Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 47
The battlefield is ruthless, but the harem is full of affection; every night, he becomes a concubine. Shedding his battle robes for flowing gowns, he steps off the battlefield for the emperor's bed. What a shrewd man, Zi Yingfeng!
Zi Jin slowly reached into her bosom and pulled out a paper bag, gazing at it for a long time. She slowly opened the bag and flung all the paper rafts out: instantly, snowflakes filled the air and fell to the ground.
Emperor Xuanlong's eyes were icy cold. He reached out and picked up one of the papers, glanced at it, and smiled slightly. He gripped Zi Yingfeng's hand tightly: "I didn't realize that you've learned to scheme against me all these years. Tell me! Who is he?"
Zi Yingfeng's face was ashen. He stared blankly at the scraps of paper scattered on the ground: "Jin'er... don't you believe me anymore?... Don't you believe me anymore?"
"Little mute! Is the matter resolved yet? If it is, come over here quickly!" Xi Le stood inside the encirclement, quietly watching things unfold as expected. But when she saw Zi Jin's resolute eyes, she finally couldn't help but speak up.
Zi Jin glanced slowly at Zi Yingfeng, her eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. Without a trace of lingering attachment, she turned and walked towards Xi Le: She came without a care, and she leaves without a trace. Finally, she could leave this hypocritical and heartless place. No one was worth staying for anymore, no one was worth her concern for…
Zi Yingfeng's eyes were filled with despair. He desperately tried to break free from Emperor Xuanlong's grip, but Emperor Xuanlong held his lifeline firmly in his grasp.
Zi Yinfeng, panting heavily, watched Zi Jin's retreating figure. Then, he heard Emperor Xuanlong's chilling voice whisper in his ear: "If you don't want him to die, you'd better stop struggling. Today, I want to see you abandoned by the one you love most, to watch him walk away, helplessly watching his retreating back. I want you to pay back the pain I suffered twice over." With that, Emperor Xuanlong, taking advantage of Zi Jin's inattention, slipped a black pill into Zi Yinfeng's mouth and whispered, "I've heard your son is skilled in pharmacology. If he remembers your strange behavior later, he'll investigate. Today, I'll make him despair of you!"
Zi Yingfeng gazed at Emperor Xuanlong, who was now blinded by hatred: "Jun Ying... Jun Ying, you will regret this... you will regret this..."
Zi Jin walked up to west Le without any hindrance, glancing sideways at the people around her.
After west Le breathed a sigh of relief, she said loudly to Emperor Xuanlong, "Today I will take him back to my Chen Kingdom, and I will never let him set foot in the Yue Kingdom again. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."
"The princess is a free person and can leave at any time, but the person beside you is the beloved son of Prince Yingyuan of our dynasty. How can you make such an unreasonable request?" Emperor Xuanlong said calmly, without any intention of stopping him.
“Your Majesty is unaware that Zi Jin and I have long been intimate. How can I be separated from him again?” west Le said, giving Zi Jin a seemingly resentful look.
Zi Jin glared at west Le: This joke isn't funny at all.
west Le winked mischievously: "Just kidding."
"My dear minister, have you seen it? Your beloved son is going to elope with his little lover and abandon you." Emperor Xuanlong whispered gently in Zi Yingfeng's ear.
Zi Yingfeng breathed heavily, took a deep look at Emperor Xuanlong, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: Jin'er has nothing to do with Xile.
When Emperor Xuanlong saw Zi Yingfeng's confident smile, he was filled with disgust: "Does my dear minister know that once he leaves, he will never return?"
Zi Yingfeng's face turned pale. He looked anxiously in Zi Jin's direction, hesitant to speak, his eyes filled with deep sorrow.
"Father! Zi Jin was young and ignorant and offended you. I beg your forgiveness." Before anyone knew it, Jun Chi had arrived beside Emperor Xuanlong, with Yu Luo following closely behind him.
Emperor Xuanlong calmly raised his hand, signaling them to rise.
"Little mute, let's go quickly." The situation was getting out of control, and people who shouldn't have appeared had shown up at this time. west Le was afraid that things might change.
Zi Jin looked at Jun Chi and shook her head with a blank face.
Xi Le's eyes narrowed, her face darkened, and she grabbed Zi Jin's hand, saying coldly, "Little mute, you've made such a fuss, are you not going to leave with me again? You should think carefully. If you stay, the Emperor of Yiyue Kingdom will make you wish you were dead."
"Insolence! How dare you, a foreigner, slander my father!" The man's eyebrows were like distant mountains, his phoenix eyes blazing with anger, his red lips revealing white teeth. He seemed to have arrived in a hurry, as his long hair was casually tied back with a ribbon. He anxiously walked to Emperor Xuanlong's side, his gaze inadvertently falling in the direction of west Le, revealing an extremely cold smile—Crown Prince Jun Lin.
