The sedan chair bearers stopped, but my legs wouldn't obey me; I was focused on walking forward and crashed straight into them.
...The result, of course, was that he fell down upon impact, and dizziness overwhelmed him, leaving only a swirling darkness before his eyes.
"She really is a golden branch and jade leaf..." someone seemed to complain before losing consciousness.
...
When I opened my eyes, all I saw was a magnified image of a beautiful woman's face. I was so startled that my heart almost gave way. This kind of shock was anything but surprising.
"His physical condition is pretty good; he woke up quite quickly."
This face, this voice, why do they seem so familiar?
"You..." I opened my mouth, my throat feeling parched.
"How can someone be poisoned with mercury, arsenic, and delphinium? What's going on?"
"Ah, give me a glass of water first."
The beautiful face before me is Qionghua, isn't it? Her upright posture and graceful figure exude an otherworldly air, making her a figure that is instantly memorable.
He got up and poured me a glass of water. After I finished drinking it, he kept staring at me. It seemed he wouldn't give up until I told him.
"Hmm... well, someone probably poisoned it..." What an unbelievable reason.
"Really? Then the person who poisoned you is quite interesting. Not only did they only use a small amount each time, but they also used different poisons. If they really wanted to kill you, would they have gone to such lengths?" He chuckled slowly. "You were essentially poisoning yourself. You secretly ate a little bit every day. Later, the Rong family had many troubles, and mercury was an expensive substance. Since you couldn't buy it, you switched to arsenic. In the end, you had to collect larkspur from the roadside to take. Your pulse was so weak. If you hadn't practiced martial arts for so many years, you would have died several times over."
Qionghua, the leader of the four guardians of Wuyue Palace, is not only unfathomably skilled in martial arts but also a miraculous healer. There is truly nothing that can be hidden from him.
"It's all thanks to Nangong Ling's quick action that I'm now beyond dying, but my martial arts skills are probably pretty much ruined."
"So you do know that if you don't take proper care of yourself, it can leave lasting health problems. Besides, this kind of slow-acting poison can't create the illusion of a natural death. You know that suicide will only anger the Palace Master and lead to the faster annihilation of the Rong family, so you want to choose this method? Do you think the Rong family can escape this calamity just because you're dead?"
He gently waved the feather fan in his hand, speaking at a measured pace, his demeanor relaxed and elegant—a truly pleasing sight. But this was merely an appearance; Qionghua was definitely no good person!
"What else can I do? What did I do to offend him that he has to be so hard on me?!"
Qionghua smiled, as if she had expected me to raise my eyebrows, and the words "hopeless" were clearly written in her eyes as she looked at me.
"Do you remember the first time you met the Palace Master?"
"Who remembers those old, clichéd stories anymore!"
"Back then, the Rong family was truly powerful and arrogant." He turned his face to look out the window. "The fourth young lady of the Rong family was indeed pampered and spoiled. The only person who could still live to this day after embarrassing the palace master in front of so many people is the fourth young lady of the Rong family."
"To embarrass him, is that considered embarrassing? Among all the people I've embarrassed, I've been very polite to him."
He sighed helplessly, put away his feather fan, and stood by the window.
"Ronglian, when will you finally realize your mistake?"
*Smash!* I smashed the cup.
"I haven't even demanded my father's life back from him yet, so what right does Nangong Ling have to boss me around..."
*Slap!* The rest of my words were cut off by a slap. That was a really hard slap. Wiping the burning sensation from my mouth, I looked up and saw Nangong Ling.
Chapter 4
"This is not the Rong family's residence. What will you use to compensate me for damaging my Wuyue Palace's property?"
I was startled and glanced at my hands. At that moment, no matter how angry or aggrieved I was, I had no choice but to suppress it, otherwise the person in front of me would definitely do something even more terrifying.
"Qionghua, Ling'er said she feels a tightness in her chest. Go and see her."
Qionghua smiled and nodded, then withdrew.
"I didn't know Rong Lian would consider others and be so selfless as to sacrifice herself." This person has such a handsome appearance, yet his words are so sharp and sarcastic.
Clutching the thin plush mat in my hand, I told myself again to stay calm, especially since I was really afraid of saying something that might cause trouble.
"So, Rong Lian, you know fear too?" His tone was somewhat sarcastic.
Back then, I was young and spoiled, always feeling that everything should revolve around me. And indeed, everyone in the Rong family, inside and out, avoided and indulged me, so I was never afraid of anything. But fate sent Nangong Ling to mess with me, not only contradicting me in everything, but also making me suffer the consequences of every offending word I uttered, time and time again without exception.
"Take your medicine in a bit, and I'll let you off the hook for today," he said mercifully. "Starting tomorrow, stay in Wuyue Palace and serve Ling'er for me. Remember to get up early; Ling'er isn't like you who likes to sleep in."
As the sun set, golden-red rays of sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his red robes. Exquisitely embroidered cherry blossoms bloomed gracefully on the silk, making him appear breathtakingly beautiful, like the most magnificent peony. His noble air and his slightly narrowed phoenix eyes, all alluring and captivating, surpassed even the vibrant colors of the sunset, leaving a more astonishing and breathtaking impression.
This person is so beautiful that it's terrifying; she's practically a monster.
At that moment, the corners of his eyes were slightly raised, and he was smiling so beautifully, but I knew he was angry. As for what he was angry about, how would I know?
But how come he has such urgency after only a few years?
"I understand." I forced a smile; I had no other choice.
Perhaps not expecting it to go so smoothly, he paused for a moment, his slender, beautiful eyes flashing.
"Do you feel wronged?"
This is an absolute injustice! I've been served by others since I was a child, how could I be the one serving others? Nangong Ling, are you determined to wear down my sense of superiority?
