"Sir, are you from Tuzhou?"
"No, I'm from Zezhou. Now I'm just a little Hanlin scholar, sent to Tuzhou to control the floods."
Zhang Xiaolan nodded in understanding: "Sir, what kind of woman do you like?"
Gu Qi choked and smiled awkwardly: "I don't know either."
"Sir, will you stay in Tuzhou?"
"No, after we finish treating the water, we have to go back to our country."
"Can Xiaolan go with you?"
Gu Qi lowered her eyes, looked at Zhang Xiaolan Rourou, pursed her lips and smiled, but did not respond.
The night sky was bright, and two thin figures were cuddling in front of the fire. The breeze was blowing, which made them a little cold.
Gu Qi tightened her thin shirt and looked to her side. At some point, Zhang Xiaolan fell asleep. Two hands circled Gu Qi's arm, leaning on Gu Qi's shoulder, breathing shallowly, like a well-behaved cat.
"You've already caught the wind and cold, and the wind is still blowing outside?"
A familiar voice came from behind. Gu Qi was startled at first, and then laughed, "Your Highness."
The big hand fell on his shoulder, Gu Qi raised his head and met Yuan Zhe's eyes.
Yuan Zhe's eyes reflected the firelight, his thin lips were slightly raised, the breeze floated, and a loose bunch of hair brushed his forehead. I don't know why, when I saw this angular face, I no longer felt lonely and cold, but more gentle and close.
His slender fingers hooked the belt and tied it on the chest. He pulled the black cloak forward again, and his voice was a little hoarse: "Go to the tent to rest, don't let the wind blow."
Seeing Zhang Xiaolan holding Gu Qi next to him, Yuan Zhe frowned slightly and his voice became colder: "Why is she looking for you?"
Gu Qi looked back and coughed twice: "It's nothing."
Then he turned to look at the girls' tent and said softly: "Your Highness, please help carry Miss Xiaolan to the minister's tent."
Yuan Zhe came to Gu Qi's side and bent over to look at Zhang Xiaolan. This figure and appearance are completely different from Xie Ruoling. I remembered that when he first arrived in Luozhou, Pei Qihuan stared at Xie Ruoling intently, thinking that he liked a woman as straightforward as Xie Ruoling. After arriving in Qingzhou, whenever I get along with Xie Ruoling, I can't hide my smile. How come the taste changed in such a short period of time? In other words, Pei Qihuan is just a passionate and love-minded person...
"Why, have you fallen in love with this girl?" Finally, he couldn't help but asked.
"ah?"
"Pei Qihuan," the sourness in my heart surged into my throat, and my internal organs were disturbed. Yuan Zhe pursed his lips, and his deep eyes showed a little displeasure: "If you really like her, you can take her as your concubine after returning to Tuzhou. If it's just a whim, I will never tolerate you!"
Only then did Gu Qi understand!
"Your Highness, it's not what you think!" He took his hand out of Zhang Xiaolan's arms and hurriedly defended: "Your Highness and I are both men, so it is inconvenient to take her back to the woman's tent. I thought, let her go. It’s better to sleep peacefully in the tent. I don’t have any other thoughts!”
Yuan Zhe's eyebrows relaxed slightly and he calmed down: "What about you?"
"I'm not sleepy. The coachman will be on duty in the middle of the night, so I can go to the car and take a nap."
Suddenly, Yuan Zhe's cheeks turned slightly red and he said softly: "You can squeeze in with me."
"Ah? What did you say?"
"Nothing." He took a deep breath, stood up, walked around to Zhang Xiaolan, and then bent down to hug Zhang Xiaolan. He paused again and looked at Gu Qi suspiciously: "When did you instruct me? Why did you No hug?"
Gu Qi raised his left hand, curled his neck and smiled.
The white gauze on his hand came into view. Yuan Zhe frowned and couldn't help but think of the scene in Hongxiu Tower that day. The man was soaked in sweat, his face was pale and his eyes were red. The broken piece of porcelain pierced into the palm of his hand, more like piercing into his own heart, and blood flowed from the lines in his palm.
"That's all." Yuan Zhe picked up Zhang Xiaolan, entered the tent and threw her on the mat.
