"Yeah, a little." He buried his face in my shoulder, his voice a little muffled. "It feels like it's been a long time since I last closed my eyes... I can't really remember."
Thinking back, he must have chased after me all the way after I left with my two senior sisters that day. And because I stubbornly insisted on going to Anting, he even went back to Wuyue Palace to tidy up Haifeng Tower for me. He probably hasn't had a proper rest during this time. Thinking of this, and feeling his steady presence behind me, I suddenly felt a surge of bittersweet emotions, softening some of my stubbornness.
I originally wanted to talk to him about Peach Blossom Valley, but I thought better of it and decided to wait until he had rested before discussing it further.
Chapter 47
After all that trouble, I've returned to where I started, but my state of mind is quite different now than last time.
"How much nutrition can this provide?" I seriously doubted Qionghua's medical skills.
"I've always taken care of the Palace Master's meals. Apart from his obvious weariness, have you ever seen him listless or pale?" He rolled his eyes at me and continued cooking his glutinous rice and wheat porridge. "He's easily agitated and tends to overthink, so he often suffers from insomnia. I've added calming and blood-nourishing herbs to his meals, tea, and even his daily pastries, but it's still not as good as being able to sleep soundly until dawn."
"See? He's so willful. He can't even take care of his own health, yet he criticizes me."
The person cooking the wheat porridge suddenly glared at me, their eyes conveying the words "hopeless."
"It's all because of you!" He rarely used such a strong tone. "If you just calmed down, would he always be this exhausted?"
I touched my nose and glared at him back. Humph, it's not your place to lecture me. At worst, I'll just behave myself from now on. What's the big deal?
"Don't stay here, I'm afraid the smell will bother you." His tone was anything but fearless.
"I'm fine, when will the porridge be ready?"
What are you going to do?
"Don't look at me like that. I don't want to eat. I'll bring it to you when you're ready."
His expression was even stranger. What kind of look was that? I'm not a demon or monster.
"No need, you're so precious, I'm afraid I'll burn you."
"It's none of your business if I'm happy!"
Seeing that I was being unreasonable, he could only shake his head and say, "Whatever, if you spill it, you'll have to cook another bowl for the Palace Master yourself."
Being assertive isn't necessarily a bad thing; at least it can intimidate people first.
When I arrived, the porridge was already half-cooked, so I didn't actually have to wait long.
Don't ask me why I suddenly had a change of heart and thought of serving Nangong Ling porridge. Just think of it as me finding his exhausted expression an eyesore.
This is actually the first time I've come to Shuiyun Pavilion so formally. I stopped outside the courtyard and took a closer look.
Shuiyun Pavilion is not the main building in Wuyue Palace, but it is Nangong Ling's sleeping quarters.
The main building of Wuyue Palace, Wangyue Tower, consists of five pavilions: east, west, south, north, and center. Each pavilion is three stories high and faces the others. Each pavilion is independent yet connected by flying bridges, railings, long corridors, and secret passages, creating a unique and exquisite layout. Passing through Wangyue Tower and then through a Begonia Courtyard, one arrives at Shuiyun Pavilion, which is perched high in the air.
The glazed tiles and red wooden beams were painted with an exceptionally bright color, like the finest cinnabar. Surrounding the pavilion was a sea of vibrant flowers, their interwoven petals drifting in the wind like a rain of blossoms, so beautiful it was almost ethereal and dreamlike, making one feel as if they had stumbled into a fairyland, losing all sense of where they were.
After passing the Begonia Courtyard, you can hardly see anyone. Only Shaoyou and his two brothers come and go to clean the Water Cloud Pavilion. Even the Four Protectors rarely get to enter here.
"Miss Rong..." Shao Ming, like his brother, has a very pleasing face.
"Is Yun Zhi asleep?"
He opened his eyes wide, quite surprised that I used the courtesy name Nangong Ling.
