After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine

Early the next morning, Jiang Suizhou complained about being ill and wanting to return to the capital in advance.

Perhaps due to the turbulence last night, the Hou Zhu was out of sorts and in a foul mood. He was entirely disinterested, so when he heard someone reporting that His Royal Highness Jingwang was ill, he readily permitted his return with a wave of his hand.

Jiang Suizhou was indeed ill.

After he went to bed that night, he secretly planned to be so. They had to return home the next day, so since he wanted to leave in advance, he had to find an excuse.

The best excuse, of course, was his health.

With this in mind, Jiang Suizhou did not hesitate much, nor did he discuss with Huo Wujiu. He secretly opened the window in the night, removed his quilt, and just laid there all night.

He didn’t fall asleep until late at night because of the cold.

He stayed awake for most of the night. His head was clear, and he began to muse about matters all over the state. He mulled over Pang Shao’s affairs over and over again, and considered his plans in the future. Then his thoughts drifted to Huo Wujiu.

For some reason, when he thought about Huo Wujiu, he felt as if his cheeks and his ears were a bit feverish.

He lifted his hand and gently patted his face with the back of his hand.

He could still picture how Huo Wujiu hugged him today.

He was truly a gutless coward. At the sight of blood, he shed tears for no reason. He desperately tried to bear it, but failed miserably. When he was embarrassed, he was pressed into his arms by Huo Wujiu. Just as he was feeling overwhelmed, Huo Wujiu pressed him into his arms.

It could be said Huo Wujiu hugged him, but it didn’t seem to be. Nonetheless, Huo Wujiu did envelop his entire body. There was no mistaking the stench of blood, but Jiang Suizhou also felt his tight muscles and powerful heartbeat. It drummed against his chest and spread toward Jiang Suizhou.

Recalling all these, Jiang Suizhou closed his eyes and felt an inexplicable bashfulness.

It wasn’t the kind of bashfulness he was disgusted with. On the contrary, it was something that made his heart race.

Jiang Suizhou couldn’t tell exactly why. He just felt quite flustered deep inside, with a sprinkle of sweet bewilderment and nervousness.

He had never felt this way before.

These feelings made him toss and turn restlessly even more. Even with the cold breeze at night in the mountains, the heat on his face never abated until the second half of the night.

This time, he passed out in his sleep. When he was shaken awake by Meng Qianshan, he already had a high fever.

When he opened his eyes in a daze, he noticed Meng Qianshan nervously lying on the edge of the bed.

Jiang Suizhou opened his mouth and was about to speak when broke into a series of hoarse coughs.

Meng Qianshan hurriedly helped him sit up and said in a panic, “Please forgive me, Your Highness! I don’t know why I forgot to close the window for Your Highness last night. Now, you got sick from the cold! The imperial doctor will be here soon…”

But then Jiang Suizhou sat up and waved his hand.

“This Prince opened the window,” he was short of breath and spoke with panting. He first raised his hand and touched his forehead.

Wonderful. He was dizzy; his throat was itchy; his palms and forehead were hot; he must be suffering from a fever.

Indeed, his body wasn’t capable of anything else. Pretending to be ill was accurate.

A smile surfaced on Jiang Suizhou’s face.

When Meng Qianshan heard his response, along with his smile, he got all flustered. He exclaimed, “Your Highness…”

Jiang Suizhou raised his hand to interrupt him and said, “It’s nothing, this Prince has his own plans. Send someone to tell the Emperor that this Prince has a high fever and needs to return home to recuperate.”

Meng Qianshan agreed readily. Jiang Suizhou waved his hand and ordered, “Go quickly.”

He knew that they still had a long way to travel for their return to Lin’an from the mountains. If they delayed any longer, it would probably be midnight when they arrive.

Jiang Suizhou had no idea whether he could withstand the fatigue given his illness and disorientation.

Meng Qianshan hurriedly responded and sped away.

After sending Meng Qianshan away, Jiang Suizhou clutched the bed and coughed uncontrollably.

Then he saw a cup of steaming water handed to him.

He looked upward and saw Huo Wujiu’s frosty front.

The smug look on Jiang Suizhou’s face froze, and he even felt guilty inexplicably.

Before he could speak, Huo Wujiu leaned over and brought the water to Jiang Suizhou’s lips along with his breath. He waited for him to drink without saying a word.

How could he let Huo Wujiu serve him?

But at this juncture, Jiang Suizhou was too weak to resist. He could only comply with Huo Wujiu’s actions and drank a couple mouthfuls of water.

…It burned his mouth.

After a couple of sips, Jiang Suizhou declined to drink any more. Huo Wujiu’s hand froze in place without any compromise.

Jiang Suizhou could only whisper, “It’s hot.”

He was sick, so his voice rang softer than usual. In addition, his lack of breath gave him a hint of petulance, which sounded rather squeamish.

Huo Wujiu paused, took back the teacup and put it on the table next to him.

“Is this the method you said will let us go home?” Huo Wujiu asked in a deep voice.

Huo Wujiu’s tone was calm, but Jiang Suizhou noted his critiquing tone.

He fell silent for a moment and whispered sheepishly, “…Yeah.”

Then, he hurriedly clarified, “After all, this method is more direct! Your injury needs bandaging and medication, and cannot be delayed any longer. I’m always sick too, so this isn’t a big deal…”

Before he could finish his speech, a racking cough interrupted him.

His cough made him dizzy. All that filled Jiang Suizhou’s ears was his hoarse cough, but he somehow vaguely heard a sigh.

The next thing he knew, a palm landed on his back like a compromise and slowly patted him.

——

However, other than that, he didn’t hear Huo Wujiu say another word.

He sat next to him in silence, watching as the imperial doctor attended to him and waited for the men sent by Meng Qianshan to return with the imperial decree and pack up their luggage and carriage.

Jiang Suizhou was helped to change into his robes and got into the carriage; Huo Wujiu sat beside him the entire time. However, he never heard him speak again.

Jiang Suizhou was always a bit apprehensive.

Meng Qianshan brought a fur blanket to cover him. Jiang Suizhou huddled on the carriage seat and leaned sickly in the corner.

The mountain road was bumpy and the carriage was rocky, so when leaning against the carriage, he rocked and bumped along the way. Despite this, his eyes always drifted back to Huo Wujiu. He couldn’t help wondering, Is he angry?