Chapter 9: You Are Very Bold

That night.

The moon was cold, the bamboo was chilling, and the clear dew brought a sense of frost.

Su Xinyu had finished washing up early and had climbed into bed, leaning against the headboard to read a storybook.

Deep into the night, just as she was preparing to blow out the lamp and sleep, there was a knock at her door.

"Young Mistress, the Young Master's condition is very poor. Since the wound was stitched by you, this subordinate thought it would be best to come seek you out."

Hearing this, Su Xinyu frowned.

It was only the second day of their marriage; if Lu Chengxu met with an accident, it would mean her attempt at "bringing luck through marriage" had failed.

With this thought in mind, she responded, "Fine, I will go see him."

She swiftly got out of bed and put on her outer robe and skirt.

When she entered the new bridal chamber, she saw Lu Chengxu lying half-reclined on the bed, looking extremely weak. His inner garment, which had been bright red last night, had now been changed to navy blue.

Seeing that the tips of his hair were slightly damp, Su Xinyu's eyes flickered. "Did your Young Master bathe?"

Han Feng explained, "The Young Master loves cleanliness. After being injured, he had been lying still and was unable to bathe, which was extremely uncomfortable for him. He just took a bath, but as a result, he fainted in the washroom."

"Those recovering from major injuries cannot necessarily bathe immediately. Your Young Master's condition is serious; to rush to bathe the moment he woke up today—is he not playing with his life?"

"What the Young Mistress says is true, but the Young Master is simply very particular about cleanliness."

"Is the wound bandaged?"

"It is. This subordinate just finished bandaging it."

"Uncover it, let me see."

"Yes."

Han Feng loosened his master's collar and peeled back a corner of the gauze for Su Xinyu to see.

Su Xinyu leaned forward, and with just one glance, she frowned. "The gauze is already soaked with blood and fluid; it must be changed."

Having said that, she stepped back a few paces.

After removing the gauze, Han Feng looked at Su Xinyu with a pleading gaze.

"Young Mistress, blood and fluid are seeping from the Young Master's wound. This subordinate is clumsy and fears he won't handle it well. Could I trouble you?"

Su Xinyu stood at a moderate distance. "Your Young Master does not allow me to get too close to him."

Hearing this, Han Feng's lip twitched.

The Young Master wouldn't allow the Eldest Miss to come to Qingfeng Residence, and now he wouldn't even allow his own wife to approach him? Was he determined to live his life as a bachelor?

Suddenly, a weak, faint voice rang out: "You, come here."

As the man spoke, he slightly opened one eye to glance at Su Xinyu.

"The Young Master is awake?!"

Han Feng was overjoyed and immediately made way by stepping aside from the bedside.

Su Xinyu walked over slowly. "It is said that you fought in wars from a young age. If so, you should understand one principle: wounds must not touch water."

Lu Chengxu defended himself in a low voice, "If I dry myself immediately after washing, the problem should not be too great."

"Not too great?" Su Xinyu gave a light snort. "Do you realize there is a potent poison in your body? Furthermore, given the severity of your wound, it is not suitable to touch water at all."

She leaned down to inspect the wound from a close distance.

"Your wound was not stitched immediately after the injury; the flesh was gouged out before it was stitched. In such a situation, even more care is required. Now that it has been hit by water, there are signs of inflammation, and inflammation will cause a high fever. If it becomes serious, there is a danger of coma."

As Lu Chengxu lifted his eyelid, he saw her smooth, fair little face.

At this moment, she wore no ornaments in her hair, her silky black hair cascaded behind her like a waterfall, her skin was creamy white, and her lips were vivid.

He quickly withdrew his gaze. "How should it be handled?"

"Call for a physician." Su Xinyu straightened up. "Have the physician prescribe something to reduce the fever."

Han Feng was surprised. "The Young Mistress can treat wounds, so you know medicine. Why not just write a prescription yourself?"

"I do not know how to write prescriptions."

