Erinnerungsstücke aus Rosenholz

Kapitel 1

Chapter 1 The End

A muffled sound suddenly echoed from the dark, damp, and cramped water prison, followed by a ray of light that quickly disappeared, and the narrow space returned to darkness. Light, subtle footsteps approached from afar, standing out clearly in the deathly silence of the water prison.

Before long, a soft light seemed to appear before his eyes, and the footsteps stopped abruptly. Belatedly realizing what was happening, Zhang Yu opened his eyes with difficulty and looked up at the person who had appeared. It was Song Shuhao, the former lady-in-waiting of his mother and now the wife of Zhao Jian, the heir apparent of the Prince of Anping.

After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he felt uncomfortable. Zhang Yu subconsciously closed his eyes, feeling his strength almost completely drained. He had endured over ten days here, covered in wounds, with little food and much torture. Even the strongest person would have only a breath left. Ultimately, that person intended to torture him like this, leaving him unable to live or die. He tried to open his mouth, laboriously parting his dry lips, but no sound came out.

The shackles binding him were touched unconsciously, the chains clanging loudly in his ears. What did she want to do? Zhang Yu wanted to frown, but his face remained expressionless. He didn't quite understand. Even though she had served his mother for ten years and had been married to Zhao Jian for quite some time, her repeated actions showed no loyalty whatsoever to those who had always been by his side. It seemed she was far too stubborn.

Song Shuhao lowered her voice, but could not hide her anxiety. "Your Majesty, this servant will take you away from here. Please hold on a little longer; there are still many people waiting for Your Majesty outside the palace."

She somehow obtained the key and unlocked the lock. His hands, now free, fell heavily, limp and powerless. Seemingly disregarding this, she put away the luminous pearl in her hand and jumped into the waist-deep water. Bending down, she reached for the shackles on his feet, attempting to unlock them as well.

Zhang Yu was too weak to stand, leaning half his body against Song Shuhao's back. She was slender and couldn't bear such weight, but she gritted her teeth and endured it without a sound. The victor is king, the loser is villain; he had lost, and that was it—he didn't want to run away.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu struggled to straighten himself up, then slammed against the wall to support his weight. The pain aggravated most of his wounds, and the pain, which he thought had gone numb, instantly cleared his mind a little. Leaning against the damp wall, Zhang Yu tried to speak again, finally managing to utter a word, albeit in a hoarse voice.

"You may leave..."

He lowered his eyes and saw her pause, but her hands did not stop moving. Then he heard her say, "Your Majesty, please do not give up on yourself. You have left here today, and there will always be a chance to come back in the future."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the water dungeon was opened again. This time, it seemed that quite a few people had arrived; their footsteps were chaotic yet hurried, and torches illuminated the entire area from afar.

Zhang Yu's face suddenly turned cold, but the person groping in the water still hadn't given up. As the footsteps gradually stopped, he felt the restraints on his feet disappear. Song Shuhao stood up, supporting him firmly, and stood with him facing the person who had just entered.

His gaze swept over them inch by inch. Zhao Jian, Xie Lanyan, Xue Liangyue… all familiar faces. And behind them stood many others, some strangers, some familiar. His former ministers, his former concubines. Zhang Yu sneered inwardly. It was a pity there was no afterlife, otherwise he would surely take revenge on these treacherous bastards one by one!

Zhao Jian's gaze, however, was fixed solely on Song Shuhao. His face was icy, but a hint of sarcasm curled at the corner of his lips. He spoke coldly, his voice deep, "Shuhao, come back." He even reached out his hand to Song Shuhao.

“No.” Zhang Yu heard Song Shuhao beside him firmly refuse, “I’m not going back. Today, either I leave with His Majesty, or I die here.”

The torch illuminated Zhao Jianjun's handsome face, which was now even colder. He withdrew his hand and spoke again, almost through gritted teeth, "He's nothing but a prisoner now. Do you really think you can get out? His empire is mine now, his concubines are mine, and his ministers are kneeling at my feet. Don't you understand?"

