Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Chapter 32

At daybreak, the morning light was faint.

Fang Zhihe awoke from a drowsy sleep, a ray of morning light streaming in along the edge of the bed. He opened his eyes with some difficulty. Lu Wuyou was lying across half of his body; he weakly shoved him off slightly. The thick smell of blood in the air made his stomach churn.

The pain throughout his body sobered him up a bit. He supported himself on the bed frame and got up, turning back to glance at Lu Wuyou. Even in deep sleep, he furrowed his brows slightly, his face stained with blood. Fang Zhihe couldn't help but wipe his face, but the blood wouldn't come off, so he gave up.

"You…"

He sighed, dragging his injured and weary body out the door.

The body at the entrance had been dragged away and the area cleaned up. He barely lifted his eyelids, expressionless, and returned to his room.

As expected, several stacks of memorials were on the table in the room, presumably brought back by Ruan Li from the capital for him. It usually took him only three days for a round trip. Fang Zhihe lowered his eyes, swallowed the bloody taste in his throat, and wearily flipped through the topmost memorial. It was another impeachment of the Fang family's collateral branch. It seemed Fang Minshu had been causing quite a stir in the capital lately, frequently provoking the court ministers' apprehension.

After reading a few lines, Fang Zhihe started coughing. The hand he brought to his lips was instantly stained with blood.

Fang Zhihe paid no attention to the blood on his hand, casually wiping it on a handkerchief before pulling out a bottle of clotting pills from his pocket. He swallowed two, then took out a small black bottle, stared at it for a long moment, but still put it back.

Qi Guan had said that contraceptive pills and clotting pills should not be taken together. Using them together, while not life-threatening, would lead to loss of fertility. If overdosed, they could damage internal organs.

Fang Zhihe felt a dull ache in his heart. He took off his clothes, removed the white gauze, casually sprinkled some medicinal powder on the wounds, and wrapped it with fresh new gauze. As for the wound on his abdomen, he subconsciously touched his belly, then pulled his hand back, somewhat bewildered.

He wondered how Xiaoyuan was doing in the palace.

Later that day, Lu Wuyou woke up. Seeing Fang Zhihe sitting in the courtyard with a deathly pale face, staring blankly, he stretched his limbs and walked over.

"Why is the room so heavy with the smell of blood?" he asked, sitting down on another rattan chair beside Fang Zhihe.

Fang Zhihe was dazed. After a long while, he seemed to come to and looked at Lu Wuyou, saying in a hoarse voice, "Last night, you were drugged, perhaps with something that drives one mad. Unconsciously, you picked up a sword and killed Aning."

Red flowers and green willows, leaves rustling in the wind.

Lu Wuyou's eyes widened in shock. "How is that possible?"

Fang Zhihe gave him a faint smile, his lips dry and cracked. "Not only that, you also stabbed me twice."

Lu Wuyou's brow furrowed deeper. After a long silence, he asked doubtfully, "Why don't I have the slightest memory of it?"

Fang Zhihe pressed his lips together, tasting the blood on them. He licked his lips and said softly, "It doesn't matter. That girl was originally trying to harm you."

Lu Wuyou was lost in thought, his face dark. After pondering for a while without conclusion, he let it go.

Fang Zhihe, seeing his troubled expression, understood well that this man felt guilty about Aning. He thought to himself, why feel guilty toward her? She was a bad person.

But he couldn't bring himself to say it, so he fell silent as well.

The two sat in silence. Lu Wuyou, noticing how terrible Fang Zhihe's complexion was, got up and went to the kitchen to cook him a pot of red date porridge. When he returned, he said he wanted to go apologize to Aning's family, only to be scolded by Fang Zhihe: "Are you so eager to have someone come to kill you? Why don't I just stab you to death right now? Then the whole country would be happy, and no one would be dying over you!"

Lu Wuyou, troubled, sat back down.

Fang Zhihe's anger had stirred up, and his breath became uneven. He weakly leaned on the wooden table and softened his voice: "You've been a general for so many years. Nothing surpasses being one to overlook small things and be generous to others. But when treating others with kindness, you must not confuse right and wrong. I worry about this. I always feel your heart softens too easily. Seeing someone pitiful, your heart melts like that. If a stray dog on the roadside breaks its leg, you'd take it back to care for it. That's a trivial matter, but those who want to harm you will exploit every weakness, using your kindness."

He paused for two seconds, slightly distracted. "You have always treated others kindly since childhood. That's only right. But now your status is different. You hold a high position. There will always be those who think of harming you. Don't be lenient about everything; just keep it in mind."

Lu Wuyou looked at him, saying nothing. The wind scattered the roses in the courtyard. A gentle breeze carried a few crimson petals, one landing on Fang Zhihe's hair.

Like snow.

Lu Wuyou reached out to pick it off for him, hearing him say softly, "If I die one day, there will be no one left to protect you. Be careful, and don't make me worry even from beyond the grave."

Lu Wuyou raised his hand to pat his shoulder and tell him to stop talking nonsense, but seeing the man's pale complexion, he didn't know what to say. He just hid the snow-like flower in his palm, gently putting it away.

"After lunch, come with me to Fuzhou Prefecture. What needs to be done must be finished. The people here shouldn't suffer these disasters." Fang Zhihe half propped himself up, his expression calm.

Lu Wuyou replied with a sound, patted his head, and said softly, "...Last night, I hurt you. I'm sorry."

"..." Fang Zhihe's spine stiffened. He looked at Lu Wuyou with slight surprise, then quickly composed himself, shaking his head. "It's in the past."

Lu Wuyou heard this and didn't know what feeling it stirred in his heart. It was a bit numb, a bit painful. He rubbed his chest and then responded, "I already told Yunzheng about the plan from last time. It hasn't been delayed."

Was this an explanation for angering me last time? Fang Zhihe glanced at him and nodded slightly. "I understand. For now, the main thing is building the shelters..."

Lu Wuyou said, "We'll talk after seeing people this afternoon. The porridge should be ready. I'll go get it." With that, he got up and went to the kitchen.

Fang Zhihe looked at the garden full of spring colors, feeling weary. He propped his head on his hand, turning sideways to look at the man's retreating figure.

I should always do what's good for him. If I like him, I should want what's best for him. If he doesn't appreciate it, then so be it. In the end, I still like him and want to do what's good for him.

"Author's Note"

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