Chapter Text
It took Chen Pinming close to half a day after returning to the camp to convince the prince to retreat to the Helian pass outpost since the opposing army was no longer advancing. Only a little while after the crown prince had left the battlefield a message was received. A messenger had come carrying a call for truce, the letter detailing that Jiangnan was willing to stop their invasion in return for negotiations with the Xia kingdom. Sheng Shaoyou and the remaining generals had been in a meeting when a soldier had come carrying the letter.
“Your highness, now that they’ve indicated a move towards negotiations there’s no need for you to continue staying at the battlefront,” General Wei spoke. He was a gruff man in his 40s, all heavy-set and broad shoulders with a face that was permanently stuck on a scowl. The only time Sheng Shaoyou had ever seen General Wei smile was when he had been invited to their house for tea. General Wei was all smiles then, staring at his wife as if enchanted. “It would be best for you to return to Helian pass to recuperate and then make your way to the capital so you may sit in the negotiation talks,” he continued, suspicious of this sudden change in the Jiangnan army’s approach.
“I don’t believe they’re being completely truthful either, but I think you’re right that I should return to the capital.” Sheng Shaoyou was an S-class Alpha. He confident in himself and his body in withstanding his injuries.
This wound wasn’t even that bad, he’s had worse in his years guarding against the plains tribes.
“I don’t see a need to go to Helian pass then,” He would much rather reach the capital early. “Since the Jiangnan envoy will follow soon after Imperial father returns their message, I’d like to be in the capital before that. Let the Emperor know of my suspicions.”
“Wangye! While the poison in your blood was taken care of the time being, we still don’t know if it has caused any other damage. You can’t risk the journey back to the capital straight away.” Chen Pinming does not care in this moment if he has spoken out of line. He will not budge on this! The prince hadn’t even let them bandage the wound properly before he rushed to meet with the other generals.
“I insist! I’ve already informed Physician Wu about your injury and he’s awaiting your arrival at the pass. Second prince has already set out!”
“Pinming, you know better than anyone how important it is that I be there next to my father when he receives the envoy. I can’t have him swayed by those useless old foxes in the court. They’ve whispering nonsense in his ears throughout this war”
“If I may, your highness . . .” Wei Liao had been observing the growing argument between the crown prince and his deputy and interjected before it could get worse. He gulped as all eyes in the tent turned to him. He could feel his father’s eyes digging into his back warning him to be careful with his words. Wei Liao steeled himself into continuing. “Helian pass is not far, as long as you make a short stop to recuperate, a few days or so, you should still reach the capital in time to receive the envoy.”
The crown prince and Chen Pinming both had such different expressions on their faces at his words. While the crown prince looked pleased at his solution, Chen Pinming glared at him fiercely as if wanting him to take his words back. Wei Liao shuddered at the Icey look, inching closer to his father subconsciously.
Sheng Shaoyou nodded and turned to Chen Pinming with a smug smile, “That’s settled then. We’ll leave for the outpost tonight. The sooner we arrive the better.”
“Your highness, please. . .” The physician, Wu Juan could feel the sweat beading at his back out of the stress, slowly sliding down his spine as he tried to treat the second prince. There were a few scratches on the second prince’s face, and a bruise on his collarbone, both superficial and easily treatable.
Well, easily treatable if the second prince would stop making it hard for Wu Juan. He had heard the prince was hard to deal with but would have never assumed it would be this hard just to clean out the wounds, forget trying to actually apply medicine. In anticipation of the pain, the second prince moved before Wu Juan could even touch his skin, leaning away all the while screeching at the doctors to tend to him.
“Are you trying to make my injuries worse?” Sheng Shaoqing was shrieking. His face was red and puffed up in indignation as he glared at Wu Juan.
“This is my face, I won’t have you damaging it!”, Sheng Shaoqing had demanded all the physicians at the outpost attend to him as soon as he had reached. He had changed out of his armour as soon as he had walked into his chambers and almost fainted at the scratches on his face, paling further when he saw the bruises on his collarbone. For Shaoqing who was as vain as a peacock, any imperfections on his body were the greatest sin. How could he bear to have these bruises and scratches on his perfect body?
