After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine Chapter 111
He carried out such a farce and also allowed so many courtiers whom they had to see every day as witnesses. It seemed that he, Pang Shao, was cranky and incompetent. On this account, if he were to appoint him in the future, he too would appear incompetent.
The Hou Zhu felt that his pleasure on this trip was greatly spoiled, which annoyed him.
“Your Majesty…” Pang Shao spoke hastily.
The Hou Zhu gave him a disinterested glance. He flicked his sleeves, and turned away.
Pang Shao followed after the ministers without delay and trailed in haste.
Jiang Suizhou stood in the distance, not moving. He watched the room full of high officials and imperial guards in the courtyard following by Jiang Shunheng’s side, whooping and hollering as they moved away.
The courtyard gates were then closed again.
Only then did he turn his head and look at Huo Wujiu.
Huo Wujiu watched the bunch disperse, and it was not until they were far away that he was sure that the place was safe again. He looked up at Jiang Suizhou. Before he could speak, Jiang Suizhou also lowered his head and stared straight at him.
His Highness Jingwang, who sported an icy visage just now and shot daggers at him moments ago, now had a pair of eyes glowing a bit red and glistening with tears seemingly due to coughing.
Huo Wujiu’s throat rolled and he was about to tell him that he was fine.
However, Jiang Suizhou took a deep breath, turned his head to Meng Qianshan who had flung himself at his side, forced his voice to be calm, and slowly ordered, “Everyone go out and close the doors behind you.”
Huo Wujiu knew that it was because of the crowd in the courtyard.
Meng Qianshan looked at him worriedly, but he didn’t dare to go against his will. He even hurriedly dragged Wei Kai, who retreated three steps, away.
The moment the room door closed, Huo Wujiu watched Jiang Suizhou walk quickly toward him, squatted down and took hold of his arm.
“Are you all right?” Jiang Suizhou’s voice rang with a subtle tremor. His eyes carried a watery glow as he stared closely at him. “Your legs have just been healed. If they’re injured yet again, can you still stand up?”
Huo Wuhiu didn’t know which question to answer first.
“I’m fine, don’t be afraid.” After a pause, he lifted his hand and smoothed Jiang Suizhou’s hair.
“But I can smell blood on you.”
Hearing Jiang Suizhou’s words, Huo Wujiu quickly stretched out his hand and pulled Jiang Suizhou up along with him.
He slowly comforted him under his breath, “I’m all right, but the wound on my shoulder has torn open. Li Changning gave me medicine that can be taken orally. My meridians have been cured and it’s easy to avoid accidents. My legs are fine and all right.”
Jiang Suizhou immediately looked over Huo Wujiu’s shoulder.
Then he saw that his robe had long been soaked with blood. At this time, a faint dark color drenched it.
His wound was torn open when he was hurled to the ground earlier.
Since he had crashed to the ground, he crouched down and covered his injury quite well. Coupled with Pang Shao’s rage, people’s eyes only fell on his legs, so no one noticed.
But this was nothing to Huo Wujiu.
Pang Shao came prepared, not only with soldiers, but also with an imperial doctor. His legs were already healed, and if he were to let an imperial doctor check them again, he would definitely be exposed, plus he heard the sound of people approaching outside the courtyard. Moreover, it sounded like there were many people, so he chose to provoke Pang Shao to hit him in a fit of rage, avoiding having the doctor take his pulse to check his injuries.
For him, it was just a small tear, and it was a good trade off.
But Jiang Suizhou in front of him obviously thought differently.
He raised his hand, originally wanting to touch him, but in fear of hurting him any further, his hand hung in place and dared not move forward.
All he felt was the sore tip of his nose.
He knew all too well that Huo Wujiu suffered from this injury to save him. And just now Pang Shao abused him like that, not because Huo Wujiu was part of an enemy state, but because he, Jiang Suizhou, did not die.
All because of him.
Somehow, this knowledge made Jiang Suizhou feel particularly uncomfortable. Huo Wugou has been well, he could have gone, but now because of him, so many more misfortunes have arisen for nothing.
His chest felt so suffocated that he felt pain in bursts, even to the point that it was unbearable.
“It’s my fault,” he whispered a moment later.
This time, Huo Wujiu heard the choke in his voice.
Huo Wujiu was instantly thrown into a panic.
It’s no big deal. Why is he so aggrieved?
He anxiously said, “I don’t blame you. I’m really okay. It’s not a serious injury, nor is it fatal. Besides, even if he didn’t hit me, I would have torn it accidentally in my sleep at night. It’s not a problem.”
But then Jiang Suizhou raised his head, and the tears in his eyes could not be contained.
“The imperial doctors here are unreliable. There are no other doctors here, so you can’t stay any longer.” The choking in his voice worsened. He took a deep breath, as if to hold himself back and make his tone appear calm. However, the effect was anything but satisfactory.
“Let’s go home tomorrow,” he uttered.
Huo Wujiu only felt that a certain string in his heart was ruthlessly plucked.
It felt sick at heart and swollen. It was plain to see that the person in front of him was distressed. He felt sorry for him and was flustered, but for some reason, Huo Wujiu felt that his heart was filled with something. It was hot and dense, as if something finally found a place to land.
He was about to speak, but then Jiang Suizhou’s eyes blinked, and a tear slid uncontrollably down his cheek, bringing a flutter to his eyelashes.
Huo Wujiu couldn’t hold himself back any longer.
He raised his uninjured arm, wrapped his hand around Jiang Suizhou’s neck, pressed him forward, and used one hand to force him into his embrace.
