Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 31

So this is how future flower buds are destroyed... What a pity... The executioner who destroyed these flower buds wasn't me... It's heartbreaking to hear and tearful to witness...

west Le toyed with the disheveled and breathless boy in his arms, then looked at Zi Jin, who was trying to dodge him, and smiled strangely: "Could it be that the little mute has taken a fancy to the beauty in my arms?"

Zi Jin nodded, then, realizing he was now in a male body, immediately waved his hands and shook his head frantically.

west Le smiled knowingly, a hint of something unreadable flashing in his eyes: "There's nothing shameful about homosexuality. Why can't we show it to others? Take it if you like."

After speaking, west Le casually pushed the disheveled boy, who was already exhausted from what she had done, into Zi Jin's arms.

The boy gasped and collapsed into Zi Jin's arms, his serpentine arms wrapping around her neck.

Zi Jin awkwardly let the young man cling to her, her hands at a loss for what to do, not daring to accept this sudden favor from the beauty.

The boy's hands roamed restlessly over Zi Jin's body, his thin lips slightly parted as if begging for a kiss, and his innocent peach blossom eyes looked at Zi Jin. How could the word "enchanting" even begin to describe him!

Zi Jin struggled desperately to reach out, but remembering her identity as a daughter, she could only harden her heart and frantically push the boy off her.

Caught off guard, the boy fell to the ground with a cry of "Ouch!" His peach blossom eyes, glistening with hidden tears, looked at Zi Jin with a resentful expression.

Zi Jin was unaware that she had been so rough, and quickly squatted down to check.

The boy's hands wrapped around her again like vines, his eyes filled with unspeakable grievance.

In her haste and without thinking, Zi Jin pushed the boy out of her arms: Stop touching him, or you'll give yourself away...

Tears streamed down the boy's face like pearls as he looked at Zi Jin with deep resentment.

Zi Jin turned her face away, secretly vowing: If I come here by myself next time, I will definitely patronize you.

Zi Jin looked at Xi Le with pleading eyes, while west Le calmly sipped his wine. Taking advantage of Zi Jin's inattention, the young man gave west Le a cryptic look.

west Le's eyes flashed with a complex mix of emotions before he smashed the wine glass in his hand and glared angrily at the young man and Mudan, saying, "Get out of here! Useless things, you can't even serve people properly!"

The boy, with a look of grievance in his eyes, rose and silently withdrew.

Zi Jin tugged at west Le's sleeve in a flattering manner: It's getting late, shouldn't we go back?

west Le, panting heavily, glanced at Zi Jin, then abruptly pulled her clothes back and said, "Let's go back to the palace!"

west Le's eyes were terrifyingly cold. Without any gentleness, she grabbed Zi Jin and flew over the window towards the palace.

Zi Jin was secretly frustrated. west Le had been inexplicably angry all day long; this was clearly a classic case of intermittent mental illness. How could such a beautiful princess have become like this?

As west Le stepped out the window, Zi Jin realized an even more serious problem: she hadn't paid yet...

Inside the brightly lit Chaoyang East Palace at night, Jun Lin sat at his desk, lost in thought, holding a book.

Xiao Wu rushed in: "Your Highness, the master of Taiping Pavilion and Princess Xile went to 'Lianyue Zui Lou'."

Jun Lin narrowed his phoenix eyes and said coldly, "Continue."

"The master of Taiping Pavilion was not very interested in the female prostitutes summoned by Princess Xile, but seemed to have taken a fancy to the princess's male entertainer. Later, the two quarreled over the male entertainer and parted on bad terms with each other and returned to the palace."

Jun Lin angrily flung the book out of his hand, sweeping all the books off the desk in one fell swoop, his phoenix eyes turning bloodshot: "Outrageous!"

"Princess Xile, as the Grand Princess of Chen Kingdom, has truly disgraced the kingdom by doing such a thing. That master of Taiping Pavilion, who appears so honest and loyal, actually has homosexual tendencies; no wonder he did that to His Highness that day..."

Jun Lin grabbed Xiao Wu's collar and roared angrily, "Did she let that male performer get close to her?"

"When the eldest princess was vying with the master of Taiping Pavilion for the male performer, she held him in her arms..." Xiao Wu didn't know what she had said wrong and trembled with fear.

Jun Lin released Xiao Wu, angrily slamming down the gilded vase beside him, and shouted sternly, "Get out!"

In silence, Xi Le's face was unusually gloomy in the darkness, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He carried Zi Jin back to the palace, threw her near Taiping Pavilion, and flew away without saying a word.

Zi Jin was dizzy from the fall. She stared blankly at Xi Le's slender figure as he walked away. She casually dusted herself off, straightened her wrinkled clothes, and sniffed to see if she had picked up any other scents. After she had finished, she walked into Taiping Pavilion.

Before even entering, one could see the Taiping Pavilion brightly lit from afar.

Xi Bao, shivering from the cold, stood anxiously outside the door, peering out. Upon seeing Zi Jin, she rushed over: "Master, you're finally back! The Third Prince has been running a high fever..."

Before Xi Bao could finish speaking, Zi Jin's expression changed drastically. She looked up in surprise and rushed into the bedroom inside the pavilion. The charcoal fire was burning brightly in the bedroom, but there was no one there.

Zi Jin turned around to look for someone, her brows furrowed as she stared at Yu Luo, who was hurrying towards her: Where is she?!

"Your Highness, don't panic. The Third Prince has a persistent high fever and keeps calling out 'Mother Consort.' I've already had Xibao take him to Su Ran Palace," Yu Luo said hurriedly as she approached.

Upon hearing this, Zi Jin's expression changed drastically. Without even glancing at Yu Luo, she hurried out of Taiping Pavilion.

happy Bao glanced back at Yu Luo, who was standing there in a daze, and quickly chased after her.

Yu Luo stood there blankly, her hand, which had been raised to help Zi Jin tidy her messy hair, frozen in mid-air.

The Suzome Palace was eerily quiet at midnight. The snow that had fallen a few days earlier had long since been cleared elsewhere, but snowflakes still clung to the ground of Suzome Palace. On the melted, withered grass, one could see the decaying autumn leaves, lying forlornly in their place.

Inside the main room of the palace, the dim yellow palace lanterns were about to go out. Without thinking, Zi Jin rushed in.

The room was cold and empty, with almost no decorations. The lonely furniture was in disarray, the white curtains were slightly blackened, and the paint on the mahogany bed was peeling and mottled.

On the bed, Jun, dressed only in a thin undergarment, huddled together, shivering. Faintly visible on his snow-white garment were streaks of blood, like venomous snakes, clinging to his frail body. His eyes were unfocused and empty, his face still wet with tears, and his once rosy lips trembled slightly, now a dark purple.

Zi Jin stared wide-eyed, frozen in place. She couldn't believe that the person before her was the same gentle, sweet, obedient, and sensible child she had always protected and cherished. Her heart ached as if being torn apart. She walked towards him step by step, the cold air freezing her blood.

Jun Chi seemed to sense someone approaching, and shrank back into the bed in a panic, pleading in a hoarse voice, "Ne closer..."

Zi Jin's heart clenched, her eyes stung, and even her breathing became difficult. She quickly stepped forward and pulled Jun Chi into her arms, wrapping him tightly in her cloak.

Jun Chi's eyes were unfocused, and he trembled: "Mother... Consort... no... no..."