Chapter 016: The Silent Male Mother

Upon seeing it was Qin Chanyue, the Crown Prince silently retreated two steps and gave a meaningful glance to his deputy general.

Everyone in Chang’an City knew that Qin Chanyue was the apple of Zhennan Wang’s eye. No matter how outrageous her actions, Zhennan Wang indulged and spoiled her. Though Zhennan Wang was typically a man of self-restraint and propriety, when it came to anything related to Qin Chanyue, he never adhered to reason.

Zhennan Wang had only this one weakness, so the Crown Prince never provoked her. If Qin Chanyue was rude, so be it. The more he indulged and favored her, the more loyal Zhennan Wang would be to him. Yielding to this young woman in exchange for Zhennan Wang’s allegiance—what a profitable bargain.

Thus, the Crown Prince retreated several steps and quietly left the room.

The deputy general and the doctor beside him also followed out of the chamber. As they left, the deputy general thoughtfully closed the door behind them.

Once the door was shut, only Qin Chanyue and Chu Heng on the bed remained inside.

The room was not dim; the afternoon sunlight outside the window shone brilliantly, illuminating the entire space and casting its bright rays onto Chu Heng’s face on the bed.

Qin Chanyue stared blankly at her adoptive brother.

Her adoptive brother lay on the bed, his upper body bare. A deep scar marred his chest, wrapped in gauze, the crimson hue stinging her eyes. Below, he wore only thin silk undergarments. His eyes were closed, his breathing faint. Such a tall, strong man lay here utterly immobile. With just one glance, her heart felt as though it were shattering in pain.

Though her adoptive brother had been strict with her since childhood, and though she had often resented his excessive control, she knew he was the one who cared for her most. Now, seeing him lying here, she wanted to cry. Even as tears welled up, she kept her gaze fixed tightly on him, feeling as though each glance might be one less.

In her previous life, her adoptive brother had died on the frontier. All she received were his remains, long decayed within his armor, his features unrecognizable. She had almost forgotten what he looked like.

Heaven knew how guilty she felt when she learned of his severe injury.

In her past life, at this time, her adoptive brother had been safe and sound at the border. Yet, because of a single letter from her, he returned grievously wounded. She was certain this was her fault.

Unable to restrain herself, she reached out to touch his face.

Her adoptive brother was thirty-four years old, yet he appeared older than most. His face was sharply defined, and the scar on his forehead was even more frightening. When she had married, this scar had not been there; it must have been added later.

After touching his head, she wanted to trace her fingers downward to examine the wound on his chest.

Her adoptive brother was robust, having trained in martial arts for years. His chest muscles were honey-toned and impressively large, feeling somewhat soft to the touch. She wondered about the state of his wound. Qin Chanyue knew her adoptive brother could not use medication, let alone anesthesia. Injuries were endured through sheer willpower, which only deepened her sorrow.

Her hand gently glided over his soft chest, down to his firm abdominal muscles, and further down—had her adoptive brother been injured on his leg?

Qin Chanyue reached out to pull down her adoptive brother’s pants.

From a young age, she had visited the military camp. Her father had taught her since childhood that she should take pride in the Qin family. She had seen far too many wounded soldiers of the Qin Family Army. In her eyes, an injured and unconscious commander was not a man—there was no distinction between male and female. To her, every scar on his body was a badge of honor. She could examine their wounds and was willing to treat them.

She had even witnessed her adoptive brother being force-fed medicine after an injury long, long ago.

But as her hand attempted to pull down his trousers, the adoptive brother lying on her bed seemed to tremble slightly. Qin Chanyue looked up in pleasant surprise and asked, “Elder Brother?”

Had her adoptive brother awakened?

Yet the man on the bed showed no response, remaining unconscious with pale lips.

Just as Qin Chanyue reached out to continue her examination, a knock suddenly sounded at the door. The deputy general’s voice drifted in slowly: “Young Lady—the prince is severely injured and requires quiet rest.”

Qin Chanyue’s hand, which had been pulling at the trousers, stopped.

After a moment of hesitation, she tucked the blanket back over her elder brother, stood up, and replied, “Understood.” Then she walked out of the room.

Once outside, she immediately grabbed someone and began questioning them, determined to find out how her adoptive brother had been injured. Meanwhile, the deputy general seized the opportunity to enter the room, walked straight to the bedside, crouched down, and whispered, “Your Highness?”