“All right,” he whispered, “Let’s go home tomorrow.”
Meng Qianshan did not succeed in helping Madam Huo move courtyards today.
Once his master found out that Madam Huo was not quite right and did not respond after calling out to him twice, Meng Qianshan raced all the way back and personally went to look for the mansion doctor.
Jiang Suizhou, who remained in the room, ordered the rest of the servants to push Huo Wujiu to the inner room and help him lie down on the bed first.
Huo Wujiu seemed to be running a fever, a severe fever. Although he was still sitting, his reaction was much slower.
He reacted only when someone tried to help him.
The servant was just about to touch his leg when he reflexively raised his hand and blocked the man.
That servant was overwhelmed with astonishment. Then Huo Wujiu looked down and said hoarsely, “I’ll do it myself.”
Calm but resolute. The servant hurriedly looked at Jiang Suizhou and waited for the King’s own order. However, he found that Jiang Suizhou, who was sitting beside him, didn’t look at him and instead fixed his gaze on Huo Wujiu.
Huo Wujiu didn’t pay attention to them. Instead, he braced his hands on the armrests. Although he moved skillfully, it was obvious that he was weak at this time and his movements were somewhat sluggish.
He slowly propped himself up and moved to the bed.
After sitting on the bed, he did not lie down, but propped himself up with the bedpost.
He sat straight and still.
Although Huo Wujiu said nothing, Jiang Suizhou saw some innate pride in his movements.
Jiang Suizhou’s gaze paused and suddenly he couldn’t help but think of Huo Wujiu from the history books.
He was born in Yangguan as the son of the Marquis of Dingbei of the Jing Dynasty. He learned equestrian and archery at the age of six, and hunted tigers at the age of ten. He turned thirteen in the 20th year of Southern Jing, when the Emperor of Jing forced his father to rebel and rise against Southern Jing. In the 23rd year of Southern Jing, his father died in the Battle of Xunyang. His uncle who joined his father in the uprising was also besieged and surrounded by the army.
It was he who took over the commander-in-chief banner in the rebel army and rescued his uncle from the sieg. He won against his stronger enemy and became famous from one battle. Afterward, he defended his uncle and became the commander of the Liang army step by step.
Prior to his capture, he had not lost a single battle and was an irresistible power. In just four years, he invaded Yecheng and drove the Emperor of Jing across the Yangtze River, from which the Liang dynasty divided the river and ruled.
He was a finely dressed young general, riding on a dashing horse. Even if historians wrote about him impartially, they couldn’t deny his legendary character.
He was a hero that Jiang Suizhou had studied countless times through yellowing historical materials, thousands of years apart.
Huo Wujiu was right to be a proud man.
Jiang Suizhou suddenly understood why the emperor broke Huo Wujiu’s legs.
This seemed to be the only way to make him kneel down.
Jiang Suizhou fell into a trance and didn’t notice that he was staring at Huo Wujiu the entire time. He also didn’t notice that even though Huo Wujiu was already burnt out, he was still acutely aware of Jiang Suizhou’s eyes and frowned slightly, staring right back at him.
By the time Jiang Suizhou came to his senses, Huo Wujiu’s eyes had already turned hostile.
Jiang Suizhou read his eyes at a glance.
Huo Wujiu seemed to be asking him wordlessly: Why don’t you get lost?
Jiang Suizhou: “…”
The rare bit of emotion that rose in his heart dissipated cleanly.
Jiang Suizhou withdrew his gaze without giving away what he intended to hide. He masked his guilty conscience with coldness, gathered his cloak with one hand while walking to the bedside, and looked condescendingly at Huo Wujiu from above.
“Why hasn’t the mansion doctor arrived yet?” He coldly asked the servants nearby.
The maids and servants around all knew that His Highness had a terrible temper and was difficult to serve, so they didn’t dare to say a word. Silence reigned in the room for a while.
Nonetheless, only Jiang Suizhou knew that he felt quite embarrassed under Huo Wujiu’s gaze. He was a paper tiger in a hasty search for a remedy to redeem himself.
From the corner of his eye, he looked at Huo Wujiu, but the man had long since lowered his eyes and wasn’t looking at him.
…Even in sickness, you’re extraordinarily unpleasant.
Fortunately, Meng Qianshan came right on time, gasping for breath with the mansion doctor.
It was still Doctor Zhou.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw His Highness standing cold as ice by the bed, as if confronting Huo Wujiu who was seated there. When His Highness saw him enter, he inclined his head slightly, and a pair of icy eyes shot towards him.
Doctor Zhou has always been timid, so he immediately lowered his head, not daring to take another look.
“Come and check him out.” He heard the King’s cold command.
“Look at how sick he is. Don’t let him die in my mansion.”
That voice sounded so nice, the tone arrogant and gentle, but with some faintly audible fine wheezing. From the sound of it, he was in bad health and was out of breath midway.
The doctor hurriedly responded and came forward with his eyes downcast, just in time to see Huo Wujiu sitting on the bed, subtly lifting his eyelids and giving the King a meaningful glance.
He was about to withdraw his gaze, yet as if something had attracted him, his gaze paused and fell on the King again.
Doctor Zhou was about to take another look when his eyes suddenly collided with a cold, hostile and gloomy gaze.
Huo Wujiu had caught him peering.
Those eyes were evidently feeble and cloudy, but they still scared Doctor Zhou. He quickly dropped his gaze, walked over to Huo Wujiu’s bed, put down his medical kit, and began to diagnose him.
Jiang Suizhou sat back again.
