Chapter 55
Inside the Jingyuan Palace, Concubine An knelt down to help the Sixth Prince put on his jade belt.
The gold and jade belt wrapped around his slim waist, adorned in luxurious silk robes, a white jade crown securing his hair, his young face as tender as jade.
As the doors opened, the morning light flooded in.
Courtiers and attendants silently stood to the side, ready to accompany the Sixth Prince to the Mingguang Hall, waiting for him to finish preparing.
Concubine An had personally raised the Sixth Prince since he was young, taking care of his every need.
For some time, she had even accompanied him to the Mingguang Hall for his studies.
Her luscious black hair cascaded down, her youthful face still untouched by grooming, only a few faint lines around her eyes, exuding a gentle and elegant demeanor.
Her expression remained calm as she smoothed out the wrinkles on the Sixth Prince's clothes, handing him over to the attendants.
"Take good care of the Sixth Prince," she softly instructed.
The attendants bowed their heads and led the Sixth Prince out of the Jingyuan Palace.
Concubine An gazed silently at his retreating figure until he was out of sight, then she lifted her skirts and turned back to the sleeping Seventh Princess in the bedchamber, gently nudging her awake, "Little Seven, it's time to wake up."
The Seventh Princess rubbed her drowsy eyes, her face like a snowball full of lingering sleepiness, calling out to her, "Mother."
"You lazy girl, get up quickly," Concubine An lightly tapped her forehead with her snow-white finger, "Didn't you agree to play chess with Xiao Ba today?"
The Seventh Princess perked up at the mention, stretching her arms and jumping into Concubine An's embrace, "Mother, help me get dressed."
Just as Concubine An was about to lift her up, a palace maid's voice came from outside the door, "My Lady."
Concubine An turned her head and looked towards the door, asking in a low voice, "What is it?"
The maid entered the chamber, approaching her, "The steward of the palace market, Jiang, said that the pearls you ordered have been procured."
Upon hearing this, a slight smile froze on Concubine An's face, and after a moment, she regained her composure, gently telling the Seventh Princess, "You go ahead and get dressed, Mother will be back soon."
She handed the Seventh Princess over to the attendants and then turned to walk towards the flower hall.
In the flower hall, Concubine An saw a woman with a weathered face and a faint smile standing in the sunlight. The woman kneeled before her and greeted her, "Lady An."
"Why have you come?" Concubine An asked.
"The pearls you asked me to buy have been procured," Jiang Yuedong approached her, handing her a small package and lowered her voice, "My Master has a message for you; she asks if you've had enough of ten years of luxury and wealth, have you forgotten your humble origins?"
Concubine An's fingers suddenly clenched.
This statement undoubtedly struck a chord in Concubine An's heart.
The late emperor's first wife was the aunt of the Xie family. When the late emperor rebelled, the tyrant emperor, in his fury, targeted the Xie family. Her parents were implicated and tragically died at the hands of the tyrant emperor, leaving only her elder brother and her behind.
The late emperor, out of pity for their plight, first took them with his army, then established the Dongli, and finally brought her into the palace to care for her.
Shortly after the late emperor's death, she became a helpless orphan.
Before his death, the late emperor had intended to betroth her to the then General Xie Yaoshen.
Xie Yaoshen was a rough warrior, much like her, a commoner. After reporting to the capital, he was to be stationed at Jiangzhou as a military commander.
She wandered from the countryside of Yongzhou, finally arriving in the capital, where she learned the refined arts of tea, flower appreciation, and poetry with the noble ladies in a place where spring-like seasons prevailed all year round. She had grown accustomed to a life of luxury and was truly unwilling to return to the tents on the border to endure the sounds of wind and snow.
She loved the bustling city of the capital, with its splendid and magnificent imperial palace, and enjoyed standing on the high platform overlooking the entire city's grandeur.
That's why her gaze fell upon the man who had just ascended to the throne as the Emperor.
Since childhood, he had taken care of her. After her parents' death, she and her brother had traveled with the army for a while, and he would even hold her on his lap to discuss matters with the other generals.
The Empress was also a gentle and kind-hearted person. When she cried in pain at night missing her parents, the Empress would comfort her gently.
She was willing to treat them as family.
At that time, she was so young, probably only fifteen or sixteen. She was only a few years older than the Crown Prince, and they all saw her as a child.
But this child, taking advantage of their disputes, burned the letter he left her and even put aphrodisiac in his drink.
She got what she wanted, staying in the capital.
She even gave birth to a pair of lovely children.