“Your highness, the wounds on your face need to be cleaned out and the bruises on your chest require careful handling and medicine. I will try to be gentle as possible but . . .” Wu Juan was afraid saying anything more would only make the second prince angrier, but he had to ask him to stay still, if only to be done with this farce. “If you could bear with the pain and stay still, I will be as quick as possible”
“Hmph!”, Sheng Shaoqing looked at all the doctors in the tent, preparing balms and boiling poultices. He had brought these imperial physicians out of the capital, soothing his father with sweet words before he was given permission to take a few. But only upon reaching the outpost had he heard his brother had his own doctor, a man who was capable of performing miracle cures. . . Looking at physician Wu now, he felt that his elder brother had probably been scammed.
Ha! Serves that arrogant bastard of a brother right! What miracle doctor is this?
Hmph . . .
Besides, it was his elder brother’s fault he has bruises on his chest in the first place. Who told his brute of a brother to grab him so hard? The more Shaoqing thought about it the more he felt annoyed. He looked at his attendants who understood his glance and tried to intimidate the doctor.
“Let me tell you right now physician Wu, if his highness the second prince suffers even a little bit, your punishment won’t be – “
“Second prince. How dare your attendant speak with such authority over this prince’s own people?”
Sheng Shaoyou had made his way to the medical tent to finally get his wounds treated, his shoulder was still a piercing ache and while the poison had been treated before they had even reached the outpost, the wound still needed better care than a makeshift medical tent could provide. He was exhausted and hurt, hoping to have his wounds taken care of before taking much needed rest so he could leave as soon as possible for the capital. He arrives expecting medical care and peace, only to be confronted with his brother’s tantrum and a servant speaking like he had far more authority that he should.
“Guards, come have this servant taken away and flogged for his disrespect.” He directed the soldiers standing guard by the door. Sheng Shaoyou had little patience for his brother’s tantrums and even less for the lack of manners his servants had. The attendant had gone pale from fear when he realised that the crown prince was the one who spoke. The guards grabbed the attendant who was shaky and ashen faced. He could not even struggle out of fear and was limp as the guards took his arms and dragged him out.
“Da-ge! You’re here.” Shaoqing moved again, almost elbowing Wu Juan in the face. Sheng Shaoqing did not even spare a second glance to where his attendant was dragged off to. Instead he was moving to try and get to his elder brother, internally preparing what to say now that he could complain straight to the problem instead.
Dodging the second prince and packing up the bandages quickly, Wu Juan sighed from relief. The crown prince was here, which meant he could get away from here and leave the rest to the imperial physicians the second prince had brought. They can handle the tantrums next; he had far more serious things to deal with. He could smell the faint smell of citrus pheromones and blood coming from the crown prince. He was injured, and badly enough that the wound was still bleeding enough that he could smell it in the air.
“Shaoqing.” The anger dripping from Sheng Shaoyou’s voice stopped the second prince in his tracks. Sheng Shaoqing took a second to really look at his elder brother. His brother was covered in grime and dripping with blood, mostly the enemies’ and some his own, and looked like the king of hell with his long sword on his side and thought: Ah . . . Better not.
“Let the physicians work. Father emperor would not be happy to have you hurt further.” Shaoyou turned his eyes to the rest of the imperial doctors, clearly unhappy with what he considered a lack of effort on their behalf. Chen Pinming who was hovering silently until now, looked over as well with disdain. He then turned towards Sheng Shaoyou.
“Your highness. Let me take you to your rooms while the imperial physicians finish. Physician Wu, you will join us as soon as you are done here.” He began leading Sheng Shaoyou to the rooms the servants had prepared for the crown prince as soon as the news of their arrival had reached the outpost at Helian pass.
“I’m done! I’m all done here.” Wu Juan grabbed his medicine bag and quickly scurried out after them. He had no interest in mingling with the vultures that called themselves imperial physicians. He had never joined their ranks no matter how much the grand physician had tried and its soured his relationship with most of them. Besides, he could see how bad the crown prince looked. To anyone else, it might not be as visible, but Wu Juan had spent years as Sheng Shaoyou’s doctor, and he can see what fatigue and pain looks like on him.
S-Class Alphas like Sheng Shaoyou rarely get sick, and their wounds heal faster than average. They are the pinnacle of humanity, small issues like knife wounds rarely have them looking pale for more than a few hours. Yet, having travelled through the night to reach the outpost, the crown prince was still bleeding.
Wu Juan clutched his bag tighter and fastened his footsteps. If the crown prince looked the way he did, things might not be as easy as just cleaning the wound out.
