Emperatriz viuda Xiaoxuan

Capítulo 157

Bao Xian paused for a moment, as if he had thought of something, and smiled slightly at Wu Tong, saying, "Let's use them together, so as not to disappoint our master's kindness."

Wutong glanced at Baoxian and sat down timidly: "Brother Bao... Miss has changed so much."

Bao Xian lowered his eyes: "Master has always looked like this... These past few days, he's been the same as before."

"Brother Bao... it's so good that you can do this... When Miss is happy, Brother Bao will be happy, and when Brother Bao is happy, Wutong is also very happy." Wutong lowered her head and said softly.

"Hmm...this is so good...if it could always be like this...wouldn't that be nice?" Bao Xian asked softly, her eyes lowered. It was unclear whether she was asking herself or inquiring about Wu Tong.

“But…” Wutong looked at Baoxian with difficulty, “Madam and the others are about to arrive… Miss doesn’t like Madam and those people either… I don’t like them either… I don’t like them either.”

"Wutong, let's wait a little longer... and they will disappear," Baoxian said with a light laugh.

"Brother Bao, let's go." Wutong looked up at Baoxian.

Bao Xian suddenly looked up: "...What's wrong?...Why is Wutong..."

Wutong looked at Baoxian, took a deep breath, and said, "Miss said the world is vast and beautiful. If Wutong walks with Brother Bao, she won't be afraid and won't get lost... Brother Bao, don't you want to?"

Bao Xian gazed at the parasol tree quietly for a long time: "The parasol tree is growing up... it will eventually get married. If it really doesn't want to stay in the Yu family, I will go and talk to the madam."

"Brother Bao, don't you want to go with Wutong?" Wutong asked anxiously.

Bao Xian gently set down the bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and said, "Wu Tong, you should know that since I can remember, Madam has only allowed me to remember one person. From the moment she was born, Madam instructed me to watch over her in secret. All these years, going back and forth between the General's Mansion and the Palace, it was all for her. All these years, diligently studying medicine, poisons, and martial arts, it was all for her. All these years, painstakingly enduring humiliation and hardship, it was all for her. Bao Xian was born a slave with no ties. Bao Xian's life, Bao Xian's person, can only belong to her alone. If she lives, Bao Xian lives; if she dies, Bao Xian follows... Wu Tong... you should know that I can no longer..."

"Enough! Does she even know what you've done for her?! You were used by that poisoner to practice poisons since you were an infant. When we first met, your eyes were still pitch black, but... now they've become like this. Not only does Miss not feel sorry for you, she uses this to mock and hurt you. If it weren't for her, why would you have studied medicine and poisons, only to end up like this?! Are you really willing to accept this?! You were castrated to enter the palace for her, and how did she treat you! Don't you blame her? Don't you resent her?! She makes things difficult for you at every turn, stabbing you in the heart again and again with these things, doesn't it hurt? Doesn't it hurt?" Wutong shouted hysterically.

With his back to the phoenix tree, Bao Xian lowered his head slightly: "My master treats me very well."

Wutong threw down the bowl in her hand, stood up, and shouted, "You'll die at her hands sooner or later! You'll die at her hands sooner or later!"

A ripple of emotion stirred in Bao Xian's emerald eyes. He turned to Wu Tong and smiled gently, "If that's truly the case... Bao Xian is willing..."

"I hate you!" Wutong threw the chopsticks in her hand, hitting Baoxian, and ran quickly towards the door.

After Wutong had gone far away, Baoxian sat blankly in a chair, staring out the window at the now pitch-black sky...

The bedroom window was wide open, and Zi Jin sat by the window gazing up at the sky. Tonight, the moon was round and large, and its warm moonlight reflected on the distant white snow, giving it a radiant glow.

What will happen to Bao Xian and Wu Tong? Childhood sweethearts, will they end up together? Childhood sweethearts…childhood sweethearts…I guess I could be considered one with Crown Prince Jun…no…I watched him grow up, yes, I watched him grow up, and I grew up alongside them. While we might not be considered childhood sweethearts, if we're talking about Jun Chi back then…it was somewhat understandable. But our Crown Prince Jun, you've gone too far this time. Shouldn't you award him some kind of acting prize?

A month... a month... how much can be accomplished in a month? I was blinded by illusions back then. It's strange, really. In less than a year, the Crown Prince has changed so much. He's become so adept at exploiting his weaknesses, so unlike himself... Heh... how could the Crown Prince say such things? How could the Crown Prince be so forgiving? How could the Crown Prince not even show a hint of anger? A month... a month is enough... enough time to plot so many things, not to mention the old fox from the Yu family... really... you really can't underestimate anyone...

Zi Jin held her throbbing head. Why would she have a headache if she hadn't been drinking? Gradually, the pain spread throughout her body, intensifying little by little. Zi Jin suddenly looked up at the window. Today was the fifteenth; Bao Xian hadn't given her the antidote. Zi Jin hurried towards the door, but a sharp pain struck, and her vision went black as she collapsed to the ground. Waves of excruciating pain, accompanied by waves of heat, washed over her. Zi Jin tried to curl up into a ball to alleviate the pain, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. It felt like a long time had passed, yet also like only a short while, when she vaguely saw a figure.

"master!"

Zi Jin felt herself lifted off the cold ground and held in someone's arms: "Baby... medicine... medicine..."

"Please bear with it a little longer, Master. Baoxian came in a hurry and forgot the antidote at the manor. If you don't feel pain, you'll feel pain soon."

Zi Jin stared ferociously at the person before her, her body stiff and convulsing uncontrollably. The pain ripped through her soul, causing her consciousness to gradually blur. Many versions of herself swirled around her, arguing: "Acupoint...point...point..."