"No, the Palace Master is handling affairs." He glanced at the porridge in my hand and hurriedly reached out his hand. "Let me take this up."
"No need, I'm fine, you can go down now."
Ignoring his attempts to stop me, I went up the stairs.
As soon as I got upstairs, a cool fragrance wafted over me; the scent was very familiar and pleasant.
"Yunzhi, open the door for me, my hands are full."
Anyone who sees me ordering Nangong Ling around like this would find it unbelievable, and more importantly, that person actually came to open the door for me.
He paused when he saw what I was holding, and forgot to step aside to let me in first.
"What are you doing?"
"Glutinous rice and wheat porridge, Qionghua said, is calming."
"Lian'er, you flatter me greatly." He smiled, took the plate from my hand, and placed it on the table inside.
I went into the inner room and began to examine the layout and furnishings of Shuiyun Pavilion.
The windows inside the pavilion were set low, almost parallel to the ground, allowing ample sunlight to stream in. The spacious, bright interior possessed a soft, gentle warmth reminiscent of the Jiangnan region. The rising smoke from the incense burner, emanating from behind layers of curtains, created a hazy, soothing atmosphere, inducing a languid drowsiness. Clouds, rain, wind, and even the cicadas chirping in the branches—all were enveloped in this cool, fragrant aroma. Outside the window, a burst of warm light leaped, stirring up fine dust particles that scattered between the glimmers. The bright green fragrance suddenly unfolded without warning, like ivy winding around fingertips, limbs, and then throughout the entire room.
Looking again at the slender figure before me, his long, flowing crimson robe accentuated his tall, elegant physique. His gait was naturally dignified, carrying an air of lonely dominance, as if he were unattainable. He turned his head, revealing a breathtaking smile. The soft light shone on his fair, jade-like face, making it almost transparent, drawing one in irresistibly, like a long wind carrying away the clouds, impossible to escape.
My heart skipped a beat. Was it possible that I couldn't escape this person no matter what?
Chapter 48
The late summer heat in mid-September was particularly intense. I hid in the pavilion in the Begonia Courtyard, eating chilled honeydew melons to cool off. The pavilion had thick gauze curtains that blocked out the heat and sunlight, and it was also sprinkled with water and had a large bucket of ice inside, so it was incredibly cool.
"Ah, you really know how to enjoy yourself. I was wise enough to know to hide here."
Across from her, Qiongying sat there casually, talking while stuffing lychees into her mouth.
"You come here every few days, but you can't hide for even an hour before Hall Master Liu catches you and takes you back. Is that interesting?"
She shook her head and picked up another piece of watermelon to eat.
"Nowhere in Qingyuan Hall can you find such good treatment as here, and besides, you're the most idle person in the entire Wuyue Palace." She laughed carefree. "Being idle is fine, but having the best treatment is fine too. Do whatever makes you comfortable. Even when Miss Yue was around, she didn't know how to enjoy herself as much as you do."
"Oh, speaking of which, where is Yue Linghe?" I haven't seen her since I came back.
"The old lady was called back, and it was said that someone from her family came and asked her to go back and stay for a few days."
So she has family connections. I narrowed my eyes and stared at Qiong Ying. "What do you think of Yue Linghe?"
“…What?” She looked up, her eyes wide like saucers. “I thought you were a smart person. You would ask such a stupid question?”
"Because you often associate with her."
She couldn't help but throw a mocking laugh at me, "Isn't it because she's favored? Getting on her good side will make it easier for me to slack off later. Hey, do you know why the Palace Master keeps Miss Yue by his side?"
"How would I know what he's thinking? If I knew, would I need to ask you?"
"Hmm, it seems you've taken the Palace Master to heart now." She nodded. "Don't you think Miss Yue is a lot like you?"
I was taken aback. Looks like me? How come I don't see it at all?