Chen Pinming gently and carefully pulled off each piece of armour from Sheng Shaoyou. Starting with the crown prince’s shoes and knee guards, he moved up unlacing the chest piece from under his shoulder and put each piece on the armour stand carefully. He cringed at the sight of blood drying on the white fur on the collar. There was more of it on the inner shirt, fresh and red as the wound steadily bled, refusing to clot.
If it was anyone else’s blood, Chen Pinming would not even look at it twice much less flinch at the sight of it, but this was Sheng Shaoyou. Chen Pinming had been by the crown prince’s side since they were children, through the imperial academy and the gruelling hours of training under general Liu, and now as his personal attendant, guard and deputy. In the beginning it had been out of duty, to his own father and their noble household, but over the years that sense of duty had transformed into admiration.
Cheng Pinming did everything Sheng Shaoyou did, every lesson, every military campaign, every fight. Day in and day out.
His constant presence by Sheng Shaoyou’s side allowed him a special glimpse into the crown prince’s life. It had also allowed him to see the way the crown prince was weighed down by all the responsibilities and the weight of the crown. Sheng Shaoyou was doing all he could to serve the emperor and the country and what he got in return was contempt from his royal siblings, and suspicion from the emperor and the court.
That contempt and suspicion is what led them here.
Chen Pinming helping his prince take off bloody clothes while Sheng Shaoyou suffered from an infected wound inflicted in a battle that would have never gotten this worse had they gotten reinforcements or even just better rations. Standing close to the prince, Chen Pinming could see the slight shaking and the red heat of fever. He threw the soiled clothing away and helped a shaky Sheng Shaoyou sit on the bed as physician Wu quickly set out his tools.
“Deputy Chen, I need you to bring water and a fresh cloth to clean out the wound.” Wu Juan ordered as he finally sat beside Shaoyou and inspected the wound. Wu Juan could feel the heat radiating off of the crown prince as he carefully peeled off the pieces of cloth that had become stuck to the wound. The stab wound required a thorough cleaning before he could even think about stitching it up. “And make sure the servants know to boil two pots of water.”
He takes out his set of needles and hands them to Chen Pinming.
“These need to boil in one pot to sterilise them. Do not let the servants dirty them after the boiling, have them wrap it in a cloth. The second pot has to boil and then be cooled down. Tell them not to make it too cold, just enough that it is comfortable to touch”
“Yes, Physician Wu”, Chen Pinming walked out to the door, instructing the servants to do everything quickly. He stands by the door, grabbing the things as soon as the servants come back and returning to Wu Juan’s side.
As Wu Juan used the water and a cloth to clean out the wound, he could see the redness surrounding it. He moved his hands gently but quickly, cleaning away the dried blood and dirt.
“Your Highness, your injury is too severe, there’s inflammation and you’ve developed a fever. I will prepare a few oral medicines after I take care of your wound,” He looks at wound, softly poking at the skin around it and feeling the swelling.
“I’m concerned on why your wound is still bleeding, the blood looks like it refuses to clot which might be an after effect of the poison. I’ll boil your medicine personally and change your bandages frequently. We can’t have this wound getting any worse.” Wu Juan carefully prepared his needles and thread for the stitches.
“I’ve been hurt so many times on the battlefield before and occasionally suffered fevers then-” Sheng Shaoyou’s voice cut off with a grimace as Wu Juan began stitching the wound close. “A good night’s sleep was all it took for the fever to break before”
“You’ve never been engaged in such a long battle with meagre rations and multiple sleepless nights before!” Wu Juan was exasperated now. It has always been hard to make the crown prince stop moving, to rest and to take time for himself. Over the years Wu Juan had realised that Sheng Shaoyou could never be still because he was not allowed to be still ever since he was young. The constant need to ensure everything is done to perfection, every battle won at an unprecedented pace and every task done without fault; his whole life was spent being perfect so the emperor and the court could never find a single fault in him.
“Your highness. If you overexert yourself your body will give up. No matter if you’re an S-class alpha blessed by the heavens themselves.” Wu Juan spoke in a deadpan, finishing the last stitch and knotting the thread efficiently. “You need rest. You can’t move that shoulder too much until it heals or if you exert it too much and pull the stiches open, you might lose mobility in it.”
“How much rest?”, Sheng Shaoyou took the shirt Chen Pinming handed him and put it on, “I can’t stay more than a day, I need to reach the capital and talk with the emperor.”
