Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 205
Zi Jin turned around and made a face.
Jun Lin laughed loudly and quickly chased after him.
Zi Jin stopped, staring blankly at the corner of the palace wall and the dilapidated courtyard.
Jun Lin glanced at the courtyard, and his expression gradually darkened.
Zi Jin turned and glanced at Jun Lin: "They said...they said Jun Chi is being held here."
Jun Lin narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, his face grew increasingly gloomy, and his thin lips were pressed into a line.
Zi Jin slowly lowered her head and said softly, "Even if Jun Chi has done something wrong, he is still your younger brother. He is already this age, yet you are unwilling to grant him even a title of Prince. If you don't like him, you can simply let him leave the palace and establish his own residence. Why confine him to this abandoned courtyard... In fact, Jun Chi is very talented. If you were willing to use him..."
"Shut up!" Jun Lin roared. "You feel sorry for him, don't you? You can't bear to part with him, can you? You've always treated him differently since childhood, and now that you see him like this, you feel like I've wronged him, don't you? Don't you remember how he treated you back then! ...You did this on purpose, didn't you? You deliberately led me down this path! Look! Look at how much effort you've put into him! What does he have! What makes him worthy of your treatment!"
Zi Jin said, "Jun Lin! He is your own brother! His mother is no longer alive, how can you treat him like this! You have been the beloved crown prince since childhood, how can you understand his suffering? What he did to me back then was just to win your father's favor. Besides, you have just ascended the throne and are in need of capable people. Jun Chi is full of talent, why would you rather use an outsider than your closest relative?"
Jun Lin sneered, "That's right! I won't use him, I'll bury his talent, I'll keep him imprisoned until he's old! What can you do about it?"
"Jun Lin! You..."
Jun Lin's phoenix eyes flashed with a cold light: "I'm tired. Go back by yourself. If you don't want Jun Chi to suffer more, I advise you not to go near the abandoned courtyard!" After saying that, he turned and left with the people behind him, leaving Zi Jin alone on the spot.
Watching Jun Lin's departing figure, Zi Jin stood there stunned. After a long while, she glanced at the abandoned courtyard in the distance with a bitter smile, and walked step by step towards Chaofeng Palace.
Jun Lin walked very slowly. When he looked back, he saw that Zi Jin had already walked in the opposite direction. His anger intensified, and he strode towards the Imperial Study.
Shuyu Palace under the cover of night.
Consort Yi leaned back lazily in her chaise lounge, glancing at Wang Mama beside her with a smile: "Is the information reliable?"
Granny Wang whispered, "How can it be unreliable? We saw it clearly today; His Majesty turned around and left."
A cold glint flashed in Consort Yi's eyes: "Heh... thinking she's something special just because she's favored. Since she wants to see the Third Prince so much, then you should find a way to let her see him. Just don't let His Majesty know."
Granny Wang chuckled softly: "Your Highness, rest assured, this old servant understands."
Jun Lin paced anxiously back and forth in the imperial study, glancing out the window every now and then.
Xiao Wu stepped forward and said respectfully, "If Your Majesty wishes to see the young lady, you may go."
Jun Lin glared at Xiao Wu fiercely: "What do you know? Every time she quarrels with me, I'm the one who has to coax her. Can't she just lower her head first and try to coax me? Besides, what is there about Jun Chi that makes her so attached to him?"
Xiao Wu said, "His Majesty knows perfectly well that she and the Third Prince grew up together and she treats him like a younger brother. Although there have been unpleasant incidents, the young lady is kind-hearted, so how could she really hold a grudge against the Third Prince? Now that the young lady knows that the Third Prince is confined to an abandoned courtyard, it's understandable that she feels sorry for him."
Jun Lin angrily said, "Couldn't she talk to me properly?! She had to play tricks on me, saying she didn't want to ride in the imperial carriage. She clearly had it all planned out. If it were truly a sibling relationship, why would she play tricks on me? She still hasn't repented and hasn't even come to the study to see me!"
Xiao Wu said, "Just now, Granny Wang reported that the young lady has not eaten dinner either, which means she must be thinking of His Majesty."
Jun Lin's face darkened: "Didn't I tell you to call the imperial physician over to take a look?"
Xiao Wu said with a troubled expression, "The young lady said she was tired and wanted to sleep, so she sent the imperial physician away... Granny Wang said the young lady didn't look well, probably because she walked too far this afternoon and was a little tired."
Jun Lin's face grew increasingly dark: "I walked so slowly and waited for her for so long! She didn't even say she wanted to catch up! It's obvious she wanted to walk!... Go, go and have the imperial physician examine her again!"