Song Shuhao seemed to shake her head and said, "Zhao Jian, I really don't understand, and I don't want to understand. I only know that the Empress Dowager has been kind to me, and His Majesty has been kind to me, and I must repay them. As a subject, you plotted to seize power, which is disloyal and unjust." Besides, this was the only thing the Empress Dowager asked her for before she died, and she had to do it even if it cost her her life.

Her gaze shifted from Zhao Jian to Xue Liangyue, and she said, "Ayue, you and I are the same. I just didn't expect that even you would choose to betray us." Then she looked at Xie Lanyan and smiled, "Consort Xie... in the future, you may become the Empress. Congratulations on getting your wish. From now on, you and Zhao Jian will live happily ever after."

Xue Liangyue's eyes flickered as she looked at Song Shuhao. She unconsciously took a step forward and said in a sorrowful voice, "Shuhao, don't do this. I have no choice. I don't want to die." Xie Lanyan smiled gently, as if in response to her congratulation.

Zhao Jian seemed to be angered by Song Shuhao's words and immediately scolded her, "What nonsense are you talking about!" Xie Lanyan's smile froze instantly. Zhao Jian continued, "If you come back, I won't hold it against you." But when he said this, he lost his previous momentum.

"I've said it before, I won't go back, not even if it kills me." Song Shuhao's words remained firm. "I've long seen through it all. Back then, you begged the Empress Dowager to arrange my marriage, just to cover for yourself. Now that you've achieved your goal, I'm of no use to you anymore. I know what will happen to me. Why put on this pitiful act? Don't you find it disgusting?"

The word "disgusting" must have deeply stung Zhao Jian. He drew a long sword from the waist of the guard behind him, the tip of the blade pointing diagonally at Zhang Yu. "So you just want to be a pair of star-crossed lovers with him? I'll grant your wish!"

Zhang Yu watched the blade hurtling towards him, powerless to stop it, when a small, slender figure stepped in front of him. He couldn't see her expression, but he could imagine its unwavering resolve. The blade grazed Song Shuhao's neck, then abruptly stopped as a soft, delicate hand gripped the bare blade.

Only then did Zhang Yu realize that Song Shuhao was actually a head shorter than him, and even though she stood in front of him, she couldn't block his view at all. His senses were fading at a perceptible speed; his legs went weak, and he couldn't even stand up. She seemed to notice, so she used her body to brace against him, giving him some strength.

The blade, gleaming with a cold light, was stained with blood, giving it a slightly sinister allure. Blood trickled down the blade, dripping into the pool beneath them with a soft thud. Xue Liangyue clutched her mouth tightly, tears welling in her eyes. Xie Lanyan lowered her gaze, no longer looking.

Scenes from the past flashed through Zhao Jian's mind, finally settling on half a month ago. That time, even though he had won, she had still stood protectively before Zhang Yu, each word piercing his heart, even taking a sword for him. He didn't hold it against her, carrying her back to heal her wounds, only to be met with her obsequious behavior, stealing the token and key to release Zhang Yu from the water dungeon! A hint of bloodlust flickered in Zhao Jian's eyes; he had likely reached his limit of endurance.

Zhang Yu felt he was nearing his limit. His vision began to blur, his head spun, and his eyelids grew heavy. He thought he would probably fall asleep like this... Just then, he heard Song Shuhao softly urging him to hold on a little longer. Her voice was gentle, but when she turned to Prosecutor Zhao, her tone was icy. "Prosecutor Zhao, if you insist on not letting us leave, then start with me. I may be foolish and ridiculous, but I would never do something so ungrateful. Today, the country is no longer a country. Do you expect me to humbly fawn over you to survive?"

"Song Shuhao, don't push your luck!" With a shout, Zhao Jian's long knife moved even closer, the tip pressed firmly against Song Shuhao's throat. She didn't loosen her grip on the knife; the sharp blade cut her palm, drawing blood that dripped down her cheeks.

Zhang Yu wanted to help her but couldn't muster any strength, let alone lift his arm; he was completely exhausted. His body felt heavy and light, and he felt as if he was losing all sensation. Song Shuhao continued to support him with her small body, confronting everyone else. He understood a little; it was indeed foolish and laughable to cling to past favors, but now, only such foolish and laughable people were still willing to protect him.