“A day is all you can spare huh?” Wu Juan dryly asked, discarding the needle and wiping his hands. He turned to his bag, pulling out various herbs and medicines. “How generous of you to spare a day. . . “
“I can’t spend time recuperating here just so those vultures in the court can take the opportunity fill my father’s ears with nonsense. Besides, if you’re so worried why don’t you travel with me?”
Sheng Shaoyou stood up, walking to the door and letting the servants know to prepare water for a bath. Now that his wound was stitched up, he needed a bath to wash off the blood and grime from the journey. A good bath and a good night's rest is all he needed right now. He knows that when he reaches the capital, the court and his father would not let him rest much.
“Fine! Crown Prince how could I ever refuse your words. Here. Take this.” He handed Chen Pinming the oral medication. “It’s for the infection and the fever. Deputy Chen you better make sure the crown prince takes these. They have a soporific effect, so he’ll be out like a light for a good 9 hours with these. Maybe then he’ll finally stop thinking so much.”
“Hua Yong, this has to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done so far I think.”
“Shen Wenlang, is this how you speak to your emperor?” Hua Yong spoke without even sparing Shen Wenlang a glance, continuing to adjust the plain Hanfu he had changed into. It was a soft green Hanfu similar to the colour of young bamboo saplings, soft but practical and clearly meant for an attendant but somehow Hua Yong still looked ethereal in them.
“Oh I apologise. Your imperial highness this plan of yours is the most stupid thing I’ve heard,” Sheng Wenlang was standing by the entrance, his arms crossed and a fierce scowl on his face. “Better?”
“Hmm no I don’t think so, maybe if you knelt?” Hua Yong was used to Shen Wenlang and his prickly attitude. He let Shen Wenlang get away with more disrespect than all of his subordinates. Hua Yong supposed it was because Shen Wenlang had been around the longest; he had been by his side since they were children, both suffering at the hands of their fathers.
“This isn’t the time for jokes! Why are you disguising yourself and joining the envoy to the Xia capital?” Shen Wenlang was gearing up for a long rant once again, his anger at having to pull back from the battle still not extinguished. His eyes were glaring at Hua Yong’s back, who ignored him as he stood in front of the mirror.
“Actually, why are we doing this negotiation in the first place? The Xia are no match for us; they would have hardly been able to put up a good fight these past few weeks if it weren’t for that crown prince of theirs. Now that he’s out of commission we could be taking this chance to topple them but no! you’re wanting peace talks!”
“Wenlang, that crown prince you so hate is my mate. Be careful of how you talk about him.” Hua Yong disliked the reminder of his beloved being hurt, his anger had hardly dissipated even after thrashing so many of their own elite soldiers for such a transgression.
Sheng Wenlang scoffed, “You could just take him after we’ve defeated them. Why go through an elaborate scheme like this?”
“My Diànxià is soft hearted. He wouldn’t like it if I burned down his country and then he would be sad.” Hua Yong finished admiring himself, he was sure his beloved would not be able to take his eyes off of him. Hua Yong looked forward to seeing his prince again, 3 days apart felt like an eternity without being able to smell that intoxicating citrus and wine scent.
“You wouldn’t know much about courting a mate anyway Wenlang, you couldn’t even keep hold of deputy Gao for very long. Without my help your wife would’ve been gone with the wind.”
“You’re trying to distract me from the fact that I’m supposed to let my emperor walk into the enemy’s capital, without any protection other than a few negotiators.”
“Mm not no one. Deputy Gao is a capable guard, isn’t he? He’s coming with me while you wait outside the capital. I’ll leave most of the negotiations to Chang Yu, he knows what I want from this and it won’t be a very long trip anyway.”
Their informants had reported that the Xia kingdom was crumbling slowly, their treasury suffering with the war and the gluttony of its emperor; its people slowly growing unsatisfied. It would be easy to ask their emperor to cede a few territories and a son in exchange for a trade treaty. They would jump at the chance to end this war even if it cost them a humiliating price of giving away their crown prince. Hua Yong knew it would be easy and thus did not concern himself with whatever worries Shen Wenlang carried.
His focus was on reuniting with his precious prince.
He imagined what it would be like seeing him again, to smell his citrus pheromones up close instead of from across a battlefield. Wonders what Sheng Shaoyou would be wearing and imagines peeling him out of them layer by layer. Would Shaoyou gasp? Would he moan with pleasure as Hua Yong touches him?
