Chasing the Fleeting Flower

37: Relief, for now.

The doors flew open and slammed against the walls from the aggression. Yu Jian ran in with sweat dripping down his forehead, his clothes slightly disarrayed and dirty. Heng, the escort Yu Jian assigned to watch over Rui, sent him a letter through Ting Ting. The beautiful bird fluttered in through the window, leaving an ominous trail. When Yu Jian read the note, he immediately left his work room. The guard standing outside, on the order of the Emperor to not let the Prince leave his palace manor, intercepted his pathway and met with his wrath.

"Step aside." Yu Jian's voice was deep and cold as ice.

"Qi Prince, do not blame us. By the Emperor's decree, your highness is detained until further notice. Please compromise with us⎯"

Yu Jian struck first and knocked the first guard out. The second guard blew a sharp whistle to call for backup. The once gentle prince turned vicious within a blink of an eye, as he slammed his elbow into the guard's windpipe, leaving the man choking for air. Yu Jian blew his own whistle to call for his personal guard. The Emperor's men charged through the front gate and pointed their spears at the prince.

One by one, he knocked a couple out with the back of his hand and the rest, he jabbed sharply at their pressure points, paralyzing them. When Yu Jian's guard finally appeared from the dark, he quickly gave an order before taking off, "Rest is yours."

When he was several doors away from Rui's room, he suddenly heard a heart-wrenching sob that shattered his heart. Rui's voice echoed down the hallway and it frightened the maids outside. He was already running as fast as possible, but hearing her howl with such pain made him pick up his speed.

When he bursted through the doors, he saw Rui on the floor with her hands in her face and hair as she rocked back and forth. The mirror, comb, strands of hair, and other items that were on her vanity were swept onto the floor. Yu Jian hurriedly rushed to her side and held her close to his heart. She was breathing hard and crying in between each breath, whispering the same phrase over and over and over again: please stop.

He forced her hands from burrowing into her bleeding skin and shifted them to his waist instead. Her nails tore his sides and he winced in pain, but he did not complain. Yu Jian drew circles on her back while whispering soft words into her ears and planting soft kisses on top of her head. Her tears soaked his robes as she continued to cry.

"Rui-er, I'm here. Your Yu Jian is here," he comforted her and she began to calm down. Her wails slowly reduced to hiccups and sniffles. "Rui-er, Rui-er, my peerless wife. Breathe."

Yu Jian continued until she finally came to a slow stop. Silence fell upon both of them as they sat in each other's comfort and all Rui could think about was the circles being drawn on her skin and the hand running softly through her messy hair. Her puffy red eyes stared dully into space and her eyelids began to feel heavy. Yu Jian carried her to the bed and left her side for a bit but he quickly returned with a cup of water in his hands. Holding her up gently, he fed her water sip by sip before tucking her in bed. Exhausted, Rui closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

He caressed the side of her face and felt the smoothness beneath his fingertips, along with her dried tears. He grabbed a warm damp towel and gently wiped down her face, neck, and hands. Yu Jian applied ointment to her wounds that she inflicted upon herself and repositioned her hair into a neat ponytail. As silently as he could, he cleaned up the mess on the floor and replaced the shattered items.

Afterwards, Yu Jian called in for a trusted doctor to check her condition. He kept a close watch on him, as the doctor nervously read her pulse. His eyes jolted wide and he immediately stood up to bow, "Congratulations, Seventh Prince, she is pregnant."