After being in a coma for a full day, Qin Huaiqiu finally woke up.
He slowly opened his eyes. Due to the poisoning, his whole body ached terribly. As soon as he opened his eyes, the pain all over his body and the dizziness in his head came like a tide, making him grunt involuntarily.
“... Young master?” Qin Lan, who had just brought in a basin of water and was about to wipe Qin Huaiqiu's face, was stunned. The basin in her hand dropped with a “clank”, and in the splashing water, she rushed towards the bedside, knelt on the ground, grabbed Qin Huaiqiu's hand and cried loudly.
Qin Huaiqiu looked down at her with difficulty, then extended his finger to gently stroke her palm in a soothing way and tugged at the corner of his mouth slightly.
Qin Lan sobbed uncontrollably. Since she saw Qin Huaiqiu spitting out blood and lying pale in Sikong Ting's arms, her heart had been hanging high. It was not until she saw Qin Huaiqiu open his eyes that her tense heart finally had a chance to relax. She held his slightly cold hand and pressed it tightly against her cheek.
Qin Lan's hot tears fell drop by drop on the fingertips of Qin Huaiqiu wrapped in cloth strips. Qin Huaiqiu looked at her and saw that her eye sockets were red and her eyeballs were full of bloodshot eyes. Presumably, she had been crying for a long time. His nose twitched, and he opened his mouth and softly called out, “Sister Lan...”
“It's good that you're awake,” Qin Lan murmured. She looked up and smiled at Qin Huaiqiu. She wiped her face to remove the tears and forced a smile. “Do you want some water? Let me feed you.”
Qin Huaiqiu nodded.
“Okay.”
Qin Lan turned around, poured some water into a cup, helped Qin Huaiqiu sit up, and put the rim of the cup against his lips, feeding him bit by bit.
The warm liquid slid down his dry and hoarse throat, bringing a slight stinging sensation, which made him sober up a bit. He gently pursed his lips and pushed the water cup, indicating to Qin Lan that he had enough.
Qin Lan understood his meaning. She put the cup back on the table, then turned around and sat back on the edge of the bed.
Qin Huaiqiu was leaning against the headboard. His face still showed the paleness and weakness after the illness. He lowered his head and stared at the brocade quilt on his body, like a well - behaved child waiting to admit his mistake, silent.
Qin Lan looked at Qin Huaiqiu worriedly. She reached out and held his hand again, softly calling, “Young master?”
Qin Huaiqiu's eyes moved, but he didn't look at Qin Lan.
He was recalling - but no matter how hard he tried, the last thing in his memory was Sikong Ting's shocked and puzzled eyes.
He knew that Sikong Ting had found out, because Yaze Bu had never intended to let him go from the start. That night was indeed an opportunity. By telling Sikong Ting his secret, Yaze Bu could not only directly undermine Sikong Ting's feelings for him but also easily shatter the court's trust in the Qin family.
He had achieved his goal. It could be seen from Sikong Ting's eyes.
But he couldn't remember what happened after that. He only remembered a sharp pain in his chest and then he lost consciousness.
Qin Huaiqiu reached out and touched his chest, muttering, “What happened to me...”
Qin Lan paused and said, “You were poisoned, young master.”
Qin Huaiqiu's eyes widened. He suddenly raised his head and looked at Qin Lan. Besides shock, there was more confusion in his eyes. “Poisoned?”
Qin Lan nodded and told him the whole story in detail.
“The emperor ordered a thorough investigation and summoned Lord Liu Yun into the palace in the middle of the night. It was like giving him a strict order. In the second half of the night and half of the next day, they caught the culprit,” Qin Lan said. At this point, her voice was filled with a trace of resentment and helplessness.
Qin Huaiqiu was stunned and said, “If it wasn't the people from Loulan who wanted to kill me, there's only one other person, right?”
Qin Lan nodded and said, “Yes, Chang Lin was arrested. He lived in Jingshan. The teacup you drank from that night was poisoned, but only yours. Others' were fine. So they climbed onto the roof to investigate and found Chang Lin's footprints on the roof tiles.”
