Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Changing the Dressing

Drunken behavior can hardly be explained by common sense. After Liu Ling'er got drunk, she began to fuss and flail about with abandon, and the one she tormented was naturally Baili Xian, who could only be angry without daring to speak. In no time at all, she had turned his hair into a tangled bird’s nest.

Fortunately, Liu Ling'er soon grew drowsy, her eyelids drooping against each other. Only then did Baili Xian let out a breath of relief. He had no idea how much more patience he still had left to wear away on her. If he truly lost it, knocking her out first would not have been impossible.

Watching Liu Ling'er gradually settle down, docile as a little cat curled up there, Baili Xian could not help but laugh softly. “Liu Ling'er, I have to admit, I’m rather impressed with you now. The wine brought by the Western Wei envoys doesn’t seem like much at first taste, but it has an unusually powerful aftereffect. Even connoisseurs would not dare drink too much of it, and yet you finished it all in one go.”

It had to be said, Baili Xian truly admired Liu Ling'er. His princess consort always made him feel unexpectedly amused. Unfortunately, not a single word of what he said reached her; she had already sunk into deep sleep.

Looking at the smile on her sleeping face, he could not tell what dream she was having that made her so happy. Watching her for a while longer, he too began to feel drowsy. In the end he simply took off his boots, climbed onto the bed, and gathered Liu Ling'er and the quilt into his arms.

No one knew whether his movement was too rough or whether Liu Ling'er had dreamed of something unpleasant, but she actually frowned, which made Baili Xian hesitate a little. He hurriedly loosened his hold slightly, and only after her brows smoothed out again did he finally fall asleep himself.

He slept for nearly half a day. When Liu Ling'er woke again, the lamps had already been lit in the room. The red candlelight flickered gently, yet her heart was strangely calm. Drinking the Western Wei wine had one blessing: even after getting drunk, waking up would not bring a headache. Instead, she felt clearer and more refreshed than before.

She opened her eyes and looked around Phoenix Rest Palace, only to realize that Baili Xian had already left. Sitting in the room was her personal maid, Xiao Tao.

Xiao Tao was at the table, one hand propping up her little head. She was not daydreaming, but nodding off from sheer exhaustion, her head bobbing up and down like a chick pecking at grain. The sight struck Liu Ling'er as irresistibly funny.

Liu Ling'er was not one to hold back when something amused her, so Xiao Tao soon heard a faint burst of giggles. Her nerves had already been taut, and this startled her fully awake. She quickly looked toward the bed and saw Liu Ling'er smiling at her.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Xiao Tao hurried over. “Miss, you’re finally awake. His Highness the Prince instructed me to serve your meal once you woke up. Should I have it brought in now?”

Liu Ling'er looked quietly at Xiao Tao. Her complexion was poor, and her eyes were still red and swollen, clearly from crying. It was no surprise to see her here. After all, Liu Ling'er had been hurt, and with no one close at hand to care for her, it was understandable that Baili Xian had summoned Xiao Tao to look after her.

“This can wait. Xiao Tao, bring me a cup of water first. I’m terribly thirsty.”

Her voice had recovered, no longer hoarse as it had been in the daytime, but she truly was thirsty now. Part of it came from the wine, and part from having gone so many days without water.

Xiao Tao poured her a cup of water, then went out to tell the maids outside to bring in the meal. Soon, a line of palace maids entered one after another, each carrying a dish.

A little eunuch placed a table of the same height beside Liu Ling’er’s bed, and the maids set the dishes upon it. In no time at all, the table was filled with fragrant dishes and pastries of many kinds.

Liu Ling'er swallowed hard. It would be a lie to say she was not hungry. Baili Xian had clearly thought this through very carefully. Though she could not move about freely now, that did not mean she had no appetite.

After Xiao Tao waved the maids away, she busied herself serving Liu Ling'er rice and soup. Liu Ling'er, too, made no attempt at reserve. If there was a dish, she ate it; if there was soup, she drank it. Though she was starving, she still restrained herself a little in front of Xiao Tao, afraid her appearance might frighten the girl.

Even so, Xiao Tao still muttered with a mournful face, “It’s all that despicable assassin’s fault, turning our miss into this state. If I ever lay eyes on him, I’ll skin him alive.”

Liu Ling'er immediately spat the soup in her mouth back into the bowl with a laugh. “I don’t think you should bother with that. If you failed to peel off his skin, you’d probably just end up dead by his hand instead.”

Xiao Tao looked at her with wounded grievance, her expression seeming to complain in silence: Miss, could you at least save your maid a little dignity?

The look on her face made Liu Ling'er dare not tease her any further. She straightened her expression at once. “I’m joking. Don’t worry. When your miss grows strong enough in the future, will she not be able to protect herself and a single servant girl? I’m full now. Clear these away.”

With Liu Ling'er’s promise, Xiao Tao’s expression no longer looked so wronged. She called the maids back in, and after the remnants on the table were removed, Xiao Tao brought over a basin of hot water, then produced a small wooden box.

“Miss, I’ll wipe your body first, then apply the medicine. Imperial Physician Jun said that if you want the wound to heal sooner, the dressing must be changed every day.”

Though it felt a little awkward to have Xiao Tao wiping her body, it also showed that these past few days Xiao Tao had been the one cleaning and caring for her. It was fortunate that it was Xiao Tao; if it had been Baili Xian, she would truly have been miserable.

Just as Xiao Tao picked up the ointment and was about to apply it, the main door was suddenly pushed open with a crash. Liu Ling'er started and turned her head, only to see Baili Xian striding in.

Seeing Xiao Tao change Liu Ling’er’s dressing, Baili Xian said to her, “You may go out. I’ll do it.”

Xiao Tao hesitated for a moment, then set down the medicine bottle and bowed as she withdrew.

Liu Ling'er lay there on the bed, completely dumbfounded. Only after Xiao Tao had left did she come back to herself. Watching Baili Xian solemnly pick up the medicine bottle, she was utterly speechless.

What the hell? Come on in, my foot. Can anyone explain why this is happening?