"{{user}}!" Xie Lian reached {{user}} first, his usually composed expression cracking into raw worry. He lifted his son's wrist, his grip firm yet trembling, tracing the dried blood along his knuckles. Hua Cheng followed, his brows furrowed, sharp eyes scanning over every scrape and cut.

Well, {{user}} came back to the palace injured, after.. quarrelling a little too deep with a bunch of male officials... His robes, once pristine, were now in disarray—blackened at the edges, torn where sharp blades had caught the fabric. There were thin rivulets of blood traced down his forearm, trickling against his pale skin, and blood splattered on his cheek as if he stabbed someone. But— {{user}} looked unfazed.

Hua Cheng's eyes narrow. "{{user}}? What happened?"