"Are you serious?"
Ling Mohan's tone rose slightly. He found Feng Jin's words hard to believe, lacking much credibility.
"Of course, I'm serious. I never lie," Feng Jin replied resolutely, her expression feigning sincerity. She certainly wouldn't let Ling Mohan see through her deception. Otherwise, given his temperament, he would stir up some other trouble.
It was better to say less for now. She worried the more she spoke, the more mistakes she would make.
Feng Jin busied herself by getting up and casually looked for other topics to steer away from the conversation. "Um, are you hungry now? I'll get you something to eat. You rest well."
Chuan Qing had been gone for so long without returning. Feng Jin found a ready excuse and left directly, leaving Ling Mohan feeling dejected.
Ling Mohan's mind was still occupied by Feng Jin's words. He reached up and rubbed his face haphazardly. He thought his looks were quite good, certainly better than that pretty boy Sheng Xu Bai.
Sheng Xu Bai, with his frail appearance, was nothing but a pretty boy. Looking at him was nauseating. He truly wondered what kind of taste those young girls had, actually thinking Sheng Xu Bai was good-looking. Only the blind would think so.
Ling Mohan's lips curled slightly, his impression of Sheng Xu Bai worsening as he silently grumbled in his heart.
...
"Achoo... Achoo..."
Sheng Xu Bai sneezed several times in a row and instinctively pulled his collar tighter. It wasn't cold indoors; charcoal was burning, and the windows were tightly shut. Why was he sneezing so much?
"Young Master, are you feeling cold? You should rest early and stop reading."
The young servant tidying the bed, hearing Sheng Xu Bai sneeze repeatedly, worried he might have caught a cold and spoke up to remind him.
Sheng Xu Bai put down his book. Could he really have caught a cold, hence the continuous sneezing?
...
Feng Jin made some stomach-warming congee and brought it to Ling Mohan. "Have some congee first. You have an injury, so you can't eat other things. Drink more congee to warm your stomach."
After a few sips, Ling Mohan found the taste bland and lost his appetite. "I'm not eating anymore. I can't."
"You should eat more. You've only had a few bites. You'll be hungry again later."
She had barely eaten half a bowl, and now she wanted to stop. It wouldn't be long before she was hungry again, and then she'd have to go through more trouble. Wouldn't that be troublesome for her?
Feng Jin coaxed Ling Mohan with kind words and a bit of trickery into eating two more mouthfuls before he finally put down the bowl.
"Alright, just eat a little for now. If you're hungry later, you can eat more."
His injuries hadn't healed yet, so eating too much wasn't good. He should just eat a little for now and then eat more if he felt hungry.
With Feng Jin's help, Ling Mohan lay down on the bed. After eating something, his stomach felt a bit better, not as uncomfortable as before.
"Do you want to sleep? Shall I light some calming incense for you?"
"No, I've slept for a long time. I just want to sit and rest for a while."
If he kept lying down to sleep, his bones would degenerate. He'd rather sit for a bit and relax his body.
"No, you have wounds on your body, and they are on your shoulder. You shouldn't sit up continuously; it's not good for the healing of the wound. You need to lie down and rest more."
Finally, at Feng Jin's strong insistence, Ling Mohan was forcibly made to lie on the bed.
"For this period, you'll have to bear with it and rest well in bed. Once your wounds heal, I won't care even if you go swimming in the sea."
For now, it was best for Ling Mohan to lie obediently in bed.
Ling Mohan sighed softly and finally resigned himself to lying on the bed. He really didn't dare to openly defy Feng Jin.
After a moment's pause, Ling Mohan suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said to Feng Jin, "Go to the storeroom and find a suitable gift. Send it to the Zhennan Prince's manor to congratulate Young Master Gu on his wedding."
"Wedding... Has their wedding day arrived so soon?"
Time really flew by. It felt like a mere blink of an eye, and their wedding day had arrived. It was truly fast.
Feng Jin turned her head, her gaze falling on Ling Mohan, and she asked calmly, "Do you really intend to let them get married like this?"
"Of course. This marriage was bestowed by the Emperor and was decided long ago. It's not so simple to go back on it. They naturally must get married."
The marriage was a done deal, beyond their control. If there was even the slightest deviation in this marriage, it would give the Xiliang people an excuse to exploit. At that time, no matter how eloquent they were, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves clearly.
Regardless of whether Gu Beichen was willing or not, this marriage had to proceed.
"Then... then if after marriage, Gu Beichen already knows the truth, I worry that once these two become inseparable, and have a child, they will be firmly tied together, and it will be impossible to separate them."
If they had a child, and after everything was over, if Gu Beichen wanted a divorce from Murong Jinyun, wouldn't that be too... too hurtful?
As a woman herself, she could empathize and couldn't help but worry unnecessarily.
"That's not something we need to worry about. Their relationship issues are for them to resolve. What kind of karma they sow is what kind of fruit they will bear. It's their own affair."
Ling Mohan's tone was indifferent, devoid of any emotion. He spoke as a complete bystander.
Feng Jin sighed, her mood slightly dejected. She understood what Ling Mohan meant, but her heart couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness.
Once such a thing happened, it was women who would ultimately suffer and be hurt. She hoped Murong Jinyun would have a good ending.
"Don't overthink it. Let's not interfere in this matter. Let them find a way to resolve it themselves."
Ling Mohan held Feng Jin's slightly cold hand and placed it on his chest to warm it. "Your hands are so cold. Is it a bit chilly in this room?"
"No... I just feel a bit pathetic. Never mind, why am I telling you this? You wouldn't understand."
Feng Jin said self-mockingly. As she was about to stand up, Ling Mohan grabbed her wrist and pulled her directly into his embrace.