Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 25

Princess Xile, who had not yet boarded the sedan chair, glanced sideways at the eye contact between Jun Lin and Zi Jin, a hint of a smile flashing in her beautiful eyes.

In the late spring of the fourteenth year of Xuanlong's reign in Yue Kingdom, Emperor Xuanlong rejected the suggestion from his ministers that one of his three princes marry the Grand Princess Xile of Chen Kingdom.

Only then did everyone realize that if Princess Xile had saved any one of the three princes who fell into the water that day, she would definitely become that person's princess consort in the future.

A goddess reincarnated, originally meant to save the common people, was born to answer questions of love and tribulations, young and innocent, unaware of sorrow (Part 3)

Young and naive, unaware of sorrow (Part 3) The Imperial Garden in spring is full of flowers, and the breeze makes one feel intoxicated without wine.

Ever since learning that the Chen Kingdom had left its eldest princess, Xi Le, in the Yue Kingdom until the war ended, Zi Jin had been living in constant fear, terrified that Princess Xi Le would come looking for her. Several days passed peacefully, and then she heard that the flowers in the Imperial Garden were blooming exceptionally well, and that there were even some rare and precious medicinal herbs. Zi Jin finally couldn't resist her greed, and dressed in Xi Bao's eunuch's clothes, she went to the Imperial Garden with every step she took, looking around furtively.

As darkness fell, palace servants in the distance lit up the palace lanterns everywhere. Zi Jin, carrying various spring flowers she had just picked, slipped out of the Imperial Garden, glancing left and right. Once she reached a secluded spot, she took out the precious flowers and plants she had just picked from her bosom, and walked along tidying them up with a beaming smile.

It was completely dark, and there was no light to be found. The increasingly remote road finally made Zi Jin realize that something was wrong. They were still in the inner palace, and the gates would be locked in a moment. Zi Jin was extremely anxious and finally started to run, hoping to run into a palace maid or eunuch to ask for directions, but all around her were dark palace walls.

After running for an unknown amount of time, she finally saw a dimly lit palace lantern in a side hall and hurried inside. As soon as she entered the palace courtyard, she saw a woman in red standing in a flower pavilion, and her back view seemed somewhat familiar. Zi Jin happily ran forward, about to speak, but the moment the woman turned around, she shut her mouth and abruptly plunged into the bushes beside her.

Zi Jin patted her chest, still shaken, peeking out with one eye as she watched Princess Xi Le in red excitedly speaking in the distance. Beside her sat a figure in white on a stone chair. If she were to get up and leave now, they would surely notice, so Zi Jin remained motionless, barely daring to breathe.

west Le, dressed in a fiery red gown, made her stunningly beautiful face even more captivating. She slightly opened her eyes, glaring angrily at the white-clad youth on the chair: "How could you be so oblivious? You let those thieves succeed? If they hadn't mistaken you for... I don't know how I could have gotten you back."

“Le’er, I…” The white-clad youth interrupted Xi Le’s words, slowly raising his head. His skin was almost transparent, and his long, silvery-white hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall. His clear, gentle eyes looked at the person in front of him with a hint of grievance, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing the boy's aggrieved look, west Le couldn't bear to continue scolding him, and her tone immediately softened: "Has anyone been giving you a hard time here?"

Seeing that Xile was no longer angry, the boy seemed relieved and said, "No, nothing."

west Le squinted at the boy's right hand: "If that's the case... where's your thumb ring?"

The boy suddenly hid his hands behind his back, looking at Xile with unease like a frightened little animal: "I...I...I accidentally...lost it."

"Lost?" west Le stared at the boy's unusual behavior with wide, suspicious eyes.

"Yes, it's lost." After saying this, the boy lowered his head, not daring to meet west Le's gaze.

west Le's eyes shifted, and she glared sharply at the boy: "That glass thumb ring is a thing that recognizes its owner. Ordinary people can't even take it off, let alone let it fall off on its own... What is it... that you must hide from me?"

"Pick it yourself..."

“I don’t believe it. That ring has never been taken off since it was put on your hand. Why is that? Are you trying to lie and hide something?” west Le lowered his head and stared intently at the boy.