Emperor Xuanlong, in front of his two sons, still held Zi Yingfeng without changing his expression. Zi Jin turned her face away angrily, a mix of inexplicable emotions welling up inside her again. She felt an indescribable sense of betrayal and shame. Their affair was probably already common knowledge, but they had kept it from her alone.
Little did they know that Jun Chi and Jun Lin were so preoccupied with Zi Jin's departure that they had no time to notice Emperor Xuanlong's serious unease.
"Jin'er, don't go! I will definitely keep my promise to you... I will never lie to you again in this life, believe me... Jin'er." Zi Yingfeng, nestled in Emperor Xuanlong's arms, spoke words that were so pale and powerless!
"My lord, don't you understand the general's dedication to you all these years? Don't believe what others say!" Yu Luo's beautiful eyes were already filled with tears.
“Zi Jin, your father has done so much for you, how can you bear to abandon him and just leave like that? If you leave, my father will definitely not forgive him.” Jun Chi’s hands tightened under his sleeves, his face turning ashen.
"You mute! You think you can get away?" Jun Lin's sinister laugh sent chills down one's spine.
Zi Jin's face was cold and stern, her eyes devoid of joy or sorrow as she stared directly at Zi Yingfeng's pale face. After a long while, she slowly spoke, "Who am I?" Her voice was childish and hoarse.
Everyone stared at Zi Jin in disbelief, except for west Le, whose face remained icy cold.
"Jin'er, can you speak?" Zi Yingfeng's voice choked with emotion.
Zi Jin said no more, but looked at Zi Yingfeng with questioning eyes. The torches of the Imperial Guards illuminated Emperor Xuanlong's palace as if it were daytime.
Zi Yingfeng finally opened his mouth, but in the end he closed it weakly, his face turning even paler.
west Le secretly tugged at Zi Jin's collar, signaling her to retreat quickly, her eyes already showing anxiety.
"Master, you...you mustn't treat the general like this." Yu Luo's eyes were filled with tears, and her brows were furrowed.
Zi Jin raised her head and looked at Yu Luo, slowly saying, "Yu Luo, how have I treated you all these years?"
Yu Luo looked up and met Zi Jin's gaze: "Master treats Yu Luo like a brother."
Zi Jin gazed into Yu Luo's innocent eyes for a long time before pondering, "Have you ever truly treated me? You are Zi Yingfeng's confidant, and you are loyal to him, which is not wrong. But what is your relationship with the Second Prince? You have repeatedly told me about the Second Prince's many good qualities, but what are you plotting? The Third Prince is devoted to you, but you have an ambiguous relationship with the Second Prince. How many hearts do you have? Over the years, have you truly regarded me as your master?" Each question was a statement devoid of emotion.
"Everything Yu Luo did... was for his master..."
Zi Jin said in a low voice, "Yu Luo... It's too late... It's too late to say anything now."
"Jin! Stop talking nonsense. If you come back now, Father will surely spare your life." Jun Chi's once innocent eyes were now filled with anxiety.
Zi Jin smiled faintly and said gently, "Third Prince, what right do you have to lecture me? Back then, you were just an unfavored prince, and neither the Prime Minister's nor the General's influence mattered to you. But you have a shrewd mind. On the day of the family banquet in the Imperial Garden, you saw that Zi Yingfeng treated me differently, and you bet everything on me. You do have a talent for acting. If I hadn't accidentally overheard your conversation with Consort Lin that day, I would never have known that the pure white tears shed by that innocent child out of grievance and fear were merely dirty tricks to gain power and prominence. I treated you like a younger brother, but you have used our relationship completely from beginning to end. You have indeed gained Zi Yingfeng's support and achieved your current status, but are you satisfied? You know I am about to leave the palace, so you have used every means to make me marry Yu Luo to you. You know that according to my character, even if I leave the palace, I will never let Yu Luo suffer with you."
"I..." Jun Chi's face turned pale. He wanted to explain, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.
“Jin’er… I know you hate life in the palace. After this is over, I will take you away, to the ends of the earth, wherever we are, as long as we are together. I will do whatever you want, I will never leave you again, I will never abandon you again… Do you still believe me?… Do you believe me?… Do you believe me?” Zi Yingfeng’s face was deathly pale, filled with panic.
Zi Jin slowly looked at Zi Yingfeng and asked softly and carefully, "Zi Yingfeng, am I... am I really... really Zi Jin?"
Looking into Zi Jin's clear eyes, Zi Yingfeng smiled slightly, slightly out of breath, and said, "You are my Jin'er."
A trace of sorrow flashed in Zi Jin's eyes: "You're wrong. Zi Jin is dead. She died four years ago! Did you know that?"