The young man skillfully lowered his body, propping himself up on his elbows with his forehead meekly pressed against the backs of his hands. He lifted only the spot she had selected high into the air.
His disheveled white shirt hung loosely around his frame, while his lower garments were half-pulled down but not fully removed, haphazardly covering those slender, straight legs of his.
Smack.
Xue Yunyi was still fuming inside, so she made no effort to hold back. The ruler came down heavily, immediately leaving behind a wide, reddening imprint.
Wu Lang’s waistline trembled sharply for a moment before he carefully adjusted the punished area back into position. He neither dodged nor begged for mercy.
Xue Yunyi’s raised arm paused in midair. Her heart had already softened silently. Glancing once more at the mark on the young man’s rear, she let out a deep breath. In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to deliver a second strike.
Fine. She had only acted on impulse earlier, wanting to teach Wu Lang a lesson. In truth, this was all Xue Qingzhi’s doing. She was merely annoyed that Wu Lang was such a fool, failing to cherish his own body like this—carrying so many discomforts and hiding them from her all this time.
“Do you know your mistake?” Xue Yunyi sighed, her voice softening.
“In response to Your Highness,” the young man replied, still holding the punished position with his words muffled against his arms, “this slave knows his error and dares not repeat it.”
Xue Yunyi fell silent for a moment, about to tell him to rise, when she suddenly noticed the injury between those two cheeks. She paused in surprise, the tip of the ruler hovering virtually over the red mark as she hesitantly nudged it aside, trying to inspect the wound more closely.
Her gaze fell precisely on the spot ravaged by the ginger.
Wu Lang panicked.
“Your Highness, this slave will heal it…” He spoke up in haste, his voice trembling with desperate restraint. “This slave guarantees it will get better soon. It won’t delay Your Highness’s use of him… Please give this slave a chance. Don’t drive him away.”
Xue Yunyi’s grip on the ruler faltered. “Talking nonsense again. When did This Palace ever say she would drive you away?”
She had only wanted to check his injury carefully, but his reaction was so intense.
Still, she probably shouldn’t stare there like this…
Yet the wound looked so wretched. It needed medicine. Ordinary salves wouldn’t do; she would have to send for some specially made ones from the Imperial Hospital.
Xue Yunyi set the ruler down, her mind heavy with concerns. She reached out to help Wu Lang up, only to see his shoulders quivering lightly, clear tears trailing from the corners of his eyes. They slid silently down his jaw, one after another, splattering onto the floor.
Xue Yunyi froze.
He… was crying?
He hadn’t shed a tear during the punishment just now, but here he was, crying hard. She leaned down to help him up, and on his handsome face, the freshly applied ointment was smeared by the glistening tears.
“Why are you crying?” Xue Yunyi felt a touch of helplessness as she reached out to catch a tear about to fall from the corner of his eye. Her voice was gentle. “Did it hurt that much?”
Wu Lang shook his head vigorously.
No.
Her strike had been light—hardly a punishment at all compared to what he had endured before. It was more like a caress.
It was just that… the thought of the Eldest Princess seeing even that humiliating wound in full made tears well up uncontrollably, no matter how he tried to stop them.
The young man sniffled, saying nothing of his own pain. Instead, he gazed at her with those damp, dark eyes and asked something entirely unrelated.
“Has Your Highness calmed down?”
“Mm. Stop crying, alright?”
Xue Yunyi took out a silk handkerchief and patiently wiped the streaked tears from his face bit by bit. “Put your clothes on and wait for This Palace in the inner chamber.”
Those two beads… they needed to be removed as soon as possible.
Her words were gentle, her movements feather-light, as if she feared breaking him.
Wu Lang stared at that lotus-like face, suddenly so close as she leaned over. His heart began to race. He cherished this warmth she bestowed upon him with utmost care, terrified it might be a sweet dream from which he would awaken in an instant.
Not only did the Eldest Princess show no disgust at his lowly, filthy state—she treated him… so well.
He suddenly recalled that day in the Buddhist Hall, with cold rain pattering under the eaves and chill winds whistling through. All around was utter silence, as if the world held only him and the Eldest Princess. Back then, she had used a soft cloth just like this one to wipe the rain from his face.
Wu Lang bit his lip.
He resolved in silence to heal his wounds quickly. Only then could he be permitted to stay and serve the Eldest Princess.
So he obediently straightened his clothes and knelt his way to the bedside in the inner chamber, waiting there meekly.
Only after Wu Lang had entered the inner chamber did Xue Yunyi call for Mo Ying.
“Fetch a basin of warm water and some hemostatic medicine.”
Mo Ying jumped in fright, asking anxiously, “Your Highness, where are you hurt? Shall this servant fetch an Imperial Physician?”
“This Palace is fine. Just go.”
Mo Ying quickly scanned her and saw no signs of injury, which eased her mind a little. Before long, she returned with the requested items.
“Set it on the low table over there.”
Xue Yunyi pointed toward the inner chamber. Remembering Mo Ying’s temperament, she added patiently, “Don’t make a fuss. He can’t take a scare.”
Mo Ying looked baffled. Carrying the copper basin inside, she pondered what Xue Yunyi meant by that. As she looked up, she spotted a handsome young man kneeling by the bed.
—It was that pitiful boy Your Highness had picked up and kept in the palace.
