Le charme d'une femme puissante se répand à travers le monde

Chapitre 106

"What does this mean, Your Highness?" The fox didn't press the issue. A smile suddenly appeared on his face, but his peach blossom eyes became as deep and unfathomable as a pool.

"I won't hand her over to you." Xiaobai was quite straightforward, making his words clear and unambiguous. I turned to look at him, but he turned his head away from me. I struggled, but he suddenly picked me up and carried me towards my room.

In my panic, unable to speak, I desperately grabbed Xiaobai's clothes at the chest with one hand while turning my head to look at the fox. He didn't look at me, but only glanced at the few men in black blocking his way, and said casually, "Does Your Highness want to know the whereabouts of Consort Yu?"

Consort Yu? Isn't that Xiaobai's mother? Didn't she pass away two years ago? Oh my god, what does the fox mean by that?

Xiao Bai's grip on me tightened noticeably, but he involuntarily stopped, neither turning around nor speaking. I knew his shock was greater than mine. The fox, having dropped a bombshell, didn't elaborate, standing there calmly, his eyes fixed on me. After a long while, Xiao Bai finally spoke, his voice slightly unsettled, "What do you mean?"

Clouds Drunk and Moon Slightly Asleep (Revised Edition) Volume Four: A Separation Arises from Hidden Sorrow and Resentment

Chapter word count: 7824 Update time: 08-12-24 12:58

Goodbye

"What do you mean? Consort Yu has been constantly worried about my brother these past two years!" The fox's voice was mocking, then it lazily added as if it suddenly remembered something, "By the way, back then, Qiu Li impersonated Consort Yu to try and save her master from disaster. Didn't my brother know about that? Such a loyal maid, what a pity!"

Xiao Bai's hand loosened, but luckily I was holding onto his shirt tightly, so I didn't fall to the ground. Taking advantage of Xiao Bai's momentary hesitation, I let go and ran towards the fox. The fox and the men in black moved at the same time. Although the fox was a few meters away from me, it and the men in black appeared in front of me almost simultaneously. I instinctively crouched down and then crawled towards the fox.

It was purely instinct, or perhaps a tacit understanding. The man in black hadn't expected me to act this way so suddenly. He reached out to grab me but missed. The fox, on the other hand, immediately crouched down, grabbed me, and rolled on the ground. When we got up, although we were surrounded by the man in black and Little White, at least my hands were firmly wrapped around his waist, and we were finally on the same level.

"When did Qianqian learn this trick?" The fox wasn't worried about our current situation at all. She held me tightly with one arm, while stroking my face with the other. Her peach blossom eyes stared straight at me, and she asked with a smile in her eyes and at the corners of her mouth.

I recalled my earlier actions, which seemed rather unseemly, and my face flushed. Then, remembering how perfectly the fox had cooperated with me, a thought struck me, and a wide smile spread across my face. I shook my head and buried my face in the fox's embrace. My anxiety finally subsided. Since the fox had spared Consort Yu, and I was now free from his control, leaving this place shouldn't be a problem.

"Your Highness, do you not want anything to happen to Consort Yu? Back then, Qiu Li was given a grand funeral in the imperial mausoleum in place of Consort Yu, but Consort Yu, bearing Qiu Li's name, suffered quite a bit!" The fox's voice rang out from above. I pressed my face against his chest and could feel his chest rising and falling slightly as he spoke.

I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Ah, that fox is truly cunning beyond measure. From his words, I pieced together the gist of it: Qiu Li must be Consort Yu's confidante. During the struggle for the throne, Xiao Bai lost, and Qiu Li, out of kindness, pretended to have died as Consort Yu—I suspect it was 99% suicide or murder, so the real Consort Yu could impersonate her and escape the palace. After all, in the chaos of the power struggle between the fox and Xiao Bai, a palace maid was far easier to escape than a consort. I just didn't expect the fox to see through his scheme. The fake Consort Yu's death was carried out with a grand funeral, and although the fox saw through the deception, the cunning fox didn't expose her trick, treating a dignified consort like a maid for two years. Those two years must have been incredibly difficult! Now, things are even worse; not only have they tormented her, but they're now using her against Xiao Bai. Sigh, Little White can't fight a fox. It's better to give up as soon as possible. Although I feel a little sorry for Little White, I can still tell what's important. Since I can't have it both ways, I'll just let the fox handle this matter.

