Sang de fantôme animal

Chapitre 13

I pounded his chest and cried, "Tell me, how did he know I was here? Why did he come looking for me like that?"

Jun Zhe panicked: "How would I know who leaked the information? He, he's the emperor now, how could he disregard his dignity and come looking for you?"

I pushed him away: "Who has good intentions? Can't I have some peace and quiet? Why do you have to cause trouble and torment me?"

Jun Zhe said urgently, "I know, it must be Jing Ren's doing. No one else is as wicked as him. Don't cry, I will beg the Empress Dowager tomorrow to marry you and put an end to Di Zhui's absurd idea."

I burst into tears: "You're talking nonsense again! When I was at home, the Empress Dowager forbade me to marry you. Now that I am someone else's wife, how can the Empress Dowager allow you to marry me? If the Empress Dowager finds out that you forcibly took another man's wife into her household, she will probably punish you."

Jun Zhe swore, "I don't care. If the Empress Dowager doesn't agree with me, I'd rather die in front of her. I'm going to find the Empress Dowager right now." And so he went off in a huff.

I waited all night but Junzhe didn't return, but Jingren suddenly showed up at the door.

For some reason, I always feel a little afraid and hesitant when I see Jing Ren.

He stood at the door without going inside, looking at me from afar, and said, "It looks even better than before."

The morning sunlight shone in from behind him, making me a little dizzy.

He said, "Last night, Junzhe went to beg the Empress Dowager to let him marry you. He knelt all night. The Empress Dowager was furious and has ordered people to lock him up in Shuyun Palace. I'm afraid they'll come to bind you and bring you to the palace to be punished soon."

I bit my lip and said, "Did you send you to kidnap me?"

Jing Ren paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "No wonder they're both so infatuated with you. You're incredibly clever. Now, no one but me can save you."

I felt a flush rise to my face as I suddenly realized that this was the first time I had ever seen Jing Ren smile. Although he looked exactly like Jun Zhe, Jun Zhe's smile was mischievous and wicked, the smile of a playful boy, while Jing Ren's smile carried a hint of indifference and sarcasm.

Jing Ren took me to his residence, but the people sent by the Empress Dowager searched Jun Zhe's house but couldn't find me.

That night, I dreamt again.

Wuji sat alone on a high platform. On the platform was a bronze mirror with the words "No good person stands before the Mirror of Karma" engraved on it. He stared at the mirror, lost in thought.

I called out to him, "What are you doing?"

Wuji turned to look at me and said calmly, "Come and see."

I asked, puzzled, "What are you looking at? Hey, why aren't you and me in this mirror?"

Wuji said, "Neither you nor I are beings within the Six Paths of Rebirth, so this mirror naturally cannot reflect us." As he spoke, a woman was bound by ghost soldiers and brought before the Mirror of Retribution. Suddenly, an image appeared in the mirror, showing the woman's deeds in her previous life, and I vaguely seemed to see my shadow in it. The woman was initially stunned by the image in the mirror, but then she turned her head and saw me, gritting her teeth and saying, "It's all your fault! I only regret that I didn't throw you into the Avici Hell so that you could never be reborn."

The demon shoved her from behind and said, "You're going to the Avici Hell now. Come with me to report for duty." He then dragged her away.

Wuji sighed, "How foolish they are, refusing to repent even in death."

I suddenly remembered that in a previous dream, there seemed to be two women who kept saying they hated me, so I asked Wuji.

Wuji said, "You only need to remember to be forgiving when you can."

I remained silent for a long while, then said, "What should I do if someone tries to harm me or force me to do something?"

Wuji shook his head and said, "Everything is just an illusion, why take it to heart?"

I remained silent.

I woke up to find a flickering candle on the table, and Jing Ren sitting thoughtfully by the bedside. I sat up and asked, "What is it?"

Jing Ren said, "The Empress Dowager has ordered a nationwide manhunt for you."

---Fish and shrimp

Reply [93]: I sneered: "What is the reason?"

"A demon bewitches the masses."

I laughed out loud.

Jing Ren suddenly smiled, a very strange smile, and said, "However, Di Zhui also gave an order that once you are found, you must not be harmed and must be immediately delivered to him."

I stopped laughing and said, "Why would he go against the Empress Dowager for my sake?"

