His conscious was in a chaos, his body seemed to be submerged in a vast sea of water, sometimes floating, sometimes beneath the surface, and the alternating cold and hot temperatures gave the illusion that he was constantly travelling between the icy snow and the tropical desert! ZiLi could no longer distinguish between dream and reality. He saw the faces of his parents, who gently caressed his forehead with tenderness and love.
“Xiao Li, be good, come and take your medicine so you can get better. If Xiao Li gets better, Mommy and Daddy will take you to the playground tomorrow, okay?” they spoke.
Then he felt himself being lifted up and some bitter concoction was poured into his mouth, but as soon as it touched his tongue, his stomach immediately started to churn.
“He― he vomited it up again!” someone seemed to say in a panic.
“I will do it!”
In a daze, he opened his eyes slightly. A shadow walked over to his bed and gently leaned him against his chest. “ZiLi, come, open your mouth and drink the medicine. You can only recover after drinking the medicine!” Something slightly hot came closer under his nose, and there were those unpleasant liquids again, making his stomach churn again. Unconsciously, he used the tip of his tongue to resist the invasion of the foreign liquid, causing the warm concoction to flow down the corner of his mouth into the collar of his undergarments.
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 61 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
*Sigh*, a soft sigh seemed to be heard in his ear, then his lips were pried open as a soft object was pressed against them. The object suppressed his still resisting tongue, and a warm stream was transferred and slid down his throat――
Slowly opening his eyes, ZiLi stared blankly at the ceiling of the canopy, how had he gotten back here? Slapping his head, which was still a little dizzy, ZiLi sat up straight and let his feet dangle over the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the bamboo forest rustling in the morning breeze outside the open window 1 .
When Mo CangJing approached the door of the room, what he saw was a tranquil and warm scene of a young man in white undergarments sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. His slender neck slightly sideways, posed in such a way it reminded one of a delicate and pitiful deer exposed to the lion’s mouth, yet still tempting people to take a bite. Beneath his perfect collarbones, his slightly open collar revealed beautiful icy jade skin and a faint hint of a red cherry. His two jade feet were not touching the floor and swayed gently back and forth as if they were young children playing.
Soft, warm lines defined the contours of the side of the young man’s face, and under his long eyelashes that half covered his eyes, which were bright as stars and shining like crystal, was only a misty and tranquil haze of a gleaming reflection of waves in sunlight.
“――ZiLi!” Mo CangJing called, his voice soft, as if he were afraid to disturb this fairy-like young man.
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When ZiLi heard him calling, the softness in his eyes dissipated, and when he met Mo CangJing, his eyes were already bright and clear with a looming hint of estrangement.
Mo CangJing’s heart ached, and a slight bitterness spread out, devouring his whole heart. He came closer and said with a somewhat pained look, “ZiLi, I am sorry for what happened that day―― I should not have treated you like that, but― you should know that the person you hit is the Emperor of our country Chi Xiang. When you slapped him on the face, it was not just a person you hit, but also the country he represents. I was in a panic at the time, so I did not know what I was doing, and I hurt you. I am really sorry!”
ZiLi’s eyes softened, “You haven’t wronged me, I was also too muddled in the brain to realize that this is no longer my homeland and that not everyone is equal! If you had not done that, who knows, I might have already been beheaded by now for offending the Imperial prestige!” ZiLi said with a somewhat self-deprecating smile.
Mo CangJing looked at ZiLi, who was smiling like a spring breeze 2 , with uncertainty and asked, “So, you are forgiving me and are not angry with me anymore?”
ZiLi smiled softly and said, “Didn’t I just say that? You have done me no wrong, so what is there to forgive?”
Only then did Mo CangJing smile with relief, “You have slept for three days, you should be hungry now! I asked the cook to make Millet Bird’s Nest Congee 3 , so get up and eat, okay!”
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“En, I’m indeed very hungry!”
“Here, put your outer robe on first. It was hard for you to get better, so you should not catch another cold!”
A maid quickly brought a cup of Bird’s Nest Congee, and as soon as Mo CangJing opened the lid, ZiLi was attracted by the smell of the fragrant and glutinous rice, and his appetite was piqued. Restraining himself, he patiently watched Mo CangJing scoop out a small bowl. He raised his hand and just as he was about to take it, he discovered that his right wrist was wrapped like a zongzi 4 , and the problem that occurred in the restaurant appeared again.
“I will feed you!” Mo CangJing said gently, gazing amused at ZiLi, who was looking at his right hand with a troubled face.
ZiLi cast an embarrassed glance at Mo CangJing and then at the maid who was waiting upon them at the side.
“It’s okay, come on, open your mouth!” Mo CangJing blew the congee on the tablespoon to cool down and brought it to ZiLi’s mouth.
If he still refused, it would seem awkward, so ZiLi no longer hesitated and enjoyed the mouthful of delicious food delivered by the Prince himself.
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*Burp* After finishing the bowl of Bird’s Nest Congee and burping very contently, ZiLi squinted his eyes like a kitten. This action was so adorable in Mo CangJing’s eyes that it swayed his heart. He put the empty bowl down and said, “Don’t fall asleep when you are full, go for a walk in the garden, okay!”
Although ZiLi did not really want to move, he agreed to it because he thought it would be good for his body.
It was now summer and the lotus pond in the Prince’s residence was full of white and pink lotus blossoms. The lush and verdant leaves lay so close together in the water that there was no gap between them. The early morning sun was not yet very bright. The sunlight was just right like sparkling golden dust, pouring down and spreading out over the pond, and when the wind blew, it made the lotus leaves swirl, which reminded ZiLi of a verse of a poem by Yang WanLi: 5
‘Green lotus leaves outspread as far as boundless sky;
Pink lotus blossoms take from sunshine a new dye.’
A moment like this, witnessing such a scene, was truly indescribably beautiful and refreshing!
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 61 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
After walking for a while, the two entered a pavilion to drink tea.
ZiLi was never one to hold grudges, and the earlier unpleasantness quickly became a thing of the past. He could not help but have a familiar and intimate demeanor with Mo CangJing once again.
When Mo CangJing saw these changes in ZiLi, he was naturally overjoyed in his heart. The two were talking endlessly happily when suddenly the housekeeper came to report, “Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived. The Emperor has requested you to come to the Imperial palace!”
Mo CangJing paused, then said with a helpless smile, “ZiLi, I――”
“Go ahead, it’s all right. I’ve seen it last time, the Emperor of Chi Xiang is not so easy to serve. If he is delayed, there is no guarantee that his Imperial head will not explode with anger!” ZiLi said, waving his hand in understanding.
“I will leave then. You still have some bruises on your body, don’t just go out, okay. If you have any requests, just mention it to the steward.” Mo CangJing urged again before leaving.