If he made any sudden movements, the skin and flesh would ache even more. Because it had been some time, the imperial physician’s dressing changes also caused him such pain that he would turn deathly pale, though he had now learned to grit his teeth and endure it.
Yao Yingying slept soundly until the afternoon, when a palace maid entered to wake her with great caution. Peering through the heavy bed curtains, one could see the two of them lying peacefully side-by-side—a natural, intimate scene that belied all the rumors spreading outside about their discord. The maid made a mental note to report this to Empress Dowager Zhang later to set her mind at ease.
"What time is it?" Zhou Wei, the first to stir, asked the maid.
Chapter 143