Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 110
He dared not look up at Zi Jin; his pink lips were tightly pursed, and large tears streamed down his face.
Zi Jin wanted to comfort him, but couldn't find the words. She slowly lay back down, looking up at the old gauze curtains: What was there to say? She had been disrespectful to him. She thought he was like her, but she didn't expect... An idiot is an idiot!
“Nan’er knows she won’t like it… Xiao Zi is a boy.” Xiao Bai’s voice was tense.
Just a few words, yet they felt like a thousand-pound boulder crashing into Zi Jin's heart. She sat bolt upright, ignoring the dizziness, staring intently at Xiao Bai, wanting to grab him and slap him a few times, yelling at him: "Is it you who doesn't like her, or Nan'er who doesn't like her? Or is it that you don't like her and Nan'er doesn't like her? Or is it that neither of you like her? If you're afraid she doesn't like you, why did you come to me? Why did you come to see me? Why did you promise not to leave? You clearly have someone in your heart, yet you still come to provoke me!"
Hey man! Didn't you know I was a man back then? If you knew I was a man, why did you get so close? Why did you stay in my bed every day? Why were you trying to get close to me? And why did you come back after leaving?
I had already let you go, so why did you have to reappear? Why now of all times? Why now of all times?!
Xiao Bai raised her eyes, her gaze fixed on Zi Jin with tears welling up in her eyes. She bit her lower lip hard, her eyes filled with unspeakable grievances.
Zi Jin's pupils contracted, she let out a sudden sigh, rolled over and lay down, raising her hand to pinch Xiao Bai's face fiercely: "Go to sleep."
A bruise immediately appeared on Xiao Bai's face, but a hint of joy crept into his eyes, and a faint smile played on his lips. His hand groped slowly, and when he found Zi Jin's hand, he grasped it tightly and drifted off to sleep…
The morning air was slightly cool, and the lotus leaves of Weiyang Lake were covered with dew, their delicate fragrance filling the air. Prince Anle sat on the stone steps overlooking the water outside Liuran Pavilion, his eyelashes still glistening with dew. He absentmindedly stroked the lake water with his hand, lost in thought.
"Your Highness, Lord Jin has returned." Xiaopu's voice came from behind.
"How are they?!" Prince Anle turned around abruptly, immediately got up and walked back to Liuran Pavilion, then glanced at Xiaopu beside him, "You can go down now."
Jin Yu knelt in the Liu Ran Pavilion, and only after Xiao Pu had walked away did he raise his eyes and say, "Your Highness, please do not worry. Three days ago, after they left the palace, I had someone guide His Majesty to stay at an inn. Because His Majesty has excellent hearing, I dared not approach him without permission and kept watch from the opposite building. At night, I faintly heard voices coming from inside. The next morning, the two of them disguised themselves and left the capital, heading north towards the mountain stream. After two days, they stopped at Shipai Village. The young master took the Emperor's gold hairpin and exchanged it for a thatched house and some household items. It seems he intends to settle there for a while."
Prince Anle glanced at him thoughtfully and said, "Get up and answer... How is the little mute boy's health?"
“It usually takes a day for an ordinary person to travel from the capital to Shipai Village, but it took the Emperor and the young master two days, which shows that the young master’s health is not very good.” Jin Yu thought for a while and then said, “I originally wanted to arrange a carriage for the two of them, but the young master is still lucid and meticulous, so I dared not make the decision on my own.”
"Cough cough...the people in the village...cough cough...have you taken care of them?" King Anle clutched his chest and looked up to ask.
"Your Highness, rest assured, Jin Yu has secretly made arrangements for the villagers, so the Emperor and the young master will not suffer."
Prince Anle's lips were pale as he slowly sat down on the stone chair. "Jin Yu, you're right. I shouldn't have... I regret it. But how could I have known that my brother had also learned to lie? He tricked me into leaving, then sneaked into Weiyang Palace himself. By the time I rushed back, it was too late..."
Jin Yu thought for a long time before finally asking, "Jin Yu doesn't understand. His Majesty has been mentally unstable for a long time, but he has always been gentle and modest. How could this happen..."
“When I returned to Weiyang Palace, I saw my brother crying and shaking her to wake her up. I wanted to pull him away, but the little mute girl woke up at that moment. Her eyes were full of resentment as she stared at me... Then she said to my brother: Take me away. ...My brother's eyes immediately turned red, and he frantically picked up the little mute girl and rushed outside. He attacked anyone who tried to stop him without mercy, even me... He was no exception.” Prince Anle smiled bitterly. “Jinyu, even in this state, why can't my brother forget her? Why does he still protect her more than his own life? He even dared to lay a hand on me, his own brother. My brother has never hit me once, not even once.”
“Since Your Highness has come to terms with it, why not tell the Emperor the truth and welcome them back as soon as possible? Right now, no one can get close to them. The Emperor is protecting the young master and is showing no mercy to anyone. No one can approach, not even Jin Yu. If the Emperor finds out… he will either die or be crippled.”
A hint of self-loathing flickered in Anle Wang's narrow eyes, and his bitter smile deepened: "Either death or crippling... It's clear that you showed me mercy back then. Jin Yu... It's too late, too late. Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me once you've sobered up. Putting aside how meticulous our plan was, just the fact that you now know the blood he drinks every day is Xiao Yaba's blood... You wouldn't believe it even if you died, that the person you've been waiting for is Xiao Yaba. The person you've waited for through two lifetimes, the person you risked your life for, you're now drinking her blood every day, hastening her death, all to wake her up a few days sooner. How can you expect me to believe that? Your heart didn't want to drink blood to cure your illness, but secretly you wanted to wake up sooner and stay by Yu Luo's side every day, so you never asked where the blood came from, because you knew from the beginning that it was human blood... Now that you're not sober... and you think Xiao Yaba is a man, there's nothing wrong with it. You just protect them secretly and don't disturb them."
