Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 207

"You like to eat, but not like this!" Zi Jin handed the chicken on the plate to the palace maid beside her, then glanced at Jun Ying, whose face was pale, and noticed that there were fine beads of sweat on his forehead. "Uh? Are you tired?"

Jun Ying slowly sat down, leaning back in the recliner, his brows furrowed with undisguised weariness: "I am a little tired."

Zi Jin walked to Jun Ying's side, looked at his unusually pale face, and then looked up at the bright moon hanging high in the sky: "It's so late, I should go back."

Jun Ying reached out and grabbed Zi Jin's hand, holding it firmly: "Don't go... talk to me a little longer." His voice was filled with unspeakable exhaustion.

Zi Jin squatted down and wiped the cold sweat from Jun Ying's forehead with her sleeve: "It's all my fault. I forgot you weren't feeling well and kept you up all night. You're too tired today. How about tomorrow? I'll come earlier tomorrow, okay?"

Jun Ying did not let go of her hand. He glanced at Zi Jin's smiling face, his dark eyes under the lamplight exuding an indescribable gentleness.

Zi Jin draped the silk quilt handed to her by the palace maid over Jun Ying, straightened it, gently patted Jun Ying, and said with a smile, "Then I'll wait until you fall asleep before I leave."

Jun Ying smiled at Zi Jin and nodded slightly.

What would you like to eat tomorrow?

Jun Ying glanced at the two chickens that remained in the distance: "We've made so many, enough for tomorrow's meal. It's too hot, don't bother with them."

Zi Jin smiled and said, "Those two chickens aren't for you to eat. I promised to bring them back for Granny Lu. Tell me what you want to eat. I'd like to learn how to cook too."

Jun Ying's smile softened even more: "Don't try those things, you'll hurt your hands."

Zi Jin said urgently, "How could that be? Haven't you heard? To win the heart of your future husband, you must first win his stomach. That's why I really want to learn how to cook. What do you want to eat?"

Jun Ying chuckled softly and slowly closed her eyes: "Whatever you want, I'll eat whatever you make."

"How about we have something light tomorrow?... Lotus seed and lean pork soup is delicious, but I've never made it before, so I don't know if I'll do it well. How about this, I'll try it tomorrow, and if it's not good, you can't blame me, no... I'll go back and ask Granny Lu later, she should know how, but... she used to be a palace maid, so she probably hasn't cooked before. When she combed my hair, her hands were even more delicate than mine. Granny Lu must have been a beauty when she was young. But then again, you can't enter the palace without being a beauty." Seeing that no one was responding, Zi Jin turned to look at Jun Ying and realized that he had already fallen asleep.

Love and hate leave no trace, deep affection is hard to wait for; the descendants of the gods, three generations of marital entanglements fill the river, watching the tide rise amidst wind and rain (Part 5)

(Part 5) Zi Jin gently withdrew her hand, carefully tidying the silk quilt covering Jun Ying. She glanced at the bright moon hanging high in the sky and said in a very low voice to the palace servants behind her, "Let him go in later. It's not too cold outside right now, let him sleep a little longer." Zi Jin looked at the ice basins surrounding the room in the distance and whispered to the palace servants behind her, "Keep two of them, and remove the rest."

The palace maid responded softly and began to move the ice basins.

Zi Jin glanced at the sleeping Jun Ying before walking toward the palace gate. She had only taken two steps when she noticed someone following her closely. She turned around and asked, "What are you doing following me?"

The young eunuch carrying the palace lantern and the food box smiled at Zi Jin: "Didn't you say you wanted to take it with you, Miss? This servant will take it back to you."

Zi Jin reached out to take the food box, but the little eunuch held on tightly.

Zi Jin said somewhat impatiently, "You can go and keep an eye on the Emperor Emeritus. I'll take it back myself."

The young eunuch looked at Zi Jin with a pained expression: "Look how late it is. If I don't escort you home, the Emperor Emeritus will surely blame me when he wakes up. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Zi Jin glanced at the sky, thought for a moment, and then stopped arguing.

Under the bright moonlight, Zi Jin strolled casually along the palace walls.

