The Blind Concubine woke up very late the next day.
After the sun already leant from the middle, slowly, little by little he opened his eyes. Intense aching could be felt from his waist, his bones felt like they were broken all over, his lips were also bitten to the point that his lip's skin were slightly split opened.
There was a fresh newly changed bed-mattress under his body. His body also had been washed and wiped clean, the medicine was smeared on his wounds.
When the Palace Servants were serving him by doing all of these things, he didn't even have the slightest awareness. From head to toe, his body was crying out in pain. The sharp pain from his rear entrance was unbearably painful. He couldn't even make the slightest movements.
The fragrance from the scenting furnace had been changed to another kind of elegant and pleasantly thin fragrant. The Blind Concubine closed his eyes, for a while, he laughed at himself.
Last night, he didn't know why but all of a sudden he recalled all the matters from many years ago. Perhaps it was caused by the too intense pain that aroused the agony which had been buried in the deepest of his memory. The pain was excessive and violent, by only remembering it, it had already pulverized him, he didn't want to recall that kind of memory anymore.
He reclined on the bed, from all over his chest, black and blue marks could be seen, he also couldn't raise his arms, his eyes were blank, without any wave or ripple.
By the noontime, the Emperor returned to the Royal Chamber, walked to the bed, and intimately kissed the Blind Concubine on his lips. : "Woken up?"
Nodding his head, the Blind Concubine asked the Emperor, "Your Majesty, about last night, were you content? Can you enjoy yourself to the fullest?"
The Emperor answered him: "Regarding that, of course I did."
The Blind Concubine hung his eyelids. "May I return now?"
The Emperor knitted his brows, "Return to where?"
"Return to the serving quarter. I slept here, it will attract attention and be hard to avoid any gossip, if there are many people who found out about this, it also won't be good for Your Majesty's reputation."
The Emperor raised one of his brows: "Who dares to say anything?" he bent down and spoke softly to comfort him: " 'I' let you stay here, you can peacefully stay, later 'I'will call Xiao Bao to come and accompany you."
The Blind Concubine lightly laughed, "Thank you Your Majesty."
The Emperor slowly caressed the Blind Concubine's thin and slender pale fingers, "Do not address me as an Emperor, just call my name, alright?"
The Blind Concubine blinked his eyes, "I dare not."
The Emperor cupped the Blind Concubine's hand and kissed the center of his palm, "I cherish you and want the best for you. I also want you to treat me differently, better than you treat the others. Call out my name, Rui Xuan."
He was so sincere in what he said, his pupils' light contained the calm of a deep water pond. He clamped his mouth and quietly waited. The words he said were touching to the point of hurting, The Blind Concubine moved his mouth, very slowly as he started to spill out the words: "Rui....Xuan."
The Emperor seemingly very delighted, lovingly kissed his palm again, "Good."
The Blind Concubine hung his eyes even deeper, his long and thick eyelashes covered his eyes. He had thought about hundred thousands of flowery intimate words to ingratiate himself with the Emperor, but now, upon the Emperor's sincere words, he had nothing to say in response.
-----
In the afternoon, Xiao Bao came to attend to him. First time entering the Emperor's Royal Chamber, he was overly cautious.
Until he entered the inner room, upon the sight of the reclining on the bed and couldn't move Blind Concubine, he anxiously went straight towards the bedside, the rim of his eyes became red instantly.
The Blind Concubine managed with a great effort to laugh at him, "Foolish boy, what do you cry for?"
Xiao Bao was unable to stop his tears, "Master, it is good that you are fine. I was worried the whole night!"
The Blind Concubine mildly laughed, he couldn't contain a burst of sadness from spilling out. Worrying for him like this, probably only this kid would.
"You go and ask for hot water, I want to wash my body."
Xiao Bao wiped his eyes, saying: "Master, didn't you already have yourself cleaned?"
The Blind Concubine shook his head, "That was someone else doing that for me, I want to wash myself, so I will be cleaner."
Xiao Bao nodded his head, turning his body to ask for hot water.
The Blind Concubine opened his eyes, on the top of his head was a piece of bright yellow bed curtain, long and hanging down all the way to the floor. He couldn't see, of course he wouldn't feel neither joyful or sadness from this, all he did was quietly lay down on the bed.
The Palace Servants moved in a screen and a wooden barrel to the room. Pail after pail of hot water was being poured into that barrel. They also brought in fresh towels and clean clothes, placing them on a shelf.
The Blind Concubine told them: "You all can go out."
The Palace's Servants answered him then one after another they withdrew from the room.
The Blind Concubine was facing Xiao Bao, "Help me to get up."