Zhennan Wang on the bed slowly opened his eyes.

With a glance, he could faintly see Qin Chanyue interrogating the servants. He stared for a moment before hearing the deputy general beside him ask, “Should we inform the young lady of your plan?”

Chu Heng quietly watched her retreating figure.

After receiving Qin Chanyue’s letter, he had investigated the army and indeed uncovered many spies. As long as these spies remained, he could not continue to guard the border without risking disaster.

Thus, he feigned retreat by pretending to be injured and returned to Chang’an overnight, leaving the problem to the young Crown Prince and the aging Emperor.

Let them see: their court officials were turning against one another, even plotting the life of a renowned general. How would they handle it?

He intended to use his past military achievements to force the Emperor to give him an explanation.

Those who sought his life should pay a price in blood.

So he had to feign injury, pretend to be bedridden, act as if he were on the brink of death, and put on a pitiful display.

He could deceive anyone—except Qin Chanyue, for she truly dared to strip him of his undergarments.

The sensation of Qin Chanyue’s hand touching his forehead moments ago seemed to linger between his brows. Chu Heng closed his eyes and said, “Keep it from her.”

He—

Of course, he could choose to tell Qin Chanyue. But earlier, when she leaned close to him, that long-lost warmth was something he couldn’t resist.

He yearned to be near her but dared not show it. He thought perhaps only when he was gravely ill would Qin Chanyue be willing to draw this close to him.

In the past, he had been distant from her, left only with memories to savor and reflect upon. But now, he was so close—so close that her mere presence stirred in him many inappropriate, greedy thoughts.

He couldn’t even control himself. If keeping her in the dark meant she would visit him more often, he was even willing to do such a thing.

The deputy general knelt by the bedside. When he heard the prince say “keep it hidden,” he instinctively glanced up at him, only to see the prince still watching Qin Chanyue’s retreating figure.

The deputy general’s lips tightened repeatedly. Having served the prince for many years, he had some understanding of the prince’s thoughts. Seeing the prince in such a state, he tentatively remarked, “The young lady hasn’t fared well since her marriage. The Zhongyi Marquis has wronged her. With her temperament, if not for the marquis’s grave illness, she might have cut him down. Once the marquis passes, the young lady is still young—perhaps in the future—”

Perhaps she would find another.

Chu Heng finally withdrew his gaze.

He looked at the deputy general with a heavy, piercing stare that made the man tense all over. Realizing he had spoken out of turn, the deputy general quickly lowered his head, awaiting punishment.

“Twenty military lashes for speaking recklessly of the young lady,” the prince said after a moment. “Leave.”

The deputy general murmured an acknowledgment and hurried out of the room with his head bowed.

Once he was gone, only Chu Heng remained in the room, enveloped in boundless silence. His gaze drifted again, searching for Qin Chanyue’s shadow.

But she was nowhere to be seen.

He didn’t know where Qin Chanyue had gone.

Chu Heng closed his eyes and lay quietly on the bed.

Perhaps because the fabricated illness felt somewhat real, his body truly felt weak, allowing his tense mind to drift into a brief haze. In that haze, he recalled a time long, long ago, when he had once dreamed of marrying Qin Chanyue. But she had flatly refused his adoptive father.

That was when he understood—Qin Chanyue would never like him.

Of course, she could remarry in the future, but not to him.

He was no good either.

He had used too many poisons; his body was not healthy, and he would never have children. His old wounds were too many, and he never knew when he might fade away like the wind. Someone like him could not give Qin Chanyue a complete, beautiful life.

Nor did she like someone like him. She preferred gentle scholars, poetry and literature, people like the Zhongyi Marquis. And he—

He opened his hand, looking at his scarred, calloused palm, then slowly withdrew it beneath the covers.

It didn’t matter, he thought. Perhaps it was better this way.

On the day he died, she would not grieve. Centuries later, their names would be remembered together—whenever Qin Chanyue was mentioned, her adoptive brother would be spoken of too. That was enough.

In the vast wilderness of Nanjiang, amidst swarming venomous insects, grew the most generous, purest love.

And Qin Chanyue knew nothing of it.

She never knew what her adoptive brother carried in his heart as he loved her.