Jing Ren said, "Di Zhui has always been gentle and obedient since childhood, and this is the first time he has disobeyed the Empress Dowager. But where does this magic come from?" He stroked my face with his hand, his fingertips as cold as ice. I shivered, and he said, "Are you cold?" He leaned down and hugged me, breathing gently on my ear, making me feel ticklish and uncomfortable.

"Husband?" A person pushed open the door and said, "Why are you here in the middle of the night?" Suddenly he stopped, his body swayed, and he stared at me, unable to speak. Looking down from Jing Ren's shoulder, I saw that Chan Yuan's face was both surprised and suspicious, turning pale and then red.

Jing Ren didn't let go of me, nor did he turn his head. He coldly said, "What are you doing here? Get out."

Chan Yuan swayed again, gritting her teeth as she said, "But she's someone the Empress Dowager has wanted. Why did you keep her in the manor? Aren't you afraid of implicating yourself?"

Jing Ren frowned and said, "What's it to you? When did I give you permission to express your opinions on my affairs?"

Chan Yuan glared at me fiercely, her neck stiff, and said, "I am only concerned for your safety. This demon has caused trouble many times and is no longer tolerated by the world. Why do you insist on protecting it?"

Jing Ren then turned to look at her, suddenly smiled, and said, "How fair and tender is Naihe's skin."

Chan Yuan's only regret is that her skin isn't fair enough. She used to punish me by making me stand in the sun more than once because of this. But strangely enough, I've never gotten tanned and my skin is still flawlessly fair.

Upon hearing this, Chanyuan stamped her foot and said, "I only find her dirty."

Jing Ren said leisurely, "I don't mind."

Chan Yuan's expression changed drastically, and she left in anger.

I looked at Jing Ren and said, "Why did you provoke her?"

Jing Ren smiled and said, "If you understood my heart, you wouldn't have ended up like this."

After that, Jingren slept beside me every night, but never touched me.

One day, I suddenly felt nauseous. Jing Ren felt my pulse for a long time, then suddenly smiled and ordered someone to summon a doctor to examine me. The doctor congratulated me, saying, "Your Highness, Lady Ru is pregnant." Jing Ren smiled and said, "It is indeed good news. Please do not spread it."

After seeing the doctor off, he suddenly asked me, "Is the child Junzhe's, or Dizhui's? Or that minor official's?"

I raised my hand and slapped him across the face, then pulled my hand back and was suddenly filled with fear.

Jing Ren wasn't annoyed. He nodded and gave another strange smile.

One day, after drinking that bowl of green rice porridge, I suddenly felt a sharp, excruciating abdominal pain. I fell off the bed and rolled around in agony, screaming for help. I felt a warm liquid flowing between my legs, a gushing, unstoppable flow. Before I lost consciousness, I seemed to hear Chan Yuan's cold laughter outside the window.

When I woke up, I saw Di Zhui's anxious face. When he saw me open my eyes, he couldn't help but shed tears of joy and said, "I thought you were leaving me."

I managed to speak, "What are you doing here?"

The Emperor pressed on, saying, "Someone poisoned your food. Only a secret medicine from the palace can save you, so Jingren brought you here to beg me. But really, there's no need for him to beg. I only regret that I cannot suffer this pain in your place." Suddenly, her face flushed again, and she whispered, "But, but your child... was not protected." I remained silent. It was alright if he couldn't be protected. I never intended to keep him anyway.

Emperor Zhui assumed I was upset and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely find out who harmed you and make them pay with their life."

I closed my eyes.

Soon after, it was heard that Chan Yuan had hanged herself for some unknown reason. Before she died, she said to people, "I only regret that that demon did not die before me."

Some time later, I heard that the Empress Dowager had passed away due to illness, and some people said that she was angered to death by me. I don't know if that's true or not. I remember seeing the Empress Dowager at a grand banquet in Liangji Palace. She seemed to be a very stern old woman, but her face is now blurry in my memory.

I stayed in the palace to recuperate. During this time, my father and wife came to visit me. The two elderly figures knelt and kowtowed from afar. My father's hair was completely white. My former fear of him had somehow vanished. I just felt that the man who kept calling himself an old minister was a complete stranger. He told me that Miwu had married that minor official in my place, and the two of them treated each other with respect.

