Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 126

Brother... are you still the brother who would risk his life and defy fate for me?

Brother... are you still the brother who searched for me through the highest heavens and the deepest hells, devoting his entire life to finding me?

Brother... are you still the brother who said, "I will not keep worldly things, and we will grow old together in life and death"?

Brother… can you still recognize Jin’er after hearing that voice?

Brother... Nan'er is a good girl who deserves to be cherished. You... love her very much, don't you?

Brother... then this time, let me stand here and watch you leave... okay?

...

I suddenly have a splitting headache. Whose memory is this?

Those gentle, jade-like eyes, that white-haired man softly murmuring to his beloved woman:

"I'll leave behind nothing of this world, and we'll stay together until we grow old... How are you, Jin'er?"

Is that alright, Jin'er?

Jin'er... Nan'er? ...

Author of this chapter: Turtle Pig

Unresolved emotions and inescapable demonic obstacles; karmic retribution—when will our return be? A fleeting dream recalls the past. (Part 1)

In a daze, Zi Jin smelled a strange fragrance and felt intense pain all over her body, causing her consciousness to slowly dissipate.

"...The hands of the person beneath the girl can't be pried open no matter what we do?"

"Go and inform the madam first; I'll handle things here."

In a daze, someone tightly wrapped their arms around her waist and refused to let go. Waves of excruciating pain came from her chest, and Zi Jin groaned before losing consciousness completely.

"Jin'er... Jin'er... wake up..." Zi Jin was sleeping soundly, but was being shaken violently. She opened her eyes impatiently. The woman who came into view was no more than twenty years old. She was wearing a fiery red dragon and phoenix robe and a phoenix crown. It was clear at a glance that her face had been carefully made up. Her skin was sculpted like jade, her eyebrows were painted, and her hair was adorned with a golden sash. She swayed gracefully and was truly a woman of unparalleled beauty and elegant demeanor.

Zi Jin sat up sleepily, staring blankly at the woman who looked familiar in the candlelight.

When the woman saw Zi Jin wake up, she smiled gently and carefully dressed Zi Jin. After she was dressed, she carried Zi Jin to the bronze mirror and silently styled her hair.

Zi Jin was shocked when she saw herself in the bronze mirror. She was dressed in a bright yellow robe, but looked like a four or five-year-old child. She turned around uneasily to look at the smiling woman behind her.

"Don't panic, my son. Your mother will tell you a story in a moment." The woman behind her noticed Zi Jin's unease and said gently, her smile even brighter.

After everything was in place, the woman picked up Zi Jin and silently walked out of the palace.

It seemed to be early spring, but the temperature at night was still unusually low. The woman held Zi Jin in her cloak and coaxed her gently, "My child, don't sleep, we'll be there soon."

After walking for an unknown amount of time in the cold wind, the two entered a warm hall.

She carefully placed Zi Jin on the bed in the palace, then sat opposite him, a smile playing on her lips, scrutinizing Zi Jin's eyes and brows: "My son, you look just like your father... The most handsome person I've ever seen in my life is your father. Look at this Hall of Union, it's still exactly the same as before... But..."

The woman lowered her head and gently stroked Zi Jin's cheek, her eyes filled with sorrow: "The Nalan Nan tribe has always had only one male heir for generations, so why is my son a girl? How will they treat you in the future?"

The woman slowly rose, smiling as she stroked the brocade quilt on the bed: "That year, Mother accompanied Grandmother to the palace. To avoid the palace maids, she hid in the bushes of the Imperial Garden, and while hiding, she fell asleep. When she woke up, it was pitch black all around her. Mother was terrified... terrified. She could only sit there and cry. Then... a palace lantern stopped in front of Mother. Mother looked up and saw your father..."

He lowered his eyes and smiled slightly at his mother: "The palace servants can't find you anywhere, yet you're hiding here..."

