Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 88
Empress, Empress, are you willing to be buried in Weiyang Palace?
Zi Jin sighed silently, her heart aching terribly. She turned around and saw a lonely, thin figure huddled in a corner against the wall, his amber eyes brimming with tears…
A lifetime of love and hate, hard to understand, reincarnation begins again. The bamboo grower is heartless, searching for him a thousand times across the crowd. (Part Two)
I searched for him among the crowds and crossed the river a thousand times (Part 2). I slowly awoke, and it was already broad daylight.
Zi Jin sighed sadly. The dream should have ended without a trace, but that familiar and inexplicable figure lingered in her mind and made her heart ache inexplicably.
"What? You're finally awake? I thought you weren't going to wake up." west Le's voice, neither loud nor soft, carried a hint of sarcasm.
"Xile... why are you here?" Zi Jin sat up, gently rubbing her slightly aching head, and looked at Xile sitting by the bed, asking.
"If I hadn't come soon, the little mute would have fallen asleep and died." west Le got up from the chair next to the bed, stood aside, and looked down at Zi Jin.
"Did I sleep for a long time?" Zi Jin turned her head to carefully examine Xi Le in front of her. Her enchanting eyes were slightly upturned, her moist thin lips were lightly pursed, her chin was sharp and the lines were extremely beautiful, and her neck was long and delicate. If she were really a man, she would be extremely beautiful, comparable to Dugu Xi Hui.
“Not much, only three days.” west Le raised an eyebrow and strolled to a spot far from the bed, sitting down leisurely and replying casually.
"Your Highness, the medicine is ready. Shall we give it to the young master?" Xiaopu asked, standing outside the door with the medicine bowl in her hand. However, her voice was different from Zi Jin's, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the difference.
"Hmm." west Le casually fiddled with the antiques on the table, giving a nonchalant hum.
Xiaopu approached slowly. Zi Jin stared intently at the dark medicine in the bowl and swallowed hard. "Um... west Le, actually I... just slept a little longer. It shouldn't be that serious as taking medicine, right?"
"The imperial physician said you have yin deficiency and are weak, and you need to recuperate for some time. You must take this medicine." west Le smiled slightly and looked at Zi Jin calmly, her tone firm and unyielding.
"Young Master has taken his medicine." Xiaopu stood respectfully beside Zi Jin and said with an icy expression.
Zi Jin glanced at Xi Le's sharp gaze and Xiao Pu's icy expression, too exhausted to argue any further. It was just medicine, wasn't it? Yu Luo's medicine was far more bitter, and she'd be drinking it for years. Zi Jin waved her hand, grabbed the bowl, and gulped it down, wincing in pain from the bitterness.
"If the little mute continues to be so obedient, I will reward her handsomely." west Le seemed very satisfied with Zi Jin's performance, and her voice softened a bit.
“Xile I…”
"This servant has something to report to Your Highness." Xiaopu respectfully walked up to Xile, curtsied, and interrupted Zijin.
"Hmm, go ahead." For some reason, west Le's peach blossom eyes softened considerably, and her tone lost much of its usual fierceness.
“Please correct the young master’s form of address, Your Highness. The situation inside Weiyang Palace is not the same as outside. If you are allowed to act willfully, it may bring trouble upon Your Highness.” Xiaopu’s voice was unusually gentle.
Zi Jin stared dumbfounded at Xiao Pu's retreating figure: What is he doing? Is he complaining about me to my face?
west Le raised her eyes slightly, her face unusually serious. She glanced at Zi Jin with a nonchalant look and said indifferently, "I know, you can go now."
Zi Jin hung her head, fiddling with the corner of the blanket covering her, a bitter smile playing on her lips. What was she clinging to? She had traveled thousands of miles to get here, only to move from one suffocating cage to an even more suffocating one. What was she searching for? What was she seeking? She knew nothing, understood nothing, so why had she come here?
Did you hear what she said?
"Then what should I call you?"
"Bestowed by Imperial Decree—Prince Anle. Original name—Sikou Xunle. I hereby grant you special permission to call me whatever you wish." Prince Anle toyed with the teacup in his hand and smiled faintly at Zi Jin. That captivating smile made the colors of the surrounding scenery fade, enchanting the soul.
Zi Jin gave a wooden reply, and four words flashed through her mind: "A smile that could topple a city".
"Little mute, rest well. I have some official business to attend to." Seeing Zi Jin's dazed expression, King Anle smiled enchantingly and stood up.
“west…that…you…” Zi Jin nervously twisted the corner of the blanket and called out.
"Um?"
