Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 61
Zi Jin looked at Dugu Ruoxi curiously, and the more she looked, the more she felt that he resembled Young Master Jinyang by seven points.
Empress Dugu lovingly stroked the little girl's head: "Yes, Jin'er is still so small, so small... Ruoxi... I have a favor to ask of you."
Dugu Ruoxi looked at Empress Dugu in a panic, her eyes filled with deep unease: "Sister, if you have something to say, just tell Ruoxi. Why do you look so resolute?"
"Why is my younger brother still as foolish as he was back then? I'm afraid... very afraid... what if they bully Feng Jin because she's young? Is my younger brother willing to help me?" Empress Dugu smiled slightly, her eyes softening as she spoke gently.
A warm feeling filled Dugu Ruoxi's eyes. He looked up at Empress Dugu for a long time, smiled gently, and nodded lightly: "Whatever you say, sister, is what I will do. From childhood to adulthood, Ruoxi has never disobeyed you, and I will never disobey you in the future... Even when you asked me to marry the sister of the Prime Minister of the Ministry of Justice, although I was extremely unwilling, I did it for the sake of the Dugu family and you. What could be more difficult for me than this?" His voice was as gentle and open as a flowing stream.
Empress Dugu's dignified face showed a hint of reluctance. She quietly lowered her head, looking at the little girl who was already fast asleep beside her. She closed her eyes for a long time, and when she opened them again, she had regained her former composure. She slowly picked up the brocade box on the table: "Dugu Ruoxi, receive the imperial decree." Her voice was devoid of any emotion.
Dugu Ruoxi was slightly startled. She glanced at Empress Dugu, then slowly knelt before her and accepted the brocade box with both hands.
Empress Dugu lowered her eyes, not daring to look at the younger brother kneeling at her feet... that pure and kind younger brother, that younger brother who grew up with her, that younger brother who always obeyed her, that younger brother whom she had used to the end.
Dugu Ruoxi slowly opened the brocade box, her face growing increasingly ashen with each page she read. Finally, she read aloud: "...Dugu Ruoxi and his wife, Dugu Sikou, gave birth to their first son, who would become the new patriarch of the Dugu family and be appointed as the first concubine of Empress Yanzai... He was sent to the palace for upbringing... Sister... Sister... Why did you do this? Why?... You once said you wouldn't force Ruoxi to consummate the marriage... No matter how you treated Ruoxi... Ruoxi had no complaints... Why... Why did you use Ruoxi so thoroughly... Even the future child was taken into account... Was it all for that tyrannical emperor?... Sister... Sister... Why did you treat Ruoxi like this... You clearly know Ruoxi... You clearly know Ruoxi... Why... Why?... Why did you have to break Ruoxi's heart piece by piece before you were satisfied? Before you were satisfied?"
Empress Dugu closed her eyes tightly and said softly, "I am tired... You may leave."
"Heh...heh heh...you've never treated Ruoxi with sincerity, you've never treated Ruoxi with sincerity...if Ruoxi weren't Father's only legitimate son...I would never have given Ruoxi a second glance...I would never have given Ruoxi a second glance...is that right? When Ruoxi was little, she was afraid of the dark, and I would always hold her hand tightly in the dark and sing her songs that only Mother would sing...When Ruoxi was sick, I would always secretly give her the best snacks...When Ruoxi was naughty and punished by the martial arts master, I would always stay with her and secretly massage her sore legs...At that time, did I think...Ruoxi is Father's legitimate son...the only legitimate son...the legitimate son that I can use in the future?"
"Ruoxi... Sister had no choice..." Empress Dugu lowered her head, letting tears wet her eyes.
"Sister?...Ruoxi has no sister...Ruoxi's sister is dead... dead! The one sitting in front of Ruoxi now is the Empress of the Nalan family... the Empress of the Nalan family! I hate you! I hate you... Quickly return the sister who loved Ruoxi to Ruoxi... return her to Ruoxi..." Dugu Ruoxi's gentle face was filled with madness, and her gentle eyes were unfocused.
Empress Dugu suddenly stood up, her back to Dugu Ruoxi, and said coldly, "I am tired, my dear minister, you may leave."
"Your Majesty...my beloved minister? Your Majesty? Hahaha...good! Good! Your Majesty! I...Dugu Ruoxi...in this life...sever all ties with you!" Dugu Ruoxi turned around abruptly and stumbled towards the courtyard gate.
Empress Dugu suddenly turned around, her face streaked with tears. She stared blankly at Dugu Ruoxi's retreating figure, her mouth opening and closing before finally closing it. She lowered her gaze and gently picked up the sleeping girl beside her, murmuring, "Jin'er... Jin'er... This is all I can do for you now. Don't blame me for being heartless; I'm afraid your father is leaving too quickly, and I won't be able to catch up."
The little girl seemed to sense unease and buried her head in Empress Dugu's arms, seeking warmth.
In the spring of 517, Emperor Hongsu's first wife and the birth mother of Empress Yanzai, Empress Dugu, committed suicide in Jiaotai Palace (the palace used for Emperor Hongsu and Empress Dugu's wedding).
