Emperatriz viuda Xiaoxuan

Capítulo 80

"Hmph, don't be delusional! She spared your life just to lure us in. If you show any mercy to her, none of us will escape." Xuanping's eyes sharpened as he spoke in a ruthless voice.

Zi Jin gave a wry smile and turned to look at west Le's busy figure in the distance.

west Le's meticulously styled hair was slightly disheveled, and she was covered in sweat. As if sensing Zi Jin's gaze, she suddenly turned around and smiled sweetly at Zi Jin.

Zi Jin tilted her head and returned a faint smile.

west Le seemed to notice Zi Jin's absent-mindedness, hurriedly dropped what she was doing, rushed over, and sat down next to Zi Jin as if no one else was there. She brushed the dry grass from Zi Jin's hair and asked softly, "Are you tired?"

Zi Jin shook her head.

west Le smiled gently: "It was rash of me to bring you out for a spring outing in such a hurry today."

Zi Jin turned her head to the side and smiled lightly, "It's alright. It's been a long time since I've seen such a view. I don't know when I'll have the chance to see it again. I should take this opportunity to take another look."

"If Jin'er likes it, we can settle down here from now on, okay?" west Le turned her head to look at Zi Jin, her eyes full of undisguised expectation.

Zi Jin turned her head to gaze into the distance and remained silent.

Seeing Zi Jin's reaction, west Le lowered her eyes and said, "This pond is the habitat of ugly fish. Let me catch two for Jin'er to try, okay?" Her voice was unusually gentle. After speaking, as if afraid that Zi Jin would disagree, she ran towards the pond as if fleeing.

Seeing Xi Le leave, Xuan Ping revealed a mocking sneer: "Ugly fish, the emperors of the Three Kingdoms only sent three of these as tribute a year. I never thought they would be born in this pond. She really cares about you."

"What is an ugly fish?" Zi Jin asked curiously.

Xuanping gazed into the distance, his eyes unusually cold and murderous. Just when Zi Jin thought he wouldn't speak, he slowly began, "The name 'Ugly Fish'... is a story, too long... I can't quite remember it anymore. This fish is incredibly delicious, so delicious that you can't get enough... But I remember the little mute didn't like fish, did he?"

Zi Jin's dark eyes shone brightly in the sunlight: Ugly Fish? Ugly Fish? That's quite a strange name.

Xuanping stared at Zi Jin's figure, a faint look of confusion in his eyes: "Why are you so willing to return to Chen Kingdom with me?"

Don't you want that fish anymore?

Zi Jin shrugged helplessly: "If I said I didn't know, would you believe me? There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me, I just don't know. I don't know why I should go back with you, but deep down I just want to go back with you."

A hint of surprise appeared in Xuanping's cool eyes as he met Zijin's clear, dark eyes, as if trying to find the real answer.

"Gotcha! Gotcha!" came west Le's cheerful voice from the other end.

The two simultaneously turned their gazes toward Xi Le. Zi Jin was quite curious about the name "Ugly Fish," wondering to herself how ugly a fish could be to be called that by the world. She got up and ran to west Le's side.

west Le hurriedly ran ashore, a strangely radiant smile on her lips. She took Zi Jin's hand and pointed to the gilded flowerpot in the guard's hand.

A blood-red fish sat peacefully in the basin, undisturbed, as if it were not imprisoned. The fish was as red as blood jade, crystal clear, and exquisitely beautiful.

For some reason, even though it was the first time Zi Jin had seen this fish, she felt a sense of déjà vu. A deep sadness and heartache suddenly welled up in her heart, and she quietly lowered her eyes, staring blankly at the fish in the basin.

"Jin'er, do you want to know why such an elegant and refined fish is named 'Ugly Fish'?" west Le held Zi Jin's hand tightly and looked at the fish gently as she spoke.

Zi Jin nodded blankly.

“Once upon a time, a king, for the birthday of his beloved concubine, traveled to her hometown and personally caught two fish, her favorite. He only intended to please her, but upon returning to the capital, he heard that she intended to live happily ever after with her lover. Heartbroken, the king questioned her about her actions and demanded the execution of her beloved. The concubine, protecting her lover, refused to back down, and the two began to argue, even fighting. The concubine stabbed the king in the heart with her sword… His blood spilled into the fishbowl beside him… Looking at the blood-stained fish and the fishbowl, the king said: ‘So ugly.’” After Xi Le finished speaking, she carefully observed Zi Jin's expression. Seeing that Zi Jin stared blankly at the fishbowl without reaction, she continued, “From then on, this fish was renamed ‘Ugly Fish’.”

