The Worry-Free Flower, with its pink petals, always falls on windy days, symbolizing carefree joy. But can one truly be carefree? Ji Wushang put down his needlework and stretched out his hand. Hongfei immediately placed all the petals in her hand into Ji Wushang's.
Ji Wushang's hands trembled slightly. She had met him when the flowers were falling. Was it falling again today? She wondered if the Falling Sound Garden was full of petals. She wondered if the courtyard Nan Xuzong had led her into was full of flowers.
"Princess?" Hongfei asked with some concern, noticing that Ji Wushang seemed somewhat lost in thought.
"Where is the Worry-Free Flower?" Ji Wushang murmured, her bright eyes fixed on the pink petals in her hand, tears welling up in her eyes.
"When I was on my errands just now, I passed by the back of the Miro Palace and happened to see a large garden! There weren't many people there, so it was very quiet," Hongfei said. "Princess, would you like to go and take a look?"
"Okay." Ji Wushang nodded. "Take me there, right now!"
The iron tree blooms atop the snow-capped mountain, and the ashoka flower blooms in the Qingzhao Palace. It's just a pity that he was there when the iron tree bloomed, but now, when the ashoka flower blooms, he is all alone.
Ji Wushang stepped onto the ground, just about to enter, when Hongfei called out, "Princess."
"You go back first and take good care of Nianlang for me. I want to look around here, I want to walk around." Ji Wushang's eyes were already fixed on the Worry-Free Garden, her heart trembling. At this moment, how she wished he could walk out from among the blooming Worry-Free flowers, smile at her, embrace her, and tell her he loved her!
Ji Wushang looked somewhat dazed as she walked in.
The Ashoka flowers are blooming so beautifully that the pink petals have fallen all over the ground, so thick that you can bend down and scoop up a handful of petals.
Ji Wushang was immersed in his own world, his mind filled only with memories of himself.
"Cong, so beautiful, so very beautiful." Ji Wushang turned around and stopped, looking at the pink surroundings. "Cong, do you see? The ground is covered with petals, even more and more beautiful than when we first met! You attracted me here, didn't you? You intentionally showed them to me, didn't you?" Ji Wushang smiled, her face beaming like a pink butterfly fluttering among the Ashoka flowers.
“You once said that my dancing is the most beautiful, Cong, I’ll dance for you.” She said, mesmerized, to a tree that doesn’t know how to dance, and then smiled at the tree.
She seemed to see Nan Xuzong sitting under that big tree, nodding, "Okay." That warm, tender voice entered her ears and then her heart.
Ji Wushang smiled sweetly and immediately began to dance.
The wind picked up, and her bouncy figure looked even more like a fairy in the wind. Every bouncy movement of Ji Wushang was extremely deliberate, and her face seemed to be painted with a touch of rouge, giving it a rosy glow.
A light rain began to fall from the sky, but Ji Wushang continued to dance. However, when she finally stopped, she had already collapsed to the ground!
It was a breathtaking dance, and all the endless longing erupted at that moment.
Ji Wushang coughed twice, her face somewhat pale, and she raised her head. The wind and rain had lessened a bit, but it was still a light drizzle.
"Is Cong pretty?" she asked softly, then looked down at the tree.
"Cong, why won't you answer me?" Ji Wushang struggled to get up, but the next second, she saw Nan Xucong stand up, smile at her, and then turn and walk into the Worry-Free Flower Forest!
"Cong, don't go, don't go, wait for me, wait for me!" Ji Wushang panicked. She scrambled to her feet and then recklessly chased after the thing in front of her. Yes, it was "Nan Xu Cong" in her eyes!
"Wait for me, Cong, wait for me, I'm tired..." Ji Wushang's tears flowed freely. She reached out her hand, wanting to touch the warmth of the fingertips she imagined, but "Nan Xu Cong" was getting further and further away.
"Cong!" Ji Wushang called out Nan Xucong's name. She didn't care that she had lost her shoes and continued to chase after him barefoot.
She was so exhausted that her bright eyes were already blurred with tears. Finally, she lost her balance and fell to the ground. She looked up and cried out, "Nan Xuzong! Nan Xuzong!" "Why, why did you leave me all alone! Waaah..." She crawled forward, trying to catch up with the last figure that had disappeared.
However, it was all in vain.
Ji Wushang was in so much pain that he couldn't breathe. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
From the depths of the blooming Ashoka flowers, a man wearing a golden mask emerged. His thin lips were tightly pressed together, and if the mask were removed, one would surely see his furrowed brows. He gently picked up the woman who had fainted on the ground, the woman whose face was pale and whose lips were still stained with blood, the woman who was only immersed in her own world, only immersed in her own memories, the woman who had chased after him until she had no shoes left.
My heart ached involuntarily.
Tuoba Heyan gently pulled her into his arms. He silently reached out his large hand and gently stroked her lips with his fingertips, but felt that they were cold, icy cold.