"Le'er, I, I..." The boy's jade-like face flushed crimson, his head lowered further and lower, his voice growing softer and softer, "Le'er, don't ask, okay?"

west Le slowly walked to the boy's side, reached out and stroked his slightly messy white hair, and sighed, "If it were an ordinary object, it would be fine, but you knew it was something that could save your life, how could you just lose it like that? You go back with Jin Yu tomorrow, and I will go back after I find the ring."

“But…” The boy turned his head and looked at west Le with difficulty.

"Don't worry, I've already arranged everything. You just need to listen to Jin Yu obediently," west Le said with a gentle smile, reassuring him.

"That thumb ring..."

"I'm afraid you'll have to take medicine for a while. Once I find the ring, I'll make sure that little thief doesn't get away with it!" west Le said through gritted teeth, secretly observing the boy's reaction.

"No!" The boy suddenly raised his head and looked directly at west Le, then, as if realizing something was wrong, his voice softened, "Le'er, don't hurt her, okay?"

"So, you know who took your ring?" west Le asked casually.

"No, no, I didn't see clearly, she's gone." The boy's voice sounded a little disappointed.

west Le gently stroked the boy's white hair and said softly, "That thumb ring... was it taken off by him?"

The boy touched his empty fingers, seemingly lost in thought, and nodded gently.

Is he a man or a woman?

The young man's gentle eyes shimmered: "I suppose it's a woman."

west Le suddenly withdrew the hand that had been stroking the boy's white hair, clenching it into a fist, her expression unusually cold: "Can you be sure she's a woman?"

“Although I haven’t seen her, I know she is a woman.” The young man, oblivious to west Le’s change, smiled slightly and replied with unusual confidence.

Xi Le gripped the stone table with one hand, while the other clenched tightly, her sharp nails digging into her flesh without her realizing it. Her expression was unusually complex, and her once clear and bright eyes now held a chillingly sinister glint.

After a long while, the boy belatedly realized that west Le, who was standing behind him, had not said a word. He turned around in confusion and asked, "Le'er, what's wrong?"

west Le abruptly averted her gaze, her gentle demeanor returning: "Tomorrow you will go back with Jin Yu. I will return after I find the ring."

“Le’er…” The boy turned his face, his ears slightly red, and hesitated, “Le’er, if we find her, could we… could we take her back?” The boy’s hands, hidden under his clothes, gripped his clothes tightly, looking at west Le with great anticipation.

west Le's expression changed several times before she finally nodded: "After we go back, you must listen to Jin Yu in everything and drink your medicine obediently, otherwise I can't guarantee that I can find that woman."

The boy's eyes slowly lit up with joy, and he nodded hastily.

"It's getting late, I'll head back now. We have to travel tomorrow, you should get some sleep too," west Le said softly, turning to look at the boy.

"Le'er, when are you going back?" The boy's gentle eyes were filled with deep reluctance and a touch of longing.

"I still have some things to take care of in the Moon Kingdom, so I'm afraid I won't be able to go back for a while," west Le said in a low voice, squatting down next to the boy and resting her head slowly on his lap.

The young man gently stroked west Le's hair, his face filled with undisguised guilt: "If it weren't for me, if I hadn't heard about it, she wouldn't have been abducted, and Le'er wouldn't have had to suffer such injustice."

west Le raised his head, a warm smile appearing on his lips, a glint of something unreadable in his eyes: "Don't get any ideas. I'll make that old bastard Emperor Xuanlong regret capturing you."

Zi Jin, who had been lying prone in the grass, groaned in agony. Her legs were already numb, yet the two of them were still whispering sweet nothings to each other. She feared that the inner palace had already been locked up by now. Thinking of Yu Luo's gloomy, angry face, Zi Jin felt a chill run down her spine.

Looking up again, Zi Jin saw Xi Le turn and walk towards the courtyard gate. She quickly lay down, secretly relieved that she was wearing a dark eunuch's uniform today. After Xi Le left, Zi Jin took a deep breath and tried to stand up, but because she had been lying down for too long, her legs were already numb, so she fell to the ground with a thud.