“If you force acupressure to stop the pain… your blood will flow backwards. Please bear with it, Master… just bear with it… Bao Xian will stay here with you, Master… stay with you, Master.” Bao Xian tightly gripped Zi Jin’s jaw, holding her firmly in his arms.

The pain gradually eroded Zi Jin's consciousness, and various intertwined past and present lives flashed through her mind. It was a pain that pierced to the bone, one that was impossible to resist or fight back against. Her entire body convulsed and trembled with each wave of pain, leaving her feeling like she could neither live nor die.

Bao Xian's emerald eyes were already glistening with tears: "Master, don't be afraid, Bao Xian is here. It's all Bao Xian's fault. Bao Xian shouldn't have forgotten to bring the antidote... No, no, no... Bao Xian shouldn't have drugged you... Bao Xian shouldn't have stolen Master's poison, causing you to suffer this pain comparable to being slowly sliced to death. As long as you're not in pain anymore, you can take your anger out on Bao Xian as you please. Bao Xian will never disobey you, and will do whatever you say... Bao Xian will never dare, never dare to say those words that would hurt you so much again... You're not in pain anymore... You're not in pain anymore..."

Her face was as white as paper when Zi Jin saw multiple versions of herself swirling in the air. She didn't know which one was her, and she wanted to find herself again, but she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand. She could hear voices in her ears, seemingly on the verge of tears. Zi Jin wanted to comfort them, but she couldn't open her mouth; even breathing was difficult. Gradually, Zi Jin felt her senses dulling, her consciousness drifting, as if her mind had detached from her body. The pain was gone, replaced by a profound emptiness.

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

A Dream of the Past (Part 4) Zi Jin stood up in a daze and saw a woman covered in blood who looked very familiar lying where she had stood up. Before she could finish her surprise, she heard a familiar voice.

"Jin'er... Brother will never be angry again... Brother will never fight or snatch again... As long as Jin'er is alright... Jin'er will come home with Brother, Brother will take Jin'er home." Si Kou Xunxiang held someone tightly in his arms, his gentle and jade-like eyes were deathly still, and the grief on his fair face could not be concealed.

Under the sunlight, Si Kou Xunxiang's long, black hair, reaching the ground, fluttered gently in the wind, shimmering with a soft, radiant glow like the finest silk.

Si Kou Xunxiang gently stroked the face of the person in his arms, then suddenly looked up at the person standing in the distance before flying away.

Zi Jin turned around following the Emperor and Empress's gaze. When she saw the person standing there holding a sharp sword, her pupils contracted. Before she could step forward, her body seemed to be pulled away, and she floated away with the Emperor and Empress.

Zi Jin tried to grab onto a tree to steady herself, but was shocked to find that she was in a spirit state. In her fright, she could only drift behind the Emperor and Empress.

Zi Jin followed the Emperor and Empress, her mind in turmoil, watching as Sikou Xunxiang meticulously cleaned the woman's body and face, treating her like a precious treasure. When he removed the hidden weapon from his back and saw the wound on her chest, Sikou Xunxiang swayed, nearly collapsing. His hands trembled as he dressed the woman in a new yellow robe and clumsily combed her long hair. The woman lay peacefully on the dragon bed, as if asleep.

Si Kou Xunxiang sat motionless beside the woman, staring straight at her, his eyes churning with endless despair and pain. His hands clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh without him even realizing it. Finally, his boundless grief turned into a stream of tears, each drop falling onto the woman's tightly clenched hands.

The woman slowly opened her tightly clenched hand, revealing a bright amber bead lying quietly in her palm.

Si Kou Xunxiang seemed to stop breathing, staring fixedly at the beads in the woman's hand. His eyes gradually lost focus, and he opened his mouth, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably: "Jin'er... Jin'er... Jin'er... Open your eyes and look at your brother, please look at your brother, okay? Just one look... just one look..." He sobbed softly, a helplessness never before seen on his peerless face, heartbreaking to behold. "Brother won't fight anymore... I won't fight him anymore... Can't I give him everything? Can't I give him everything? Brother doesn't want anything anymore, doesn't want anything anymore... okay?..."

A tear slid down her cheek, and Zi Jin, her eyes red, reached out to comfort him, but her hand passed right through his body.

Si Kou Xunxiang suddenly turned around and looked straight in the direction where Zi Jin was standing: "Jin'er?... Jin'er... You're here, aren't you... Jin'er... Jin'er..."

Zi Jin held her breath and stood there, staring blankly at Si Kou Xunxiang's tear-streaked face.

Si Kou Xunxiang's eyes dimmed little by little. He turned his face and reached out to gently stroke the woman's face. Her phoenix eyes were tightly closed, her full, round oval face was like a lotus flower, her lips were like a touch of cinnabar, and a faint smile played at the corners of her mouth. Unlike the graceful and elegant figures of other women, she possessed a beauty that was both exquisite and spirited. She didn't seem like someone who had been dead for a long time; rather, she seemed to be sleeping soundly and unwilling to wake up.

After the dirt and bloodstains on her face were wiped away, Zi Jin recognized the person at a glance—Empress Yanzai.

Si Kou Xunxiang frowned as he looked at the amber bead in Empress Yanzai's hand. Inside the amber was a strange flying insect, lifelike, emitting a very faint light in the Empress's hand. Despite its faint light, Si Kou Xunxiang still noticed it.

"Brother, why are you at Fengyi Palace? Brother... has she returned?" A small head poked in from outside the door, and smiled ingratiatingly when it saw Sikou Huanxiang.