His heart trembled. He lowered his head and lightly kissed her cherry lips, wiping away the bloodstains on them.
"Your blood tastes delicious." He suddenly grinned.
He took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket, shook out two pills, and said, "Stubborn woman, unable to extricate yourself! Is it so difficult for you to take my medicine? You're delusional every day, thinking about that dead man. I wish I could kill you!" He became more and more angry as he spoke, and stuffed the pills into her mouth.
"I told you to forget, but you insisted on living in that memory. Look what you got? Heartbreak! Humph!" Tuoba Heyan sneered, gathering powerful internal energy in one hand and channeling it into her body.
"I won't let you die so easily! Before I figure out your purpose, Ji Wushang, you'd better live well!" Tuoba Heyan withdrew his power, and Ji Wushang collapsed into his arms.
The fragrance was so sweet and pleasant.
Tuoba Heyan closed his eyes. In this carefree garden, countless petals continued to fall, carrying a faint fragrance.
For a fleeting moment, a courtyard covered in white plum blossoms flashed through his mind.
He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Ji Wushang. The entire dance she had just performed had been captured in his gaze...
"Is it really that hard for you to forget the past?" Tuoba Heyan sighed, gently stroking her exquisite face. "What your late husband could give you, I can give you! What he couldn't give you, I can also give you! Princess Wushang, why don't you try to let go of that past? I can let it go!"
His gaze slowly drifted downwards. "You are the first woman who has not made me feel any resistance... How could I bear to let go? Even if you have another man in your heart, I, Tuoba Heyan, still want your heart! I want you to belong completely to me, Tuoba Heyan, alone!" His gaze fell on Ji Wushang's face, then on her exquisite figure, and finally on her bare jade feet.
Her skin was so white and smooth, like jade! Tuoba Heyan placed his hand on her feet, and the touch felt like caressing the most beautiful thing in the world. No, this was the most beautiful thing in the world!
He lowered his head and kissed those jade-like feet.
Even if it carries a hint of floral fragrance.
At this moment, petals fell on her. Tuoba Heyan looked up at the sky and said, "This Worry-Free Garden is my forbidden land. You have trespassed. What is your punishment? Princess Wushang, what kind of punishment do you want?"
Ji Wushang felt as if he had a very long dream. In the dream, he wanted to chase after Nan Xuzong's figure, but no matter what he did, he could not catch up with him! In the end, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully in the Worry-Free Garden, all alone.
But it felt as if someone was touching the warmth of his hand; his fingertips were so warm that they sent a warm current through my heart.
“Cong!” Ji Wushang opened his eyes and shouted.
Hongfei brought in a bowl of medicine from outside. "Princess, you're awake?"
"How did I get here? I think I went to the Garden of No Worries?" Ji Wushang rubbed his temples and struggled to get up, but he felt dizzy.
"Princess, please don't move around. You have a fever." Hongfei stepped forward. "You've been sleeping for about two days!" As she spoke, she quickly helped Ji Wushang lean against the headboard.
"Is it Cong?" Ji Wushang looked at her. "Where is Cong? I can feel it, I can feel him beside me!"
"Princess." Hongfei pouted. In this whole world, only Ji Wushang could sense that Nan Xuzong was still alive. Sigh!
"You can leave now. I want to be alone for a while. I'll take my medicine later." Ji Wushang sighed. Yes, he was already dead. What kind of illusion had he been having? But he had truly felt the warmth of someone—Nan Xuzong's warmth!
"By the way, how did I get back?" Ji Wushang asked immediately as Hong Fei was about to leave.
“The guards brought you back; you collapsed in front of the gate of the Worry-Free Garden,” Hongfei said.
"Okay, you can go down now." Ji Wushang nodded and looked out the window.
As dusk approached, Ji Wushang finished drinking the medicine. Feeling tired from lying down, he got out of bed, put on his outer robe, and went outside.
Hongfei and Cuiwu saw Ji Wushang come out and quickly stepped forward, "Princess."
"I want to bask in the sun," Ji Wushang said, and Hongfei immediately had a chaise lounge placed in the courtyard.
"Cough cough, cough cough." Ji Wushang coughed twice and sat down on the chaise longue with Cuiwu's help.
Hongfei then carried Huangfu Jun'an out from another part of the room. Huangfu Jun'an looked at Ji Wushang and immediately shouted, "Mother, Mother!"
Ji Wushang snapped out of her daze and looked at Huangfu Jun'an. "Nianlang, Nianlang! Come here, let your mother hold you. No, you can't. Your mother has caught a cold. Let Sister Hongfei hold you!" Ji Wushang remembered her own illness and knew she absolutely couldn't let Huangfu Jun'an get sick. He was already suffering enough from his own illness!