He is getting ahead of himself he knows. The most he expects to see is that beautiful face and those fierce eyes turning to him in rage once Shaoyou realises just what exactly is the price for peace. Still, it is hard for him to stop. Lust burns through him, and his scent thickens in the air as he fantasizes about Shaoyou, about being close enough to touch and smell his mate. He thinks about how Shaoyou’s eyes would turn red on smelling his own orchid scent, not knowing that from the moment he takes a breath those pheromones would begin changing who he is, moulding him into a perfect mate for Hua Yong.
Hua Yong feels anticipation thrum through his body, his heart beating quick at the very idea of it. He cannot wait to see his prince.
Sheng Shaoyou regained his consciousness in a blur. His eyelashes fluttered, and light seeped in between his eyelids. His forehead was burning badly at this moment; his fever had gotten worse because of the journey back to the capital. The exhaustion and constant movement had taken its toll on him. His efforts to go the palace for morning court were squashed before he could even take a step out of his manor, fainting as he attempted to walk down the steps into the courtyard. It irks at him; how weak he feels and how his limbs refuse to listen to him. His father had been expecting him at morning court and at the negotiations with the envoy. The grand eunuch that served his father had personally come to deliver a message that contained mostly disappointment thinly veiled as concern.
He had been fine when they left Helian pass, but the weather had taken a turn for the worse on their journey to the capital. What should have been only two days journey had turned into four as rain poured down heavily and threatened to cause landslides. It would have taken them longer, but sheng Shaoyou had refused to delay any more.
And now he is paying for his impatience.
He shifts on the bed slightly, moving his sore limbs to try and get some feeling into them when he senses it.
Shaoyou vaguely felt that there was something different in his room. He moved his head to the right, but that makes his head spin, so he quickly shut his eyes. The smell of medicine lingered in the air, bitter and mixed with a bloody smell. But there was something else there too. Something he had not noticed when he first woke up.
A sweet flowery smell in the air that seemed to increase the more he breathed in.
Orchids.
Sheng Shaoyou frowned and heard a subtle noise right next to him. Someone seemed to be guarding him beside the bed. At this moment, the person at the edge of the bed leaned forward. The movement made Shaoyou laboriously open his eyes. He could not really see much, his eyesight was blurry with exhaustion, but he could vaguely make out a figure at his bedside.
He moves his lips in an attempt to ask, who are you? But all that comes out of his mouth is a weak “Hmm?”
“Diànxià your throat must be dry, here have some water.”
Sheng Shaoyou thinks he should be more concerned about this stranger in his room when he is so vulnerable. But it smells so nice.
Soothing pheromones, his sluggish brain tells him. Highly concentrated soothing pheromones from an omega? No not an omega. . . but not an alpha either.
He loses that train of thought when that orchid comes closer to him, sitting on the bed now as he helps Shaoyou sit upright. Being this close to each other only makes those pheromones thicker in the air. As he breathes in, he feels them somehow making him even more sluggish, his thoughts moving at a snail's pace.
A glass is pushed against his lips, and he blurrily opens his eyes again to see who he is leaning against, catching a glimpse of a pale neck. Slowly moving his eyes up he notices an Adams apple and soft pink lips before he is gently turned to face the glass, and cool water brushes against his lips. He drinks, slowly as the water cools down his raging fever for a moment.
Sighing, he closes his eyes, feeling a little bit better now that his throat is less parched. Shaoyou licks his lips and tries asking again, uneasy about how safe he feels in the arms of this stranger. Breathing in his orchid scent that makes him feel like he is floating on a cloud, unbothered and unburdened. He thinks he would protest more, maybe even let out suppression pheromones in response to a stranger holding him so close.
“Wh. . . Who-?”
“Shhh. My darling prince, save your strength for now. Your fever is really high; you need to rest more.”
The stranger pulls Sheng Shaoyou’s head closer to his neck and pump out more of that orchid scent he is really growing to like. The soothing pheromones increase in their strength, soothing his aches but also controlling as he feels himself slipping into a deep sleep. He wonders if the orchid would still be there when he wakes up. It frightens him a little, how much he wants a stranger to be there beside him when for all he knows, they could be here to kill him.
But no, he’s done nothing but be kind. And the scent . . . it smells ethereal. It smells perfect.