Over the years, she had studied hard, learning the arts of tea, flower arrangements, playing the zither, and poetry, striving to shake off the air of a country girl and become a truly elegant and noble lady; she personally raised her two children, turning them into gentle and humble princes and dignified princesses, everyone admired her two children for being obedient and capable; she often reminded her brother to be humble, practical, and diligent, to cultivate the family's heritage.
Sitting in a round chair, her fingers curled up, as if she was trying hard to suppress the anger in her heart, "Whether I have forgotten or not, what does it matter?"
Jiang Yuedong gently raised her eyes, folding her hands in front of her and smiled, "My master said, if you act impulsively again and do such foolish things, then from now on, you're on your own."
The smile on her face disappeared in an instant, leaving only a bleak and gloomy expression in her eyes, "This is the second time; my master is very angry with you."
"Failed to kill someone several times and still have the nerve to be angry with me?" Concubine An lowered her eyes, disdainfully eyeing the embroidered flowers on her robe, "The Emperor's health probably won't last much longer."
Jiang Yuedong raised her eyebrows, "Really?"
"Lately, when I take the children to the Empress's palace, I hardly ever see him."
In recent years, although the Emperor had been extremely cold towards her, he had been a loving father to their two children. He had been injured and poisoned during his military campaigns years ago but had managed to suppress the poison after treatment. Since last year, the Empress had frequently summoned the two royal physicians, Xu and Wang. She only had to think for a moment to understand the reason.
"I see," Jiang Yuedong said indifferently.
Concubine An's complexion worsened, and she sneered, "The Prince is gaining the people's favor. If you don't manage to kill him before the Emperor's death, you won't have a chance once he ascends to the throne! When will you finally succeed?"
"My master has more important matters to attend to now, so wait patiently," Jiang Yuedong seemed to be touched by her remarks, speaking coldly, "Once my master makes a promise, and won't break it."
"I've waited long enough."
Jiang Yuedong was very reluctant to hear her speak like this, saying, "My master said if you trust her, follow her instructions and continue delivering items to the East Palace."
"He's always around Li Wenjian, with so many opportunities to kill him, why hasn't he made a move? Must he make me deliver things to the East Palace every day, does he expect those pastries to kill him?" Concubine An found it all quite baffling.
Ignoring her, Jiang Yuedong stood up, knelt before her once more, and said, "My words have been delivered, I have other matters to attend to, My Lady, please excuse me."
Concubine An watched as she disappeared through the palace doors, her face cold and expressionless. She then slammed the armrest of the chair heavily, thinking to herself that if it weren't for her brother's lack of accomplishments in court over the years, she wouldn't need to collaborate with a madwoman and allow herself to be manipulated.
Only now did Concubine An slowly begin to understand some things.
Some things are just meant to be, and trying to force them only leads to exhaustion.
***
"Liangyuan," the young court physician handed back the handkerchief filled with powder to Zhao Heng, saying, "These are just ordinary incense powder used to enhance the fragrance of pastries."
Zhao Heng pinched the handkerchief, lost in thought for a moment. Were they really just ordinary incense powders?
Had she misunderstood Concubine An's good intentions?
Concubine An's attentiveness towards her made her feel particularly uncomfortable, despite her reasons for bringing pastries every time.
The pastries were fine, and there was nothing wrong with the powder on the box.
So where was the problem?
Zhao Heng's heart raced, her cheeks turning red with guilt for her unworthy suspicions.
She touched her flushing face with cold hands, carrying a heavy heart as she returned to the East Palace.
*
As night fell, a sudden autumn rain showered down urgently.
After leaving the Chongming Hall, Li Wenjian was met by MubGui holding an umbrella for him. "The envoy from the Yue tribe has reached Jiangzhou, General Xu is ready, just waiting for the envoy to enter Yan Chi before taking action."
"Good," Li Wenjian nodded before asking, "Any news from Yang Luo?"
Mu Gui shook his head, "None."
Li Wenjian felt a brief moment of surprise.
Two months ago, he had sent Yang Luo quietly with his token to the Northern Army's headquarters in Luoja to investigate. But to this day, there had been no news, fearing that something unfortunate had happened.
The rain poured even harder, soaking him through as he walked.
As he approached the outer palace, he noticed a figure under the eaves illuminated by a lamp. Taking the umbrella from Mu Gui, Li Wenjian said, "You can go back now."
Just as he stepped on the steps, Zhao Heng hurried over and saw him half-soaked. Frowning, she untied his cloak, saying, "The hot water in the bathing chamber is ready; Your Highness, please bathe first."
Li Wenjian handed her the umbrella, saying, "Wait for me," before heading to the bathing room. He returned to the sleeping chamber after bathing and changing into nightwear.