"Why should I believe you?" Xiaobai's voice trembled slightly.

"Believe it or not, it's up to you, Your Highness." The fox patted my back lightly. I looked up at him, and he smiled at me, taking my hand in his. His voice was gentle, but he was speaking to Xiaobai. "By the way, once when Qiuli was working, she broke a vase in the palace. The head eunuch of the Imperial Household Department ordered her to be beaten with twenty strokes of the cane. Afterwards, when a kind palace maid was cleaning her wounds and applying medicine, I heard that she saw lotus flower marks on Qiuli's body, bright red lotus flowers, so lifelike! Ah, I remember that Father Emperor loved to paint red lotus flowers the most when he was alive. What a coincidence!"

The fox spoke casually, but Little White's expression changed drastically upon hearing it.

"The imperial edict has already been given to my younger brother. I wonder if I can take Qianqian back as promised?" Although it was a question, the fox, holding my hand, led me step by step towards the outside. The men in black who had been surrounding us could only retreat step by step upon seeing this, but dared not stop us.

"Release Mother!" Xiao Bai suddenly stood in front of us, radiating a cold and imposing aura.

"Oh? Why should I?" The fox's demeanor grew increasingly languid.

"Didn't you notice that she hasn't said a single word since just now?" Xiaobai said, her eyes slightly lowered, neither looking at the fox nor at me, her emotions unreadable.

The fox suddenly turned my hand around, instantly felt my pulse, and his face darkened.

“If you take her back like this, I’m afraid she won’t survive the month.” Xiao Bai suddenly looked up and stared directly at the fox, saying without backing down, “The poison in her body is beyond your ability to cure. If you want her to be saved, release Mother Consort, and then I will escort her all the way to Tianqing. I have already sent someone to inform Tian Xilan; only he can save Qianqian!”

I stood there, stunned. Or perhaps it wasn't just me; the fox must have been restless and resentful too, because he suddenly tightened his grip on my hand, pulling me close to his chest. But what kind of poison had I been poisoned with? Why was only Xi Lan able to save me?

“You should know that it’s a miracle she survived after being poisoned by the Holy Blood Chrysanthemum. If you hesitate any longer, it will be too late to regret it.” Little White continued, staring at the fox without looking at me.

"Sacred Blood Chrysanthemum Killer, what is this thing?" A chill ran down my spine. Could the Sacred Blood be Yao Yao's blood? Those eyes that seemed somewhat familiar... was that old woman actually Princess Qian Hui? Why was she scheming against me like this? If the Sacred Blood really was Yao Yao's blood, then Old Man Yun must know the secret. The day I told him that Princess Qian Hui had taken Yao Yao's blood, his expression said it all. So, was my falling for that fake man's trick related to Old Man Yun?

I turned to look at the fox. He looked as usual, seemingly calm, without even frowning. He just had his usual somewhat lazy smile gone, and his eyes looked even more profound.

"How long will it take?" the fox asked softly, as if murmuring to itself.

My heart clenched instantly. Was there really no other way? Since when did we always meet only briefly before parting ways again, only to be separated for months at a time? If I were to rush to Tianqing this time, would it be just to save a life? What would Xilan have to sacrifice for this? Would I just walk away again after escaping with my life?

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face unexpectedly. At this moment, I suddenly felt weary of these days of constant running around. If I could stay by the side of the person in front of me and spend the last few days in peace, it wouldn't be such a bad arrangement! I can't see through life and death, nor can I face it with ease, but when I think about how living would mean facing more problems and bringing misfortune to others, perhaps living would only make me more helpless. There's King Tianqing, Xiu Ruo's grandfather, Old Man Yun, and Xi Lan after her amnesia. Maybe for me, survival isn't the best choice.

"I don't know, this is her only hope of survival."

The fox remained silent, but their clasped hands pressed together, palms touching, and a slight chill slowly seeped into my body from his palms. I looked up at him, and he stared back at me, a warm smile in his eyes, but I knew how much resentment he felt. He thought everything was under control, but this was the end result.