I couldn't help but ask, "What happened to my birth mother?"

After a long silence, the lady finally spoke up, "She had no respect for her master, and as a maid she seduced him and even got pregnant with you. I forced her to jump into the well. But I also promised to raise you in her place. Many years have passed, and Chanyuan is already dead. Consider it as us repaying her with our lives. Please don't pursue this any further."

---Fish and shrimp

Reply [94]: I remained silent. A chill, I don’t know where it came from, made me shiver uncontrollably. I couldn’t hear a trace of guilt in the lady’s voice; perhaps in her heart, the life of a maid was as lowly as grass, not worth mentioning. Besides, she did keep her promise to raise me, so of course she didn’t need to feel any remorse.

But my mother, who is now drowning in the well, how can you accept this?

It was midsummer again, and I had fully recovered. I was sitting idly in the garden, sipping tea. I heard a voice behind me sneer, "Teach me what kind of seductive tricks you have."

I calmly stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "What brings the Empress and the Imperial Concubine here?"

Serphie sneered, "I don't know if you're just incredibly lucky or if your sorcery is amazing, but you managed to get into the palace after all these twists and turns. I'm truly impressed."

Jiao Li just stared at me blankly for a long time before saying, "Did you force Chan Yuan to her death?"

I said, "She really wanted to kill me."

Serphie sneered, about to say something, when suddenly she grabbed Jiao Li and hurried away. The Emperor chased after her, saying, "Who was that just now? Was it Serphie? Did she come to cause you trouble?"

I said, "No."

Di Zhui didn't ask any more questions. He sat down, took my half-bowl of tea, and drank it, his brows furrowed.

I asked, "What?"

Emperor Zhui sighed and said, "Alas, do you know? Actually, the one who should be emperor is not me, but Jing Ren and Jun Zhe."

I was surprised.

The Emperor continued, “When Jingren and Junzhe were born, because they were twin brothers, it was feared that this would cause much controversy regarding the succession. According to custom, one of them should have been drowned, and the other should have been made crown prince. However, the late Emperor couldn't bear to do that, and their birth mother, the Empress, pleaded repeatedly. So, the late Emperor decreed that they be exempted from the right to inherit the throne. Coincidentally, less than a month later, the Consort gave birth to me, so the late Emperor made me crown prince. Therefore, Jingren and Junzhe did have their grievances.”

I said, "Now you are the emperor."

The emperor pressed on, saying, "Actually, I'd rather not be emperor." He held my hand and said gently, "I just want to grow old with you."

I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Although I was of lowly status, had been married to a minor official, and had conceived a child with Jun Zhe, Emperor Zhui, the ruler of the country, still cherished me as the most precious and sacred treasure. Jun Zhe treated me very well, but it seemed that his affection for me was not as deep as Emperor Zhui's.

In the dead of night, I pressed myself against Di Zhui's bare, burning chest, listening to his heartbeat. Di Zhui twirled my long hair around his fingers, their embrace tender and lingering. Suddenly, he chuckled, "Naihe, do you remember the scene when we met at Liangji Palace?"

I said, "Yes, I'm having a nightmare. Hmm, it seems like I dreamt I went to the underworld."

The Emperor pressed on, "Why would you have such a strange dream?"

I said, "I often dream of the underworld, and I always see many ghosts. It's so scary."

The Emperor stroked my back and said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

I laughed: "You'll have to go there too, even after you've passed away."

Emperor Zhui laughed and said, "When I go there, I will surely be the king of hell."

I said wistfully, "There are ten Yama kings and eighteen hell kings in the underworld. What king would you be if you went there?"

Emperor Zhui laughed and said, "Otherwise, I swear I will not go to hell."

I asked, "Then where can I wait for you?"

The Emperor kissed my forehead and said, "Just wait for me at the intersection of Yin and Yang, and I will definitely go. Or, I will wait for you."

I smiled and said, "It's a deal."

“Well, I’m taking you to see someone,” Serphie said with a smile.

I asked, puzzled, "Who?"

Serphie laughed, "You'll see when you get there." She then pulled me along, and I had no choice but to follow. As we passed the waterside pavilions, suddenly a person jumped up to greet us, shouting, "Naihe!"

Ah, I'm surprised, Jun Zhe?

Junzhe hugged me and said, "I missed you so much."