“Prosecutor Zhao, even if you never loved me, we were married for five years. From the age of twenty to twenty-five, I followed you and never did anything to wrong you. I thought that if you still cared about our relationship, you should understand that we had different positions and it had nothing to do with right or wrong... But in the end, you still only wanted to kill me.”

She spoke these words calmly, as if the pain in her hand didn't exist. Whether it was because of the force she used, Zhao Jian suddenly loosened his grip on the long knife.

Before completely losing consciousness, Zhang Yu felt as if he saw figures moving around, heard painful roars, incredulous cries, and low sobs. All sorts of sounds mingled together at once, but he didn't know what was happening, nor could he distinguish who was who...

·

Zhang Yu awoke from his deep sleep, his nightgown soaked with cold sweat.

He seemed to be having a dream, a very long nightmare. The sight he saw upon opening his eyes was strangely familiar. He was in the Xuanzhi Hall, lying on a dragon bed, yet he should have been imprisoned in a water dungeon. Even if he wasn't in a water dungeon, he shouldn't be here!

He raised his arm, rolled up his sleeve, and examined it carefully. Apart from an old scar, there were no new wounds, which was clearly wrong. Zhang Yu calmed down, carefully recalling everything in his mind, and calmly surveyed the furnishings in the hall. Finally, he chose to open his mouth and call out, "Lü Chuan." His voice was not hoarse at all, but rather carried a slight grogginess from just waking up.

Lu Chuan entered quickly, and Zhang Yu had already sat up. When he actually saw the attendant who should have died and the group of palace servants following behind him, Zhang Yu was stunned...

Chapter 2 Lively

August 26th is not a special day, but the imperial harem of the Great Qi Dynasty was quite lively.

A new opera troupe has joined the palace, and they know some unique and interesting tricks. The Empress Dowager took a liking to it and invited the Empress, Consort De, Consort Shu, and other consorts to Penglai Palace to watch the performance.

Coincidentally, a batch of rare flowers and bonsai trees, presented as tribute by Zhao Liang, the Prince of Anping who guarded the region, for the Empress Dowager and His Majesty the Emperor to enjoy, arrived at the palace in the same day. The Empress Dowager then instructed the palace servants to bring out all the bonsai trees so that everyone could join in the fun.

On the stage, the opera was in full swing, and Empress Dowager Feng and the Empress were watching with great interest. Song Shuhao served freshly brewed Bijian tea to Empress Dowager Feng, then quietly retreated to the back and stood with Xue Liangyue, a close female official who was also by the Empress Dowager's side.

She entered the palace at the age of ten, and eight years have passed since then. At eighteen, she's neither too old nor too young. From the very beginning, she was taken in by the Empress Dowager, as was Xue Liangyue. The two usually work together and look after each other, and they've also studied and learned arts together. Moreover, they're about the same age, so their relationship is naturally closer than that of others.

Ah Hao wasn't particularly interested in the commotion, but a faint smile still played on her lips; her mind was preoccupied with something else. Thanks to the Empress Dowager's compassion and consideration, she was allowed to leave the palace one day each month to visit her mother. With the month drawing to a close, and her last visit being last month, she decided to choose a suitable time in the next couple of days, informing the Empress Dowager in advance so that arrangements could be made.

Just as Ah Hao was pondering to herself, a discordant sound of a potted plant breaking rang out, followed by the sound of a palace maid kneeling and kowtowing, begging for mercy. She looked up and saw the blooming snow orchid lying in the mud.

The snow orchid usually grows deep in dense forests or on cliffs, making it difficult to find and quite precious. Now, fallen to the ground, its delicate petals have been damaged and are no longer beautiful.

Because of this unusual commotion, Empress Dowager Feng, Empress Shen, and others all turned their attention to the young palace maid.

The young palace maid looked to be only eleven or twelve years old, with thin arms and legs. Her pale-colored clothes covered her small, trembling body, which was clearly terrified. Soon, a matron stepped forward and dragged her to a corner, while palace servants quickly cleaned up the debris on the ground.

Suddenly, Ah Hao realized she recognized the young palace maid. Aunt Cui of the Imperial Wardrobe had been suffering from a cold since the middle of last year, and her condition had been fluctuating ever since. By the end of the year, she had ultimately succumbed to her illness.