Mu Yuchengs Abkommen

Kapitel 49

Back at Frostfall Palace, Green Thorn was already waiting there. He came into the sedan chair to help me up, and was startled to see another person inside. He was about to save me when I smiled slightly at him and said, "Don't make a fuss, just take good care of him." Then I fainted.

In my dazed state, I vaguely heard a lot of noise around me, and saw many figures swaying in and out of my eyes. I wanted to get up and tell them to stop making noise, but I couldn't muster any strength. I couldn't utter a single word.

I wandered through one dream after another, my body was always cold, and there was a lot of pain in a certain place, so painful that I didn't want to wake up or open my eyes.

Through the hazy light, I saw a large door in front of me, carved with ancient floral patterns and many dark brown cloud patterns. It was very classical and imposing. I went forward and pushed the door open. The door seemed to make a dry "creaking" sound because of its age, like the groaning of a hoarse old man.

Inside the door was complete darkness, and in the distance, a faint, dark green light seemed to shimmer within the darkness.

I followed the light and, in the distance, saw a figure that looked like an old man smiling at me. He would gaze at me tenderly one moment, and then bow respectfully the next. I was confused, but then he suddenly chuckled softly: "Do you hate it? Don't you want to wake up?"

I looked at him strangely: "Who are you?"

Do you hate it?

"Hate what?" My mind went blank; I couldn't think of anything at all.

"I hate his ruthlessness, I hate how he used you, I hate how he used you as a shield..."

Memories rushed over me like flowing water, my head throbbed with pain, the image of those hands holding me kept flashing before my eyes, that scene kept replaying in my mind. I shook my head, raised my head, and my eyes were already completely silent. "I don't hate."

"If you don't hate, why won't you wake up? Why run away from yourself?"

I lowered my head and murmured, "I just can't believe it."

"Can't believe what?"

I looked up and gazed at him intently: "Emperors have feelings."

He chuckled softly: "Do you not trust yourself, or do you not trust him? Go back, go back, you shouldn't be here."

"Sigh—who are you?" Before I could get an answer, a soft white thing pulled me into a bottomless vortex, and my body began to warm up.

In the vast emptiness, a voice seemed to echo from the void: "I've always been by your side—"

It felt like something warm and soft was licking my cheek, a wet sensation.

"Stop messing around—" I muttered.

But the strange feeling didn't stop. I angrily raised my hand and slapped it. A sharp pain shot through me, and I scrambled to my feet. Another sharp pain shot through my collarbone. I groaned and fell back into the covers. The loud noise woke the person lying beside me. I turned my head and saw Yunying, still half-asleep, getting up. I also saw a fluffy white thing—it was Xiaobai, the culprit, arrogantly grinning at me. It even stuck out its tongue to look at me. I remembered that wet sensation; it must have been its doing.

Remembering the pain in my palm in my dream, I raised my hand and saw my right hand wrapped in a thick white bandage. Recalling the piercing pain of that night, I gasped. Could I be crippled? I wondered.

Yunying finally regained full consciousness. Seeing that I was awake, she jumped up happily and exclaimed joyfully, "Master, Master, you're finally awake! That's wonderful!" She wanted to give me a hug, but stopped because of my injuries.

"I'll go tell Lord Qing, and Su Da, and..." She stood up impatiently, and almost fell over because she had been in that position for too long. She laughed it off and continued running out.

Because of what I just did, waves of sharp pain shot through my body, and cold sweat quickly soaked my back. I saw a faint red discharge below my collarbone. The wound must have reopened. Lying in bed for a while, my thoughts gradually cleared. Right, I brought someone with me when I came. I wonder how they are now.

I never expected to meet that person under such circumstances.

But the thought of his assassination attempt sent a chill down my spine.

Volume 3, Chapter 94: The Night Before Dawn

Where is he?

"In the backyard warehouse." The warehouse was piled high with gold and silver jewelry; it was unclear whether there was any room left to accommodate him.

"Help me up, let's go see him." I struggled to get up. Qingci hurriedly came over to help me up.

Qingci asked worriedly, "Master, your injury—"

I shook my head: "It's nothing."

"Just wait outside," I instructed Qingci.

"What if he—Young Master!" Qingci was worried. He still remembered the person who held a sharp knife to the young master's neck before he fainted. He didn't want to experience that horrifying fear again.

I smiled slightly, knowing that the smile looked strange against my pale face, and said, "Don't worry, he won't hurt me."

He leaned against the wall, coldly staring at me. "Who are you? Are you trying to kill me?" He had changed out of his black clothes and into the white ones I usually wore. Presumably, Qingci had picked them from the clothes I wore when I was disguised as a man. Only then did I see his face clearly; his features were cold and hard, his face as cold as ancient ice, completely expressionless.