Huangfu Jun'an pouted, "Alright! Mother, please get better soon, okay? Nianlang wants a hug from you." Huangfu Jun'an looked at Ji Wushang with pleading eyes.
"Mother will get better soon, and then she'll hold Nianlang in her arms every day." Ji Wushang looked at him.
"Yes." Huangfu Jun'an nodded.
Tuoba Heyan has been extremely busy these past few days. He originally wanted to secretly visit Ji Wushang, but he couldn't find a single spare moment! Today he went to check on the people's conditions in Qingzhao City, the other day he dealt with memorials until late at night, here he had to personally supervise the management of water conservancy and the development of production, there he had to submit a development alliance treaty with other countries, and then there were negotiations and discussions, and so on.
By the time they finished their work, it was already late at night.
Exhausted, I spent the rest of the day in the Imperial Study.
These past few days, no one has bothered him, and Ji Wushang has finally found some peace and quiet. He sent someone to inquire and learned that all the concubines in the palace were busy preparing birthday gifts for Tuoba Heyan, so they had no time to deal with him!
Ji Wushang couldn't help but smile sarcastically. Very well, he didn't need to prepare any birthday gifts!
The sun was shining brightly. Ji Wushang sat languidly on the chaise longue, carefully embroidering a new handkerchief for Huangfu Jun'an. Huangfu Jun'an's condition had stabilized considerably, but he still easily developed a runny nose from the smell of allergens. He would always wipe his nose with his sleeve, which not only dirtied his sleeve but also often hurt his face, as the fabric of the sleeve was rather rough. The palace was too vast to be constantly aware of this, so all Ji Wushang could do was sew a handkerchief and find allergy medication as soon as possible to see if it could alleviate the symptoms.
Ji Wushang carefully finished the task, and a smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the pink petals embroidered on it.
She stared blankly in the direction of the Carefree Garden, longing to go back and see it again. Nan Xuzong must be waiting for her there.
Ji Wushang put away all the needles and thread, and then took a small flower basket.
I really like those petals, so I might as well pick some myself.
The place was always so quiet, yet filled with endless fragrance. Ji Wushang stood in the Worry-Free Garden, looking up at the tall Worry-Free Tree, its pink petals drifting down with the wind.
Ji Wushang reached out and took the petal. "Cong, you must be here, right?" she whispered.
She knelt down and carefully collected the petals from under the tree into her basket. Her expression was serene, and the feeling of touching the petals was so beautiful.
Only after filling his basket to the brim did Ji Wushang reluctantly leave the carefree garden.
She placed the flower petals in the courtyard and then called out to Cuiwu inside, "Cuiwu, go get me a bowl; I want to crush some flower petals."
"Yes," came Cui Wu's voice from inside. Cui Wu quickly took out the cup.
“Princess, why are you crushing these petals?” Cuiwu asked.
"I once read in an ancient medical book that the reason why this Worry-Free Flower is called Worry-Free is because it emits a faint fragrance. If this fragrance is mixed with other medicines, it can be used to make some kind of drug that makes people forget themselves."
"Isn't that something that harms people?"
“No, she is Worry-Free, meaning without sorrow, forgetting sorrow. She is not a drug or a hallucinogen, but an antidote that can alleviate people’s pain.” Ji Wushang smiled and put the Worry-Free Flower into the cup. “I love this flower very much, but it’s a pity that once the flower falls, only the withered remains. Alas!” Ji Wushang sighed.
Cuiwu said, "Princess, please don't sigh anymore. As you said, if the prince suddenly appears, wouldn't he be heartbroken to see you like this?" Well, going along with her wishes might cheer her up and help her forget her troubles.
Ji Wushang smiled faintly and remained silent.
"Princess, would you like me to go and gather some more flower petals?" Cuiwu stepped forward and asked with a smile.
"Go ahead! Be careful," Ji Wushang said calmly, his hand already fiddling with the petals.
By dusk, Ji Wushang had already crushed all the flower petals he had collected and began to work on the petals that Cuiwu had brought back.
Just then, someone outside shouted, "Consort Yehe has arrived!"
Cuiwu looked at Ji Wushang, "Princess."
"Let her come and see what she's up to," Ji Wushang said coldly, then continued what he was doing.
At this moment, Consort Yehe entered Ji Wushang's Miro Palace with several palace maids. As soon as they arrived in the courtyard, they saw Ji Wushang sitting peacefully on the chaise longue, his face serene, and personally fiddling with the flower petals.
Consort Yehe frowned deeply.
She stepped forward, looked at the flower petals in Ji Wushang's hand, and finally screamed in surprise!
"Ah! You, you! Princess Wushang! What are you doing?" Consort Yehe's face almost turned pale!
Ji Wushang frowned and looked up. "To pound the petals that are about to turn into mud into medicine, that's pharmacology. Perhaps Consort Yehe doesn't understand. Someone, bring a seat." Ji Wushang said, then lowered his head again.