The Lonely City Closed

Chapter 102

This scene finally made the princess laugh. She stood up, blocked Zhongzhen, and said, "It's just half a bottle of rose water, what's the big deal? If you want it, I can give it to you right now."

Zhongzhen looked the princess up and down, and asked in surprise, "Now? Auntie brought rose water?"

The princess smiled but did not answer. She picked up a piece of red silk, cut it a few times, and then showed it to everyone: "Doesn't it look like a rose?" She then picked up the glass bottle that Zhongzhen had thrown onto the deck, put the cut red silk into the bottle, shook it a couple of times, and said: "A rose in water, isn't this water rose water?"

The princess handed the rose vase to Feng Wan'er, who accepted it and curtsied in thanks. Everyone laughed, and Zhong Ke clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Auntie is so clever!"

The princess playfully pinched his nose: "However, you should tone it down a bit. If you cause trouble like this again, your aunt won't be there to clean up your mess."

As she said this, she couldn't help but laugh. Looking at Zhong Ke, she saw the expression of a young mother.

She always seemed to love children, and being with them always made her feel better. Even though she disliked Consort Zhang so much back then, she still cared deeply for the Eighth Princess. And in recent years, she has also shown great affection for her half-sisters. Perhaps, like Luo Luo, she has an innate desire to be a mother.

I watched her smile through the shadows of the willow branches, but the thought caused a dull ache in my heart.

At this moment, Zhong Ke told the princess the reason why he had taken the glass bottle: "Zhu Zhu can't come out to play with us, so I wanted to use this bottle to catch a few small fish to take back to her."

The princess tapped his forehead: "What a silly child! The bottle opening is so small, and there's no bait, how can you catch any fish?"

Zhong Ke was speechless for a moment. After looking around, he suddenly spotted my boat and pointed at it excitedly, exclaiming, "Come here, give me the little net from your boat!"

The princess also looked over, and soon her smile froze as her gaze fixed on my figure half-exposed under the weeping willows. She couldn't help but take two steps toward the side of the boat.

As Zhong Ke continued to call out, I slowly rowed the wooden oar, leading Zhou closer to the painted boat. Apart from Zhong Ke, who was unaware of the situation, everyone on the painted boat fell silent. For a moment, the only sounds in the world were the wind, the water, the slapping of the oars, and Zhong Ke's cheerful voice.

That short distance took me a very long time to cover. I approached her slowly and laboriously, gazing at the familiar face that haunted my dreams, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow.

Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to laugh but couldn't. Later, she bent down close to the gunwale, stretched out her hand, and gazed at me expectantly with her watery eyes, as if preparing to guide me onto the boat.

Finally, I was only one step away from her. I could reach out and touch her slightly trembling fingertips. Her lips curled up, and in this seemingly brief wait, a pure smile bloomed like a snow lotus.

Reach out, reach out, it felt like someone was chanting a spell in my heart. But in the end, what I did was to push the oar against the gunwale of the painted boat, widening the distance between us, and then row to push aside the ripples in the pond, escaping from the space where she existed, right before her eyes.

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) Amidst the rubble and the precious pearl, a heart consumed by despair.

Chapter word count: 3497 Update time: 09-07-05 10:40

8 Burning Heart

(3117 words)

I expected to hear her cry, but there was none. Behind me, she was more silent than the ripples in the pond. All I could sense was her persistent gaze, relentlessly following me. Before turning into a bend in the waterway, I couldn't help but look back. I saw her still staring blankly in my direction, but the look in her eyes was like incense that had burned out, leaving only a dark and cold ashes.

I hid in a secluded corner and didn't come out until the palace gates were closed and night had fallen. I went to Deng Duzhi's residence to find him and ask about the princess's situation that day.

Deng knew: "After returning from the boat trip, the princess didn't cry or make a fuss, but remained silent for a long time. Before bidding farewell to the Emperor and returning to her residence, she finally asked him, 'Did Father forbid Huaiji from coming back with me?' The Emperor remained silent and didn't answer. The Empress then gently persuaded him, explaining why it was inconvenient for him to return to the princess's residence now. The princess didn't argue and quietly returned to her residence. Consort Miao was worried and sent Wang Wuzi, the official who had watched the princess grow up, back with her to comfort her. They've been out of the palace for quite some time now, so they should be fine. You can ask Wuzi when he returns."

Wang Wuzi returned much earlier than I expected. He must have rushed in the moment the palace gates opened, his hurried movements stirring up a flurry of activity in the halls and pavilions. The long-silent harem was once again filled with a cacophony of noise, which flooded into my closed little window.

