Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 98
Prince Anle turned and walked to Zi Jin's side, reaching out to take the bowl, but his hand stopped in mid-air. He glanced at Zi Jin as if unintentionally.
Zi Jin noticed his gaze and quickly turned her face away, refusing to look at him.
"Someone come here!" King Anle abruptly withdrew his hand, walked to the door, and called out.
A eunuch, with a slight bow, stepped forward and stood before Prince Anle.
"Send this blood to the Phoenix Palace immediately, and have Fulai watch the Emperor take it."
"Yes." The eunuch accepted the order, entered the room, picked up the bowl of blood, and quickly headed towards the door.
"Wait! If you spill even a drop, I'll take your life!" King Anle's eyebrows twitched as he said angrily, then he left first.
Watching Prince Anle's departing figure, Zi Jin could no longer resist the waves of dizziness and slowly closed her eyes...
A lifetime of love and hate, hard to understand, reincarnation begins again. The bamboo grower is heartless, the past is but a dream. (XI)
A Dream of the Past (XI) In early winter, the Yaochen Imperial Palace was adorned with white jade and covered in silver. The weather was gloomy, with thick, low, grayish-yellow clouds filling the sky. Large snowflakes, carried by the biting northwest wind, raged wildly between heaven and earth, emitting sharp and piercing howls in the air.
Empress Yanzai, dressed in a white fur-lined cloak, stood quietly in the wind and snow, gazing at the tree branches bent low by the weight of the snow in the distance. Her eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, and from afar she resembled a statue made of snow.
Standing not far away, the chief eunuch Zhongxi anxiously watched the empress in the snow, looking like he was in a dilemma.
The snow was falling heavier and heavier, but Empress Yanzai, covered in snow and wind, remained motionless, standing in place against the wind and snow.
The chief eunuch, Zhongxi, felt both heartache and anxiety, but dared not step forward, inwardly blaming the shadow guard for failing in his duty.
After a long while, the Empress slowly turned around, and Eunuch Zhongxi hurriedly went to greet her, gently and quickly patting the snowflakes off the Empress's cloak.
"Has Jun Ying returned to the palace?" Empress Yanzai asked, lowering her eyes.
Eunuch Zhongxi bowed and replied, "The Shadow Guard has not yet returned to the palace, but..."
Empress Yanzai closed her phoenix eyes tightly, her face full of weariness: "Speak freely."
"This morning, the young master of the Sikou Palace came to the palace early. He was going to Weiyang Palace to pay his respects... but somehow he found out that... Young Master Dugu is His Majesty's concubine... After hearing this, the young master left Weiyang Palace with a gloomy face and went straight to Xiayang Palace." Eunuch Zhongxi kept his head bowed tightly.
"How long has the young prince been gone?" Empress Yanzai asked, her brows furrowed and her voice weary.
"At this point, we have probably arrived at Xiayang Palace."
The Empress stood still and glanced at the snow in the distance: "Set up the Xia Yang Palace."
Eunuch Zhongxi nervously raised his head and said anxiously, "Your Majesty... at this moment... it's best not to offend the young prince... You know how much Her Majesty the Empress dotes on the young prince. If she knew that the young prince had been wronged by Your Majesty, how would she feel? Your Majesty, please be patient for now and wait for the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard..."
"Set up the Xiayang Palace!" Empress Yanzai's voice already carried a hint of annoyance.
Eunuch Zhongxi bowed and sighed, then whispered, "Your Majesty, prepare the Xiayang Palace!"
Empress Yeonjae sat on her imperial carriage, her brows furrowed, her expression revealing her deep worry. Eunuch Chung-hee tried to speak several times, but ultimately hesitated, lamenting how quickly everyone had moved, arriving at the gates of Xia Yang Palace in no time.
Empress Yeonjae gazed at the mottled gate of Xiayang Palace, sitting on her imperial carriage with no intention of dismounting.
Eunuch Chung-hee secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could finish, the Empress had already slowly stood up.
Empress Yanzai pulled up her white cloak, took a deep breath, stopped the messenger from reporting and following her, and walked alone into Xiayang Palace.
Grandpa Zhongxi's heart jumped again, and he followed closely behind.
"Young master, stop! Young master... stop!" From afar, they could hear the anxious voice of Eunuch Fu Lai.
Upon entering the palace gate, they saw two little figures, one in orange and one in green, rolling around on the snow. Eunuch Fu Lai paced anxiously around the two rolling figures, looking as if he didn't know what to do.
Empress Yanzai stared at the two equally matched little figures rolling around in the snow, remaining silent for a long time.
Seeing the Empress's calm and composed demeanor, both eunuchs, Fu Lai and Zhong Xi, were extremely anxious, though their reasons for being anxious differed.
The two little figures fought with increasing ferocity, neither giving an inch, until the snow on the ground completely enveloped them. The crowd around them, who had been escorting the Empress through the gate, had already knelt in a flurry.
"Stop." Empress Yanzai said calmly, her face expressionless.
The orange-clad figure suddenly stopped, taking two blows from the blue-clad figure, but had no time to pay attention. He hurriedly struggled to his feet, quickly tidying his hair and brushing the snowflakes off his body and face. Once he was standing properly, Empress Yanzai recognized the orange-clad figure as Dugu Xihui.
The little figure, dressed in blue, had a small face the size of a palm. Several scratches marred her snow-white skin, and her cheeks were flushed. Her long, narrow eyes, like peach petals, were red with anger, and her cherry-like lips were slightly pouting. If it weren't for the bun on her head, one would definitely think that the person in front of her was a girl, none other than the young heir of the Sikou clan—Sikou Xunle.
Sikou Xunle wiped the snow off his face with his sleeve, but accidentally scratched his face, causing him to gasp in pain. He stood up in displeasure and slapped Dugu Xihui across the face.
Dugu Xihui stood there stunned, covering her face, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at the Empress, but dared not cry out.
Empress Yanzai was stunned. Although she had only been a puppet emperor all these years, no one had ever dared to disregard her like this. If a mere child from the Sikou family could be so fearless, what about everyone else? Empress Yanzai's face immediately filled with rage.
Seeing that the Empress was already angry, Eunuch Zhongxi quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty... please don't ruin the harmony... for... even for the sake of the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard... you must..."
"Step back!" Empress Yeonjae shouted angrily.
Grandpa Zhongxi opened his mouth, but ultimately had no choice but to take a step back.
Eunuch Fu was overjoyed: the young master's slap had completely brought out His Majesty's affection, and this might be the young master's chance to turn things around.
Sikou Xunle stared at Dugu Xihui with a gloomy expression, and the atmosphere around them became extremely tense.
Dugu Xihui stared blankly at the Empress with red eyes. Her fox-like eyes held accusation, longing, and grievance.
Empress Yeonjae lowered her eyes, staring intently at her toes. Her fierce aura gradually subsided amidst the increasingly heavy snowfall, eventually returning to a state of tranquility.
Empress Yanzai slightly raised her eyes, then suddenly raised her head, glaring sharply at Dugu Xihui standing in the snow, and shouted angrily, "Dugu Xihui! You've lived in the palace all these years, where have all the manners you learned gone? How dare you openly defy the young prince and fight with him! What kind of behavior is this! Take Dugu Xihui to the room of reflection!"