The wind beneath these palace walls carried a stifling heat, unlike in Rouge Valley, where a gust of wind would rustle through the bamboo, bringing a refreshing coolness. Even without ice, the bamboo hut was much cooler than this grand hall. I had fumigated the area around the hut with medicinal herbs, eliminating any mosquitoes. The place was exceptionally clean, as if the vast bamboo forest contained only myself and Xiaobai.

Xiao Bai's body was always cool and refreshing, and holding him felt incredibly comforting... Yet Ming, a pure and innocent person who seemed untouched by worldly concerns, always craved the pleasures of men and women.

But his sullen manner made it impossible to get angry at him. Back then, I clearly had the upper hand, but now I realize that I could never win against him and always had to give in to him. It was probably because I was always completely under his thumb that my master got annoyed with me so many times.

Master…Master, where are you being held? I've searched the entire palace countless times, but I can't find you anywhere. I wonder if Jun Lin has hurt you again. I doubt he would; he just wants to confine himself. He probably won't torture you anymore, but how much pain must your collarbone be in from those chains…

Does Xiao Bai know that he hasn't returned to Rouge Valley? If he does, will he worry? ...He must have treated Yu Luo as well as he treated him back then. He has such a strong sense of responsibility, how could he possibly wrong his wife?

Xiao Bai... Xiao Bai... Why can't I forget you? ... Why do I still think of you?

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the little eunuch behind Zi Jin suddenly stepped forward and blocked her path with one hand.

Zi Jin glanced around discreetly, a hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes. How did she end up in this remote place... If she really had to fight him head-on, she was afraid she wouldn't be a match for him right now.

The young eunuch stared at Zi Jin for a long time, then blew out the palace lantern in his hand, put down the food box, and slowly knelt down.

Zi Jin looked at the person in front of her in surprise and said in a firm voice, "What do you want?"

The young eunuch kowtowed heavily to Zi Jin: "Please, young lady, save my master!"

"Your master?"

The young eunuch raised his eyes, his face already streaked with tears: "His Highness the Third Prince was seriously injured in Chen Kingdom. After being sent back, he was imprisoned in an abandoned courtyard. His injuries have never healed, but His Majesty refuses to send the imperial physician to examine him. Miss... please save my master! You don't know how unbearable life is in that abandoned courtyard. Those servants look down on him because he's fallen on hard times. My master is injured and sick, and he's never had enough to eat... Miss! Miss!... They say you used to treat my master like a younger brother, growing up with him. Now that he's in this state, you can't just stand by and watch him die!"

A hint of worry flashed in Zi Jin's eyes: "I also pleaded for him, but Jun Lin..."

The young eunuch shook his head repeatedly: "No! No! His Majesty originally intended to let Master off the hook, but Master stubbornly refused to bow down and admit his mistake. In his anger, His Majesty imprisoned Master in the abandoned courtyard. Master and Miss grew up together, and Master was very kind to Master back then. Master will definitely listen to Miss. As long as Miss can find a way to make Master apologize to His Majesty, I think His Majesty will definitely not hold it against Master anymore."

Zi Jin sighed, "I can't even see Jun Chi, so how can I persuade him? I want to go see him too, but that abandoned courtyard is always guarded, and the security is extremely tight."

The young eunuch stared at Zi Jin for a long time, then gritted his teeth and said, "If you trust me, Miss, I can take you inside."

"you?……"

"Please, young lady! Please, young lady! Save my master! Save my master!" The little eunuch knelt on the spot and kowtowed repeatedly, his head hitting the bluestone slab with a "thump, thump" sound.

Zi Jin felt a pang of pity and quickly helped the young eunuch up. She glanced at him for a moment and said, "Lead the way."

The young eunuch stopped crying and smiled, casually wiping the blood from his forehead with his sleeve. He picked up the food box from the ground and led the way for Zi Jin with utmost respect.

They walked for an unknown amount of time and turned several corners before finally arriving at a low wall.

The young eunuch helped Zi Jin climb over, then nimbly crawled in himself. After a few steps, he reached a large patch of grass and deftly parted the weeds. Behind the weeds was a narrow opening about half a person's height, just wide enough for Zi Jin to squeeze through. The young eunuch first handed her the food box inside, then laboriously squeezed in himself.

This little hut must have been an abandoned woodshed. The young eunuch opened the door of the woodshed with practiced ease and pointed to the house opposite the side of the small courtyard: "The master lives in that house. This servant will go and keep watch by the door."