Hua Manman lay prone on the bed, the back of her clothes cut open to reveal a bloody wound.
Hua Qingqing stood beside her, and her eyes instantly reddened at the sight.
Afraid her emotions would affect the Imperial Physician, she could only grip her skirt tightly, forcing herself not to cry out loud.
The Imperial Physician carefully extracted the thorns embedded deep in her flesh.
Hua Manman clenched her jaw, her entire body trembling from the pain as large tears stread down her face.
In no ti, a large patch of the pillow was soaked through.
Li Ji sat in his wheelchair, watching the Imperial Physician’s actions with a blank expression.
Perhaps because Prince Zhao’s presence was so overwhelming, the Imperial Physician felt imnse pressure, making his every move extrely cautious.
By the ti he finally finished cleaning Hua Manman’s wound, the Imperial Physician was sweating profusely.
After sprinkling on the dicinal powder and properly bandaging the wound, the Imperial Physician could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Just then, the Empress sent soone over to inquire about Lady Hua’s condition.
The Imperial Physician answered truthfully, "Lady Hua’s wound is quite deep, but thankfully it was treated promptly. It’s not a major issue. With a good period of rest, she should make a full recovery."
The ssenger left to report back to the Empress.
As the Imperial Physician packed his things to leave, he caught sight of Hua Qingqing standing nearby. He noticed her dress was torn, and there were two fine scratches on the back of her hand.
The Imperial Physician advised, "Concubine, the back of your hand is injured. Please allow to treat it for you."
Hua Qingqing wasn’t very concerned about her own injuries.
She shook her head. "No, thank you. It’s just a small scratch. I’ll put so dicine on it myself when I get back."
The Imperial Physician took a bottle of dicine from his dical kit. "This will help the wound heal. Please take it."
Hua Qingqing reached out and took it. "Thank you."
The Imperial Physician cupped his hands in a salute toward her, then turned and left with his dical kit on his back.
Si Yun helped Hua Manman get dressed and pulled the quilt up, gently covering her back.
Hua Qingqing knelt by the bed. Looking at her younger sister’s pale face, her voice trembled slightly, as if she might burst into tears at any mont.
"Manman, I’m so sorry. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if you weren’t trying to save ."
Hua Manman’s eyes were red and swollen, and tear stains still marked her face.
Even so, she didn’t forget to maintain her persona, sneering with a pout.
"I told you not to flatter yourself. I just fell by accident. I didn’t get hurt saving you."
Hua Qingqing wanted to say more, but Li Ji cut her off coldly.
"If you have no other business, Hua Jieyu, please leave. Don’t disturb Manman’s rest."
Li Ji’s aura was too powerful. Hua Qingqing didn’t dare argue with him and could only stand up reluctantly.
"Manman, get so rest. I’ll co see you again tomorrow."
Hua Manman huffed, "Just worry about yourself. Don’t co looking for over every little thing."
Hua Qingqing curtsied to Prince Zhao and prepared to leave.
But Li Ji spoke up suddenly.
"I will see you out."
Hua Qingqing froze for a mont, then imdiately understood. Prince Zhao had sothing he wanted to say to her alone.
So she nodded. "Then I’ll trouble you, Your Highness."
Prince Zhao maneuvered his wheelchair toward the door, with Hua Qingqing following closely behind.
When they had rounded the screen and reached the bedroom doorway, Prince Zhao’s wheelchair stopped.
Hua Qingqing stopped as well.
There was a high threshold at the doorway that the wheelchair couldn’t easily cross. Hua Qingqing took the hint and said tactfully,
"This is far enough. Please go back, Your Highness."
Li Ji stared at her with cold, dark eyes. "I hope you will stay away from Manman from now on."
Hua Qingqing bit her lip. "Is Your Highness blaming for Manman getting hurt this ti?
It was indeed my fault.
As her older sister, I failed to protect her. Worse, I let her get injured while she was protecting . It was my failure, and I will do better in the future."
But Li Ji said, "This isn’t the first ti."
Hua Qingqing froze.
Li Ji continued, "Last ti, when Elder Zhong’an tried to punish you with family discipline, it was Manman who saved you.
And last night, it was also Manman’s earnest persuasion that helped you calm down.
Ti and again, it’s always Manman helping you. And what do you give her in return?
Getting hurt, again and again."
Hua Qingqing felt as if she had been slapped across the face, a stinging, fiery pain.
Li Ji: "If you truly care for Manman’s well-being, then don’t go near her again."
Hua Qingqing clenched her fists, retorting indignantly,
"I’ll change in the future. I’ll protect her properly and never let her get hurt again."
Li Ji looked at her coldly, his voice low and frigid, devoid of any emotion.
"With your current abilities, you can’t even protect yourself. How can you speak of protecting others?"
Hua Qingqing was rendered speechless, her expression growing more and more pained.
"You are too weak. The weak have no right to protect others."
After dropping this icy remark, Li Ji withdrew his gaze and turned his wheelchair back toward the inner chamber.
He left Hua Qingqing standing there alone, her beautiful, delicate face drained of all color. She looked wretched, pitiful, and utterly helpless.
After a long ti, she finally walked away in a daze.
In the inner chamber, Hua Manman was still lying prone on the bed.
The pillow had been replaced with a new one, clean and carrying a faint, pleasant scent.
She rested her cheek on the pillow, looked at the returning Prince Zhao, and asked,
"Did Hua Jieyu leave?"
Her voice still held a hint of tears, sounding soft and delicate.
Li Ji felt a tingling sensation in his ears.
He leaned back, feigning nonchalance as he spoke.
"She left."
Hua Manman sighed.
’I actually feel quite guilty.’
’If I hadn’t reached out to pull Hua Qingqing just now, she wouldn’t have fallen and gotten hurt with .’
’Hua Qingqing was completely dragged into this because of .’
Hearing her inner thoughts, Li Ji let out a blunt sneer.
"You must be very light."
No woman dislikes being praised for being thin, and Hua Manman was no exception.
She giggled foolishly. "How could Your Highness tell?"
Li Ji: "Because you’re heartless."
Hua Manman: "..."
Her smile gradually vanished.
As expected, the next mont Li Ji heard Hua Manman cursing him out in her mind.
Li Ji’s lips curved into a smile. "Are you cursing in your head?"
Hua Manman put on a practiced, fake smile.
"Of course not. I don’t even have enough ti to love you, so how could I bear to curse you?"
Li Ji smiled. "It seems my affection for you isn’t wasted. For the next few days, just rest well. You don’t need to practice your calligraphy or swordsmanship."
Hua Manman was instantly ecstatic.
’It feels so good to not have lessons!’
’This injury was worth it!’
’Now I have a legitimate reason to be a lazy bum!’
Hearing her inner thoughts, Li Ji added with a grin,
"After you’ve fully recovered, you can make up for all the lessons you’ve missed."
Hua Manman: "..."
’Oh, so the happiness was fake.’
’Only the howork is real.’
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