It was well past midnight. The rain gradually eased, and the Duke's Manor fell silent, with only a solitary lamp still burning in the Guest Courtyard.
After a round of treatment, the Empress had fallen peacefully asleep behind the bed curtains.
Fan Qinghe was a little tired too, but clearly dared not sleep. She sat alone at the desk facing the window, her chin propped in both hands, looking as though her eyes might wear through from waiting.
After waiting for who knew how long, Fan Qinghe's eyelids were already fighting each other when she suddenly heard something cleaving the air outside. A figure then vaulted over the wall and landed in the corridor before the courtyard.
Whoosh~
Seeing that Ye Jingtang had finally made his way back, Fan Qinghe immediately woke up. She rose and tiptoed outside, closed the door first, then hurried into the covered gallery to ask:
"Where... where did you go?"
Ye Jingtang wore only his black inner robe, and he was still wet all over. His expression, however, was perfectly normal. Coming up to her, he first glanced at the room.
"I went out to take care of something. How is she?"
"Her surging blood and qi have settled down. She's just a little weak. She only just fell asleep."
As Fan Qinghe spoke, she looked him up and down, apparently checking whether he had been beaten. After confirming that he was unharmed, a hint of annoyance appeared between her brows.
"Who did you give my clothes to? Couldn't you have checked what you were taking...?"
Ye Jingtang explained, "They were for a friend of Ning'er's, in an emergency. I'll buy you a few new sets tomorrow."
Fan Qinghe did not really mind a few dresses, but the undergarment she had painfully spent so much