Physician, Not A Consort

Mist rose from the hot spring to envelope them. Yang Shaolun moved his hands from her waist to her supple breasts before dropping open-mouthed kisses on her collarbones. The faint fragrance coming from her body drove him mad. His lips found their way back to hers and kissed her thoroughly, sucking on her delicate tongue. Lin Haihai closed her eyes to savor the man’s taste. His passion was like a magnet, irresistible and intoxicating.

His kisses shifted to her ears. Panting momentarily with arousal, he caught her earlobes between his teeth and nibbled. Lin Haihai moaned, holding tight onto his neck.

Yang Shaolun picked her up and walked out of the pond before gently laying her on the bed. His gaze darkened as he stared at her alluring body. He covered her body with his and pushed her onto the bed, taking care not to put pressure on her belly. He captured her lips again. The kiss started out gentle before growing passionate, moving from her lips all the way down her neck. Lin Haihai looked up at him with lust-filled eyes, panting slightly. He had been incredibly gentle with her, worried that he might hurt the child if he used any force.

Feeling his mouth on her nipple sent a shudder down Lin Haihai’s spine. She met his gaze and found his eyes burning with arousal. He then kissed her again as he gently buried himself into her body. Lin Haihai frowned and keened at the sting of his entrance. Yang Shaolun immediately stopped moving and asked nervously, “What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

Lin Haihai smiled and assured, “It doesn’t. It’s fine. It’s fine!”

“Let’s stop. I don’t want to hurt you!” Yang Shaolun planted a chaste kiss on her lips and pulled away, moving off her body.

Lin Haihai chuckled before flipping them and sitting on top of him. In a mischievous voice, she said, “There. We don’t have to worry now!”

It was common sense that a couple should adopt different positions in sex when one of them was pregnant. It was only natural that a doctor like her would know as well.

A moan escaped Yang Shaolun’s lips. This woman will be the death of me!

Lin Haihai blushed and gave him a shy smile. With the dark night sky as backdrop, the moon and stars bashfully hid among the clouds, averting their gazes from the intimate act of passion happening in the room.

-----

Wangchen rushed into the kitchen with the groceries and threw them onto the stovetop before sitting on a small wooden stool and broke into tears. Zheng Feng stood at the door with a complicated expression. He slowly walked up to Wangchen and knelt down to check on her. She stopped crying and turned away. “What do you want?”

“I’m here to check on you,” Zheng Feng managed to say, scratching his head helplessly.

“You don’t have feelings for me,” Wangchen said angrily. “Why did you come?”

“Physician Lin told me to!” the idiot wood plank of a man admitted.

Anger surged in Wangchen’s heart, and she rose to push him to the floor. “So you wouldn’t have come if she hadn’t told you to? You only have eyes for her, but has she ever looked at you that way? She belongs to His Majesty, you idiot! Of all the women you could fall for, you had to fall for her. If His Majesty finds out, you’ll be capitated ten times over!”

Stunned, Zheng Feng turned away ruefully, feeling utterly lost. His heart wasn’t his to control. Wangchen called him an idiot, but wasn’t she being a fool as well? She knew he was in love with someone else, and yet she fell for him. He was nothing but a man trained in fighting. Why would she ever develop feelings for him?

“What’s good about me?” Zheng Feng asked dumbly.

“When did I ever say that?” Wangchen retorted angrily. “Get out. I don’t want to see you right now!”

“Oh, I’m going then. Please stop crying!” Zheng Feng noted her angry tone and didn’t want to stoke the fire further.

“You - ” Seeing that he was actually leaving, Wangchen picked up a piece of wood and threw it at Zheng Feng. Sensing motion behind his back, Zheng Feng reflexively hit back, sending the wood flying at Wangchen at great speed.

Caught completely off guard, Wangchen stood rooted to the spot and ended up hit by the piece of wood. Zheng Feng realized belatedly what he had done. He rushed to catch Wangchen before she could collapse to the floor. Nervously, he said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry!”

Pain swelled in her heart, and Wangchen broke into tears, wailing. Zheng Feng didn’t know what to do. He stuttered, “Does it hurt? I… I’ll take you to a physician. I’ll go find Physician Lin!”

Wangchen grabbed him and stopped crying to plead, “Can’t you forget about her?”

Zheng Feng looked at her misty eyes, her soft lips that were caught between her teeth, and the deep sorrow in her expression. He couldn’t help feeling moved, and he reached out to wipe her tears away. She had been a respected woman served by many, and yet she was crying for a simple warrior like him. His heart clenched and swelled with emotions. He pulled her into his arms, saying with difficulty, “Give me time, will you?”

Wangchen held tightly onto him. Her tears dropped as she nodded.

In the end, they finished all the ingredients Lin Haihai had bought. Wangchen took out her handkerchief to wipe away the sauce at the corner of Zheng Feng’s mouth. His face became as red as a cooked shrimp. Wangchen pulled away and hesitated for a moment before she looked up at him and asked, “You don’t like that I’m no longer a virgin, do you?”

Zheng Feng shook his head. “What kind of a man do you take me for? I don’t care about things like that at all!”