Qin Huaiqiu wondered, “He climbed onto the roof and put poison in my cup?”
Qin Lan nodded. “Yes, he has confessed. The Yin Du powder is colorless and odorless, so it's not easy to detect.”
Qin Huaiqiu nodded. Since he entered the room, he had been very nervous, mainly because he guessed that Yaze Bu would expose him. In that situation, his attention was on Sikong Ting and Yaze Bu, so he really didn't notice anything dropping into his tea.
“Where is he now?” Qin Huaiqiu asked.
“He's in the dungeon,” Qin Lan said. “The emperor is interrogating him in person.”
Qin Huaiqiu's body stiffened. He asked tentatively, “The emperor is interrogating him in person?”
Qin Lan nodded and smiled. “The emperor didn't seem surprised about your identity... I feel that he should have known it for a long time.”
Qin Huaiqiu's pupils shrank. He was completely stunned. It seemed that there was a voice roaring in his mind, making it impossible for him to sort out his thoughts. Qin Huaiqiu gritted his teeth, and his eyes were filled with tears. “You mean... he knew?”
Qin Lan looked down at him. There was helplessness and comfort in her eyes. She reached out and pinched Qin Huaiqiu's face, smiling. “I think so. After you had an accident, the emperor was heart - broken. I saw it with my own eyes. I think he really likes you.”
Qin Huaiqiu felt that time suddenly stopped.
The air seemed to gradually become hot. Something was rising densely from all around, gradually surrounding him. He was like a child who had lost something and then found it again, feeling this kind of emotion that he thought he had lost. He was a bit flustered and afraid to let his mind wander.
His fingers began to tremble slightly. Qin Huaiqiu couldn't tell whether he was surprised or overjoyed. He covered his mouth in disbelief. A warm current suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart. It was like an invisible hand that, while he was in a daze, dragged him into the memories.
“Concubine De, I like you.”
“Remember, no matter what, I like you. This won't change because of who you are.”
“Concubine De.” Under the hazy night in Jingshan, Sikong Ting reached out and pushed aside his hair. “I just want you to know that I like you.”
Qin Huaiqiu felt that a wave of heat gathered from all over his body to his heart. His throat tightened, and for a moment, he could hardly breathe.
Qin Huaiqiu was so excited that he didn't know what to do. He opened his mouth, with tears in his eyes. He looked up at Qin Lan, but there was an incredible and longing look in his eyes that was truly moving.
“Qin Lan... What you said...” Qin Huaiqiu grabbed Qin Lan's sleeve. Just as he was about to say something, the door was opened from the outside.
At that moment, as if there was a telepathic connection, Qin Huaiqiu turned his head and looked at the door. The person at the door was still wearing the clothes he hadn't changed from yesterday, with exhaustion and a hint of blood on him. Just as he lifted his leg to enter, he also looked up at Qin Huaiqiu.
Their eyes met in the air.
Sikong Ting's expression changed from initial surprise to ecstasy. He stood at the door, his eyes misty. He stared at Qin Huaiqiu who was leaning against the bedside. His dark eyes suddenly lit up, as if the Milky Way in the sky had suddenly descended into their eyes, bright and colorful.
He walked over along the gorgeous Milky Way and stopped beside Qin Huaiqiu. Sikong Ting's eyes never left him. His lips were trembling. It seemed that he wanted to say something, but in the end, all the words were swallowed up and turned into a smile on his lips. Slowly, the smile spread from his lips to his eyes.
Sikong Ting slowly bent down and reached out to hold Qin Huaiqiu tightly in his arms.
His chin rested on Qin Huaiqiu's shoulder, like two mandarin ducks with their necks intertwined, lingering and tender.
Qin Huaiqiu's eyes widened.
This scene was once something he thought was a delusion and absurd.
He never thought that the person in front of him would belong to him.
But Sikong Ting suddenly kissed his neck and murmured softly in his lover's ear, “You're finally awake, my Concubine De.”