In the latter half of the night, Chi You could no longer scold. She was so exhausted that she fainted.
When she woke up, a bowl of cooling medicine was placed on the table in the room.
She put on her clothes and got out of bed, walking directly to it and gulping it down.
A maid heard the movement and came in to clean the room. She saw the rumpled bedding and clothes on the bed, her expression unchanged. After cleaning, she silently left, well-trained.
The journey back to the capital was long, and the group traveled north by boat.
Although they were on the same boat, Chi You never saw Liu Rongruo again from that day on.
She fell ill in a daze, constantly recalling the foolish things she had done for him in the past; she always dreamed of the defeat in the Southern Border, the fall of the nation and the ruin of her family.
At night, she was woken up by nightmares again and again.
But she couldn't control herself. The complex emotions of love and hate intertwined deep within her heart, like a coiled venomous snake, eroding her limbs. Those illusory, absurd past events gnawed at her inch by inch.
"Brother."
When Wei Qingge entered with the medicinal soup, she heard a heart-wrenching scream from behind the screen.
Alarmed, she quickly put down the tray and walked over.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Chi You woke up from a nightmare, cold sweat beading on her forehead. Her hands gripped the bedsheet tightly. Hearing the sound, she stiffly turned her head to look at her.
Wei Qingge saw her complexion worsening, her lips pale, and tears staining the corners of her eyes.
She walked over gently and patted her back.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
Since Consort Qing fell ill, no one had visited her. Seeing her pitiful state, Wei Qingge often brought her medicine.
The two became closer.
Chi You regained her senses, lowered her gaze, and a hint of self-mockery flashed in her reddened eyes.
She must have truly gone mad.
What she should be doing is killing Liu Rongruo to appease the lonely souls of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Southern Border.
How could petty love compare to national hatred and vengeance?
Between them, it was a blood feud, separated by the blood of too many people.
She was born the Holy Maiden of the Southern Border. Her personal suffering was worthless in the face of national interests.
"What's wrong? Are you scared? I'll sleep with you."
A concerned voice reached her ears.
Chi You came back to her senses, concealed the emotions in her eyes, and looked up.
"Qingge, what did you bring to eat? I'm so hungry."
Seeing that she actually wanted to eat, Wei Qingge happily said, "You've finally recovered. You've been listless every day, and I thought something was wrong with you."
"It's fresh crab soup from the small kitchen. It's delicious. But it's a cold dish, so you should eat less and have more porridge."
Chi You followed her out of bed and sat on a stool outside.
"How much longer until we get back to the capital?"
"Soon, I think. We've been on the river for so many days, I'm getting bored."
Hearing this, Chi You scooped a bowl of porridge and lowered her head to drink.
Wei Qingge was accustomed to her silence. She chattered to herself, telling Chi You about the seagulls she saw on the river, the painted boats and merchant women they passed, and the swordsmen of the martial world whose boats sailed by. She spoke with great enthusiasm.
Chi You listened quietly. She never offered any opinions before, but today, she surprisingly joined Wei Qingge in the discussion.
Wei Qingge exclaimed in surprise, laughing, "You really have recovered from your illness."
Chi You paused and nodded.
"One must always move forward."
After they finished eating, they went to stand at the bow of the boat to feel the wind.
The scenery on the northern river was beautiful. The Southern Border rarely had such pleasant places.
Chi You rested her hands on the side of the boat, looking out calmly.
"Ah Wu, A Luan wrote to me saying that Beigong has invited the renowned Eight Saints from Penglai in the South Sea and transported a huge white whale. They've invited me to see it. Your Southern Border must have never seen a white whale. Do you want to come with me?"
A Luan?
Chi You remembered that the person who saved her when she was humiliated by that concubine in the palace must have been the A Luan that Qingge mentioned.
"Is she Ye Luan?"
"Yes, the Prince dotes on her. Ever since she got pregnant, Beigong has had all sorts of amazing things. To keep her from being bored, they even went to get a white whale to see. It's in Beigong's ice palace, and it's beautiful. By the way, you must have never seen such a grand ice palace. Being inside it is like being underwater."
As Wei Qingge spoke, she excitedly took out a porcelain bottle from her embrace.
"Look, I got this from A Luan in Beigong. It's a small bottle of beauty powder that costs ten thousand taels from a tribute by a vassal state. It's so precious, and it's just this little bit, what a rip-off!"
She spoke to herself, not noticing Chi You's expression.
"Since A Luan became pregnant, she's been afraid of her figure changing, so she uses a lot of creams and lotions. She even got a particularly large ball for stretching exercises. I don't understand."
"But I really envy her. After she got pregnant, other than her belly getting bigger, nothing else has changed much. She doesn't gain weight no matter how much she eats. But her belly is bigger than that of an ordinary pregnant woman. She's now three or five months along, hehe. When the baby is born, I want to be the godmother. I wonder if it's a boy or a girl—"
Wei Qingge was talking to herself. Hearing no response, she curiously turned her head to look.
Chi You noticed her gaze, and the hand gripping the boat's edge loosened slightly.
"It's good."
The consort of the King of Dingbei, the enemy who destroyed her clan, had also saved her once.
Chi You felt like laughing. Various complex emotions surged, and she lowered her gaze.
Although Wei Qingge was not good at observing people's feelings, she still sensed Chi You's low spirits and was about to say something when a voice came from behind. She turned and saw two people walking over.
"Are you finished?"
Chi You turned her head and saw Liu Rongruo slowly approaching. The hatred suppressed in her heart instantly spread through her meridians to her limbs, as if burning her body.
She quickly averted her gaze and turned to leave.
Liu Rongruo watched her retreating figure. There was no change in expression on his cold face. He calmly walked to the bow of the boat, sat down, and poured tea.
Wei Qingge was bewildered, but remembering Li Qiongyu's instructions, she didn't try to stop them.
"What is that you're holding?"
Li Qiongyu quietly approached and put his arm around her waist.
Wei Qingge didn't notice his action and smiled, shaking it at him.
"I got it from A Luan, beauty powder. It makes the skin smooth and tender. How about I try it on you?"
As she spoke, she reached out to smear it on his face.
Li Qiongyu immediately grabbed her hand. "Stop messing around."
"Tch, I wouldn't dare use it on you."
After saying that, Wei Qingge twisted her body and walked towards the chair, feeling extremely thirsty.
But before she could take two steps, a strong force suddenly pushed from behind, embracing her.
She was startled and glanced awkwardly at Big Brother Liu, who was drinking tea. She turned around, glared at him, and whispered reprimandingly.
"Someone saw it. Have some dignity."
Li Qiongyu didn't let go, clasping her waist and sitting down.
"Here, have some tea."
Wei Qingge was annoyed and angrily tugged at his hand, but he just held her and refused to let go.
Her face flushed with embarrassment as she glanced across. She decided to ignore him.