Zhao Heng heard his footsteps approaching, closed the window, then walked to the desk, picked up the warm herbal soup, and handed it to Li Wenjian, saying, "Physician Xu sent this a while ago, and the temperature is just right now."
Li Wenjian lowered his head and saw her delicate fingers holding the bowl of medicine, her fair skin glowing like pearls.
"What day is it?" Li Wenjian took the bowl and casually asked.
Zhao Heng softly replied, "It's the seventh day."
"Tomorrow we can start extracting blood for the medicine." Li Wenjian smiled, lifting the bowl and downing the thick medicine. The bitter taste lingered in his throat, making him instinctively furrow his brow.
About to go find water, a teacup was handed to him from the side.
Turning his head, he saw her eyes slightly misty, looking at him with concern.
"It's not too bitter," Li Wenjian said, rubbing her hair and taking a sip of water.
For some reason, his mood at that moment wasn't as heavy as before. Even as the heat of the medicine rose, threatening to consume him, he didn't furrow his brow.
Seeing his trembling hand, Zhao Heng approached.
"Your Highness."
She stood before him, suddenly calling out to him.
"Hmm?"
Li Wenjian raised his gaze, looking at her fair face.
Zhao Heng handed him a scroll of gilded paper, covered with neat, beautiful characters, similar to her handwriting.
"I wrote an article today. Your Highness, could you take a look?"
Li Wenjian softly agreed, unfolding the paper and carefully reading it.
It was a elegy, written for General Wei Zhan.
"In a few days, it will be General Wei's birthday. I heard that every year Your Highness personally writes an elegy for him." Zhao Heng looked at the man beside her, saying, "This year has been eventful, and I can't bear your physical pain or share your political concerns. All I can do is try my best to help..."
Li Wenjian's voice was slightly hoarse, "It's not that I have to do it personally, it's because they don't dare mention Ah Zhan in front of me, so I have to do it myself."
He folded the elegy and placed it beside him, his voice much calmer, "You write very well, and your handwriting is beautiful."
Zhao Heng cast down her eyes, never forgetting the embarrassment she felt the first time he saw her writing in spring.
She sat on the edge of the bed, turned around, and hugged his slim waist, looking up at him, "You are a great teacher."
"If I'm such a good teacher, why has no one ever called me 'teacher'?"
Li Wenjian's eyes flickered.
Zhao Heng lowered her eyes, looking at his face intently, and after a moment, she chuckled, "In this lifetime, I can't call you 'teacher.' Maybe in the next lifetime, you can be my 'teacher.'"
"Do you want to meet me in the next lifetime?" She was bound to him in this life, and he thought she wouldn't want to meet him in the next.
"You didn't despise me because I am a servant, nor did you look down on me because of our differences in status." Zhao Heng raised her head, saying earnestly, "Your Highness is so kind. Not just in the next lifetime, but in the next next lifetime, I still want to meet you."
Li Wenjian was momentarily stunned, lowering his gaze to the girl before him. After a moment, he kissed her forehead lightly.
Zhaoh Hng smelled the medicine getting closer and closed her eyes slightly, waiting for his kiss.
But his cool lips only touched her forehead, gently brushing past it.
"Why aren't you kissing me?" Zhao Heng furrowed her brow, her long lashes fluttering in the night breeze, as she looked at his face.
He leaned down, touching his forehead lightly against hers, then suddenly chuckled, "I just took the medicine, and it tastes bitter."
As he finished speaking, Zhao Heng cupped his face and looked at him silently. Her eyes, as dark as jet, seemed to glow with a golden sheen in the flickering lamplight.
Without warning, her lips pressed against his, her long lashes brushing lightly against his forehead, creating a faint tickling sensation.
She awkwardly parted his lips, tasting the thick bitter flavor in his mouth, furrowing her brow slightly.
The awkward entanglement almost stole his breath away.
Li Wenjian suppressed the surge of blood in his chest, restraining his breath. He pulled her into his embrace, unable to help but laugh softly, his voice becoming light as he sighed, "Why are you such a silly girl?"
The kiss left them both in a daze, until he hugged her close, Zhao Heng's mind was blank, her breaths were heavy. The thick fabric of his night clothes insulated her from the warmth of his palm. After a while, she looked up at him, in the dim lamplight, the man appeared dignified and serene, bathed in golden light, his eyes filled with restrained and calm desire.
Zhao Heeng remembered his initially indifferent godly demeanor, thinking to herself that he had indeed descended from the heavens.
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Author's note:
Li Dog: Come give me a kiss and a hug quickly, the kings are all going mad waiting~~
Zhaoheng: Oh *rolls eyes*
Wishing everyone a happy New Year~~~ Stay happy, healthy, and blessed every day.