"The world's number one assassin, Yi Fenghua?!" I calmly watched his face slowly darken. I walked up to him, gently stroking the red birthmark on his forehead, and casually lifting the long sleeve of his left arm. On it was a strange wolf's head, bluish-black, its eyes seemingly still alive, gleaming with an eerie bluish light. It stared at me coldly.

“Isn’t he the current owner of Yizhu?” I smiled slightly, and his face suddenly turned pale.

"Who...who are you?"

I stood there, silent, and then took out a jade pendant from my pocket. I thought, anyone who knows Yizhu would recognize this symbol.

He was startled when he saw the jade pendant, but his expression quickly returned to normal. He walked up to me respectfully and said, "Your subordinate greets the Lord."

I remained silent, coldly staring at him. I walked over and, without asking any questions, slapped him hard across the face. Although I used my less injured hand, it still aggravated the wound. I gasped, but still endured the pain.

Hearing the noise, Qingci, who was waiting outside, rushed in immediately, but was stunned by the strange scene inside. The assassin was kneeling respectfully before the young master, with a red five-finger mark on his cheek, indicating considerable force. With an awkward smile, Qingci tactfully withdrew under my questioning gaze.

I saw his lips twitch slightly, but he remained kneeling there motionless.

"What, you're not happy about being beaten by a woman like me? Do you think I'm taking revenge?" I said without a trace of emotion.

He said in a purely businesslike tone, "Feng Hua has injured her master and is willing to atone with her death."

A mocking smile appeared on my face: "Do you think I care about your life? Master, you still consider me your master, but who gave you the audacity to assassinate the emperor behind my back? Does Uncle Fu know about this? I trusted you so much, entrusting you with a whole set of pearls, and you've deceived me like this."

Before he could finish speaking, another hard slap landed across his face. I used all my strength, and his face immediately swelled up.

"Have you considered that if your assassination fails, your identity will be discovered, and your actions will implicate the entire Yizhu, and even the entire Junjin? If things are exposed, thousands of lives in Junjin will be lost because of your foolish impulsiveness. The head of Yizhu, the number one assassin in the world—such a sensitive identity. Have you thought about your adoptive father, your brothers who followed you wholeheartedly, the safety of those who care about you and would even give their lives for you? Have you considered the consequences? Even if you succeed in the assassination, what then? Perhaps you'll resolve some deep-seated hatred with the emperor, but what will follow? The court will be in turmoil, and innocent people will always be the victims. How many families will be displaced, how many will be destroyed, and how many people will become the next Yi Fenghua! Foolish and selfish bastard!"

He was no longer cold and ruthless; his whole body trembled, and a hint of emotion began to appear on his face, as if he had remembered something, as if he was enduring something, as if he was struggling with something intensely… His gaze was sorrowful, and the blood at the corner of his mouth was not wiped away, making it stand out vividly.

"Fortunately, only my hand was crippled this time. Next time, if you want anything else, just tell me directly, lest you do something that implicates Jun Jin. Listen to me carefully: Jun Jin exists to protect those who follow us, to shelter the kind, innocent, and homeless. Not as a tool for your revenge! I don't care what deep-seated hatred you have, settle it all here today! Treat me like the emperor. I'm standing here; you can stab me as many times as you want, kill me or torture me as you please! But once you step out of this door, the world's number one assassin, Yi Fenghua, who attempted to assassinate the emperor, will never exist again!"

I frowned and stared intently at him: "Only my Azure Dragon King, 'Ge Kong'. Are you willing?"

He knelt on the ground, his head lower and lower, his whole body trembling as if in spasm. It felt like an eternity had passed before he finally stood up and looked at me.

His eyes were bloodshot.

"Promise me you won't seek revenge again," I repeated coldly.

"I...I can't." His face showed intense struggle and contradiction.

"Then, from this day forward, you are no longer one of Yizhu's people, and I am no longer your master. You may leave."

“Master, I injured you, I deserve to die. Let Fenghua stay by your side to atone for my sins. However, I have an irreconcilable feud with Sima Rui…”

I pressed my thin lips together tightly and said coldly, "Get out."

Finally, as if all his strength had been drained, he collapsed to the ground and knelt straight before me: "Yi Fenghua is willing to follow her master for eternity."

I felt a pang of sympathy for his distraught state, but I couldn't be soft-hearted. I couldn't let him do something irreversible, nor could I stand by and watch Jun Jin and him be driven into a corner. I remained expressionless and coldly said, "Remember, from this day forward, there will be no more Yi Fenghua in this world. The moment you walk out of here, there will only be the Azure Dragon King 'Ge Kong'." My words were cruel.

Silence swirled around us as we both engaged in a fierce internal struggle, stubbornly clinging to the question of who would emerge victorious. It was like a battle between two people, allowing no room for retreat. Behind us lay a precipice, with no room for retreat whatsoever.

