Chapter 32: Bathing Together in the Hot Spring

Chapter 32: Bathing Together in the Hot Spring

"Ah... Hmm!"

A Yuan was startled awake and was about to cry out when someone covered her mouth from behind with his hand. "It's me."

The man's arm wrapped around her waist, his warm chest pressing against her back. Hearing his familiar voice, A Yuan’s racing heart slowly calmed.

"Lord, are you injured?"

The sticky feel on her fingertips carried the faint smell of blood. Under the moonlight, she saw that the man's shoulder was soaked.

A Yuan’s face paled, and she quickly turned around, kneeling before him.

After all, she had served him for three years now. Of course, she couldn’t truly not care.

Especially since Wei Xun was someone she held deep in her heart.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

The man gently patted her back, acting as if nothing had happened.

In truth, Wei Xun didn’t think much of such minor injuries. He usually kept his injuries hidden from A Yuan, afraid that the sight might frighten his little concubine.

He came over today because of Prince Jing and Su Wenxuan’s influence. Their covetous words about A Yuan had struck a nerve, filling him with an urgent need to see his little concubine.

"No!"

A Yuan straightened her kneeling posture and grabbed his hand, her small face full of seriousness. "You need to apply medicine."

She didn’t know what Wei Xun had encountered and didn’t need to ask, but the wound required treatment.

By the moonlight, the little concubine’s eyes brimmed with concern. Wei Xun’s heart warmed, and he found himself unable to refuse.

"Alright."

He removed his outer robe, exposing the wound beneath.

Wei Xun’s arrow wound wasn’t that serious. The arrow had grazed his shoulder, barely breaking the skin.

But A Yuan had never seen such a wound before, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Lord... does it hurt badly?"

"It’s just a minor injury. Why are you crying?"

Wei Xun’s heart softened, but he still comforted her, using his rough fingertips to wipe away her tears. The coldness between them for the past few days began to thaw.

A Yuan sniffled, got off the bed, and soaked a cloth to clean the blood around his wound.

The room wasn’t lit, but the moonlight was bright. A Yuan knelt in front of him, her careful movements as if she was afraid of hurting him.

Wei Xun looked down at her trembling eyelashes, his palm slowly covering them. The eyelashes brushed against his palm like feathers, tickling and numbing.

"Lord?"

A Yuan’s eyes were covered, and she couldn’t see the man’s expression.

In Wei Xun's eyes, a surge of possessiveness swirled, and it took him a while to suppress it.

"Put the medicine on."

He moved his hand away and handed her the wound salve.

A Yuan felt puzzled but didn’t say anything, and compliantly applied the salve to his wound.

The medicine was prepared by the imperial physician. It was extremely effective; the bleeding stopped immediately.

Wei Xun changed into his casual clothes and went out for a while. When he returned, the blood-stained nightclothes were gone.

"How about soaking in the hot spring to relax? It’ll be good for your wound too."

The room contained a natural hot spring. During the day, Zhou had talked about the hot spring’s benefits, and A Yuan had overheard it. Now, she suddenly remembered.

Wei Xun looked at her and nodded. "Alright, join me."

A Yuan blushed, and her steps faltered.

She was genuinely worried about him, but it seemed he had other things on his mind.

Seeing her blush and look down, Wei Xun realized she was misunderstanding.

A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes, but his expression remained serious. "My wound can’t get wet; I’ll need your help."

"Oh, oh!"

A Yuan realized her mistake and quickly approached, head down.

The hot spring in the room wasn’t big, and when they sat facing each other, their feet met.

Wei Xun removed his shirt, leaving only his undergarments. A Yuan didn’t want to undress at first, but he insisted, saying her clothes might touch his wound if they got wet, so she removed her outer robe.

The spring weather was warm, and she was down to a thin undergarment. Facing him, she shyly placed her hands on her lap.

"Come here."

He handed her a cloth, and A Yuan nodded. "Yes, I know how."

They, the "thin horses," were trained to serve; of course, they knew how to scrub backs.

Since Wei Xun was tall, A Yuan knelt on the stone bench and scrubbed his back with the cloth.

His skin was pale, and several scars crisscrossed his back.

A Yuan had never realized he had so many scars.

Her fingertips lightly traced the scars. Wasn’t he the Marquis's heir? Why did he keep risking his life?

A Yuan didn’t understand court matters, but Wei Xun always seemed noble and invincible in her presence. It seemed he had his own hidden struggles.

Her heart ached, and her resentment toward him began to fade.

Still, she dared not give her heart entirely to him. A man like Wei Xun was suited for a noblewoman, someone who could weather the storms with him.

And she, destined to be a caged canary in the inner quarters, couldn't even hide when the storm arrived.

A Yuan carefully finished scrubbing his back, and seeing the man sitting with his eyes closed, she set down the cloth and pressed her fingers on his temples.

Wei Xun didn’t know she had excellent massage skills.

Her slender, fair fingers applied the perfect amount of pressure, and Wei Xun’s brows relaxed with comfort.

He had indeed been feeling exhausted lately, with political tensions surging in the court and the fight for the throne growing fiercer.

The Marquis of Anning's household had always been loyal to the Emperor alone, but this long-standing rule was about to change.

The Crown Prince was the rightful heir, but his mother’s side of the family was politically weak. His maternal grandfather, Zhang Shaoling, was merely the Emperor's tutor and had already retired. The Zhang family had no promising descendants in the court, though a few of the younger generation were beginning to show potential, but they were still too young. It would be over a decade before they could join the court.

The Emperor's health was failing, and Prince Jing had his eyes on the throne, with Prime Minister Su's backing, slowly gaining an advantage over the Crown Prince.

But with Prince Jing’s debauchery and cruelty, if he ascended, the Zhou dynasty would be doomed!

Wei Xun would never let the empire his father built fall into such hands.

Moreover, he had the audacity to covet A Yuan, sealing their enmity!

Not to mention, if his plot to assassinate Prince Jing were uncovered, the entire Marquis of Anning's household would be in danger.

"That's enough."

After A Yuan had massaged him for a quarter of an hour, Wei Xun told her to stop.

A concubine was meant to be cherished, not to do menial work.

Wei Xun wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. Only with her in his arms could the panic in his heart calm down.

They soaked for another quarter of an hour, with Wei Xun simply holding her and doing nothing else.

A Yuan gradually relaxed from her earlier tension, and this relaxation made her somewhat drowsy.

The concubine’s arms encircled his shoulders, her warm breath against his neck as she slept peacefully.

Wei Xun’s lips curved slightly, and he looked down at her with gentle eyes.

If he could hold her forever, that would be the best life.

......

A Yuan had been extremely tired these past two days, and having been startled awake in the middle of the night, she wouldn’t hear even if it thundered outside.

Wei Xun carried her to the bed, removed her wet clothes, dried her body, and tucked her into the blankets.

He quickly dried himself as well, got into bed, and embraced the concubine as they fell asleep.

The man’s arm encircled her waist, his burning chest pressed tightly against her back. A Yuan let out a soft moan, but the man held her even tighter.

Outside, Prince Jing’s men were already searching frantically.