"I guess I asked for nothing. Anyway, you never take people seriously, so it's normal that you don't think it's true. Six years ago, the Palace Master first saw Miss Yue when she was nine years old, and he's been keeping an eye on her ever since. As for officially bringing Miss Yue over, that was after your brother came to annul the engagement. The Rong family declined during that period, while Miss Yue became increasingly favored, until you came... She must be feeling terrible right now, the person she likes has only treated her like someone else all these years. Tsk tsk, if it were me, I would definitely kill that woman first to vent my anger, and then chop up that blind man to vent my rage!"
The poria cocos paste in my mouth suddenly got stuck in my throat and I couldn't swallow it. Nangong Ling always said that I would become unreasonable when it came to his affairs. I just ignored him and thought he was lying through his teeth. Now that I think about it, I realized that a long, long time ago I was blinded by my own feelings and then stubbornly refused to turn back or compromise.
"Ultimately, it's because you've been too well protected. Some people just refuse to tell you these things. They think you can figure them out, but who knows that you get all worked up as soon as you're involved with the Palace Master? I really don't know what you're afraid of..."
“Given the environment I grew up in, what can I believe in, and who can I trust? I thought I had guarded myself up to the limit, but in the end…” I let out a cold laugh, “it turned out that the person I trusted most betrayed me from the very beginning.”
She paused, looked at me for a while, and then spoke again.
"You knew everything? It was Zhiyu who told you?"
"So you all knew all along, and I was the only one kept in the dark?"
"No, no more than ten people know about this. She always uses my brother as an excuse, but in the end, she can't stand seeing the Palace Master suffer even the slightest grievance, especially when it comes to you, Miss Rong."
"That's how I treated him before..."
"Yeah, especially the shock of the annulment of the engagement, so he became a bit impulsive afterward. I guess the Palace Master has never known what letting go means. Once he sets his mind on something, he has to do it. You can call him too confident or arrogant, but you can't escape it in this lifetime."
There's no escaping it; I'm exhausted after all these years. A multitude of crises lie before me. After all, Nangong Ling isn't a god, and establishing a foothold in the martial world under the name of Wuyue Palace is no easy feat. Those problems I previously refused to confront are now laid bare before me; how could the road ahead possibly be smooth sailing?
Chapter 49
Later, Qiongying asked me if I had hated my father or resented Nangong Ling after I learned the truth. I looked at her and couldn't answer for a moment.
I thought about it for a long time, so long that I didn't even know when she was brought back. To say I hated her would be too intense. How could I hate my own father? The honor and status he gave me were something others couldn't earn in ten lifetimes. All I could feel was a brief moment of anger, since he was already gone.
As for Nangong Ling, I don't know what to say. I suddenly couldn't suppress the urge to see him. I sighed at my increasingly uncontrollable self and finally left the pavilion to go to Wangyue Tower.
I frowned slightly as I lifted the somewhat elaborate skirt. Having grown accustomed to simple cloth clothes, putting on this luxurious brocade felt cumbersome; it was so inconvenient to walk in. Leaving the Begonia Courtyard and passing through the central and north buildings took quite a while. I wondered, Nangong Ling is incredibly extravagant; his clothes are sometimes even more elaborate than mine. How come he walks in them without feeling heavy at all, but rather with such grace?
It's so hot today. Even my palms are sweating because my body temperature is naturally on the cooler side. It must be really tough on those who are sensitive to heat.
When I arrived at Jinxiao Pavilion, the first thing I saw was Cang Zhe, who was practically melting from the heat. At that moment, the man with the most exquisite features and the most arrogant attitude was pressed against the ice bucket. His long eyelashes trembled incessantly from the heat, and his arrogance was long gone. So at first glance, he looked like a very naughty child.
"Huh? Is it so hot that you're hallucinating?" Xiao Jinse sat there, clearly unbearably hot, yet he maintained his expressionless, half-smiling face, as if he had no facial expression at all.
"Stop your delusions." I glared at him. "Where's your master?"
"Inside the room, Han Xuanmo came to visit."
I was shocked. They found us so quickly?