He finally said, trembling, "From now on, Fenghua's life belongs to her master, and Fenghua will never leave her master's side for the rest of her life."

I sighed deeply: "Ge Kong, don't disappoint me. And don't disturb your father."

Suda told me that I had been unconscious since my injury, even though Qingci had diagnosed that I was fine. I just wouldn't wake up, remaining in a daze, as if in a dream, constantly groaning in pain, as if being tortured. She looked at me with a complicated expression. Qingci had told them that I was controlling my own will, unwilling to wake up, as if I had suffered some kind of injury. If I didn't want to wake up for the rest of my life, I would remain unconscious and never open my eyes again. I suddenly remembered the old man in my dream that day; he was the one who helped me resolve my inner conflict and guided me back. In fact, I didn't want to wake up again, but he said, "How do you know it won't work if you don't try?" Thinking of Xiaobai's strange expression when I woke up, was he the one who came to pick me up? Wouldn't that be too strange?

Suda also told me that while I was unconscious, the emperor would come to see me every night while everyone else was asleep, staying by my side until dawn. She had noticed it every day before, but one night she couldn't sleep and wanted to keep me company. The emperor was holding my hand, his face contorted in pain, muttering something incessantly, as if trying to wake me. His expression was very sorrowful.

I lowered my eyelids slightly, somewhat confused. If he did that, why was he sad? And why did he come to keep me company?

While I was still in a dream and hadn't woken up, he had already issued an edict, bestowing upon me the title of Consort Liande, making me the only concubine to receive such a title from him.

A slight smile played on my lips as I said self-deprecatingly, "My act of blocking was truly worthwhile; it earned me the title of Consort De."

Qingci even joked that when she knew I was critically ill and my life was hanging by a thread, Xiaoqi almost rushed into the palace to see me.

This illness has severely depleted my energy. Just as I was preparing for a long vacation to recuperate, shocking news arrived from outside the palace. Due to the lack of rainfall and dry weather this year, southerners, accustomed to dampness, have never experienced such torment. A plague has begun to spread throughout the land, causing widespread panic. Some villages have become death zones, with those infected dying because they lack the money for timely treatment. What saddened me even more was that Yunying rushed to tell me that Shaoshao, who was always healthy, had also fallen ill. I remember he visited me several times after I woke up, each time pale and coughing incessantly. He said he was fine, so I naively assumed he just had a minor cold. I never imagined he had also contracted the plague and was bedridden. Even the palace maids and eunuchs serving him have fallen ill. Panic gripped the palace; no one dared to visit him, and now there is no one to care for him in his palace. Several days have passed, but everyone is worried that my injuries haven't fully healed. Keeping it all a secret was also Shao Shao's idea.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner! Yunying, go find Qingci, and meet us at Jingyang Palace." I can't, I can't let him, a little boy, lie alone in bed waiting to die. I can't do it. Besides, he always calls me "Mom" with such a sweet and happy smile. He's my child.

Volume 3, Chapter 95: Desolate

He still remembered when he went to see her that night. She was lying quietly in bed, her long black hair spread out like a black brocade. The dark hair fell around the white pillow, strand by strand, making her lifeless face look even paler. He was so afraid, so afraid that she would never wake up again, so afraid that she would leave.

The imperial physician said her condition had stabilized, but she seemed unwilling to wake up. Was it him who hurt her?

Now, dressed in white, she is recovering from a serious illness, still thin and frail, yet stubbornly determined to break in despite the danger within. Struggling against the Imperial Guards, she is cold and beautiful. If she weren't injured, she would surely have gone in.

Recently, a plague has broken out in the palace, and even the Crown Prince has contracted it. Now, everyone in Jingyang Palace is infected. To control the further spread of the epidemic, the Imperial Guards have been ordered to seal off Jingyang Palace. Since the outbreak, the entire harem has been filled with panic. Apart from the infected eunuchs and maids, no one else is willing to go in to serve. Even the Crown Prince's mother, Consort Li, dares not go in to visit her son and remains secluded.

She, however, insisted on going in, no matter how much they tried to stop her. The commotion grew so great that it alerted everyone in the palace, and eventually a eunuch relayed the news to him. When he arrived, he saw her coldly watching the timid, fearful people who had been watching and advising her against going in, warning them they would be infected. She gave a desolate smile, coldly saying without a trace of emotion, "You are free to be afraid, that is your right, and I cannot interfere. However, there is a relative inside, my child, the Crown Prince. Anyone who dares not to save him is disregarding the law; anyone who dares to obstruct the rescue is plotting to murder the Crown Prince, deserving the execution of their entire family. No mercy!" Everyone around knew she was threatening him, but no one dared disobey.

Her face was pale, which made her expression appear even colder and more frightening. Everyone hesitated.