Wangchen’s expression warmed. “Really?”

Zheng Feng held her gaze. “You’re a good woman. It’s worth three lifetimes of fortune for me to have caught your attention. Why would I ever dislike you for something that trivial? However, I fell for the wrong person before meeting you. I simply want to remove her from my heart completely before confessing to you. Only then will this relationship be fair to both you and me!” He wanted to give her his whole heart.

Wangchen nodded, her adoration clear in her eyes. “I’ll wait for you. Please don’t make me wait for too long!”

Zheng Feng nodded, feeling the prickle of tears in his nose.

Wangchen suddenly broke into a smile. “Are we really not going to leave some food for them?”

“There’s no need,” Zheng Feng said coolly. “He wants nothing more than for us to be out of their hair!” He knew what the emperor was thinking.

Meanwhile, Lin Haihai and Yang Shaolun were eating what the runners had bought them. She paused when she felt a chill down her spine and smiled faintly. You’re finally back, Baizi!

“What is it?” Yang Shaolun asked nervously. “Have you lost your appetite?”

Lin Haihai beamed at him. “Nah, I just felt like someone’s talking behind our back!”

Yang Shaolun smiled back at her. “You sure have a set of keen ears!”

He put food on her plate, hoping she would have more while worrying that she would feel like throwing up. Lin Haihai chuckled warmly and ate what he had put on her plate. She couldn’t be more happy and content.

“Are you happy?” he asked.

“I am. I’ve been dreaming of days like this!” Being with him openly had been her greatest dream.

“It’s the same for me. I’m sorry for the wrong done to you!” he said apologetically. Her wishes had been so simple, but he couldn’t grant her that because of who he was.

“It’s you who have been wronged. You’ll be forced to abandon your nation and start a reclusive life with me!” That was a prospect Lin Haihai had been worrying about.

“You’re much more important to me than the nation.” That was the kind of man he was. He loved his woman more than he loved his nation.

“You’ve sacrificed so much for me. I’m worried that you may regret it one day!”

Lin Haihai imagined their life together. It was said that marriage was the tomb of love. Once they got married and began spending all their time together, they would inevitably clash, and their love would be slowly eroded away by arguments. Once a couple began to resent each other, they would regret their unconditional sacrifices and devotion to each other. Their marriage would be fraught with arguments, accusations, complaints, anger, and resentment. Then the marriage would fall apart, along with their love.

“No one can predict the future. I know only that you’re more important to me than anything now.”

Yang Shaolun didn’t want to worry too much. Some love might have sprouted in a short period of time, but it would last forever!

Lin Haihai felt a pang in her heart. She could never put aside her worry when she thought about their future. The empress dowager alone would be a great obstacle. She frowned when she thought about her. The old woman must have been worried sick after she went missing. “How’s your Imperial Mother?”

Yang Shaolun’s mood took a visible downturn. “She had a stroke and collapsed the day you went missing. She can only move half of her body now.”

He didn’t know that his mother had had another stroke after he left the capital and was still unconscious.

Lin Haihai felt like the world was shattering around her. Panicked tears welled up her eyes. Yang Shaolun hurriedly put his arms around her. On one hand he was worried that her sadness would hurt her body. On the other hand, he was moved that she cared about his mother so much. “Don’t worry, Xiao’hai. It’ll be fine. Don’t worry!”

Lin Haihai wiped tears from her face and sobbed, “It’s all because of me. Let’s go back, Brother Yang! Let’s go back now!”

“Listen to me, my dear,” Yang Shaolun said softly, patting her on the back with gentle hands. “We’ll stay the night and return tomorrow, alright?”

“But...”

Lin Haihai wanted to say something, but Yang Shaolun stopped her with a deep gaze. “Imperial Mother has stabilized, and you need the rest. We’ll meet up with Xiao Yuan tomorrow and go back to the capital!”

“Xiao Yuan… That’s right. Yu Suqiu. That girl is Chen Hanshen’s fiance! We have to take her to the capital with us!” Suqiu had gone to the yamen as a witness with Xiao Yuan.

“Why would Physician Chen’s fiance be here?” Yang Shaolun asked with a frown. “Hasn’t she gone to the capital?”

“She was kidnapped and sold to the brothel. Almost got raped by a client as well. I rescued her.” Lin Haihai told him the truth. Perhaps she should tell him about her martial art skills as well, or he would keep worrying about her.

“Rape? You saved her?” Yang Shaolun was belatedly scared by her action. “You must not do something this reckless ever again. It’s fortunate that they respect you as a princess consort, or you would’ve gotten hurt as well!”

He thought she had ordered the brothel to let Suqiu go as a princess consort. Never in his wildest dream would he imagined her stopping violence with violence.

“I won’t!” Lin Haihai stuck her tongue out. She would find the right time to tell him.

“How is Chu Zijun as an official? What’s his relationship with Mother Qin?” Yang Shaolun was an observant man. He hadn’t missed the urgency with which Mother Qin had admitted to her crimes. She must have been trying to shoulder all the responsibilities to protect the person she loved.