Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 184

When the imperial physicians finished reconnecting the tendons in Gu Yu Qi’s hands, it was already past midnight. Watching basin after basin of bloody water being carried out, Yun Ke felt as though his own heart were being sliced apart bit by bit.

“It is done.” The physicians straightened up in unison, stretching their stiff backs and shoulders.

“Your Highness, may we ask you to step outside for a while so that we may clean her other wounds?” one physician requested.

“No need,” Yun Ke said blankly with a wave of his hand. “You may leave. This prince will do the rest.”

“Yes.” The physicians exchanged glances before withdrawing.

Princess Ping Hu was waiting outside. Seeing the physicians come out, she rewarded each of them generously. “Not a single word about what happened tonight is to be leaked. If anyone asks, say only that it was an ordinary injury or illness,” she said, combining kindness with authority.

“Yes, this servant understands.” The physicians all bowed and took their leave.

Yun Ke picked up a small pair of scissors and cut open Gu Yu Qi’s clothes, revealing her body covered in wounds.

She lay motionless on the bed, bl00d still seeping from some of her injuries and Yun Ke’s heart ached unbearably.

His hands trembled as he carefully cleaned each of her wounds bit by bit, applied medicine, and bound them with clean white bandages. Then he sat down beside her, taking up scissors again to trim away the scorched ends of her long hair. He worked with extreme care, as though he were crafting a piece of fine art.

When everything was finally done, Gu Yu Qi was still sleeping deeply.

Only then did he rise, sending in Dai Mei and Ran Mo to care for Gu Yu Qi while he stepped out.

He ordered the secret guards to protect Gu Yu Qi closely, then summoned Du Xia and gave many instructions.

The next day, Gu Yu Qi slowly awoke. The first thing she saw was Yun Ke’s slightly haggard face.

It hurt. Apart from pain, there was little else she felt, but having endured being burned alive in her previous life, this pain was not so unbearable for Gu Yu Qi.

Her physical condition was good. Though the bl00d loss left her dizzy, there was no serious harm otherwise.

Her wounds had been treated with the finest medicine, the kind used by the secret guards, far superior to anything in the Imperial Institute of Medicine.

“Your Highness…” Gu Yu Qi spoke in surprise, but her voice was hoarse.

“No need to speak.” Yun Ke, seeing her awake, smiled at her gently. “Do you want some water?”

Seeing Gu Yu Qi staring at him in astonishment, Yun Ke laughed softly. “What, don’t you recognise me?”

“No.” Gu Yu Qi shook her head, but the movement pulled at her wounds and her brows furrowed in pain.

“Don’t move.” Yun Ke panicked and quickly held Gu Yu Qi still.

Gu Yu Qi looked at him a little awkwardly. Though she could not move, she could feel that beneath the blanket she was almost bare, save for the bandages covering her wounds.

“Your Highness, could you please let Dai Mei in? This concubine should change into clothes,” Gu Yu Qi said tactfully.

“Just let me do it,” Yun Ke replied. He walked to the wardrobe, opened it, and selected a silk undergarment before returning.

Without hesitation, he drew back the blanket covering her, making Gu Yu Qi gasp in surprise.

“We’re already husband and wife,” Yun Ke said with a gentle and warm smile. His smile was like a spring breeze, soft and sweet, something Gu Yu Qi had never seen on his face before. It left her momentarily stunned.

“Don’t hide from me.” Yun Ke gently lifted Gu Yu Qi’s arm and helped her slip one sleeve on. In a soft voice, he said, “No matter what, the words I spoke last night still stands. Even if you won’t forgive me, don’t run away from me. Even if you’ll hate me, I’ll still hold you tightly by my side. Ah Nan, I once cast aside your kindness to me like a piece of trash. I once treated everything you did for me with disdain. It was only after you were gone that I realised how deeply I missed you. I later reigned as the emperor for decades, but every night when I fell asleep, I would dream of you.”

Yun Ke raised his gaze slightly and saw Gu Yu Qi staring at him blankly. He smiled sheepishly, “Back then, I was still very foolish. I didn’t realise that at that time, I had already unknowingly fallen in love with you.”

Gu Yu Qi gasped sharply.

Yun Ke, however, spoke with a touch of desolation, “Do you know that I once did something utterly crazy?”

“What?” When Yun Ke stopped talking, Gu Yu Qi could not help but ask.

“I dug up your ashes and secretly buried them beneath my own coffin.” Yun Ke held his breath for a long moment before speaking slowly, “Don’t be angry with me. At that time, it was because I was angry with you. You said we would never meet again, for all eternity. But I was the emperor of the mortal world, I had the final say in everything. Even in death, you had to be suppressed by me.”

Gu Yu Qi was completely at a loss for words. Her heart was in turmoil… She felt an urge to laugh, yet also a deep sense of helplessness.

Yun Ke was so childish!