"What should we do if His Majesty regains consciousness in a few days?" Jin Yu asked.
“If I’m sober, I’ll come back on my own. I won’t let Yu Luo keep waiting for me… cough cough.” King Anle clutched his chest and coughed incessantly.
"Your Highness has not rested for three days. You must take good care of yourself. Jin Yu will keep an eye on the Emperor and report back immediately if there is any news."
"Has Dugu Xihui made any moves these past few days? He's not as stubborn as my brother. He hasn't slept with Qingyan, so he must have figured something out. The other day, the little mute was out of his mind and talked nonsense again. I'm afraid he won't be so well-behaved. Knowing his personality, now that he's found her, the first thing he'll do is either a grand wedding or sleep with her to establish their status. Now, instead of preparing for his wedding in Yao Kingdom, he's come here. It can't be that simple. You should send more people to keep a close eye on things," said Prince Anle, clutching his chest and panting heavily.
Jin Yu said, "Jin Yang Lou has already sent a large number of people to Yue Kingdom, presumably to investigate whether Qing Yan is truly Yu Luo. This matter is not so simple to investigate. Our spies reported that Emperor Xuanlong has eliminated everyone who heard the truth that day. However, the young master's personal eunuch has disappeared without a trace. It seems that someone hid him before us. Since someone has hidden him, it won't be easy for Jin Yang Lou to find him. Right now, the only people in Yue Kingdom who truly know the truth are Emperor Xuanlong, Zi Yingfeng, the Crown Prince, and the Third Prince. Unless we start with these four, we won't be able to find out from anywhere else."
"Cough cough cough... cough cough... cough cough... You should... cough back down." King Anle clutched his chest and coughed repeatedly.
"Your Highness's injuries should be treated as soon as possible, lest they become chronic. Jin Yu will take his leave now."
Prince Anle watched Jin Yu's retreating figure, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes. He clutched his chest tightly, gasping for breath, a single tear sliding down his cheek...
A lifetime of love and hate, hard to understand, reincarnation begins again. The bamboo grows without heart, how long can a reflection in a mirror or the moon in the water last? (Part Two)
How long can a mirage last? (Part Two) In the small courtyard, there were three thatched houses. Not far from the door stood a jujube tree, and beneath it, a small well was surrounded by scattered rocks. Various birds sang in the forest, and the air carried a faint fragrance. Under the twilight, the boundless mountains and rivers, green tinged with gold, were dazzlingly beautiful.
Zi Jin hummed a little tune as she chopped vegetables with a cleaver. Although the vegetables were oddly shaped, she figured it wouldn't affect the taste when cooked. She glanced at the courtyard gate every now and then; she'd been out for quite a while, why hadn't she returned yet?
When he woke up again that day, he belatedly realized that he was in a dilapidated inn. He was overjoyed and grabbed Xiaobai to ask her questions. He then learned that Xiaobai had led him all the way out of Weiyang Palace.
Zi Jin looked Xiao Bai up and down several times, but she couldn't imagine what he would look like as he fought his way out of Weiyang Palace: white robes fluttering, holding a beauty in his arms, sword in one hand, with a murderous look on his face, moving at the first sign of trouble, bathing in the morning light amidst blood, and saying in a cold voice with a slight smile: those who block my way shall die.
Zi Jin brandished a kitchen knife, tilted her head, and chuckled: "My ideal man is a peerless hero. One day he will come to take me back, wearing golden armor and riding on colorful auspicious clouds."
Zi Jin suddenly stopped laughing, her hand frozen in mid-air, staring blankly at the courtyard gate: the cloth covering the person's head was now a tangled mess, revealing glimpses of white hair underneath. His sickly, sallow face was covered in sweat and dirt, his slightly short blue shirt was speckled and watermarked, and in his right hand he held a muddy radish that looked like it had just been pulled from the ground. A radish?
He tried to hide the dirt on his body, and slowly walked into the yard, his sallow face full of unease.
Zi Jin walked out blankly, holding a kitchen knife, staring at the water radish in his hand: "Xiao Bai, didn't you go with them to catch pheasants?"
"Hmm." She lowered her eyes and walked forward little by little.
"Where's the pheasant?" Zi Jin asked.
"I'll switch to this one." A hint of joy flashed across Xiaobai's yellowish-brown face as he proudly raised the old radish in his hand.
"You changed it? Why?" His face was clouded with gloom.
"They say pheasants aren't tasty, but this is," Xiaobai said, shaking the radish in her hand.
"Pheasant isn't tasty? This is tasty?...Are you a pig?! Trading pheasant for radishes!" Zi Jin felt an urge to explode.
Xiao Bai quickly hid the radish behind her back, lowered her head, and pursed her lips with a slightly aggrieved look: "No."
Zi Jin, rubbing her back, asked fiercely, "No? Who would trade a pheasant for a radish! Who would trade a pheasant for a radish? Are you a pig or what?"
"Mmm," Xiaobai responded softly, almost unconsciously.
"Huh?!" Zi Jin's eyes widened, panting heavily as she stared intently at Xiao Bai. Are you really that innocent or just pretending? Are you trying to drive me crazy?