In the spring of 517 AD, Dugu Ruoxi, the patriarch of the Dugu clan, suffered the blow of losing his beloved sister. He vomited blood and was critically ill several times, remaining bedridden for a year.
In the spring of 521 Yaochen, the fifth year of Yanzai, the newly appointed clan leader of the Dugu clan, Dugu Ruoxi, was overjoyed to have a son named Dugu Xihui, and sent him to the palace to accompany Empress Yanzai.
The excruciating pain forced Zi Jin to open her eyes. She looked around dazedly, her gaze falling on Lou Shuo's guilty face. She closed her eyes again, trying to recall the dream, but no matter how hard she tried, she could only remember fragments. She shook her head helplessly, thinking to herself that with disaster looming, she should focus on escaping rather than dwelling on things.
"You've been asleep for two days, and you're still pretending to be dead after waking up?" Dugu Xihui's icy voice rang out from the side.
Zi Jin groggily got up, her eyes stinging from the intense sunlight streaming through the window. A blurry figure, dressed in white, sat in the light. Zi Jin shook her head, feeling an inexplicable tightness in her chest.
"Now that you're awake, young lady, please get up and speak to your master," Lou Shuo said expressionlessly, standing by the bedside.
"Girl!?" Zi Jin suddenly jumped up, touched her robes, breathed a sigh of relief, and then felt the pain in her chest intensify. She frowned and rubbed her chest.
Dugu Xihui held the teacup in her hand and said, seemingly casually, "You... are Zi Yingfeng's daughter." A standard statement of affirmation.
Zi Jin clutched her chest, staring blankly at Dugu Xihui, slightly surprised, unsure how to best respond. This man was somewhat similar in temperament to Xi Le, capricious and exceptionally arrogant.
"How do you treat your personal maid?" Dugu Xihui took a sip of tea and continued to ask.
"Fish fall?" Zi Jin had no time to react and turned her head blankly to look at Dugu Xi Hui.
"Fish fall...is she as beautiful as a fish falling from the sky?...Is she beautiful?" Dugu Xihui seemed to be bewitched, her voice dreamy and affectionate.
Zi Jin glanced sideways, lost in thought, her mind wandering. Slowly, a dazed smile appeared on her lips...
"This servant, Yu Luo, greets Your Majesty." Her delicate voice was as soft as a feather brushing against skin.
With an oval face, a pair of crystal-clear eyes that sparkled like gemstones, and cherry-red lips that were naturally vibrant, she wore a gentle and faint smile. Her whole demeanor was both pure and alluring: "Consort Li bestowed the fish sauce upon Your Majesty."
"Beautiful...very beautiful."
Dugu Xihui stared blankly out the window, his eyes unfocused, as if lost in memories or bewilderment. Gradually, a smile crept onto his face. Sunlight cast a thin golden haze over his face, completely concealing the shocking scars. After a long while, he reached out and gently touched his face, his fingers lingering on the unhealed wounds. His eyes instantly dimmed, and like a lifeless puppet, he stiffly turned to look at Zi Jin: "Am I... ugly now?"
Zi Jin reflexively shook her head, recalling Dugu Xihui's unpredictable temper, and secretly annoyed at her own rashness, then lowered her eyes.
“If she’s not ugly, why don’t you dare look at me?... Even you don’t want to look at me, is she…” Dugu Xihui lowered her eyes, looking like she was about to cry, which made people feel sorry for her.
"No, no... I didn't mean that, that... it's not like that... I just... I didn't mean it that way either..." Dugu Xihui's appearance made Zi Jin feel even more guilty. However, Dugu Xihui's questions were too disjointed, and Zi Jin couldn't connect the dots, so she didn't know how to comfort him. She looked at Lou Shuo for help, only to see Lou Shuo staring straight at his toes.
Dugu Xihui seemed not to hear, maintaining his original posture, making it impossible to see his expression.
"Master, the young master has not eaten for two days. Should we let him eat first..." Lou Shuo looked up at Dugu Xihui and asked uncertainly.
Dugu Xihui slowly raised her head: "Hmm... let's go to the garden to eat." After saying that, she took the lead and walked out of the room.
Lou Shuo glanced at Zi Jin, then followed in Dugu Xihui's footsteps.
Zi Jin breathed a sigh of relief. After the tension subsided, a dull ache throbbed in her chest. She rubbed it repeatedly, but it didn't help at all. Finally, she sat on the edge of the bed in despair, analyzing her current situation.
Jin Yang Gongzi: Unidentified Flying Object.
Goodwill Index: 25%. Malice Index: 50%. Perversion Index: 25%.
Fact: He is abnormally narcissistic and has an unusual obsession with his face for unknown reasons or from someone.
In conclusion: A woman of unparalleled beauty suffers from a mental illness.
Assessment: He's alive, awaiting rescue. (Note: This shouldn't be too difficult... right?)
Zi Jin, dressed in a fiery red women's gauze dress, awkwardly followed behind the maid, clutching her clothes and constantly watching her step, afraid of stepping on the hem of her dress and embarrassing herself in front of everyone.
Upon entering the garden, a large lotus pond comes into view. The narrow corridor is paved with pebbles, and the handrails, made of fine white marble, are carved with various blooming lotus flowers, lifelike and exquisite.