Zhang Xiaolan rolled out twice, pressed half of her face against the mat, and smacked her lips.
Gu Qi pulled on his cloak and added more branches to the fire to make it warmer.
"Fortunately, the journey was uneventful."
Yuan Zhe sat facing the wind, his tall body resisting the cold. Gu Qi raised her head slightly, and under the firelight, her stern side face became warmer, with bright eyes and a high bridge of nose...
"God is so unfair." Gu Qida looked at the carefully carved half of his face and sighed, "I think that when Nuwa created humans, she put a lot of thought into His Highness."
Yuan Zhe raised his eyebrows and turned his face slightly.
Gu Qi looked at it carefully for a long time and shook his head: "Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Yuan Zhe was amused by her appearance and leaned forward slightly: "Pei Qihuan, are you attracted to my skin?"
The face so close, the affectionate eyes, and the deep voice made Gu Qi feel dizzy and her heart pounding! She covered her mouth and nose, turned around and coughed a few times: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I overstepped my bounds."
Perhaps the wind had become wilder, making the woods rustle, making the horses stir in fear, and the bells on their necks woke up the sleeping coachman. The coachman sat up in shock, calmed down, scratched his chin, and after waking up the two people next to him, he went into the woods in front of him.
The three of them rushed over and saw Yuan Zhe and Gu Qi sitting in front of the fire, talking and laughing.
"The adults are tired."
Gu Qi turned around, holding the cloak on her shoulder with her right hand, and said with a smile: "It's been a hard journey, if you're really tired, just take a rest."
"No, no," the coachman bent down slightly and said respectfully, "I feel more energetic after a good sleep. Adults, please go and have a rest!"
Gu Qi looked at his tent and nodded.
"Where are you going?"
When Yuan Zhe saw Gu Qi running away in the carriage, he grabbed his wrist.
Gu Qi pointed to the carriage in front: "Go... rest."
"It was very windy in the second half of the night." Yuan Zhe pulled Gu Qi back and dragged her into his tent without any explanation: "If you get sick, your trip will be delayed. As your ancestors are virtuous, I will let you stay here for the time being. Stay one night.”
The two of them had lived together in the courtyard of the palace, so they were not overly flirtatious. Although there is no distinction between beds at the moment, he is a man. Even if Yuan Zhe has other thoughts for a moment, he will not act rashly. Gu Qi felt a little relieved and lay down beside Yuan Zhe with his clothes on.
Within a moment, soft snoring could be heard next to him. Yuan Zhe turned his head slightly and saw a narrow, pale face. Just looking at this white face and thick eyelashes, even if it looks a little sickly, it is much prettier than the white-faced scholar in the storybook.
Yuan Zhe was so confused that he simply turned his body sideways, held his chin with one hand, and looked at it carefully.
At this moment, the man snorted softly and raised his hands to cover his eyes.
Only then did Yuan Zhe realize that the candle flame was too bright and was disturbing her sleep. I quickly blew out the lamp, and the tent became dark. Only wisps of moonlight came through, and I could barely see clearly. She gently squeezed Gu Qi's hand and sighed when she saw the gauze wrapped around her palm.
At dawn, Gu Qi yawned and wanted to stretch his waist. Suddenly he found himself lying in Yuan Zhe's arms, with his head resting on his arm! Since I started practicing Kung Fu with Han Zizheng, although everyone else is so-so, my Qing Gong is one of the best. Even if you are napping in the wild, you will be woken up by any disturbance! Why didn't I notice it at all this time? Could it be that he hasn't used force for too long and his reaction is slow? Gu Qi looked at her hands and frowned unconsciously.
"Get up when you wake up. My arm is numb from your pillow."
Yuan Zhe's voice came from above his head, and Gu Qi stood up quickly: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I may have been too sleepy last night, and that's why I offended Your Highness!"
Yuan Zhe loosened his arms, looked at Gu Qi's panic, and couldn't help but laugh: "It doesn't matter."