She then said to a palace maid and a young eunuch behind her, "You two stay outside and wait for Qingci. Prepare the necessary supplies and decoct the medicine."

“Master (Miss) –” the two said, still worried.

"Listen to me." Then, with lightning speed, he bypassed the guards and entered Jingyang Palace, disappearing behind the gate. Several people wanted to chase after him, but they were afraid of catching the virus, so they gave up.

Sima Rui sighed softly and said to Gao Lu behind him, "Send someone to wait there and fulfill all their demands. Order the Imperial Hospital to do everything in its power to treat the Crown Prince. If they can't cure him, they'll be beheaded. I will visit the Crown Prince later."

He had never seen her so grief-stricken, so distraught, so anxious, so frantic. She must care deeply for the Crown Prince. She said he was her child, so naturally, without a trace of affectation. She said he was her family, so sincerely, so urgently.

A flicker of surprise crossed Gao Lu's eyes, which he quickly concealed, bowing his head respectfully and saying, "Yes. This old servant obeys." Hadn't the imperial physicians already diagnosed it? They all said there was nothing they could do.

Looking at the kind and beautiful woman, the emperor's face showed a hint of emotion. However, no one noticed that among the guards, one man's face showed not only surprise but also a touch of emotion when he saw the woman in white with a cold and angry expression.

I was frantic with worry. Not only did those people not help, they also tried to stop me from going in. If we weren't in the palace, I would have slaughtered them all. And those onlookers, so cowardly and afraid of death, who usually fawned over Shao Shao because they knew he was the Crown Prince, now that disaster had struck, they all scattered. Not a single person dared to step forward to care for him. Even Shao Shao's own mother, his own mother, had abandoned him, simply because the imperial physician's diagnosis was that there was nothing that could be done. So everyone in the palace abandoned him, leaving him alone in the empty, lonely palace. Now, dusk had fallen, and because there were no eunuchs to care for him, and no electric lights, it was pitch black. Like a bottomless black hole, like a terrifying tomb.

Although Shao Shao is the crown prince and is mature and sensible from a young age, he is still just a teenager. He is seriously ill and alone in a dark palace with no hope. He must be afraid.

How could we just leave them inside to die? How could we? This is not something his family should do.

And Shao Shao keeps calling me "Mom".

After instructing Xiao Quanzi and Yun Ying to meet Qingci, I eagerly rushed in. As I passed the group of guards, one face looked particularly familiar. He could have stopped me, but seeing my anxious expression, he hesitated slightly and let me pass. Without thinking, I smiled gratefully at him and entered Jingyang Palace.

Along the way, the palace had lost its former splendor. Although the magnificent decorations remained unchanged, just as they had been when I first entered years ago, it lacked vitality and care. Now, it resembled a vast, luxurious graveyard, devouring the life force and hope of every creature within. How could it have become like this in just a few days? Is this what it feels like to see things changed beyond recognition? How lively Jingyang Palace used to be! Thinking of Shao Shao's current predicament, I couldn't help but feel a lump in my throat.

A cold breeze was blowing, and the interior was gloomy and getting darker. I groped my way to the main hall, thinking he should be inside.

I pushed open the wooden door, and it creaked open. The surroundings were quiet, so the sound was particularly jarring and eerie in the empty hall. I asked softly, "Is anyone there? Is anyone inside?"

The sound echoed in the main hall, but no one answered me. Just as I was about to give up, I suddenly heard a series of rapid coughs coming from the inner hall. I was overjoyed and groped my way in through the dimly lit hall, following the sound.

What a scene it was! In the dim light of dawn, I saw a person lying on the bed, barely alive. His face was ashen, his eyes cloudy, his cheeks sunken, and his complexion tinged with a pale blue. He exuded an aura of deathly decay. From the long torment he had endured, his body was emaciated. There was no life in his face, and bloodstains remained at the corners of his mouth. There were also small red stains on his clothes, presumably from coughing up blood. He was lying there, but his lifeless appearance gave me the unsettling feeling that he had already left me.

My tears streamed down silently, one by one, falling onto the dry ground. It was so quiet that I could hear the sound of the tears hitting the ground. I didn't want to disturb him, I didn't even dare to touch him. I was afraid he was too fragile, that he would disappear before my eyes in the blink of an eye.

He seemed to sense some sound, but ultimately did not react. He simply sighed like an old man. Did he think that no one would leave him, that no one would care about him, that no one would come to see him? Had his young heart already despaired during the long wait?

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." I choked out, tears streaming down my face and into my heart. I struggled to walk over and gently, tenderly, hugged him, whispering in his ear, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... Shao Shao, Mom's late, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry... Shao Shao, I scared you, it won't happen again, I'll never leave you alone again... I'm so sorry..." I sobbed uncontrollably, holding him tightly, as if afraid he might disappear at any moment.