What she knew was Western medicine. Although she knew a tiny bit of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) pharmacology, it was limited to making the tools she needed.

Pulse-taking, prescribing, and detoxifying via TCM—she knew none of it.

Lu Chengxu studied her with a suspicious gaze. "You don't know how to write prescriptions, yet you dared to stitch a wound on my body?"

How did she think of it?

Could it be that she treated him like a piece of scrap cloth, just stitching him up to get it over with?

Su Xinyu said, "Regardless, the fact remains that you woke up."

"You are very bold."

Lu Chengxu's voice had no inflection, making it impossible to tell if he was offering praise.

Before the bath, he had carefully inspected the wound.

To dare to use a knife to gouge flesh from his body and then stitch the wound using a method unknown to any physician of the Imperial Academy—she actually dared to do it.

Someone who couldn't write a prescription essentially knew nothing of medicine.

To act so boldly was truly daring.

"I am not that bold," Su Xinyu said.

"Han Feng, call for a physician," Lu Chengxu ordered.

"Yes, Young Master."

Han Feng turned and left.

Lu Chengxu spoke again: "A wound like this should not be seen by a physician." He instructed Su Xinyu in a low voice, "You help me bandage it."

There were many pedantic people in the manor.

Not everyone could accept new methods, let alone a method performed by someone who supposedly knew nothing of medicine.

He was severely injured and poisoned, yet he was still forced to perform the wedding ceremony; one could see what kind of intentions some people held.

As their families were joined, the fewer people who saw the stitched wound, the better. This was one of the reasons he did not want a physician to examine it.

However, to reduce the fever, it was necessary to have a physician take his pulse and prescribe medicine.

Su Xinyu slowly reached out and took the ointment provided by the physician this morning.

She did not want to be buried with him. The "luck-bringing" marriage could not afford any accidents. With this thought, she scooped some ointment with her fingertip and gently applied it to his injured area.

"Don't worry, no one else knows about the stitching."

On the cold, white skin before her, the purplish-black veins were still visible, showing that the toxin was still active.

Lu Chengxu's Adam's apple bobbed imperceptibly.

The girl's soft fingertips moved across his skin, creating a tingling sensation that was irritating.

Just then, she set down the ointment and took a piece of gauze to cover the wound on his chest.

"Sit up a little bit, I will help you wrap the gauze."

Her voice was warm and soft.

Lu Chengxu glanced down and sat up straight.

To make bandaging easier, Su Xinyu sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the gauze to wrap it around his chest. As her hands reached his back, her body inevitably drew close to him several times.

He did not want her too close, and neither did she.

Thus, her movements were very quick.

Lu Chengxu knit his handsome brows, but fortunately, after only a moment, both wounds were bandaged.

However, to this day, no woman had ever dared to sit on the edge of his bed, yet she had.

Fine, since he was the one who asked for her help.

Su Xinyu stood up. "Alright, I'm going back to my room."

Lu Chengxu gave a cold response.

Su Xinyu returned to the East Wing and washed her hands.

Last night, she had sat on a small stool and leaned against someone's bedside, sleeping through the night. She was now very sleepy; she grabbed a pillow and fell fast asleep.

***

Early the next morning.

Su Xinyu rose very early. Just after finishing her breakfast, she saw a small figure flash past the entrance of Qingfeng Residence.

Seeing that she did not follow, the "small figure" doubled back and flashed past again.

Su Xinyu stepped out of the courtyard. "Kid, what is it?"

The youth opened his mouth, but regarding her calling him a kid again, he said nothing, only huffing, "You're in trouble."

Su Xinyu was startled. "How so?"

The youth glanced around. "It is inconvenient to talk here."

The two then went to the pavilion they had visited yesterday.

With no one around, the youth spread out his arithmetic book and pointed to a long string of problems. "Teach me, then I'll tell you."

"This problem is simple." Su Xinyu pointed at the question. "These two sentences are traps; ignore these two pieces of information, then look at the question again."

(End of Chapter)