“I never thought I’d live a second time, nor did I expect you too would live again. At first, I originally wanted to let you go in this life, but every time we met, you’d appear before me in a new light. Little by little, my past misunderstandings of you were corrected. Little by little, you made me realise just how foolish I once was.” Yun Ke tied the sash of her robe carefully, one knot after another.

“I’ve always thought that even if I died in this lifetime, I would never tell you these words, because they were too foolish.” Yun Ke gently held Gu Yu Qi’s hand and slowly pressed it to his cheek.

Foolish indeed, Gu Yu Qi thought speechlessly.

“But after last night, when I rushed into the fire to save you, I suddenly felt terrified. I had never been so afraid of anything before. Last night, for the first time, I understood what fear truly was, fear that you would disappear into the flames again, just like in our past life. I was terrified that you would never again smile at me, never again frown at me. And the faint smile on your face last night also filled me with terror,” Yun Ke said in a daze.

Smile? Gu Yu Qi froze slightly, then suddenly understood.

“Before you vanished into the fire in the last life, you smiled at me just like that.” Yun Ke said, still shaken with lingering fear. “Last night I thought a great deal. If I don’t tell you these words, who else would I tell them to? I don’t want to wake up one day and regret losing you again because of my own stupidity. So I must let you know my feelings, let you know everything. It doesn’t matter if you don’t forgive me, but give me a chance, please? Let me take good care of you. Even if you stay by my side only because of your mother, I will accept it gladly.”

Gu Yu Qi’s heart trembled slightly.

For a man as proud as Yun Ke, how could he suddenly speak such humble words?

“Call me domineering, ruthless if you must,” Yun Ke paused, then continued, “But in this life, I will never again let go of your hand. I will love and protect you with all of my heart and soul to love you. Ah Nan, don’t push me away anymore, and don’t wear a mask in front of me. Just show me your truest self, your joy, your anger, your laughter, your tears, everything is fine. Just don’t leave me! That’s all I ask.”

Gu Yu Qi was utterly stunned. She looked at the man who was encircling her as though she were a priceless treasure, scarcely able to believe it.

Whether words came from the bottom of the heart, she could naturally discern. At least in this moment, Yun Ke’s eyes were clear, without their usual coldness, holding only sorrow, sincerity, and the preciousness of regaining what was once lost.

“Then Zhang Wan Yi…” Gu Yu Qi asked hesitantly.

“Do not mention her again.” Yun Ke’s gaze turned cold at once. “If it hadn’t been for her constant hypocrisy in the previous life, perhaps I wouldn’t have misunderstood you so deeply.”

“If you didn’t trust her, how would you have misunderstood me?” Gu Yu Qi gave a bitter smile. “In the end, in your heart, my place was still not as weighty as hers.”

“Ah Nan,” Yun Ke said anxiously, “You were utterly different from any other woman I had ever met. I always thought you defied decorum, that you lacked restraint, whereas Zhang Wan Yi was the very model of a noble lady. Tell me, in those days, how could I not believe her?”

Gu Yu Qi was a little taken aback.

“So many things about you were beyond comprehension.” Yun Ke continued, “If not for this lifetime’s sudden awakening, perhaps I would still be mired in misunderstanding.”

On this point, Gu Yu Qi somewhat agreed. After all, in her previous life, she had crossed into this world, carrying with her a certain pride and temper of a traveller between worlds. Yet she had not realised that in the eyes of those born in this era, she was nothing but an anomaly.

It was understandable that he had felt she had been excessive.

Gu Yu Qi’s gaze fell upon the thick bandages wrapped around her wrist, and she gave a self-mocking smile. “Could it be that seeing me crippled, you are deliberately saying these things just to cheer me up?” In her eyes rose a trace of desolation and melancholy. “That’s unnecessary. I, Gu Yu Qi, am not the sort who would seek death over such things…”

Before she could finish, a kiss tinged with a faint saltiness fell upon her lips. Gu Yu Qi stared wide-eyed in shock.

In her pupils was reflected Yun Ke’s handsome face, his eyes tightly shut, his long lashes beaded with crystalline tears.

Tears slid slowly down his cheeks, seeping between her lips and teeth.

That faint salty taste was actually his tears!

Yun Ke… was crying?!!!

This realisation stunned Gu Yu Qi deeply. Yun Ke’s lips did not deepen the kiss. He feared she would struggle, so he only brushed her lips lightly with his own. He only wished to tell her that his heart was truly in unbearable pain.

He would hunt down every single person who had harmed Gu Yu Qi and make them know what it meant to have their bones broken and their entrails torn apart.

After that fleeting touch, Yun Ke slowly released her. Seeing her staring at him with wide eyes, he suddenly became aware of the coolness on his own face. Raising a hand to his cheek, he was stunned to feel the dampness in his palm. So these were tears?

So he too was capable of crying!