But no matter how upset I was, I shouldn't have shown it now, otherwise he'd just come up with some new tricks. I wasn't in the mood to waste time with him, so I chose to remain silent and just shake my head.
He pursed his handsome lips, his eyes becoming strange, a mixture of joy and displeasure. His gaze blurred for a moment before he looked away.
What did I do wrong again? This unpredictable guy is making me restless.
"There's something..." But for my own sake, there's something I still need to mention.
"Speak." He stared at the incense burner on the table, the billowing smoke making his phoenix eyes appear unpredictable.
"That medicine...it's actually okay if you don't take it."
Her gaze turned cold and shot back, "You still think that because you're Miss Rong, you can make all the decisions?"
Okay, it was my mistake to negotiate with you. At worst, I can just throw the medicine away when no one's looking. Getting into a direct confrontation with him was just asking for trouble.
"...Never mind then."
"Are you afraid the medicine will taste bitter?"
"Actually, it's not that...it's just a little bit..."
Sigh, it's so frustrating to be so subservient. If it were me in the past, I would have slammed my fist on the table and smashed things long ago. Ever since I was a child, I've had to replace everything in my room with new things when I took medication.
"And before?" His eyes were dark and bright, and though he was reluctant to admit it, they were undeniably beautiful. "How did you take your medication before?"
However, he didn't say anything like, "Whether you're afraid of hardship or not, you have to force it down your throat" or "Do you still think you're a prostitute?"
"A bite of medicine, a bite of candied fruit."
After hearing this, he immediately gave a sarcastic smile, "The medicine will get cold by the time you finish taking it halfway through. What kind of treatment is that? You're so spoiled!"
I laughed, I was so angry! That disdainful tone... Damn it, you disdain me, but I disdain you too!
He squinted at my face, observing the uncertain expression on my face for a moment, then looked up at the door and said, "Shaoyou, go and get some candied fruit."
Is someone outside the door? So silent, he couldn't sense their presence at all, like air, unless he spoke up.
I stared at him in surprise. "Give me candied fruit? No way, I promise!"
A slender, fair hand reached out and patted my head, the touch surprisingly gentle.
...It's a ghost.
"I don't want Ling'er to be surrounded by unclean people."
...
Sure enough, that's more like it. Yue Linghe has always been his darling. He'll forgive her this time, firstly for Yue Linghe's sake, and secondly to prevent any long-term damage in the future.
Why take this risk if you cherish her so much? I'll hurt Yue Linghe sooner or later. It's better for me to serve someone else. Facing Qionghua is better than facing that little cousin, even if his face always says "hopeless" whenever he sees me. It's still better than a woman's jealousy exploding. I really do get jealous when I see Yue Linghe. Seeing her reminds me of my past self. Of course, the jealousy intensifies when all the pampering vanishes in an instant. If I were so magnanimous and didn't care or complain, I wouldn't be Rong Lian.
Just as I was lost in thought, the door was knocked open.
Then I was startled again, because the one who brought in the medicine was Xiao Jinse, one of the Four Protectors.
This person has sharp eyes and eyebrows, yet always likes to curl the corners of their mouth into a half-smile, as if that makes them seem mysterious. It's not that it's strange or ugly, because they're naturally beautiful, but I just find it particularly unpleasant to look at.
...If I remember correctly, I seem to have offended this person when we were kids...
Chapter 5
Later, Nangong Ling had to force-feed me that bowl of thick, black medicine by pinching my nose. I had initially wanted to grit my teeth and drink it myself, but when I saw that bowl of black stuff that was steaming and smelled bitter, I absolutely refused to touch it. I hate bitterness. Taking medicine felt like a death sentence. I'd rather you hold a knife to my throat than eat that bitter, crumbly ghoul.
Fortunately, after he finished administering the medicine, his conscience kicked in, and the boy, who was as invisible as air and was called Shaoyou, brought him a lot of candied fruit, which finally got rid of the bitter taste in his mouth.
He watched me take my medicine before leaving yesterday, and after that, apart from Shaoyou bringing me dinner, no one else came into the room. Perhaps it was because I was really tired, or perhaps it was because of the medicine, but in any case, I slept soundly without any dreams last night, which was a rare good night's sleep in recent years.
I woke up just as the sun rose this morning. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I was dazed for a moment and couldn't help but chuckle to myself. It seems Nangong Ling is truly formidable; I've actually remembered everything he said and dare not disobey him anymore. He told me to get up early, so for the first time ever, I rose with the sun. In the past, wouldn't that have shocked everyone? The fourth young lady of the Rong family always got up before the sun was high in the sky; even if it were thunder, she wouldn't wake up before then.
Humans are incredibly adaptable. When faced with a desperate situation with no way out, even the longest-held habits can be changed. Survival instincts don't depend on whether you want to or not.
I picked up a plain, pale yellow shirt. Now that I'm serving others, I can no longer afford the luxurious clothes I used to wear. Besides, when I ran away from home, I just picked up a few clothes, which were all quite expensive, so I sold them and got some money to buy a few plain shirts that people didn't want but were still clean. They were white and yellow, completely incomparable to the several trunks full of colorful and vibrant fine clothes I used to own.
It was a bit plain, but at least it was clean and presentable. The outfit I wore yesterday was the best one among the few I had, the only one with floral embroidery. Because I was going to see Nangong Ling, my stubborn pride wouldn't allow me to admit defeat in front of him, so I had to maintain a facade, even though it shattered so easily afterward. And being so fixated on such things was completely unnecessary…
Uh, none of that matters right now. Can someone tell me where I am? Why is the Moonless Palace so big? Where does Yue Linghe live? Which way should I go?
As I opened the door and walked to the front of the courtyard, I realized this was a very serious problem. I peered out and saw that there wasn't a single person in sight.
"Where are you going, Miss?"