I hadn't slept all night, and when I heard the commotion outside, I got up and opened the door to see what was going on. I bumped into Wang Wuzi, who was rushing over from the direction of Funing Palace.

"The Emperor wants you to go to the Princess's residence immediately," he grabbed me, panting, "Quick! The Princess is setting the residence on fire, she's acting like a madwoman, no one can stop her!"

I immediately ran outside, leaped onto the horse prepared by the eunuch in front of the palace gate, and galloped towards the long-missed princess's residence.

Before I even got close, I saw thick smoke billowing from the direction of the princess's residence, with flames shooting into the sky. I spurred my horse and galloped straight to the princess's dressing room, where servants and maids had already gathered. Some were carrying water, large and small jars, and splashing it onto the flames-scorching building, while others were running upstairs, joining those who were already there, trying to get closer to the princess who stood in the middle of the railing.

Judging from the intensity of the fire, it must have been burning for quite some time. One side of the dressing room was already mostly burned. The princess stood at the edge of the flames, her black hair flowing freely. She held a sandalwood whisk that she used to tease the cats and dogs. One end of the whisk was originally tied with a peacock feather, but it had disappeared. In its place was an orange-red flame leaping on a sandalwood branch.

I dismounted and rushed upstairs, only to see the princess waving a sandalwood branch at someone trying to approach her.

"Give me back Huaiji!" she said, each word deliberate and unhurried, to each person. The raging flames tinged her pale face with a rosy hue, her flowing hair and silk robes threatening to touch the flames, but she paid no heed. Facing the crowd, her gaze was unfocused, as if she saw nothing, only knowing to use the burning sandalwood branch as a weapon, pointing it directly at all the illusory enemies before her, stubbornly repeating her only demand: "Give me back Huaiji!"

If anyone took even the slightest step forward, she would wave her arm, causing the flames to bloom into even more vibrant flowers. What was truly terrifying was a pool of oil on the left side of her wide-sleeved dress, exuding a plant-like fragrance—likely bamboo oil she had deliberately splashed on it. If even a tiny spark fell onto that oil stain, she would be engulfed in flames. This was why the crowd hesitated, unable to subdue her.

I struggled to push through the crowd and make myself appear before her.

"Princess." I tried to smile and maintain a calm expression, presenting myself in the way she was most familiar with.

She was taken aback, then turned to look at me, her gaze somewhat vacant, as if she hadn't recognized me.

“Princess…” I continued to smile gently, slowly walking forward and tentatively extending my hand to her.

She frowned, as if pondering whether I was telling the truth or not, and the hand holding the sandalwood branch unconsciously dropped to its lower position.

I rushed forward, grabbed her hand, snatched the sandalwood branch from her, and tossed it far away. Startled, she instinctively began to struggle and frantically swat at me.

As I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly, I whispered in her ear, "It's me, it's me. Princess, it's me, Huaiji..."

She gradually calmed down and began to look at me again. "Huaiji?" she murmured my name, still very uncertain. "Huaiji...you're back?"

“Yes,” I answered her affirmatively, “I’m back.”

"Will you leave again?" She suddenly grabbed my arms, looked at me intently, and asked pitifully, "Will you ignore me?"

I hesitated, but finally shook my head: "No. I will always be with you."

She smiled with relief, wrapped her arms around my waist, and buried her face in my chest, seeking peace in my embrace as she always had. I picked her up and carried her quickly downstairs, taking her to a pavilion far from the fire.

In my arms, she was as docile as a baby, peacefully enjoying my warmth. Even after we got to the pavilion, she wouldn't let me put her down. She had a few rambling conversations with me, her thoughts not quite clear, before falling into a deep sleep, exhausted.

“The princess started the fire after midnight,” Jiaqingzi, who had come to take care of her, told me after I put the princess down. “We were all asleep at the time, and by the time we smelled smoke, the fire was already quite big. We quickly pulled the princess out of the burning room, but she poured oil on herself and refused to go downstairs or talk to anyone else, only wanting to see you. When Mr. Wang saw that things were not going well, he immediately went to the palace to report the news… Fortunately, the Emperor sent Mr. Liang back, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

I gave a wry smile and remained silent. After a moment, I suddenly remembered Li Wei: "Where is the Prince Consort? Where was he when the fire started?"

Jiaqingzi said, "He was in the Prince Consort's Pavilion. He rushed over as soon as he heard about the fire. He was upstairs just now trying to persuade the princess to come down. Didn't you see him, sir?"

I was stunned. Recalling what had just happened, my attention was completely focused on the princess, and I hadn't even noticed that Li Wei was there.