She recognized Wu Lang, but why was he by the bed—and so disheveled?
His eyes were red-rimmed; he had clearly been crying.
Had Your Highness truly taken him?
And recalling the hemostatic medicine she had been asked to fetch, Mo Ying paused, her eyes suddenly widening.
Your Highness was new to this, sure, but… wasn’t she a bit too rough? Enough to draw blood…
Horror-struck, Mo Ying stumbled back two steps. The basin in her hands tipped, spilling water shakily across the floor.
The splashing droplets weren’t loud, but they made Wu Lang instinctively shrink back, closing his eyes in anticipation of the incoming hurt.
After a long moment, though, he felt no familiar chill of wetness.
Wu Lang slowly opened his eyes to find the slender palace maid standing before him at a loss, her face full of apology. In a small voice, she said to him, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Wu Lang blinked.
Someone was actually apologizing to him of their own accord…
That had never happened in Ninghua Palace. The other servants knew his lowly status and, under Xue Qingzhi’s orders, tormented and humiliated him endlessly without a shred of kindness.
Wu Lang’s lips parted slightly, unsure how to respond to this courtesy. Fortunately, Xue Yunyi’s voice rang out just then, carrying a hint of displeasure.
“Mo Ying.”
Mo Ying scurried backward, stammering, “This servant was reckless. Please forgive me, Your Highness. I’ll fetch a fresh basin right away.”
When she returned, Mo Ying kept her mouth firmly shut. She steadily placed the copper basin on the low table and set the hemostatic powder beside it. Then she withdrew properly, pushing Xue Yunyi to the bedside. Seeing no further instructions, she bowed deeply and retreated, holding her breath.
After descending a few steps on the stone stairs, she hurried back to instruct the attendant maids: without Xue Yunyi’s orders, no one was to enter the hall and disturb them.
The bedchamber fell utterly quiet.
Xue Yunyi washed her hands in the copper basin, her gaze falling on the young man’s haphazardly donned lower garments.
“Take them off. That thing needs to come out.”
“Yes.”
Wu Lang lowered his eyes and swiftly obeyed, parting his knees and clasping his hands behind his back. His most vulnerable spot lay fully exposed and unshielded before her, ready for whatever she wished.
Xue Yunyi leaned down, her fingertips pinching the glossy pearl. A flicker of reluctance passed through her eyes. She gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and yanked the thin clasp out in one swift motion.
“Urgh…”
Wu Lang’s neck arched sharply, his eyes losing focus for a moment. Even with his tolerance for pain, he couldn’t suppress a low, muffled grunt.
The end of the clasp was threaded with a thin strand of blood.
Xue Yunyi couldn’t bear to look. She hastily wrapped the damp red in a handkerchief and tossed it aside.
The sudden agony nearly buckled Wu Lang’s knees. Xue Yunyi quickly steadied his shoulders, asking with concern, “Can you bear it?”
The young man lifted his sweat-drenched face, his clear dark eyes gazing into hers with devout submission.
“This slave can bear it. Thank you, Your Highness, for helping him.”
Seeing him like this, how could Xue Yunyi not ache for him? But there was still one bead left—better to get it over with quickly. She sighed and instructed Wu Lang to dress, then meticulously washed her hands again with the warm water.
As Wu Lang listened to the sound of water from her washing, shame heated his face faintly.
How could his filthy thing be worthy of the Eldest Princess’s touch?
It was too dirty…
He should have begged her to let him do it himself.
Yet he couldn’t ignore the base desire deep inside—
He wanted the Eldest Princess to grant him this release with her own hands. From here on, everything about him belonged to her, all placed in her control.
“Here, open your mouth.” Xue Yunyi’s voice pulled Wu Lang back from those shameful thoughts.
He obeyed, watching as her hand reached in, carrying the rose scent from her recent washing. She deftly located it and pulled out the earring, then promptly dusted hemostatic powder onto the wound.
“Don’t swallow this medicine. You’ll have to endure it for a quarter-hour until it sets.”
Wu Lang blinked in surprise before understanding: Xue Yunyi meant for him to… stay like this, mouth agape, waiting for the powder to dry.
He didn’t dare refuse, though shame burned through him.
He stole glances as she washed her hands again—twice, four times, five.
The Eldest Princess couldn’t move about, so she had no choice but to stay right there with him. With time on her hands and nothing better to do, she casually picked up a book from beside the pillow and began to read.
All he could do was kneel at the hem of the Eldest Princess’s skirt, his tongue still sticking out, unable to pull it back. In the quiet, dust-moted silence, his heart pounded like a drum as he gazed up at her without a sound.
Xue Yunyi flipped through the book in her hands, so absorbed that she lost track of time. She glanced at the water clock and figured enough time had passed, then closed the book. Turning her face toward him, she saw the youth still obediently airing the medicine, his damp black eyes fixed unwaveringly on her.
Her heart softened at the sight, and she couldn’t help curving her lips into a smile. “Why are you just like a little dog?”
She reached out and ruffled the youth’s hair. “Alright, that’s enough. You’re done.”
Li-little dog…
Was the Eldest Princess praising him?
Wu Lang stared dazedly at Xue Yunyi’s smiling face, his heart fluttering like a startled fawn. He licked his parched lips, then summoned his courage and gently nuzzled against her hand, which still rested atop his head. Very softly, he said to her—
“Woof.”