Xiao Bao hastily stepped forward, carefully he help the Blind Concubine to climb down from the bed. The body in his embrace was thin and light, when the gauze had been slid down, the bruised marks were revealed.
Xiao Bao was shocked, he asked: "Master, this....."
The Blind Concubine answered him lightly: "It is not serious. It will disperse in several days."
He got into the barrel.
The hot water was flowing out little by little and slowly flooded the floor. The wound on his lower part of the body was in contact with the water, the blood gushing out again, making the water gradually tainted by traces of bright red.
The Blind Concubine gritted his teeth to endure, he tried really hard to lift his arms, little by little he rubbed his body. On his forehead, because of the heat wave of steam, beads of sweat were showing. He lifted his head to look up, he breathed in a mouthful of air like he was drowning. His hair had been drenched and dripping wet, only an endless darkness before his eyes. His body as if it had been hollowed out and had become only an empty shell.
Xiao Bao circled out from behind the screen, "Let me wash it for you, Master."
The Blind Concubine quickly cast his face aside to a darker place. "Don't look! Awfully filthy."
"Master, what nonsense are you talking about?", Xiao Bao got angry, "If you are not insulting yourself then you won't be satisfied??!"
The Blind Concubine looked down, not saying another word.
Xiao Bao rolled up his sleeves, clutched the towel and rubbed his back for him.
The body of The Blind Concubine was alarming thin, his face produced several strands of redness from the hot water's steam. Xiao Bao heaved a sigh inwardly, then said: "Master, you are like this, so pure that it makes people unable to be at ease."
The Blind Concubine sitting in the barrel, staring blankly as if in a trance, after some time, he replied vaguely: "It doesn't matter."
Xiao Bao helped to take him out from the barrel, wiped clean his body, smeared the medicine on his wound then wrapped it properly with the gauze. Not even having enough time to put on the clothes, the blood had spread out again, striking to the eyes. Xiao Bao had no choice but to unwrap the gauze, smeared the ointment once again, then replaced the gauze with a new one and wrapped the wound properly once again.
After he tried it over and over again, Xiao Bao was finally able to bring the Blind Concubine back to the bed, tucking him in tightly with the bedclothes.
The Blind Concubine's entire body hurt severely. However, after he washed and bathed, compared to before, he felt cleaner.
Xiao Bao grasped his hand firmly, "Master, please listen to my advice, from now on, please treasure yourself more. Do not trouble yourself with any kind of problems. Don't be anxious."
The Blind Concubine absentmindedly murmured: "Mm."
Didn't know if he actually listened or not.
At dusk, The Emperor returned to the Royal Chamber. The Blind Concubine had eaten a little porridge. He was leaning on the bedpost.
The Emperor stepped forward and half hugging him, with his gentle voice: "Feeling better?"
The Blind Concubine made a light laughter: "I feel better."
With all his might he pressed down the painful feeling from all over his body.
The Emperor kissed him on his forehead. And spoke: "Last night, I was moving without much consideration, didn't expect I would hurt you, today, I was worried all day."
The Blind Concubine laid on the crook of the Emperor's arm, deeply inhaled a mouthful of air, "I am fine."
Both of them talked a little before the Palace's Servant brought in thick soup to the room.
The Emperor held the ladle, each time with a spoonful, he fed the thick soup to The Blind Concubine's mouth.
The Blind Concubine appeared low spirited, it took him quite some time before he was finally able to swallow down the whole soup.
The Emperor held that thin and weak body in a tight embrace in his bosom, earnestly said to him: "I will never let you have a rough time again."
The Blind Concubine closed his eyes, didn't utter a word.
The Emperor told him: "We will stay close to each other like this forever, what do you say?"
His lips lightly kissed the space between the brows of the Blind Concubine, then shifted to gently kissing his eyes.
Stay together for the rest of their life, how perfect.....
The Blind Concubine kept silent. The light of the candle peacefully rested in the fundus of his eyes.
The Emperor pressed on and asked once again: "What do you say?"
The Blind Concubine in his bosom, faced upwards to look up to his face, softly answered: "Alright."
The Emperor's face was containing his smiling expression, he too, laid on the bed, hands still held firmly around the frail body, he didn't want to let go.
The Blind Concubine wanted to hug the Emperor, however, both his arms felt heavy and sank, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't lift his arms up.
His eyes were opened albeit blankly. He could only curl up in the crook of the Emperor's arm. He couldn't help but tremble slightly.
The body by his side was big, strong and warm. But such kindness was unlikely to continue for long time.
The Blind Concubine bit down his lips very hard, to the point he could feel the blood dripping in his mouth, but this meant, he could push down the ache in the bottom of his heart, little by little.
In the end, he was unable to endure it, along his cheeks, two lines of clear and cold tears rolled down....