Xiao Wu looked like he wanted to laugh but didn't dare, and whispered, "I sent them over a while ago, and they said the young lady had already gone to bed. She must be really tired... Which palace does His Majesty plan to stay in tonight?"
Jun Lin glanced at the bright moon outside the window, then pondered for a moment before saying, "Prepare the carriage for Shuyu Palace."
Xiao Wu was taken aback: "Your Majesty...this, the young lady and Consort Yi..."
Jun Lin narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, strode towards the door, and coldly snorted, "I just want to annoy her!"
Xiao Wu shook his head and quickly followed.
Love and hate leave no trace, deep affection is hard to wait for; the descendants of the gods, three generations of marriage and resentment fill the river, watching the tide rise and fall amidst the wind and rain (Part 4)
(Part 4) Since the Qingzhen incident, Jun Lin has come to Chaofeng Palace every night to sleep with Zi Jin. Although they have never crossed the line, Zi Jin is always wary and concerned. Therefore, she never dares to sleep deeply and can only sleep soundly after Jun Lin has gone to the morning court.
Since the day the two argued over Jun Chi, Jun Lin hadn't appeared for several days. Zi Jin no longer had to worry about sleeping day and night, which made her feel relaxed, and her spirits were much better than before.
In the evening, Zi Jin sat in front of the bronze mirror, stroking her neat hair bun with satisfaction: "Hehe, this kind of hair bun is still the best. It won't get in the way when I'm working." Granny Lu picked up the lotus crown to put it on herself, but Zi Jin stopped her and said, "I won't wear it. The fragrance of the flowers makes me sleepy and uncomfortable. I'll just find a hairpin and wear it as a token gesture."
Granny Lu put down the lotus crown, found a simple and elegant jade carving hairpin, carefully put it on Zi Jin, and sighed, saying, "This old servant really doesn't know what you're thinking, Miss. There are so many people in the palace who would love to touch this lotus crown and this bright red dress, but you are so good. Since that day, you have never worn bright red again, and today you won't even wear this lotus crown."
Zi Jin laughed and said, "I've already made an appointment with the Emperor Emeritus. Today I'll go to his place and cook something for him. Wearing all that random stuff will only hinder my work."
Granny Lu said with a hint of reproach, "All you do is run to the Locked Love Palace every day. His Majesty hasn't come to the Phoenix Palace for so many days, yet you don't seem to be worried at all. You seem to be getting more and more energetic. You really are something else..."
Zi Jin replied casually, "Wouldn't it be better if he didn't come? It would save us a lot of trouble."
Granny Lu sighed softly and said mournfully, "Look at all the ladies in the palace, young lady. Aren't they all eagerly waiting for His Majesty to glance at them? Why are you holding a grudge against His Majesty? His Majesty has been staying at Shuyu Palace for the past ten days and nights. That Noble Consort Yi was originally His Majesty's empress. Although His Majesty didn't give her the empress title back then, when His Majesty was the crown prince, he didn't take any concubines for Noble Consort Yi's sake. Who knows, His Majesty might change his mind and give her the empress title... Although you now live in the empress palace, you don't even have a formal title. If you continue to hold a grudge against His Majesty, and you really anger him, it will be a loss for you!"
Zi Jin adjusted the jade hairpin on her head and laughed carelessly, "Then what does Granny think I should do?"
Granny Lu suddenly looked up, her eyes shining brightly as she said to Zi Jin, "Miss, go and coax His Majesty. Men are sometimes like children; they need to be coaxed. Although His Majesty hasn't come in person these days, he hasn't neglected his duties. Isn't he just waiting for a way out? Miss, go to the Imperial Study to see His Majesty, say a few kind words, and give him that way out. Are you afraid His Majesty won't come back?"
Zi Jin glanced at herself in the bronze mirror, stood up with a grin, and strode out of the hall.
Granny Lu quickly blocked Zi Jin's path: "Miss, don't go empty-handed. This old servant has had some snacks prepared. Please take them to His Majesty."
Zi Jin patted Granny Lu on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Granny, what are you thinking? I'll bring you something delicious when I come back tonight."
“Miss!…” Granny Lu stomped her foot as she watched Zi Jin’s fleeing figure, looking at her with a disappointed expression.
The palace lanterns had been hung up early. Zi Jin hummed a little tune and walked into the Locked Love Palace in a cheerful mood. From afar, she saw Jun Ying sitting with his eyes closed under a tree by the lotus pond. A mischievous smile appeared on Zi Jin's lips as she tiptoed over.