No Repeats

Aftermath of the battle

The next two weeks was a blur to Shu Mei, after carrying Bai Ye on her shoulders and dragging along the half dead Yu Li back to the palace, she led the clean up of the aftermath with the help of the Prime Minister and Lu Tai. During the day she was busy with the empire's affairs and at night she stayed by Bai Ye's side. The man had taken so much damage from the backlash and battle that his body had shut down and went into a coma.

Every night she would lay by his side and allow herself to be comforted by his steady breathing, knowing that as long as he still has a heartbeat, he will wake up again one day. Shu Mei didn't let the maids help clean him, preferring to do it herself. She got into a routine and felt very confident in her abilities.

Every morning, she would gently wipe his face and cleaned his teeth, then wipe down his body and brushed his long hair. After changing him and making sure he is in a comfortable position, she would clean and changed herself. Then she would hold him up so that he was resting against her chest while she fed him nourishing soup.

Only after she is satisfied that he has eaten enough and he was in a comfortable position would Shu Mei allow others to watch over him while she went out to settle the mountain load of tasks required to establish a new administration and stabilise the empire.

If she was in the palace at lunchtime, she would return to visit Bai Ye and tell him about her morning. It was a one-sided conversation, but she didn't mind. She would gently trace the profile of his handsome face and scars with a smile and rest her head on his chest to hear his beating heart. Just by being with him in the silence was enough to calm her anxieties and revitalise her spirit. Then she would feed him soup and watch him sleep until she had to leave.

At as she saw him, the tiredness and stress from the day will instantly dissipate. Always putting Bai Ye first, she would check his body to make sure no one has hurt him in her absence and then feed and change him. Shu Mei liked clean shaven men, so when she noticed the stubble that had grown on his face, she immediately asked for a shaver.

She felt that she has become a compulsive obsessive when it came to Bai Ye's matters, nothing can get pass her sight, even that tiny nose hair sticking out must be cut properly. In her heart, only by proper grooming and care can one do justice to Bai Ye's handsome features.

Shu Mei never thought that she was a talkative person, but the last two weeks have proven that she could talk for hours nonstop. She would tell him about her day, the interesting people she met, the problems that she had to make decisions on and then a little bit about her past life. Even when she settled into bed and hugged him to sleep, she would continue to whisper sweet nothings that only she and he could hear.

"Your Highness, Bai Ye has been in a coma for two weeks now and I can see you have exhausted your energies. The dark shadow under your eyes and weight loss are clear indicators of the toll it is on your health. This is not sustainable, how about you allow the palace maids to care for him?" asked the Rui Prime Minister.

Lin An rolled her eyes at his words and looked at Shu Mei's profile, waiting for a reaction from her new boss.

She has been appointed as Shu Mei's imperial bodyguard and have stayed in the palace since the day of the battle. Shu Mei had moved her grandmother and Uncle Feng into the imperial palace on the second day. While she was given duties to protect Shu Mei, Lin Xi was asked to help Imperial Noble Consort Rui weed out the Murong clan influence in the harem.

Needless to say, the last two weeks have been filled with bloodshed.

"If the Prime Minister is that worried about my health, I am happy to step down from work and spend my days dedicated to Bai Ye. There are no alternative options," said Shu Mei firmly, continuing to read the paperwork in front of her.