A sharp pain shot through my chest, my breath caught in my throat, and a sweet taste filled my mouth. I slumped limply against the person in front of me, and before losing consciousness, I only felt a strong, metallic taste in my mouth.

When I woke up again, I was in a carriage, lying in the fox's arms, while Little White was driving the carriage outside. I looked away, and with some effort, pulled the fox's hand that was wrapped around my waist, and with my index finger, I gently wrote two words in his palm: Night Breeze.

"He's alright, he's nearby." The fox spread his five fingers and placed my hand in his palm, his index finger stroking the back of my hand back and forth, contradictory and entangled, just like his mood at that moment.

I felt relieved. Without me as a burden, Ye Feng's escape wouldn't be difficult, and with Mu Mo and the others around, Cui'er should be even safer. A smile appeared on my face. I shifted my body to find a more comfortable position to lie down, then took the fox's hand as naturally as possible and continued writing in his palm, stroke by stroke, word by word: I'd rather stay in Longzhou than go to Tianqing.

The chest against which her head rested remained still for a long time, then she was pulled tightly into an embrace, and the fox's voice murmured in her ear again and again: "Qianqian, Qianqian, Qianqian..."

Such deep affection, yet such helplessness.

A sudden chill touched my neck. I reached up and touched the phoenix-patterned jade pendant. I smiled weakly. How could the fox possibly allow me to fend for myself? Just like a terminally ill patient on the verge of death, as long as there's a glimmer of hope, family and loved ones would go bankrupt to save them. What right do I have to give up on myself before that?

My heart was warm, yet also sour, astringent, bitter, and utterly weary. I nestled in the fox's embrace and drifted off to sleep once more.

A few days later, the carriage entered the Tianqing Kingdom. I still couldn't speak, and I spent half the day in a coma. Although Xiaobai was still healing me with her internal energy, I was unusually relaxed, whether because I hadn't taken any more medicine on the way or because the fox's previous efforts to heal me had backfired. However, the fox and Xiaobai looked increasingly worse, and the carriage was moving faster and faster.

As the carriage entered Jingzhou, Yefeng suddenly brought over an old man. Fox said this man was a highly skilled physician, especially adept at detoxification; he was the one who cured Yunfeng of his poison. The old man boarded the carriage, Yefeng went out to relieve Xiaobai, and Xiaobai also got in. Suddenly, four people were crammed into the carriage, making the space feel extremely cramped. The old man was obviously summoned by Fox's orders. I think Fox, on the one hand, didn't dare to risk my life, so he went to Tianqing with Xiaobai; on the other hand, he was unwilling to give up and hoped there was another way to resolve this matter.

Xiao Bai didn't stop him; in fact, he explained the whole story to the old man. After the old man carefully examined my pulse, his first words were, "My benefactor, instead of taking her home to see her family one last time, where are you rushing off to?"

Although I was mentally prepared, my heart still sank. I didn't care about the reactions of the other two. I just thought that the old doctor with white hair and a youthful face in front of me was probably the person Fox thought had the most superb medical skills. He could easily cure the poison that had kept my brother in bed for more than half a year, but his first words after taking my pulse were like this. So what makes Xiaobai think that Xi Lan can save me?

The fox waved to the old man, who glanced at me with a mixture of regret and pity before turning and getting out of the carriage.

"How can you be so sure that Tian Xilan can save Qianqian?" The fox helped me lie down, looked up at Xiaobai, narrowed her peach blossom eyes, and continued in a cold voice, "The mysteries in the imperial edict and the secrets in the palace are not only about Longyao Kingdom, but also include the other five kingdoms?"

Xiao Bai raised her eyes and stared intently at me, her eyes holding a message I couldn't decipher. Then she turned to look at the fox beside me, a cold, mocking smile suddenly appearing on her lips: "You're good at guessing, but you'll never guess the final truth, because it concerns the secrets of the six kingdoms' royal palaces."

"As long as Qianqian is alright, as long as she's by my side, I don't care about these palace secrets." The fox hugged me, took my hands and held them tightly in his palms, whispering in my ear.