At that time, the Empress Dowager did not know that he was the current emperor; she only remembered his warm, jade-like smile and his scent...

At thirteen, my mother was sent to the palace, believing she had finally found happiness. Little did she know… your father already had someone else in his heart… Every time I saw him frowning over her… losing sleep over her… it felt like being stabbed in the heart… again and again… until I felt no more pain… Ah… it's a pity she was afflicted with a cold poison in childhood, unable to bear your father any children, which led to your birth. I thought that with you, your father would treat me differently… but he gave me only the empty title of Empress, leaving me lonely day and night in the Phoenix Palace.

Your father poured his heart and soul into her, yet she remained blind to it, not only ignoring him but also mocking him relentlessly… She was entangled with other men… How could a concubine be so presumptuous? Wasn't she just relying on your father's favor? Why did she always look down on him? Why did she always trample on his sincerity? Why was she so ungrateful? …She never looked at your father again until her death… But your father still followed her in death.

I hate them so much... I hate them so much... Ha... Nalan Sikou's eternal love has turned to resentment... The Nalan Nan tribe is destined to never find the love of their lives... It turns out it wasn't just a legend..."

The woman gently held the uneasy Zi Jin in her arms: "My son, don't be afraid... Your mother will not let them get away with this. Even if they die... they will never be able to leave me again."

Zi Jin gripped the woman's sleeve tightly, wanting to speak but unsure what to say.

The woman seemed to sense Zi Jin's intention and smiled gently: "My son, never trust anyone again, never fall in love with anyone... The men of the Sikou family are all wolves in sheep's clothing, you must be especially wary of them. As for the future... I can no longer help you... But... I hope you will treat your uncle's family well. If the Dugu family really sends a man into the palace in the future, you must treat him with the utmost kindness. I owe your uncle far too much... I'm afraid I can never repay him in this lifetime... I can no longer be with you, but my son, don't be afraid, you still have Sister Su'er... From now on, in this palace, besides Su'er, my son, you cannot trust anyone... Remember... never trust anyone..."

"Mother, Jin'er is scared." Zi Jin stared wide-eyed in fear, looking at the woman's resolute eyes, and blurted out these words without thinking.

The woman hugged Zi Jin tightly, pressing her face against Zi Jin's: "Jin'er, don't be afraid... It's getting late, Jin'er, go to sleep quickly, close your eyes and you won't be afraid anymore..."

The woman gently rocked Zi Jin in her arms. A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and Zi Jin found a comfortable position in the woman's embrace, slowly closing her eyes.

“My son…you must remember that the men of the Sikou family are wolves in sheep’s clothing, and you must be more careful in the future…If the Dugu family really sends a man into the palace…the mother owes your uncle a debt that only you can repay on her behalf.”

Even in her sleep, Zi Jin could still hear the woman repeating those words over and over in her ear. Impatiently, Zi Jin buried her head deeper into the ground before finally falling into a deep sleep.

"Ah!" A sharp, drawn-out scream startled Zi Jin awake.

Zi Jin hurriedly sat up and saw a woman dressed in a fiery red dragon and phoenix wedding robe and wearing a phoenix crown hanging outside the bed curtains, her tongue sticking out menacingly, and her peerless face deathly pale. It was the woman who had coaxed her to sleep yesterday.

"Mother...Mother...Mother..." Zi Jin's eyes blurred, and large tears slid down her cheeks.

With tears blurring her vision, Zi Jin screamed loudly at the lifeless woman before her, overwhelmed by utter despair...

A cacophony of voices erupted outside the hall—shouts, screams, and general chaos.

Zi Jin's headache worsened, and all sorts of faces flashed through her mind.

Suddenly, a figure clad in golden armor and a crimson cloak entered Zi Jin's line of sight. He was full of vigor and high spirits, walking towards Zi Jin step by step. His smile was as warm as the spring sunshine, and he knelt down at Zi Jin's feet with great heroic spirit.