After a while, I heard chirping sounds outside, and I guess everyone woke up. When Yuan Zhe saw Gu Qi adjusting his clothes, he couldn't help but stand up, blinking his sleepy eyes and feeling dizzy. Last night, the scene of the two of them alone kept flashing through my mind, and my heart palpitated and I couldn't sleep peacefully. I didn't expect that I would be so impulsive as to hold her in my arms. It was like holding a small stove, which made my whole body feel uncomfortable.
Yan Churong stood in front of Gu Qi's tent and was slightly surprised to see Zhang Xiaolan. Looking around, he couldn't see Gu Qi, which made him feel anxious. When he saw Gu Qi and Yuan Zhe coming out of the tent together again, his face suddenly became sour.
The driver took the dry food from the car and distributed it to everyone.
"Eat quickly, you need to change the dressing after eating."
Seeing Yan Churong's dark face, Gu Qi's heart pounded, wondering where he had been offended. I had no choice but to stuff the dry cake into my mouth and swallow it with difficulty.
"Eat slowly," Yuan Zhe handed the water bag to Gu Qi, looked at Yan Churong and said, "When Dr. Yan is done eating, change it for me first."
Yan Churong looked away, lowered his head and took a hard bite of the cake.
Not far away, several girls looked towards Gu Qi frequently, chatting and discussing something, and gave Zhang Xiaolan a gentle push.
Zhang Xiaolan stood up and took two steps, then looked back at her sisters. The girls waved to her to hurry up. She bit her lip, picked her hands and walked towards Gu Qi with small steps, and said cowardly: "Sir, Xiaolan will help you change the dressing."
The three of them looked up at Zhang Xiaolan, staring at her, making her more and more nervous, and they unconsciously took a step back.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the curious eyes of the girls not far away. Gu Qi was a little helpless, but couldn't bear to hurt the little girl, so she could only smile and said: "Okay, have you eaten?"
"Yes." Zhang Xiaolan nodded, her face slightly red.
"Well done." Gu Qi held the cake in her right hand and stretched out her left hand.
Yan Churong took out a small porcelain bottle and clean gauze from the small medicine box, handed them to Zhang Xiaolan, and then stood up and went to Yuan Zhe's side.
Zhang Xiaolan squatted in front of Gu Qi and carefully untied the gauze. When she saw the slender scar on her palm, she couldn't help but gasp. She raised her head and looked at Gu Qi, who was sitting upright. His fair-skinned scholar's appearance and his eyes as calm as water were completely different from the fierce gaze of a rough and savage man. How could such a good man be so seriously injured? There was a little moisture in Zhang Xiaolan's eyes, and she felt distressed.
Apply the ointment carefully, wrap it carefully with gauze, and tie it gently. Zhang Xiaolan retracted her hands to her waist and said timidly: "Sir, it's done."
Gu Qi raised her hand and looked at it. It was bandaged carefully and knotted delicately: "Thank you very much, Miss Xiaolan."
"Xiaolan... go back first." Zhang Xiaolan blushed and trotted back with her clothes in hand.
"This child has a simple mind. It would be good for him to be a concubine in his room." Yuan Zhe leaned over with his naked upper body and said with a smile: "It's just that I advise you not to accept a wife before you marry her." Concubine. You have a reputation as a licentious woman. Which other girl would be willing to marry you?"
Gu Qi coughed twice and smiled awkwardly: "Your Highness, I really don't mean that. I'm thinking of going back to accept her as my adopted sister. When I get to Tuzhou, I can find a good match for her."
"If you don't mean it, you should stay away from Zhang Xiaolan." Yuan Zhe thrust his chin towards the girl: "Don't let anyone misunderstand me."
Seeing the two of them being so close, Yan Churong felt an unknown fire in his heart. He used a little force when tying the knot, which made Yuan Zhe grit his teeth in pain.
After cleaning up, everyone got on the carriage one by one, and the sound of creaking could be heard again. Yan Churong sat in the car, tilting his head and sulking. Yan Churong never spoke much as long as there were outsiders around. Gu Qi just thought that he was used to being aloof and arrogant and didn't care.
As Yuan Zhe said, have a safe journey. The girls were homesick and wished they could rest less and travel more. They arrived in Luozhou earlier than expected.