The blood-red fish in the water stained Zi Jin's eyes crimson. She could even clearly feel the king's heart-wrenching pain and utter helplessness at the moment he was stabbed by his beloved.

“When I was a child, I heard this story and secretly vowed that if I ever met the love of my life, I would catch an ugly fish for her myself so that she would know my feelings,” Xi Le continued calmly, but her clenched hands betrayed her true feelings.

The fish in the basin, like a blazing wildfire, fell into Zi Jin's heart without warning. That excruciating pain spread throughout her body, becoming uncontrollable.

“Jin’er has spent all this time with me, yet she hasn’t exposed my act. In any case, she still cares about me. It’s enough that you know who I am. I don’t need your reply right now.” Xi Le lowered her eyes, her smile noticeably stiff.

"Let it go... What isn't yours... you have to let go eventually." Zi Jin murmured, seemingly unconsciously.

Upon hearing this, both Xuanping and Xile looked at Zijin. Xuanping's eyes were filled with complex emotions, while Xile's face instantly turned extremely gloomy, her beautiful features contorted in pain.

"Let it go, set it free. It's not yours... Don't force it anymore." A murmured, almost in a daze.

west Le's stunningly beautiful face turned pale and then flushed. She reached out and grabbed the ugly fish, holding it in her hand. The fish's fiery red eyes seemed to drip blood, and its mouth opened and closed. Xi Le exerted a little force, and the ugly fish's tail trembled once before it was lifeless. She turned and threw the fish into the pool, where it sank silently.

Two blue fish swam happily in a gilded, carved basin, but in the blink of an eye, they turned fiery red. Clumps of red fell into the water, dyeing the blue fish a fiery hue. Regret? Regret? A tear slid down Zi Jin's cheek. Regret? Regret? Why force it? Why force it? ...And why force it?

Xi Le tightly gripped Zi Jin's hand: "I am willing to give up everything for you, do you know that?" Faced with Zi Jin's indifference, her eyes were filled with sorrow and despair. "You don't like life in the palace, so I gave up everything to come with you. Now you still yearn for so-called freedom. Does being with me mean you've lost your freedom?"

Zi Jin turned her face away from the pain in her hand, but was shocked by the unreadable emotion in west Le's eyes: It's just... it shouldn't be like this, everything shouldn't be like this, this is not the freedom I want.

How many guards are there at the city gates? How many actors were hired to play Princess Xi Le? When everything in life is an illusion, what freedom is there left? Everything is under your control, isn't it? This isn't the freedom I want, is it?

Zi Jin quietly pulled her hand back, looked at the distant pool and the cascading waterfall, and smiled slightly: "I've heard that at the border of the three kingdoms, the climate is hot, and there's a treasure mountain called Immortal Mountain. The temperature difference on this mountain is enormous, allowing one to experience all four seasons in a single day, truly deserving the description 'four seasons on one mountain, different weather every ten miles'."

Zi Jin straightened her blue spring robe, paused, and then said, "It's already late spring and early summer, why is the weather here still so chilly?"

Slightly startled, west Le feigned composure and said, "So what if this isn't the border between the three kingdoms?..."

Before west Le could finish speaking, the sounds of fierce fighting came from not far away.

Without a second thought, west Le pulled Zi Jin to her side and shielded her behind her. Xuan Ping approached the two of them without making a sound.

As the fight drew closer, the two bodyguards who had been protecting west Le resolutely joined the battle.

Suddenly, a man in white appeared, stepping on the water. A glint flashed in west Le's eyes, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. As if he had anticipated this, he calculated the direction the man in white would land and turned to strike out with his palm. The man in white looked surprised and took several steps back.

Zi Jin stared intently at the man in white and almost reflexively grabbed west Le's hand. west Le seemed to willingly submit to her control, not breaking free from Zi Jin's pull, and indeed did not attempt to harm the man in white again.

However, the two guards who had just left quickly returned to west Le's side and engaged in a fierce battle with the man in white. The man in white was already injured, so how could he be a match for the two guards? He was gradually losing ground.

In the distance, a large number of soldiers suddenly appeared and joined the battle, turning the tide of the fight to one side. Those who had attacked from the shadows were gradually surrounded by the soldiers and forced into a corner. There were already many casualties on the ground.

A flicker of anxiety crossed Xuanping's eyes, and he gave Zi Jin a sharp look.