"Um...when are you coming back?" Zi Jin asked nervously. "I only know you here...you know me..."
"Little mute, don't you know? Although I also live in the palace, I am quite far from it. Little mute, you should know that there are rules in the palace." King Anle raised his beautiful eyes, his smile reaching his eyes.
“Oh…” Zi Jin hesitated for a moment, and seeing that the Prince of Anle was still standing there, she mustered up her courage and said, “Can I change palaces? This palace is strange.”
“Strange?” King Anle lowered his eyes and pondered for a while, seemingly troubled. “For you… strange, that’s to be expected.” After saying that, he suddenly burst into laughter and turned to leave.
After west Le left, Zi Jin obediently allowed others to serve her as she washed, dressed, and ate. Throughout the entire process, no one uttered a single word.
Aside from the perfunctory greetings, Xiaopu was unwilling to say much to Zijin, and even the lively Xiaoshuang from yesterday remained silent today.
After serving dinner, Xiaopu and Xiaoshuang withdrew. Seemingly unwilling to have any further involvement with Zi Jin, the two did not enter her room again. Zi Jin knew she was completely isolated. She didn't care, finding peace and quiet in the process.
The setting sun outside the window seemed to have fallen into the Weiyang Lake, casting an indescribable desolation over the palace. Zi Jin took a deep breath and strolled out of the palace; no one stopped her. Along the way, the vast palace was sparsely populated and eerily quiet.
Zi Jin sighed and lay down in the grass by Weiyang Lake, where the setting sun was gradually sinking in the distance.
The loneliness and desolation she had never experienced during her four years in the palace suddenly overwhelmed her, leaving her feeling utterly desolate. Back then, she always felt restricted, like a caged bird, a fish in water, having lost her original world. But even then, though she had lost her freedom, at least she had many people by her side every day. Now, having followed her heart and chosen this place again, she had not only lost her freedom but also her companions. Where was this obsession taking her? Where did this obsession come from? Where had all those people from back then gone?
Yu Luo. It took over three months after entering the palace for the Second Prince's attitude towards her to change. Although she was puzzled by his sudden change, she didn't delve into it. When she casually asked Yu Luo about it, her answer was quite indifferent, perhaps because they were relatives. Yu Luo's words had once convinced her. Now it seems laughable. Even if she truly was Zi Yingfeng's child, she was merely an illegitimate son, completely unrelated to Consort Li. She should have suspected something fishy was going on, but she was too lazy to investigate or think about it. Gradually, she noticed the unusual relationship between Yu Luo and the Second Prince, and daily suspected that Yu Luo had found another patron, after all, she was just a hostage whose life could be lost at any moment. Now it seems laughable. If it weren't for loyalty to Zi Yingfeng, if it weren't for herself, Yu Luo, with her exceptional skills, would have far more than been reduced to a lowly palace maid.
I'm sorry, Fish Fall.
happy Bao. From the day he entered the palace, she became his messenger. The two seemed to be of one mind; with just a glance, Xi Bao knew exactly what to do next. For four years in the Imperial Study, for over a thousand days, Xi Bao held his hand tightly, traversing the vast palace, never letting go of his guiding hand. He felt wronged by his mistreatment, rejoiced at his rewards, grieved at his sorrow, and stared wide-eyed in fear. Xi Bao was always self-centered; he had no other masters, no other selfish desires, and sometimes even no sense of self.
happy Bao, thank you.
Jun Chi. If one hadn't overheard his conversation with Consort Lin, one might still think he was a child who needed protection. Never would one have imagined that his purity, his sincerity, his tears, his laughter, every action, every frown was for Zi Yingfeng's support. After learning everything, she felt resentment, hatred, and hurt. But Yunran made Zi Jin realize that it wasn't his fault, no one was at fault. He and his mother simply wanted to live. There, only those who received favor could truly live.
Jun Chi, I don't blame you anymore.
Jun Lin. The Crown Prince, fiercely supported by the Prime Minister's faction of royalists. Emperor Xuanlong showered him with favor, a fate seemingly sealed from birth. In the process of interacting and mutually venging each other, it truly felt like returning to the carefree days of childhood. Though outwardly despising him, I knew perfectly well that he neither needed nor deigned to scheme against someone as lowly as myself. During my four years in prison, Jun Lin was my most antagonistic opponent, yet in the end, he was the most genuine person I knew. I must have been aware of Jun Lin's deep-seated indulgence, which allowed me to provoke him time and again with impunity.
Zi Jin gently rubbed the cold jade at her waist: "Since leaving the prefecture... I hope you can forget the grudges of the past and become a king whose name will be remembered for eternity."