and harm other officials that gets in their way . I don’t mind dying, I just hate the fact that I might die before seeing that person fall . ”

“Are you talking about Duke Zhen?” guesses Bai Jiu .

The Marquis smiles helplessly, “He was loyal once and kept the kingdom safe, but now that he’s had a taste of power, he’s changed . General Bai, the kingdom will need your help as the future descendants . You lot are young and capable, His Majesty will need your service . You must share His Majesty’s burden; the kingdom’s burden . ”

Bai Jiu’s mind drifts away: could it be that her Father is really a traitor? Is it possible that everyone is misunderstanding him?

When they reached the next town, they rest in a posthouse where they can eat and rest in peace .

After dinner, Bai Jiu returns to her room and stares at the night sky from her window . She feels a little down . She feels even more depressed when she realizes that it’s possible that her father’s the one behind the Marquis of Ning Nan’s trouble .

-Knock Knock-

Someone is knocking on her door .

Broken from her reverie, Bai Jiu says, “Come in . ”

Han Yi Xiao opens the door and walks in, “General Bai . ”

Seeing him immediately made her smile, “Great General Han, why are you here?”

He takes out a bottle of medicine, “I am here to check on your injury . You’ve been inside a bumpy carriage the entire day, your wound must have reopened by now . Let me put this on your wound . ”

Bai Jiu immediately rejects his offer, “No need for that, Great General Han . I was sitting snugly the entire time, my wound didn’t reopen . ”

“Even if it didn’t reopen, I will still need to apply this medicine on your wound . You are injured on your back, it’s not convenient for you to apply this by yourself . I will help you put it on . Go and sit on the bed,” orders Han Yi Xiao .

Bai Jiu’s heart immediately picks up it’s pace . Back then, she was able to find an excuse to make him tear the fabric of her clothes around the injured spot, but now, what sort of excuse could she possibly conjure? Letting him apply the wound the normal way would require her to expose her shoulders, and quite possibly her identity as a woman . No, she must not let him apply it on her!

When he sees her standing rooted in her spot without moving, he asks, “What’s wrong, General Bai?”

“Uh, hehe . You are esteemed and noble, how could I make you do something as menial as applying medicine on my wound? That would be too much, isn’t it? Just put it there, General Han . I would put it on myself,” Bai Jiu quickly says .

Han Yi Xiao smiles, “Everyone is family once we’re outside, there is no need to talk about ranks whatsoever . Besides, you got injured in order to save me, it is natural for me to help you recover . Come and sit . ” He pulls Bai Jiu over .

Bai Jiu immediately steps back and refuses him, “N-no need . I don’t like being shirtless in front of other people . So, I’ll just apply it on my own . Thank you for your kind intention, General Han . ”

Han Yi Xiao looks at Bai Jiu, confused . He eyes her from head to toe, “General Bai, you and I are both men, why are you so anxious about letting me put on medicines on your wound?”

“I- Actually it is like this . I’ve been thin and slender my whole life . Whenever I play around in the rivers with my mates, they would make fun of me for having a girly built . It’s not obvious when I’m dressed, but when I’m not, I apparently have the figure of a girl . Since then, I’ve always hated having to take off my clothes in front of other people,” Bai Jiu comes up with a quick lie . Although she really hates lying to him, she has no other choice .

Han Yi Xiao smiles, “So it is like that . No wonder you keep refusing whenever the other soldiers wants to take you to a river . I’ve always thought that was weird . Turns out you have your own reason . ”

Bai Jiu pretends to be embarrassed, “Do you also think my built resembles a girl’s?”

He nods, “Your built is indeed a slenderer than normal men, but who says that only women are allowed to be slender? You don’t have to pay attention to what other people say . Besides, if we’re talking about martial arts, you are much better than those men with thick muscles . You don’t have to feel inferior . The other soldiers will never laugh at you . ”

“My childhood memories have scarred me,” mutters Bai Jiu .

“Since it is so, I will not force General Bai . I will put this bottle here, you can put it on your own . If there is any inconvenience, feel free to look for me . ”

She nods, “Alright . Thank you, General Han . ”

“Once you apply the medicine, rest early . ” Han Yi Xiao puts the bottle on top of a table before walking out of the room .

Bai Jiu heaves a long sigh of relief as she pats her chest, “How precarious . ”

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Mo Qi Qi has been supervising the healing of Jun Qian Che’s injury . She is glad to see it healing properly, “It’s healing well, Your Majesty . You will be completely fine in no time . Just remember to not touch water for now . ”

He nods, “En, zhen knows . ”

She helps apply medicine on his wound before wrapping it with a bandage . Then, she helps him put on his clothes .

“Sit down,” he says after she’s done .

She sits next to him . The atmosphere is pretty awkward at the moment . In order to break the silence, Mo Qi Qi begins picking up some pastries from the table, “Eat these pastries, Your Majesty . Chun Fei made these herself . She’s been sending me these everyday . ”

Jun Qian Che looks at the pastries before putting them back down, “Zhen is not hungry . ”

“Not hungry? Then, drink some tea! Chenqie will brew some for you right away!” She gets up .

Jun Qian Che suddenly pulls her by her hand, causing her to land straight into his embrace .

Mo Qi Qi looks at him in shock before laughing awkwardly, “What’s wrong with you tonight, Your Majesty?” What on earth is this bas*tard trying to do? Don’t be scared, Mo Qi Qi . Your pregnancy is not yet 3 months long, he will not dare to do anything . With that in mind, Mo Qi Qi begins calming down .

“Mo Qi Qi, do you believe zhen when I say I will protect you and the child properly?” asks Jun Qian Che earnestly .

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